Anti-expansion tube detection method and device for tubular belt conveyor

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and device for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor. The method includes the following steps: determining a detection area and a reference position opposite to the detection area; measuring and recording the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt within the detection area, and denoting it as the reference distance; measuring the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material within the detection area, and denoting it as the measurement distance; calculating the difference between the reference distance and the measurement distance to form a data set; performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, and calculating the diameter of the transformed circle, where the area of the transformed circle is equal to the cross-sectional area of the material; determining whether the diameter of the transformed circle exceeds a set threshold and performing corresponding processing. The device includes a mounting bracket, a laser scanning sensor, and a data processing unit. It can effectively identify the material filling condition of the conveying pipe of the tubular belt conveyor, avoid the occurrence of the expansion pipe accident of the tubular belt conveyor, and has the advantages of simple structure, convenient installation, and high reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of anti-bulging tube detection for tubular belt conveyors, and more particularly, to a method and device for anti-bulging tube detection of tubular belt conveyors. Background Art

[0002] At present, belt conveyors are widely used in fields such as electric power, steel, coal, water conservancy, chemical industry, metallurgy, and building materials. Among the belt conveyor series, tubular belt conveyors have been more widely used in all walks of life due to their advantages such as enclosed conveying, flexible layout, and environmental protection.

[0003] A tubular belt conveyor is a type of belt conveyor that conveys by rolling the conveyor belt into a circular tubular shape with edge lap through idlers. Under normal circumstances, it is required that the material filling rate of the tubular belt conveyor does not exceed 75% of the pipe diameter. If the allowable filling rate is exceeded, the edges of the conveyor belt cannot ensure good lap, which is extremely likely to cause bulging tube accidents. The bulging of the tubular belt conveyor will lead to frame deformation, idler damage, and conveyor belt damage, and even cause serious accidents such as conveyor belt breakage, posing serious hidden dangers to the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the equipment.

[0004] Most of the existing determination methods use mechanical switch type sensors installed close to the circular tubular conveyor belt. When the conveyor belt bulges, the conveyor belt touches the mechanical switch to make the switch act, and at the same time, the signal is transmitted to the control system for identification and judgment. However, this method has problems such as easy damage of the mechanical switch, easy interference of the signal, poor reliability, and high installation accuracy requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems in the prior art, such as easy damage of the mechanical switch, easy interference of the signal, poor reliability, high installation accuracy requirements, and difficulty in meeting the anti-bulging tube detection requirements of tubular belt conveyors.

[0006] Therefore, in the first aspect of the present invention, a method for anti-bulging tube detection of a tubular belt conveyor is provided.

[0007] In the second aspect of the present invention, a method for anti-bulging tube detection of a tubular belt conveyor is provided.

[0008] The present invention provides a method for anti-bulging tube detection of a tubular belt conveyor, including the following steps:

[0009] Determine the detection area and the reference position opposite to the detection area;

[0010] Measure and record the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt in the detection area, and denote it as the reference distance;

[0011] Measure the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material in the detection area, and denote it as the measured distance;

[0012] Calculate the difference between the reference distance and the measured distance to form a data set;

[0013] Perform an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, and calculate the diameter of the transformed circle. The area of the transformed circle is equal to the cross-sectional area of the material;

[0014] Judge whether the diameter of the transformed circle exceeds a set threshold value, and perform corresponding processing according to the judgment result.

[0015] According to the anti-expansion pipe detection method of a tubular belt conveyor according to the above technical solution of the present invention, it may further have the following additional technical features:

[0016] In the above technical solution, the performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle and calculating the diameter of the transformed circle includes:

[0017] Using the obtained data set, calculate the cross-sectional area of the unit conveying material;

[0018] Perform an equal-circle transformation on the cross-sectional area of the unit conveying material to obtain a transformed circle with an area equal to the cross-sectional area of the unit conveying material;

[0019] Calculate the diameter of the transformed circle to obtain the equivalent diameter of the cross-sectional area of the material.

[0020] In the above technical solution, when the tubular belt conveyor is running, the reference position and the belt of the tubular belt conveyor are in a relative motion state.

[0021] In the above technical solution, the reference position includes a plurality of reference points;

[0022] The measuring and recording the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt in the detection area and recording it as the reference distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt in the detection area to obtain a plurality of reference distances;

[0023] The measuring the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material in the detection area and recording it as the measured distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material in the detection area to obtain a plurality of measured distances.

[0024] In the above technical solution, a laser scanning method is used to measure the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt in the detection area and the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material in the detection area.

[0025] In the above technical solution, before performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, it further includes:

[0026] Perform filtering and / or smoothing and / or normalization processing on the data set.

[0027] In the above technical solution, the set threshold is set according to the material filling rate requirement of the tubular belt conveyor and the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor.

[0028] The present invention also provides a device for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor, including:

[0029] An installation bracket, which is arranged adjacent to the tubular belt conveyor;

[0030] A laser scanning sensor, which is connected to the installation bracket, and the scanning direction of the laser scanning sensor faces the surface of the belt of the tubular belt conveyor and the surface of the material on the belt, and is used to obtain the measured distance and the reference distance;

[0031] A data processing unit, which is signal-connected to the laser scanning sensor, and is used to perform anti-expansion detection by using a method for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor according to any one of the above technical solutions.

[0032] According to the device for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor of the above technical solution of the present invention, it may also have the following additional technical features:

[0033] In the above technical solution, the installation bracket includes:

[0034] An installation cross beam, which is arranged opposite to the belt of the tubular belt conveyor and is used to provide an installation station for the laser scanning sensor;

[0035] An installation vertical rod, one end of which is fixedly connected to the tubular belt conveyor or the ground, and the other end of which is connected to the installation cross beam.

[0036] In the above technical solution, the installation cross beam is detachably connected to the installation vertical rod; the laser scanning sensor is detachably connected to the installation cross beam through an installation base; and / or

[0037] A plurality of first installation stations for fixing the laser scanning sensor are provided on the installation cross beam, and when the laser scanning sensor is located at different first installation stations, the scanning angles of the laser scanning sensor are different; and / or

[0038] A plurality of second installation stations for fixing the installation cross beam are provided on the installation vertical rod, and when the installation cross beam is located at different second installation stations, the relative distance between the laser scanning sensor and the belt of the tubular belt conveyor is different.

[0039] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical features, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0040] By calculating the cross-sectional area of the unit conveying material through laser scanning, performing an equal-circle transformation on the cross-sectional area of the material, obtaining the equivalent diameter of the cross-sectional area of the material after the equal-circle transformation, and comparing and judging it with the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor, the material filling condition of the conveying pipe of the tubular belt conveyor can be effectively identified, avoiding the occurrence of pipe expansion accidents of the tubular belt conveyor. At the same time, it has the advantages of simple structure, convenient installation, and high reliability.

[0041] The additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following description section or be learned through the practice of the present invention. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

[0043] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a method for detecting pipe expansion prevention of a tubular belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for detecting pipe expansion prevention of a tubular belt conveyor according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0045] Wherein, Figures 1 to 2 the corresponding relationship between the reference numerals and the component names in the drawings is as follows:

[0046] 1, installation vertical pole; 2, installation cross beam; 3, laser scanning sensor; 4, installation bottom plate;

[0047] 5, material surface; 6, belt surface; Detailed Embodiments

[0048] In order to more clearly understand the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0049] In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0050] The following refers to Figures 1 to 2 to describe a method and device for detecting pipe expansion prevention of a tubular belt conveyor according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method for detecting pipe expansion prevention of a tubular belt conveyor.

[0052] AsFigures 1 to 2 As shown in Figures 1 to 2 , the first embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor, including the following steps: determining a detection area and a reference position opposite to the detection area; measuring and recording the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt 6 within the detection area, and denoting it as the reference distance; measuring the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material 5 within the detection area, and denoting it as the measurement distance; calculating the difference between the reference distance and the measurement distance to form a data set; performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, and calculating the diameter of the transformed circle, where the area of the transformed circle is equal to the cross-sectional area of the material; determining whether the diameter of the transformed circle exceeds a set threshold, and performing corresponding processing according to the determination result.

[0053] Specifically, the step of performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle and calculating the diameter of the transformed circle includes: using the obtained data set to calculate the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material; performing an equal-circle transformation on the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material to obtain a transformed circle with an area equal to that of the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material; calculating the diameter of the transformed circle to obtain the equivalent diameter of the cross-sectional area of the material.

[0054] Specifically, when the tubular belt conveyor is running, the reference position and the belt of the tubular belt conveyor are in a relative motion state. In some embodiments, the reference position remains stationary, and when the tubular belt conveyor is running, the two are in relative motion.

[0055] Specifically, the reference position includes a plurality of reference points; in one embodiment, a laser scanning sensor 3 is used to measure the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt 6 within the detection area and the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material 5 within the detection area; among them, the laser scanning sensor 3 uses pulse ranging technology. In a specific embodiment, the laser scanning sensor 3 is set at the reference position and emits 11 laser beams, that is, the reference position includes 11 reference points, and each reference point corresponds to a measurement point within the detection area.

[0056] The step of measuring and recording the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt 6 within the detection area and denoting it as the reference distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt 6 within the detection area to obtain a plurality of reference distances; when measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt 6, it can be measured along the vertical direction or along the radial direction of the conveying pipe of the tubular belt conveyor.

[0057] The step of measuring the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material 5 within the detection area and denoting it as the measurement distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material 5 within the detection area to obtain a plurality of measurement distances. When measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material 5, it can be measured along the vertical direction or along the radial direction of the conveying pipe of the tubular belt conveyor. It should be noted that the measurement directions for obtaining the measurement distance and the reference distance should be kept consistent.

[0058] In some other embodiments, there is only one reference point at the reference position. Eleven laser beams are emitted from this reference point to the surface of the empty belt 6 or the surface of the material 5. Each laser beam corresponds to a measurement point within a detection area, so as to obtain a plurality of reference distances and a plurality of measurement distances.

[0059] The set threshold is set according to the material filling rate requirement of the tubular belt conveyor and the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor. In some embodiments, to ensure that the material filling rate of the tubular belt conveyor does not exceed 75% of the pipe diameter, the set threshold is set to 0.866 times the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor. That is, when the diameter of the transformed circle exceeds 0.866 times the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor, it is considered that the tubular belt conveyor is prone to pipe expansion accidents, and corresponding measures should be taken, such as reducing the feed, stopping the machine, alarm prompting, etc.

[0060] The second embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for detecting pipe expansion of a tubular belt conveyor, and on the basis of the first embodiment, as Figures 1 to 2 shown, it includes the following steps:

[0061] The first step is to delimit the detection area to avoid generating invalid data;

[0062] The second step is to scan the surface of the empty belt 6 through the laser scanning sensor 3 and record the reference distance S1 between the laser scanning sensor 3 and several measurement points on the surface of the empty belt 6;

[0063] The third step is to record the measurement distance S2 between the laser scanning sensor 3 and several measurement points on the surface of the material 5 when the belt conveyor is loaded; the measurement points on the surface of the material 5 correspond one-to-one with the measurement points on the surface of the empty belt 6, that is, the corresponding two measurement points are on the measurement path of the same laser beam.

[0064] The fourth step is to calculate the difference between the reference distance and the measurement distance to obtain the data set S;

[0065] The fifth step is to perform preliminary processing on the data set; including filtering, smoothing and normalization;

[0066] Filtering can screen out abnormal and invalid data and improve the quality of valid data; smoothing can eliminate noise and fit the data; normalization is to unify the data to the same coordinate axis for easy calculation;

[0067] The sixth step is to perform an equal-circle transformation on the processed data set;

[0068] The seventh step is to obtain the diameter d of the transformed circle;

[0069] The eighth step is to compare and judge the diameter d of the transformed circle with 0.866 times the pipe diameter D of the tubular belt conveyor;

[0070] Step 9: If d > 0.866D, it indicates that the material volume exceeds the standard, which is extremely likely to cause a tube expansion accident. Therefore, it is interlocked with the control system to immediately give an alarm prompt or stop the machine to prevent a serious accident; if d ≤ 0.866D, it indicates that the material volume is normal, and the operation continues.

[0071] The third embodiment of the present invention proposes an anti-tube-expansion detection device for a tubular belt conveyor, and on the basis of any of the above embodiments, as Figures 1 to 2 shown, it includes: a mounting bracket, which is arranged adjacent to the tubular belt conveyor; in some embodiments, the mounting bracket is arranged at the transition section of the tubular belt conveyor, that is, at the position where the trough-shaped cross-section conveyor belt is about to transition to the tubular cross-section conveyor belt. A laser scanning sensor 3, which is connected to the mounting bracket, and the scanning direction of the laser scanning sensor 3 faces the surface of the belt of the tubular belt conveyor and the surface of the material 5 on the belt, for obtaining the measurement distance and the reference distance; a data processing unit, which is signal-connected to the laser scanning sensor 3, and is used to perform an anti-tube-expansion detection method as described in any of the above embodiments for anti-tube-expansion detection.

[0072] Specifically, the mounting bracket includes: a mounting cross beam 2, which is arranged opposite to the belt of the tubular belt conveyor, for providing a mounting station for the laser scanning sensor 3; a mounting vertical rod 1, one end of which is fixedly connected to the tubular belt conveyor or the ground, and the other end of which is connected to the mounting cross beam 2. In some embodiments, two mounting vertical rods 1 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the tubular belt conveyor, and the mounting cross beam 2 is respectively connected to the two mounting vertical rods 1.

[0073] In one embodiment, the mounting cross beam 2 is detachably connected to the mounting vertical rod 1, such as by bolt connection, snap connection, etc.; the laser scanning sensor 3 is detachably connected to the mounting cross beam 2 through a mounting base, such as by bolt connection, snap connection, etc.;

[0074] The mounting cross beam 2 is provided with a plurality of first mounting stations for fixing the laser scanning sensor 3. When the laser scanning sensor 3 is located at different first mounting stations, the scanning angle of the laser scanning sensor 3 is different; in some embodiments, the mounting cross beam 2 is provided with 2 arc-shaped long holes, and the mounting base plate 4 of the laser scanning sensor 3 is bolt-connected to the mounting cross beam 2 through the arc-shaped long holes. When the mounting base plate 4 is connected to different positions of different arc-shaped long holes of the mounting cross beam 2, that is, when it is located at different first mounting stations, the detection angle of the laser scanning sensor 3 is different. Specifically, in one embodiment, the measurable angle range of the laser scanning sensor 3 is 88°.

[0075] A plurality of second installation stations for fixedly installing the installation cross beam 2 are provided on the installation vertical rod 1. When the installation cross beam 2 is located at different second installation stations, the relative distance between the laser scanning sensor 3 and the tubular belt conveyor belt is different. In some embodiments, a plurality of long holes and fixing holes are provided on the installation vertical rod 1, and different combinations of long holes and fixing holes correspond to a second installation station. When the installation cross beam 2 is installed at different second installation stations, the relative distance between the laser scanning sensor 3 and the tubular belt conveyor belt is different. The installation height of the laser scanning sensor 3 from the tubular belt conveyor belt is preferably 1 - 1.5 meters.

[0076] During installation, after connecting the laser scanning sensor 3 and the installation base plate 4 by bolts, the whole is installed on the installation cross beam 2, and the best detection angle and cross-section are adjusted through the arc-shaped long holes on the installation cross beam 2; the installation cross beam 2 is fixed to the installation vertical rod 1 by bolts, and the best detection height is adjusted through the long holes and fixing holes on the installation vertical rod 1 to ensure that the laser scanning sensor 3 can detect the upper surfaces of all materials.

[0077] The laser scanning sensor 3 has an Ethernet communication interface for communicating with the data processing unit. The data processing unit performs the algorithm model according to the anti-expansion tube detection method of the tubular belt conveyor proposed in any of the above embodiments for anti-expansion tube detection.

[0078] During actual use, in order to improve the detection accuracy, the number of devices can be increased. At the same time, the arithmetic mean of multiple data sets is taken as the equal-circle transformation data set for the final data set to achieve a better effect.

[0079] In one embodiment, three anti-expansion tube detection devices are installed in the tail transition section of the tubular belt conveyor. The installation order from the tail to the head is the first group, the second group, and the third group. The diameters of the transformed circles of the three detection data sets are d1, d2, and d3 respectively. The determination rule is: when d1 > 0.866D & d2 > 0.866D & d3 > 0.866D, or d1 > 0.866D & d2 > 0.866D & d3 ≤ 0.866D, or d1 > 0.866D & d2 ≤ 0.866D & d3 > 0.866D, or d1 ≤ 0.866D & d2 > 0.866D & d3 > 0.866D, or d1 ≤ 0.866D & d2 ≤ 0.866D & d3 > 0.866D, it is interlocked with the control system to immediately alarm or stop the machine. In other cases, continue to run.

[0080] In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0081] Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Determine the detection area and the reference position opposite to the detection area; Measure and record the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt within the detection area, and denote it as the reference distance; Measure the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material within the detection area, and denote it as the measured distance; Calculate the difference between the reference distance and the measured distance to form a data set; Perform an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, and calculate the diameter of the transformed circle, where the area of the transformed circle is equal to the cross-sectional area of the material; Judge whether the diameter of the transformed circle exceeds a set threshold value, and perform corresponding processing according to the judgment result.

2. The anti-expansion tube detection method of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that The performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle and calculating the diameter of the transformed circle includes: Using the obtained data set, calculate the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material; Perform an equal-circle transformation on the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material to obtain a transformed circle with an area equal to that of the cross-sectional area of the unit conveyed material; Calculate the diameter of the transformed circle to obtain the equivalent diameter of the cross-sectional area of the material.

3. The anti-expansion tube detection method of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that When the tubular belt conveyor is running, the reference position and the belt of the tubular belt conveyor maintain a relative motion state.

4. A method for detecting anti-expansion of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reference position includes a plurality of reference points; The measuring and recording the distance between the reference position and the surface of the empty belt within the detection area and denoting it as the reference distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt within the detection area to obtain a plurality of reference distances; The measuring the distance between the reference position and the surface of the material within the detection area and denoting it as the measured distance includes: measuring the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material within the detection area to obtain a plurality of measured distances.

5. The anti-expansion pipe detection method of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 4, characterized in that, Adopt a laser scanning method to measure the distance between each reference point and the surface of the empty belt within the detection area and the distance between each reference point and the surface of the material within the detection area.

6. The anti-expansion pipe detection method of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before performing an equal-circle transformation on the data set to obtain a transformed circle, it further includes: Performing filtering and / or smoothing and / or normalization processing on the data set.

7. A method for detecting anti-expansion tubes of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The set threshold value is set according to the material filling rate requirement of the tubular belt conveyor and the nominal pipe diameter of the tubular belt conveyor.

8. An anti-expansion pipe detection device for a tubular belt conveyor, characterized in that, Including: An installation bracket, arranged adjacent to the tubular belt conveyor; A laser scanning sensor, connected to the installation bracket, and the scanning direction of the laser scanning sensor faces the surface of the belt of the tubular belt conveyor and the surface of the material on the belt; A data processing unit, signal-connected to the laser scanning sensor, and used to perform anti-expansion pipe detection by using an anti-expansion pipe detection method for a tubular belt conveyor as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The anti-expansion tube detection device for a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 8, characterized in that, The installation bracket includes: An installation cross beam, arranged opposite to the belt of the tubular belt conveyor, and used to provide an installation station for the laser scanning sensor; An installation vertical rod, one end of which is fixedly connected to the tubular belt conveyor or the ground, and the other end is connected to the installation cross beam.

10. The anti-expansion pipe detection device of a tubular belt conveyor according to claim 9, characterized in that, The installation cross beam and the installation vertical rod are detachably connected; the laser scanning sensor is detachably connected to the installation cross beam through an installation base; and / or A plurality of first installation stations for fixing the laser scanning sensor are provided on the installation cross beam, and when the laser scanning sensor is located at different first installation stations, the scanning angles of the laser scanning sensor are different; and / or A plurality of second installation stations for fixedly installing a cross beam are provided on the installation vertical rod. When the installation cross beam is located at different second installation stations, the relative distance between the laser scanning sensor and the belt of the tubular belt conveyor is different.

Images