Method for measuring the temperature of a sheet material and a thermographic camera cooling box

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of securely checking whether or not a step in a firing furnace of firing a plate such as an enameled steel plate is normally executed.SOLUTION: A plate temperature measurement method for measuring the surface temperature of a plate P fed into a firing furnace 10 by a thermography camera 6 through at least one of an inlet 12 through which the plate P is fed into the firing furnace 10 and an outlet 13 through which the plate P is fed out to the outside of the firing furnace 10, includes the steps in which: by an opening / closing mechanism 5 of a thermography camera cooling box 1 provided with an enclosure 2 storing the thermography camera 6, an air inflow passage 3 feeding air into the enclosure 2, an air outflow passage 4 exhausting the air from the inside of the enclosure 2 and the opening / closing mechanism 5 provided at the enclosure 2 so as to face the thermography camera 6 and capable of opening and closing an opening part 22w, the opening part 22w is opened; and the temperature of the plate P in the firing furnace 10 is measured by the thermography camera 6 via the opened opening part 22w.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for measuring the temperature of a plate material and a cooling box for a thermographic camera.

Background Art

[0002] A hollow (enamel) steel sheet is formed by forming a glassy hollow layer mainly composed of silicon dioxide on the surface of a cold-rolled steel sheet, and is used for various applications such as a chalkboard, a marker board, and interior building materials. The hollow steel sheet is manufactured, for example, by nickel-treating the surface of a cold-rolled steel sheet, applying a glaze for a base hollow layer, firing to form the base hollow layer, then applying a glaze for a surface hollow layer, and firing to form the surface hollow layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a firing furnace for forming a hollow layer, usually, radiant tubes are used as heating elements. For example, when an abnormality such as a crack occurs in the radiant tube, the heating temperature of the hollow steel sheet in the firing furnace becomes lower than the required temperature, and as a result, the glossiness of the product may not reach the standard.

[0005] Normally, temperature control inside a firing furnace is performed by measuring the ambient temperature using temperature sensors such as thermocouples. However, even if a radiant tube malfunctions and is unable to provide the required heating output, the decrease in heating output is unlikely to be reflected in changes to the ambient temperature inside the firing furnace. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the entire manufacturing process. For example, even if there is a malfunction in the radiant tube in the firing furnace, it may not be possible to detect the malfunction by measuring the ambient temperature inside the firing furnace using thermocouples.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that can reliably confirm whether the process in a firing furnace for firing sheet materials such as enamel steel sheets is being carried out normally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a plate material temperature measurement method, which measures the surface temperature of a plate material fed into a firing furnace using a thermographic camera through at least one of the inlet into which the plate material is fed into the firing furnace and the outlet out which the plate material is sent out of the firing furnace, and is characterized by comprising the steps of opening the opening using the opening mechanism of a thermographic camera cooling box, which comprises a housing housing the thermographic camera, an air inlet passage for supplying air into the housing, an air outlet passage for discharging air from the housing, and an opening / closing mechanism that can open and close an opening provided in the housing facing the thermographic camera, and measuring the temperature of the plate material in the firing furnace using the thermographic camera through the opened opening.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the thermographic camera cooling box of the present invention comprises a housing capable of housing a thermographic camera, an air inlet passage for supplying air into the housing, an air outlet passage for discharging air from the housing, and an opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing an opening provided in the housing facing the thermographic camera, and is characterized in that the surface temperature of the plate material inside the firing furnace is measured from outside the firing furnace.

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, a thermographic camera cooling box may have at least a portion of the walls of the housing as a double wall. In this case, the housing may have an insulating material inside the double wall. The opening and closing mechanism may be remotely operated. In this case, the opening and closing mechanism may be pneumatically controlled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably confirm whether the process in the firing furnace for firing sheet materials such as enamel steel sheets is being carried out normally. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the side, and is the AA cross-sectional view in Figure 5(a). [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the lid of a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is another perspective view of the lid of a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a rear view of a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the lid removed. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing (a) the closed state and (b) the open state of the opening and closing mechanism of a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]This figure shows the temperature of a plate material inside a firing furnace being measured using a thermographic camera cooling box according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between a thermographic camera cooling box, a firing furnace, and a temperature measurement point according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, common components in the embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted. It should also be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships and ratios of each element may differ from reality. There may also be parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios differ between drawings.

[0013] The thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to the present invention houses a thermographic camera 6 used, for example, in a manufacturing line for producing enamel steel sheets, to measure the surface temperature of a sheet material P passing through a firing furnace 10. The thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to the present invention comprises a housing 2 capable of housing the thermographic camera 6, an air inlet passage 3 for supplying air into the housing 2, an air outlet passage 4 for discharging air from inside the housing 2, and an opening / closing mechanism 5 that can open and close an opening 22w provided in the housing 2 facing the thermographic camera 6, and is characterized by measuring the surface temperature of the sheet material P inside the firing furnace 10 from outside the firing furnace 10. The thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

[0014] For convenience, in the following explanation, the direction from the bottom wall 22b to the top wall 22t of the case 22 of the enclosure 2 will be referred to as "up," and the opposite direction as "down." In typical use, "up" and "down" correspond to vertically upward and vertically downward, respectively. The direction of imaging of the thermographic camera 6 will be considered "forward," and the opposite direction as "backward." Up and down will be collectively referred to as the up-down direction, and forward and backward will be collectively referred to as the front-back direction. In this case, the up-down direction and the front-back direction are orthogonal to each other. Furthermore, the direction that is orthogonal to both the up-down direction and the front-back direction will be referred to as the left-right direction.

[0015] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the thermographic camera cooling box 1 viewed from the side (right side when viewed from the front), and is the AA cross-sectional view in Figure 5(a). The thermographic camera cooling box 1 comprises a housing 2, an air inlet passage 3, an air outlet passage 4, and an opening / closing mechanism 5. The housing 2 has a lid 21 and a case 22. The housing 2 as a whole is a box in the shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, and the lid 21 and case 22 define a space inside in which a thermographic camera 6 can be housed.

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lid 21 of the thermographic camera cooling box, viewed from the rear at an angle. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lid 21 of the thermographic camera cooling box, viewed from the front at an angle. The lid 21 has a lid body 211 and a lid-side insulating material 212. In this embodiment, the lid body 211 is made of stainless steel such as SUS304. However, the lid body 211 may be made of other materials such as metals or alloys other than stainless steel, resin, or wood. The lid body 211 has a lid-side surrounding portion 211a and a lid-side flange portion 211f.

[0017] The lid-side enclosure portion 211a is hollow and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape (or a thick rectangular plate shape) in which the dimensions in the front-to-back direction are considerably smaller than the dimensions in the up-down and left-to-right directions. The lid-side flange portion 211f extends from the rear surface of the lid-side enclosure portion 211a outwards (in the up-down and left-to-right directions) and shares a surface with the rear surface of the lid-side enclosure portion 211a. Four holes 211h are formed near each of the four corners of the lid-side flange portion 211f, for a total of four holes.

[0018] The lid-side heat insulating material 212 is housed inside the hollow lid-side surrounding portion 211a. The lid-side heat insulating material 212 has substantially the same shape as the shape of the space defined by the inner wall of the lid-side surrounding portion 211a (in the case of this embodiment, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape or thick rectangular flat plate shape). The lid-side heat insulating material 212 is formed of a material having heat insulating properties. Examples of the lid-side heat insulating material 212 include inorganic fiber-based heat insulating materials, wood fiber-based heat insulating materials, foamed resin-based heat insulating materials, and the like. Note that, instead of the lid-side heat insulating material 212, a fluid such as air may be enclosed inside the lid-side surrounding portion 211a, or the inside of the lid-side surrounding portion 211a may be substantially in a vacuum state.

[0019] Four circular through-holes 213a, 213b, 214, and 215 that penetrate the lid main body 211 and the lid-side heat insulating material 212 in the front-rear direction are formed in the lid 21. The air inflow path 3 described later can be connected to the through-holes 213a and 213b. The air outflow path 4 described later can be connected to the through-hole 214. The through-hole 215 constitutes the viewing window 9 described later. In this embodiment, when viewed from the rear, the through-hole 213a is formed near the lower left corner of the lid-side surrounding portion 211a of the lid 21, the through-hole 213b is formed near the lower right corner, the through-hole 215 is formed near the upper left corner, and the through-hole 214 is formed near the upper right corner.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a rear view seen from the rear in a state where the lid 21 of the thermographic camera cooling box 1 is removed. The case 22 has a top wall 22t that is an upper wall, a bottom wall 22b that is a lower wall, a front wall 22f (see FIG. 1) that is a front wall, a right side wall 22r that is a right side wall when viewed from the front, and a left side wall 22l that is a left side wall when viewed from the front. The case 22 is in a box shape surrounded in five directions by the top wall 22t, the bottom wall 22b, the front wall 22f, the right side wall 22r, and the left side wall 22l, and the rear is open. A column 8 is vertically connected to the central portion of the lower (outer) surface of the bottom wall 22b of the case 22, and the case 22 is fixed to the floor via the column 8.

[0021] Case 22 comprises a case body 221 and a case-side insulation material 222. The case body 221 is made of stainless steel, such as SUS304. However, the case body 221 may be made of other materials such as metals or alloys other than stainless steel, resin, or wood. The case body 221 has a case-side enclosing portion 221a and a case-side flange portion 221f.

[0022] The case-side enclosure portion 221a is hollow and has a box-like shape with the rear open. The case-side flange portion 221f has a rectangular tubular portion 221fa and a connecting portion 221fb. The rectangular tubular portion 221fa extends rearward from the four outer surfaces of the case-side enclosure portion 221a in the vertical and horizontal directions and is the portion that shares a surface with these four surfaces. The connecting portion 221fb is the portion that rises vertically and spreads outward from the rear end of the rectangular tubular portion 221fa in the circumferential (vertical and horizontal) directions.

[0023] Four holes 221h are formed near each of the four corners of the connecting portion 221fb. Each hole 221h is formed in the lid-side flange portion 211f of the lid body 211 of the lid 21, at a position corresponding to the respective hole 221h. The lid 21 and the case 22 are connected by fastening the lid-side flange portion 211f and the case-side flange portion 221f through the holes 221h and 211h using four lid fixing bolts B1.

[0024] The case-side insulation material 222 is housed inside the hollow wall of the case-side enclosure 221a. The case-side insulation material 222 has substantially the same shape as the space defined by the inner wall of the case-side enclosure 221a (in this embodiment, a box shape with the rear open). The case-side insulation material 222 is made of a material that has thermal insulation properties. Examples of the case-side insulation material 222 include inorganic fiber insulation material, wood fiber insulation material, and foamed resin insulation material. Alternatively, a fluid such as air may be sealed inside the case-side enclosure 221a instead of the case-side insulation material 222, or the inside of the case-side enclosure 221a may be substantially in a vacuum state.

[0025] As described above, with this configuration, at least a portion of the walls of the enclosure 2 (i.e., at least a portion of the walls consisting of the top wall 22t, bottom wall 22b, front wall 22f, right side wall 22r, and left side wall 22l of the case 22, as well as the lid-side surrounding portion 211a of the lid 21) is a double wall.

[0026] In particular, in this embodiment, all walls of the housing 2 are substantially double walls (i.e., the entire structure excluding the parts where through holes 213a, 213b, 214, 215 and openings 22w are not formed, and the small gaps that occur at the connection between the case 22 and the lid 21). The housing 2 has a structure in which thermal insulation material (lid-side thermal insulation material 212 and case-side thermal insulation material 222) is located inside the double walls.

[0027] Figure 5 is a front view of the thermographic camera cooling box 1, showing the (a) closed state and (b) open state of the opening / closing mechanism 5. The housing 2 case 22 has a circular opening 22w that penetrates the front wall 22f in the front-to-back direction (thickness direction). The opening 22w is formed in a position opposite the front lens of the thermographic camera 6 (see Figure 1). In this embodiment, the opening 22w is formed slightly to the upper left of the center of the front wall 22f when viewed from the front. Note that the shape of the opening 22w is not limited to a circle, and may be any shape as long as it does not obstruct imaging (temperature measurement) by the thermographic camera 6.

[0028] The thermographic camera 6 is detachably fixed to the bottom wall 22b of the case 22 via a mounting base 7 (see Figure 4). The thermographic camera 6 is fixed so that the imaging direction is perpendicular to the direction in which the front wall 22f of the case 22 widens. The thermographic camera 6 is capable of measuring the temperature of the plate material P inside the firing furnace 10, which will be described later, specifically the surface temperature, through the opening 22w of the case 22 of the housing 2.

[0029] The mounting base 7 comprises a base 71, two jigs 72, and two spacers 73. The base 71 is a U-shaped component that is inverted when viewed from the rear, and is connected to the lower end of the thermographic camera 6. The jigs 72 are plate-shaped components that are bent into an L-shape when viewed from the rear, and are longer in the front-to-back direction than the base 71, and are connected to the outside of each of the left-to-right sides of the base 71. The spacers 73 are plate-shaped components that are longer in the front-to-back direction than the jigs 72, and are connected to the lower surface of each jig 72. The jigs 72 and spacers 73 are fixed to the bottom wall 22b of the case 22 by four mounting base fixing bolts B2.

[0030] The configuration of the mounting base 7 is not limited to this, and any configuration is acceptable as long as it can securely hold the thermographic camera 6. Furthermore, the thermographic camera 6 may be directly fixed to the bottom wall 22b of the case 22 without using the mounting base 7.

[0031] Returning to Figures 2 and 3, the air inlet passage 3 has a conduit 31, rods 32a and 32b, and rings 33a and 33b. The conduit 31 is located on the outside of the housing 2 and branches into two in the left-right direction slightly behind the lid 21. The left channel, when viewed from the rear, is connected to the through-hole 213a via ring 33a. The right channel, when viewed from the rear, is connected to the through-hole 213b via ring 33b.

[0032] Rods 32a and 32b are cylindrical members. Rod 32a is connected to the lid 21 and the conduit 31 via ring 33a inside the housing 2 (in front of the lid 21), rising vertically from the lid 21 and extending forward. Similarly, rod 32b is connected to the lid 21 and the conduit 31 via ring 33b inside the housing 2 (in front of the lid 21), rising vertically from the lid 21 and extending forward. Note that the conduit 31 and rods 32a and 32b may be directly connected to the lid 21 without using rings 33a and 33b. The front ends of rods 32a and 32b (the ends opposite to the side connected to the conduit 31) are closed.

[0033] On the outer surface of rod 32a, for example, five holes 32ah are formed in a row and at equal intervals along the direction in which rod 32a extends. Similarly, on the outer surface of rod 32b, for example, five holes 32bh are formed in a row and at equal intervals along the direction in which rod 32b extends. All holes 32ah and holes 32bh are oriented slightly upward and inward toward the thermographic camera 6. Air flowing from the conduit 31 into rods 32a and 32b flows into the interior of the housing 2 through holes 32ah and holes 32bh. The number of holes 32ah and 32bh formed in rods 32a and 32b is not particularly limited.

[0034] The air outlet passage 4 includes a conduit 41, a silencer 42, and a ring 43. The conduit 41 is a short pipe bent in an L-shape. The conduit 41 is located on the outside of the housing 2 and is connected to the through-hole 214 of the lid 21 via the ring 43. The conduit 41 may also be directly connected to the lid 21 without the ring 43. The silencer 42 is connected to the end of the conduit 41 opposite to the side connected to the lid 21. Air that flows into the housing 2 flows out to the outside of the housing 2 through the conduit 41. In other words, air that flows into the housing 2 from the air inlet passage 3 flows out from the air outlet passage 4. The air outlet passage 4 does not necessarily have a silencer 42.

[0035] A window cover 91 is connected to the through hole 215 of the cover 21 via a ring 92, and together they constitute a viewing window 9. The window cover 91 is detachably connected to the through hole 215. The window cover 91 has a cylindrical portion 91a and a rectangular prism portion 91b. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 91a is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the ring 92. A female thread (not shown) is formed on the inner circumference of the ring 92, and a male thread (not shown) is formed on the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 91a of the window cover 91. Therefore, the cylindrical portion 91a of the window cover 91 is screwed into the ring 92. Note that the viewing window 9 is not required.

[0036] The rectangular prism portion 91b is approximately a square prism shape and is fixed to the center of the rear end face (circular face) of the cylindrical portion 91a so as to rise to the rear. The dimensions of the rectangular prism portion 91b are such that the connection surface with the cylindrical portion 91a fits within the rear end face of the cylindrical portion 91a. By rotating the rectangular prism portion 91b by hand or with a tool, the window cover 91 can be removed from the cover 21, and the inside of the housing 2 can be observed through the through hole 215.

[0037] The opening / closing mechanism 5 is located on the front outside of the housing 2 and includes an upper shutter 51u, a lower shutter 51d, an upper air cylinder 52u, and a lower air cylinder 52d (see Figure 5). The upper shutter 51u and the lower shutter 51d have the same shape and are sized to close the upper and lower halves of the opening 22w from the front outside of the housing 2, respectively. Note that the upper shutter 51u and the lower shutter 51d do not have to be the same shape.

[0038] The upper air cylinder 52u is fixed above the opening 22w near the upper outer end of the front wall 22f of the case 22 of the housing 2. The lower air cylinder 52d is fixed below the opening 22w on the outside of the front wall 22f of the case 22 of the housing 2. The upper end of the upper shutter 51u is connected to the upper air cylinder 52u, and the lower end of the lower shutter 51d is connected to the lower air cylinder 52d. The opening and closing mechanism 5, having the upper air cylinder 52u and the lower air cylinder 52d, can be remotely operated by pneumatic control.

[0039] Figure 5(a) shows the opening 22w closed by the upper shutter 51u and the lower shutter 51d. In this state, the lower end of the upper shutter 51u and the upper end of the lower shutter 51d are in contact with each other, closing the opening 22w. When the upper air cylinder 52u and the lower air cylinder 52d are operated, the upper air cylinder 52u moves the upper shutter 51u upward and the lower air cylinder 52d moves the lower shutter 51d downward, the opening 22w is opened (see Figure 5(b)).

[0040] Subsequently, the upper air cylinder 52u and the lower air cylinder 52d operate again, with the upper air cylinder 52u moving the upper shutter 51u downwards and the lower air cylinder 52d moving the lower shutter 51d upwards, resulting in the opening 22w being closed. In this way, the opening 22w can be opened and closed by the opening / closing mechanism 5 (see Figure 5(a)).

[0041] Next, the method for measuring the temperature of a sheet metal according to the present invention will be described. The method for measuring the temperature of a sheet metal according to the present invention is a method for measuring the surface temperature of a sheet metal P that has been fed into a firing furnace 10 using a thermographic camera 6 through an inlet 12 into which the sheet metal P is fed into the firing furnace 10, and is characterized by comprising the steps of opening the opening 22w using the opening mechanism 5 of a thermographic camera cooling box 1, which comprises a housing 2 housing a thermographic camera 6, an air inlet 3 supplying air into the housing 2, an air outlet 4 for discharging air from inside the housing 2, and an opening / closing mechanism 5 that can open and close an opening 22w provided in the housing 2 facing the thermographic camera 6, and measuring the temperature of the sheet metal P inside the firing furnace 10 with the thermographic camera 6 through the opened opening 22w. Hereinafter, the method according to the present invention for measuring the temperature of a sheet metal P (such as an enamel steel sheet) inside a firing furnace 10 using a thermographic camera cooling box 1 will be described in detail. Figure 6 shows the state in which the temperature of the plate material P inside the firing furnace 10 is being measured using the thermographic camera cooling box 1. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the thermographic camera cooling box 1, the firing furnace 10, and the temperature measurement point T.

[0042] When measuring the surface temperature of the plate material P from the inlet 12 side, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 is placed outside the furnace 10 on the upstream side (near the inlet 12 of the furnace 10, and to the side of the plate material P just before it is introduced into the furnace 10). In this case, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 is installed at an angle to the furnace 10 so that the thermographic camera 6 can measure the temperature of the upper surface (surface) of the plate material P on the downstream side inside the furnace 10 through the inlet 12.

[0043] The plate material P is fed into the firing furnace 10 from the inlet 12, and while slightly bending downwards due to its own weight, it is heated to, for example, approximately 1000°C by multiple radiant tubes 11 inside the firing furnace 10, and moves downstream above the multiple radiant tubes 11 before being discharged from the outlet 13. The ambient temperature inside the firing furnace 10 is, for example, approximately 800°C.

[0044] With the lid 21 removed from the housing 2 of the thermographic camera cooling box 1, the thermographic camera 6 is fixed to the bottom wall 22b of the case 22 via the fixing base 7. Then, the lid 21 is attached to the case 22 and secured with the lid fixing bolt B1. In this way, the thermographic camera 6 is placed inside the housing 2 of the thermographic camera cooling box 1. At this time, the opening 22w of the case 22 is closed by the opening / closing mechanism 5.

[0045] At any time, the opening 22w of the case 22 is opened by the opening / closing mechanism 5. The surface temperature of the plate material P inside the firing furnace 10 is measured by the thermographic camera 6 through the opened opening 22w. After measurement, the opening 22w of the case 22 is closed by the opening / closing mechanism 5. The series of steps (1) to (3), consisting of (1) opening the opening 22w, (2) measuring the temperature, and (3) closing the opening 22w, is repeated at arbitrary time intervals (for example, every 10 minutes) to continuously monitor the temperature of the plate material P.

[0046] The area near the entrance 12 of the firing furnace 10 is relatively hot despite being outside the furnace 10. Therefore, if the thermographic camera 6 is installed directly there, it may lead to the thermographic camera 6 malfunctioning or failing due to heat. With the thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to this embodiment, the thermographic camera 6 is housed inside the housing 2, thus suppressing the effects of heat on the thermographic camera 6.

[0047] Therefore, with the thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to this embodiment, the surface temperature of the plate material P, such as enamel steel plate, inside the firing furnace 10 can be directly measured by the thermographic camera 6. This makes it possible to quickly determine, for example, whether an enamel steel plate that does not meet the standard gloss level as a product is detected, is due to an abnormality in the firing furnace 10, specifically the radiant tube 11.

[0048] For example, instead of the opening / closing mechanism 5, the opening 22w could be closed with glass or the like to suppress the heat influence from the firing furnace 10 into the inside of the housing 2. However, if the opening 22w is closed with glass, the measurement wavelength of the thermographic camera 6 will not pass through the glass. Therefore, closing the opening 22w with glass is not a means of suppressing the heat influence from the firing furnace 10.

[0049] In the thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to this embodiment, the opening 22w for imaging (temperature measurement) can be opened and closed by the opening / closing mechanism 5. By opening the opening 22w only when measuring temperature and keeping it closed at all other times, the intrusion of heat into the housing 2 from the opening 22w can be minimized. Since the opening / closing mechanism 5 can be remotely operated by pneumatic control, the operator can operate the opening / closing mechanism 5 from a safe location away from the firing furnace 10.

[0050] Furthermore, in the thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to this embodiment, since the air that flows into the housing 2 from the air inlet passage 3 flows out from the air outlet passage 4, the inside of the housing 2 can be constantly cooled by the air, and the thermal effects on the thermographic camera 6 can be further suppressed.

[0051] In addition, in the thermographic camera cooling box 1 according to this embodiment, at least a portion of the wall of the housing 2 is a double wall, and the lid-side insulating material 212 and the case-side insulating material 222 are located inside the double wall. As a result, the housing 2 itself has high thermal insulation performance, and the thermal influence on the thermographic camera 6 can be further suppressed.

[0052] [Other embodiments] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and includes all aspects included in the concept and claims of the present invention. Furthermore, each component may be selectively combined as appropriate to achieve at least some of the above-described problems and effects. In addition, for example, the shape, material, arrangement, size, etc. of each component in the above embodiments may be appropriately changed depending on the specific use of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 was used for measuring the temperature of the plate material P in the firing furnace 10, but the thermographic camera cooling box of the present invention is not limited to this and may be used for any application where the thermal effect on the thermographic camera is a concern.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the surface temperature of the plate material P was measured from the inlet 12 side, but the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention may be installed on the outlet 13 side of the firing furnace 10, and the surface temperature of the plate material P inside the firing furnace 10 may be measured from the outlet 13 side.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, at least a portion of the wall of the housing 2 is a double wall, but the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and there may be no portion of the wall of the housing 2 that is a double wall.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 5 is located on the front outside of the housing 2, but the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing mechanism 5 may be located on the inside of the housing 2.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 5 has an upper air cylinder 52u and a lower air cylinder 52d, enabling remote operation by pneumatic control. However, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing mechanism 5 may be electrically controlled by a motor or the like. Alternatively, a method may be adopted in which the opening 22w is opened and closed by moving the shutter by pulling a string or the like connected to the shutter.

[0057] Furthermore, although the opening / closing mechanism 5 is operated manually by an operator in the above embodiment, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured to automatically move the shutter to open and close the opening 22w at a predetermined time using timer control. In addition, the data measured by the thermographic camera 6 may be recorded on a storage medium housed inside the thermographic camera 6, or it may be configured to be transmitted wirelessly to the outside.

[0058] Furthermore, in the opening and closing mechanism 5 of the above embodiment, the upper shutter 51u and the lower shutter 51d are capable of closing the upper and lower halves of the opening 22w, respectively. However, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as the opening 22w can be closed, the two shutters may be capable of closing the right and left halves of the opening 22w, or the portion of the opening 22w closed by one shutter may be larger than the portion of the opening 22w closed by the other shutter.

[0059] Furthermore, in the opening and closing mechanism 5 of the above embodiment, the movement direction of the upper shutter 51u and the lower shutter 51d is vertical, but the thermographic camera cooling box of the present invention is not limited to this, and the movement direction of each shutter may be horizontal. Also, the movement direction of each shutter does not have to be in the direction along the direction in which the front wall expands, and for example, one end of the shutter may open so as to pivot forward. Moreover, as long as the opening 22w can be closed, the number of shutters is not limited to two, and there may be one or three or more.

[0060] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the rear wall of the housing 2 serves as the lid 21. However, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one wall selected from the group consisting of the top wall 22t, bottom wall 22b, front wall 22f, right side wall 22r, and left side wall 22l of the housing may serve as the lid.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the air inlet passage 3 and the air outlet passage 4 are connected to the lid 21, but the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this, and the air inlet passage 3 and the air outlet passage 4 may be connected to any location on the housing 2.

[0062] In the above embodiment, air flows from the bifurcated conduit 31 into rods 32a and 32b and into the interior of the housing 2 through holes 32ah and 32bh. However, the thermographic camera cooling box 1 of the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the conduit may not be bifurcated, and there may be only one rod. Furthermore, the air inlet passage 3 does not have to have rods 32a and 32b. The air inlet passage 3 may have any configuration as long as it allows air to flow into the interior of the housing 2. Similarly, the air outlet passage 4 may have any configuration as long as it allows air to flow out from the interior of the housing 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1...Thermography camera cooling box, 2...Housing, 21...Lid, 211...Lid body, 211a...Lid side surrounding part, 211f...Lid side flange part, 211h...Hole, 212...Lid side insulation material, 213a,213b,214,215...Through hole, 22...Case, 221...Case body, 221a...Case side surrounding part, 221f...Case side flange part, 221fa...Square tube part, 221fb...Connection part, 221h...Hole, 222...Case side insulation material, 22b...Bottom wall, 22f...Front wall, 22l...Left side wall, 22r...Right side wall, 22t...Top wall, 22w...Opening, 3...Air inlet passage, 31...Conduit, 32a,32b...Rod, 32ah, 32bh… Holes, 33a, 33b… Rings, 4… Air outlet passage, 41… Conduit, 42… Silencer, 43… Ring, 5… Opening / closing mechanism, 51d… Lower shutter, 51u… Upper shutter, 52d… Lower air cylinder, 52u… Upper air cylinder, 6… Thermographic camera, 7… Fixing base, 71… Base, 72… Jig, 73… Spacer, 8… Column, 9… Window, 91… Window cover, 91a… Cylindrical section, 91b… Rectangular column section, 92… Ring, 10… Firing furnace, 11… Radiant tube, 12… Inlet, 13… Outlet, B1… Cover fixing bolt, B2… Fixing base fixing bolt, P… Plate material, T… Temperature measurement point

Claims

1. A method for measuring the surface temperature of a plate material fed into a firing furnace, wherein the surface temperature of the plate material is measured by a thermographic camera through at least one of the inlet into which the plate material is fed into the firing furnace and the outlet out which the plate material is sent out of the firing furnace, A thermographic camera cooling box comprising a housing that houses the thermographic camera, an air inlet passage for supplying air into the housing, an air outlet passage for discharging air from the housing, and an opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing an opening provided in the housing facing the thermographic camera, the step of opening the opening using the opening / closing mechanism of the thermographic camera cooling box, The process involves measuring the temperature of the upper surface of the plate material inside the firing furnace using the thermographic camera through the open opening, A method for measuring the temperature of a plate material, characterized by including the following:

2. The method for measuring the temperature of a plate material according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface temperature of the plate material is measured from the side of the entrance.

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