Mold temperature determination method and mold temperature determination system

Abstract

To provide a mold temperature determination method that can improve work efficiency.SOLUTION: A mold temperature determination method is used to determine an anomaly in the temperature of a mold having an injection portion into which resin is injected in a casting furnace before the mold is installed in the casting furnace. The mold temperature determination method has the following two steps: a thermal image acquisition process in which the mold is imaged so that the injection portion is included in the imaging range by using a thermal image imaging section to acquire a thermal image, and an abnormality determination process in which the temperature of the injection portion calculated from the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition process is determined to be abnormal when the temperature of the injection portion is outside a predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a mold temperature determination method and a mold temperature determination system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in molding molded coils for molded transformers, molded transformers, and the like, it is known that a molding resin is injected into the mold with the coil housed inside the mold, and the molding resin is hardened by heating from outside the mold. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-003824 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the temperature of the mold before the molding resin is injected is not appropriate, problems such as air bubbles on the surface of the hardened molding resin may occur. Therefore, before placing the mold in a casting furnace for injecting the molding resin into the mold, an operator measures the temperature of the mold and judges whether the temperature is abnormal, for example, using a contact thermometer. Measuring the temperature of the mold and judging whether the temperature is abnormal is a workload for the operator, and therefore improving the work efficiency has been an issue.

[0005] Therefore, an embodiment of the present invention provides a mold temperature determination method and a mold temperature determination system that can improve work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The mold temperature determination method of the embodiment is for determining an abnormality in the temperature of a mold having an injection part into which a resin is injected in a casting furnace before the mold is placed in the casting furnace. The mold temperature determination method includes a thermal image acquisition step of capturing an image of the mold using a thermal image capturing part so that the injection part is included in the imaging range, and acquiring a thermal image, and an abnormality determination step of determining that the temperature of the mold is abnormal if the temperature of the injection part calculated from the thermal image captured in the thermal image acquisition step is outside a predetermined range.

[0007] The mold temperature determination system of the embodiment includes a thermal image capturing unit that captures thermal images, a thermal image acquisition processing unit that is capable of executing a thermal image acquisition process that captures an image of the mold so that the injection section is included in the imaging range and acquires a thermal image using the thermal image capturing unit, and an abnormality judgment processing unit that is capable of executing an abnormality judgment process that determines that the temperature of the mold is abnormal if the temperature of the injection section calculated from the thermal image captured by the thermal image acquisition processing unit falls outside a predetermined range. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a mold temperature determination system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of a determination device in a mold temperature determination system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing the position of a thermal image capturing unit executed by a thermal image acquisition processing unit in the mold temperature determination system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen displayed on a notification unit in a mold temperature determination system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen displayed on a notification unit in the mold temperature determination system according to an embodiment (part 2). [Figure 6] A flowchart showing an example of a process of a mold temperature determination method according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The mold temperature determination system 1 shown in Fig. 1 and the mold temperature determination method applied to the mold temperature determination system 1 are for determining, for example, a temperature abnormality in a mold 2 used in manufacturing a molded transformer before a casting process in the manufacturing process of the molded transformer. In the following description, the mold temperature determination system 1 may be simply referred to as system 1.

[0010] The casting process is a process in which liquid resin, such as epoxy resin, is injected into the mold 2 housing a coil (not shown) in a casting furnace 90. The mold 2 has an injection section 2a. The injection section 2a has a space capable of housing the coil, and the resin is injected into the casting furnace 90. The orientation and position of the injection section 2a are designed to differ depending on the model of the mold 2. The mold 2 is preheated to a predetermined temperature in, for example, a curing furnace prior to the casting process. The casting furnace 90 and the curing furnace are provided, for example, in the same facility.

[0011] The system 1 includes an automated guided vehicle 10, a management device 20, an imaging mechanism 30, and a judgment device 40. The automated guided vehicle 10 automatically travels on the ground along a predetermined travel route. In this embodiment, the automated guided vehicle 10 loads a mold 2 in a curing furnace (not shown) and transports the mold 2 to a casting furnace 90. The automated guided vehicle 10 is configured to be able to arrange multiple molds 2 on a pallet 11 arranged on the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle 10. The automated guided vehicle 10 is controlled to operate by a management device 20. In FIG. 1, only a portion of the multiple molds 2 is illustrated in order to make the drawing easier to see.

[0012] The management device 20 is configured with a computer such as a personal computer or a server, and stores a program for controlling the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10. The management device 20 executes the program to perform processes related to the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10, such as starting and stopping the vehicle. The management device 20 stores various information for managing the operation of the automated guided vehicle 10, such as the travel route and travel speed of the automated guided vehicle 10. The management device 20 is configured to be able to communicate with the determination device 40 via wired or wireless communication, and for example, a signal indicating whether the automated guided vehicle 10 is traveling or stopping is transmitted to the determination device 40.

[0013] The imaging mechanism 30 has a function of capturing a visible image and a thermal image of the mold 2 transported to the casting furnace 90 by the automated guided vehicle 10. In this case, the imaging mechanism 30 captures a visible image and a thermal image of the mold 2 on the automated guided vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging mechanism 30 has a visible image capturing section 31, a thermal image capturing section 32, and a drive section 33. The visible image capturing section 31 is composed of a visible light camera capable of capturing a visible image such as a digital image. The thermal image capturing section 32 is composed of a thermal image camera capable of detecting infrared rays emitted from an object to be captured and capturing a thermal image showing the distribution of the infrared rays by a color distribution. In this embodiment, the visible image capturing section 31 and the thermal image capturing section 32 are integrally configured, and the visible image and the thermal image can be captured simultaneously or individually. In addition, the visible image capturing section 31 and the thermal image capturing section 32 are provided so that their imaging ranges overlap each other. The visible image capturing section 31 and the thermal image capturing section 32 output the captured images to the determination device 40.

[0014] The driving unit 33 is for changing the imaging ranges of the visible image capturing unit 31 and the thermal image capturing unit 32. The driving unit 33 has a driving mechanism (not shown) for changing the position, orientation or posture of the visible image capturing unit 31 and the thermal image capturing unit 32 within a predetermined range. When the visible image capturing unit 31 and the thermal image capturing unit 32 are configured separately, the driving unit 33 may be configured to change the imaging ranges of the visible image capturing unit 31 and the thermal image capturing unit 32 individually. Instead of including the driving unit 33, the imaging mechanism 30 may be configured to include a plurality of visible image capturing units 31 and thermal image capturing units 32 provided at positions capable of capturing different imaging ranges, and the imaging range may be changed by switching the visible image capturing unit 31 and the thermal image capturing unit 32 used for imaging.

[0015] The determination device 40 is composed of a computer such as a personal computer or a server. As shown in FIG. 2, the determination device 40 has a control unit 41, an input unit 42, an alarm unit 43, a timer unit 44, and a memory unit 45. The control unit 41 controls the entire determination device 40. The control unit 41 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a memory area such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and a rewritable flash memory (not shown). The determination device 40 controls the system 1 by executing a program stored in the memory area. The imaging mechanism 30, the input unit 42, the alarm unit 43, the timer unit 44, and the memory unit 45 are each electrically connected to the control unit 41.

[0016] The input unit 42 is composed of, for example, an operation button or a touch panel, and accepts input operations from the worker. The notification unit 43 is composed of, for example, a display or a speaker, and notifies the worker of necessary information, for example, by display or sound. The input unit 42 and the notification unit 43 can be integrated, for example, by a touch panel display. The timing unit 44 has a function of measuring the elapsed time from, for example, a reference point in time. Time means the length of time from a certain point in time to another point in time.

[0017] The storage unit 45 can be configured with a well-known storage medium, such as, for example, a ROM, a HDD, a semiconductor memory, and a magnetic disk. The storage unit 45 stores specific information for identifying the model of the mold 2. The specific information includes, for example, appearance information regarding the appearance of the mold, such as the shape and color.

[0018] The control unit 41 is provided with various functional units, such as a visible image acquisition processing unit 51, a model identification processing unit 52, a setting processing unit 53, a thermal image acquisition processing unit 54, an abnormality determination processing unit 55, a notification processing unit 56, and a recording processing unit 57. In this embodiment, each functional unit is realized by software by executing a program in the control unit 41, but it can also be realized by hardware. Note that some or all of the visible image acquisition processing unit 51, the model identification processing unit 52, the setting processing unit 53, the thermal image acquisition processing unit 54, the abnormality determination processing unit 55, the notification processing unit 56, and the recording processing unit 57 may be provided in the management device 20.

[0019] The visible image acquisition processing unit 51 can execute a visible image acquisition process. The visible image acquisition process includes a process of capturing an image of the appearance of the mold 2 using the visible image capturing unit 31 and acquiring a visible image when a signal is received indicating that the automated guided vehicle 10 has arrived in front of the casting furnace 90. In this case, the visible image acquisition process includes a process of driving the drive unit 33 to move the visible image capturing unit 31 to a predetermined position relative to the mold 2, for example, vertically upward, and capturing an image of the mold 2 by the visible image capturing unit 31. The position of the visible image capturing unit 31 relative to the mold 2 when capturing the visible image can be set arbitrarily depending on, for example, the layout in the facility.

[0020] The model identification processing unit 52 is capable of executing a model identification process. The model identification process includes a process of identifying the model of the mold 2 based on the visible image of the mold 2 captured by the visible image capturing unit 31. The model identification process includes a process of identifying the model of the mold 2, for example, by collating appearance information of the mold 2 extracted by image processing of the visible image of the mold 2 captured by the visible image capturing unit 31 with appearance information included in the identification information stored in the storage unit 45.

[0021] The setting processing unit 53 can execute the setting process. Here, in the temperature management of the mold 2 performed before the casting process, it is important to check the surface temperature of the injection part 2a of the mold 2 into which the resin is injected. In addition, the position and shape of the injection part 2a in the mold 2 differ depending on the model of the mold 2. Therefore, the setting process includes a process of setting the imaging range of the thermal image captured by the thermal image capturing unit 32 according to the model of the mold 2 identified in the model identification process. Then, the imaging range of the thermal image capturing unit 32 is set to include at least the injection part 2a of the mold 2. This allows the temperature distribution of the mold 2 including the injection part 2a that affects the casting process to be properly captured by the thermal image capturing unit 32. The imaging range of the thermal image can be stored in advance in the storage unit 45 in association with the model of the mold 2.

[0022] The thermal image acquisition processing unit 54 is capable of executing a thermal image acquisition process. The thermal image acquisition process includes a process of imaging the mold 2 so that the injection portion 2a of the mold 2 is included in the imaging range using the thermal image capturing unit 32, and acquiring a thermal image. In this case, the thermal image acquisition process includes a process of driving the drive unit 33 to move the thermal image capturing unit 32 so that the imaging range of the thermal image set in the setting process can be captured, and capturing an image of the mold 2 by the thermal image capturing unit 32.

[0023] For example, as shown in Fig. 3(a), when the injection part 2a of the mold 2 on the automated guided vehicle 10 faces vertically, the thermal image acquisition processing unit 54 drives the drive unit 33 to change the attitude, position, etc. of the thermal image capturing unit 32 to a position where the injection part 2a facing vertically can be imaged. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3(b), when the injection part 2a of the mold 2 on the automated guided vehicle 10 faces horizontally, the thermal image acquisition processing unit 54 drives the drive unit 33 to change the attitude, position, etc. of the thermal image capturing unit 32 to a position where the injection part 2a facing horizontally can be imaged.

[0024] Abnormality determination processing unit 55 is capable of executing abnormality determination processing. The abnormality determination processing includes processing for determining that the temperature of mold 2 is abnormal when the surface temperature of injection part 2a calculated from the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition processing is outside a predetermined range, for example, a range of 70°C to 100°C. In this case, the abnormality determination processing includes processing for calculating the surface temperature of injection part 2a using the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition processing.

[0025] Furthermore, when the thermal image includes the injection parts 2a of multiple molds 2, the temperature abnormality of the molds 2 may be determined individually depending on whether the surface temperature of the injection part 2a of each mold 2 is outside a predetermined range. The highest or lowest temperature among the surface temperatures of the injection parts 2a of the multiple molds 2 may be adopted as the temperature of the mold 2 used in the abnormality determination process, or the average value of the surface temperatures of the injection parts 2a of the multiple molds 2 may be adopted as the temperature of the mold 2 used in the abnormality determination process. Note that the calculation of the temperature of the injection part 2a is not limited to a configuration performed in the abnormality determination process, and may be a configuration performed in the thermal image acquisition process.

[0026] The notification processing unit 56 is capable of executing a notification process. The notification process includes a process of notifying the occurrence of an abnormality as well as information on a response method according to the abnormality when the temperature of the mold 2 is determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination process. The notification processing unit 56 notifies the operator of the occurrence of the abnormality and information on a response method, for example, by display or sound, using the notification unit 43. The information on the response method includes a response method for eliminating the abnormality in the temperature of the mold 2.

[0027] When the temperature of the mold 2 falls below a predetermined range, the notification processor 56 can display, on the notification unit 43, a notification screen 431 displaying a character string saying "The temperature is below the control value. Please reheat the mold." as shown in FIG. 4. A confirmation key 431a can be displayed on the notification screen 431. The confirmation key 431a displays, for example, the character string "OK" and accepts an operation to end the notification. When the notification processor 56 accepts an operation on the confirmation key 431a, it ends the notification.

[0028] On the other hand, when the temperature of the mold 2 exceeds the predetermined range, the notification processing unit 56 can display, on the notification unit 43, a notification screen 432 on which a character string stating "The temperature exceeds the control value. Please blow air into the mold" is displayed, as shown in FIG. 5. A confirmation key 432a can be displayed on the notification screen 432. The confirmation key 432a has the same function as the confirmation key 431a. Note that, for example, when the temperature of the mold 2 exceeds the predetermined range, the notification processing unit 56 may be configured to display, on the notification unit 43, an operation screen for accepting execution of the thermal image acquisition process and the abnormality determination process again when a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes, has elapsed since the end of the notification.

[0029] The record processing unit 57 is capable of executing a recording process. The recording process includes a process of recording in the memory unit 45, in association with the visible image acquired in the visible image acquisition process, the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition process, and the surface temperature of the injection part 2a calculated in the abnormality determination process, for each mold 2.

[0030] Next, an example of the control contents of the mold temperature determination system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the following description, it is assumed that all the processes performed by the processing units 51-57 are mainly performed by the control unit 41. As shown in Fig. 6, when the process is started (START), the process is performed in the order of a visible image acquisition process (steps S11-S12), a model identification process (step S13), a setting process (step S14), a thermal image acquisition process (steps S15-S16), an abnormality determination process (steps S17-S18), a notification process (step S19), and a recording process (step S20).

[0031] First, in step S11, the control unit 41 determines whether or not the automated guided vehicle 10 has arrived in front of the casting furnace 90. If the automated guided vehicle 10 has arrived in front of the casting furnace 90 (YES in step S11), the control unit 41 shifts the process to step S12 and drives the visible image capturing unit 31 to capture a visible image of the mold 2. Next, in step S13, the control unit 41 compares the appearance information of the mold 2 extracted by image processing of the visible image of the mold 2 with the appearance information included in the identification information stored in the storage unit 45, thereby identifying the model of the mold 2.

[0032] In step S14, the control unit 41 sets the imaging range of the thermal image to be captured by the thermal image capturing unit 32 according to the identified model of the mold 2. Next, in step S15, the control unit 41 drives the drive unit 33 to move the thermal image capturing unit 32 to a set position so that the set imaging range of the thermal image can be captured. Thereafter, in step S16, the control unit 41 drives the thermal image capturing unit 32 to obtain a thermal image.

[0033] Next, in step S17, the control unit 41 calculates the surface temperature of the injection part 2a using the acquired thermal image. In step S18, the control unit 41 determines whether the calculated surface temperature of the injection part 2a is outside a predetermined range. If the calculated surface temperature of the injection part 2a is outside the predetermined range (YES in step S18), the control unit 41 shifts the process to step S19 and notifies the occurrence of a temperature abnormality and a method of responding to the abnormality. Thereafter, in step S20, the control unit 41 records the calculated surface temperature of the injection part 2a, the visible image, and the thermal image in the storage unit 45, and ends the series of processes (END). On the other hand, if the calculated surface temperature of the injection part 2a is not outside the predetermined range (NO in step S18), the control unit 41 shifts the process to step S20, records the calculated surface temperature of the injection part 2a, the visible image, and the thermal image in the storage unit 45, and ends the series of processes (END).

[0034] According to the embodiment described above, the mold temperature judgment method is for judging an abnormality in the temperature of the mold 2 having the injection section 2a into which resin is injected in the casting furnace 90 before the mold 2 is placed in the casting furnace 90. The mold temperature judgment method includes a thermal image acquisition step and an abnormality judgment step. In the thermal image acquisition step, the mold 2 is imaged using the thermal image capturing unit 32 so that the injection section 2a is included in the imaging range, and a thermal image is acquired. In the abnormality judgment step, it is judged that the temperature of the mold 2 is abnormal if the temperature of the injection section 2a calculated from the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition step is outside a predetermined range.

[0035] According to this, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the temperature of the mold 2 before the casting process in which resin is injected into the mold 2. This eliminates the need for an operator to measure the temperature of the mold 2, thereby improving work efficiency through labor savings. In addition, it is possible to automatically and accurately determine whether or not there is an abnormality in temperature, avoiding human error by an operator, thereby reducing quality risks.

[0036] The mold temperature determination method further includes a notification step. When it is determined that the temperature of the mold 2 is abnormal, the notification step notifies the occurrence of the abnormality as well as information on how to respond to the abnormality. This makes it possible to accurately notify the worker that the temperature of the mold 2 is abnormal and how to appropriately respond to the abnormality. This allows the worker to quickly respond to the abnormality, thereby improving productivity.

[0037] Furthermore, the mold temperature determination method further includes a visible image acquisition step, a model identification step, and a setting step, which are performed before the thermal image acquisition step. The visible image acquisition step involves capturing an image of the exterior of the mold 2 using the visible image capturing unit 31 to acquire a visible image. The model identification step involves identifying the model of the mold 2 based on the visible image captured in the visible image acquisition step. The setting step involves setting the imaging range of the thermal image captured by the thermal image capturing unit 32 according to the model of the mold 2 identified in the model identification step. This allows thermal images to be acquired according to a variety of mold 2 models, making it possible to efficiently determine temperature abnormalities in the mold 2.

[0038] The mold temperature determination method further includes a recording step, in which the visible image acquired in the visible image acquisition step, the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition step, and the temperature of the injection section 2a calculated in the abnormality determination step are recorded in association with each other for each mold 2. This can improve the traceability of the temperature of the mold 2 and can also improve reliability.

[0039] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This new embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a mold temperature determination system, 2 denotes a mold, 2a denotes a casting section, 32 denotes a thermal image capturing section, 54 denotes a thermal image acquisition processing section, 55 denotes an abnormality determination processing section, and 90 denotes a casting furnace.

Claims

1. 1. A mold temperature determination method for determining an abnormality in temperature of a mold having an injection part into which a resin is injected in a casting furnace before the mold is placed in the casting furnace, comprising: a thermal image acquisition step of acquiring a thermal image of the mold by using a thermal image acquisition unit so as to include the injection part in an imaging range; and an abnormality determination step of determining that the temperature of the mold is abnormal if the temperature of the injection part calculated from the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition step is outside a predetermined range. How to determine mold temperature.

2. The method further includes a notification step of, when it is determined that the temperature of the mold is abnormal, notifying the occurrence of the abnormality and information regarding a response method according to the abnormality. The mold temperature determination method according to claim 1 .

3. Prior to the thermal image acquisition step, a visible image capturing step of capturing an image of the appearance of the mold using a visible image capturing unit and capturing a visible image; a model identification step of identifying a model of the die based on the visible image acquired in the visible image acquisition step; A setting step of setting an imaging range of the thermal image captured by the thermal image capturing unit according to the model of the mold identified in the model identifying step, The mold temperature determination method according to claim 2.

4. The method further includes a recording step of recording, for each mold, the visible image acquired in the visible image acquisition step, the thermal image acquired in the thermal image acquisition step, and the temperature of the injection part calculated in the abnormality determination step in association with each other. The mold temperature determination method according to claim 3.

5. A mold temperature determination system for determining an abnormality in temperature of a mold having an injection part into which a resin is injected in a casting furnace before the mold is placed in the casting furnace, comprising: A thermal image capturing unit that captures a thermal image; a thermal image acquisition processing unit capable of executing a thermal image acquisition process for acquiring a thermal image by capturing an image of the mold using the thermal image capturing unit so that the image capturing range includes the injection unit; and an abnormality determination processing unit capable of executing an abnormality determination process for determining that the temperature of the mold is abnormal when the temperature of the injection part calculated from the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition processing unit is outside a predetermined range. Mold temperature determination system.

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