Inspection device and inspection method for air vents

Abstract

To provide an inspection device and an inspection method for an air control port that can accurately correct the misalignment of a hood with respect to the air control port even after a travel part of the inspection device for an air control port for air conditioning is positioned directly under the air control port.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 for an air control port Op comprises: a measurement section 2 having a hood 21 having an upper opening 20 larger than the air control port and a sensor 22 arranged inside the hood; an elevation part 3 supporting the measurement section in an elevating and lowering manner; a traveling part 4 capable of traveling to a position directly below the air control port; and an XY moving part 5 capable of moving the measurement section in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction which are mutually perpendicular in a horizontal plane; an imaging part 6 arranged on a center line Cl in the hood and taking an image Im of the air control port through the upper opening of the hood; and a control part 7 calculating misalignment amounts Xc and Yc in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction between a center 21c of the hood and a center Oc of the air control port from the image taken by the imaging part, and controlling the movement of the XY moving part in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction according to the calculated misalignment amounts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection device and method for an air vent. [Background technology]

[0002] After receiving power after installing equipment and completing piping and wiring for air conditioning equipment construction, and operating the air conditioner by operating the fan and circulating the refrigerant or hot refrigerant, air volume adjustment and adjustment work for each air outlet are performed. After air volume adjustment and adjustment work, inspections of the air volume, temperature, etc. of the air outlets, such as the air outlets and air inlets, installed on the ceiling are generally performed. The air outlet air inspection robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 listed below, serving as an inspection device for air outlets, includes a traveling unit (mobile system) that can travel to a position directly below each air outlet, a measurement unit having an air-collecting hood and a sensor installed within the hood, and an elevator unit that raises and lowers the measurement unit. This inspection device further includes a main camera tiltably installed on the traveling unit and a sub-camera installed within the hood, and is configured to be able to capture images of the air outlets using these two cameras. The distance and angle from the current position to the air outlet are calculated based on the image captured by the main camera, and the traveling unit is moved based on the calculated values ​​to move directly below the air outlet. After that, based on the image captured by the sub-camera, it is confirmed that the running unit is positioned directly below the air vent, and the running unit is slightly moved if necessary. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2622803 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, the positional accuracy of the hood relative to the air vent depends on the running accuracy of the running unit. Automated traveling vehicles, which are widely used as running units, are not designed to run with high positional accuracy when automatically running using image recognition rather than guide tape attached to the floor. Therefore, even if the running unit is moved directly under the air vent, the hood will be misaligned relative to the air vent. To accurately inspect the air vent, it is necessary to correct the misalignment of the hood relative to the air vent.

[0005] In the inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the travel unit is positioned directly below or near the air vent, the tilt angle of the main camera becomes large. Even if the travel unit is moved based on the image captured by the main camera in this state, the relationship between the displacement due to travel and the tilt angle of the main camera is such that even if the travel displacement is large, the rotation angle of the tilt angle is small, making it virtually impossible to correct the misalignment of the hood relative to the air vent. Even if the travel unit is slightly moved based on the image captured by the sub-camera, a typical travel unit has two swivel casters and two fixed casters. Since the positional accuracy of the travel unit is not high as described above, accurately correcting the misalignment of the hood relative to the air vent requires repeated back-and-forth movements similar to parallel parking, which is almost never successful.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an inspection device and inspection method for air vents that can accurately correct the positional deviation of a hood relative to an air vent even after the running part of the inspection device for air conditioning air vents is positioned directly below the air vent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inspection device for an air vent according to the present invention includes a measuring unit having a hood with an upper opening larger than the air vent and a sensor disposed within the hood, a lifting unit that supports the measuring unit so that it can be raised and lowered, and a traveling unit that can travel to a position directly below the air vent. With respect to the lifting sectionThe device is characterized by comprising an XY moving unit that can move the measurement unit in X-axis and Y-axis directions that are perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane; an imaging unit that is arranged on the center line within the hood and takes an image of the air vent through the upper opening of the hood; and a control unit that calculates the amount of deviation in the X-axis and Y-axis directions between the center of the hood and the center of the air vent from the image taken by the imaging unit and controls the movement of the XY moving unit in the X-axis and Y-axis directions in accordance with the calculated amount of deviation.

[0008] In the present invention, the lifting section has a support plate that supports the measurement section, and the XY moving section has an XY stage installed on the upper surface of the support plate and a frame that can be moved in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the XY stage, and the hood can be configured to be supported by the frame. Furthermore, in the present invention, the lifting section has a support plate that supports the measurement section, and the XY moving section has an XYθ stage installed on the upper surface of the support plate and a frame that can be moved in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and θ direction relative to the lifting section by the XYθ stage, and the hood can be configured to be supported by the frame.

[0009] An air vent inspection method according to the present invention for inspecting an air vent using the above-described air vent inspection device includes the steps of acquiring a position directly below the air vent, moving the traveling unit to the acquired position directly below the air vent, taking an image of the air vent through the upper opening of the hood after the traveling unit has moved, calculating, from the captured image, positional deviation amounts in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction between the center of the hood and the center of the air vent, and moving the XY moving unit in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction according to the calculated positional deviation amounts. By doing so, the measuring unit is moved in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction relative to the lifting unit. and, after moving the XY moving unit, raising the lifting unit and measuring with the sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the measuring unit is configured to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions using the XY moving unit, so that it is possible to provide an inspection device and inspection method for air vents that can accurately correct the positional deviation of the hood relative to the air vent even after the running unit is positioned directly below the air vent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of an inspection device for an air vent according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an inspection device for an air vent according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of an inspection method for an air vent according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing deviations Xc and Yc of the hood relative to the air diffuser obtained on an image captured by the imaging unit. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing the XY stage before movement control, and FIG. 1(b) is a schematic diagram showing the XY stage after movement control. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a modified air vent inspection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Common or corresponding elements in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be simplified or omitted. In each drawing, illustration of some components may be omitted for convenience of drawing.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inspection device 1 for air vents according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inspection device 1 for air vents according to an embodiment. Note that Fig. 2 does not show a lifter 33 and a running section 4, which will be described later. In this embodiment, an inspection device 1 that inspects the air volume from a plurality of air vents Op (see Fig. 4) that are rectangular in plan view and installed on a ceiling will be described as an example.

[0014] The inspection device 1 includes a measurement unit 2 that measures the air volume, a lifting unit 3 that supports the measurement unit 2 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a traveling unit 4 that can travel to a position directly below the air outlet Op (a teaching position described below).

[0015] The measurement unit 2 includes a hood 21 for collecting airflow, which has an upper opening 20 that is slightly larger than the air outlet Op, and a sensor 22 disposed within the hood 21. The hood 21 is composed of a base 21a and a duct portion 21b formed integrally with the base 21a. A holding portion 23 made of a plate material that is circular in plan view is disposed in the center of the interior of the base 21a. A through-hole 23a is formed in the center of the holding portion 23, through which the imaging unit 6 (described later) is inserted from below. Multiple sensors 22 (four in this embodiment) are disposed (held) so as to bridge the gap between the outer surface of the holding portion 23 and the four corners of the base 21a. Known anemometers or Pitot tubes can be used as the sensors 22, and therefore further explanation of their installation methods and air volume measurement principles will be omitted. The duct portion 21b is formed so as to gradually narrow from the upper opening 20 toward the base 21a, and can collect the wind blown out from the air vent Op and guide it to each sensor 22.

[0016] The lifting unit 3 includes a first frame 31, a support plate 32, and a lifter 33. The first frame 31 includes a rectangular frame body 31a in a plan view, a beam 31b connecting the midpoints of a pair of opposing sides of the frame body 31a in the X-axis direction, and four columnar connecting portions 31c that vertically connect the frame body 31a to a frame body 51a of a second frame 51 (described later). An imaging unit 6 (described later) is installed at the center of the upper surface of the beam 31b so as to face upward. When the base 21a of the measurement unit 2 is supported from below by the frame body 31b, the imaging unit 6 is inserted from below into the through-hole 23a of the holding portion 23, thereby positioning and holding the imaging unit 6 on the center line Cl within the hood 21. The support plate 32 movably supports the XY-axis moving unit 5 (described later) on its upper surface, thereby supporting both the first frame 31 connected to the XY-axis moving unit 5 and the measurement unit 2 supported by the first frame 31. A lifter 33 is connected to the underside of the support plate 32. By extending and retracting the lifter 33 in the vertical direction, the measurement unit 2 can be raised and lowered between a raised position (air volume measurement position) in which the hood 21 abuts or approaches the ceiling portion surrounding the air vent Op and a lowered position in which the hood 21 is separated from the air vent Op. The mechanism of the lifter 33 is not limited to the pantograph-like mechanism shown in the figure, and a hydraulic mechanism, for example, can be used. A limit switch or an infrared optical sensor (not shown) may be provided on the support plate 32 or the running unit 4 to detect the degree of extension and retraction of the lifter 33 and, ultimately, the vertical position of the hood 21.

[0017] A known self-traveling cart can be used as the traveling unit 4. The cart acquires a position (teaching position) that is set in advance by teaching directly below the air vent Op, and can automatically travel to the acquired teaching position. This type of self-traveling cart 4 is not designed to travel with high positional accuracy (for example, even if the position is correctly recognized by image analysis, positional deviations can occur due to inconsistencies in the direction of rotational friction resistance between the wheels of the cart that come into contact with the ground and the floor, or due to unevenness of the floor), so even if the self-traveling cart 4 is made to travel to the teaching position, the hood 21 will be misaligned with respect to the air vent Op.

[0018] The inspection device 1 further includes an XY moving unit 5, an imaging unit 6, and a control unit 7. In this embodiment, two directions that are perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane are defined as the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction that is perpendicular to these X-axis direction and Y-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis direction.

[0019] The XY moving unit 5 includes a second frame 51 and an XY stage 52. The second frame 51 is connected to the first frame 31 via a connecting portion 31c. The second frame 51 has a frame body 51a and beams 51b having shapes similar to the frame body 31a and beams 31b of the first frame 31. Casters 51d are attached to the four corners of the underside of the frame body 51a via spacers 51c. The casters 51d may be freely rotatable ball casters. The XY stage 52 includes an X stage 52a installed at the center of the upper surface of the support plate 32 and having a drive unit 521 movable in the X-axis direction, and a Y stage 52b placed on top of the X stage 52a and having a drive unit 522 movable in the Y-axis direction. The drive unit 522 of the Y stage 52b is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the beam 51b of the second frame 51. The thickness of the spacer 51c is set to a predetermined value so that the swivel caster 51d can smoothly rotate on the support plate 32 when the movement of the XY stage 52 is controlled. As a known XY stage can be used, further explanation will be omitted.

[0020] The imaging unit 6 is for capturing an image of the air duct Op through the upper opening 20 of the hood 21. As the imaging unit 6, a known device such as a CCD camera or a video camera can be used, and therefore further description will be omitted.

[0021] A controller equipped with a processor and memory can be used as the control unit 7. The control unit 7 controls the travel of the travel unit 4, the operation of the lifter 33, and the measurements by the sensor 22, as well as the operation of the imaging unit 6 and the XY stage 52 so as to automatically correct any misalignment of the hood 21 with respect to the air diffuser Op, as will be described later.

[0022] The method for inspecting an air vent according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the steps of the method for inspecting an air vent according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the positional deviations Xc and Yc of the hood relative to the air vent determined on a captured image. Fig. 5(a) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the XY stage 52 before movement control, and Fig. 5(b) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the XY stage 52 after movement control.

[0023] Prior to inspecting the multiple air vents Op, map data (not shown) of the floor on which the air conditioning equipment construction work has been carried out is acquired, and teaching of each air vent Op to be inspected is performed on the acquired map data. Teaching not only involves actually moving the traveling unit 4 to set the position (X coordinate and Y coordinate) directly below each air vent Op, but also includes setting the travel route of the traveling unit 4 (the inspection sequence of the air vents Op). The taught map data is stored in the memory of the control unit 7. Known map data and teaching methods can be used, so further explanation will be omitted.

[0024] The control unit 7 reads out the taught map data from the memory. As a result, the control unit 7 acquires the travel route of the traveling unit 4 and also acquires a set position (teaching position) corresponding to the air vent Op where the first inspection is to be performed on the travel route (step S101). Next, the control unit 7 causes the traveling unit 4 to travel to the set position acquired in step S101 (step S102).

[0025] When the traveling unit 4 stops at the set position, i.e., when the traveling unit 4 reaches a position directly below the air vent Op, the imaging unit 6 captures an image of the air vent Op through the upper opening 20 of the hood 21 (step S103). The imaging unit 6 is positioned on the center line Cl of the hood 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the image Im captured by the imaging unit 6 recognizes the lines surrounding a shape that can be recognized as an air vent Op among several types of set air vents in the image, and then recognizes the specific air vent Op. The center Oc of the air vent Op is then determined from the lines surrounding the air vent Op. Therefore, the center of the image Im captured by the imaging unit 6 corresponds to the center 21c (X0, Y0) of the hood 21. Next, the positional deviations Xc and Yc between the center 21c (X0, Y0) of the hood 21 and the center Oc (X1, Y1) of the air vent Op are calculated on the captured image Im (step S104). In step S104, the amount of positional deviation Xc (=X1-X0) in the X-axis direction and the amount of positional deviation Yc (=Y1-Y0) in the Y-axis direction are calculated.

[0026] Next, it is determined whether the positional deviation amounts Xc and Yc calculated in step S104 are equal to or smaller than threshold values ​​Xth and Yth (step S105). The threshold values ​​Xth and Yth are indices for determining whether or not correction of the positional deviation is necessary, taking into consideration the shape and size of the upper opening 20 of the hood 21, the shape and size of the air vent Op, and the like. If the positional deviation amounts Xc and Yc are greater than the threshold values ​​Xth and Yth, it is determined that correction of the positional deviation is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the movement of the XY stage 52 is controlled so that the state shown in FIG. 5(a) changes to the state shown in FIG. 5(b), that is, so that the center 21c of the imaging unit 6 and therefore the hood 21 moves to the center Oc of the air vent Op. Specifically, the driver 521 of the X stage 52a moves in the X-axis direction by the positional deviation amount Xc, and the driver 522 of the Y stage 52b moves in the Y-axis direction by the positional deviation amount Yc. Then, the second frame 51 and therefore the hood 21 move in the X-axis and Y-axis directions on the support plate 32, thereby correcting the positional deviation of the center 21c of the hood 21 relative to the center Oc of the air vent Op. While the positional deviation is being corrected, the traveling unit 4 is stopped and the lifter 33 is kept in a retracted state, so that the captured image Im is not affected by vibration. When the movement control of the XY stage 52 is completed, the process returns to step S103. Then, the processes of steps S103, S104, and S106 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S105 that the positional deviation amounts Xc and Yc are equal to or less than the threshold values ​​Xth and Yth.

[0027] If it is determined in step S105 that the positional deviation amounts Xc and Yc are equal to or less than the threshold values ​​Xth and Yth, the process proceeds to step S107. Although not shown, the number of times step S106 (movement control of the XY stage 52) is executed may be counted, and when the number of executions reaches a threshold value (for example, 2 times), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0028] In step S107, the lifter 33 is extended to raise the measurement unit 2, bringing the hood 21 into contact with or close to the ceiling surrounding the air vent Op. The sensor 22 then measures the air volume (step S108). The lifter 33 is then retracted to lower the measurement unit 2 (step S109). The measurement results are stored in the memory of the control unit 7. Based on the measurement results, the control unit 7 determines whether the air volume of the air vent Op is within the appropriate range, stores the determination result (inspection result) in memory, and, if necessary, displays it on an external display unit (not shown). After performing the above operations for all air vents Op, the inspection is completed (step S110). Although not shown, the measurement results stored in the control unit 7 can also be transmitted to a cloud within the network via a carrier line or the like, and analyzed on the cloud. In this case, the analysis results from the cloud can be viewed using an information terminal, such as a personal computer or tablet, that can access the cloud. Since known methods for analyzing the measurement results can be used, further explanation is omitted.

[0029] According to this embodiment, the measurement unit 2 and therefore the hood 21 are configured to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions by the XY moving unit 5, so that even after the traveling unit 4 is positioned directly below the air vent Op, it is possible to accurately correct any positional deviation of the hood 21 with respect to the air vent Op. Moreover, the first and second frames 31, 51 have gaps that allow the air collected by the hood 21 to circulate, so measurement by the sensor 22 is not hindered. Therefore, the air volume of the air vent Op can be accurately inspected.

[0030] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the measurement unit 2 is moved in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the XY stage 52 of the XY moving unit 5, but the measurement unit 2 can also be configured to be moved in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction by an XYθ stage.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the air volume of the air outlet Op was measured, but by also providing a temperature measurement sensor such as a thermocouple, it is possible to measure the temperature at the same time as measuring the air volume.

[0032] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the control unit 7 is generally controlled. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 7 may be configured with multiple (two in this modification) control units 71 and 72 to distribute control. Each control unit 71 and 72 may be a controller equipped with a processor and memory. In this case, the first control unit 71 controls the traveling unit 4, including storing taught map data. The second control unit 72 controls the operation of the imaging unit 6, the XY stage 52, and the lifter 33, in addition to measurements by the sensor 22, storing the measurement results, and transmitting them to the cloud. These first and second control units 71 and 72 may be configured to communicate with each other. While the second control unit 72 is installed on the support plate 32 in FIG. 6, the installation location is not particularly limited, and it may also be installed on the measurement unit 2 (for example, the base 21a). [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] Op: air vent, Oc: center of air vent Op, 1: inspection device for air vent, 2: measurement unit, 20: upper opening, 21: hood, 21c: center of hood 21, 22: sensor, 3: lifting unit, 32: support plate, 4: running unit, 5: XY moving unit, 6: imaging unit, Im: image captured by imaging unit 6, 7: control unit, Xc: amount of positional deviation in the X-axis direction, Yc: amount of positional deviation in the Y-axis direction

Claims

1. a measurement unit having a hood with an upper opening larger than the air diffuser and a sensor disposed within the hood; a lifting unit that supports the measuring unit so that the measuring unit can be raised and lowered; a running unit that can run at a position directly below the air intake; an XY moving unit that can move the measurement unit relative to the lifting unit in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction that are orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane; an imaging unit that is disposed on a center line within the hood and captures an image of the air vent through an upper opening of the hood; a control unit that calculates an amount of deviation in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction between the center of the hood and the center of the air intake port from the image captured by the imaging unit, and controls movement of the XY moving unit in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in accordance with the calculated amount of deviation; An inspection device for an air vent, comprising:

2. the lifting unit has a support plate that supports the measurement unit, the XY moving unit includes an XY stage installed on an upper surface of the support plate, and a frame movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the XY stage; 2. The air vent inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the hood is supported by the frame.

3. The lifting unit has a support plate that supports the measuring unit, the XY movement unit includes an XYθ stage installed on an upper surface of the support plate, and a frame movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the θ direction by the XYθ stage; 2. The air vent inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the hood is supported by the frame.

4. 3. An air vent inspection method for inspecting an air vent using the air vent inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, obtaining a position directly below the air diffuser; causing the traveling unit to travel to the acquired position; taking an image of the air vent through an upper opening of the hood after the traveling unit has reached the acquired position; calculating, from the captured image, a positional deviation amount in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction between the center of the hood and the center of the air intake; moving the XY moving unit in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in accordance with the calculated positional deviation amount, thereby moving the measurement unit in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction relative to the lifting unit; a step of moving the XY moving unit, then raising the lifting unit and measuring with the sensor; A method for inspecting an air vent, comprising:

Images