A dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging based on fiber optic sensing

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of fiber optic sensing technology and discloses a dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging systems based on fiber optic sensing. The system includes a hanging assembly line track, multiple hangers, a hanger drive device, a control device, a fiber optic sensing device, a station counting device, and a timeout monitoring device. The fiber optic sensing device includes a fiber optic demodulator and multiple sets of fiber Bragg grating sensors, all of which are arranged along the hanging assembly line track. The station counting device includes multiple station counting units located at the entrance of each station on the hanging assembly line. The timeout monitoring device includes multiple timeout monitoring units located at each station on the hanging assembly line. The control device controls the hanger drive device based on the hanger status, the number of hangers at each station, and the timeout signal. Therefore, this invention utilizes fiber optic sensing devices to monitor the status of all hangers, and then, combined with the number of hangers at each station and the dwell time of each hanger, schedules the entire assembly line to achieve dynamic balancing, thereby improving production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fiber optic sensing technology, and in particular to a dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging based on fiber optic sensing. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, shirt hanging production lines typically include a hanging production line track and a hanger drive device. Multiple hangers for hanging shirts are suspended on the hanging production line track, and each hanger is connected to the hanger drive device. That is, the hanger drive device drives each hanger to move around the entire production line to complete the production of shirts.

[0003] Existing shirt hanging production lines have greatly improved the efficiency of shirt production. However, in actual use, it has been found that the accuracy of hanger status detection is low. The reason for this defect is that when using weighing sensors or RFID tags for detection, the shirts are prone to shaking, which causes errors and makes the weight detection inaccurate. Furthermore, RFID tags need to have their batteries replaced regularly. Once the power is insufficient, the accuracy of the detection results cannot be guaranteed, which ultimately leads to an imbalance or delay in the scheduling of the entire production line. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, the technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging based on fiber optic sensing. This system uses fiber optic sensing devices to monitor the status of all hangers, and then combines the number of hangers at each workstation and the dwell time of each hanger to dynamically balance and schedule the production line, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging devices based on fiber optic sensing includes a hanging assembly line track, multiple hangers suspended on the hanging assembly line track, and hanger drive devices for moving the hangers. It also includes a control device and fiber optic sensing devices, a workstation counting device, and a timeout monitoring device, all communicatively connected to the control device. The control device is communicatively connected to the hanger drive device. The fiber optic sensing device includes a fiber optic demodulator and multiple sets of fiber Bragg grating sensors, all of which are arranged along the hanging assembly line track. The fiber optic sensing device is used to detect the status of each hanger on the hanging assembly line track. The workstation counting device includes multiple workstation counting units. All the aforementioned workstation counting units are located at the entrance of each workstation of the hanging assembly line. Each workstation counting unit is used to count the number of hangers entering each workstation and transmits the real-time number of hangers at each workstation to the control device. The timeout monitoring device includes multiple timeout monitoring units, all of which are located at each workstation of the hanging assembly line. Each timeout monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the dwell time of the hanger at its workstation exceeds the dwell limit. If the dwell limit is exceeded, the corresponding timeout signal is transmitted to the control device. The control device controls the hanger drive device based on the received hanger status, the number of hangers at the workstation, and / or the timeout signal to dynamically balance and schedule the operation of the entire hanging assembly line.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, each of the workstation counting units includes an optical encoder located at the workstation entrance.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, each of the timeout monitoring units includes a laser emitter, a laser receiver, and a timeout timer. The laser emitter and the laser receiver are arranged opposite to each other, and the timeout timer is electrically connected to the laser receiver. When the hanger moves to the workstation, it blocks the laser receiver from receiving the laser emitted by the laser emitter. The laser receiver starts the timeout timer. When the timeout timer reaches the dwell limit, it transmits a timeout signal to the control device.

[0009] A preferred embodiment further includes an alarm device, which is communicatively connected to the control device, and the control device controls the alarm device based on a timeout signal.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the alarm device includes multiple sets of alarm components, all of which are located at various workstations. Each set of alarm components includes an alarm indicator light, a first alarm timer, and a speaker. The first alarm timer is electrically connected to both the alarm indicator light and the speaker. When the alarm indicator light is illuminated, the first alarm timer starts timing. After the first alarm timer expires, the speaker is activated to emit a sound.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes a wireless communication unit, which is communicatively connected to the control device and also communicatively connected to the monitoring center. Each alarm component further includes a second alarm timer, which is electrically connected to the alarm indicator light and the control device. When the speaker sounds, the second alarm timer starts timing. When the second alarm timer expires, it transmits an alarm signal to the control device. The control device controls the hanger drive device and transmits the alarm signal to the monitoring center through the wireless communication unit.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes a human-machine interface, which is communicatively connected to the control device. The human-machine interface is used to input field dispatch signals to the control device, and the control device controls the gantry drive device according to the field dispatch signals.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the control device is used to dynamically adjust the conveying speed of the hanger drive device or control the entrance switch of each workstation based on the number of workstation hangers detected by the workstation counting device, so as to achieve dynamic allocation.

[0014] A preferred embodiment further includes a visual acquisition device, which is communicatively connected to the control device. The visual acquisition device includes multiple cameras and an image processing unit electrically connected to each camera. All cameras are arranged along the extension direction of the suspended conveyor track. Each camera acquires and transmits a real-time image of its location to the image processing unit. The image processing unit processes the received real-time image and then transmits it to the control device.

[0015] A preferred embodiment further includes an emergency stop unit, which is electrically connected to the power supply of the hanger drive device, and is used to urgently stop the hanger drive device.

[0016] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] The present invention relates to a fiber optic sensing-based dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging systems, comprising a hanging assembly line track, multiple hangers, a hanger drive device, a control device, a fiber optic sensing device, a station counting device, and a timeout monitoring device. The control device is communicatively connected to the hanger drive device. The fiber optic sensing device includes a fiber optic demodulator and multiple sets of fiber Bragg grating sensors, all of which are arranged along the hanging assembly line track. The fiber optic sensing device is used to detect the status of each hanger on the hanging assembly line track. The station counting device includes multiple station counting units, all of which are located on the hanging assembly line. At the entrance of each workstation, each workstation counting unit counts the number of hangers entering each workstation and transmits the real-time number of hangers to the control device. The timeout monitoring device includes multiple timeout monitoring units, all located at each workstation of the hanging assembly line. Each timeout monitoring unit monitors whether the dwell time of the hanger at its workstation exceeds the dwell limit. If the dwell limit is exceeded, a corresponding timeout signal is transmitted to the control device. The control device, based on the received hanger status, the number of hangers at each workstation, and / or the timeout signal, controls the hanger drive device to dynamically balance and schedule the entire hanging assembly line. Therefore, the shirt hanging dynamic balancing scheduling system of this invention utilizes fiber optic sensors to detect the status of all hangers along the entire line, and then combines this with the number of hangers at each workstation and the dwell time of each hanger to schedule the entire assembly line, achieving dynamic balance and solving the technical problem of delayed scheduling in the hanging assembly line, which affects production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging based on fiber optic sensing in this invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the suspended assembly line track in this invention;

[0020] In the diagram: 1-Fiber optic sensing device, 10-Fiber optic grating sensor, 2-Station counting device, 3-Timeout monitoring device, 30-Laser transmitter, 31-Laser receiver, 4-Alarm device, 40-Speaker, 5-Visual acquisition device, 50-Camera, 6-Suspended assembly line track. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0022] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc., which indicate directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. This is only for the convenience of description and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0023] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a dynamic balancing scheduling system for shirt hanging based on fiber optic sensing includes a hanging assembly line track 6, multiple hangers suspended on the hanging assembly line track 6, and a hanger drive device that drives the hangers to move. It also includes a control device and fiber optic sensing device 1, workstation counting device 2, timeout monitoring device 3, alarm device 4, human-machine interaction device, visual acquisition device 5, wireless communication unit, and emergency stop unit, all of which are communicatively connected to the control device. The control device can transmit data and commands to each device via data cables, video cables, etc. The wireless communication unit is wirelessly connected to the monitoring center, and the wireless communication unit can be WIFI, Bluetooth, GPS communication, etc.

[0025] In this invention, the fiber optic sensing device 1 includes a fiber optic demodulator and multiple sets of fiber Bragg grating sensors 10. All fiber Bragg grating sensors 10 are arranged along the hanging assembly line track 6. The fiber optic sensing device 1 is used to detect the status of each hanger on the hanging assembly line track 6. The detection principle is as follows: when shirts are hung in different states on the hangers, the overall weight (load) of the hangers is different, resulting in different signals detected by the fiber Bragg grating sensors 10 at their current positions. The shirt states include buttoned shirts, shirts without collars, etc. By combining the data from the positions of the fiber Bragg grating sensors 10, the status of each hanger can be detected.

[0026] For example, if the fiber Bragg grating sensor 10 at the collar sewing station detects a load of 8kg, assuming each shirt weighs 2kg, it indicates that there are currently four shirts with sewn collars hanging at the collar sewing station. If the detected load is 7.5kg, it indicates that there are three shirts with sewn collars hanging at the collar sewing station, and one shirt awaiting sewing. If the detected load is 10kg, the load at this station exceeds the maximum load threshold, indicating that there are currently five shirts with sewn collars hanging at the collar sewing station, reaching the maximum number of hangers that can be retained at this collar sewing station. At this time, the control device, based on the hanger status transmitted by the fiber Bragg grating sensor 10 at the collar sewing station, controls the hanger drive device to move four or five hangers to the next station or the main track, so as to realize automatic continuous production of shirts and achieve dynamic balance scheduling. For example, if the fiber optic grating sensor 10 at the output station detects a load of 12kg, and assuming each finished shirt weighs 3kg, it indicates that there are currently four hangers at the output station, and the shirts on each hanger are ready for output. At this time, the control device, based on the hanger status transmitted from the output station, controls the hanger drive device to move all the hangers at the output station to the unloading station. If the detected load is 11kg, it indicates that there are semi-finished products hanging in all the hangers at the output station. The control device triggers the alarm device 4 to issue a prompt, so that the operator can check and remove the semi-finished products, thereby improving production efficiency and ensuring quality.

[0027] In this invention, the workstation counting device 2 includes multiple workstation counting units, all of which are located at the entrance of each workstation on the suspended assembly line. Each workstation counting unit is used to count the number of hangers entering each workstation and transmits the real-time number of hangers to the control device. In this embodiment, each workstation counting unit includes an optical encoder located at the workstation entrance. The optical encoder includes a light source, a grating disk, a photodetector, and a pulse counter. The detection principle is as follows: when a hanger passes through, it blocks the grating gap of the grating disk, causing the photodetector to output a pulse signal to the pulse counter. The pulse counter counts the number of hangers at the current workstation based on the received pulse signal.

[0028] For example, the optical encoder at button-attaching station A detects that the current number of hangers is 6. After this number is transmitted to the control device, the control device determines that the number of hangers at button-attaching station A has reached its maximum. The control device then controls the hanger drive device to move the hangers to button-attaching station B, button-attaching station C, and so on, to the bag-packing station, etc. It can be seen that this invention utilizes the station counting device 2 to achieve a reasonable allocation of tasks at each station. Of course, in the early stages or during production, the control device can promptly move hangers to fill gaps based on the current number of hangers at each station, thereby achieving dynamic flatness balance in shirt hanging.

[0029] In this invention, the timeout monitoring device 3 includes multiple timeout monitoring units, all of which are located at various workstations on the hanging assembly line. Each timeout monitoring unit monitors whether the dwell time of the hanger at its workstation exceeds the dwell limit. If the dwell limit is exceeded, a corresponding timeout signal is transmitted to the control device. In this embodiment, each timeout monitoring unit includes a laser emitter 30, a laser receiver 31, and a timeout timer. The laser emitter 30 and the laser receiver 31 are arranged opposite to each other, and the timeout timer is electrically connected to the laser receiver 31. When the hanger moves to the workstation, it blocks the laser receiver 31 from receiving the laser emitted by the laser emitter 30. The laser receiver 31 starts the timeout timer. When the timeout timer reaches the dwell limit, a timeout signal is transmitted to the control device. The control device can control the alarm device 4 based on the timeout signal.

[0030] For example, a bagging station can accommodate a maximum of five hangers. Therefore, five pairs of laser emitters 30 and laser receivers 31 can be set up. When a hanger moves to one of its positions, the laser receiver 31 at that position will not receive a laser signal. At this time, the timeout timer at that position will start timing. If the timeout period has not reached the dwell limit but the laser receiver 31 receives a laser signal again, it indicates that the hanger is within the normal working dwell time. When the timeout period reaches the dwell limit, it indicates an abnormality. At this time, the timeout timer transmits a timeout signal to the control device, and the control device triggers the alarm device 4 to remind the on-site operators and prevent safety accidents.

[0031] In this invention, the alarm device 4 includes multiple alarm components, all of which are located at various workstations. Each alarm component includes an alarm indicator light, a first alarm timer, and a speaker 40. The first alarm timer is electrically connected to the alarm indicator light and the speaker 40. When the alarm indicator light is on, the first alarm timer starts timing. When the first alarm timer reaches its set time, the speaker 40 is activated to sound.

[0032] In this invention, the wireless communication unit is communicatively connected to the control device and also wirelessly connected to the monitoring center. In a preferred embodiment, each alarm component further includes a second alarm timer, which is electrically connected to both the alarm indicator light and the control device. When the speaker 40 sounds an alarm, the second alarm timer starts counting. When the timer expires, an alarm signal is transmitted to the control device. The control device then controls the hanger drive device and transmits the alarm signal to the monitoring center via the wireless communication unit. Therefore, the alarm component of this invention has three alarm levels: a first-level light alarm, a second-level sound alarm, and a third-level remote alarm. This invention distinguishes the degree of urgency by setting different alarm levels to ensure reliable and safe production of shirts.

[0033] In this invention, the human-machine interface device is communicatively connected to the control device. The human-machine interface device is used to input on-site scheduling signals to the control device, and the control device controls the hanger drive device according to the on-site scheduling signals. The human-machine interface device may include a touch screen, an operation keyboard, etc. The operation keyboard of this invention includes operation buttons with different permissions, which are located at different workstations to input or record abnormal states that occur during operation. This allows the control device to summarize the on-site conditions of each workstation and perform overall dynamic scheduling to achieve the balance of the entire production line.

[0034] In this invention, the visual acquisition device 5 is communicatively connected to the control device. The visual acquisition device 5 includes multiple cameras 50 and an image processing unit electrically connected to each camera 50. All cameras 50 are arranged along the extension direction of the suspended assembly line track 6. The cameras 50 acquire and transmit real-time images of their positions to the image processing unit. The image processing unit processes the received real-time images and then transmits them to the control device. The control device monitors the entire suspended assembly line based on the real-time images.

[0035] The emergency stop unit is electrically connected to the power supply of the hanger drive device. The emergency stop unit is used to stop the hanger drive device in an emergency. The emergency stop unit may include multiple emergency stop buttons, which are located around the hanging assembly line track 6 to handle the situation in a timely manner and prevent the escalation of the fault.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when using the fiber optic sensing-based shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system of the present invention, the current production line operation data can be input through a human-machine interaction device or a monitoring center according to the parameters of the shirts to be produced. The operation data includes the working position, the load value of each working position, and the number of hanging racks that can be hung at each working position. After receiving the current production line operation parameters, the control device controls the hanging rack drive device to move the hanging racks and distribute the hanging racks to each working position for shirt production.

[0037] During the shirt production process, the control device controls the hanger drive device based on the status of each hanger detected by the fiber optic sensor 1, the number of hangers remaining at each workstation detected by the workstation counting device 2, the timeout signal detected by the timeout monitoring device 3, and the real-time images collected by the vision acquisition device 5, so as to dynamically balance and schedule the operation of the entire hanging production line.

[0038] As can be seen, the fiber optic sensing-based shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system of the present invention uses fiber optic sensing devices to monitor the status of all hangers, and then combines the number of hangers at each workstation and the dwell time of each hanger to schedule the entire production line to achieve dynamic balance, thereby improving production efficiency. Moreover, the present invention has the advantages of simple operation, low cost and easy implementation.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications or improvements to the same fiber optic sensing-based shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shirt hanging dynamic balancing scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing, comprising a hanging assembly line track, multiple hangers suspended on the hanging assembly line track, and a hanger drive device for moving the hangers, characterized in that, It also includes a control device and an optical fiber sensing device, a workstation counting device, and an overtime monitoring device that are respectively communicatively connected to the control device. The control device is communicatively connected to the hanger drive device. The fiber optic sensing device includes a fiber optic demodulator and multiple sets of fiber Bragg grating sensors. All the fiber Bragg grating sensors are arranged along the hanging assembly line track. The fiber optic sensing device is used to detect the status of each hanger on the hanging assembly line track. When shirts in different states are hung on the hangers, the overall weight of the hangers is different, resulting in different signals detected by the fiber Bragg grating sensors at their current positions. The shirt states include shirts with sewn buttons and shirts without sewn collars. Combined with the location data of the fiber Bragg grating sensors, the status of each hanger can be detected. The workstation counting device includes multiple workstation counting units, all of which are located at the entrance of each workstation on the hanging assembly line. Each workstation counting unit is used to count the number of hangers entering each workstation and transmits the real-time number of hangers to the control device. Each workstation counting unit includes an optical encoder located at the workstation entrance. The timeout monitoring device includes multiple timeout monitoring units, all of which are located at each station of the hanging assembly line. Each timeout monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the dwell time of the hanging frame at its station exceeds the dwell limit. If the dwell limit is exceeded, the corresponding timeout signal is transmitted to the control device. Each of the timeout monitoring units includes a laser emitter, a laser receiver, and a timeout timer. The laser emitter and the laser receiver are arranged opposite to each other, and the timeout timer is electrically connected to the laser receiver. When the hanger moves to the work position, it blocks the laser receiver from receiving the laser emitted by the laser emitter. The laser receiver starts the timeout timer. When the timeout timer reaches the dwell limit, it transmits a timeout signal to the control device. The control device controls the hanger drive device based on the received hanger status, the number of hangers at the workstation, and / or timeout signals, so as to dynamically balance and schedule the operation of the entire hanging assembly line.

2. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an alarm device, which is communicatively connected to the control device, and the control device controls the alarm device based on a timeout signal.

3. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 2, characterized in that, The alarm device includes multiple sets of alarm components, all of which are located at each workstation. Each set of alarm components includes an alarm indicator light, a first alarm timer, and a speaker. The first alarm timer is electrically connected to the alarm indicator light and the speaker. When the alarm indicator light illuminates, the first alarm timer starts counting down. After the first alarm timer expires, the speaker is activated to emit a sound.

4. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a wireless communication unit, which is communicatively connected to the control device and also communicatively connected to the monitoring center; Each alarm component further includes a second alarm timer, which is electrically connected to the alarm indicator light and the control device. When the speaker sounds, the second alarm timer starts timing. When the second alarm timer expires, it transmits an alarm signal to the control device. The control device controls the hanger drive device and transmits the alarm signal to the monitoring center through the wireless communication unit.

5. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a human-computer interaction device, which is communicatively connected to the control device; The human-machine interface device is used to input field dispatch signals to the control device, and the control device controls the gantry drive device according to the field dispatch signals.

6. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control device is used to dynamically adjust the conveying speed of the hanger drive device or control the entrance switch of each workstation according to the number of workstation hangers detected by the workstation counting device, so as to achieve dynamic allocation.

7. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a visual acquisition device, which is communicatively connected to the control device. The visual acquisition device includes multiple cameras and an image processing unit electrically connected to each of the cameras. All the cameras are arranged along the extension direction of the suspended assembly line track. Each camera captures and transmits real-time images of its location to the image processing unit. The image processing unit processes the received real-time images and then transmits them to the control device.

8. The shirt hanging dynamic balance scheduling system based on fiber optic sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an emergency stop unit, which is electrically connected to the power supply of the hanger drive device, and is used to stop the hanger drive device in an emergency.

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