Carriage horizontal maintenance device for vertical looper

Abstract

To provide a carriage horizontal-attitude keeping device of a vertical type looper which can accurately perform horizontal attitude control of a carriage by using an image.SOLUTION: A vertical type looper 1 in which a band-like material 2 is wound alternately around a first roll 4 arrayed in a bottom frame 3 and a second roll 6 arrayed in a carriage 5 that is moved up / down by a chain 7, includes: an electric winch 13 which can adjust the hanging attitude of the carriage by the chain; a transparent water vessel 17 which is placed on the carriage and stores water W; an imaging device 18 which is provided on the carriage and captures an image containing at least the water vessel; an image processing unit 19 which identifies at least the water surface from the image taken by the imaging device; and a controller which operates the electric winch so that the carriage becomes the horizontal attitude on the basis of the water surface identified by the image processing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper that is capable of accurately controlling the horizontal position of the carriage by using an image. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 is known as a technology for controlling the attitude of a vertical looper in order to prevent the processing line from stopping in an apparatus for continuously processing strip-shaped materials such as metal strips. The "Method for measuring carriage horizontality in a vertical looper facility and method for correcting meandering of a steel strip" of Patent Document 1 aims to provide a method for measuring carriage horizontality that can accurately measure the horizontality of a looper carriage in a vertical looper facility installed in a continuous steel strip processing line such as a steel strip continuous annealing line, and a method for correcting meandering of a steel strip using the same, and measures the horizontality (abnormal amount of horizontality) of the looper carriage using an optical distance meter, measures the deviation (amount of meandering) of the steel strip, and if the amount of meandering exceeds the allowable range, changes the horizontality of the looper carriage within the allowable range so that the amount of meandering of the steel strip falls within the allowable range.

[0003] On the other hand, as a technique that can replace a range finder, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 use images.

[0004] The "method and device for measuring the sensitivity of a level gauge" in Patent Document 2 comprises a tilting table on which a level gauge equipped with a vial in which a liquid is sealed leaving a required air bubble is mounted, a mechanism for reading and image processing the position of the air bubble and the graduation line of the vial of the level gauge mounted on the tilting table, a tilting drive mechanism for tilting the tilting table on which the level gauge is mounted, a control mechanism for aligning the position of the air bubble with a specified graduation line of the vial, and a control and calculation device for optimally controlling the tilt angle by changing the tilt angle of the tilting table and measuring the time it takes for the air bubble to move to another graduation line of the mounted vial, and further comprises a temperature adjustment mechanism capable of arbitrarily adjusting the ambient temperature of the level gauge being measured.

[0005] The "non-contact electronic level" of Patent Document 3 comprises a light source, a horizontal bubble tube, a photosensitive element and an image processing unit, has a bubble inside the horizontal bubble tube and is positioned at a position where it can be exposed to light from the light source, the photosensitive element is positioned corresponding to the bubble in the horizontal bubble tube and is located at a fixed distance from the horizontal bubble tube so as to capture an image of the bubble in the horizontal bubble tube when it is exposed to the light source, and the image processing unit is electrically connected to the photosensitive element and converts the bubble image into an electronic horizontal signal by comparing the center of mass of the bubble image with a reference point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-223771 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-264275 [Patent Document 3] JP 2005-233952 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The optical distance meter in Patent Document 1 detects the inclination of the carriage by emitting laser light in the ascending and descending direction of the carriage and receiving the light reflected from the four corners of the ascending and descending carriage.

[0008] In Patent Document 1, the measurement distance is long, so adjustments are complicated and it is difficult to accurately measure the position of a suspended, moving carriage.

[0009] In addition, since the horizontality of the carriage is not directly measured, it is difficult to detect the inclination of the carriage.

[0010] This makes it difficult to correct the inclination of the carriage and maintain it in a horizontal position.

[0011] The technologies using images of air bubbles as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when applied to a vertical looper, had a problem in that the air bubble in the level meter sways during operation, making it difficult to accurately obtain images of the position of the air bubble, which is necessary for posture control.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVETION The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has as its object to provide a carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper that is capable of accurately controlling the horizontal position of the carriage by utilizing an image. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper of the present invention is a vertical looper in which a strip-shaped material is hung alternately around a first roll arranged on a bottom frame and a second roll arranged on a carriage that is raised and lowered by a hanging material, and is characterized in that it comprises an adjustment device capable of adjusting the hanging posture of the carriage by the hanging material, a transparent liquid container placed on the carriage and containing liquid, an imaging device provided on the carriage and capturing an image including at least the liquid container, an image processing device that identifies at least the liquid level of the liquid from the image captured by the imaging device, and a controller that operates the adjustment device so that the carriage is in a horizontal posture based on the liquid level identified by the image processing device.

[0014] The container wall of the liquid container is perpendicular to the carriage, the image processing unit identifies the container wall from the image captured by the photographing device, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level identified by the image processing unit and the container wall are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] The image of the liquid container captured by the photographing device includes the carriage on which the liquid container is placed, the image processing unit identifies the boundary between the liquid container and the carriage from the image captured by the photographing device, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level identified by the image processing unit and the boundary are parallel.

[0016] The image of the liquid container captured by the photographing device includes the carriage on which the liquid container is placed, and a pair of container walls of the liquid container that are spaced apart from each other and face each other are perpendicular to the carriage, the image processing unit identifies differences in the liquid level height on the carriage at each of the container walls from the image captured by the photographing device, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level heights at each of the container walls identified by the image processing unit are equal.

[0017] The liquid container is composed of two liquid column tube sections spaced apart from each other and a liquid passage section that connects these liquid column tube sections, two photographing devices are provided to capture images of each of the liquid column tube sections, and the images include the carriage on which the liquid container is placed, the image processing unit identifies the liquid level heights of each of the liquid column tube sections on the carriage from the images captured by the two photographing devices, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level heights of each of the liquid column tube sections identified by the image processing unit are equal.

[0018] The liquid container is composed of two liquid column tube sections spaced apart from each other and a liquid passage section that connects these liquid column tube sections, the photographing device photographs a single image of the two liquid column tube sections, the image processing section identifies the liquid level heights of each of the liquid column tube sections on the carriage from the image photographed by the photographing device, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level heights of each of the liquid column tube sections identified by the image recognition section are equal.

[0019] The photographing device photographs an image of the liquid container on the carriage in a horizontal state, the image processing unit identifies the liquid level in the horizontal state photographed by the photographing device and stores it in a memory unit as a memorized liquid level, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level photographed by the photographing device and identified by the image processing unit matches the memorized liquid level.

[0020] The liquid container is composed of two liquid column tube sections spaced apart from each other and a liquid passage section that connects these liquid column tube sections, the photographing device photographs a single image of the two liquid column tube sections, the image processing section identifies a horizontal liquid level from the image photographed by the photographing device when the carriage is in a horizontal state, and identifies a non-horizontal liquid level from the image photographed by the photographing device when the carriage is in a non-horizontal state, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the non-horizontal liquid level becomes the horizontal liquid level.

[0021] The photographing device photographs an image of the liquid container on the carriage in a horizontal state, the image processing unit identifies the horizontal liquid level from the image photographed by the photographing device when the carriage is in a horizontal state, and identifies the non-horizontal liquid level from the image photographed by the photographing device when the carriage is in a non-horizontal state, and the controller operates the adjustment device so that the non-horizontal liquid level becomes the horizontal liquid level. Effect of the Invention

[0022] In the carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to the present invention, the horizontal attitude of the carriage can be accurately controlled by utilizing an image. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing an example of a vertical looper equipped with a carriage horizontality maintaining device for a vertical looper according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing a ceiling portion of the vertical looper shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carriage horizontal maintenance device of a vertical looper according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 6A to 6C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of a modified example of the carriage horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carriage horizontal maintenance device of a vertical looper according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carriage horizontal maintenance device of a vertical looper according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modified example of the carriage horizontal maintenance device of the vertical looper according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carriage horizontal maintenance device of a vertical looper according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a carriage horizontal maintenance device of a vertical looper according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 12 when the carriage is horizontal. [Figure 14] 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 13 when the carriage is not horizontal. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modified example of the carriage horizontal maintenance device for the vertical looper according to the fifth embodiment, which explains the operation when the carriage is horizontal. [Figure 16] 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the modified example shown in FIG. 15 when the carriage is not horizontal. FIG. [Figure 17]1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case where the carriage horizontal maintenance device of the vertical looper according to the present invention is used to control the longitudinal inclination of the carriage. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a carriage horizontal maintaining device for a vertical looper according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] First, a vertical looper 1 to which a carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to the present invention is applied will be outlined with reference to FIGS.

[0026] The vertical loopers 1 are installed at the entrance and exit of a processing line for a band-shaped material 2 such as a metal strip.

[0027] As is well known in the art, the vertical looper 1 comprises a plurality of lower rolls 4 which are rotatably supported on a bottom frame 3 and arranged in a row on the bottom frame 3, and a plurality of upper rolls 6 which are rotatably supported below a carriage 5 above the bottom frame 3 and arranged in a row on the carriage 5.

[0028] The strip material 2 is alternately wrapped around the lower roll 4 and the upper roll 6 in the direction in which the rolls 4, 6 are arranged, and the distance between the upper roll 6 and the lower roll 4 is adjusted by raising and lowering the carriage 5 relative to the bottom frame 3.This makes it possible to accelerate or decelerate the feed speed of the strip material 2 or stop it at the entrance and exit sides while accumulating the strip material 2 without stopping the processing line, and by keeping the carriage 5 horizontal, major problems such as the strip material 2 meandering or falling off the rolls 4, 6 are prevented.

[0029] Both the carriage 5 and the bottom frame 3 are formed in a long and narrow rectangular shape in a plan view. The carriage 5 has an upper surface 5a formed as a flat surface, and is suspended at its four corners by four chains 7 that serve as suspenders.

[0030] The chain 7 is lowered from a ceiling 10 of a three-dimensional frame 9 that constitutes the vertical looper 1. The three-dimensional frame 9 is configured so as to surround the carriage 5 and the bottom frame 3, and is supported near the four corners of the ceiling 10 by four supports 11, and is assembled on a machine base 12 on which the bottom frame 3 is installed.

[0031] The plurality of upper rolls 6 and lower rolls 4 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 5 and the bottom frame 3 .

[0032] The upper rolls 6 and the lower rolls 4 are supported by shafts arranged along the width direction of the carriage 5 and the bottom frame 3.

[0033] The lifting mechanism that moves the carriage 5 up and down is provided in the center of the ceiling portion 10 and is composed of four electric winches 13 that reel in and reel out the chains 7 that suspend the carriage 5, a guide sprocket 14 provided on the ceiling portion 10 to guide the reeling out and reeling of each chain 7, and a controller 15 that performs drive control to operate each electric winch 13.

[0034] The electric winch 13 functions as an adjustment device that adjusts the amount of payout and take-up of the multiple chains 7, thereby enabling control of the suspension posture of the carriage 5 by the chains 7. The location where the controller 15 is installed is not limited to on the carriage 5.

[0035] The suspending member may be a wire rope, etc. In the case where the suspending member is a wire rope, a pulley is used instead of the guide sprocket 14.

[0036] In the vertical looper 1, a plurality of upper rolls 6 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 5, and the shafts supporting the upper rolls 6 are oriented in the width direction of the carriage 5. Therefore, if the carriage 5 is tilted in the width direction, the strip material 2 will meander.

[0037] It is important to maintain the carriage 5 in a horizontal position so that the carriage 5 does not tilt in its width direction.

[0038] For this reason, as a configuration for maintaining the carriage 5 in a horizontal position, a tilt detection device 16 that sends the detection result of the tilt of the carriage 5 to the controller 15 is provided.

[0039] The lifting mechanism, for example, is controlled by the controller 15 to rotate each electric winch 13 in the forward direction, thereby reeling out the chain 7 and lowering the carriage 5, and to rotate each electric winch 13 in the reverse direction, thereby winding up the chain 7 and raising the carriage 5.

[0040] The inclination detection device 16 is configured to detect the inclination in the width direction of the carriage 5 along which the axis of the upper roll 6 is aligned.

[0041] The tilt detection device 16 includes a transparent liquid container 17 that is mounted on the carriage 5 and that contains a liquid, an image capture device 18 that is mounted on the carriage 5 and that captures an image including at least the liquid container 17, and an image processing unit 19 that identifies at least the liquid surface from the image captured by the image capture device 18. The image capture device 18 and the image processing unit 19 may be configured as one unit.

[0042] Then, the controller 15 operates each electric winch 13 based on the liquid level identified by the image processing unit 19 so that the carriage 5 is in a horizontal position.

[0043] In the following description, a case will be described in which water W is used as the liquid, a water container 17 is used as the liquid container, and the liquid surface is a water surface S.

[0044] Water W is easy to handle and provides excellent maintenance of the water container 17. However, the liquid is not limited to water W, and may be any other liquid such as oil.

[0045] First Embodiment The water container 17 and the imaging device 18 of the tilt detection device 16 of the first embodiment are shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a) is a plan view of the carriage 5 seen from above, and Fig. 3(b) is a side view of the carriage 5 seen from the width direction.

[0046] The water container 17 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a bottom 17e closed and four sides surrounded by container walls 17a to 17d made of transparent glass, plastic, etc. The top of the water container 17 is preferably closeable to prevent water from evaporating, but may be open.

[0047] Although not shown, the water level may be measured by a sensor to keep the water surface height constant, or a pipe for refilling the water may be connected to the water container 17.

[0048] The container walls 17a to 17d are disposed perpendicular to the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5. The water container 17 is provided in approximately the center of the carriage 5.

[0049] It should be noted that "perpendicular" does not necessarily have to be exactly 90°, but as described above, an error is allowed to the extent that it is possible to prevent the strip 2 from meandering or falling off the rolls 4, 6.

[0050] The water container 17 has a pair of container walls 17a, 17b that face each other in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 5 and are provided in parallel along the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0051] The image capturing device 18 is provided facing the water container 17 from one side in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 5 relative to the water container 17 .

[0052] The image capturing device 18 captures an image of the entire water container 17 and the water surface S of the water W stored in the water container 17.

[0053] The captured images are sequentially transferred to an image processing unit 19 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) at a predetermined cycle.

[0054] From the image transferred from the photographing device 18, the image processing unit 19 uses image processing to identify the water surface S at the position of the container wall 17a of the water container 17 on the photographing device 18 side, that is, the line indicating the boundary between the water W and the space above it (the waterline as it is called on a ship: the same applies below) L1, as shown in Figure 4, and the container walls 17c, 17d of the water container 17 that face each other in the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0055] The image processor 19 further performs calculations to determine the angle α between the line L1 indicating the water surface S and the container walls 17c and 17d.

[0056] As shown in Figure 4(a), if the angle α between the water surface S (line L1), which is always kept horizontal, and the container wall portions 17c, 17d, which are perpendicular to the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, is a right angle, then the carriage 5 is detected to be in a horizontal state.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4(b), if the angle α is not a right angle, it is detected that the carriage 5 is not in a horizontal state.

[0058] Note that the "right angle" does not have to be strictly 90°, but as described above, an error is allowed to the extent that the meandering of the strip 2 or the dropping off of the rolls 4, 6 can be prevented.

[0059] That is, the image processing unit 19 identifies the water surface S and the container walls 17c, 17d from the image captured by the photographing device 18, and the controller 15 operates the electric winch 13 so that the water surface S identified by the image processing unit 19 and the container walls 17c, 17d are perpendicular to each other.

[0060] In detail, the detection results are transferred to the controller 15, and the controller 15 adjusts the amount of chain 7 paid out or wound up by the four electric winches 13 based on the transferred detection results while the carriage 5 is rising and falling.

[0061] At this time, the two electric winches 13 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 5 are operated in synchronization.

[0062] Images are sequentially transferred from the photographing device 18 to the image processing unit 19, which sequentially detects the inclination of the carriage 5, and the controller 15 sequentially adjusts the amount of chain 7 being paid out or wound up by each electric winch 13 based on the detected results.

[0063] The controller 15 executes feedback control on the attitude of the carriage 5. Of course, feedforward control may also be executed.

[0064] According to the carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper 1 using the tilt detection device 16 of the first embodiment, the line L1 indicating the water surface S of the water W stored in the water container 17 mounted on the carriage 5 is always horizontal, so that the tilt of the carriage 5 relative to the horizontal can be detected by identifying the water surface S and the container walls 17c, 17d in the image captured by the photographing device 18.

[0065] In the image captured by the image capture device 18, the container walls 17c and 17d perpendicular to the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 are perpendicular to the water surface S if the carriage 5 is horizontal.

[0066] The tilt detection device 16 can accurately detect the tilt of the carriage 5 based on the angle α formed between the container walls 17c, 17d and the water surface S.

[0067] The controller 15 adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 based on the accurately detected inclination of the carriage 5 so that the position of the carriage 5 is horizontal, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0068] For example, when the carriage 5 is tilted so that the left side is lower when viewed from the photographing device 18 side, the controller 15 makes the winding speed of the electric winch 13 on the left side faster than the winding speed of the electric winch 13 on the right side when the carriage 5 is rising.

[0069] On the other hand, when the carriage 5 is descending, the payout speed of the left electric winch 13 is set to be slower than the payout speed of the right electric winch 13.

[0070] The control of these electric winches 13 is executed by a controller 15.

[0071] A modified example of the first embodiment is shown in Fig. 5. In the first embodiment, the water surface S (line L1 indicating the boundary between the water W and the space above) in the container wall 17a of the water container 17 and the container walls 17c, 17d of the water container 17 facing each other in the width direction of the carriage 5 are identified by image processing, and the angle α is calculated.

[0072] In this modification, instead of the container walls 17c and 17d, the boundary between the water container 17 and the carriage 5 on which the water container 17 is placed is utilized.

[0073] Therefore, in this modified example, the image of the water container 17 captured by the image capture device 18 includes the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 on which the water container 17 is placed.

[0074] The image processing unit 19 identifies the water surface S (line L1) and the line B1 that is the boundary between the water container 17 and the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 from the image captured by the imaging device 18 through image processing.

[0075] The image processor 19 further performs calculations to determine the parallelism between the line L1 indicating the water surface S and the line B1 indicating the boundary.

[0076] The controller 15 operates the electric winch 13 so that the line L1 (water surface S) identified by the image processor 19 and the line B1 (the boundary between the water container 17 and the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5) become parallel.

[0077] According to the carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper 1 using this modified tilt detection device 16, the line L1 indicating the water surface S of the water W stored in the water container 17 mounted on the carriage 5 is always horizontal, so that the tilt of the carriage 5 relative to the horizontal can be detected by identifying the water surface S (L1) and the boundary (B1) in the image captured by the photographing device 18.

[0078] In the image captured by the imaging device 18, the boundary (B1) between the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 and the water container 17 is always parallel to the horizontal water surface S as shown in Fig. 5(a) if the carriage 5 is horizontal. If the carriage 5 is not horizontal, the boundary (B1) will be inclined with respect to the water surface S as shown in Fig. 5(b).

[0079] The tilt detection device 16 can accurately detect the tilt of the carriage 5 based on the parallelism between the boundary (B1) and the water surface S (L1).

[0080] The controller 15 adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 based on the accurately detected inclination of the carriage 5 so that the position of the carriage 5 is horizontal, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0081] In this way, in the first embodiment, the horizontal attitude of the carriage 5 can be accurately controlled by utilizing an image.

[0082] <Second embodiment> As shown in FIG. 6, in the tilt detection device 16 of the second embodiment, a water container 17 is provided on the carriage 5, and two image capture devices 18 are provided facing the water container 17 from both sides of the carriage 5 in the width direction.

[0083] FIG. 6(a) is a plan view of the carriage 5 as seen from above, and FIG. 6(b) is a side view of the carriage 5 as seen from the longitudinal direction.

[0084] Each of these image capturing devices 18 captures an image including the water container 17. The image of the water container 17 captured by the image capturing devices 18 includes the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 on which the water container 17 is placed.

[0085] The water container 17 is arranged so that at least a pair of container walls 17a-17d facing each other with a gap between them, specifically, a pair of container walls 17c, 17d facing each other in the width direction of the carriage 5, i.e., a pair of container walls 17c, 17d photographed by the photographing device 18, are perpendicular to the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5.

[0086] Each of the photographing devices 18 photographs the water container 17 from both sides in the width direction of the carriage 5 so as to include the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, and transfers the images to the image processing unit 19 sequentially at a predetermined cycle.

[0087] The image processor 19 identifies the difference between the heights H1, H2 of the water surface S above the carriage 5 at the respective container walls 17c, 17d from the transferred images.

[0088] Specifically, from line L1 indicating the water surface S in container walls 17c, 17d of the water container 17 and line B1 which is the boundary between the water container 17 and the top surface 5a of the carriage 5, the difference H1, H2 in height of the water surface S on the carriage 5 in each of container walls 17c, 17d is identified, more specifically, which height H1, H2 is higher and which height H1, H2 is lower.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the carriage 5 is in a horizontal state, the heights H1 and H2 from the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 to the line L1 indicating the water surface S on the container walls 17c and 17d are equal.

[0090] On the other hand, if the carriage 5 is not horizontal, as shown in Figure 7(b), there will be a difference in heights H1, H2 from the top surface 5a of the carriage 5 to the line L1 indicating the water surface S in the container walls 17c, 17d, and as a result, the inclination of the carriage 5 can be detected from the captured image.

[0091] The controller 15 operates the electric winch 13 so that the heights of the water surfaces S at the container walls 17c, 17d identified by the image processor 19 become equal.

[0092] Specifically, the controller 15 adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 so that the carriage 5 is successively positioned horizontally based on the detected inclination of the carriage 5, in the illustrated example, by raising the container wall 17c side where the water surface S is higher and lowering the container wall 17d side where the water surface S is lower, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0093] It goes without saying that the second embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0094] <Third embodiment> The tilt detection device 16 of the third embodiment is shown in Figure 8. Figure 8(a) is a plan view of the carriage 5 as seen from above, and Figure 8(b) is a side view of the carriage 5 as seen from the longitudinal direction.

[0095] In the third embodiment, the water container 17 is composed of two liquid column pipe sections 20a (hereinafter referred to as water column pipe sections) arranged at a distance from each other in the width direction of the carriage 5, and a liquid passing section 20b (hereinafter referred to as water passing section) that is provided by connecting the lower ends of these two water column pipe sections 20a and communicates between the water column pipe sections 20a.

[0096] The water column pipe section 20a is formed in a rectangular tube shape with its four sides surrounded by container walls made of transparent glass, plastic or the like, similar to the water container 17 of the first and second embodiments.

[0097] The water column pipe portion 20a is disposed so as to be perpendicular to the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5. The water container 17 is disposed so that the water passage portion 20b is parallel to the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0098] Two camera devices 18 are installed facing each water column pipe section 20a in order to photograph each water column pipe section 20a including the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 on which the water container 17 is placed. There are no limitations on the placement of the camera devices 18 as long as the height of each water column pipe section 20a can be recognized.

[0099] Each photographing device 18 photographs each water column pipe section 20a so as to include the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, and transfers the images to the image processing section 19 sequentially at a predetermined cycle.

[0100] The image processing unit 19 identifies the heights H3, H4 of the water surface S of each of the two water column pipe portions 20a on the carriage 5 from the images captured by the two imaging devices 18.

[0101] That is, as in the second embodiment, the image processing unit 19 identifies from the transferred image a line L1 indicating the water surface S in each water column pipe section 20a and a line B1 which is the boundary between the water container 17 and the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5.

[0102] When the carriage 5 is in a horizontal state, the heights H3, H4 from the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5 to the line L1 indicating the water surface S are equal in each water column pipe portion 20a.

[0103] On the other hand, when the carriage 5 is not horizontal, as shown in FIG. 9, a difference occurs in the heights H3, H4 from the top surface 5a of the carriage 5 to the line L1 indicating the water surface S in each water column pipe section 20a, and the inclination of the carriage 5 is detected.

[0104] The controller 15 operates the electric winch 13 so that the heights H3, H4 of the water surface S of each water column pipe section 20a identified by the image processing section 19 become equal.

[0105] Specifically, the controller 15 adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 sequentially based on the detected inclination of the carriage 5 so that the posture of the carriage 5 is horizontal, as in the second embodiment, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0106] It goes without saying that the third embodiment also provides the same effects as the first and second embodiments.

[0107] A modified example of the third embodiment is shown in Fig. 10. In the third embodiment, the case where the two water column pipe sections 20a of the water container 17 are photographed by the two photographing devices 18, respectively, has been described.

[0108] In this modified example, a wide-angle imaging device 18 is used that captures two water column pipe sections 20a into a single image.

[0109] The photographing device 18 is provided at approximately the center of the carriage 5 in the width direction with respect to the water container 17 and from one side of the carriage 5 in the longitudinal direction toward the water container 17 .

[0110] The photographing device 18 sequentially transfers a single image of both of the two water column pipe sections 20a, including the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, to the image processing section 19 at a predetermined cycle.

[0111] The image processing unit 19 identifies from the transferred image a line L1 indicating the water surface S in each water column pipe section 20a and a line B1 which is the boundary between the water container 17 and the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, and detects the inclination of the carriage 5.

[0112] The controller 15 sequentially adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 so that the position of the carriage 5 is horizontal based on the inclination of the carriage 5 detected by the image processing unit 19, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0113] Needless to say, this modified example also provides the same effects as the third embodiment.

[0114] <Fourth embodiment> A tilt detection device 16 of the fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. 11, and is provided with the same water container 17 as in the third embodiment, in the same arrangement.

[0115] FIG. 11(a) is a side view of the carriage 5 as viewed from the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 11(b) is a plan view of the carriage 5 as viewed from above.

[0116] Two image capturing devices 18 are provided on both sides of the carriage 5 in the width direction toward each water column pipe portion 20a.

[0117] Each image capturing device 18 sequentially transfers images of each water column pipe section 20a at a predetermined cycle to the image processing section 19. In the fourth embodiment, the image of the water container 17 does not include the carriage 5.

[0118] The image processing unit 19 identifies a line L1 indicating the water surface S in each water column pipe portion 20a from the transferred image.

[0119] In particular, in the fourth embodiment, after the carriage 5 is brought to a horizontal, stationary state in advance using a spirit level or the like, the photographing device 18 captures an image of only the water container 17 on the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5, and the image processing unit 19 identifies the water surface S (L1) in the horizontal state photographed by the photographing device 18, and stores the vertical position of the water surface S appearing in the image (not the height from the upper surface 5a of the carriage 5) in the memory unit 19a (see Figure 2) as the memorized water surface.

[0120] The controller 15 operates the electric winch 13 so that the water surface S photographed by the photographing device 18 and identified by the image processing unit 19 coincides with the stored water surface.

[0121] That is, the image processing unit 19 is provided with a memory unit 19a, and the memory unit 19a pre-stores information on the vertical position of the water surface S identified from the images of each water column pipe section 20a photographed by each photographing device 18 when the carriage 5 is in a horizontal position.

[0122] While the vertical looper 1 is operating, the image processing unit 19 identifies a line L1 indicating the water surface S of each water column pipe section 20a from the images sequentially transferred from the photographing device 18 at a predetermined period, and compares it with the stored water surface position information stored in the memory unit 19a, thereby detecting the inclination of the carriage 5.

[0123] The controller 15 sequentially adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 so that the position of the carriage 5 is horizontal based on the inclination of the carriage 5 detected by the image processing unit 19, thereby ensuring that the carriage 5 is maintained in a horizontal state.

[0124] In the first to third embodiments, the accuracy of attachment and installation of the water container 17 on the carriage top surface 5a affects the accuracy of tilt detection, but in the fourth embodiment, the carriage 5 is first placed in a horizontal, stationary position using a spirit level or the like, and then the stored water level identified by the image processing unit 19 from an image of the water container 17 placed on the carriage 5 taken by the photographing device 18 is stored in the memory unit 19a.

[0125] For this reason, in the fourth embodiment, the accuracy of attachment and installation of the water container 17 on the carriage upper surface 5a does not affect the accuracy of detection of the inclination, and the inclination can be detected with high accuracy.

[0126] It goes without saying that the fourth embodiment also provides the same effects as the first to third embodiments.

[0127] <Fifth embodiment> A tilt detection device 16 of the fifth embodiment is shown in FIG. 12, and is provided with the same water container 17 as in the fourth embodiment in the same arrangement.

[0128] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the imaging device 18 is provided at a position on one side of the arrangement direction of the two water column pipe sections 20a in order to capture a single image of the two water column pipe sections 20a.

[0129] Figure 13 shows the carriage 5 when it is horizontal, with Figure 13(a) being a side view of the carriage 5 seen from the longitudinal direction, and Figure 13(b) being a side view of the water container 17 seen from the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0130] Figure 14 shows the carriage 5 when it is not horizontal, with Figure 14(a) being a side view of the carriage 5 seen from the longitudinal direction, and Figure 14(b) being a side view of the water container 17 seen from the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0131] In the illustrated example, the imaging device 18 is disposed on one side of the water container 17 in the width direction of the carriage 5 so that the two water column pipe portions 20a appear overlapped.

[0132] When the carriage 5 is in a horizontal state, as shown in FIG. 13, the image capturing device 18 captures an image in which the lines L1, L2 indicating the water surfaces S1, S2 of the two water column pipe portions 20a overlap to form a single line.

[0133] On the other hand, when the carriage 5 is not in a horizontal state, as shown in FIG. 14, the image capturing device 18 captures an image in which two lines L1, L2 indicating the water surfaces S1, S2 of each water column pipe portion 20a are shown.

[0134] These images are identified by the image processor 19, whereby the inclination of the carriage 5 is detected.

[0135] Specifically, the image processing unit 19 identifies the horizontal water surface where the water surfaces S1, S2 overlap from the image captured by the photographing device 18 when the carriage 5 is in a horizontal state, and identifies the non-horizontal water surface where the two water surfaces S1, S2 appear from the image captured by the photographing device 18 when the carriage 5 is in a non-horizontal state.

[0136] The controller 15 sequentially adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 so that the non-horizontal water surface, where the positions of the water surfaces S1, S2 are misaligned, becomes a horizontal water surface where the positions of the water surfaces S1, S2 are aligned, i.e., so that the posture of the carriage 5 becomes horizontal, thereby reliably maintaining the carriage 5 in a horizontal state.

[0137] In the fifth embodiment, the tilt detection device 16 is set so as to obtain an image in which the water surfaces S1, S2 of the water column pipe section 20a coincide with each other when the carriage 5 is stationary and horizontal. As in the fourth embodiment, the mounting accuracy and installation accuracy of the water container 17 on the carriage top surface 5a does not affect the tilt detection accuracy, and the tilt can be detected with high accuracy.

[0138] It goes without saying that the fifth embodiment also provides the same effects as the first to fourth embodiments.

[0139] A modified example of the fifth embodiment is shown in Figures 15 and 16. In the fifth embodiment, a case has been described in which a water container 17 having two water column pipe sections 20a arranged in the width direction of the carriage 5 is photographed by the photographing device 18. This modified example is a case in which the rectangular parallelepiped water container 17 described in the first embodiment is photographed by the photographing device 18.

[0140] Figure 15 shows the carriage 5 when it is horizontal, with Figure 15(a) being a side view of the carriage 5 seen from the longitudinal direction, and Figure 15(b) being a side view of the water container 17 seen from the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0141] Figure 16 shows the carriage 5 when it is not horizontal, with Figure 16(a) being a side view of the carriage 5 seen from the longitudinal direction, and Figure 16(b) being a side view of the water container 17 seen from the width direction of the carriage 5.

[0142] The photographing device 18 is disposed so as to photograph the water container 17 from the width direction of the carriage 5 .

[0143] When the carriage 5 is in a horizontal state, as shown in FIG. 15, the lines (waterlines) L1, L2 indicating the water surface S of the water W in the water container 17 are photographed by the photographing device 18 in an image in which they overlap to form a single line.

[0144] On the other hand, when the carriage 5 is not in a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 16, the photographing device 18 captures an image showing two lines L1 and L2 indicating the water surface S on the container wall 17a closer to the photographing device 18 and the container wall 17b farther away.

[0145] These images are identified by the image processing unit 19, and as in the fifth embodiment described above, the inclination of the carriage 5 is detected.The controller 15 then sequentially adjusts the operation of the four electric winches 13 so that the position of the carriage 5 is horizontal (so that the lines L1 and L2 indicating the water surface overlap), thereby reliably maintaining the carriage 5 in a horizontal position.

[0146] Needless to say, this modified example also provides the same effects as the fifth embodiment.

[0147] In the above embodiments, examples have been described of detecting the widthwise inclination of the carriage 5, which is likely to affect the meandering of the strip material 2. However, for example, as shown in Figure 17, the position of the water container 17 and the photographing device 18 in the first embodiment can be rotated 90 degrees on the carriage 5 to detect the longitudinal inclination of the carriage 5.

[0148] When controlling the inclination of the carriage 5 in the longitudinal direction, the two electric winches 13 arranged side by side in the width direction of the carriage 5 are operated in synchronization.

[0149] It is also possible to simultaneously control both the widthwise and longitudinal inclinations of the carriage 5. In this case, the four electric winches 13 may be individually controlled in operation.

[0150] The camera 18 and image processor 19 used in the tilt detection device described in the above embodiment, as well as the controller 15 which controls the electric winch 13, can monitor the position of the strip material 2 by using the camera 18 to photograph the edge of the strip material 2 and having the image processor 19 identify the edge, and if a deviation occurs, the controller 15 can operate the electric winch 13 to automatically adjust the posture of the carriage 5, which can also be used to correct the meandering of the strip material 2.

[0151] The above-mentioned embodiment is for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0152] 1 Vertical looper 2 Strip material 3 Bottom Frame 4 Lower roll 5 Carriage 5a Top of the carriage 6 Upper roll 7 Chain 9. 3D Frame 10 Ceiling 11 Posts 12 machines 13 Electric winch 14 Guide sprocket 15 Controller 16 Tilt detection device 17 water container 17a~17d Container wall 17e bottom 18 Imaging Equipment 19 Image processing section 19a Storage section 20a Water column pipe section 20b Water flow section B1 The boundary line between the water container and the top surface of the carriage H1~H4 Water surface height L1, L2 Lines showing the water surface α angle S Water surface W Water

Claims

1. A vertical looper in which a strip-shaped material is alternately wound around a first roll arranged on a bottom frame and a second roll arranged on a carriage that is lifted and lowered by a hanging member, an adjustment device capable of adjusting a suspension posture of the carriage by the suspension member; a transparent liquid container placed on the carriage and containing a liquid; an image capturing device provided on the carriage for capturing an image including at least the liquid container from both a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the carriage; an image processing unit that identifies at least the liquid surface of the liquid from the image captured by the imaging device; and a controller that operates the adjustment device to control both the widthwise and longitudinal inclinations of the carriage based on the liquid level identified by the image processing unit so that the carriage is in a horizontal position.

2. a container wall of the liquid container is perpendicular to the carriage; The image processing unit identifies the container wall portion from the image captured by the imaging device, 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level identified by the image processing unit and the container wall are perpendicular to each other.

3. the image of the liquid container captured by the imaging device includes the carriage on which the liquid container is placed; the image processing unit identifies a boundary between the liquid container and the carriage from the image captured by the imaging device; 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level identified by the image processing unit and the boundary become parallel.

4. the image of the liquid container captured by the imaging device includes the carriage on which the liquid container is placed; a pair of container walls of the liquid container that face each other with a space therebetween are perpendicular to the carriage; the image processing unit identifies a difference in height of the liquid surface on the carriage at each of the container walls from the images captured by the imaging device; 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level at each of the container walls identified by the image processing unit becomes equal.

5. the liquid container is composed of two liquid column tube sections spaced apart from each other and a liquid passage section that communicates these liquid column tube sections; Two imaging devices are provided to capture images of each of the liquid column tube sections, the image includes the carriage on which the liquid container rests; the image processing unit identifies the height of each of the liquid levels of the liquid column pipe portions on the carriage from the images captured by the two image capturing devices; 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level of each of the liquid column pipe sections identified by the image processing section becomes equal.

6. the liquid container is composed of two liquid column tube sections spaced apart from each other and a liquid passage section that communicates these liquid column tube sections; The imaging device captures a single image of the two liquid column portions, the image processing unit identifies the height of each of the liquid levels of the liquid column pipe portions on the carriage from the image captured by the imaging device; 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level of each of the liquid column pipe sections identified by the image processing section becomes equal.

7. the image capture device captures an image of the liquid container on the carriage in a horizontal position; The image processing unit identifies the liquid level in a horizontal state photographed by the photographing device and stores it in the memory unit as a stored liquid level, The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper as described in claim 1, characterized in that the controller operates the adjustment device so that the liquid level photographed by the photographing device and identified by the image processing unit coincides with the stored liquid level.

8. the image capture device captures an image of the liquid container on the carriage in a horizontal position; the image processing unit identifies a horizontal liquid level from the image captured by the image capture device when the carriage is in a horizontal state, and identifies a non-horizontal liquid level from the image captured by the image capture device when the carriage is in a non-horizontal state; 2. The carriage horizontal maintenance device for a vertical looper according to claim 1, wherein said controller operates said adjustment device so that said non-horizontal liquid level becomes said horizontal liquid level.

Images