Powder accumulation volume measuring device and method

Abstract

The present invention provides a device and method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder. The device comprises: a controller, a rotary servo motor electrically connected to the controller, a deflection servo motor, and a laser ranging sensor. The rotary servo motor is electrically connected to the controller, the deflection servo motor is mechanically connected to the rotary servo motor via a screw, the deflection servo motor is electrically connected to the controller via a signal line, the laser ranging sensor is fixedly connected to the deflection servo motor via a connecting plate, and the laser ranging sensor is electrically connected to the controller via a signal line. The present invention can accurately measure the accumulated volume of mold powder, greatly improving the accuracy of powder volume measurement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of measurement and testing, and in particular to a powder accumulation volume measuring device and method thereof. Background Art

[0002] When the powder in the storage powder tank is needed for processing, the powder is pressed into the metering tank by the bottom negative pressure device for measurement, and then pressed into the mixing tank. Both the metering tank and the mixing tank can accurately measure the amount of powder consumed, but the measurement method of the storage tank is relatively rough, that is, the powder level sensor at a certain distance is used to determine the interval where the powder is located. However, since the accumulation form of the powder is not fixed and the accumulation shape is irregular, there is a large error. Therefore, when it is necessary to accurately know the consumption rate of the powder in the pipeline and transportation process, this method cannot provide accurate data. The existing level testing equipment only realizes single-point measurement and can only reflect the rough height of the level. This is no problem for liquid level measurement, but the powder may appear irregularly in the process of accumulation. The error of the measured powder volume will be very large, which cannot meet the test needs under the requirements of refined testing. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a laser scanning modeling powder accumulation volume accurate measurement system and a method for achieving accurate measurement, which can realize the accurate measurement of the remaining powder volume in a closed powder tank, greatly improving the accuracy of the measurement of the remaining powder volume in the powder tank.

[0004] A powder accumulation volume measuring device includes: a controller, a rotary servo motor electrically connected to the controller, a deflection servo motor and a laser ranging sensor;

[0005] The rotary servo motor is electrically connected to the controller, the deflection servo motor is mechanically connected to the rotary servo motor through a screw, the deflection servo motor is electrically connected to the controller through a signal line, the laser ranging sensor is fixedly connected to the deflection servo motor through a connecting plate, and the laser ranging sensor is electrically connected to the controller through a signal line.

[0006] Furthermore, in the powder accumulation volume measuring device as described above, the rotation angle of the rotary servo motor is controlled by a controller, and the rotary servo motor can rotate at an angle of 0° to 360°.

[0007] Furthermore, in the powder accumulation volume measuring device as described above, the rotation angle of the deflection servo motor is controlled by a controller, and the deflection servo motor can rotate at an angle of -90° to 90°.

[0008] Furthermore, in the powder accumulation volume measuring device as described above, the deflection servo motor rotates to a set position according to a set angle along with the rotation servo motor.

[0009] Furthermore, in the powder accumulation volume measuring device as described above, the laser ranging sensor rotates to a set position according to a set angle along with the deflection servo motor.

[0010] A method for measuring the volume of powder accumulation includes the following steps:

[0011] Step a, setting the height and diameter of the cylindrical tank to be tested, setting the distance from the laser ranging sensor to the center of the circle, setting the rotation speed of the rotary servo motor and the deflection servo motor, setting the number of detection points, and starting the automatic testing program through the controller;

[0012] Step b, returning the rotation servo motor and the deflection servo motor to their initial positions;

[0013] Step c, calculating the total measurement area, the unit area when the circle is divided equally according to the number of measurement points, the number of radial rotations, and the number of circumferential rotations based on the set number of measurement points and the radius of the measured tank;

[0014] Step d, calculating the single rotation angle and number of rotations of the rotary servo motor according to the circumferential equal fractions calculated in step c, and calculating the measurement radius and number of deflections of each radial measurement area according to the radial equal fractions;

[0015] Step e, reset the current rotation and deflection times to zero and start the cycle;

[0016] Step f, determining whether the current number of rotations is greater than or equal to the set number of rotations, returning the deflection servo motor to zero, reading the current powder height value, and setting the powder height reference value to the value, and calculating the deflection angle of the deflection servo motor using the height reference value and the radius of the first measurement area in step d;

[0017] Step g, determining whether the current deflection number is greater than or equal to the set deflection number;

[0018] Step h, when the current deflection number is less than the set deflection number, reading and storing the current powder height value and setting the powder height reference value to the value, calculating the deflection angle of the deflection servo motor using the height reference value and the radius of the next measurement area in step d, and increasing the current deflection number by one;

[0019] Step i, when the current deflection number is equal to the set deflection number, the current powder height value is read and stored and accumulated, the deflection motor returns to zero and the current powder height value is read and the powder height reference value is set to this value, the current deflection number is set to zero, and step j is skipped to step k;

[0020] Step j, repeat the operations from step g to step i;

[0021] Step k, when the current number of rotations is less than the set number of rotations, repeat steps f to j;

[0022] Step 1: When the current number of rotations is equal to the set number of rotations, all motors return to zero, and the measured powder volume and the ideal average value of the powder height after cumulative calculation are calculated and displayed.

[0023] Furthermore, in the powder accumulation volume measuring device and method described above, the measuring point for measuring the unit area is calculated based on the arc radius of the area included in each unit area and the height of the current measuring point.

[0024] Furthermore, the powder accumulation volume measuring device method described above divides the cross section of the cylindrical tank to be measured into equal areas according to the number of sampling points, accumulates the volume by multiplying the measurement result of the height of each unit area by the unit area, and finally calculates the theoretical average height by weighted average.

[0025] Beneficial effects:

[0026] The present invention can realize accurate measurement of the volume of the remaining powder in the closed powder tank, and its measurement uncertainty is much smaller than that of other existing methods of powder volume measurement, which greatly improves the accuracy of measuring the remaining volume of the powder in the powder tank. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle structure of the powder accumulation volume measuring device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of a device for measuring the volume of powder accumulation according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A top view of the powder accumulation volume measuring device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of equally dividing the cross-sectional circular surface of a target tank and selecting test points when measuring the powder accumulation volume using the device of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of test point selection during measurement using the powder accumulation volume measuring device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of test point selection during measurement using the powder accumulation volume measuring device of the present invention Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the powder accumulation volume measuring device provided by the present invention includes: a controller 20, a rotary servo motor 10, a deflection servo motor 12 and a laser ranging sensor 14 electrically connected to the controller 20; the rotary servo motor 10 is electrically connected to the controller 20 via a signal line, the deflection servo motor 12 is mechanically connected to the rotary servo motor 10 via a screw 16, the deflection servo motor 12 is electrically connected to the controller 20 via a signal line, the laser ranging sensor 14 is fixedly connected to the deflection servo motor 12 via a connecting plate, and the laser ranging sensor 14 is electrically connected to the controller 20 via a signal line.

[0036] The laser distance sensor 14 is electrically connected to the controller 20 via a signal line, and the value measured by the sensor 14 can be transmitted to the controller 20 via the signal line. The deflection servo motor 12 is mechanically connected to the rotation servo motor 10 via a screw 16 and can rotate with the rotation servo motor 10 to a set position according to a set angle.

[0037] Specifically, the controller 20 is pre-installed with control and calculation software.

[0038] The rotation angle of the rotary servo motor 10 is controlled by the controller 20 , and the rotary servo motor 10 can rotate at an angle of 0° to 360°.

[0039] In the present invention, the rotation angle of the yaw servo motor 12 is controlled by the controller 20 , and the yaw servo motor 12 can rotate within an angle of -90° to 90°.

[0040] Furthermore, the laser ranging sensor 14 is mechanically connected to the deflection servo motor 12 via a connecting plate and can rotate to a set position according to a set angle along with the deflection servo motor 12 .

[0041] Furthermore, the laser ranging sensor 14 can measure the distance of all points within the combined rotation range.

[0042] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder, comprising the following steps:

[0043] Step a, setting the height and diameter of the cylindrical tank to be tested, setting the distance from the sensor 14 to the center of the circle, setting the rotation speed of the deflection servo motor 12 and the rotation servo motor 10, setting the number of detection points, and starting the automatic test program through the controller 20;

[0044] Step b, returning the rotation servo motor 10 and the deflection servo motor 12 to their initial positions;

[0045] Step c, such as Figure 4 As shown, the total measurement area, the unit area when the circle is divided equally according to the number of measurement points, and the number of radial rotations and circumferential rotations are calculated based on the set number of measurement points and the radius of the measured tank;

[0046] Step d, calculating the single rotation angle and number of rotations of the rotating motor according to the circumferential equal fractions calculated in step c, and calculating the measurement radius and number of deflections of each radial measurement area according to the radial equal fractions;

[0047] Step e, reset the current rotation and deflection times to zero and start the cycle;

[0048] Step f, judging whether the current number of rotations is greater than or equal to the set number of rotations, and returning the deflection servo motor 12 to zero. Figure 5 As shown, read the current powder height value and set the powder height reference value to this value, and calculate the deflection angle of the deflection servo motor 12 using the height reference value and the radius of the first measurement area in step d;

[0049] Step g, determining whether the current deflection number is greater than or equal to the set deflection number;

[0050] Step h, when the current deflection number is less than the set deflection number, read and store the current powder height value and set the powder height reference value Li to this value, and use the height reference value Li and the next measurement area radius ri in step d to calculate the deflection angle of the deflection motor 12. The calculation method is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, first, the first deflection angle θ1 can be calculated using the first measured value L1 and the known number r1. The deflection angle θ2 can be calculated using the value L2 measured after the deflection, the known number r2 and θ1. And so on, the current deflection number is increased by one.

[0051] Step i, when the current deflection number is equal to the set deflection number, the current powder height value is read and stored and accumulated, the deflection motor returns to zero and the current powder height value is read and the powder height reference value is set to this value, the current deflection number is set to zero, and step j is skipped to step k;

[0052] Step j, repeat the operations from step g to step i;

[0053] Step k, when the current number of rotations is less than the set number of rotations, repeat steps f to j;

[0054] Step 1: When the current number of rotations is equal to the set number of rotations, all the deflection servo motors 12 and the rotation servo motors 10 return to zero, and the measured powder volume and the ideal average value of the accumulated powder height are calculated and displayed.

[0055] The method provided by the present invention calculates the measuring points for measuring the unit area according to the arc radius of the area included in each unit area and the height of the current measuring point.

[0056] Furthermore, the cross section of the cylindrical tank to be measured is divided into equal areas according to the number of sampling points, and the volume is accumulated by multiplying the measurement result of the height per unit area by the unit area, and finally a weighted average is performed to calculate the theoretical average height.

[0057] The method provided by the present invention can realize the accurate measurement of the volume of the remaining powder in the closed powder tank. The measurement uncertainty is much smaller than that of other existing methods of powder volume measurement, which greatly improves the accuracy of the measurement of the remaining volume of the powder in the powder tank.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step a, setting the height and diameter of the cylindrical tank to be tested, setting the distance from the laser ranging sensor (14) to the center of the circle, setting the rotation speed of the rotary servo motor (10) and the deflection servo motor (12), setting the number of detection points, and starting the automatic testing program through the controller (20); Step b, returning the rotation servo motor (10) and the deflection servo motor (12) to their initial positions; Step c, calculating the total measurement area, the unit area when the circle is divided equally according to the number of measurement points, the number of radial rotations, and the number of circumferential rotations based on the set number of measurement points and the radius of the measured tank; Step d, calculating the single rotation angle and number of rotations of the rotary servo motor (10) according to the circumferential equal fraction calculated in step c, and calculating the measurement radius and number of deflections of each radial measurement area according to the radial equal fraction; Step e, reset the current rotation and deflection times to zero and start the cycle; Step f, determining whether the current number of rotations is greater than or equal to the set number of rotations, returning the deflection servo motor (12) to zero and reading the current powder height value and setting the powder height reference value to the value, and calculating the deflection angle of the deflection servo motor (12) using the height reference value and the radius of the first measurement area in step d; Step g, determining whether the current deflection number is greater than or equal to the set deflection number; Step h, when the current deflection number is less than the set deflection number, the current powder height value is read and stored and the powder height reference value is set to the value, the deflection angle of the deflection servo motor (12) is calculated using the height reference value and the radius of the next measurement area in step d, and the current deflection number is increased by one; Step i, when the current deflection number is equal to the set deflection number, the current powder height value is read and stored and accumulated, the deflection motor returns to zero and the current powder height value is read and the powder height reference value is set to this value, the current deflection number is set to zero, and step j is skipped to step k; Step j, repeat the operations from step g to step i; Step k, when the current number of rotations is less than the set number of rotations, repeat steps f to j; Step 1: When the current number of rotations is equal to the set number of rotations, all motors return to zero, and the measured powder volume and the ideal average value of the powder height after cumulative calculation are calculated and displayed; The rotary servo motor (10) is electrically connected to the controller (20), the deflection servo motor (12) is mechanically connected to the rotary servo motor (10) via a screw (16), the deflection servo motor (12) is electrically connected to the controller (20) via a signal line, the laser ranging sensor (14) is fixedly connected to the deflection servo motor (12) via a connecting plate, and the laser ranging sensor (14) is electrically connected to the controller (20) via a signal line.

2. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The measurement points for measuring the unit area are calculated based on the radius of the arc of the area included in each unit area and the height of the current measurement point.

3. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The cross section of the cylindrical tank to be measured is divided into equal areas according to the number of sampling points, and the volume is accumulated by multiplying the measurement result of the height of each unit area by the unit area. Finally, the weighted average is performed to calculate the theoretical average height.

4. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The rotation angle of the rotary servo motor (10) is controlled by a controller (20), and the rotary servo motor (10) can rotate at an angle of 0° to 360°.

5. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The rotation angle of the deflection servo motor (12) is controlled by a controller (20), and the deflection servo motor (12) can rotate at an angle of -90° to 90°.

6. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The deflection servo motor (12) rotates along with the rotation servo motor (10) to a set position at a set angle.

7. The method for measuring the accumulated volume of powder according to claim 1, wherein: The laser distance measuring sensor (14) rotates to a set position according to a set angle along with the deflection servo motor (12).

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