Speed ​​measurement device and speed measurement method

Abstract

To provide a speed measurement device capable of easily measuring speed of an object in a non-contact manner.SOLUTION: A speed measurement device includes: a light source 11 for irradiating an object 1 with excitation light; a fluorescence detector 12 for detecting fluorescence generated in the object 1 irradiated with the excitation light; a relation preservation device 21 for preserving a relation between speed of the object 1 and intensity of the fluorescence generated in the object 1; and a speed calculation unit 22 for calculating speed of the object based on the intensity of the detected fluorescence and the relation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a speed measurement device and a speed measurement method. [Background technology]

[0002] A method for measuring the moving speed of an object without contact has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The method described in Patent Document 1 measures the moving speed of an object based on the spatial distance between reflected light and fluorescent light generated by an object irradiated with pulsed light, and the pulse period. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-21817 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is not easy to detect the spatial distance between reflected light and fluorescent light or to accurately detect the pulse generation period. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a velocity measurement device and a velocity measurement method that can easily measure the velocity of an object in a non-contact manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A speed measuring device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a light source that irradiates an object with excitation light, a fluorescence detector that detects fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light, a relationship storage device that stores the relationship between the speed of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated in the object, and a speed calculation unit that calculates the speed of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescence and the relationship.

[0006] In the above speed measuring device, the intensity of the fluorescent light may be an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light.

[0007] The above-mentioned speed measuring device may further include a reflected light detector that detects reflected light generated from the object irradiated with the excitation light, the relationship being a relationship between the speed of the object and a ratio between the intensity of fluorescence generated from the object and the intensity of reflected light generated from the object, and the speed calculation unit may calculate the speed of the object based on the relationship and the ratio between the detected intensity of fluorescence and the detected intensity of reflected light.

[0008] In the above speed measuring device, the intensity of the fluorescent light may be an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light, and the intensity of the reflected light may be an integrated intensity of the reflected light.

[0009] In the above velocity measuring device, the intensity of the excitation light may be constant.

[0010] Furthermore, a velocity measurement method according to an aspect of the present invention includes irradiating an object with excitation light, detecting fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light, preparing a relationship between the velocity of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated in the object, and calculating the velocity of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescence and the relationship.

[0011] In the above velocity measurement method, the intensity of the fluorescent light may be an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light.

[0012] The above-described velocity measurement method may further include detecting reflected light generated from the object irradiated with excitation light, wherein the relationship is a relationship between the velocity of the object and a ratio between the intensity of fluorescence generated from the object and the intensity of reflected light generated from the object, and the velocity of the object may be calculated based on the relationship and the ratio between the detected intensity of fluorescence and the detected intensity of reflected light.

[0013] In the above velocity measurement method, the intensity of the fluorescent light may be an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light, and the intensity of the reflected light may be an integrated intensity of the reflected light.

[0014] In the above velocity measurement method, the intensity of the excitation light may be constant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a speed measurement device and a speed measurement method that can easily measure the speed of an object in a non-contact manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a speed measurement device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic graph showing the relationship between excitation time and fluorescence intensity. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic graph showing the relationship between the fluorescence intensity and the velocity of the object. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a speed measuring device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a speed measuring device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a speed measuring device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals. However, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined in light of the following description. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the dimensional relationships and ratios between the drawings may differ.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the speed measuring device according to the embodiment includes a light source 11 that irradiates an object 1 with excitation light, a fluorescence detector 12 that detects fluorescence generated in the object 1 irradiated with the excitation light, a relationship storage device 21 that stores the relationship between the speed of the object 1 and the intensity of the fluorescence generated in the object 1, and a speed calculation unit 22 that calculates the speed of the object based on the detected fluorescence intensity and the relationship.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, when excitation light of a certain intensity is irradiated onto the object 1, the time it takes for the generated fluorescence to reach a predetermined intensity is called the fluorescence lifetime or fluorescence time constant. When excitation light of a certain intensity is irradiated, the shorter the irradiation time of the excitation light, the weaker the fluorescence intensity becomes, and the longer the irradiation time of the excitation light, the stronger the fluorescence intensity becomes.

[0020] The light source 11 may be a laser or a light-emitting diode (LED), but is not particularly limited thereto. The intensity of the excitation light is, for example, constant. The wavelength of the excitation light is set appropriately depending on the fluorescent material contained in the object 1. The excitation light may be, for example, ultraviolet light, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, if the object is a polyethylene terephthalate film, the wavelength of the excitation light is 340 nm to 405 nm. A spectrophotometer may be used to determine the wavelength of the excitation light that generates the strongest fluorescence from the object.

[0021] The velocity measurement device may include a dichroic mirror 13 that reflects the excitation light and transmits the fluorescence, as shown in Fig. 1. The dichroic mirror 13 is set, for example, so that the excitation light is incident perpendicularly on the object 1, but is not limited to this.

[0022] At least the portion of the object 1 that is irradiated with the excitation light is flat. The object 1 moves, for example, in a parallel direction. The excitation light irradiated onto the object 1 has a predetermined beam width. The intensity distribution of the excitation light is constant on the irradiation surface of the excitation light. When the object 1 is moving quickly, the time it takes for a point on the object 1 to cross the excitation light beam is short. Therefore, the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 is weak. When the object 1 is moving slowly, the time it takes for a point on the object 1 to cross the excitation light beam is long. Therefore, the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 is strong. Therefore, the speed of the object 1 and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 are roughly negatively proportional, as shown in Figure 3.

[0023] 1 can be a light-receiving element such as a photomultiplier tube, an avalanche photodiode, or a photodiode. Alternatively, a line image sensor in which a plurality of light-receiving elements are arranged, such as a CMOS sensor, can be used as the fluorescence detector 12.

[0024] The relationship storage device 21 is connected to a main control unit 31 that includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), random access memory, program memory, and non-volatile memory. The program memory and non-volatile memory store various programs and control data executed by the CPU. The CPU performs various arithmetic processes by executing programs stored in the program memory. The random access memory temporarily stores the results of arithmetic operations performed by the CPU.

[0025] The relationship storage device 21 stores the relationship between the velocity of the object 1 and the intensity of fluorescence generated by the object 1, as shown in FIG. 3. The intensity of the fluorescence may be an integrated intensity. The relationship storage device 21 shown in FIG. 1 may store a plurality of relationships. The relationship storage device 21 may store a plurality of relationships as a library. For example, the relationship storage device 21 may store a relationship for each material of the object 1. The relationship storage device 21 may also store a relationship for each shape of the object 1. Alternatively, the relationship storage device 21 may store a relationship for each thickness of the object 1. The relationship storage device 21 may store a relationship for each intensity of the excitation light. The relationship may be represented by a function. Alternatively, the function may be represented by a table.

[0026] The velocity calculation unit 22 receives the intensity of the fluorescence from the fluorescence detector 12. The velocity calculation unit 22 also reads out the relationship between the velocity of the object 1 and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 from the relationship storage device 21. For example, if the relationship is given as a function in which the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 is an independent variable and the velocity of the object 1 is a dependent variable, the velocity calculation unit 22 calculates the velocity of the object 1 by providing the value of the intensity of the fluorescence from the fluorescence detector 12 as the independent variable of the function. The velocity calculation unit 22 calculates the velocity of the object 1 under the control of the main control unit 31. However, the main control unit 31 may also realize the function of the velocity calculation unit 22 by a program or the like.

[0027] An input unit 32 for an operator to input instructions may be connected to the main control unit 31. Examples of the input unit 32 include a keyboard and a mouse. In addition, an output unit 33 for outputting the velocity of the object 1 calculated by the velocity calculation unit 22 may be connected to the main control unit 31. Examples of the output unit 33 include an output port to a network, a display, and a printer.

[0028] The speed measuring device according to the embodiment can easily measure the speed of the object 1 in a non-contact manner.

[0029] Although the object whose speed is measured by the speed measuring device according to the embodiment is not particularly limited, an example in which the object is a film will be described with reference to FIG. 4. A first film 101 and a second film 102 are bonded together by laminating rollers 201 and 202 to form a laminated film 103. The laminated film 103 is wound up by a winder while its traveling direction is controlled by rollers 203 and 204. The moving speed of the laminated film 103 can be measured by irradiating the laminated film 103 with excitation light from light source 11 of the speed measuring device according to the embodiment and detecting the intensity of the fluorescence generated in the laminated film 103.

[0030] The film is made of, for example, a resin. For example, polyimide film is widely used as an electronic substrate material due to its excellent mechanical strength, heat resistance, electrical insulation, and chemical resistance. For example, flexible copper-clad laminates, in which copper foil is laminated on at least one side of a polyimide film as a substrate material, and flexible printed circuit boards with additional circuits are manufactured and used in various electronic devices. Stretched polypropylene film has an excellent balance of performance, including processability, water vapor barrier properties, transparency, mechanical strength, and rigidity, and is used as a packaging film for packaging food. The speed measuring device according to the embodiment makes it possible to manage the manufacturing process of these films.

[0031] 5, the object whose speed is to be measured by the speed measurement device according to the embodiment may be a liquid 110 flowing in a transparent pipe 111. The flow speed of the liquid 110 can be measured by irradiating the liquid 110 flowing in the transparent pipe 111 with excitation light from the light source 11 of the speed measurement device according to the embodiment and detecting the intensity of fluorescence generated in the liquid 110. The liquid 110 may be transparent as long as it contains a fluorescent substance.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described above by way of the embodiments, the description and drawings forming part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0033] For example, the intensity of the excitation light emitted by the light source 11 shown in Fig. 1 may be changed according to the predicted speed of the object 1. For example, if the predicted speed of the object 1 is fast, the light source 11 may be controlled to increase the intensity of the excitation light. Alternatively, if the predicted speed of the object 1 is slow, the light source 11 may be controlled to decrease the intensity of the excitation light. Note that when detecting fluorescence, it is preferable that the intensity of the excitation light is constant.

[0034] The light source 11 may emit the excitation light intermittently. The cycle at which the light source 11 emits the excitation light may be changed depending on the predicted speed of the object 1. For example, if the predicted speed of the object 1 is fast, the light source 11 may be controlled to shorten the interval at which the excitation light is emitted. Alternatively, if the predicted speed of the object 1 is slow, the light source 11 may be controlled to lengthen the interval at which the excitation light is emitted.

[0035] 6, the speed measurement device according to the embodiment may further include a reflected light detector 14 that detects reflected light generated by the object 1 irradiated with the excitation light. Here, the reflected light includes scattered light. The speed measurement device may further include a mirror 15 that guides the reflected light generated by the object 1 to the reflected light detector 14.

[0036] In this case, the relationship stored in the relationship storage device 21 is the relationship between the speed of the object 1 and the ratio between the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 and the intensity of the reflected light generated by the object 1. The ratio between the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 and the intensity of the reflected light generated by the object 1 is, for example, the value obtained by dividing the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 by the intensity of the reflected light generated by the object 1. The intensity of the fluorescence may be the integrated intensity of the fluorescence, and the intensity of the reflected light may be the integrated intensity of the reflected light.

[0037] The velocity calculation unit 22 calculates the velocity of the object based on the ratio and relationship between the intensity of the detected fluorescence and the intensity of the detected reflected light. The intensity of the excitation light is preferably constant, but may vary. By dividing the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object 1 by the intensity of the reflected light generated by the object 1, it is possible to suppress the effects of fluctuations in the intensity of the excitation light.

[0038] Thus, it should be understood that the present invention encompasses various embodiments that are not described herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1···Object, 11···Light source, 12···Fluorescence detector, 13···Dichroic mirror, 14···Reflected light detector, 15···Mirror, 21···Relationship storage device, 22···Velocity calculation unit, 31···Main control unit, 32···Input unit, 33···Output unit, 101, 102···Film, 103···Laminated film, 110···Liquid, 111···Pipe, 201, 202, 203, 204···Rollers

Claims

1. a light source that irradiates an object with excitation light; a fluorescence detector that detects fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light; a relationship storage device that stores a relationship between the velocity of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object; a velocity calculation unit that calculates the velocity of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescent light and the relationship; Equipped with In the above relationship, the faster the speed of the object, the weaker the intensity of the fluorescent light, and the slower the speed of the object, the stronger the intensity of the fluorescent light. Speed ​​measuring device.

2. The velocity measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the intensity of the fluorescent light is an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light.

3. a light source that irradiates an object with excitation light; a fluorescence detector that detects fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light; a relationship storage device that stores a relationship between the velocity of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object; a velocity calculation unit that calculates the velocity of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescent light and the relationship; a reflected light detector that detects reflected light generated by the object irradiated with the excitation light; Equipped with the relationship is a relationship between a velocity of the object and a ratio between an intensity of the fluorescent light generated at the object and an intensity of the reflected light generated at the object, the velocity calculation unit calculates the velocity of the object based on the ratio between the intensity of the detected fluorescent light and the intensity of the detected reflected light and the relationship. Speed ​​measuring device.

4. the intensity of the fluorescence is an integrated intensity of the fluorescence, the intensity of the reflected light is an integrated intensity of the reflected light; 4. The speed measuring device according to claim 3.

5. 5. The velocity measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the intensity of the excitation light is constant.

6. Irradiating the object with excitation light; detecting fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light; preparing a relationship between the velocity of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object; calculating a velocity of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescent light and the relationship; Including, In the above relationship, the faster the speed of the object, the weaker the intensity of the fluorescent light, and the slower the speed of the object, the stronger the intensity of the fluorescent light. How to measure speed.

7. The velocity measurement method according to claim 6 , wherein the intensity of the fluorescent light is an integrated intensity of the fluorescent light.

8. Irradiating the object with excitation light; detecting fluorescence generated in the object irradiated with the excitation light; preparing a relationship between the velocity of the object and the intensity of the fluorescence generated by the object; calculating a velocity of the object based on the detected intensity of the fluorescent light and the relationship; detecting reflected light generated by the object irradiated with the excitation light; Including, the relationship is a relationship between a velocity of the object and a ratio between an intensity of the fluorescent light generated at the object and an intensity of the reflected light generated at the object, calculating a velocity of the object based on the ratio between the detected intensity of the fluorescent light and the detected intensity of the reflected light and the relationship; How to measure speed.

9. the intensity of the fluorescence is an integrated intensity of the fluorescence, the intensity of the reflected light is an integrated intensity of the reflected light; The velocity measurement method according to claim 8.

10. The velocity measurement method according to claim 6 , wherein the intensity of the excitation light is constant.

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