JP7136153B2 - Sensor device and anomaly monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sensor device and an abnormality monitoring device for monitoring an abnormality in a belt conveyor.

A belt conveyor is used for transporting raw materials, for example, for transporting raw materials in a raw material yard. In the raw material yard, iron ore, coal, etc., which are the main raw materials required for the steelmaking process, are loaded by stackers, which are imported by bulk carriers. The stacker can run on rails laid in the raw material yard, and the raw material is dropped into the yard from the in-machine belt conveyor on the boom that can be raised and lowered and turned, and stacked as a raw material pile. Discharge from the raw material yard is performed by a reclaimer. The reclaimer rotates the bucket wheel to cut the raw material from the pile. The cut raw material is discharged by the in-machine belt conveyor on the boom and transported by the belt conveyor.

Abnormalities in the belt conveyor include, for example, defects in the shape of the belt itself such as holes and longitudinal tears due to wear of the belt, failures in motors, reduction gears, pulleys, etc., and roller rotation failures. An abnormality in a belt conveyor that conveys raw materials directly affects stable production at a steelworks, so inspection management of such a belt conveyor is very important.

As a method for inspecting and managing a belt conveyor, Patent Document 1 proposes a method of detecting a vertical tear in the belt conveyor by image processing after capturing a light-section image with a camera when irradiated from the lower surface of the belt conveyor. there is In addition, in Patent Document 2, an acceleration sensor attached to the side of a belt conveyor can detect vibrations and accelerations that are different from normal at places where non-rotating rollers or falling objects are caught or bitten, so that the belt can be rotated at least once. A technique has been proposed for detecting abnormal values by measuring acceleration in minutes.

In either method, data is acquired by a sensor such as a camera or an acceleration sensor, and the data is transmitted to a data receiving section in the management section and analyzed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-230706 JP 2016-060556 A

In order to inspect and manage the belt conveyor as described above, it is necessary to install a large number of sensors around the belt conveyor and collect and analyze the data acquired by the sensors. However, the raw material yard has a vast site, and there is no power supply except for some places such as the drive part of the belt conveyor. For this reason, when attaching a sensor to a part where there is no power supply, such as the rollers of a belt conveyor, conventionally, there was no choice but to attach a battery-powered type sensor from the viewpoint of avoiding the difficulty of wiring.

However, as a belt conveyor, a long one is often provided in a wide place. In particular, the belt conveyor in the raw material yard is long, and many such long belt conveyors are provided in the vast raw material yard. For this reason, a heavy load is imposed on the replacement work associated with the consumption of the battery.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that eliminates the need to use a conventional battery for transmitting data acquired by a sensor when performing abnormality monitoring on a belt conveyor, and that eliminates the need for battery replacement work. That's what it is.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following [1] to [7].

[1] A sensor device for monitoring abnormalities in a belt conveyor,
a sensor that detects an equipment abnormality or an operational abnormality of the belt conveyor;
a data transmission unit that transmits data acquired by the sensor;
and a power generation device based on vibration power generation, which is attached to the frame of the roller of the belt conveyor and supplies power for data acquisition and data transmission by the sensor.

[2] The sensor device according to [1], wherein the power generation device includes a power generation section having a piezoelectric element and a charging section for storing the generated power.

[3] The sensor measures one or more of the temperature of the belt conveyor, the vibration of the belt conveyor, the meandering of the belt of the belt conveyor, and the moisture content on the belt conveyor [1] or The sensor device according to [2].

[4] The sensor, the data transmission section, and the power generation device are unitized to form a sensor unit, and the sensor unit is provided in the vicinity of the rotation shaft of the roller of the frame. The sensor device according to any one of {1} to [3], characterized by:

[5] The sensor is a vibration sensor, and the sensor unit is located behind a portion of the frame to which the rotating shaft is attached, at a position adjacent to the portion of the frame to which the rotating shaft is attached, and/or Alternatively, the sensor device according to [4] above is provided on a leg portion of the frame.

[6] The sensor is a meandering sensor that has a touch pulley and a detection unit and detects meandering of the belt of the belt conveyor. The sensor device according to [4] above, wherein the sensor device is installed so that the belt contacts the touch pulley.

[7] Abnormality monitoring comprising: the sensor device according to any one of [1] to [6] above; and a data receiving section for receiving data transmitted from the data transmitting section of the sensor device. Device.

According to the present invention, there is no need to use a conventional battery for transmitting data acquired by a sensor when performing abnormality monitoring on a belt conveyor, and battery replacement work is not required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the schematic which shows the example which used the sensor apparatus (sensor unit) based on one Embodiment of this invention for the abnormality monitoring apparatus for managing a belt conveyor. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the sensor unit; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an arrangement position of a sensor unit; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement position of the sensor unit; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of the arrangement position of the sensor unit; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement position of a sensor unit when a meandering sensor is used as a sensor; It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an electric power generating apparatus. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of actual temperature measurement results in the sensor unit;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a sensor device (sensor unit) according to one embodiment of the present invention is used as an abnormality monitoring device for managing a belt conveyor, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the sensor unit. 3 to 6 are diagrams showing examples of the positions of the belt conveyors, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of the power generator.

The abnormality monitoring device 10 detects and manages abnormality of the belt conveyor 1 in the raw material yard. The belt conveyor 1 has a drive section 2 and is driven by power supplied to the drive section 2 from a power source. A belt 7 of the belt conveyor 1 is guided by rollers 3 and conveys raw materials such as iron ore and coal. The roller 3 rotates following the movement of the belt, and there is no power source. The data transmission device 10 is used for data transmission in a portion other than the drive unit 2 where no power source exists, such as the roller 3 portion.

The abnormality monitoring device 10 includes, for example, a sensor unit 6 in which a data transmission section 11, a sensor 12, and a power generation device 13 are integrated, and a data reception device 4, as shown in FIG. The sensor unit 6 constitutes a sensor device.

A sensor unit 6 is attached to the belt conveyor 1 . Specifically, for example, it is attached to a frame 9 that supports the rotating shaft 8 of the roller 3 that guides the belt 7 of the belt conveyor 1 . The sensor unit 6 is preferably installed in a position close to the rotation shaft 8 of the roller 3 in the frame 9. As shown in FIG. It is more desirable to install it immediately behind the part. If it is difficult to install the sensor unit 6 immediately behind the mounting portion of the rotary shaft 8 due to structural reasons, it may be installed at a position adjacent to the mounting portion (a position next to the mounting portion) as shown in FIG. good too. Moreover, depending on the type of the sensor 12, the sensor unit 6 may be provided on a leg portion 9a of the frame 9 that supports the central roller 3, as shown in FIG. Moreover, the sensor unit 6 may be provided at a plurality of positions among these. As a result, more accurate detection can be performed.

The reason why the sensor unit 6 is installed at a position close to the rotating shaft 8 in this way is to reliably pick up the vibration accompanying the rotation of the roller 3 and to reliably generate power by the vibration. In order to reliably pick up the vibration of the rotating shaft 8, for example, the sensor unit 6 may be attached directly to the rotating shaft 8 or incorporated inside the roller 3. However, the outer diameter of the roller 3 is generally 90 mm. Since the size is only about 165 mm, it is often difficult to attach the sensor unit directly to the rotating shaft 8 or to incorporate the sensor unit into the roller 3 . Rather, by providing the sensor unit 6 on the frame 9 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to cope with a relatively large sensor, and the degree of freedom in installing the sensor unit 6 is increased.

The sensor 12 acquires predetermined data and detects an equipment abnormality or an operational abnormality of the belt conveyor 1 . As the sensor 12, for example, a temperature sensor (thermometer), a vibration sensor (vibrometer), or a meandering detection sensor can be preferably used.

Vibration sensors (vibrometers) generally measure velocity, acceleration, or displacement, but for the purpose of detecting idle rotation of the roll 3, for example, sensors that measure velocity are preferable. When the sensor 12 is a vibration sensor, it is desirable to install the sensor unit 6 immediately behind the mounting portion as described above. may be placed in Alternatively, it may be provided on the leg portion 9a that supports the roller 3 in the center. Vibration of the central roller 3 can be detected more accurately by providing it on the leg portion 9a.

In the case of a meandering detection sensor (meandering detection switch), as shown in FIG. 6, the sensor 12 has a touch pulley 15 and a detection unit 16. It contacts the touch pulley 15 and detects meandering. Specifically, the meandering of the belt 7 is detected by detecting the rotation of the shaft when the belt 7 contacts the touch pulley 15 and the touch pulley 15 rotates. Therefore, when the sensor 12 is a meandering sensor, the sensor unit 6 should be installed so that the belt 7 contacts the touch pulley 15 when the belt 7 meanders.

The sensor 12 may be other sensors such as a moisture meter, a visible camera, an infrared camera, an acceleration sensor, and a microphone for detecting abnormal noise.

The data transmission unit 11 is for transmitting data acquired by the sensor 12 . Also, the data receiving section 4 is provided in an operation room (management section) 5 provided at a location away from the belt conveyor 1 . In the operation room 5, data transmitted from a large number of sensors 12 provided on the belt conveyor 1 to the data receiving section 4 via the data transmitting section 11 are aggregated and analyzed. Data transmission between the data transmitter 11 and the data receiver 4 is performed by wireless communication.

The power generation device 13 generates power by vibration power generation, and uses, for example, a piezoelectric element. The power generation device 13 includes a power generation section 21 having an element that performs vibration power generation, such as a piezoelectric element, and a charging section 22 that stores the generated power (see FIG. 7). The power generation device 13 is attached to the belt conveyor 1 and generates power by vibration of the belt conveyor 1 . Specifically, in this example, since the sensor unit 6 incorporating the power generation device 13 is attached to the frame 9 of the roller 3 of the belt conveyor 1 , the power generation device 13 generates power by the vibration of the roller 3 .

Next, the operation of the abnormality monitoring device 10 configured in this manner will be described.
A belt conveyor 1 provided in a raw material yard conveys raw materials such as iron ore and coal. Various sensors are present on the belt conveyor 1, acquire predetermined data during material transportation, and transmit the data from the data transmission section 11 to the data reception section 4 provided in the operation room (management section) 5. . Then, an equipment abnormality or an operational abnormality of the belt conveyor 1 is detected from the data. For example, a temperature sensor or a vibration sensor is provided as the sensor 12 to measure the temperature and vibration of the rollers of the belt conveyor 1, and when these become a predetermined value or more (or a predetermined value or less, a predetermined range, etc.), the equipment considered abnormal. Further, by providing a meandering detection sensor (meandering detection switch) as the sensor 12, the meandering of the belt 7 of the belt conveyor 1 can be detected. Further, a photoelectric sensor, a limit switch, a visible camera, an acceleration sensor, etc. are provided as the sensor 12 to measure meandering of the belt 7 of the belt conveyor 1, and when these values exceed a predetermined value, or the edge position of the belt is detected. It can also be measured and an equipment failure can be determined when the edge position is out of the allowable range. In addition, a moisture meter is provided as the sensor 12 to measure the moisture content of raw materials such as iron ore on the belt conveyor, and when the moisture content reaches a predetermined value or more (or a predetermined value or less, or a predetermined range, etc.) It is regarded as an operational abnormality. Table 1 shows examples of combinations of sensors and anomalies.

Power is required for measurement and data transmission by the sensor 12, but the raw material yard is vast, and when installing the sensor in a part where there is no power supply, such as the rollers of a belt conveyor, conventionally, a battery-powered type sensor is installed. I had no choice. For this reason, a great burden has been placed on the replacement work associated with the exhaustion of the battery.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, along with the sensor 12 and the data transmission unit 11, a power generation device 13 that generates power by vibration power generation is provided. The power generated by vibration power generation is used to drive the sensor 12 and transmit data. More specifically, an element that performs vibration power generation such as a piezoelectric element provided in the power generation unit 21 of the power generation device 13 generates power, and the generated power is stored in the charging unit 22 . Then, the electric power stored in the charging unit 22 is used to drive the sensor 12 and transmit data.

By using the power generation device 13 using vibration power generation in this way, even when data is acquired by a sensor provided in a part of the raw material yard where there is no power supply and the data is transmitted, it is not necessary to use a conventional battery. There is no need to replace the battery. Therefore, the sensor can be used maintenance-free for a long period of time.

Moreover, since the data transmission unit 11, the sensor 12, and the power generation device 13 are configured as an integrated sensor unit 6, installation is easy. Since the sensor unit 6 is provided on the frame 9 that supports the rollers 3 of the belt conveyor 1, the vibration of the rollers 3 can be easily transmitted to the power generator 13 to efficiently generate power. Furthermore, since the sensor unit 6 is provided on the frame 9, even if the sensor 12 is large, it can be handled, and the installation position can be selected, so that the sensor unit 6 can be installed with a high degree of freedom.

Furthermore, by performing wireless transmission of data between the data transmission section 11 and the data reception section 4, long-distance cable wiring becomes unnecessary.

Next, examples of the present invention will be described.
Here, in order to confirm the effect of the present invention, a verification experiment of the sensor device (sensor unit) according to the above embodiment was conducted in a raw material yard. A sensor unit with a temperature sensor is provided as a sensor on the roller frame of the belt conveyor provided in the raw material yard. Transmitted the temperature measurement data to the receiver.

A thermometer with IP66 dustproof/waterproof performance was used in consideration of the use in the raw material yard. The temperature measurable range is from -40 to 85°C. A 2.4 GHz body was used for data transmission. However, it is also possible to use the 5.0 GHz band.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing temperature data transmitted from the data transmitter to the data receiver at that time. As shown in FIG. 8, it was possible to measure the temperature and transmit the data at intervals of about once every 6 hours with the electric power generated by the power generator due to the vibration of the rollers. From this, it was confirmed that the temperature of the belt conveyor (in this example, the temperature of the roller part of the belt conveyor) can be constantly monitored, and abnormalities that occur in the belt conveyor, such as a belt fire, can be detected by the data receiver. was done.

Even if a vibration meter or meandering detection sensor (meandering detection switch) is used instead of a thermometer as a sensor, it is possible to transmit the measured data using the power generated by the power generator due to the vibration of the roller, and the vibration of the belt conveyor can be transmitted. and belt meandering can be constantly monitored.

Although the embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, they should be considered as merely illustrative and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the belt conveyor that conveys the raw material from the raw material yard is provided with a sensor device that monitors abnormality, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of using the sensor unit in which the data transmission section, the sensor, and the power generation device are integrally provided as a unit was exemplified, but these may be provided separately. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the data transmission device, the sensor, and the power generation device are provided in the roller frame of the belt conveyor is shown, but the installation positions are not limited to this, and may be other parts of the belt conveyor. good too. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the vibration of the belt conveyor (roller of the belt conveyor) is directly generated by vibration power generation is shown, but for example, vibration power generation may be performed by converting rotation of the belt conveyor into vibration. .

1 Belt Conveyor 2 Driving Unit 3 Roller 4 Data Receiving Unit 5 Operation Room (Management Unit)
6 sensor unit (sensor device)
7 belt 8 rotating shaft 9 frame 9a leg 10 abnormality monitoring device 11 data transmission unit 12 sensor 13 power generator 15 touch roll (meandering detection switch)
16 detection unit 21 power generation unit 22 charging unit

Claims (6)

A sensor device for monitoring abnormalities in a belt conveyor,
a sensor that detects an equipment abnormality or an operational abnormality of the belt conveyor;
a data transmission unit that transmits data acquired by the sensor;
a power generation device based on vibration power generation that supplies power for data acquisition and data transmission by the sensor;
has
The sensor, the data transmission unit, and the power generation device are unitized to form a sensor unit, and the sensor unit is an outer portion of the roller frame of the belt conveyor and the rotation shaft of the roller. A sensor device, characterized in that it is provided in the vicinity . 2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the power generation device has a power generation section having a piezoelectric element and a charging section for storing the generated power. 2. The sensor measures one or more of temperature of the belt conveyor, vibration of the belt conveyor, meandering of the belt of the belt conveyor, and moisture content on the belt conveyor. Or the sensor device according to claim 2 . The sensor is a vibration sensor, and the sensor unit is located behind a portion of the frame to which the rotation shaft is attached, a position adjacent to the portion of the frame to which the rotation shaft is attached, and/or the 4. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor device is provided on a leg portion of a frame. The sensor is a meandering sensor that has a touch pulley and a detection unit and detects meandering of the belt of the belt conveyor, and the sensor unit detects the meandering of the belt of the belt conveyor. 4. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor device is installed so as to be in contact with the belt. 6. An abnormality monitoring apparatus comprising: the sensor device according to claim 1 ; and a data receiving section for receiving data transmitted from the data transmitting section of the sensor device.

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