Weight measuring device for conveying belts

Abstract

To provide a conveyance weight measuring instrument for a belt conveyor capable of measuring a conveyance weight on a hanging conveyor belt.SOLUTION: A conveyance weight measuring instrument 100 presses a support part 231 from above by two mounting rollers 70 separated by a distance spanning two belt support rollers 220 adjacent along a conveyance direction F and provided at both ends of a mounting rod 10 so as to be able to come into contact with an upper surface of the support part 231 of a hanging conveyor belt 230; lifts the support part 231 at a center of its lower part by one detection roller 60 arranged on a swinging rod 20 so as to be located between the two mounting rollers 70 and on a lower side of the support part 231; and at this time, measures a pressing force in a vertical direction by a load cell 90 arranged at a tip of the swinging rod 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyance weight measuring device for measuring the conveyance weight in a belt conveyor that conveys a load while surrounding the load with a hanging conveyor belt in a spindle-like hanging posture.

Background Art

[0002] As a measuring device for measuring the conveyance weight in a belt conveyor, a belt scale, a conveyor scale, etc. are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, one end of a measuring rod is used as a fulcrum, the weight of the load acts on the center of the measuring rod, and the weight of the load can be measured by a load cell provided at the other end of the measuring rod. In the technique described in Patent Document 2, the center part of a measuring rod is used as a fulcrum, the weight of a load including a carrier roller or the like acts on one end of the measuring rod, and a load cell is provided at the other end of the measuring rod so that the weight of the load can be measured.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, a belt conveyor is known that transports a load while surrounding it with a spindle-shaped, suspended conveyor belt (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In the suspended conveyor belt, when it is in its suspended position during transport, a support portion that extends outwards on one side of the suspended conveyor belt is held by a transport pulley. Furthermore, between adjacent transport pulleys, the support portion is supported by a belt support roller while the load is being transported. However, the conventional conveying weight measuring devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 measure the conveying state of a load placed on the conveyor belt from below the belt conveyor. Therefore, it is difficult to apply them to a hanging type conveyor belt, such as the belt conveyor disclosed in Patent Document 3.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a conveying weight measuring device for belt conveyors that can measure the conveying weight of a load while it is being transported by a belt conveyor that surrounds the load with a spindle-shaped, hanging conveyor belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, a conveying weight measuring device for a belt conveyor according to one aspect of the present invention is used in a belt conveyor having a hanging type conveyor belt that surrounds and conveys a load in a spindle-shaped hanging position, and is a conveying weight measuring device for measuring the conveying weight of a load when it is conveyed on the hanging type conveyor belt, wherein the hanging type conveyor belt is provided on the frame side of the belt conveyor and has a support portion that is above the load when in operation by a plurality of belt support rollers arranged along the conveying direction, and comprises a mounting rod connected to the frame side and positioned above the support portion along the conveying direction and supported in a measuring position in which the conveying weight can be measured, two mounting rollers provided at both ends of the mounting rod so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the conveying direction and pressing the support portion from above with a roller spacing greater than the roller spacing of adjacent belt support rollers, and the above mounting rod The device is characterized by comprising: a rocking rod positioned along the transport direction and having its base end pivotally supported on one end of the aforementioned mounting rod so as to be rotatable around the axis of a horizontal support shaft perpendicular to the transport direction; a probe portion provided on the upper surface of the aforementioned mounting rod on the side opposite to the support shaft in the transport direction; a first overhanging arm extending downward from an intermediate portion of the rocking rod to a position lower than the support portion; a detection roller pivotally supported at the tip of the first overhanging arm so as to be rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the transport direction and contacting the lower surface of the support portion from below at a position between the probe portion and the support shaft in the transport direction; a load cell attached to the surface of the tip of the rocking rod facing the aforementioned mounting rod and pressed against the probe portion in accordance with the rotation of the rocking rod; and a calculation unit that acquires the pressing force at the probe portion as an output signal from the load cell and calculates the transport weight based on the output signal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the measurement system is constructed by a belt clamping structure using three rollers to grip the support portion of the hanging conveyor belt from above and below. Therefore, even with a belt conveyor that transports a load while surrounding it with a hanging conveyor belt in a spindle-shaped hanging position, the transported weight can be measured. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a conveying weight measuring device according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the main components of the conveying weight measuring device. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the ZZ cross-sectional view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship and ratios between thickness and planar dimensions may differ from those of reality, and there may be differences in dimensional relationships and ratios between drawings. Furthermore, the embodiments described below illustrate devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments in terms of the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc., of the components.

[0010] [Configuration of the conveying weight measuring device] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment is used in a belt conveyor 200 having a hanging type conveyor belt 230 that surrounds and conveys a load in a spindle-shaped hanging position, and is a measuring device that measures the conveying weight of a load when it is conveyed on the hanging type conveyor belt 230.

[0011] The hanging conveyor belt 230 is supported by a support section 231 that is above the load W when in operation, by a plurality of belt support rollers 220 provided on the frame 210 side of the belt conveyor 200 and arranged along the conveying direction F. The belt support rollers 220 are installed in the conveying section of the belt conveyor 200, with adjacent roller spacing L1 being, for example, every 0.5 m. Since belt conveyors with this type of hanging conveyor belt are well known, a description of the belt conveyor 200 itself will be omitted.

[0012] The conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment comprises a mounting rod 10 and a swinging rod 20 arranged along the conveying direction F. The mounting rod 10 is supported on the frame 210 side of the belt conveyor 200 via a support frame 11. The swinging rod 20 is swingably connected to the mounting rod 10 and is positioned above the mounting rod 10 along the conveying direction F. The mounting rod 10 and the swinging rod 20 are made of, for example, prismatic metal rods with a rectangular cross-section, and the rigid joints between the members are joined, for example, by welding.

[0013] More specifically, the mounting rod 10 is positioned on the upper side of the support section 231 along the transport direction F and is supported in a measuring position that allows for measurement of the transported weight. The oscillating rod 20 is pivotally supported on the mounting rod 10 so as to be rotatable around the axis of a horizontal support shaft 12 perpendicular to the transport direction F, with its base end located on one end of the mounting rod 10. Two mounting rollers 70 are positioned at both ends of the mounting rod 10 in the longitudinal direction. The two mounting rollers 70 are pivotally supported at both ends of the mounting rod 10 so as to be able to roll around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the transport direction F.

[0014] The two mounting rollers 70 are in contact with the support section 231 from above, separated by a predetermined opposing distance that straddles two adjacent belt support rollers 220 along the conveying direction F. In this embodiment, the roller spacing L2 of the two mounting rollers 70 is set to be greater than or equal to (or longer than) the roller spacing L1, and both ends of the mounting rod 10 are in contact with the upper surface of the support section 231 at a distance of 1.5m to 2m along the conveying direction F.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, two overhanging arms 30 and 40 extend downward from the middle of the oscillating rod 20 to a position lower than the support portion 231. The first overhanging arm 30 extends downward from the lower center of the oscillating rod 20, and a detection roller 60 is pivotally supported at the tip of the first overhanging arm 30 so as to be able to roll.

[0016] The detection roller 60 is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis orthogonal to the conveyance direction F and is abutted from below against the lower surface of the support portion 231 at a position between the two placement rollers 70. Here, the axis of the detection roller 60 protrudes obliquely, and the cylindrical roller surface is inclined so that the cylindrical roller surface is abutted against the inclined surface of the support portion 231 of the hanging conveyor belt 230 from a direction facing the inclined surface of the support portion 231. Also, at the tip of the second protruding arm 40, along the conveyance direction F, one detection auxiliary roller 80 is provided which is rotatably supported about a vertical axis orthogonal to the support shaft 12 of the swing rod 20 and is slidably contacted with the back surface of the belt at the support portion 231 from the side opposite to the detection roller 60. The detection roller 60 and the detection auxiliary roller 80 cooperate to sandwich the support portion 231 from the front and back.

[0017] A load cell 90 is attached to the tip of the swing rod 20. In the present embodiment, the swing rod 20 is arranged along the conveyance direction F above the placement rod 10, the base end portion thereof is pivotally supported near the end portion on one end side of the placement rod 10, and the load cell 90 is attached to the surface facing the placement rod 10 side of the tip portion of the swing rod 20. Thereby, the load cell 90 can press the probe portion 50 on the upper surface of the placement rod 10 according to the rotation of the swing rod 20 on the surface facing the placement rod 10 side.

[0018] The output signal from the load cell 90 is output to an arithmetic unit 110 that generates conveyance weight information. The arithmetic unit 110 is an information processing device configured to include a computer. The arithmetic unit 110 is configured to obtain the pressing force at the probe portion 50 obtained by the sandwiching structure in the vertical direction with respect to the support portion 231 by one detection roller 60 and two placement rollers 70 as an output signal from the load cell 90 and to be able to generate conveyance information based on the output signal.

[0019] [Method of Using, Operation, and Effects of the Conveyance Weight Measuring Device] Next, the method of using, operation, and effects of the conveyance weight measuring device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. When using the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the mounting rod 10 is positioned so that the upper surface of the support portion 231 of the hanging conveyor belt 230 is pressed down from above by the two mounting rollers 70. Furthermore, the position in the conveying direction F is determined so that the detection roller 60 is located between adjacent belt support rollers 220.

[0020] In the conveying direction F, the two mounting rollers 70 are positioned to straddle the two belt support rollers 220, and are set to contact the upper surface of the support section 231 at a distance of 1.5m to 2m along the conveying direction F. At this time, the oscillating rod 20 is positioned so that the detection roller 60 on the oscillating rod side lifts the lower surface of the support section 231 of the hanging conveyor belt 230, and the oscillating rod 20 to which the load cell 90 is attached performs an oscillating motion with the support shaft 12 as the pivot point.

[0021] The transport weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment is set up as described above, and the transport weight is measured. The transport weight is measured when the upper part of the support section 231 is pressed by two mounting rollers 70, and the center of the lower part of the support section 231 is lifted by a single detection roller 60 positioned between the two mounting rollers 70 and on the lower side of the support section 231, and the pressing force of the probe section 50 in the vertical direction at that time is detected from the load cell 90.

[0022] However, the output of the load cell 90 will include tension information and conveying weight information of the hanging conveyor belt 230. Therefore, the calculation unit 110 of this embodiment separates the tension information and conveying weight information of the hanging conveyor belt 230 by signal processing. In the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the conveying weight information can be obtained based on the average value of the output of the load cell 90, and the tension information can be obtained based on the fluctuation of the output.

[0023] However, the conventional conveying weight measuring device described in Patent Document 1 measures the conveying state of a load placed on the conveyor belt from below the belt conveyor, and therefore has the problem of not being able to measure the conveying weight when a load W is being conveyed on a hanging type belt conveyor 230 as in this embodiment.

[0024] In contrast, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment has a belt conveyor 200 having a hanging type conveyor belt 230, and the measurement system is configured by a belt clamping structure from above and below with three rollers 70, 60, 70 on the support portion 231 of the spindle-shaped hanging type conveyor belt 230 which is supported in a hanging position. As a result, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment can measure the conveying weight when conveying a load W in the conveying section of the belt conveyor 200 having a hanging type conveyor belt 230 [Invention 1].

[0025] Furthermore, according to the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, by adopting the belt clamping structure from above and below as described above, the conveying weight measuring device 100 can be constructed with a simple frame structure, making the measuring device relatively compact and inexpensive. In addition, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment does not require the trouble of initial adjustments such as setting up a counterweight.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the three measuring rollers 70, 60, and 70 are integrally provided on the simple frame structure described above, allowing the measuring device to be easily moved. In addition, individual adjustment of the three measuring rollers 70, 60, and 70 is unnecessary, making it highly convenient to use on site.

[0027] Furthermore, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment can be installed at any point in the conveying section of a belt conveyor 200 having a hanging-type conveyor belt 230, as long as the measuring device can be installed across the equipment-side belt support rollers 220 which are installed, for example, every 0.5 m. Therefore, measurements can be easily taken at various points in the conveying section, and measurements can also be easily taken over long spans of the conveying section.

[0028] With the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the longer the distance L2 between the two mounting rollers 70, the better the measurement performance can be. For example, doubling the distance L2 halves the effect of tension fluctuations, while doubling the measured weight. In other words, the measurement performance can be improved by a factor of four.

[0029] In particular, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment includes a second overhanging arm 40 that extends downward from a position in the middle of the oscillating rod 20, opposite the first overhanging arm 30 in the width direction, to a position lower than the support portion 231, and a detection auxiliary roller 80 that is pivotally supported at the tip of the second overhanging arm 40 so as to be able to roll around an axis along the conveying direction F, and that contacts the back surface of the support portion 231 from the side opposite to the detection roller 60.

[0030] The detection assist roller 80 does not bear any load (tension), but rather stabilizes the transport posture of the hanging conveyor belt 230 by bringing its cylindrical roller surface into contact with the back of the belt at the support part 231 along the transport direction, thereby assisting detection by the detection roller 60 and improving the detection accuracy of the detection roller 60. Therefore, according to the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the support portion 231 is clamped from both sides by the cooperation of the detection roller 60 and the detection auxiliary roller 80, thereby stabilizing the posture of the support portion 231 and further improving the detection accuracy of the conveying weight measuring device 100 [Invention 2].

[0031] Furthermore, in the transport weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the calculation unit 110 processes the output signal acquired from the load cell 90 and generates information on the transport weight of the load during transport from the average value of the output signal. Therefore, according to the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the conveying weight of the load at any given time can be quickly measured as conveying information for the hanging type conveyor belt 230. Furthermore, since tension information is acquired based on the fluctuation of the output and separated from the conveying weight information, the conveying weight information of the load can be obtained without being affected by fluctuations in the tension of the conveyor belt.

[0032] Furthermore, in the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the calculation unit 110 can also measure the difference between the average values ​​of the belt conveyor 200 when it is empty and when it has a load, and use that difference as the conveying weight. In addition, with the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the conveying weight can be calibrated even when the belt conveyor 200 is in operation by measuring with a known weight placed on the hanging conveyor belt 230 as the load. can.

[0033] Furthermore, with the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to measure the tension of the hanging conveyor belt 230 at the same time as measuring the conveying weight. When determining the tension of the hanging conveyor belt 230, as shown in Figure 2, blocks of a constant height are stacked on the probe section 50 and interposed between the load cell 90 and the pressing surface facing it. Then, the tension can be determined based on the pressing force corresponding to the change in height of the probe section 50.

[0034] In other words, in the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, the calculation unit 110 processes the output signal acquired from the load cell 90 and generates conveyor belt tension information from the amount of variation of the output signal. Therefore, according to the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment, it is also possible to measure the tension of the conveyor belt as other conveying information in addition to the conveying weight.

[0035] As described above, the conveying weight measuring device 100 of this embodiment can measure conveying information, including the conveying weight, when conveying a load W on a belt conveyor 200 having a hanging type conveyor belt 230. It should be noted that the conveying weight measuring device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Mounting rod 11 Support frame 12 Spindle 20 oscillating rod 30 First protruding arm 40. Second protruding arm 50 Probe section 60 detected rollers 70 Mounting rollers 80 Detection assist roller 90 load cells 100 Conveyor Weight Measuring Instrument 110 Arithmetic section 200 Belt Conveyor 210 frames 220 Belt support roller 230 Hanging type conveyor belt 231 Support part W load F Conveying direction L1 Roller spacing of belt support rollers L2 Roller spacing of mounting rollers

Claims

1. A conveying weight measuring device used in a belt conveyor having a suspended conveyor belt that surrounds and transports a load in a spindle-shaped hanging position, for measuring the transporting weight of a load when it is transported on the suspended conveyor belt, The aforementioned hanging-type conveyor belt is supported by a plurality of belt support rollers provided on the frame side of the belt conveyor and arranged along the conveying direction, with the support portion being above the load during operation. A mounting rod connected to the frame and positioned above the support portion along the transport direction, supported in a measuring position capable of measuring the transported weight, Two mounting rollers are provided at both ends of the mounting rod so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the conveying direction, and press the support portion from above with a roller spacing greater than the roller spacing between adjacent belt support rollers, A swinging rod is positioned above the aforementioned mounting rod along the transport direction, and its base end is pivotally supported on one end of the aforementioned mounting rod so as to be rotatable around the axis of a horizontal support shaft perpendicular to the transport direction. A probe portion is provided on the upper surface of the aforementioned support rod on the side opposite to the support shaft in the aforementioned transport direction, A first overhanging arm extends downward from the middle portion of the oscillating rod to a position lower than the support portion, A detection roller is pivotally supported at the tip of the first protruding arm so as to be rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is in contact with the lower surface of the support portion from below, facing the probe portion and the support shaft in the conveying direction. A load cell is attached to the surface of the tip of the oscillating rod facing the aforementioned mounting rod side and is pressed against the probe portion in accordance with the rotation of the oscillating rod, A calculation unit that acquires the pressing force at the probe as an output signal from the load cell and calculates the transport weight based on the output signal, A conveying weight measuring device for belt conveyors, characterized by having the following features.

2. A second extension arm extends downward from a position in the middle of the oscillating rod, facing the first extension arm in the width direction, to a position lower than the support portion, A detection auxiliary roller is pivotally supported at the tip of the second protruding arm so as to be able to roll along the conveying direction around a vertical axis perpendicular to the pivot shaft of the swinging rod, and contacts the back surface of the belt at the support part from the side opposite to the detection roller, A conveying weight measuring device for a belt conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

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