JP7628280B2 - Transport system inspection device and transport system inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying system inspection device and a conveying system inspection method, and in particular to a conveying system inspection device and a conveying system inspection method for detecting abnormalities in a conveying path having multiple motor rollers.

As a method for detecting abnormalities in a transport path having multiple motor rollers, a method is known in which various data is acquired while actually transporting an inspection device having a camera and a temperature sensor, as described in Patent Document 1. In the method described in Patent Document 1, the temperature of the motor roller in contact with the inspection device is detected.

JP 2020-142928 A

However, because the temperature of an abnormal motor roller does not rise immediately even when a load is applied, it is difficult to detect motor roller abnormalities with high accuracy using the method described in Patent Document 1.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a conveying system inspection device and a conveying system inspection method that can detect abnormalities in motor rollers with high accuracy.

The conveying system inspection device according to the present invention is a conveying system inspection device for detecting abnormalities in a conveying path having multiple motor rollers, and is characterized by comprising a conveying body that can be conveyed by the conveying path, a first temperature sensor provided on the conveying body that detects the temperature of the motor roller after the conveying body has passed, and an information processing unit that analyzes the output value of the first temperature sensor.

The method for inspecting a conveying system according to the present invention is characterized in that a conveying body having a temperature sensor is conveyed along a conveying path having multiple motor rollers, the temperature of the motor roller after the conveying body has passed is detected by the temperature sensor, and an abnormality in the motor roller is detected by analyzing the output value of the temperature sensor.

According to the present invention, the temperature of the motor roller is detected after the conveyed object has passed, making it possible to evaluate the state in which the motor roller has sufficiently increased in temperature due to the load. This makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the motor roller with high accuracy.

In the present invention, the conveying body may have a removable weight for applying a load to the conveying path. This makes it possible to freely change the load applied to the motor roller.

The conveying system inspection device according to the present invention may further include a second temperature sensor provided on the conveying body to detect the temperature of the motor roller before the conveying body passes, and the information processing unit may compare the output value of the first temperature sensor with the output value of the second temperature sensor. This makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the motor roller with higher accuracy.

In this way, the present invention makes it possible to provide a conveying system inspection device and a conveying system inspection method that can detect abnormalities in motor rollers with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a transport system inspection device 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing unit 13. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows waveforms of the current flowing through the motor roller 2, where (a) shows the waveform when there is no abnormality and (b) shows the waveform when an abnormality occurs. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the transport system inspection device 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a transport system inspection device 10a according to a modified example.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view showing the exterior of the transport system inspection device 10.

The conveying system inspection device 10 according to this embodiment detects abnormalities in a conveying path 1 having multiple motor rollers 2, and includes a conveying body 11 that can be conveyed by the conveying path 1, a temperature sensor 12 provided on the conveying body 11, an information processing unit 13, and a weight 14. The motor roller 2 is a rotating roller that rotates by a built-in motor and has a rotation axis in the y direction. Multiple such motor rollers 2 are arranged in the x direction, and by rotating each motor roller 2 in one direction, the baggage container on the conveying path 1 is conveyed in the direction indicated by arrow A. However, some of the motor rollers 2 may be replaced with free rollers.

The conveying system inspection device 10 detects abnormalities in each motor roller 2 while being conveyed along the conveying path 1 in the same manner as a baggage container. The conveying body 11 is container-shaped, and an information processing unit 13 and a weight 14 are housed inside. The temperature sensor 12 is attached to the rear of the conveying body 11, and detects the temperature of the motor roller 2 after the conveying body 11 has passed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 12 detects the temperature of the motor roller 2a. The motor roller 2a that is the object of detection by the temperature sensor 12 is preferably the motor roller as immediately as possible after the conveying body 11 has passed. There are no particular limitations on the type of temperature sensor 12, but it is preferable to use a non-contact temperature sensor such as an infrared camera.

2, the information processing unit 13 includes a memory 21 that stores the output value of the temperature sensor 12, a controller 22 that analyzes the output value stored in the memory 21, an I/O circuit 23 connected to the controller 22, and a battery 24 that supplies power to the memory 21, the controller 22, and the I/O circuit 23. In this embodiment, the information processing unit 13 is housed in the carrier 11, but a part or all of the information processing unit 13 may be provided outside the carrier 11. For example, a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the output value of the temperature sensor 12 may be provided in the carrier 11, and the output value transmitted from the transmitter may be received by an external receiver and analyzed by an external controller.

The weight 14 adjusts the overall weight of the conveying body 11, making the weight of the entire conveying body 11 as heavy as possible within the range that can be conveyed by the conveying path 1. Since the weight that can be conveyed by the conveying path 1 varies depending on the conveying path, it is preferable that the weight 14 is detachable from the conveying body 11. As described above, in this embodiment, since the weight 14 is mounted on the conveying body 11, a large load is applied to the motor roller 2 that contacts the conveying body 11. The conveying system inspection device 10 according to this embodiment applies a large load to the conveying path 1 by the weight 14, and detects the temperature of the motor roller 2 after the conveying body 11 has passed by using the temperature sensor 12.

Figure 3 shows the waveform of the current flowing through the motor roller 2, where (a) shows the waveform when there is no abnormality and (b) shows the waveform when an abnormality occurs.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the motor roller 2 is driven using a 50 Hz commercial power source, current peaks appear at frequencies of 50 Hz and integer multiples of 50 Hz. Here, if there is no abnormality in the motor roller 2, no current peaks appear at other frequencies, but if an abnormality occurs in the motor roller 2, multiple current peaks appear at other frequencies. For this reason, a motor roller 2 with an abnormality consumes more power than a motor roller 2 without an abnormality, and as a result, generates more heat. This difference in the amount of heat generated is small, but because the power consumption of the motor roller 2 is proportional to the torque, the heavier the conveying body 11, the greater the difference in the amount of heat generated.

In this embodiment, the weight 14 is mounted on the conveying body 11, and the temperature of the motor roller 2 after the conveying body 11 has passed is detected by the temperature sensor 12, so that the occurrence of an abnormality due to a difference in power consumption can be detected with high sensitivity. In other words, in the method of providing the temperature sensor 12 in front of the conveying body 11 in the conveying direction, almost no load is applied to the motor roller 2, and in the method of measuring the temperature of the motor roller 2 in contact with the conveying body 11, the motor roller 2 does not heat up sufficiently, so that it is not easy to determine the difference in the amount of heat generated depending on whether or not an abnormality exists with either method. In contrast, in this embodiment, the temperature of the motor roller 2 is measured immediately after the conveying body 11 carrying the weight 14 has passed, so the difference in the amount of heat generated depending on whether or not an abnormality exists is large, and this makes it possible to detect the occurrence of an abnormality with high sensitivity.

Figure 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the transport system inspection device 10 according to this embodiment.

First, the controller 22 reads the failure determination value Tmax (step S1), and then the conveying body 11 carrying the weight 14 is conveyed through the conveying path 1. Then, the temperature T of the motor roller 2 immediately after the conveying body 11 passes through is measured by the temperature sensor 12 (step S2). Then, the temperature T of the motor roller 2 is compared with the failure determination value Tmax, and if the temperature T of the motor roller 2 is equal to or lower than the failure determination value Tmax (step S3: No), steps S2 and S3 are repeated until a stop command is issued (step S4: No). On the other hand, if the temperature T of the motor roller 2 exceeds the failure determination value Tmax (step S3: Yes), a failure determination is made (step S5), and the determination result is associated with the motor roller 2 and recorded in the memory 21 (step S6). The determination result recorded in the memory 21 can be retrieved through the I/O circuit 23. Thus, in this embodiment, the motor rollers 2 are inspected sequentially by simply conveying the conveying body 11 through the conveying path 1, and it is possible to determine which motor roller 2 has an abnormality.

Figure 5 is a simplified perspective view showing the exterior of a modified transport system inspection device 10a.

The conveying system inspection device 10a shown in FIG. 5 differs from the conveying system inspection device 10 described above in that another temperature sensor 15 is attached ahead of the conveying body 11 in the traveling direction. The temperature sensor 15 detects the temperature of the motor roller 2 before it comes into contact with the conveying body 11. By adding such a temperature sensor 15, the information processing unit 13 can compare the output value of the temperature sensor 15 with the output value of the temperature sensor 12 to evaluate the temperature change of each motor roller 2 before and after the conveying body 11 passes, making it possible to detect abnormalities in the motor roller 2 with higher accuracy.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that these are also included within the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Conveying path 2, 2a Motor roller 10, 10a Conveying system inspection device 11 Conveying body 12 Temperature sensor 13 Information processing unit 14 Weight 15 Temperature sensor 21 Memory 22 Controller 23 I/O circuit 24 Battery

Claims (4)

A conveyor system inspection device for detecting an abnormality in a conveyor path having a plurality of motor rollers, comprising:
A conveyor that can be conveyed by the conveying path;
a first temperature sensor provided on the conveying body and configured to detect a temperature of the motor roller after the conveying body has passed;
an information processing unit that detects an abnormality in the motor roller by analyzing an output value of the first temperature sensor. The conveying system inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying body has a removable weight for applying a load to the conveying path. A second temperature sensor is provided on the conveyor and detects the temperature of the motor roller before the conveyor passes through the second temperature sensor.
3. The transport system inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing unit compares an output value of the first temperature sensor with an output value of the second temperature sensor. A method for inspecting a conveying system, comprising: conveying a conveying body having a temperature sensor along a conveying path having multiple motor rollers; detecting the temperature of the motor rollers after the conveying body has passed by the temperature sensor; and detecting an abnormality in the motor rollers by analyzing the output value of the temperature sensor.

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