A device for detecting empty hoppers above a feeder

Abstract

The utility model relates to a device for detecting empty silo of upper storage bin of feeder, belong to material conveying equipment field, this device contains feeder, wind power detection device, baffle, feeder is installed in the lower part of the material sliding nozzle, is installed with the baffle between the material sliding nozzle and the feeder material sliding nozzle discharge end position, wind power detection device is installed in the baffle and the feeder discharge port is close to the position of baffle, wind power detection device contains fan blade, rotary shaft and rotary speed detection sensor, fan blade is connected in rotary shaft one end, its number is greater than or equal to three pieces, rotary speed detection sensor is connected on the other end of rotary shaft, this sensor is connected on programmable controller plc, the lowest side of fan blade is higher than the lowest side of baffle, one side of fan blade is concave, one side is convex, the concave and convex direction of all blades is consistent in the rotary direction, and the feeder is matched with the feeding amount detection device. This detection device has simple structure practical, and the advantages such as accurate and reliable detection result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a device for detecting the emptiness of the storage bin above a feeder, belonging to the field of material conveying equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In coal mining processes, various storage silos are widely used for temporary material storage. The stored materials are typically transported out via a feeder using a chute at the bottom. During the transfer of materials from the silo, two completely different storage states may occur: a clogged silo and an empty silo. A clogged silo occurs when material adheres and blocks the material flow channel, preventing material from being transferred out through the chute. An empty silo, on the other hand, is completely empty. While both states result in no material being transferred out by the feeder at the chute, disrupting the transfer process and severely impacting production, both require immediate attention. However, the solutions are entirely different. The former necessitates immediate unblocking and clearing of the silo to eliminate potential safety hazards and severe impacts on feeding operations caused by material arching. The latter requires timely replenishment of the silo to prevent various safety hazards and equipment damage caused by an empty silo. Previously, since most feeders were operated manually, if there was no material on the feeder during the transfer process, it was possible to manually determine whether the silo was empty or not, and take appropriate measures accordingly. However, with the development of intelligent unmanned technology in underground mines, automated control equipment has gradually replaced operators, and the operation of feeders for transferring materials from underground storage silos has also gradually eliminated the need for operators. In this new situation, the method of installing level gauges on the upper part of the storage silo to determine whether it is empty or empty is generally used. However, due to special circumstances such as material sticking to the walls and rat holes in the storage silo, the detection effect of the level gauges is very poor and cannot be used normally. As a result, there is currently no reliable automatic detection method to distinguish between empty and empty storage silos. This means that every time there is no material on the feeder, it is necessary to manually go to the site to confirm whether the silo is empty or empty. This wastes a lot of working time and increases the workload of maintenance personnel. Therefore, there is an urgent need to adopt a safe and reliable automatic detection method to distinguish between empty and empty storage silos to meet the current development requirements of automatic operation detection in mine storage silos. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a device for detecting empty storage bins above a feeder, which can effectively solve the current technical problems in detecting empty coal bunkers.

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is achieved as follows: A device for detecting the emptyness of a storage bin above a feeder includes a feeder, a wind force detection device, and a baffle plate. The feeder is installed below a chute, and the baffle plate is installed at the discharge end of the chute between the chute and the feeder. The wind force detection device is installed near the baffle plate between the baffle plate and the feeder discharge port. The wind force detection device includes fan blades, a rotating shaft, and a rotation speed detection sensor. The fan blades are connected to one end of the rotating shaft, and the number of fan blades is greater than or equal to three. The rotation speed detection sensor is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft. The detection sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC). When the lowest edge of the fan blade is in its vertical position, it is still higher than the lowest edge of the baffle plate. One side of the fan blade is concave, and the other side is convex. The concave and convex directions of all blades are consistent in the rotation direction. The feeder is equipped with a feed rate detection device.

[0005] The angle between the axis of the rotating shaft and the horizontal plane is no greater than 15 degrees, and the fan blades are concave in the direction from the feeder's outlet to the chute when the fan blades are at the lower position of the rotating shaft.

[0006] The fan blades have a convex-concave structure and are hemispherical in shape. The fan blades are connected to the rotating shaft through a connecting plate.

[0007] The feed rate detection device includes a detection plate, a swing shaft, and an angle detection sensor. The upper part of the detection plate is connected to the swing shaft, and the lower part hangs down naturally and can swing with the swing shaft. An angle detection sensor is installed on the other end of the swing shaft opposite to the detection plate. The angle detection sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC).

[0008] The feeder is a belt feeder, and the feed quantity detection device includes a weighing idler and a weighing sensor. The weighing idler is installed on the lower part of the belt of the belt feeder and is connected to the weighing sensor. The weighing sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC).

[0009] A straight lever is connected to the outer edge of the hemispherical convex and concave blade. The straight lever is arranged radially, and its outermost edge is still higher than the bottom edge of the baffle when it is in the lowest position in the vertical state.

[0010] A belt conveyor is installed at the lower part of the feeder's discharge end, and the feeder's detection device is a belt scale, which is installed on the belt conveyor.

[0011] When the storage silo is full, the material completely seals off the material discharge channel, leaving no ventilation channels or natural air circulation. However, when the silo is empty, because the silo itself has a certain height, it acts like a chimney. Air enters the silo through the chute at the bottom and, due to the pressure difference between the upper and lower parts of the silo, flows upwards. Therefore, a baffle is installed at the discharge end of the chute between the chute and the feeder. A wind speed detection device is installed near the baffle between the baffle and the feeder discharge port. This wind speed detection device includes a fan blade, a rotating shaft, and a rotation speed sensor. The fan blade is connected to the rotating shaft. The quantity is greater than or equal to three pieces. A rotation speed detection sensor is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft. The rotation speed detection sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC). The lowest edge of the fan blade is higher than the lowest edge of the baffle plate. When it is at the bottom of the rotating shaft, the fan blade has a concave structure from the feeder's outlet to the chute. With this structure, when an empty bin is encountered, as air enters the storage bin from the chute and flows upwards, the airflow at the bottom of the rotating shaft is greater than that at the top. Furthermore, the lower half of the fan blade is concave and faces the airflow direction, while the upper half's fan blade has a concave shape opposite to the airflow speed. Therefore, the fan blade will drive the rotating shaft to rotate in one direction. By detecting the rotation speed of the rotating shaft, it can be determined whether the storage bin is empty. Clearly, this device for detecting and determining an empty bin has a simple structure, a clear principle, and reliable detection results, exhibiting significant advantages.

[0012] The concave structure of the fan blade is a hemispherical concave shape, which makes the concave fan blade more sensitive to the direction of the wind and more conducive to detecting empty compartments. At the same time, the hemispherical concave shape is also relatively easy to manufacture, which helps to improve production efficiency.

[0013] A straight deflector is connected to the outer edge of the hemispherical convex and concave blade. The straight deflector is arranged radially, and its outermost edge is higher than the bottom edge of the baffle plate. When the material level in the coal feeder trough rises due to water-coal cross-contamination, this structure can drive the fan blade to rotate in the opposite direction to when the trough is empty. Thus, this utility model can detect both the empty trough state and the water-coal cross-contamination in the coal bunker, achieving two functions in one machine, which has significant advantages.

[0014] During the operation of the feeder, there will only be a situation where there is no material on the feeder when the hopper is either empty or full. In other cases, there will always be material on the feeder. Therefore, a feed rate detection device is installed under the hopper. Only when the feed rate detection device detects that the feed rate of the feeder is close to zero will it first determine whether the hopper is full or empty. Then, a wind power detection device will determine whether it is truly empty or full.

[0015] The feed rate detection device includes a detection plate, a swing shaft, and an angle detection sensor. The upper part of the detection plate is connected to the swing shaft, and the lower part rests on the material inside the feeder. An angle detection sensor is installed on the opposite end of the swing shaft, opposite the detection plate. The angle detection sensor is connected to a programmable controller. This structure allows for the detection of the material layer thickness inside the feeder by varying the angle of the swing shaft driven by the detection plate. When there is no material on the feeder, the detection plate is in a near-vertical state. The device can quickly and accurately detect a near-zero feed rate by detecting the torsion angle of the swing shaft. When the feed rate is near zero, the device further determines whether the feed hopper is empty or full based on the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed sensor of the wind power detection device.

[0016] If a belt feeder is used, it is more convenient and faster to detect the feed rate using weighing rollers and load cells. This also allows for real-time monitoring of the specific feed rate, which is more beneficial to the overall operation of the feeder. When there is no material in the belt feeder trough, the weighing value of the load cell is essentially zero, which can accurately determine whether the trough is empty or full.

[0017] For feeders where the feed rate cannot be monitored inside the feeder, a belt conveyor is usually installed at the lower part of the feeder's discharge end. In this case, a belt scale can be installed on the belt conveyor to detect the feed rate and monitor the zero feed rate status of the feeder in real time, thereby further determining whether the storage bin is empty or full.

[0018] When an empty chamber occurs, the airflow is greater closer to the lower part of the baffle plate. Therefore, when the rotary shaft is installed completely horizontally, the fan blades at the lower part of the rotary shaft are concave from the feeder outlet to the chute, resulting in the greatest force on the fan blades and the most favorable influence on the rotation of the rotary shaft. Thus, monitoring is more beneficial when an empty chamber occurs. However, in actual installation, installation conditions may limit the installation angle to a certain degree. Therefore, this deviation is limited to a maximum of ±15 degrees to prevent excessive angle deviation from negatively impacting the fan blades' operation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Appendix Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an embodiment of this utility model, wherein... Figure 1 As shown Figure 2 A cross-sectional view at position AA. Figure 2 As shown Figure 1 A cross-sectional view at position BB. Figure 3 As shown Figure 1A magnified view of the area at position F. Figure 4 As shown Figure 2 A magnified view of the area at position H. Detailed Implementation

[0020] In the diagram, 1 is a belt conveyor, 2 is a guide chute, 3 is a belt feeder, 4 is a weighing sensor, 5 is a weighing idler, 6 is the material, 7 is a flat gate, 8 is a storage bin, 9 is a chute, 10 is a fan blade, 11 is a connecting plate, 12 is a rotating shaft, 13 is a swing shaft, 14 is a transition plate, 15 is a connector, 16 is a detection plate, 17 is a rotation speed detection sensor, 18 is an angle detection sensor, 19 is a baffle plate, 20 is a fixed frame, 21 is a connecting frame, 22 is a programmable logic controller (PLC), 23 is a touch screen, and 24 is a straightening lever.

[0021] In this embodiment, a baffle plate 19 is installed at the discharge port position in the discharge direction of the chute 9. The fan blade 10 of the wind power detection device has a hemispherical convex-concave structure. The fan blade is connected to the rotary shaft 12 through a connecting plate 11. The rotary shaft is installed horizontally and is connected to the feeder through a connecting frame 21. The concave direction of the hemispherical convex-concave fan blade in the lower half of the rotary shaft faces the discharge direction of the feeder. The rotation speed detection sensor 17 is connected to one end of the rotary shaft and fixed to the baffle plate through the connecting frame. The angle detection device includes a swing shaft 13, a transition plate 14, a detection plate 16, and an angle detection sensor 18. The detection plate is connected to the swing shaft through a connecting piece 15 and the transition plate. The other end of the swing shaft is connected to the angle detection sensor. The entire angle detection device is fixed to the outside of the baffle plate through a fixing frame 20. A straight deflector 24 is provided at the outermost end of the blade. When the outermost end of the straight deflector is in the vertical state at its lowest point, it is still higher than the lowest edge of the baffle plate. During the feeding operation, the material 6 in the feeder trough is always below the lowest edge of the baffle plate. The positions of the wind force detection device, the swing shaft, and the angle detection sensor are all above the lowest edge of the baffle plate and are protected by the baffle plate. During normal feeding operations, because the lower end of its nozzle is still above the upper edge of the material surface, it is not affected by the material flow and transfer. The feeder is a belt feeder, which is equipped with weighing idlers and weighing sensors. The rotation speed detection sensor, the angle detection sensor, and the weighing sensor 4 are all connected to the programmable controller PLC 22 and the touch screen 23. The flat gate 7 is used to open or close the chute of the storage bin 8. When the flat gate is open, the material in the storage bin can be transferred to the belt conveyor 1 through the chute, the baffle plate, the belt feeder 3, and the guide chute 2. Since material is being conveyed forward on the feeder, the weighing sensor 4 and weighing roller 5 on the belt feeder can detect the material. At the same time, because there is material, the detection plate connected to the swing shaft will overlap the surface of the material. At this time, the angle detection sensor connected to the swing shaft will output a certain value, such as 45 degrees, indicating that there is no bulging or empty silo in the storage bin. Conversely, if during the operation of the belt feeder, the weighing sensor cannot detect the feed amount through the weighing roller, the detected value is close to 0, or the detection plate hangs directly to a near-vertical state, and the angle detection sensor detects an angle value of approximately 90 degrees, the following criteria are used to determine if there is no material on the feeder: whether the value detected by the PLC from the weighing sensor is less than a certain value, such as 1 kg, and whether the value detected by the angle detection sensor is between 85 and 95 degrees. If the value detected by the PLC is within the above range, it means that there is no material being transferred out of the feeder. In this case, with the flat gate open, the storage silo should be either full or empty. To determine whether it is empty or full, the main focus is on the detection data from the rotation speed sensor. If the data measured by the rotation speed sensor shows that the rotating shaft is driven by the hemispherical concave fan blades... Figure 3The clockwise rotation shown in the diagram, if the rotation speed detected and displayed in the PLC is greater than a certain value, such as more than 3 revolutions per minute, indicates that there is a siphon effect in the storage silo. That is, air flows from the trough of the belt feeder into the silo through the chute, and then flows to the top of the storage silo through the siphon effect. When there is a siphon effect, it means that the storage silo is empty. At this time, it is necessary to close the flat gate and feeder, and at the same time, an alarm should be triggered on the touch screen, prompting that material needs to be added to the storage silo. If there is no material on the feeder, i.e., the value detected by the weighing sensor and PLC is less than 1 kg, or the detection plate is in a vertical position and the value detected by the angle detection sensor is between 85 and 95 degrees, and there is no negative pressure siphon effect in the storage hopper, and the rotation speed detected by the rotation speed detection sensor and PLC is less than 3 rpm, it means that no air flows from the trough and the chute into the storage hopper. In this case, the storage hopper is full of material, but the material cannot fall. Therefore, it can be determined that there is a problem of bulging in the hopper. At this time, it is necessary to carry out arch breaking and blockage clearing operations.

Claims

1. A device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder, comprising a feeder, a wind detection device, and a baffle plate, characterized in that... The feeder is installed below the chute. A baffle is installed at the discharge end of the chute between the chute and the feeder. The wind power detection device is installed near the baffle between the baffle and the feeder discharge port. The wind power detection device includes fan blades, a rotating shaft, and a rotation speed detection sensor. The fan blades are connected to one end of the rotating shaft, and there are at least three of them. The rotation speed detection sensor is connected to the other end of the rotating shaft and is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC). When the fan blades are in their vertical, lowest position, they are still higher than the lowest edge of the baffle. One side of the fan blade is concave, and the other side is convex. The concave and convex directions of all blades are consistent in the rotation direction. The feeder is equipped with a feed rate detection device.

2. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the axis of the rotating shaft and the horizontal plane is no greater than 15 degrees, and the fan blades are concave in the direction from the feeder's outlet to the chute when the fan blades are at the lower position of the rotating shaft.

3. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fan blade is a hemispherical shape with convex and concave sections, and it is connected to the rotating shaft via a connecting plate.

4. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: The feed rate detection device includes a detection plate, a swing shaft, and an angle detection sensor. The upper part of the detection plate is connected to the swing shaft, and the lower part hangs down naturally and can swing with the swing shaft. An angle detection sensor is installed on the other end of the swing shaft opposite to the detection plate. The angle detection sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC).

5. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: The feeder is a belt feeder, and the feed quantity detection device includes a weighing idler and a weighing sensor. The weighing idler is installed on the lower part of the belt of the belt feeder and is connected to the weighing sensor. The weighing sensor is connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC).

6. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: A straight lever is connected to the outer edge of the hemispherical convex and concave blade. The straight lever is arranged radially, and its outermost edge is still higher than the bottom edge of the baffle when it is at its lowest point in the vertical state.

7. The device for detecting an empty storage bin above a feeder according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: A belt conveyor is installed at the lower part of the feeder's discharge end, and the feeder's detection device is a belt scale, which is installed on the belt conveyor.

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