JP7401390B2 - Non-contact metal lumber inspection equipment and non-contact metal lumber health diagnosis equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a non-contact metal product inspection device and a non-contact metal product health diagnostic device. Metal lumber includes wire ropes, steel plates, etc., and its shape does not matter.

Using the fact that the wire rope, which is made up of multiple metal wires bundled together, is a ferromagnetic material, the wire rope is magnetized in the longitudinal direction, and leakage magnetic flux leaking from broken or damaged parts of the metal wires is detected as a magnetic sensor. There is known an inspection device that performs detection by (Patent Document 1). An inspection device is also known in which a magnetized wire rope is slid in a groove having a U-shaped cross section along the diameter of the wire rope, and a coil detects changes in magnetic flux in the event of wire breakage or damage (Patent Document 2).

JP2013-96950A JP 2019-105507 Publication

Wire ropes in which a resin core is used instead of a fiber core, wire ropes in which the entire outer circumferential surface is coated with resin, and wire ropes in which the grooves between the strands are filled with resin have been developed. Even with wire ropes using these resins, leakage magnetic flux or changes in magnetic flux can be detected. However, defects in the resin part, such as damage to the resin or resin popping out, cannot be detected because the resin is a non-magnetic material.

It is an object of the present invention to detect disconnections and damaged parts of metal wires, and also to detect defects in resin parts such as damage to resin and resin popping out.

Another object of the present invention is to simultaneously detect (measure) the rope diameter, rope pitch, number of ropes when a plurality of ropes are used, and rope spacing.

A non-contact metal product inspection device according to the present invention is provided on a path along which a metal inspection object moves, and includes first and second inspection device halves that sandwich the inspection object from both sides in a non-contact manner. ing.

The first half of the inspection device includes a plurality of magnetic sensors that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the inspection object and detect leakage magnetic flux from the magnetized inspection object. a first light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object to be inspected and emit light perpendicularly toward the object to be inspected; movement of the object to be inspected; a second light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction and emitting light obliquely toward the object to be inspected; and a second light emitting element array arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be inspected. and includes the first light receiving element array that receives reflected light from the object to be inspected caused by light emitted from the second light emitting element array.

The second half of the inspection device includes a second magnetic sensor that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the inspection object and includes a plurality of magnetic sensors that detect leakage magnetic flux from the magnetized inspection object. an array, arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be inspected, and provided facing the first light emitting element array, and receiving transmitted light resulting from the light emitted from the first light emitting element array; a third light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be inspected and emitting light obliquely toward the object to be inspected; and a third light-receiving element array that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be inspected and receives reflected light from the object to be inspected resulting from the light emitted from the second light-emitting element array. There is.

The non-contact metal product inspection device according to the present invention can be used for both magnetic (leakage magnetic flux) inspection and image inspection. Since the object to be inspected is made of metal, it can be magnetized, and damage to the object (such as wire breakage, corrosion, wear, etc.) can be detected by using leakage magnetic flux from damaged parts. In addition, by imaging the object to be inspected using the first to third light-receiving element arrays (line sensors), it is also possible to detect damage to the object by visual inspection using the image.

Assume that the object to be inspected includes resin, and the resin part is damaged. Since the resin part cannot be magnetized, damage to the resin part cannot be detected by magnetic inspection using leakage magnetic flux. The non-contact metal product inspection device according to the present invention can be used for visual inspection using images, so damage to metal parts can be detected by magnetic inspection using magnetic flux, and damage to resin parts can be detected by visual inspection using images. Each can be used for inspection.

The first light emitting element array included in the first half of the inspection apparatus and the second light receiving element array included in the second half of the inspection apparatus constitute a transmissive optical sensor. The first light emitting element array is provided on one side of the object to be inspected, and the second light receiving element array is provided on the other side of the object to be inspected, facing the first light emitting element array. The second light-receiving element array captures an image in which the area where the light is blocked is dark and the area where the light is not blocked is bright. A transmission type optical sensor can obtain an image with a clear outer edge shape of the object to be inspected. For example, assume that the object to be inspected is a wire rope with a core made up of a core and multiple strands twisted around the core, and that the core is protruding outward due to aging of the wire rope. The protrusion of the core material clearly appears at the outer edge of the wire rope image captured by the second light receiving element array of the transmission type optical sensor. Damage can be determined by checking the wire rope image on the screen by the person in charge of inspection, or by image processing, such as comparing the image of a normal wire rope with core material and the image of the inspected wire rope (overlapping). Damage can also be determined by determining whether core material protruding outside the outer edge of the wire rope is present in the inspection image.

A set of a second light-emitting element array and a first light-receiving element array included in the first inspection apparatus half, and a set of a third light-emitting element array and third light-receiving element array included in the second inspection apparatus half. Each constitutes a reflective optical sensor. Images of both sides of the object to be inspected can be used for visual inspection.

The present invention also provides a non-contact metal product health diagnostic device. The non-contact metal lumber health diagnostic device according to the present invention uses output signals based on leakage magnetic flux output from the first and second magnetic sensor arrays of the non-contact metal lumber inspection device described above, as well as the non-contact metal lumber inspection device described above. Inspection data input means for receiving input of image data output from the first, second and third light receiving element arrays of the molded metal product inspection apparatus, using an output signal based on leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means. The apparatus includes magnetic inspection means for inspecting the object to be inspected using a magnetic field, and image-based inspection means for inspecting the object using image data received by the inspection data input means.

In one embodiment, the magnetic inspection means is a magnetic dimension/structure detection means for detecting at least one of the dimensions or the structure of the object to be inspected using an output signal based on the leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means. It is equipped with If the object to be inspected is, for example, multiple wire ropes arranged in parallel to each other used in an elevator, the number of wire ropes (one of the structures), the spacing between adjacent wire ropes (one of the structures), The rope pitch (one of the dimensions) of the wire rope and the diameter (one of the dimensions) of the wire rope can be detected (measured) using an output signal based on the leakage magnetic flux. As wire rope deteriorates over time, the rope pitch may lengthen or the diameter may decrease. The detected rope pitch and diameter of the wire rope can be used to diagnose the health of the wire rope.

In a preferred embodiment, the inspection object is a plurality of wire ropes arranged at intervals, and the magnetic inspection means uses an output signal based on leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means. The apparatus is equipped with means for generating damage state confirmation image data that can identify a damaged (defected) wire rope among the plurality of wire ropes and confirm the degree and size of the damage. The damage state confirmation data can be, for example, a three-dimensional image or a two-dimensional image.

In another embodiment, the image-based inspection means includes image-based size/structure detection means for detecting at least one of the dimensions/structure of the object to be inspected using the image data received by the inspection data input means. There is. Images can also be used to determine the number of wire ropes (one of the structures), the spacing between adjacent wire ropes (the structure (one of the dimensions), the rope pitch (one of the dimensions) of the wire rope, and the diameter (one of the dimensions) of the wire rope can be detected (measured). The detected data can be used to diagnose the health of the wire rope.

Preferably, the inspection object is a plurality of wire ropes arranged at intervals, and the non-contact metal lumber health diagnosis device uses the image data received by the inspection data input means to: The present invention includes means for generating damage state confirmation data that allows identification of a damaged wire rope among a plurality of wire ropes and confirmation of the extent and size of the damage. The damage state confirmation data generated from the image data can be, for example, image data in which damaged parts of the wire rope are emphasized.

The structure of the elevator and the configuration of the health diagnostic device are shown. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the wire rope. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rope tester. This is the inner surface of the rope tester along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. It is a top view of a rope tester. This figure shows how wire rope damage is inspected using leakage magnetic flux. The positional relationship between five wire ropes and a plurality of Hall elements forming a vertical Hall element array is shown. The output signal from the vertical Hall element array is shown by a three-dimensional graphical image. The output signal from the vertical Hall element array is shown in a two-dimensional image. (A) shows the positional relationship between the wire rope and the vertical Hall element array, and (B) shows the time-series output signals from the Hall elements. 2 is an output signal waveform from the entire vertical Hall element array. A part of a transparent image of a wire rope is schematically shown. (A) shows a captured image of the wire rope, and (B) shows a processed image obtained by processing the captured image shown in (A). A captured image of another wire rope is shown.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of an elevator.

The elevator consists of a hoistway 1, a machine room 2 provided above the hoistway 1, a car 3 that moves up and down within the hoistway 1 to transport people and cargo, and one end above the car 3 (outside the ceiling). is fixed thereto, and a wire rope 5 is provided with a counterweight 4 fixed to the other end.

When used in an elevator, generally a plurality of wire ropes 5 are used, and the plurality of wire ropes 5 are arranged in parallel at intervals. The number of wire ropes 5 installed in the elevator and the diameter of the wire ropes 5 are adjusted as appropriate depending on the load-bearing performance of the elevator. Generally, between 3 and 22 wire ropes 5 are installed in an elevator, and the diameter thereof is between 5 and 25 mm. In this embodiment, it is assumed that five wire ropes 5 are used. In FIG. 1, only one wire rope 5 is shown for clarity.

The middle portions of the five wire ropes 5 arranged in parallel at intervals pass through the inside of the machine room 2, and the middle portions of the wire ropes 5 pass through the hoisting machine 6 provided in the machine room 2. and is placed on a deflector wheel 7. The wire rope 5 is moved by the forward and reverse rotation of the hoist 6, and thereby the car 3 moves up and down within the hoistway 1.

Furthermore, in the machine room 2, there is a rope tester for sensing damage to the wire rope 5 (existence and degree of breakage and flaws) as well as the structure and dimensions of the wire rope 5 (diameter, number of ropes, interval between ropes, and rope pitch). 10, and a communication device 8 for transmitting data output from the rope tester 10 to a computer device 9. The communication device 8 is connected to the computer device 9 wirelessly or by wire, and can transmit data acquired by the rope tester 10 (data representing leakage magnetic flux and image data, which will be described later) to the computer device 9. The computer device 9 is used as a health diagnostic device that shows the condition of the wire rope 5 (presence of damage, degree of diameter reduction, etc., which will be described later) to an inspector in an easy-to-understand manner based on data transmitted from the rope tester 10. .

The rope tester 10 is provided without contacting the wire rope 5 as shown below. Since the rope tester 10 does not come into contact with the wire rope 5 and therefore does not wear out the surface of the wire rope 5, the rope tester 10 can be permanently installed in the machine room 2 in a fixed manner. Of course, it may be temporarily installed in the machine room 2 only when inspecting the wire rope 5 or the like.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing an example of the wire rope 5. As shown in FIG.

The wire rope 5 is composed of a core material 5A with a circular cross section arranged at the center and six strands 5B with a circular cross section twisted around the core material 5A. The core material 5A is made of polyethylene, polypropylene or other synthetic resin or synthetic fiber. The strand 5B is constructed by twisting together a plurality of steel wires having circular cross sections and different diameters. The number of strands 5B constituting the wire rope 5 and the number of plural wires constituting the strand 5B can be arbitrarily designed. Further, the type of the strand 5B may be any of a sealed type, a filler type, a Warrington type, and a Warrington sealed type.

3 shows a longitudinal section of the rope tester 10, FIG. 4 shows the inner surface of the rope tester 10 along line IV--IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 shows a plane view of the rope tester 10.

The rope tester 10 is constructed by combining two rope tester halves 10A and 10B. Referring to FIG. 5, two rope tester halves 10A and 10B are provided at intervals so as to sandwich a plurality of (here, five) wire ropes 5 arranged in a row without contact. By using the connector 60 made of non-magnetic material, the two rope tester halves 10A and 10B are fixed with their inner surfaces facing each other with a predetermined gap. Preferably, the rope tester 10 is installed so that the plurality of wire ropes 5 lined up in a row are located exactly midway between the two rope tester halves 10A, 10B.

Referring to FIG. 3, one (left side in FIG. 3) rope tester half 10A includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped yoke 21, a pair of magnets 22 and 23 fixed to the upper surface of both sides of the yoke 21, and a pair of magnets. It includes a surface emitting element array 31 provided between 22 and 23, a vertical Hall element array 41, a horizontal Hall element array 42, a line sensor (light receiving element group) 52, and a surface emitting element array 51. The other (right side in FIG. 3) rope tester half 10B includes a rectangular parallelepiped yoke 21 made of magnetic material, a pair of magnets 22 and 23 fixed to the upper surfaces of both sides of the yoke 21, and a pair of magnets 22 and 23. A line sensor (light receiving element group) 32, a vertical Hall element array 41, a horizontal Hall element array 42, a line sensor (light receiving element group) 52, and a surface emitting element array 51 are provided between the two.

The surface emitting element array 31 included in the rope tester half 10A and the line sensor 32 included in the rope tester half 10B are provided at positions facing each other with the wire rope 5 interposed therebetween. The set of surface emitting element array 31 and line sensor 32 is hereinafter referred to as a "transmissive optical sensor section." The surface emitting element array 31 includes a plurality of surface emitting elements arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5. direction) to emit light. On the other hand, the line sensor 32 includes a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5, and the light receiving surface thereof faces straight toward the wire rope 5.

A portion of the light emitted from the surface emitting element array 31 is blocked by the wire rope 5, so in the image captured by the line sensor 32, the portion where the wire rope 5 exists becomes a dark area. On the other hand, the portion where the wire rope 5 is not present (the outside of the wire rope 5 located between adjacent wire ropes 5 and at both ends) becomes a bright portion because light is transmitted therethrough. In the image acquired by the transmission type optical sensor section (a set of surface emitting element array 31 and line sensor 32), the outer edge of the wire rope 5 is made clear, and this can be compared to the rope pitch, rope diameter, and rope of the wire rope 5. It can be used to detect (measure) the number of ropes and the distance between the ropes. Details of the processing using the transmission type optical sensor section will be described later.

A set of a surface emitting element array 51 and a line sensor 52 included in each of the rope tester halves 10A and 10B is used to image the surface of one side and the other side of the wire rope 5, respectively. The set of surface emitting element array 51 and line sensor 52 included in each of the rope tester halves 10A and 10B will be referred to as a "reflective optical sensor section" hereinafter.

The surface emitting element array 51 constituting the reflective optical sensor section includes a plurality of surface emitting elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5, and its light emitting surface (light emitting surface) is , are provided at an angle of about 45° with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wire rope 5 so as to irradiate the wire rope 5 with light obliquely. The line sensor 52 has a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5. The line sensor 52 is made up of light emitted from the surface emitting element array 51 and reflected on the wire rope 5. In order to receive the light, its light receiving surface is oriented at approximately 45° with respect to the wire rope 5. The line sensor 52 of the rope tester half 10A takes a detailed image of one surface of the wire rope 5, and the line sensor 52 of the rope tester half 10B takes a detailed image of the other surface of the wire rope 5.

In each of the rope tester halves 10A, 10B, a vertical Hall element array 41 and a horizontal Hall element array 42 are provided approximately midway between the magnets 22, 23. The vertical Hall element array 41 includes a plurality of Hall elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5, and each of them is sensitive to the magnetic flux along the radial direction of the wire rope 5. It is placed facing the direction of On the other hand, the horizontal Hall element array 42 includes a plurality of Hall elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (longitudinal direction) of the wire rope 5, and each of them has a magnetic flux along the longitudinal direction of the wire rope 5. It is placed facing the direction that is sensitive to the

The vertical Hall element array 41 and the horizontal Hall element array 42 both detect magnetic flux leaking from the wire rope 5 (hereinafter referred to as leakage magnetic flux). Both of the vertical Hall element array 41 and the horizontal Hall element array 42 are not necessarily required, and only one of the vertical Hall element array 41 and the horizontal Hall element array 42 may be provided. Furthermore, the leakage magnetic flux from the wire rope 5 can also be detected using a detection coil, a magnetoresistive element, a magneto-impedance element, or other magnetic sensor instead of the Hall element. Generally, when the damage to the wire rope 5 is a break, the vertical Hall element array 41 has a higher accuracy in detecting leakage magnetic flux than the horizontal Hall element array 42. When the wire rope 5 is damaged by corrosion or wear, the horizontal Hall element array 42 has a higher accuracy in detecting leakage magnetic flux than the vertical Hall element array 41.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the dimension (width) of the rope tester 10 exceeds the entire width of the plurality of wire ropes 5 installed in the elevator. The dimensions of the rope tester 10 are adjusted as appropriate depending on the overall width of the wire rope 5. In any case, the rope tester 10 is installed across the entire width of the plurality of wire ropes 5 to be tested.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the rope tester halves 10A and 10B corresponding to FIG. 5, and schematically shows the state (principle) of damage (defect) inspection using leakage magnetic flux. In FIG. 6, illustration of the above-mentioned transmission type optical sensor section and reflection type optical sensor section is omitted.

During inspection, the five wire ropes 5 pass through the rope tester 10 (between the rope tester halves 10A and 10B) at a predetermined speed. The magnetic flux generated by the pair of magnets 22 and 23 included in the rope tester halves 10A and 10B, respectively, forms a magnetic loop passing through the magnet 22, the wire rope 5, the magnet 23, and the yoke 21, and thereby passes through the rope tester 10. When doing so, the wire rope 5 is magnetized. The wire rope 5 may be saturated magnetized or may be kept unsaturated magnetized.

If a wire breakage K exists in the strand 5B that makes up the wire rope 5 (more specifically, a part of one or more strands that make up the strand 5B), the magnetic flux passing through the strand 5B is disturbed, and Magnetic flux leaks to the outside of the wire rope 5 at the location where the wire breakage K exists. When a break K of the magnetized wire rope 5 passes through the vertical Hall element array 41 and the horizontal Hall element array 42 of the rope tester 10, the leakage magnetic flux is chained with the vertical Hall element array 41 and the horizontal Hall element array 42. exchange Among the plurality of vertical Hall elements forming the vertical Hall element array 41 and the plurality of horizontal Hall elements forming the horizontal Hall element array 42, the output signal of the Hall element linked with the leakage magnetic flux increases. . As will be described later, the presence, extent, degree, etc. of the disconnection K can be detected based on the output signal from the Hall element.

FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between the five wire ropes 5 and the vertical Hall element array 41 included in the rope tester half 10A or 10B. Since the horizontal Hall element array 42 also has a similar positional relationship, only the vertical Hall element array 41 will be described in the following explanation.

As described above, the vertical Hall element array 41 is made up of a plurality of Hall elements 41n arranged in a line and oriented in a direction sensitive to the magnetic flux along the radial direction of the wire rope 5. It includes Hall elements 41n (n=1, 2, 3, . . . 100). The distance between adjacent Hall elements 41n is constant. A plurality of Hall elements 41n are also arranged in a line at intervals along the direction in which the plurality of wire ropes 5 are arranged.

Fluctuations in the output signal due to the leakage magnetic flux from the disconnection K of the wire rope 5 do not appear in the same way in all 100 Hall elements 41n, and some Hall elements 41n that are linked to the leakage magnetic flux (the disconnection K appears in the output signal from one or more Hall elements 41n) located near the Hall element 41n). Based on the position of the Hall element 41n where a fluctuation (typically an increase) in the output signal due to leakage magnetic flux was observed, which wire rope 5 among the five wire ropes 5 has the disconnection K present? can be detected. For example, sensor numbers 1 to 100 are assigned to each of the plurality of Hall elements 41n in order of arrangement, and the sensor numbers are associated with the output signals output from each of the plurality of Hall elements 41n. As will be explained in detail below, it is possible to identify the Hall element 41n in which a fluctuation in the output signal due to leakage magnetic flux (for example, an output signal with a value exceeding a predetermined threshold) is observed, and this indicates that a disconnection K exists. The wire rope 5 can be specified.

FIG. 8 shows the output signal from the vertical Hall element array 41 using a three-dimensional graph image 70A. In the three-dimensional graph image 70A of FIG. 8, the X axis corresponds to the arrangement position (sensor arrangement position) of the plurality of Hall elements 41n that constitute the vertical Hall element array 41. The Y axis is the time axis, and the Z axis is the output signal. Since the wire rope 5 passes through the vertical Hall element array 41 at a predetermined speed, the magnitude of the output signal from the 100 Hall elements 41n (X axis) included in the vertical Hall element array 41 is expressed as the elapsed time (Y A three-dimensional graph image 70A shown in FIG. 8 can be drawn on the computer device 9 by accumulating the output signals along the axis) and associating the magnitude of the output signal with the height (Z-axis) of the graph image.

When a break K exists in the wire rope 5, the output signal from the Hall element 41n that is interlinked with the leakage magnetic flux from the break K among the Hall elements 41n constituting the vertical Hall element array 41 increases temporarily. The increasing output signal, ie, the presence of the disconnection K, is clearly indicated by the protruding shape 71 in the three-dimensional graph image 70A shown in FIG.

If the wire breakage K occurs over a relatively long distance in the longitudinal direction of the wire rope 5, the protruding shape 71 will expand in the Y-axis direction. The length of the wire breakage K (the extent to which the wire rope wire breakage K spreads in the longitudinal direction in the wire rope 5) is also shown in the three-dimensional graph image 70A.

Furthermore, in the three-dimensional graph image 70A shown in FIG. 8, the protruding shape 71 appears at a position of about 2/5 from the origin of the It can be seen that a wire breakage K has occurred in the wire rope 5 located at the second position. From the three-dimensional graph image 70A, it is possible to specify the wire rope 5 in which the wire breakage K has occurred among the plurality of wire ropes 5.

The output signal from the Hall element 41n (the value in the Z-axis direction in the graph of FIG. 8, the height of the protruding shape 71) is determined when the broken wires K occur densely (the number of broken wires is large). growing. The three-dimensional graph image 70A can also specify the degree of density of the disconnections K (degree of damage).

Instead of or in addition to the three-dimensional graph image 70A, the break K existing in the wire rope 5 can also be visually represented by a two-dimensional image. FIG. 9 shows the output signal from the vertical Hall element array 41 using a two-dimensional image 70B. In the two-dimensional image 70B of FIG. 9, the horizontal direction corresponds to the arrangement positions (sensor arrangement positions) of the plurality of Hall elements 41n, and the vertical direction corresponds to time. In the case of the two-dimensional image 70B, the magnitude of the output signal from the Hall element 41n (degree of damage) is determined by the brightness (the larger the output signal, the brighter or darker it is; the smaller the output signal, the darker or brighter it is), the hue (the larger the output signal is, the more If the size is small, it can be expressed using warm colors, and if it is small, it can be expressed using cool colors. In the two-dimensional image 70B shown in FIG. 9, the existence of a wire breakage K is indicated by dark pixels 72, and similarly to the three-dimensional graph image 70A shown in FIG. It is possible to specify the wire rope 5 that is in contact with the wire rope 5, and the degree of clustering of the broken wires K (degree of damage) is also indicated.

10(A) shows the arrangement relationship between the wire rope 5 and the vertical Hall element array 41, and FIG. 10(B) shows the positional relationship between the wire rope 5 and the vertical Hall element array 41, and FIG. A time-series output signal (strand unevenness signal) 74 from two Hall elements 41n is schematically shown.

As mentioned above, the wire rope 5 is constructed by arranging the core material 5A at the center and twisting a plurality of strands 5B around it, so that the surface has unevenness (peaks and valleys) and is prone to wire breakage. Even if the wire rope 5 has no damage, leakage magnetic flux always exists on its surface. The vertical Hall element array 41 (the same applies to the horizontal Hall element array 42) outputs an output signal (strand unevenness signal) 74 as shown in FIG. do.

Among the plurality of Hall elements 41n constituting the vertical Hall element array 41, the closer the Hall element 41n is to the wire rope 5, the larger the amplitude of the strand unevenness signal 74 becomes. In addition, the strand unevenness signal 74 has a waveform that shows a positive peak at the convex portions (peaks) on the surface of the wire rope 5 and a negative peak at the concave portions (troughs) (grooves between adjacent strands 5B). .

From the waveform of the strand unevenness signal 74 shown in FIG. 10(B), the rope pitch RP of the wire rope 5 (the length along the longitudinal direction of the wire rope 5 required for one strand 5B to go around the core material 5A) can be found. Since the moving speed of the wire rope 5 is constant, when the waveform of the strand unevenness signal 74 is converted from time series data to frequency component sequence data by fast Fourier transform (FFT), the frequency of the main component is the same as that of the wire rope 5. It shows the period between adjacent convex parts. By multiplying this by the moving speed, the average distance between adjacent convex portions is calculated. The rope pitch RP of the wire rope 5 can be calculated (measured) by multiplying the average interval between adjacent convex portions by the number of strands constituting the wire rope 5. The rope pitch RP can be calculated in the computer device 9.

When the wire rope 5 continues to be used for a long period of time, the wire rope 5 may stretch, and the rope pitch RP may become longer than the initial state. As mentioned above, the vertical Hall element array 41 (the same applies to the horizontal Hall element array 42) not only detects the breakage K occurring in the wire rope 5 (detects leakage magnetic flux), but also detects the rope pitch RP. It can also be used to detect fluctuations in the wire rope 5, and can be used to diagnose the health of the wire rope 5.

FIG. 11 shows the output signal 75 from the entire vertical Hall element array 41 (each of the plurality of Hall elements 41n). In the graph of FIG. 11, the horizontal axis corresponds to the arrangement positions of a plurality of (100) Hall elements 41n included in the vertical Hall element array 41. The vertical axis indicates the output signal output from each of the plurality of Hall elements 41n. FIG. 11 shows the vertical Hall element array 41 (each of the 100 Hall elements 41n with sensor numbers 1 to 100) at predetermined time intervals (for example, 1 ms intervals) as time passes (movement of the wire rope 5). It shows how the output signal 75 is output.

The output signal 75 (FIG. 11) output from the entire vertical Hall element array 41 (the same applies to the horizontal Hall element array 42) (each of the plurality of Hall elements 41n constituting the vertical Hall element array 41) is It can be used to detect (measure) the number of ropes 5, the interval between adjacent wire ropes 5 (hanging pitch), and the diameter of the wire ropes 5. Using the output signal 75, the number of wire ropes 5, the spacing between adjacent wire ropes 5 and the diameter of the wire ropes 5 can also be calculated by the computer device 9, which are measured as explained below.

Five peak values are identified in the graph of the output signal 75 shown in FIG. By counting the peak value of the graph of the output signal 75 shown in FIG. 9, the number RN (=5) of the wire ropes 5 being inspected using the rope tester 10 can be measured.

From the graph of the output signal 75 in FIG. 11, it can be seen that peak values are obtained every 20 Hall elements 41n of sensor numbers 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90. Since the arrangement pitch (distance between adjacent Hall elements 41n) of the Hall elements 41n constituting the vertical Hall element array 41 is known, the arrangement pitch is determined by the number of Hall elements sandwiched between the Hall elements for which the peak value was obtained. By multiplying, the inter-rope spacing DBR can be measured.

As shown in the graph of the output signal 75 in FIG. 11, the plurality of Hall elements 41n include a Hall element 41n that outputs an output signal and a Hall element 41n that does not output an output signal. For example, if the sensor number of the Hall element 41n that outputs an output signal for the first time is N1, and the sensor number of the Hall element 41n that no longer outputs an output signal is N2, from the lowest sensor number to the highest sensor number, then The number of Hall elements that output an output signal sandwiched between the Hall element 41n and the Hall element 41n with sensor number N2 is N2-N1, so by multiplying this by the arrangement pitch of the Hall elements 41n, the wire rope The diameter RD can be measured.

As described above, by using the vertical Hall element array 41 (the same applies to the horizontal Hall element array 42), it is possible to not only detect the disconnection K occurring in the wire rope 5 and the rope pitch RP, but also detect the wire breakage K and the rope pitch RP. The number of ropes 5, the distance between adjacent wire ropes 5, and the diameter of wire ropes 5 can also be measured.

FIG. 12 shows a part of an image (hereinafter referred to as a transmitted image) 81 captured by the line sensor 32 in the transmitted optical sensor section (a set of the surface emitting element array 31 and the line sensor 32).
As mentioned above, the transmission type optical sensor section is composed of the surface emitting element array 31 and the line sensor 32, which are arranged facing each other with the wire rope 5 in between (see Fig. 3), and the part where the wire rope 5 is present is A transparent image 81 is captured in which the dark areas and the areas where the wire rope 5 is not present are the bright areas. The rope pitch RP can also be calculated by using the transmitted image 81 captured by the transmitted optical sensor section.

The operating frequency (sampling frequency) of the line sensor 32 is f (Hz), and the number of lines sandwiched between adjacent convex parts in the transmitted image 81 (the number of horizontal lines forming the image sandwiched between adjacent convex parts) is n. do. The time t required for imaging between the convex portions is expressed by the following equation.

t=n/f

If the moving speed of the wire rope 5 is RS (m/min), the distance M (mm) between the convex portions is expressed as follows.

M=(1000RS)/60・t=50/3・RS・n/f (mm)

By multiplying the distance M between the convex portions by the number of strands constituting the wire rope 5, the rope pitch RP can be calculated (measured).

Furthermore, since the width RD of the transmitted image 81 captured by the transmitted optical sensor section directly represents the diameter of the wire rope 5, the diameter RD of the wire rope 5 can also be easily measured from the transmitted image 81, for example, over a long period of time. Diameter reduction of the wire rope 5 that may occur due to the use of the wire rope 5 can be inspected using the transmission image 81.

Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, in the entire transmitted image captured by the transmitted optical sensor section, transmitted images 81 as shown in FIG. 12 appear at intervals depending on the number of wire ropes 5. The number of wire ropes 5 can also be measured from the transmission image taken by the transmission type optical sensor section.

Furthermore, in the transmission image 81 taken by the transmission type optical sensor section, the outer edge of the wire rope 5 is made clear. For example, the protrusion of the core material 5A, which does not appear in the transmitted image of the normal wire rope 5, clearly appears in the transmitted image of the wire rope 5 that has deteriorated over time, thereby making it possible to diagnose whether or not the core material 5A is damaged.

13(A) shows an image (hereinafter referred to as a captured image) 82 of the wire rope 5 acquired by the reflective optical sensor section (a set of surface emitting element array 51 and line sensor 52), and FIG. 13(B) shows an image 82 of the wire rope 5 (hereinafter referred to as a captured image) Images 83 after image processing of the captured image 82 (hereinafter referred to as processed images) are shown.

For example, by performing moving averaging processing in the longitudinal direction of the wire rope 5 on the captured image 82 (assumed to be a grayscale image here) shown in FIG. Remove. Next, the image from which the grooves between the strands have been removed is subjected to binarization processing using a predetermined threshold value to generate a binarized image. The grayscale image is masked with a binarized image and further whitened. By performing a binarization process on the whitened image, a processed image 83 is generated in which the disconnected area is associated with white and other areas are associated with black. Based on the presence or absence of white pixels in the processed image 83, it is possible to detect the presence and extent of damage (breakage, corrosion, wear, etc.) occurring in the wire rope 5.

Since the captured image 82 shows the surface of the wire rope 5 in detail, the diameter of the wire rope 5, the rope pitch, the number of wire ropes 5, and the interval between adjacent wire ropes 5 can be measured using the captured image 82. Needless to say.

FIG. 14 shows a captured image 84 of another wire rope 5 (a wire rope with a protruding core material 5A) acquired by the reflective optical sensor section (a set of the surface emitting element array 51 and the line sensor 52).

If the wire rope 5 continues to be used for a long period of time, the core material 5A may come out of the wire rope 5, as shown in FIG. For example, by comparing the captured image 84 with a normal image, or by binarizing the captured image 84 and performing edge processing on the binarized image, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of protrusion of the heartwood 5A. .

The visual inspection of the wire rope 5 by the image processing described above is also performed in the computer device 9 using the image data transmitted from the rope tester 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the wire rope 5 was tested, but the rope tester 10 can test not only the wire rope 5 but also flat steel plates. Defects (scratches, dents, etc.) existing in steel plates, thickness, width, etc. of steel plates can be inspected or measured.

5 Wire rope (metallic inspection object)
5A Heartwood 5B Strand 9 Computer device (health diagnostic device)
10 Rope tester (non-contact metal lumber inspection device)
10A, 10B Rope tester half (inspection device half)
22, 23 magnet
31, 51 surface emitting element array
32, 52 line sensor
41 Vertical Hall element array
42 Horizontal Hall element array

Claims (6)

A first and second inspection device halves are provided on a path along which a metal inspection object moves, and sandwich the inspection device from both sides in a non-contact manner,
The first half of the inspection device is
a first magnetic sensor array including a plurality of magnetic sensors that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test object and detect leakage magnetic flux from the magnetized test object;
a first light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be inspected and emitting light perpendicularly toward the object to be inspected;
a second light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test object and emit light obliquely toward the test object; and a first light-receiving element array including a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second light-emitting element array and receiving reflected light from the object to be inspected caused by light emitted from the second light-emitting element array;
The second inspection device half is
a second magnetic sensor array including a plurality of magnetic sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test object and detecting leakage magnetic flux from the magnetized test object;
A first light emitting element array arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the inspection object and facing the first light emitting element array, and receiving transmitted light resulting from light emitted from the first light emitting element array. 2 photodetector array,
a third light emitting element array including a plurality of light emitting elements that are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test object and emit light obliquely toward the test object; and a third light-receiving element array arranged in a direction perpendicular to the third light-emitting element array, the third light-receiving element array receiving reflected light from the inspection object caused by the light emitted from the third light-emitting element array;
Each of the first and second inspection device halves is
A device comprising a yoke and a pair of magnets fixed to both sides of the yoke and aligned along the moving direction of the object to be inspected, forming a magnetic loop passing through one magnet, the object to be inspected, the other magnet, and the yoke. And,
The first magnetic sensor array, the first light emitting element array, and the second light emitting element array are mounted on the yoke used to form the magnetic loop between the pair of magnets of the first inspection device half. and a first light-receiving element array are provided, and the second magnetic sensor array, the second A light receiving element array, a third light emitting element array, and a third light receiving element array are provided.
Non-contact metal lumber inspection equipment.
An output signal based on leakage magnetic flux output from the first and second magnetic sensor arrays of the non-contact metal lumber inspection apparatus according to claim 1, and an output signal based on the leakage magnetic flux of the non-contact metal lumber inspection apparatus according to claim 1. inspection data input means for receiving input of image data output from the first, second and third light receiving element arrays;
Magnetic inspection means for inspecting the object to be inspected using an output signal based on leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means; and inspection means for inspecting the object for inspection using the image data received by the inspection data input means Equipped with image-based inspection means for inspection,
Non-contact metal lumber health diagnostic device. The magnetism-based inspection means includes a magnetism-based size/structure detection means for detecting at least one of the dimensions or structure of the object to be inspected using an output signal based on the leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means.
The non-contact type metal lumber health diagnosis device according to claim 2. The above inspection object is a plurality of wire ropes arranged at intervals,
The magnetic inspection means uses an output signal based on the leakage magnetic flux received by the inspection data input means to identify a damaged wire rope among multiple wire ropes, and determine the extent and size of the damage. It is equipped with a means to generate damage condition confirmation image data that can be confirmed.
The non-contact type metal lumber health diagnosis device according to claim 3. The image-based inspection means includes image-based size/structure detection means for detecting at least one of the dimensions/structure of the inspection object using the image data received by the inspection data input means.
The non-contact type metal lumber health diagnosis device according to claim 2. The above inspection object is a plurality of wire ropes arranged at intervals,
The image-based inspection means is capable of identifying a damaged wire rope among multiple wire ropes and confirming the degree and size of the damage, using the image data received by the inspection data input means. Equipped with a means to generate damage status confirmation data,
The non-contact type metal lumber health diagnosis device according to claim 5.

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