Roller conveying device, roller conveying method, and roller conveying program

Abstract

To easily determine a malfunction in the transportation of a transported item. [Solution] The roller transport device of the present invention comprises a motor, a transport roller driven by the motor to transport the transported object, a rotary encoder that measures the rotational displacement amount of the transport roller, a rotational displacement amount acquisition means that acquires the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder, a speed calculation means that calculates the transport speed of the transported object based on the rotational displacement amount, a variance calculation means that calculates the variance of the transport speed, a malfunction determination means that determines whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance, and an output means that outputs a determination result when at least the transport roller is determined to be malfunctioning, and a control means.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a roller conveying device, a roller conveying method, and a roller conveying program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a stepping motor driving device that determines deterioration over time of a part that is the driving target of the stepping motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-153319 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a printer, there is a period of time when the printer is in a malfunctioning state before an actual failure such as a paper jam occurs. Since the occurrence of a failure causes business to stop, it is desirable to replace parts while the printer is in a malfunctioning state before the failure occurs. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to determine the malfunctioning state.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a roller conveying device and the like that makes it easy to determine whether an abnormality in the conveyance of an object is occurring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A roller conveying device in one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a motor, a conveying roller driven by the motor to convey an object to be conveyed, a rotary encoder that measures a rotational displacement amount of the conveying roller, a rotational displacement amount acquisition means that acquires the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder, a speed calculation means that calculates the conveying speed of the object to be conveyed based on the rotational displacement amount, a variance calculation means that calculates the variance of the conveying speed, a malfunction determination means that determines whether the conveying roller is malfunctioning based on the variance, and an output means that outputs a determination result when at least the conveying roller is determined to be malfunctioning, and a control means.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a roller conveying method includes a roller conveying device having a motor, a conveying roller driven by the motor to convey an object to be conveyed, and a rotary encoder that measures the rotational displacement amount of the conveying roller, which acquires the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder, calculates the conveying speed of the object to be conveyed based on the rotational displacement amount, calculates the variance of the conveying speed, determines whether the conveying roller is malfunctioning based on the variance, and outputs a determination result if at least the conveying roller is determined to be malfunctioning.

[0008] A roller transport program in one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a roller transport device equipped with a motor, a transport roller driven by the motor to transport an object to be transported, and a rotary encoder that measures the rotational displacement amount of the transport roller to execute the following processes: acquiring the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder; calculating the transport speed of the object to be transported based on the rotational displacement amount; calculating the variance of the transport speed; determining whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; and outputting a determination result if at least the transport roller is determined to be malfunctioning. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily determine whether an abnormality in the transportation of an object is occurring. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a roller conveyance device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external shape of a roller transport device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal structure of a roller transport device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a rotary encoder. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a normal conveying speed. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of dispersion in a normal state. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of variance during a malfunction. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of an operation of a control unit of the roller transport device. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a roller transport device including a roller identifying unit. [Figure 10] 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a relationship between a transport amount and a transport roller transporting an object. [Figure 11] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A roller conveying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the roller conveying device is not limited to the description of the drawings.

[0012] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the roller conveyance device 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the outer shape of the roller conveyance device 10. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the roller conveyance device 10. The roller conveyance device 10 includes a control unit 100, a conveyance roller 310, a motor 320, and a rotary encoder 330. However, the number of components shown in FIG. 3 is only an example. For example, in FIG. 3, the roller conveyance device 10 includes three pairs of conveyance rollers 310. However, the roller conveyance device 10 may include less than three pairs of conveyance rollers 310, or may include more than three pairs of conveyance rollers 310.

[0013] The roller conveyance device 10 conveys the object 400 by conveyance rollers 310 provided therein. For example, the roller conveyance device 10 conveys the object 400 inserted into an insertion port 360. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 may convey the object 400 stored therein. The roller conveyance device 10 is, for example, incorporated in a card reader that reads and writes information from a card, and is a device that conveys a card as the object 400. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 is incorporated in a printer that prints on paper, and is a device that conveys paper as the object 400. However, the roller conveyance device 10 is not limited to these, and may be other devices.

[0014] The motor 320 drives the transport roller 310 using the belt 323. In FIG. 3, the motor 320 includes a shaft 321 and a pulley 322 provided on the shaft 321. The motor 320 rotates the pulley 322 to move the belt 323 hung on the pulley 322. The belt 323 is driven by the pulley 322 of the motor 320 to drive the pulley 312 of the transport roller 310. In this manner, the motor 320 rotates the pulley 322 to move the belt 323 hung on the pulley 322 to drive the pulley 312 of the transport roller 310. In FIG. 3, the motor 320 drives three transport rollers 310 using the belt 323, but this is an example. The motor 320 may drive one or two transport rollers 310, or may drive more than three transport rollers 310. The motor 320 may use a driving force transmission mechanism other than the belt 323. For example, the motor 320 may use gears, a chain, a cam, a link, or the like as the transmission mechanism. Alternatively, the motor 320 may use a plurality of transmission mechanisms.

[0015] The conveying rollers 310 convey the object 400. In FIG. 3, the upper two conveying rollers 310 and the lower two conveying rollers 310 located at the same distance from the insertion port 360 are connected by the shafts 311. Furthermore, the upper and lower shafts 311 are connected via the gear box 313. Thus, in FIG. 2, the four conveying rollers 310 constitute one set. However, the conveying rollers 310 may constitute a set of less than four, may constitute a set of more than four, or may operate independently without forming a set. When the motor 320 drives the belt 323, the upper conveying roller 310 is driven by the pulley 312 provided on the shaft 311 to convey the object 400. When the shafts 311 of the upper two conveying rollers 310 rotate, the gear box 313 drives the shafts 311 of the lower two conveying rollers 310 to rotate in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the shafts 311 of the upper two conveying rollers 310. Therefore, the lower transport rollers 310 rotate in the opposite direction to the upper transport rollers 310, and cooperate with the upper transport rollers 310 to transport the object 400. In this manner, the transport rollers 310 are driven by the motor 320 to rotate and transport the object 400. However, the mechanism for transmitting the driving force between the transport rollers 310 is not limited to the belt 323 and the gear box 313, and other transmission mechanisms such as a chain, a cam, or a link may be used.

[0016] The rotary encoder 330 outputs the amount of rotational displacement of the transport roller 310. The amount of rotational displacement is, for example, a relative rotation angle or an absolute value of the rotation angle, but is not limited thereto. In FIG. 3, the rotary encoder 330 has a pulley 332 provided on a shaft 331, and outputs the amount of rotational displacement corresponding to the rotation of the pulley 332. Since the pulley 332 is driven by a belt 323 that drives the rotary encoder 330 by a motor 320, the amount of rotational displacement output by the rotary encoder 330 is a value proportional to the amount of rotational displacement of the transport roller 310. When the amount of rotational displacement output by the rotary encoder 330 is to be the same as the amount of rotational displacement of the transport roller 310, the diameter of the pulley 332 of the rotary encoder 330 may be set to be the same as the diameter of the pulley 312 of the transport roller 310. In this way, the rotary encoder 330 outputs the amount of rotational displacement of the transport roller 310, or a rotational displacement amount proportional to the amount of rotational displacement. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the amount of rotational displacement output by the rotary encoder 330 is the same as the amount of rotational displacement of the transport roller 310. The rotary encoder 330 may be attached directly to any one of the transport rollers 310 without using the belt 323. The rotary encoder 330 may be attached to multiple transport rollers 310, rather than to one.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a rotary encoder 330. In the rotary encoder 330 of FIG. 4, a rotating disk with a slit is provided on a shaft 331. The light receiving portion of the optical sensor is provided facing the light emitting portion of the optical sensor across the rotating disk. The light receiving portion outputs binary pulse train data corresponding to a state in which the slit receives light from the light emitting portion and a state in which the shielded portion does not receive light as the rotating disk rotates. This data is data indicating the amount of rotational displacement of the incremental encoder. However, the rotary encoder 330 is not limited to the incremental type as shown in FIG. 4, and may be an absolute type encoder. The rotary encoder 330 is not limited to an optical type, and may be another type of encoder, such as a magnetic type.

[0018] The control unit 100 includes a rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110 , a speed calculation unit 120 , a variance calculation unit 130 , a malfunction determination unit 140 , and an output unit 150 .

[0019] The rotational displacement amount acquiring unit 110 acquires the amount of rotational displacement from the rotary encoder 330. For example, the rotational displacement amount acquiring unit 110 may acquire, as the amount of rotational displacement, data of a binary pulse train corresponding to the slits and the shielded portions of the rotating disk from the rotary encoder 330.

[0020] The speed calculation unit 120 calculates the conveying speed of the conveyed object 400 based on the amount of rotational displacement. For example, the slits and the shielding portion in the rotating disk of the rotary encoder 330 have a fixed width, and the corresponding angle is determined. Therefore, the speed calculation unit 120 can obtain the rotation angle from the number of pulses of the data acquired from the rotary encoder 330. In the following description, the unit of the rotation angle is degrees. Furthermore, when the conveying roller 310 rotates once, the conveyed object 400 is conveyed by the length of the circumference of the conveying roller 310. Therefore, the conveying distance of the conveyed object 400 is "the length of the circumference of the conveying roller 310 x the rotation angle / 360". And, the conveying speed of the conveyed object 400 is the conveying distance of the conveyed object 400 divided by time. Therefore, the speed calculation unit 120 may calculate the value obtained by dividing the conveying distance obtained from the rotation angle by time as the conveying speed. For example, the speed calculation unit 120 may calculate the conveying distance obtained from the rotation angle per unit time as the conveying speed. For example, the speed calculation unit 120 may calculate the transport distance per second or per minute as the transport speed.

[0021] The position of the transported object 400 may vary slightly due to the influence of vibrations, etc. On the other hand, when transporting the transported object 400, the transport rollers 310 rotate for a certain period of time. Therefore, the speed calculation unit 120 does not need to use the amount of rotational displacement that occurs in a period shorter than the period during which the transported object 400 is transported.

[0022] The variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of the conveying speed. The variance is an index that indicates the degree of dispersion of the data, and the larger the variance, the more dispersed the data is. Specifically, the variance is the arithmetic mean of the squares of the deviations, which are the differences between the average value of the data and each piece of data. The variance of the conveying speed is expressed by the following formula. Variance = (Σ(Transport speed - average transport speed) 2 ) / number of conveying speeds) A plurality of conveying speeds are necessary to calculate the variance. Therefore, the variance is calculated using the conveying speeds in a certain period. Therefore, the variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of the conveying speed for each period for calculating the variance that is determined in advance. Hereinafter, the period for calculating the variance is called the "variance calculation period". That is, the variance calculation unit 130 calculates the average conveying speed, which is the average of all the conveying speeds calculated by the speed calculation unit 120 in each variance calculation period. Hereinafter, "all the conveying speeds calculated by the speed calculation unit 120 in the variance calculation period" is simply called "all the conveying speeds included in the variance calculation period". Furthermore, the variance calculation unit 130 calculates the deviation (= conveying speed - average conveying speed) for all the conveying speeds included in the variance calculation period. Then, the variance calculation unit 130 counts the number of conveying speeds included in the variance calculation period, and calculates the variance by substituting the number of the counted conveying speeds and the deviation into the above formula.

[0023] In this way, the variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of the transport speed included in each variance calculation period. For example, the variance calculation unit 130 may use several hours, several days, one week, one month, or several months as the variance calculation period. However, the variance calculation unit 130 is not limited to these, and may use a period calculated based on the material and frequency of use of the transport roller 310. In many cases, the deterioration of the transport roller 310 progresses over a certain period of time. Therefore, the variance calculation unit 130 may calculate the variance of the transport speed using a relatively long variance calculation period, such as one month or several months. The variance calculation unit 130 may calculate the variance in multiple variance calculation periods, not limited to one.

[0024] The malfunction determination unit 140 determines whether the transport roller 310 is malfunctioning based on the variance. Malfunction is not a state where the transport roller 310 is not working, but a state where performance or function is degraded. For example, in a normal state, the transport roller 310 transports the transported object 400 at a substantially constant transport speed. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a normal transport speed. Therefore, the variance of the transport speed is small. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the variance in a normal state.

[0025] However, for example, if a part of the outer circumference of the transport roller 310 is damaged, slippage occurs, and the rotation speed of the transport roller 310 becomes non-uniform. As a result, the transport speed of the transported object 400 is not constant and becomes non-uniform. Alternatively, if some of the transport rollers 310 are worn out and the diameter changes, slippage occurs in some of the transport rollers 310, and the rotation speed of the transport rollers 310 becomes non-uniform. As a result, the transport speed of the transported object 400 fluctuates. In this way, when the transport roller 310 deteriorates and the transport of the transported object 400 becomes malfunctioning, the variance of the transport speed becomes larger than that in normal times. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the variance during malfunction.

[0026] Therefore, the malfunction determination unit 140 determines whether the transport roller 310 is malfunctioning based on the variance of the transport speed. For example, the malfunction determination unit 140 may determine a malfunction when the variance value exceeds a variance threshold. Alternatively, the malfunction determination unit 140 may determine whether the variance value exceeds the variance threshold for each variance calculation period, count the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds the variance threshold, and determine a malfunction when the count number exceeds the count threshold.

[0027] However, fluctuations in the conveying speed may occur even during normal times. Therefore, even if a normal state continues, the count number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds the variance threshold may exceed the count threshold. Therefore, the malfunction determination unit 140 may count the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds the variance threshold for each period in which the count value is counted, and may determine that a malfunction has occurred when the count number exceeds the count threshold. Hereinafter, the period in which the variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds the variance threshold are counted is referred to as the "count period." The count period may be, for example, one day, one week, one month, half a year, or one year, but is not limited to these, and may be determined based on the frequency of use, etc.

[0028] The above explanation uses damage to a part of the outer circumference and deformation of the roller diameter as causes of malfunction of the transport roller 310. However, causes of malfunction of the transport roller 310 are not limited to these, and deterioration of the members, poor swelling, or adhesions can also be assumed.

[0029] The output unit 150 outputs the determination result when at least the transport roller 310 is determined to be malfunctioning. For example, when the output unit 150 determines that the transport roller 310 is malfunctioning, the output unit 150 may output a malfunction message such as "The transport roller 310 is malfunctioning. Please replace it" as the determination result to the display 350. Alternatively, the output unit 150 may output the determination result to another device (not shown). The determination result output by the output unit 150 and the output destination may be appropriately determined by a designer. The output unit 150 may also output the determination result when it is determined that the transport roller 310 is not malfunctioning.

[0030] In FIG. 2, the roller conveyance device 10 further includes a sensor 340, a display 350, and an insertion port 360.

[0031] The sensor 340 detects the presence or absence of the transported object 400. The sensor 340 is, for example, a proximity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a reflective photo sensor, but is not limited to these. In FIG. 3, the sensor 340 detects whether the transported object 400 is above the sensor 340. For example, when the leftmost sensor 340 detects the transported object 400 and the other sensors 340 do not detect the transported object 400, the transported object 400 is located above the leftmost sensor 340. In this manner, the position of the transported object 400 can be determined based on the detection result of the sensor 340. The output of the sensor 340 is used, for example, to control the operation of the motor 320. For example, the operation of the motor 320 may be controlled based on the position of the sensor 340 that detected the transported object 400.

[0032] The display 350 displays information related to the roller conveyance device 10. For example, when a malfunction of the conveyance roller 310 is detected, the display 350 displays that the conveyance roller 310 is malfunctioning. When a malfunction of the conveyance roller 310 is not detected, the display 350 may display that the conveyance roller 310 is not malfunctioning. The display 350 may display other information such as the conveyance state of the conveyed object 400, an error message, and an operation method. In FIG. 2, the display 350 is provided on the upper part of the roller conveyance device 10. However, the installation position of the display 350 is not limited to FIG. 2, and may be other positions such as the front of the roller conveyance device 10.

[0033] The insertion opening 360 is an opening used for inserting the article 400. The insertion opening 360 may also serve as a discharge opening for the article 400.

[0034] However, the roller conveyance device 10 may not include at least one of the sensor 340, the display 350, and the insertion port 360. For example, the roller conveyance device 10 may not include the display 350. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 may include a different number of configurations from those shown in FIG. 2 as these configurations. For example, the roller conveyance device 10 may include less than four sensors 340, or may include more than four sensors 340. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 may include a plurality of insertion ports 360. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 may include a different configuration from that shown in FIG. 2. For example, the roller conveyance device 10 may include a discharge port for the conveyed object 400 at a position different from the insertion port 360.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of the control unit 100 of the roller conveyance device 10. The rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110 acquires the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder 330 (step S201). The speed calculation unit 120 calculates the conveyance speed of the conveyed object 400 based on the rotational displacement amount (step S202). The variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of the conveyance speed (step S203). The malfunction determination unit 140 determines whether the conveyance roller 310 is malfunctioning based on the variance (step S204). The output unit 150 outputs the determination result when at least the conveyance roller 310 is determined to be malfunctioning (Yes in step S205) (step S206). When the conveyance roller 310 is not determined to be malfunctioning (No in step S205), the roller conveyance device 10 ends the operation. Alternatively, the roller conveyance device 10 may return to the operation of step S201.

[0036] The roller conveyance device 10 includes a motor 320, a conveyance roller 310 driven by the motor to convey an object 400, a rotary encoder 330 that measures a rotational displacement amount of the conveyance roller 310, and a control unit 100. The control unit 100 includes a rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110, a speed calculation unit 120, a variance calculation unit 130, a malfunction determination unit 140, and an output unit 150. The rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110 acquires the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder 330. The speed calculation unit 120 calculates the conveyance speed of the object 400 based on the rotational displacement amount. The variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of the conveyance speed. The malfunction determination unit 140 determines whether the conveyance roller 310 is malfunctioning based on the variance. The output unit 150 outputs a determination result when at least the conveyance roller 310 is determined to be malfunctioning. With this configuration, the roller conveyance device 10 outputs a malfunction state regarding the conveyance of the object 400. Because the roller conveyance device 10 determines and outputs a malfunction of the conveyance roller 310, the user can know the malfunction of the conveyance roller 310 without visually checking the conveyance roller 310. In this way, the roller conveyance device 10 can easily determine a malfunction state regarding the conveyance of the conveyed object.

[0037] <Modification> FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a roller conveyance device 11 which is a modified example. The roller conveyance device 11 identifies at least one of the conveyance roller 310 and the pair of conveyance rollers 310 which are actually conveying the conveyed object 400, and determines whether at least one of the identified conveyance roller 310 and the pair of conveyance rollers 310 is malfunctioning. The roller conveyance device 11 includes a control unit 101 instead of the control unit 100 in the configuration of the roller conveyance device 10. The control unit 101 includes a roller identification unit 160 in addition to the configuration of the control unit 100. In the control unit 101 of the roller conveyance device 11, the rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110 and the speed calculation unit 120 operate in the same manner as in the roller conveyance device 10, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0038] The roller specifying unit 160 specifies at least one of the conveying roller 310 and the pair of conveying rollers 310 that convey the conveyed object 400 based on the position of the conveying roller 310, the length of the conveyed object 400, and the conveyance amount of the conveyed object 400. The position of the conveying roller 310 is fixed. The length of the conveyed object 400 is determined in advance as a specification of the roller conveyance device 11. Therefore, the roller specifying unit 160 stores the position of the conveying roller 310 and the length of the conveyed object 400 in advance. For example, the manufacturer may set them in the roller specifying unit 160 at the time of shipment from the factory. Then, the roller specifying unit 160 calculates the conveyance amount of the conveyed object 400 based on the rotational displacement amount. For example, if the rotational displacement amount is an angle, the conveyance amount of the conveyed object 400 is "the outer periphery length of the conveying roller 310 x angle / 360". Then, the roller identifying unit 160 identifies at least one of the transport rollers 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 that transport the object 400 based on the transport amount, the position of the transport rollers 310, and the length of the object 400.

[0039] When the transported object 400 is inserted to the transport roller 310 closest to the insertion opening, the transport roller 310 starts transporting the transported object 400. Then, it is not the transport roller 310 but the user who inserts the transported object 400 to the transport roller 310 closest to the insertion opening. Therefore, in the following description, the position where the transported object 400 is inserted to the transport roller 310 closest to the insertion opening is set to "transport amount = 0". Then, for example, the transport roller 310 closest to the insertion opening transports the transported object 400 in a range where the transport amount is from "0" to "the length of the transported object 400". Then, for example, in a range where the transport amount is from "0" to "the length of the transported object 400", the roller identification unit 160 identifies the transport roller 310 closest to the insertion opening as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400. The other transport rollers 310 transport the object 400 in a range where the transport amount is from "the position of that transport roller 310" to "a position that is the length of the object 400 added to the position of that transport roller 310." In other words, for the other transport rollers 310 as well, the roller identification unit 160 can identify the transport roller 310 that transports the object 400 from the transport amount of the object 400, the position of the transport roller 310, and the length of the object 400. This relationship holds even when multiple transport rollers 310 are transporting the object 400 at the same time.

[0040] The operation of identifying the transport roller 310 in the roller identification unit 160 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the transport amount and the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 10, the transport rollers 310 are called transport roller A, transport roller B, and transport roller C from the left. Furthermore, for ease of understanding of the figure, the upper transport roller 310 is omitted. Then, the transport roller A, the transport roller B, and the transport roller C transport the transported object 400 inserted into the insertion port to the discharge port. The intervals between the transport rollers 310 are the same. Furthermore, the length of the transported object 400 is longer than the intervals between the transport rollers 310. In other words, there are cases where multiple transport rollers 310 transport the transported object 400.

[0041] When the transported object 400 is inserted through the insertion opening and the right end of the transported object 400 reaches the transport roller A, the transport roller A starts transporting the transported object 400. As described above, this position is set as the initial position of the transport amount (transport amount=0). In the following description, the right end of the transported object 400 is used as the position of the transported object 400.

[0042] (1) When the object 400 is inserted up to the initial position, the transport roller A starts transporting the object 400. Therefore, the roller identifying unit 160 identifies the transport roller A as the transport roller 310 that transports the object 400 at the initial position of the transport amount.

[0043] (2) When the transported object 400 is transported to the transport roller B, the pair of transport roller A and transport roller B transports the transported object 400. Therefore, the roller identification unit 160 identifies transport roller A as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400 when the transport amount is in the range from the "initial position" to the "position of transport roller B". Then, when the transport amount exceeds the "position of transport roller B", the roller identification unit 160 identifies the pair of transport roller A and transport roller B as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400.

[0044] (3) When the transported object 400 is further transported and the transport amount exceeds "the position of transport roller A plus the length of the transported object 400", transport roller A is no longer able to transport the transported object 400, and transport roller B transports the transported object 400 alone. Therefore, the roller identification unit 160 identifies the pair of transport roller A and transport roller B as the transport rollers 310 that transport the transported object 400 when the transport amount is in the range from "the position of transport roller B" to "the position of transport roller A plus the length of the transported object 400". Then, when the transport amount exceeds "the position of transport roller A plus the length of the transported object 400", the roller identification unit 160 identifies transport roller B as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400.

[0045] (4) When the transported object 400 is transported further and reaches transport roller C, the pair of transport rollers B and C transports the transported object 400. Therefore, the roller identification unit 160 identifies transport roller B as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400 when the transport amount is in the range from "the position of transport roller A plus the length of the transported object 400" to "the position of transport roller C". Then, when the transport amount exceeds "the position of transport roller C", the roller identification unit 160 identifies the pair of transport roller B and transport roller C as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400.

[0046] (5) When the transported object 400 is further transported and the transport amount exceeds "the position of transport roller B plus the length of the transported object 400", transport roller B is no longer able to transport the transported object 400, and transport roller C transports the transported object 400 alone. Therefore, the roller identification unit 160 identifies the pair of transport roller B and transport roller C as the transport rollers 310 that transport the transported object 400, when the transport amount is in the range from "the position of transport roller C" to "the position of transport roller B plus the length of the transported object 400". Then, when the transport amount exceeds "the position of transport roller B plus the length of the transported object 400", the roller identification unit 160 identifies transport roller C as the transport roller 310 that transports the transported object 400.

[0047] (6) When the transported object 400 is transported further, a part of the transported object 400 is discharged from the discharge port. Then, when the transported object 400 is transported further and the transport amount reaches "the position of the transport roller C plus the length of the transported object 400", the transport roller C can no longer transport the transported object 400. Therefore, the roller identification unit 160 identifies the transport roller C in the range where the transport amount ranges from "the position of the transport roller B plus the length of the transported object 400" to "the position of the transport roller C plus the length of the transported object 400". Then, when the transport amount reaches "the position of the transport roller C plus the length of the transported object 400", the roller identification unit 160 determines that there are no more transport rollers 310 transporting the transported object 400, and the transport of the transported object 400 has ended.

[0048] In this manner, the roller identifying unit 160 identifies at least one of the transport rollers 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 that transport the transported object 400, based on the transport amount.

[0049] However, the roller identification unit 160 may identify at least one of the transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 by referring to information from another sensor, without being limited to the transport amount calculated from the rotational displacement amount output by the rotary encoder 330. For example, the roller identification unit 160 may identify at least one of the transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 that transport the transported object 400 using the output of a sensor 340 that detects the transported object 400, such as the sensor 340 shown in FIG. 2. An example of the operation when the roller identification unit 160 uses the sensor 340 will be described. For convenience of explanation, the side from which the transported object 400 is transported relative to the transport roller 310 is called the upstream side, and the side from which the transported object 400 is transported relative to the transport roller 310 is called the downstream side.

[0050] The roller identification unit 160 may identify at least one of the transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 using the output of the sensor 340 on the side (upstream side) from which the transported object 400 is transported. For example, when the sensor 340 located on the upstream side detects the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the transport roller 310 downstream of the sensor 340 as the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400. Specifically, for example, when the sensor 340 on the left end of FIG. 2 detects the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the leftmost transport roller 310 as the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400. Alternatively, when the sensor 340 on the right of the leftmost sensor 340 detects the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the transport roller 310 on the right of the leftmost transport roller 310 as the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400. When the leftmost sensor 340 and the adjacent sensor 340 to the right detect the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the pair of the leftmost transport roller 310 and the adjacent transport roller 310 to the right as the transport rollers 310 transporting the transported object 400.

[0051] Alternatively, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400 by using the outputs of both the sensor 340 on the side from which the transported object 400 is transported (upstream side) and the sensor 340 on the side to which the transported object 400 is transported (downstream side). For example, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the transport roller 310 on which both the upstream sensor 340 and the downstream sensor 340 detect the transported object 400 as the transport roller transporting the transported object 400. Alternatively, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the transport roller 310 sandwiched between the upstream and downstream sensors 340 during the period from when the upstream sensor 340 detects the transported object 400 to when the downstream sensor 340 no longer detects the transported object 400. For example, during the period from when the leftmost sensor 340 detects the transported object 400 until the sensor 340 adjacent to the right stops detecting the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify the leftmost transport roller 310 as the transport roller 310 transporting the transported object 400. When three or more sensors 340 are detecting the transported object 400, the roller identification unit 160 may identify a set of multiple transport rollers 310 sandwiched between those sensors 340 as the transport rollers 310 transporting the transported object 400.

[0052] The variance calculation unit 130 calculates the variance of at least one of the identified transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310. For example, the variance calculation unit 130 may classify the transport speeds acquired from the speed calculation unit 120 into each transport roller 310 or each pair of transport rollers 310 identified by the roller identification unit 160, and calculate the variance for each classified transport speed.

[0053] The malfunction determination unit 140 determines a malfunction of at least one of the transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 based on the variance of at least one of the identified transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310. For example, it may be determined whether or not at least one of the transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 is malfunctioning based on the variance calculated by the variance calculation unit 130 for at least one of the identified transport roller 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310.

[0054] In this way, even when there are multiple transport rollers 310, roller transport device 11 identifies and outputs at least one of the transport rollers 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 that is malfunctioning. Therefore, the user can know at least one of the transport rollers 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 that is malfunctioning without having to check at least one of the transport rollers 310 and the pair of transport rollers 310 individually. In this way, roller transport device 11 makes it easy to determine whether a transport roller 310 is malfunctioning, even when there are multiple transport rollers 310.

[0055] <Hardware configuration> Next, the hardware configuration of the control units 100 and 101 will be described. Each component of the control units 100 and 101 may be configured by a hardware circuit. In the control units 100 and 101, a plurality of components may be configured by a single piece of hardware. Alternatively, the control units 100 and 101 may be realized as a computer having a processor, a memory, and an interface. The processor is, for example, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU). The memory is, for example, but is not limited to, a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The interface is, for example, but is not limited to, an input / output interface for connecting a bus to which the processor is connected to other components and a network interface for connecting the computer to an external network.

[0056] 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a computer 600 which is an example of a hardware configuration of the control units 100 and 101. The computer 600 includes a processor 610, a ROM 620, a RAM 630, a storage device 640, an input / output interface 650, and a network interface 660.

[0057] The processor 610 reads a program from at least one of the ROM 620 and the storage device 640. Then, the processor 610 controls the RAM 630, the storage device 640, the input / output interface 650, and the network interface 660 based on the read program. Then, the computer 600 including the processor 610 controls these configurations to realize the functions of the rotational displacement amount acquisition unit 110, the speed calculation unit 120, the variance calculation unit 130, the malfunction determination unit 140, the output unit 150, and the roller identification unit 160. In this way, the computer 600 may realize the functions as a combination of hardware and software.

[0058] The processor 610 may read a program contained in a recording medium 690 that stores a program in a computer-readable manner, using a recording medium reading device (not shown). Alternatively, the processor 610 may receive a program from a configuration (not shown) via the input / output interface 650, store the program in the RAM 630 or the storage device 640, and operate based on the stored program. Alternatively, the processor 610 may receive a program from another device via the network interface 660.

[0059] The ROM 620 stores programs and fixed data executed by the processor 610. The ROM 620 is, for example, a programmable ROM (P-ROM) or a flash ROM. The RAM 630 temporarily stores programs and data executed by the processor 610. The RAM 630 is, for example, a dynamic RAM (D-RAM). The storage device 640 stores data and programs that the computer 600 stores long-term. The storage device 640 may also operate as a temporary storage device for the processor 610. The storage device 640 is, for example, a hard disk device or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0060] The ROM 620 and the storage device 640 are non-volatile (non-transitory) recording media. On the other hand, the RAM 630 is a volatile (transitory) recording media. The processor 610 can operate based on the programs stored in the ROM 620, the storage device 640, and the RAM 630. In other words, the processor 610 can operate using either a non-volatile recording medium or a volatile recording medium. When implementing each function, the processor 610 may use at least one of the RAM 630 and the storage device 640 as a temporary storage medium for the programs and data.

[0061] The input / output interface 650 relays data exchange between the processor 610 and the rotary encoder 330. The input / output interface 650 may also relay data exchange between the processor 610 and the display 350. The input / output interface 650 is, for example, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card.

[0062] The network interface 660 relays data between the processor 610 and other devices. The network interface 660 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) card or a wireless LAN card.

[0063] The computer 600 configured in this manner executes the operations of the components in the control units 100 and 101 to realize the functions of the control units 100 and 101 .

[0064] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0065] (Appendix 1) A motor, A transport roller that is driven by a motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring the rotational displacement of the conveying roller; a rotational displacement amount acquiring means for acquiring a rotational displacement amount from a rotary encoder; a speed calculation means for calculating a conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the amount of rotational displacement; A variance calculation means for calculating the variance of the conveying speed; a malfunction determination means for determining whether or not the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; an output unit that outputs a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; A control means comprising: A roller conveying device comprising:

[0066] (Appendix 2) The variance calculation means calculates the variance of the transport speed included in each variance calculation period, The malfunction determination means determines that the motor is malfunctioning when the variance value exceeds a variance threshold value. 2. A roller conveying device as described in appendix 1.

[0067] (Appendix 3) the malfunction determination means counts the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold, and determines that the motor is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; 3. A roller conveying device as described in appendix 2.

[0068] (Appendix 4) the malfunction determination means counts the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold in each count period, and determines that the motor is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; 4. A roller conveying device as described in appendix 3.

[0069] (Appendix 5) the variance calculation means calculates, for each variance calculation period, an average transport speed from all transport speeds included in the variance calculation period, calculates a deviation of all transport speeds included in the variance calculation period, and calculates a variance from the number of transport speeds included in the variance calculation period and the deviation; 5. The roller transport device according to claim 2 .

[0070] (Appendix 6) The present invention further includes a roller identification unit that identifies at least one of a conveyance roller and a pair of conveyance rollers that convey the object based on a position of the conveyance roller, a length of the object, and a conveyance amount of the object, The variance calculation means calculates the variance of the transport speed of at least one of the identified transport roller and the pair of transport rollers; The malfunction determination means determines malfunction of at least one of the transport roller and the transport roller set based on the variance of at least one of the identified transport roller and the transport roller set. 6. A roller transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0071] (Appendix 7) The roller identification means calculates the transport amount of the transported object based on the rotational displacement amount. 7. The roller conveying device according to claim 6.

[0072] (Appendix 8) A sensor is provided to detect the transported object, The roller identification means identifies at least one of a transport roller and a pair of transport rollers that transport the transported object, using the output of the sensor. 8. The roller conveying device according to claim 6 or 7.

[0073] (Appendix 9) The roller identification means identifies at least one of the transport roller and the pair of transport rollers using an output from a sensor on the side where the transported object is transported. 9. The roller conveying device according to claim 8.

[0074] (Appendix 10) The roller identification means further identifies at least one of the transport roller and the pair of transport rollers by using an output of a sensor on the side where the transported object is transported. 10. The roller conveying device according to claim 9.

[0075] (Appendix 11) A motor, A transport roller that is driven by a motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring the rotational displacement of the conveying roller; A roller conveying device comprising: The amount of rotational displacement is obtained from the rotary encoder. Calculating the conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the amount of rotational displacement; Calculate the variance of the conveying speed, Determine whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; outputting a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; Roller transport method.

[0076] (Appendix 12) A motor, A transport roller that is driven by a motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring the rotational displacement of the conveying roller; A roller conveying device comprising: A process of acquiring a rotational displacement amount from a rotary encoder; A process of calculating a conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the rotational displacement amount; A process of calculating the variance of the conveying speed; A process of determining whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; a process of outputting a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; The roller transport program to be executed.

[0077] In addition, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 10 that are subordinate to Supplementary Note 1 (roller conveying device) described above may also be subordinate to Supplementary Note 11 (roller conveying method) and Supplementary Note 12 (roller conveying program) in the same subordinate relationship as Supplementary Note 2 to Supplementary Note 10. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Note 11, and Supplementary Note 12, various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems may also be subordinate to some or all of the configurations described as supplementary notes, within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0078] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0079] The roller transport device is not limited to cards and paper, but can be applied to any device that transports an object using rollers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 10 Roller conveyor 11 Roller conveyor 100 Control section 101 Control section 110 Rotational displacement acquisition unit 120 Speed ​​calculation section 130 Distributed calculation section 140 Malfunction Judgment Department 150 Output section 160 Roller Particulars 310 Transport roller 311 Shaft 312 Pulley 313 Gearbox 320 Motor 321 Shaft 322 Pulley 323 Belt 330 Rotary Encoder 331 Shaft 332 Pulley 340 Sensors 350 Display 360 Insertion port 400 Transported goods 600 Computers 610 Processor 620 ROM 630 RAM 640 Storage device 650 Input / Output Interface 660 Network Interface 690 Recording media

Claims

1. A motor, A transport roller that is driven by the motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring a rotational displacement of the conveying roller; a rotational displacement amount acquiring means for acquiring the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder; a speed calculation means for calculating a conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the rotational displacement amount; A variance calculation means for calculating the variance of the conveying speed; a malfunction determination means for determining whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; an output unit that outputs a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; A control means comprising: Equipped with the variance calculation means calculates the variance of the transport speed included in each variance calculation period, The malfunction determination means is If the dispersion value exceeds a dispersion threshold, the transport roller is determined to be malfunctioning; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold in each count period, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; Roller conveying device.

2. the variance calculation means calculates an average transport speed from all the transport speeds included in each of the variance calculation periods, calculates a deviation of all the transport speeds included in each of the variance calculation periods, and calculates the variance from the number of the transport speeds included in each of the variance calculation periods and the deviation. The roller transport device according to claim 1 .

3. a roller identification unit that identifies at least one of the transport roller and the pair of transport rollers that transport the object based on a position of the transport roller, a length of the object, and a transport amount of the object, The variance calculation means calculates the variance of the transport speed of at least one of the identified transport roller and the pair of transport rollers, The malfunction determination means determines a malfunction of at least one of the transport roller and the transport roller set based on the variance of at least one of the identified transport roller and the transport roller set. The roller transport device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The roller identification means calculates a transport amount of the transported object based on the rotational displacement amount. The roller transport device according to claim 3.

5. A sensor for detecting the transported object is provided. The roller identification unit uses an output from the sensor to identify at least one of the transport roller and the pair of transport rollers that transport the transported object. The roller transport device according to claim 3.

6. A motor, A transport roller that is driven by the motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring a rotational displacement of the conveying roller; A roller conveying device comprising: acquiring the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder; calculating a conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the rotational displacement amount; Calculate the variance of the conveying speed; determining whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; outputting a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; and Calculating the variance of the transport speed included in each variance calculation period; If the dispersion value exceeds a dispersion threshold, the transport roller is determined to be malfunctioning; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold in each count period, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; Roller transport method.

7. A motor, A transport roller that is driven by the motor to transport the object; a rotary encoder for measuring a rotational displacement of the conveying roller; A roller conveying device comprising: A process of acquiring the rotational displacement amount from the rotary encoder; A process of calculating a conveying speed of the conveyed object based on the rotational displacement amount; A process of calculating the variance of the conveying speed; A process of determining whether the transport roller is malfunctioning based on the variance; a process of outputting a determination result when it is determined that at least the transport roller is out of order; Run it, and then A process of calculating, for each variance calculation period, the variance of the transport speed included in the variance calculation period; a process of determining that the conveying roller is out of order when the variance value exceeds a variance threshold value; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; counting the number of variance calculation periods in which the variance value exceeds a variance threshold in each count period, and determining that the transport roller is malfunctioning when the count number exceeds the count threshold; A roller transport program that executes the above.

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