Two-point distance measuring device and two-point distance measuring method

Abstract

To provide a two-point distance measuring device and a two-point distance measuring method capable of efficiently measuring the diameter of a pipe arranged above a worker, shortening the work time, and increasing the safety of the worker.SOLUTION: A representative configuration of the two-point distance measuring device (measuring device 100) according to the present invention is a two-point distance measuring device that measures the distance (outer diameter D) between two points on a measurement target (pipe 10), and includes a pair of laser irradiation units (first laser irradiation unit 110, second laser irradiation unit 120) that irradiate a measurement target with a pair of laser beams in parallel, and a holding shaft 132 that holds the pair of laser irradiation units, and the pair of laser irradiation units can be moved relatively on the holding shaft while maintaining the parallelism of the pair of laser beams.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a two-point distance measuring device for measuring the distance between two points of a measurement object, and a two-point distance measuring method using the same.

Background Art

[0002] Facilities such as factories and plants are provided with steam pipes for transferring steam. Although the steam pipes are subjected to heat insulation treatment such as winding a heat insulating material, if the heat insulation treatment deteriorates over time, heat dissipation loss occurs and the heat quantity loss increases. For this reason, heat loss diagnosis of steam pipes is regularly carried out to confirm whether the desired heat insulation performance is maintained.

[0003] In heat loss diagnosis, it is necessary to measure the diameter (outer diameter) of the pipe including the heat insulating material. As a device for measuring the outer diameter of a pipe, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a pipe diameter measuring device including "a support member extending in a measurement direction, a first jaw portion provided at one end side of the support member and protruding from the support member in a direction intersecting the measurement direction, a second jaw portion provided at the other end side of the support member and protruding from the support member in a direction intersecting the measurement direction, and a measuring means for measuring the distance between the first jaw portion and the second jaw portion in the measurement direction".

[0004] The pipe diameter measuring device of Patent Document 1 is configured such that "the second jaw portion protrudes from the other end of the support member in the measurement direction and curves so as to move away from the axis of the support member as it moves away from the other end of the support member in the measurement direction, and has a curved portion and a second contact portion to be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to be measured, and the first jaw portion is spaced apart from the second contact portion in the measurement direction and has a first contact portion to be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe to be measured". According to Patent Document 1, "even when a plurality of pipes are installed in parallel at a narrow interval, the outer diameter of the pipe can be accurately measured".

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-148477 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] In the pipe diameter measuring device of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to bring the first contact portion and the second contact portion into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe. Therefore, it is considered that the pipe diameter measuring device of Patent Document 1 can suitably measure the outer diameter of any pipe around the operator. However, steam pipes in factories and the like are usually laid near the ceiling, and it is also a common layout to be about 5 m to 10 m above. In such a case, conventionally, a scaffold is installed around the pipe, and the operator performs the measurement work on the scaffold. Therefore, it takes time to assemble and disassemble the scaffold, and the operator has to perform the measurement work at a high place, resulting in a decrease in work efficiency.

[0007] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-point distance measuring device and a two-point distance measuring method that can efficiently measure the diameter of a pipe arranged above an operator, shorten the working time, and improve the safety of the operator. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the two-point distance measuring device according to the present invention is a two-point distance measuring device that measures the distance between two points of a measurement object, and includes a pair of laser irradiation units that irradiate a pair of laser lights in parallel, and a holding shaft that holds the pair of laser irradiation units. The pair of laser irradiation units are relatively movable on the holding shaft while maintaining the parallelism of the pair of laser lights.

[0009] It is preferable that a scale for displaying the interval between the pair of laser lights is provided on the holding shaft or the slider.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the two-point distance measurement method according to the present invention is a two-point distance measurement method using the two-point distance measurement device described above. The width of a pair of laser irradiation units is adjusted on the holding axis until a pair of laser beams hit two points of the measurement target. When the pair of laser beams hit the two points of the measurement target, the interval between the pair of laser beams on the holding axis is acquired and used as the distance between the two points of the measurement target.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently measure the diameter of a pipe arranged above a worker, and to provide a two-point distance measurement device and a two-point distance measurement method capable of shortening the working time and enhancing the safety of the worker.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a pipe 10 to be measured. As shown in FIG. 1, the steam generated in the boiler 12 is transferred (supplied) to a facility 14 that uses the steam through the pipe 10 (steam pipe). The pipe 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is generally connected to the upper part of the facility 14 because the steam flows upward.

[0015] Then, using the measuring device 100 described below, a worker H on the ground measures the diameter of the pipe 10 without assembling a scaffold or the like.

[0016] (Two-point distance measuring device) FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the two-point distance measuring device according to the present embodiment, showing the state before adjusting the width of the laser irradiation unit. The two-point distance measuring device (hereinafter referred to as the measuring device 100) shown in FIG. 2 is a device for measuring the distance between two points to be measured. For ease of understanding, FIG. 2 shows the pipe 10 to be measured.

[0017] In the present embodiment, a case where a cylindrical pipe 10 is used as the measurement object and the distance between two points, that is, the outer diameter D of the pipe 10, is measured is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the measuring device 100 of the present invention can also be applied to measuring the distance between two points on a plane such as a wall surface or a ceiling, or the distance between two objects other than the pipe 10.

[0018] The pipe 10 (steam pipe) has a structure in which a heat insulating material 10b is wound around a steel pipe 10a and an aluminum foil 10c is wound on its surface. Since the pipe 10 dissipates heat from its surface, in the present embodiment, the overall outer diameter D including the aluminum foil 10c is obtained.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the measuring device 100 of the present embodiment includes a pair of laser irradiation units and a main body unit 130. At the prototype stage shown in FIG. 2, the laser irradiation unit was attached to a caliper (digital caliper) for configuration. However, in the case of mass production, it is not necessary to be based on the structure of the caliper. For example, an inside diameter jig for measuring the inside diameter and a depth bar for measuring the depth are not required.

[0020] The pair of laser irradiation units is composed of a first laser irradiation unit 110 and a second laser irradiation unit 120, and irradiates a pair of laser beams L1 and L2 in parallel onto a measurement object (the pipe 10 in this embodiment). Hereinafter, when the first laser irradiation unit 110 and the second laser irradiation unit 120 are not distinguished, they are referred to as "the pair of laser irradiation units".

[0021] The main body 130 includes a holding shaft 132, a slider 134, and a scale 138. The holding shaft 132 is a linearly extending member, and the first laser irradiation unit 110 is held by an outer diameter collar 136a provided at one end.

[0022] The slider 134 is held by the holding shaft 132 and is a member that can slide on the holding shaft 132. The slider 134 is provided with an outer diameter collar 136b that mates with the outer diameter collar 136a of the holding shaft 132. And the second laser irradiation unit 120 is held by the outer diameter collar 136b.

[0023] With the above configuration, the first laser irradiation unit 110 is held at one end of the holding shaft 132, and the second laser irradiation unit 120 is held by the holding shaft 132 via the slider 134. By moving the slider 134 relative to the holding shaft 132, the pair of laser irradiation units can move relatively on the holding shaft 132 while maintaining the parallelism of the pair of laser beams.

[0024] The slider 134 is also provided with a scale 138. The scale 138 calculates and displays the interval between the pair of laser irradiation units, that is, the pair of laser beams. Thereby, the operator can instantaneously grasp the distance between the pair of laser beams without reading the scale. The scale 138 is a digital scale (encoder method) in FIG. 2, but may be a combination of a main scale and a vernier scale. Also, the scale 138 does not necessarily need to be provided. For example, the distance between the pair of laser beams may be notified to the operator by voice or the like, or output as a signal (numerical value) to a data logger.

[0025] (Two-point distance measurement method) FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the two-point distance measurement method according to the present embodiment, showing the state after the width adjustment of the laser irradiation unit. In the two-point distance measurement method of the present embodiment, the outer diameter D of the pipe 10 is measured using the measuring device 100 shown in FIG. 2.

[0026] When measuring the outer diameter D of the pipe 10, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the pair of laser irradiation units are moved on the holding shaft 132 until a pair of laser lights, that is, the laser light L1 of the first laser irradiation unit 110 and the laser light L2 of the second laser irradiation unit 120, hit both ends of the pipe 10, which are the two points of the measurement target. When the measurement target is the width of an object such as a cylinder (pipe) or a prism (beam), the two points of the measurement target are the boundaries between the hit state and the non-hit state. Ideally, it is preferable that the two laser lights hit exactly half each.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, when the pair of laser lights L1 and L2 hit both ends of the pipe 10 (the two points of the measurement target), the width adjustment of the pair of laser irradiation units is completed. Then, referring to the scale 138, the interval between the pair of laser lights L1 and L2 on the holding shaft 132, that is, the "outer diameter D of the pipe 10", is obtained.

[0028] As described above, according to the measuring device 100 of the present embodiment and the two-point distance measurement method using the same, the outer diameter D of the pipe 10 arranged above the worker can be measured from a distant location without the worker having to climb onto a scaffold or the like. Thereby, the measurement can be performed efficiently, and the safety of the worker can be enhanced. Also, since the work related to the installation and dismantling of the scaffold is unnecessary, the working time can be shortened.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, not only when the measurement target is arranged above the worker, but also when the measurement target is arranged at a position horizontally separated from the worker, the distance between two points can be measured without the worker approaching. Therefore, for example, even when the measurement target exists in a restricted access area, if the laser light reaches the measurement target, it is possible to measure the distance between two points of such a measurement target.

[0030] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modified examples or corrected examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that those also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0031] The present invention can be used as a distance measuring device between two points for measuring the distance between two points to be measured, and a distance measuring method between two points using the same.

Explanation of Signs

[0032] 10... Pipe, 10a... Steel pipe, 10b... Heat insulating material, 10c... Aluminum foil, 12... Boiler, 14... Equipment, 100... Measuring device, 110... First laser irradiation unit, 120... Second laser irradiation unit, 130... Main body unit, 132... Holding shaft, 134... Slider, 136a... Outer diameter jig, 136b... Outer diameter jig, 138... Scale, D... Outer diameter, H... Operator

Claims

1. A two-point distance measuring device for measuring the distance between two points of a measurement object, comprising: a pair of laser irradiation units that irradiate a pair of parallel laser beams; a holding shaft that holds the pair of laser irradiation units; and characterized in that the pair of laser irradiation units are relatively movable on the holding shaft while maintaining the parallelism of the pair of laser beams.

2. The two-point distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a scale for displaying the interval between the pair of laser beams is provided on the holding shaft or the slider.

3. A two-point distance measuring method using the two-point distance measuring device according to claim 1, comprising: adjusting the width of the pair of laser irradiation units on the holding shaft until the pair of laser beams hit two points of a measurement object; when the pair of laser beams hit two points of the measurement object, obtaining the interval between the pair of laser beams on the holding shaft and using it as the distance between the two points of the measurement object.

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