Conveyor belt operation management system and method

Abstract

The invention provides an operation management system and method of a conveyor belt. The operation management system is simple in structure and capable of mastering the operation state of the conveyor belt with high precision. A transmission radio wave (R1) is transmitted from a detector (7) disposed at a predetermined detection position (P) of a conveyor (10) to a passive IC tag (2) provided on a conveyor belt (13), the IC tag (2) returns a return radio wave (R2) in accordance with the transmission radio wave (R1), a traveling speed (V) of the conveyor belt (13) is calculated by an arithmetic device (8) on the basis of a reception time (t) at which the detector (7) receives the return radio wave (R2), and a transmission radio wave (R1) is transmitted from the detector (7) to the passive IC tag (2) on the conveyor belt (13) on the basis of a change over time in the traveling speed (V). The operation state of the conveyor belt (13) is ascertained, and the calculation device (8) transmits, via a communication network, data DV of a change over time in the travel speed V to a terminal device (9) located at a position distant from the installation site of the conveyor (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor belt operation management system and method, and more particularly, to a conveyor belt operation management system and method which has a simple structure and can grasp the conveyor belt operation status with high precision. Background Art

[0002] Various systems for managing conveyor belts laid on and running between pulleys of a conveyor device have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). The management system proposed in Patent Document 1 aims to improve traceability by acquiring specification information and maintenance information of the conveyor belt using an RFID tag embedded in the conveyor belt. By applying this management system, it is also possible to clearly grasp the start date of use of the conveyor belt, so that the replacement period of the conveyor belt can be clarified and replaced in a planned manner (paragraphs 0098 to 0103).

[0003] However, the operating conditions of the conveyor belts may vary depending on the site of use. That is, at some sites, the service life and / or travel speed of the conveyor belts may exceed expectations, while at other sites, the service life and / or travel speed of the conveyor belts may be lower than expected. Therefore, if the lifespan (service life) of conveyor belts of the same specifications is uniformly set, the following problem will arise: the conveyor belts cannot be replaced at a time suitable for each site of use of the conveyor belts.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-23840 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] That is, in the previous management system, it is impossible to fully grasp the actual operating status of the conveyor belt at the use site. In addition, in order to grasp the operating status of the conveyor belt at various use sites, it is necessary to simplify the structure and improve the versatility. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in order to achieve a simple structure and high-precision grasp of the operating status of the conveyor belt.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor belt operation management system and method, which has a simple structure and can grasp the operation status of the conveyor belt with high precision.

[0010] Technical means of solving problems

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the conveyor belt operation management system of the present invention comprises: a passive IC tag arranged on the conveyor belt; a detector, which wirelessly communicates with the IC tag without contacting the conveyor belt; and a computing device, which is communicatively connected to the detector; the detector receives a reply radio wave, which is a reply radio wave returned by the IC tag based on a transmission radio wave sent from the detector to the IC tag arranged on the conveyor belt installed on the conveyor device, and is characterized in that the computing device calculates the travel speed of the conveyor belt based on the reception time of the reply radio wave by the detector arranged at at least one detection position of the conveyor device, and grasps the operation status of the conveyor belt based on the time change of the calculated travel speed.

[0012] The conveyor belt operation management method of the present invention sets a passive IC tag on the conveyor belt, and sends a transmission radio wave from a detector to the IC tag set on the conveyor belt installed on the conveying device in a manner without contacting the conveyor belt. The IC tag returns a reply radio wave based on the transmission radio wave, and the reception result of the reply radio wave by the detector is input into the computing device. The conveyor belt operation management method is characterized in that the detector is arranged at at least one detection position of the conveying device, and the computing device calculates the travel speed of the conveyor belt based on the reception time of the reply radio wave by the detector, and the operation status of the conveyor belt is grasped based on the time change of the calculated travel speed.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] The present invention utilizes a passive IC tag disposed on a conveyor belt, a detector that wirelessly communicates with the IC tag without contacting the conveyor belt, and a computing device that inputs information detected by the detector. The IC tag is a general product that can return a reply wave based on a transmission wave sent from the detector. Therefore, the overall structure of the product of the present invention can be simplified. Moreover, based on the reception time of the reply wave received by the detector disposed at at least one detection position of the conveyor device, the traveling speed of the conveyor belt is calculated by the computing device. The traveling speed reflects the actual operating condition of the conveyor belt, and is therefore conducive to accurately grasping the operating state of the conveyor belt based on the time-dependent change of the traveling speed. At the same time, the life of the conveyor belt in each use site can be more accurately estimated, and is therefore conducive to replacing the conveyor belt at a time suitable for each use site. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram showing an overall outline of an embodiment of an operation management system for a conveyor belt.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an example of using a side view. Figure 1 Illustration of the system's conveyor device.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 AA section view.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 BB direction view.

[0019] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an IC tag in a plan view.

[0020] Figure 6 This is shown as an example by cross-section observation. Figure 5 Illustration of an IC tag.

[0021] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing, by way of example, a state where an IC tag and a detector perform wireless communication by observing a conveyor belt in cross section.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a graph schematically illustrating the temporal change in the conveyor belt travel speed.

[0023] Fig. 9 This is a graph schematically illustrating the relationship between the position of the IC tag relative to the detection position and the reception signal strength of the reply radio wave at the detector arranged at the detection position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, the conveyor belt operation management system and method of the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 to Figure 4 The embodiment of the conveyor operation management system 1 (hereinafter referred to as the system 1) illustrated in the figure is used to grasp the operation status of the conveyor 13 installed on the conveyor 10. The system 1 includes: a passive IC tag 2 installed on the conveyor 13, a detector 7 (7A, 7B, 7C), and a computing device 8 connected to the detector 7 in a wireless or wired manner so as to be communicable. In this embodiment, the computing device 8 is configured as follows: it is connected to a terminal device 9 (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) such as a computer or a smart phone via a communication network such as the Internet, and the terminal device 9 is located at a location (remote location) away from the installation site of the conveyor 10.

[0026] The conveyor 10 includes a pair of pulleys 11a and 11b and a plurality of support rollers 12 disposed between the pulleys 11a and 11b. A conveyor belt 13 is laid between the pulleys 11a and 11b and supported by the plurality of support rollers 12 between the pulleys 11a and 11b. The conveyor belt 13 is moved by rotating the pulley 11a. The arrow L in the figure indicates the length direction of the conveyor belt 13, and the arrow W indicates the width direction of the conveyor belt 13.

[0027] The conveyor belt 13 is formed by vulcanizing and bonding an upper cover rubber 16, a lower cover rubber 17, and a core layer 14 disposed therebetween. In this embodiment, the core layer 14 is formed by a plurality of steel cords 15 arranged transversely in the width direction W. The conveyor belt 13 has other components as required. The core layer 14 is not limited to the steel cords 15, and may be formed of canvas. When the core layer 14 is formed of canvas, for example, about 4 to 8 layers of canvas may be stacked according to the performance required for the conveyor belt 13.

[0028] On the carrier side of the conveyor 10, the lower cover rubber 17 of the conveyor belt 13 is supported by the support roller 12 so that the conveyor belt 13 is in a groove shape with the center portion protruding downward in the width direction W. The conveyed object C is put into and placed on the upper surface of the upper cover rubber 16 for conveyance. On the return side of the conveyor 10, the upper cover rubber 16 of the conveyor belt 13 is supported by the support roller 12 in a flat state.

[0029] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the IC tag 2 includes an IC chip 3 and an antenna unit 4 connected to the IC chip 3. The IC chip 3 and the antenna unit 4 are arranged on a substrate 5 and covered by an insulating layer 6. Figure 3 As shown in the example, the IC tag 2 is embedded in the lower cover rubber 17. The IC tag 2 may also be set at other positions of the conveyor belt 13, for example, it may be designed to be embedded in the upper cover rubber 16, or when the core layer 14 is composed of a plurality of canvas layers, embedded between adjacently stacked core layers 14. In order to protect the IC tag 2 from the influence of the conveyed object C, etc., it is more desirable to embed it in the lower cover rubber 17 or between the core layers 14 rather than embedding it in the upper cover rubber 16.

[0030] The IC tag 2 may be of a conventional specification, such as an RFID tag (general product). The size of the IC tag 2 may be, for example, 200 mm in area. 2 Above and 6000mm 2 Below, more preferably 300mm 2 Above and 2700mm 2The thickness is, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less, and more preferably 0.03 mm or more and 0.15 mm or less. The heat-resistant temperature of the IC tag 2 is, for example, about 250°C.

[0031] The IC chip 3 stores unique information for distinguishing the IC tag 2 from other IC tags 2. The IC chip 3 may store other information, but in the system 1, the IC chip 3 only needs to store unique information of the IC tag 2.

[0032] When manufacturing the conveyor belt 13, in the molding process, the IC tag 2 is arranged in the unvulcanized lower cover rubber 17 or the unvulcanized upper cover rubber 16, or between the core layers 14 composed of canvas to form a molded product. Thereafter, by vulcanizing the molded product, the IC tag 2 is embedded in the conveyor belt 13 formed by integrating the core layer 14, the upper cover rubber 16 and the lower cover rubber 17. In order to firmly adhere the IC tag 2 to the lower cover rubber 17 or the upper cover rubber 16 to be embedded, or the core layer 14, in the molding process of the conveyor belt 13, the IC tag 2 is covered with a fiber layer impregnated with an impregnation liquid so that it is sandwiched between the bonding object.

[0033] In order to set the IC tag 2 on the conveyor belt 13, as described above, it can be buried in the conveyor belt 13 in advance when the conveyor belt 13 is manufactured, but it is not limited to this method, and it can also be set on the conveyor belt 13 after manufacturing. That is, the IC tag 2 can also be attached to the conveyor belt 13 afterwards. For example, the IC tag 2 is arranged at the desired position (the surface of the lower covering rubber 17 or the upper covering rubber 16) of the manufactured conveyor belt 13. Then, the IC tag 2 is covered with a rubber material, and the IC tag 2 is bonded to the conveyor belt 13 together with the rubber material. In order to achieve this bonding, a known adhesive or vulcanization bonding can be used. If vulcanization bonding is used, for example, after a known surface treatment such as polishing is applied to a specified position of the conveyor belt 13, the IC tag 2 is arranged at the specified position and covered with an unvulcanized rubber material. Then, the unvulcanized rubber material is heated, pressurized and vulcanized, and the IC tag 2 is vulcanized and bonded to the conveyor belt 13 together with the rubber material.

[0034] If the IC tag 2 is attached to the conveyor belt 13 afterward, the present invention can be applied to the existing conveyor belt 13. Therefore, the IC tag 2 can also be set on the conveyor belt 13 installed on the conveyor device 10. The operation of attaching the IC tag 2 to the conveyor belt 13 afterward can also be performed at the installation site of the conveyor device 10.

[0035] It is sufficient to set at least one IC tag 2 on the conveyor belt 13, but it is preferable to set the IC tags 2 at multiple positions spaced apart in the length direction L. The IC tags 2 are embedded in the conveyor belt 13 at intervals TL of, for example, 5 m or more and 20 m or less in the length direction L. That is, the setting interval TL of the IC tags 2 is preferably set in the range of 5 m or more and 20 m or less, and is more preferably set at equal intervals. The setting interval TL of the IC tags 2 is more appropriately about 10 m.

[0036] The detector 7 performs wireless communication with the IC tag 2 placed on the conveyor belt 13 without contacting the conveyor belt 13. The detector 7 includes a transmitting unit 7s and a receiving unit 7r. The transmitting unit 7s transmits a transmission wave R1 to the IC tag 2. The receiving unit 7r receives a reply wave R2 returned by the IC tag 2 (antenna unit 4) in response to the transmission wave R1, and obtains the identification information of the IC tag 2 stored in the IC chip 3 and transmitted together with the reply wave R2.

[0037] As the detector 7, a commonly used specification that can wirelessly communicate with a passive RFID tag or the like is adopted. Thus, the IC tag 2 and the detector 7 constitute an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) system. The radio wave frequency used in the wireless communication between the IC tag 2 and the detector 7 is mainly in the UHF band (which varies depending on the country, but is within the range of 860 MHz to 930 MHz, and in Japan, it is 915 MHz to 930 MHz), and sometimes the HF band (13.56 MHz) is also used.

[0038] The detector 7 is disposed at a detection position P near the conveyor belt 13 in the conveyor device 10. The detector 7 is disposed at at least one detection position P. The detector 7 is preferably disposed at a plurality of detection positions P spaced apart in the longitudinal direction L rather than at only one detection position P.

[0039] In this embodiment, the detectors 7 are arranged at a plurality of detection positions P spaced apart along the longitudinal direction L of the conveyor belt 13 laid between the pulleys 11a and 11b. For example, the detectors 7 are arranged at the detection positions P spaced apart by an interval of 10 m or more and 30 m or less along the longitudinal direction L. It is preferable that the detection positions P are arranged at substantially equal intervals with respect to a predetermined section or the entire circumference of the conveyor belt 13.

[0040] The detector 7 is not limited to the specification of being arranged on the return side of the conveyor 10 as in this embodiment, and can also be designed to be arranged on the carrier side, or can also be designed to be arranged on the carrier side and the return side. The distance between the detector 7 and the antenna unit 4 when they are closest to each other is set to be within 1m, for example. That is, the detector 7 is set at the following detection position P: when the antenna unit 4 passes near the detector 7, the distance between the detector 7 and the antenna unit 4 is less than 1m.

[0041] In this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, each detector 7 is arranged at one end of the conveyor belt 13 in the width direction W. The width direction position of the detector 7 is preferably consistent with the width direction position of the IC tag 2 on the conveyor belt 13.

[0042] The computing device 8 is connected to the detector 7 by wire or wirelessly. As the computing device 8, a computer or a computer server can be used. The information detected and acquired by the detector 7 is input into the computing device 8. The computing device 8 performs various computing processes based on the various information input. As described below, the reception result of the reply radio wave R2 is input from the detector 7 to the computing device 8, and the computing device 8 calculates the travel speed V of the conveyor belt 13 based on the reception time t when the detector 7 receives the reply radio wave R2. Then, based on the time change of the calculated travel speed V, the operating state of the conveyor belt 13 is grasped. In addition, the computing device 8 also has a sending function of connecting to the desired terminal device 9 (9a~9d) via a communication network such as the Internet and sending various information (data) to the terminal device 9.

[0043] Next, an example of the procedure of a method of understanding the operating state of the conveyor belt 13 using the system 1 will be described.

[0044] like Figure 7 As shown, a transmission wave R1 is transmitted from each detector 7 (transmitting unit 7s) to the IC tag 2. When each IC tag 2 approaches each detector 7 through the movement of the conveyor belt 13, the transmission wave R1 is received by the antenna unit 4, and power is generated in the IC tag 2 by the transmission wave R1, so that the IC tag 2 is started.

[0045] The activated IC tag 2 sequentially returns a reply wave R2 to the detector 7 based on the transmission wave R1. The reply wave R2 returns from the IC tag 2 to the detector 7 via the antenna unit 4. The detector 7 (receiving unit 7r) receives the reply wave R2, thereby sequentially acquiring the identification information of the IC tag 2 stored in the IC chip 3 together with the reply wave R2 as a reception result.

[0046] Here, a method of calculating the traveling speed V of the conveyor belt 13 by the calculation device 8 will be described.

[0047] In this embodiment, since the detectors 7 are arranged at a plurality of detection positions P spaced apart along the length direction L, when the conveyor belt 13 travels, each detector 7 wirelessly communicates with the IC tag 2 when the IC tag 2 passes nearby, and acquires the identification information of the IC tag 2. The acquired identification information of the IC tag 2 is stored in the computing device 8 together with the reception time t when the detector 7 receives the reply radio wave R2 from the IC tag 2. Since the interval distance PL of the detection positions P where each detector 7 is arranged in the length direction L has been understood, the interval distance PL is input into the computing device 8.

[0048] Thus, the computing device 8 calculates the travel speed V based on the reception time t of the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag 2 received by each detector 7 arranged at at least two detection positions P spaced apart along the length direction L, and the interval distance PL of each detection position P. For example, if the interval distance between the detectors 7A and 7B is PL, and the reception time t of the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag 2 received by the detectors 7A and 7B is t1 and t2 respectively, then the time required for the IC tag 2 to move from the detector 7A to the detector 7B is (t2-t1), and therefore the travel speed V=PL / (t2-t1) is calculated.

[0049] When calculating the travel speed V, it is not limited to using the data of the detectors 7 configured at the adjacent detection positions P in the length direction L (the data of the detectors 7A and 7B, the data of the detectors 7B and 7C, the data of the detectors 7C and 7A), and the data of each detector 7 configured at two detection positions P selected from each detection position P can also be used. Therefore, the data of the detectors 7A and 7C can also be used. Since the conveyor belt 13 is continuous, it is basically sufficient to calculate the travel speed V in any one section (the interval distance PL between any two detection positions P). However, for example, in the section where the conveyed object C is about to be placed and the section when the conveyed object C has just been placed, the travel speed V may be slightly different due to the weight of the conveyed object C or the impact of placement, so it is better to calculate the travel speed V in multiple sections. In this calculation method, it is sufficient to find out the interval distance PL. Since the position information of the IC tag 2 on the conveyor belt 13 is not required, it can be easily applied to all conveyor belts 13.

[0050] In addition, when calculating the travel speed V, at least one IC tag 2 is sufficient. If only one IC tag 2 is used, when the belt length BL of the conveyor belt 13 is too large, the calculation frequency of the travel speed V will become smaller. In addition, since the IC tag 2 may also fail, it is preferable to use a plurality of IC tags 2 (individual IC tags 2) provided on the conveyor belt 13 to calculate the travel speed V.

[0051] If a plurality of IC tags 2 are set on the conveyor belt 13, the travel speed V can also be calculated by other methods. In this calculation method, a detector 7 arranged at the same detection position P is used, and the setting pitch TL of each IC tag 2 used is pre-input into the calculation device 8. Then, the return radio wave R2 returned from each IC tag 2 set at the setting pitch TL is received by the detector 7 arranged at the detection position P. The travel speed V is calculated based on the reception time t of the return radio wave R2 from each IC tag 2 received by the detector 7 and the setting pitch TL.

[0052] For example, when two IC tags 2 are set at a setting interval TL, and a detector 7 arranged at the same detection position P receives the reply radio waves R2 from each IC tag 2 at reception times t of t1 and t2 respectively, the time required for the conveyor belt 13 to move the length of the setting interval TL is (t2-t1), so the travel speed V=TL / (t2-t1) is calculated. In this calculation method, it is necessary to understand the setting interval TL of the two IC tags 2 used. Since the detector 7 may also fail, it is not limited to using the detector 7 arranged at a specific detection position P, and it is preferred to use the detector 7 arranged at multiple detection positions P (each detection position P) to calculate the travel speed V.

[0053] Furthermore, the travel speed V can also be calculated by other methods. In this calculation method, the conveyor belt 13 sequentially receives the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag every time the conveyor belt 13 runs one circle by using one detector 7 arranged at the same detection position P. The travel speed V is calculated based on the reception time t of the reply radio wave R2 sequentially received by the detector 7 every time the conveyor belt 13 runs one circle and the belt length BL of the conveyor belt 13. This calculation method is necessarily used when the detector 7 is arranged at only one detection position P and there is only one IC tag 2 set on the conveyor belt 13.

[0054] For example, when the belt length is BL, and the time of receiving the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag 2 received by the detector 7 arranged at the same detection position P in sequence for each movement of the conveyor belt 13 is t1 and t2 respectively, the time required for the conveyor belt 13 to move one circle (movement of the belt length BL) is (t2-t1), so the travel speed V=BL / (t2-t1) is calculated. In this calculation method, it is necessary to find out the belt length BL of the conveyor belt 13. Since the IC tag 2 may also fail, when multiple IC tags 2 are provided on the conveyor belt 13, it is preferable to use multiple IC tags 2 (each IC tag 2) to calculate the travel speed V.

[0055] The travel speed V calculated by the computing device 8 reflects the actual operating condition of the conveyor belt 13. That is, if the travel speed V is 0 (including the case where it is infinitely 0), it can be determined that the conveyor belt 13 is not running (not moving). Although this situation is very rare, if the conveyor belt 13 stops when a certain IC tag 2 is close to a certain detection position P (detector 7), the detector 7 will continuously receive the reply radio wave R2 from the IC tag 2. Therefore, the situation where the detector 7 configured at the same detection position P continuously receives the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag 2 is also determined as the conveyor belt 13 not running.

[0056] If the travel speed V is substantially constant, it can be determined that the conveyor belt 13 is running stably. When the travel speed V rises uniformly, it can be determined that the conveyor belt 13 is in a starting state, and when the travel speed V drops uniformly, it can be determined that it is in a stopped state.

[0057] Therefore, if Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the computing device 8 outputs data DV of the time-varying travel speed V, and the cumulative operating time of the conveyor 13 is calculated based on the data DV. Figure 8 The data DV can accurately grasp the actual operation status of the conveyor belt 13 (whether it is running or not and the change of the travel speed V). The actual life X of the conveyor belt 13 is more affected by the cumulative operation time than by the time after the conveyor belt 13 is installed in the conveyor device 10. Therefore, by using the data DV to grasp the actual operation time (cumulative operation time) of the conveyor belt 13, it is beneficial to grasp the actual life X of the conveyor belt 13 with high accuracy.

[0058] If the data DV of a plurality of conveyor belts 13 of the same specification is used to grasp the correlation between each cumulative operation time and the actual life X, the actual life X of the conveyor belt 13 of the specification can be estimated with high accuracy. Therefore, the data DV of the conveyor belts 13 of the same specification used at the site of use is grasped, and the current cumulative operation time is calculated by the calculation device 8. Then, as described above, the current cumulative operation time is subtracted from the life X estimated in advance, thereby the remaining life of the conveyor belt 13 can be calculated with high accuracy by the calculation device 8. Since the remaining life can be calculated with high accuracy, it is advantageous to replace the conveyor belt 13 at an appropriate time suitable for each site of use.

[0059] The cumulative travel distance of the conveyor belt 13 also has a great influence on the actual life X of the conveyor belt 13. Therefore, the cumulative travel distance can also be used as an indicator for estimating the actual life X. The cumulative travel distance can be calculated by integrating the data DV over time by the computing device 8. If the data DV of multiple conveyor belts 13 of the same specification are used to grasp the correlation between each cumulative travel distance and the cumulative travel distance when the actual life X is reached, the cumulative travel distance corresponding to the actual life X of the conveyor belt 13 of the specification can be estimated with high accuracy. Therefore, the data DV of the conveyor belt 13 of the same specification used on site is grasped, and the current cumulative travel distance is calculated by the computing device 8. Then, as described above, the current cumulative travel distance is subtracted from the cumulative travel distance corresponding to the pre-estimated life X, thereby enabling the computing device 8 to calculate the remaining cumulative travel distance corresponding to the remaining life of the conveyor belt 13 with high accuracy.

[0060] The data DV can be used to perform various other analyses on the operating state of the conveyor belt 13. For example, when the driving force of the conveyor belt 13 (the rotational driving torque of the pulley 11a) is the same, the greater the load of the conveyed object C, the lower the travel speed V. Therefore, it is better to input the data of the rotational driving torque of the pulley 11a into the computing device 8. Thus, the appropriate load of the conveyed object C can be determined by the computing device 8 based on the data of the rotational driving torque of the pulley 11a and the data of the travel speed V. For example, even if the data of the rotational driving torque of the pulley 11A is a normal value, if the travel speed V is lower than the allowable range, it can be determined that the load is too heavy, and if the travel speed V is faster than the allowable range, it can be determined that the load is too light.

[0061] In this system 1, if the detector 7 does not receive the reply radio wave R2 from only a specific IC tag 2, the IC tag 2 may be faulty, so it is necessary to check whether there is a fault in a timely manner. In addition, if only a specific detector 7 does not receive the reply radio wave R2 from the IC tag 2, the detector 7 may be faulty, so it is necessary to check whether there is a fault in a timely manner. From the viewpoint of discovering the fault of the IC tag 2 and the detector 7, it is preferable to configure the system 1 to have a plurality of IC tags 2 and detectors 7, respectively.

[0062] The system 1 utilizes the IC tag 2, the detector 7, and the computing device 8. The IC tag 2 is a general-purpose product that can return a reply wave R2 to the detector 7 based on the transmission wave R1 sent from the detector 7. Therefore, the overall structure of the system 1 becomes simple and the versatility is improved, which is also conducive to reducing the equipment cost. Therefore, according to the system 1, it is helpful to grasp the operating conditions of the conveyor belt 13 at various use sites.

[0063] In this embodiment, the computing device 8 transmits the data DV to the terminal device 9 located at a location far from the installation site of the conveyor 10 via the communication network. For example, the data DV or the calculated cumulative operation time is transmitted to the terminal device 9 of the relevant parties such as the management office of the operating company (user) of the conveyor 13, the sales company and the manufacturing company of the conveyor 13, etc. located at a remote location far from the installation site of the conveyor 10. Thus, these relevant parties can also grasp the operation status of the conveyor 13 in substantially real time while being at a remote location far from the use site of the conveyor 13.

[0064] In addition, the calculated remaining life of the conveyor belt 13 or the estimated replacement period may be sent to the terminal device 9, and the above-mentioned various data or information may be sent to the terminal device 9. In addition, the data and information to be sent to each terminal device 9 may be set for each terminal device 9, and the type of data or information to be sent to each terminal device 9 may be configured to arbitrarily limit.

[0065] In order to prevent the communication leakage between the IC tag 2 and the detector 7, it is necessary to increase the communication frequency. For example, by setting the communication frequency between the IC tag 2 and the detector 7 to 3 to 10 times per second, the unfavorable situation (communication leakage) that the detector 7 cannot receive the reply radio wave R2 from the IC tag 2 even if the travel speed V is very fast is avoided. On the other hand, if the communication frequency is increased, when the IC tag 2 passes through the detection position P, the detector 7 configured at the detection position P will perform wireless communication with the IC tag 2 multiple times during the one-time passage. That is, when the same IC tag 2 passes through each detection position P, the detector 7 configured at the detection position P will receive the reply radio wave R2 from the same IC tag 2 multiple times during the one-time passage.

[0066] By moving the conveyor belt 13, when the IC tag 2 moves relative to the detection position P where the detector 7 is arranged, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown in the illustrated data DR, the closer to the detection position P, the more frequent the wireless communication between the IC tag 2 and the detector 7 arranged at the detection position P, and the higher the RSSI of the received signal strength of the reply radio wave R2 received by the detector 7. That is, it can be considered that the IC tag 2 is located at the position closest to the detection position P when the RSSI of the received signal strength of the reply radio wave R2 is the highest.

[0067] Thus, when the same IC tag 2 passes through the detection position P, if the detector 7 arranged at the detection position P receives the reply radio wave R2 from the IC tag 2 multiple times during one passage of the IC tag 2, the reception time of the reply radio wave R2 with the highest received signal strength RSSI among the multiple received reply radio waves R2 is used as the reception time t of the detector 7 arranged at the detection position P. By using the reception time t adopted in this way, it is advantageous to calculate the travel speed V with higher accuracy.

[0068] Description of Reference Numerals

[0069] 1: Operation management system

[0070] 2: IC tag

[0071] 3: IC chip

[0072] 4: Antenna

[0073] 5: Substrate

[0074] 6: Insulation layer

[0075] 7(7A, 7B, 7C): Detector

[0076] 7s: Sending department

[0077] 7r: Receiving unit

[0078] 8: Computing device

[0079] 9 (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d): terminal equipment

[0080] 10: Transmission Device

[0081] 11a, 11b: Pulley

[0082] 12: Support roller

[0083] 13: Conveyor Belt

[0084] 14: Core layer

[0085] 15: Steel cord

[0086] 16: Upper cover rubber

[0087] 17: Lower cover rubber

[0088] C:Conveyance

Claims

1. A conveyor belt operation management system, comprising: a passive IC tag set on the conveyor belt; a detector that wirelessly communicates with the IC tag without contacting the conveyor belt; and a computing device that is communicatively connected to the detector; the detector receives a reply radio wave that is returned by the IC tag in response to a transmission radio wave sent from the detector to the IC tag set on the conveyor belt installed on the conveyor device, wherein Based on the time when the detector arranged at at least one detection position of the conveying device receives the reply radio wave, the computing device calculates the travel speed of the conveyor belt, and based on the temporal change of the calculated travel speed, the operating status of the conveyor belt is grasped.

2. According to the conveyor belt operation management system according to claim 1, the conveyor belt operation management system receives the reply radio wave from the same IC tag by configuring each of the detectors at at least two detection positions spaced apart along the length direction of the conveyor belt, and calculates the travel speed based on the receiving time of each of the detectors and the spacing distance between each of the detection positions in the length direction of the conveyor belt.

3. According to the conveyor belt operation management system according to claim 1, the conveyor belt operation management system receives the reply radio waves from each of the IC tags set at intervals along the length direction of the conveyor belt through the detector configured at the same detection position, and calculates the travel speed based on the reception time of the reply radio waves from each of the IC tags when the detector receives the reply radio waves from each of the IC tags and the interval distance between each of the IC tags in the length direction of the conveyor belt.

4. The conveyor belt operation management system according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt operation management system receives the reply radio waves from the same IC tag in sequence every time the conveyor belt runs one circle by configuring the detector at the same detection position, and calculates the travel speed based on the reception time of the reply radio waves received in sequence by the detector and the belt length of the conveyor belt.

5. According to the conveyor belt operation management system described in any one of claims 2 to 4, the conveyor belt operation management system is configured as follows: when the same IC tag passes through the detection position, if the detector configured at the detection position receives the reply radio wave from the same IC tag multiple times during one passage of the IC tag, the reception time of the reply radio wave with the highest reception signal strength among the multiple received reply radio waves is used as the reception time of the detector configured at the detection position.

6. According to any one of claims 2 to 5, the conveyor belt operation management system is configured as follows: the data on the time-varying travel speed is sent via a communication network to a terminal device located at a location far away from the installation site of the conveying device.

7. A method for managing the operation of a conveyor belt, wherein a passive IC tag is provided on the conveyor belt, a transmitting radio wave is sent from a detector to the IC tag provided on the conveyor belt installed on a conveying device in a manner that does not contact the conveyor belt, the IC tag returns a reply radio wave based on the transmitting radio wave, and a reception result of the reply radio wave received by the detector is input into a computing device, wherein The detector is arranged at at least one detection position of the conveying device, and the computing device calculates the travel speed of the conveyor belt based on the reception time of the reply radio wave by the detector, and the operating status of the conveyor belt is grasped based on the temporal change of the calculated travel speed.

8. The operation management method of a conveyor belt according to claim 7, wherein the IC tag is embedded in the conveyor belt in advance when the conveyor belt is manufactured.

9. The operation management method of a conveyor belt according to claim 7, wherein the IC tag is set on the conveyor belt after the conveyor belt is manufactured.

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