Automatic tracking system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic pipe tracing system, comprising a light curtain length measuring sensor, a PLC master station control system, a conveying roller, and a roller motor frequency converter; the light curtain length measuring sensor is oppositely mounted on both sides of the conveying roller, the PLC master station control system is communicatively connected with the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor frequency converter, the PLC master station control system receives data from the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor frequency converter, and can control the operating frequency of the roller motor frequency converter according to the received data; and provides a pipe tracing method for the pipe tracing system; the present invention adopts a light curtain length measuring sensor to detect the positions of the head and tail of a steel pipe in a pipe tracing area in real time, combines a PLC algorithm to control the segmented running speed of the roller, thereby achieving the effects of acceleration and deceleration and speed follow-up control during the pipe tracing process, and realizing automatic control of the pipe tracing before shot blasting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of submerged arc welded pipe external anti-corrosion production, and in particular relates to an automatic pipe tracing system and method. Background Art

[0002] During the corrosion protection production process for submerged arc welded pipes, the outer surface of the steel pipes undergoes external shot blasting to achieve a morphology that meets process requirements. Prior to external shot blasting, the pipes on the conveyor roller conveyor must be connected end to end to prevent the steel grit from entering the inner wall of the pipes and to meet normal production requirements. The pipes are conveyed onto the roller conveyor in a discontinuous manner, leaving a gap between the pipe ends. This process requires a pipe chase to connect the pipe ends. Currently, this process is manual, which is labor-intensive and inefficient.

[0003] Therefore, based on these problems, it is of great practical significance to provide an automatic tube chasing system and method that can realize automatic control of the tube chasing before shot blasting. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology. By adopting a light curtain length measuring sensor to detect the position of the steel pipe head and tail in the pipe chasing area in real time, and combining the PLC algorithm to control the roller segmented running speed, the acceleration and deceleration and speed follow-up control effects during the pipe chasing process can be achieved, and automatic control of the pipe chasing before shot blasting can be realized.

[0005] The present invention solves the technical problem by adopting the following technical solutions:

[0006] An automatic pipe tracking system includes a light curtain length measuring sensor, a PLC master station control system, a conveyor roller, and a roller motor inverter; the light curtain length measuring sensor is installed on both sides of the conveyor roller, and the PLC master station control system is communicatively connected with the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter. The PLC master station control system receives data from the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter and can control the operating frequency of the roller motor inverter based on the received data.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes a touch screen display, which is communicatively connected to the PLC master station control system.

[0008] An automatic tracking pipe control method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0009] Assume that the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L1. The second steel pipe and the first steel pipe pass through the position of the light curtain length measurement sensor in sequence. The measured length of the first steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L2. The measured length of the second steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L3. The distance between the head of the first steel pipe and the tail of the second steel pipe is L4.

[0010] When L3 is less than L1, that is, when the tail of the second steel pipe begins to leave the light curtain area, the PLC master control system sends a command to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to run at high speed. The roller motor accelerates, and the first steel pipe moves forward at high speed on the conveyor roller, entering the pipe chasing program.

[0011] During the tube tracking process, when L4 < L0, the frequency of the roller motor inverter and L4 perform PID follow-up control, where L0 is a preset value;

[0012] When L1=L2+L3, the tube chasing program is completed, and the PLC master station control system sends instructions to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to keep the operating frequency constant.

[0013] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0014] The present invention forms an automatic pipe tracing and precise positioning technology by adopting a light curtain length measuring sensor to detect the position of the head and tail of the steel pipe, realizing the transformation of the pipe tracing operation from manual operation to automatic control. The system runs stably and reliably, and realizes the merger of the positions of the transverse vehicle operation and the pipe tracing operation, reducing one operation position, avoiding the quality risks caused by manual operation such as collision and bump on the steel pipe groove, falling out of the plug, and sand and pills entering the inner wall of the steel pipe, effectively reducing the labor intensity of the operator, improving the automation level of the on-site equipment, and improving the equipment operation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The technical solutions of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, it should be understood that these drawings are designed for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, these drawings are intended only to conceptually illustrate the structures described herein and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic pipe tracking control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic tracking system provided by an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] First of all, it should be noted that the specific structure, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be specifically described below in an exemplary manner. However, all descriptions are only used for illustration and should not be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments mentioned herein, or any single technical feature displayed or implied in the drawings, can still be combined or deleted between these technical features (or their equivalents) to obtain more other embodiments of the present invention that may not be directly mentioned herein. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, the same or similar technical features may be marked in only one place in the same drawing.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientation or position relationship in which the product of the invention is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that, unless there is any conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0021] The following is combined Figure 1 、 2 The present invention will be described in detail.

[0022] like Figure 1 、 2 As shown, this embodiment provides an automatic pipe tracking system, including a light curtain length measuring sensor 1, a PLC master station control system 2, a conveyor roller 3, and a roller motor inverter 4; the light curtain length measuring sensor is installed on both sides of the conveyor roller, and the PLC master station control system is communicatively connected with the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter. The PLC master station control system receives data from the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter, and can control the operating frequency of the roller motor inverter according to the received data.

[0023] It also includes a touch screen display 5, which is communicatively connected to the PLC master station control system.

[0024] An automatic tracking pipe control method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0025] Assume that the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L1. The second steel pipe 6 and the first steel pipe 7 successively pass through the position of the light curtain length measurement sensor. The measured length of the first steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L2. The measured length of the second steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L3. The distance between the first steel pipe and the second steel pipe is L4.

[0026] When L3 is less than L1, that is, when the tail of the second steel pipe begins to leave the light curtain area, the PLC master control system sends a command to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to run at high speed. The roller motor accelerates, and the first steel pipe moves forward at high speed on the conveyor roller, entering the pipe chasing program.

[0027] During the tube tracking process, when L4 < L0, the frequency of the roller motor inverter and L4 perform PID follow-up control, where L0 is a preset value;

[0028] When L1=L2+L3, the tube chasing program is completed, and the PLC master station control system sends instructions to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to keep the operating frequency constant.

[0029] It should be noted that the Profinet distributed master-slave control mode is adopted in this embodiment, with the Siemens S7-1500 PLC as the master station, which mainly completes sensor signal acquisition, data processing and control of the actuator; the slave stations are the Siemens G120 controller and the light curtain length measurement sensor, which mainly complete the roller motor control and sensor data reading; the PLC master station and the touch screen use the Profinet communication method to display the real-time value of the light curtain length measurement sensor, the real-time position of the steel pipe, the operating status and alarm information.

[0030] Among them, the PLC master station control system includes a CPU module, a digital input and output module, and a communication module, which mainly completes the collection and calculation of sensor data, motor control, and slave station communication.

[0031] The above embodiments describe the present invention in detail, but the contents described are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be considered to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent coverage of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a pipe tracking system of an automatic pipe tracking system, characterized by: It includes an automatic pipe tracing system, which includes a light curtain length measuring sensor, a PLC master station control system, a conveyor roller, and a roller motor inverter; the light curtain length measuring sensor is installed on both sides of the conveyor roller, and the PLC master station control system is in communication with the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter. The PLC master station control system receives data from the light curtain length measuring sensor and the roller motor inverter and can control the operating frequency of the roller motor inverter based on the received data; The tracking pipe control method comprises the following steps: Assume that the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L1. The second steel pipe and the first steel pipe pass through the position of the light curtain length measurement sensor in sequence. The measured length of the first steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L2. The measured length of the second steel pipe blocked by the range of the light curtain length measurement sensor is L3. The distance between the head of the first steel pipe and the tail of the second steel pipe is L4. When L3 is less than L1, the PLC master control system sends a command to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to run at high speed. The roller motor accelerates, and the first steel pipe moves forward at high speed on the conveyor roller, entering the pipe chasing program. During the tube tracking process, when L4 < L0, the frequency of the roller motor inverter and L4 perform PID follow-up control, where L0 is a preset value; When L1=L2+L3, the tube chasing program is completed, and the PLC master control system sends instructions to the roller motor inverter to control the roller motor inverter to keep the operating frequency constant.

2. The method for controlling a pipe tracking system of claim 1, wherein: It also includes a touch screen display, which is communicatively connected to the PLC master station control system.

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