Method for measuring thickness of inner wall coating of material processing equipment, thickness measuring device and system

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of material processing equipment inner wall coating thickness measurement method, thickness measuring equipment and system, it is related to ultrasonic measurement technical field.The method controls the ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of material processing equipment to emit ultrasonic signal, and target signal is received by the ultrasonic sensor, the target signal includes the first echo signal formed by the interface reflection of coating and material in material processing equipment, and the second echo signal formed by the reflection of material.The method determines the first transmission time length of ultrasonic signal to the first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal, and then determines the thickness of coating based on the first transmission time length and the first transmission speed of ultrasonic signal in coating.Because the thickness of coating in the inner wall of material processing equipment can be measured outside material processing equipment, it is not necessary to disassemble material processing equipment, and iron metal foreign matter is not introduced into material, so that the purity of material can be avoided during the measurement process of coating thickness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ultrasonic measurement technology, and in particular to a method, thickness measuring device and system for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the processing and production of cathode materials, non-metallic / iron-free wear-resistant coatings are typically added to the inner walls of stainless steel material handling equipment (such as silos, pipes, or vibrating screens) used for storing, conveying, and screening cathode materials to prevent ferrous metal foreign objects from contaminating the cathode materials. However, after the cathode materials are rubbed in the material handling equipment for a certain period of time, the coating may wear off. If the missing coating is not detected and repaired in time, metallic foreign objects will be contaminated with the cathode materials. Therefore, regularly inspecting and maintaining the integrity of the coating on the inner walls of the material handling equipment is crucial to ensuring the yield of cathode materials.

[0003] In related technologies, magnetic induction thickness gauges are typically used to periodically measure the coating thickness. If the coating thickness is found to be substandard, it is repaired promptly. However, this thickness gauge requires direct contact with the coating of the equipment during measurement. When the coating is located on the inner wall of the equipment, the material handling equipment needs to be disassembled or inserted into the equipment, which may introduce ferrous metal foreign objects into the cathode material, affecting the purity of the cathode material. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method, device, and system for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment. It aims to at least partially solve the technical problem in related technologies where ferrous metal foreign matter is introduced into the cathode material during the coating thickness measurement process, affecting the purity of the cathode material. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] On one hand, a method for measuring the thickness of a coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment is provided, characterized in that it is applied to a thickness measuring device, wherein the thickness measuring device is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment; the method includes:

[0006] The ultrasonic sensor is controlled to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals. The target signals include a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through a first interface, which is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through the material.

[0007] Based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface is determined;

[0008] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, wherein the thickness is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0009] Optionally, a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling equipment; determining the thickness of the coating based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating includes:

[0010] Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined, wherein the fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference obtained by subtracting the second transmission duration and the third transmission duration from the first transmission duration;

[0011] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, and the thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0012] Optionally, before determining the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, the method further includes:

[0013] The second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer is determined based on the second transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer and the thickness of the coupling layer;

[0014] Based on the third transmission speed of the ultrasonic wave in the material handling equipment and the thickness of the material handling equipment, the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment is determined. Therefore, when a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling equipment, the thickness measurement method for the inner wall coating of the material handling equipment provided in this application can include:

[0015] The ultrasonic sensor is controlled to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals. The target signals include: a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected by a first interface, which is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected by the material.

[0016] Based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface is determined;

[0017] Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined.

[0018] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, and the thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0019] The fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference between the first transmission duration and the second and third transmission durations. The second transmission duration is determined by the second transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer and the thickness of the coupling layer. The third transmission duration is determined by the third transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment and the thickness of the material handling equipment.

[0020] Optionally, determining the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal includes:

[0021] Determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal;

[0022] Based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface is determined, and the first transmission time is positively correlated with the time delay. That is, the thickness measuring device can use correlation analysis to determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor reaching the first interface.

[0023] Optionally, before determining the first transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the method further includes:

[0024] Obtain all extreme points of the cross-correlation function;

[0025] From all the extreme points, obtain the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold;

[0026] The maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function is obtained based on the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold.

[0027] Therefore, the method provided in the embodiments of this application may include:

[0028] The ultrasonic sensor is controlled to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals. The target signals include a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by reflection from a first interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by reflection from the ultrasonic signal by the material.

[0029] Obtain all extreme points of the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal;

[0030] From all the extreme points, obtain the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold;

[0031] Based on the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold, the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function is obtained;

[0032] Based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value, a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface is determined, and the first transmission time is positively correlated with the time delay.

[0033] Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined, wherein the fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference obtained by subtracting the second transmission duration and the third transmission duration from the first transmission duration;

[0034] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, and the thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0035] Optionally, a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling equipment; receiving the first echo signal through the ultrasonic sensor includes:

[0036] The ultrasonic sensor receives a mixed signal, which includes the target signal, a third echo signal, a fourth echo signal, and a noise signal. The third echo signal is formed by reflecting the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor through a second interface, which is the interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment. The fourth echo signal is formed by reflecting the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor through a third interface, which is the interface between the material handling equipment and the coating.

[0037] The target signal is obtained by removing interference signals from the mixed signal, wherein the interference signals include the third echo signal, the fourth echo signal, and the noise signal.

[0038] Optionally, removing interference signals from the mixed signal to obtain the target signal includes:

[0039] Remove the noise signal from the mixed signal;

[0040] The third echo signal and the fourth echo signal are removed from the mixed signal after the noise signal is eliminated to obtain the target signal.

[0041] Therefore, the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment provided in this application may include:

[0042] The ultrasonic sensor is controlled to emit ultrasonic signals and receive mixed signals. The mixed signals include: a first echo signal formed by reflection from a first interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment; a second echo signal formed by reflection from the material; a third echo signal formed by reflection from a second interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment; a fourth echo signal formed by reflection from a third interface between the material handling equipment and the coating; and a noise signal.

[0043] The noise signal is removed from the mixed signal, and the third echo signal and the fourth echo signal are removed from the mixed signal after the noise signal is removed to obtain the target signal;

[0044] Determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal;

[0045] Based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface is determined, and the first transmission time is positively correlated with the time delay;

[0046] Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined, wherein the fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference obtained by subtracting the second transmission duration and the third transmission duration from the first transmission duration;

[0047] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, and the thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0048] Optionally, removing noise signals from the mixed signal includes:

[0049] The mixed signal is transformed from the time domain to the frequency domain to obtain the mixed signal in the frequency domain, which includes multiple different frequency components;

[0050] Calculate the correlation value between each frequency component and the ultrasonic signal;

[0051] From the mixed signal in the frequency domain, frequency components with correlation values ​​lower than a correlation threshold are removed to eliminate noise signals from the mixed signal.

[0052] On the other hand, a thickness measuring device for the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment is provided, applied to a thickness measuring device, wherein the thickness measuring device is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment; the device includes:

[0053] The control module is used to control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals through the ultrasonic sensor. The target signals include: a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through a first interface, which is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through the material.

[0054] The first determining module is used to determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal.

[0055] The second determining module is used to determine the thickness of the coating based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, wherein the thickness is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0056] In another aspect, a thickness measuring device is provided, the thickness measuring device comprising: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the thickness measurement method for the inner wall coating of the material handling equipment as described above.

[0057] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device as described above.

[0058] In another aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including a computer program or computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment as described above.

[0059] In another aspect, a thickness measurement system is provided, the thickness measurement system comprising: an ultrasonic sensor, a material handling device, and the thickness measurement device described above;

[0060] The ultrasonic sensor is installed on the outer wall of the material handling equipment and is connected to the thickness measuring device.

[0061] Optionally, an absorption layer is provided at the end of the ultrasonic sensor away from the material handling equipment.

[0062] Optionally, the material handling equipment is selected from a vibrating screen, and the ultrasonic sensor is located at a first position on the bottom frame of the vibrating screen. The distance from the first position to the central axis of the vibrating screen is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the radius of the vibrating screen. According to the applicant's extensive experimental research, in the field of lithium battery cathode materials, the average service life of the coating at the first position is about 6 months. Setting the ultrasonic sensor at this position is more conducive to assisting in determining the thickness change of the inner wall coating.

[0063] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this application include at least the following:

[0064] This application provides a method, device, and system for measuring the thickness of an inner wall coating of a material handling equipment. The method controls an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment to emit ultrasonic signals and receives target signals through the same sensor. These target signals include a first echo signal reflected from the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment, and a second echo signal reflected from the material. Subsequently, the method determines a first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal, and then determines the coating thickness based on the first transmission time and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal within the coating. Since the thickness of the inner wall coating of the material handling equipment can be measured from outside the equipment, manual disassembly of the equipment is unnecessary. This prevents the introduction of ferrous metal foreign objects into the material, thus avoiding any impact on the purity of the material during the coating thickness measurement process. Furthermore, the material handling equipment does not need to be stopped during the measurement process, reducing the impact on its operation. Moreover, since manual measurement with a thickness gauge is unnecessary, automated monitoring of the coating thickness is achieved, simplifying manual operation and reducing labor costs. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can obtain the coating thickness at any time. On the one hand, it can detect coating defects in a timely manner, and on the other hand, it can repair the coating when the coating thickness is so low that it may introduce ferrous metals into the material, thereby improving the utilization rate of the coating.

[0065] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0066] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a thickness measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation position of an ultrasonic sensor according to an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 3 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a thickness measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation of an ultrasonic sensor on the outer wall of a material handling device, as provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 6This is a flowchart of another method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method for determining a first transmission duration provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a thickness measuring device for the inner wall coating of a material handling equipment provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another material handling equipment inner wall coating thickness measuring device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0076] In the processing and production of cathode materials, a non-metallic / iron-free wear-resistant coating is typically added to the inner wall of stainless steel material handling equipment (such as silos or pipelines) used for storing and transporting cathode materials to prevent ferrous metal foreign matter from contaminating the cathode materials. However, after the cathode materials are rubbed in the material handling equipment for a certain period of time, the coating may wear off. If the missing coating is not detected and repaired in time, ferrous metal foreign matter can contaminate the cathode materials. Therefore, regularly inspecting and maintaining the integrity of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment is crucial to ensuring the purity of the cathode materials.

[0077] In related technologies, it is usually necessary to manually disassemble the material handling equipment periodically and use a handheld magnetic induction thickness gauge to contact the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment in order to measure the thickness of the coating; and to determine whether the coating needs to be repaired based on the thickness of the coating.

[0078] However, since the material handling equipment needs to be manually disassembled for measurement, it may introduce ferrous foreign matter into the cathode material, affecting its purity; it also requires shutting down the material handling equipment, disrupting the production process; furthermore, the manual disassembly and measurement result in high labor costs. Moreover, periodically disassembling the material handling equipment for thickness measurement according to the actual situation during the testing cycle may result in significant wear on the coating between adjacent tests, meaning this method may fail to detect coating defects in a timely manner. Furthermore, this method typically involves repairing the coating when its thickness is determined to be less than the target thickness, leading to low coating utilization. This target thickness is a minimum empirical thickness, usually an empirical value; in this application, this empirical value is the minimum thickness that ensures no wear on the material handling equipment within a testing cycle.

[0079] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a method for measuring the thickness of a coating on the inner wall of a material handling device. This method controls an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling device to emit ultrasonic signals and receives target signals through the ultrasonic sensor. The target signals include a first echo signal formed by reflection at the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling device, and a second echo signal formed by reflection from the material. Subsequently, the method determines a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach a first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal, and then determines the coating thickness based on the first transmission time and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating. Since the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling device can be measured from outside the device, there is no need to manually disassemble the device. This avoids introducing ferrous metal foreign objects into the material, thus preventing the coating thickness measurement process from affecting the purity of the material. Furthermore, the material handling device does not need to be stopped during thickness measurement, reducing the impact on its operation. Moreover, since no manual thickness gauge is required, automated monitoring of the coating thickness is achieved, simplifying manual operation and reducing labor costs. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can obtain the coating thickness at any time. On the one hand, it can detect coating defects in a timely manner, and on the other hand, it can repair the coating when the coating thickness is so low that it may introduce ferrous metals into the material, thereby improving the utilization rate of the coating.

[0080] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a thickness measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 1The thickness measurement system includes an ultrasonic sensor 100, a material handling device 200, and a thickness measuring device 300. The ultrasonic sensor 100 is disposed on the outer wall of the material handling device 200 and connected to the thickness measuring device 300, such as through a wire (e.g., a shielded wire).

[0081] Optional, please continue to see Figure 1 The thickness measurement system may further include a lower-level machine 400, which is connected to the thickness measuring device 300. Under the control of the lower-level machine 400, the thickness measuring device 300 can control an ultrasonic sensor 100 located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment 200 to emit ultrasonic signals to detect the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment 200, and can send the detected thickness to the lower-level machine 400. The lower-level machine 400 can then feed back the thickness to a higher-level machine connected to it.

[0082] Optionally, the lower-level machine 400 can be a programmable logic controller (PLC). The material handling equipment 200 can be a pipeline for transporting materials, a silo for storing materials, or a vibrating screen for processing materials. The material handling equipment 200 can be made of metal, such as stainless steel.

[0083] Understandably, the ultrasonic sensor 100 can be positioned at a target location on the outer wall of the material handling equipment 200. The coating at this target location is more prone to wear and typically experiences the greatest wear, thus reflecting the wear condition of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment 200. For example, this target location might be the bottom of the material handling equipment 200, where the material flow rate exceeds a flow threshold. In other words, the ultrasonic sensor 100 can be positioned at the bottom where the material flow rate is higher.

[0084] Since the coating at the bottom of the material handling equipment where the material flow rate is relatively large is usually the area most affected by factors such as friction, its thickness change can directly reflect the wear of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment during actual use. Therefore, setting an ultrasonic sensor at this target location to measure the thickness of the coating at that target location can accurately assess the overall wear degree of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment.

[0085] Optionally, assuming the material handling equipment 200 is selected from a vibrating screen, then as follows: Figure 2As shown, the ultrasonic sensor 100 can be positioned at a first location on the bottom frame of the vibrating screen 200. The distance from this first location to the central axis Z of the vibrating screen is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the screen's radius. Based on extensive experimental research by the applicant, in the field of lithium-ion battery cathode materials, the average lifespan of the coating at this first location is approximately 6 months. Therefore, placing an ultrasonic sensor at this location is more beneficial for assisting in determining changes in the thickness of the inner wall coating.

[0086] Figure 3 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of a thickness measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application. From... Figure 3 As can be seen, the ultrasonic sensor 100 may include: a probe 101, a generator 102, a receiver 103, and an amplifier circuit 104. The thickness measuring device 300 includes: a processor 301, and a data acquisition module 302 connected to the processor 301.

[0087] The generator 102 has a first end connected to the probe 101 and a second end connected to the processor 301. The processor 301 is also connected to the lower-level machine 400. The receiver 103 has a first end connected to the probe 101 and a second end connected to the first end of the amplifier circuit 104. The second end of the amplifier circuit 104 is connected to the data acquisition module 302.

[0088] Optionally, the probe 101 can be a vertical probe or an angled probe. Furthermore, the probe 101 can be a dual-crystal probe. Compared to a single-crystal probe, a dual-crystal probe has higher transmit and receive sensitivities. This ensures higher accuracy in the measured thickness. In addition, the probe 101 is typically made of piezoelectric ceramic material. The processor 301 can be a central processing unit (CPU).

[0089] Optional, see Figure 4 A coupling layer A1 is filled between the ultrasonic sensor 100 and the outer wall of the material handling equipment 200. The coupling layer A1 can be made of epoxy resin or rubber. The thickness of the coupling layer A1 can be positively correlated with the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave.

[0090] Understandably, without the coupling layer A1, the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic sensor 100 would need to travel through air to reach the material handling equipment 200. However, the speed of ultrasonic waves in air differs significantly from their speed in the material handling equipment 200. This significant speed difference can lead to total internal reflection at the interface between the two media, affecting the detection accuracy of the ultrasonic sensor 100. Therefore, by filling the space between the ultrasonic sensor 100 and the outer wall of the material handling equipment 200 with the coupling layer A1, the ultrasonic waves travel at a greater speed in this layer than in air, thus reducing the speed difference. This prevents total internal reflection and improves the accuracy of coating thickness detection.

[0091] Figure 4 A2 in the text refers to the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment. (Optional, please continue reading...) Figure 4 The end of the ultrasonic sensor 100 furthest from the material handling equipment 200 may also be provided with an absorption layer A3. The absorption layer A3 may be made of resin, for example, epoxy resin.

[0092] When the probe of the ultrasonic sensor 100 needs to stop vibrating, it often cannot stop immediately due to factors such as mechanical inertia, resulting in excess vibration, or residual vibration. This excess vibration affects the detection of the echo signal. The absorbing layer A3 can absorb and eliminate the excess vibration, thereby reducing the interference of residual vibration on thickness measurement and improving the accuracy of coating thickness detection.

[0093] This application provides a method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device. This method is applied to a thickness measuring device. The thickness measuring device is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling device. For example, the thickness measuring device can be... Figures 1 to 3 The thickness measuring device 300 in the thickness measuring system shown. See also Figure 5 The method includes:

[0094] Step 110: Control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals through the ultrasonic sensor.

[0095] When it is necessary to detect the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device, the thickness measuring device can control an ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals. These ultrasonic signals are reflected back after reaching the first interface between the coating on the inner wall of the material handling device and the material inside the device, and are also reflected back after contact with the material. Accordingly, the thickness measuring device can receive target signals through the ultrasonic sensor, which include a first echo signal generated by the emission through the first interface and a second echo signal generated by reflection from the material.

[0096] Step 120: Based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface.

[0097] The thickness measuring device can determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, and based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal from emission to arrival at the first interface. This first transmission time is proportional to half of the time delay. For example, the first transmission time is half of the time delay.

[0098] Step 130: Determine the thickness of the coating based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating.

[0099] The thickness of the coating is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0100] In one alternative implementation, after obtaining a first transmission duration, the thickness measuring device can determine a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating based on the first transmission duration. This fourth transmission duration is positively correlated with the first transmission duration. Then, the thickness measuring device can determine the coating thickness based on the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating and the first transmission velocity of the ultrasonic signal in the coating. This thickness is proportional to the product of the first transmission duration and the first transmission velocity.

[0101] In another alternative implementation, the thickness measuring device pre-stores a thickness determination model. The thickness measuring device can input a first transmission duration and a first transmission speed into the thickness determination model to obtain the coating thickness output by the thickness determination model.

[0102] Before inputting the first transmission duration and first transmission speed into the thickness determination model, the thickness measuring device can acquire multiple training data sets. Each training data set includes: the sample transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal from emission to arrival at the first interface, the first transmission speed, and the sample thickness of the coating. The thickness measuring device can then train the model using these multiple training data sets to obtain the thickness determination model.

[0103] In summary, this application provides a method for measuring the thickness of a coating on the inner wall of a material handling device. This method controls an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling device to emit ultrasonic signals and receives target signals via the same sensor. The target signals include a first echo signal reflected from the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling device, and a second echo signal reflected from the material. Subsequently, the method determines a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal. Then, based on the first transmission time and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, it determines the coating thickness. Since the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling device can be measured from outside the device, there is no need to manually disassemble the device. This prevents the introduction of ferrous metal foreign objects into the material, thus avoiding any impact on the purity of the material during the coating thickness measurement process. Furthermore, the material handling device does not need to be stopped during the thickness measurement process, reducing the impact on its operation. Moreover, since no manual thickness gauge is required, automated monitoring of the coating thickness is achieved, simplifying manual operation and reducing labor costs. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can obtain the coating thickness at any time. On the one hand, it can detect coating defects in a timely manner, and on the other hand, it can repair the coating when the coating thickness is so low that it may introduce ferrous metals into the material, thereby improving the utilization rate of the coating.

[0104] This application embodiment uses an example of a coupling layer filling the space between an ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of a material handling device to exemplify the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device provided in this application embodiment. This method is applied to thickness measuring equipment, such as... Figures 1 to 3 The thickness measuring device shown. (As shown) Figure 6 As shown, the method may include:

[0105] Step 201: Control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals.

[0106] After the ultrasonic sensor is installed, the thickness measuring equipment can control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals. Specifically, after receiving the coating thickness measurement request from the lower-level machine, the processor of the thickness measuring equipment can send a synchronization signal to the ultrasonic sensor. The generator of the ultrasonic sensor can then generate and emit ultrasonic signals under the excitation of this synchronization signal.

[0107] Step 202: Receive the mixed signal through the ultrasonic sensor.

[0108] The ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor passes sequentially through the coupling layer, the material handling equipment, and the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment, thus coming into contact with the material inside the equipment. When the ultrasonic wave encounters the interface between two materials with different acoustic impedances, transmission and reflection occur. Furthermore, the ultrasonic signal is also reflected after encountering the material. The material handling equipment can continue operating while measuring the coating thickness. Therefore, the thickness measuring device can receive a mixed signal through the ultrasonic sensor. This mixed signal includes the echo signal reflected from the interface of different media, the echo signal emitted back by the material (i.e., the second echo signal mentioned above), and a noise signal. This noise signal refers to the sound signal generated by material flow, adhesion, and equipment operation.

[0109] The echo signals emitted from the interfaces of these different media include: a first echo signal, a third echo signal, and a fourth echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the reflection of an ultrasonic signal through a first interface. This first interface is the interface between the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment and the material within the equipment. The third echo signal is formed by the reflection of an ultrasonic signal emitted by an ultrasonic sensor through a second interface, which is the interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment. The fourth echo signal is formed by the reflection of an ultrasonic signal emitted by an ultrasonic sensor through a third interface, which is the interface between the material handling equipment and the coating. In other words, the mixed signal includes: the first echo signal, the second echo signal, the third echo signal, the fourth echo signal, and a noise signal.

[0110] In this embodiment, the receiver of the ultrasonic sensor can receive the mixed signal and send it to the amplification circuit under the action of the synchronization signal sent by the thickness measuring device. The amplification circuit can amplify the mixed signal and feed it back to the thickness measuring device. Accordingly, the thickness measuring device can receive the amplified mixed signal.

[0111] Step 203: Remove interference signals from the mixed signal to obtain the target signal.

[0112] Noise signals can affect the accuracy of coating thickness detection. The third and fourth echo signals can interfere with the determination of the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal from emission to arrival at the first interface between the coating and the material. Therefore, after receiving the mixed signal, the thickness measuring device can eliminate interference signals to obtain the target signal, which can then be used to determine the first transmission time. This ensures high accuracy in coating thickness detection.

[0113] The interference signal includes a third echo signal, a fourth echo signal, and a noise signal. Correspondingly, the target signal includes a first echo signal formed by reflection from the first interface and a second echo signal formed by reflection from the material.

[0114] In this embodiment, the thickness measuring device can first remove noise signals from the mixed signal. Then, the thickness measuring device can remove the third echo signal and the fourth echo signal from the mixed signal after removing the noise signal to obtain the target signal.

[0115] Alternatively, the thickness measuring device can first remove the third and fourth echo signals from the mixed signal, and then remove noise signals from the mixed signal after removing the third and fourth echo signals to obtain the target signal.

[0116] In this embodiment, since the frequency of an ultrasonic signal typically remains unchanged after reflection, and the frequency of the ultrasonic signal is usually different from the frequency of the noise signal, the thickness measuring device can first use a time-frequency analysis method to convert the mixed signal from the time domain to the frequency domain, obtaining a mixed signal in the frequency domain. The mixed signal in the frequency domain includes multiple different frequency components. Then, the thickness measuring device can remove frequency components whose frequencies differ from the ultrasonic signal's frequency from the mixed signal in the frequency domain, thereby removing noise signals from the mixed signal. Specifically, the thickness measuring device can compare the differences between the frequencies of each frequency component and the frequency of the ultrasonic signal to identify and remove frequency components whose frequencies differ from the ultrasonic signal's frequency.

[0117] Understandably, thickness measurement equipment can perform a fast Fourier transformation (FFT) on the mixed signal in the time domain to transform the mixed signal in the time domain to the frequency domain.

[0118] In the embodiments of this application, the thickness of the coupling layer, the thickness of the material handling equipment, the transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment are all known values. Therefore, the thickness measuring device can remove the third echo signal and the fourth echo signal from the mixed signal using the time domain signal method.

[0119] Specifically, the thickness measuring device can determine the reception time of the third echo signal formed by reflection from the second interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment, based on the thickness of the coupling layer and the transmission speed of ultrasonic waves in the coupling layer. Furthermore, the thickness measuring device can determine the reception time of the fourth echo signal formed by reflection from the third interface between the material handling equipment and the coating, based on the thickness of the material handling equipment and the transmission speed of ultrasonic waves in the material handling equipment. Then, based on the reception times of the third and fourth echo signals, the thickness measuring device can set a "gate" function in the time domain, allowing only signals received later than the reception times of the third and fourth echo signals to pass through, thereby removing the third and fourth echo signals from the mixed signal.

[0120] It is understandable that thickness measuring equipment can remove interference signals from the mixed signal, and then transform the mixed signal after removing interference signals from the frequency domain to the time domain, so as to restore the mixed signal after removing interference signals to the time domain.

[0121] Step 204: Based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface.

[0122] The thickness measuring device can determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, and determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function.

[0123] The first transmission duration is proportional to half of the delay. For example, the first transmission duration is half of the delay, or the first transmission duration is the product of half of the delay and a preset coefficient. The preset coefficient is pre-stored by the thickness measuring device and can be, for example, 0.9999. The independent variable in the cross-correlation function is the delay, and each function value corresponds to one delay.

[0124] In this embodiment, after obtaining the cross-correlation function, the thickness measuring device can directly determine the maximum function value of the cross-correlation function as its maximum peak value. Alternatively, the thickness measuring device can determine all extreme points of the cross-correlation function and select the extreme points whose function values ​​are greater than a target threshold. Then, the thickness measuring device can obtain the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function based on these extreme points. For example, the thickness measuring device can determine the largest function value among the extreme points whose function values ​​are greater than the target threshold as the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function. The target threshold can be pre-stored by the thickness measuring device.

[0125] It is understandable that the material is fluid, therefore the size of the material in contact with the ultrasonic waves varies at different times. The amplitude of the second echo signal reflected back from the material is positively correlated with the size of the material. Since the size of the material follows a normal distribution, the amplitude of the second echo signal also follows a normal distribution. Furthermore, the intensity of the first echo signal reflected from the first interface between the coating and the material is greater than the intensity of the second echo signal. Therefore, a target threshold can be set based on the expected value and variance of the amplitude of the echo signals formed by reflections from materials of different sizes, and then the maximum peak value can be accurately determined using the target threshold.

[0126] Optionally, the target threshold T n It can satisfy: Where, μ r This represents the expected amplitude of the echo signal formed by reflections from materials of different sizes. β is a coefficient, typically greater than or equal to 2.5 and less than or equal to 3. σr Let μ be the variance of the amplitude of the echo signal formed by reflection from materials of different sizes. r and variance σ r All of these can be obtained in advance by the thickness measuring equipment.

[0127] Step 205: Determine the thickness of the coating based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating.

[0128] The thickness is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0129] In the embodiments of this application, see Figure 7 The process of the thickness measuring device performing step 207 may include:

[0130] Step 2051: Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, determine the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating.

[0131] The fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference between the first transmission duration and the second and third transmission durations. For example, the fourth transmission duration is this difference, or the fourth transmission duration is the product of this difference and a preset coefficient.

[0132] In this embodiment, the second and third transmission durations can be pre-stored by the thickness measuring device. Alternatively, the thickness measuring device can determine the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer based on the second transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer and the thickness of the coupling layer. Furthermore, the thickness measuring device can also determine the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment based on the third transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment and the thickness of the material handling equipment.

[0133] The second transmission duration is proportional to the quotient of the coupling layer thickness and the second transmission speed. The third transmission duration is proportional to the quotient of the material handling equipment thickness and the third transmission speed. For example, the second transmission duration is the quotient of the coupling layer thickness and the second transmission speed. The third transmission duration is the quotient of the material handling equipment thickness and the third transmission speed.

[0134] Step 2052: Determine the thickness of the coating based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating.

[0135] The thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed. For example, the thickness can be this product.

[0136] It is understood that the order of steps in the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling equipment provided in this application embodiment can be appropriately adjusted, and steps can be added or removed as appropriate. For example, step 203 can also be deleted as appropriate. Any variations that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application, and therefore will not be elaborated further.

[0137] In summary, this application provides a method for measuring the thickness of a coating on the inner wall of a material handling device. This method controls an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling device to emit ultrasonic signals and receives target signals via the same sensor. The target signals include a first echo signal reflected from the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling device, and a second echo signal reflected from the material. Subsequently, the method determines a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal. Then, based on the first transmission time and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, it determines the coating thickness. Since the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of the material handling device can be measured from outside the device, there is no need to manually disassemble the device. This prevents the introduction of ferrous metal foreign objects into the material, thus avoiding any impact on the purity of the material during the coating thickness measurement process. Furthermore, the material handling device does not need to be stopped during the thickness measurement process, reducing the impact on its operation. Moreover, since no manual thickness gauge is required, automated monitoring of the coating thickness is achieved, simplifying manual operation and reducing labor costs. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can obtain the coating thickness at any time. On the one hand, it can detect coating defects in a timely manner, and on the other hand, it can repair the coating when the coating thickness is so low that it may introduce ferrous metals into the material, thereby improving the utilization rate of the coating.

[0138] This application provides a thickness measuring device for the coating thickness of the inner wall of a material handling equipment. This device can be used to perform the thickness measuring method for the coating thickness of the inner wall of a material handling equipment provided in the above-described method embodiments. The device is applied to a thickness measuring device, which is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment; see also... Figure 8 The device 500 may include:

[0139] The control module 501 is used to control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals and to receive target signals through the ultrasonic sensor. The target signals include a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the reflection of the ultrasonic signal through a first interface. The first interface is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the reflection of the ultrasonic signal through the material.

[0140] The first determining module 502 is used to determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal.

[0141] The second determining module 503 is used to determine the thickness of the coating based on the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating. The thickness is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0142] Optionally, a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling equipment. The second determining module 503 can be used to:

[0143] Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined. The fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference between the first transmission duration and the second and third transmission durations.

[0144] The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating. The thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

[0145] Optionally, the second determining module 503 can be used to:

[0146] The second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer is determined based on the second transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer and the thickness of the coupling layer.

[0147] The third transmission time of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment is determined based on the third transmission speed of the ultrasonic wave in the material handling equipment and the thickness of the material handling equipment.

[0148] Optionally, the first determining module 502 can be used for:

[0149] Determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal;

[0150] Based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface is determined, and the first transmission time is positively correlated with the time delay.

[0151] Optional, see Figure 9 The device 500 may further include:

[0152] The acquisition module 504 is used to acquire all extreme points of the cross-correlation function, acquire the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold from all extreme points, and acquire the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function based on the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold.

[0153] Optionally, a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling equipment. The process by which the control module 501 receives the target signal through the ultrasonic sensor may include:

[0154] The ultrasonic sensor receives a mixed signal, which includes a target signal, a third echo signal, a fourth echo signal, and a noise signal. The third echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor being reflected by the second interface, which is the interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment. The fourth echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor being reflected by the third interface, which is the interface between the material handling equipment and the coating.

[0155] The target signal is obtained by removing interference signals from the mixed signal. The interference signals include the third echo signal, the fourth echo signal, and noise signals.

[0156] Optionally, the control module 501 can also be used for:

[0157] Remove noise signals from the mixed signal;

[0158] The target signal is obtained by removing the third and fourth echo signals from the mixed signal after noise removal.

[0159] Optionally, the control module 501 can be used for:

[0160] The mixed signal is transformed from the time domain to the frequency domain to obtain the mixed signal in the frequency domain, which includes multiple different frequency components;

[0161] Calculate the correlation values ​​between each frequency component and the ultrasonic signal;

[0162] From the mixed signal in the frequency domain, frequency components with correlation values ​​lower than the correlation threshold are removed to eliminate noise signals from the mixed signal.

[0163] In summary, this application provides a device for measuring the thickness of an inner wall coating of a material handling equipment. This device controls an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of the material handling equipment to emit ultrasonic signals and receives target signals via the same sensor. The target signals include a first echo signal reflected from the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment, and a second echo signal reflected from the material. Subsequently, the device determines a first transmission time for the ultrasonic signal to reach the first interface based on the target signal and the ultrasonic signal. Then, based on the first transmission time and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, it determines the coating thickness. Since the thickness of the inner wall coating of the material handling equipment can be measured from outside the equipment, there is no need to manually disassemble the equipment. This prevents the introduction of ferrous metal foreign objects into the material, thus avoiding any impact on the purity of the material during the coating thickness measurement process. Furthermore, the material handling equipment does not need to be stopped during the thickness measurement process, reducing the impact on the equipment's operation. Moreover, since no manual thickness gauge is required, automated monitoring of the coating thickness is achieved, simplifying manual operation and reducing labor costs. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can obtain the coating thickness at any time. On the one hand, it can detect coating defects in a timely manner, and on the other hand, it can repair the coating when the coating thickness is so low that it may introduce ferrous metals into the material, thereby improving the utilization rate of the coating.

[0164] This application also provides a thickness measuring device for performing the thickness measurement method provided in the above-described method embodiments. The thickness measuring device includes a processor and a memory. The processor and memory are connected, for example, via a bus.

[0165] The processor can be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a general-purpose processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0166] A bus can include a pathway for transmitting information between the aforementioned components. The bus can be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc.

[0167] The memory stores a computer program corresponding to the thickness measurement method provided in the above-described method embodiments of this application. This computer program is executed under the control of a processor. The processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to implement the content shown in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0168] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device as provided in the above-described method embodiments. For example, Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method shown.

[0169] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or computer instructions. When executed by a processor, the computer program or computer instructions implement the method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling device as provided in the above-described method embodiments. For example, Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method shown.

[0170] It should be noted that the logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a processor-included system, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (electronic device), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Alternatively, the computer-readable medium may be paper or other suitable media on which the program can be printed, since the program can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0171] It should be understood that various parts of this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0172] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0173] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0174] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0175] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment, characterized in that, The method is applied to a thickness measuring device, wherein the thickness measuring device is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of a material handling device, and a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling device; the method includes: The ultrasonic sensor is controlled to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals. The target signals include: a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected by a first interface, which is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected by the material. The cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal is determined, and based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface is determined, wherein the first transmission time is proportional to half of the time delay. Based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating is determined, wherein the fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference obtained by subtracting the second transmission duration and the third transmission duration from the first transmission duration; The thickness of the coating is determined based on the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, and the thickness is proportional to the product of the fourth transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating based on the first transmission duration, the second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and the third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, the method further includes: The second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer is determined based on the second transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer and the thickness of the coupling layer; The third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment is determined based on the third transmission speed of the ultrasonic wave in the material handling equipment and the thickness of the material handling equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the first transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, the method further includes: Obtain all extreme points of the cross-correlation function; From all the extreme points, obtain the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold; The maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function is obtained based on the extreme points where the function value is greater than the target threshold.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Receiving target signals via the ultrasonic sensor includes: The ultrasonic sensor receives a mixed signal, which includes the target signal, a third echo signal, a fourth echo signal, and a noise signal. The third echo signal is formed by reflecting the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor through a second interface, which is the interface between the coupling layer and the material handling equipment. The fourth echo signal is formed by reflecting the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor through a third interface, which is the interface between the material handling equipment and the coating. The target signal is obtained by removing interference signals from the mixed signal, wherein the interference signals include the third echo signal, the fourth echo signal, and the noise signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of removing interference signals from the mixed signal to obtain the target signal includes: Remove the noise signal from the mixed signal; The third echo signal and the fourth echo signal are removed from the mixed signal after the noise signal is eliminated to obtain the target signal.

6. A device for measuring the thickness of the coating on the inner wall of a material handling equipment, characterized in that, An apparatus for use in thickness measuring equipment, wherein the thickness measuring equipment is connected to an ultrasonic sensor located on the outer wall of a material handling device, and a coupling layer is filled between the ultrasonic sensor and the outer wall of the material handling device; the apparatus includes: The control module is used to control the ultrasonic sensor to emit ultrasonic signals and receive target signals through the ultrasonic sensor. The target signals include: a first echo signal and a second echo signal. The first echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through a first interface, which is the interface between the coating and the material in the material handling equipment. The second echo signal is formed by the ultrasonic signal being reflected through the material. The first determining module is used to determine the cross-correlation function between the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic sensor and the target signal, and to determine the first transmission time of the ultrasonic signal reaching the first interface based on the time delay corresponding to the maximum peak value of the cross-correlation function, wherein the first transmission time is proportional to half of the time delay. The second determining module is configured to determine a fourth transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coating based on the first transmission duration, a second transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the coupling layer, and a third transmission duration of the ultrasonic signal in the material handling equipment, wherein the fourth transmission duration is proportional to the difference between the first transmission duration and the second and third transmission durations; and to determine the thickness of the coating based on the fourth transmission duration and a first transmission speed of the ultrasonic signal in the coating, wherein the thickness is positively correlated with both the first transmission duration and the first transmission speed.

7. A thickness measuring device, characterized in that, The thickness measuring device includes: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

8. A thickness measurement system, characterized in that, The thickness measurement system includes: an ultrasonic sensor, a material handling device, and the thickness measurement device as described in claim 7; The ultrasonic sensor is installed on the outer wall of the material handling equipment and is connected to the thickness measuring device.

9. The thickness measuring system according to claim 8, characterized in that, An absorption layer is provided at the end of the ultrasonic sensor furthest from the material handling equipment.

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