Monitoring method of conveyor belt, conveying method of powder, and program

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a monitoring method of a conveyor belt is provided. The monitoring method comprises a first acquisition step of acquiring measurement data of powder that is in a process of dropping from above the conveyor belt onto a belt surface of the conveyor belt, and a specification step of specifying a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data. Here, the measurement data is acquired by measuring the powder with an optical sensor in a direction that intersects with a dropping direction of the powder.

Description

MONITORING METHOD OF CONVEYOR BELT, CONVEYING METHOD OF POWDER, AND PROGRAM

[0001] CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-047625, filed March 25, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The present disclosure relates to a monitoring method of a conveyor belt, a conveying method of powder, and a program.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an apparatus of detecting meandering of a conveyor belt.

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2000-118663 A

[0004] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 involves mounting a sensor in a conveyor belt itself. Thus, the mounting of the sensor itself involves a human or financial burden, which imposes limitations on the number of sensors that can be mounted. Against this background, there has conventionally been a need to efficiently detect errors during powder conveyance.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present disclosure provides a monitoring method of a conveyor belt that can effectively detect errors during powder conveyance.

[0006] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a monitoring method of a conveyor belt is provided. This monitoring method includes a first acquisition step and a specification step. The first acquisition step acquires measurement data of powder that is in a process of dropping from above the conveyor belt onto a belt surface of the conveyor belt. Here, the measurement data is acquired by measuring the powder with an optical sensor in a direction that intersects with a dropping direction of the powder. The specification step specifies a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned aspect, a monitoring method, etc. of a conveyor belt that can effectively detect errors during powder conveyance is provided.

[0008] In addition, the present disclosure may be provided with each of the following aspects.

[0009] (1) A monitoring method of a conveyor belt, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring measurement data of powder that is in a process of dropping from above the conveyor belt onto a belt surface of the conveyor belt; and a specification step of specifying a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data, the measurement data being acquired by measuring the powder with an optical sensor in a direction that intersects with a dropping direction of the powder.

[0010] (2) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (1), further comprising: an estimation step of estimating a degree of meandering of the belt or a degree of a deviation of the belt based on the dropping position specified.

[0011] (3) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (1) or (2), wherein: the optical sensor is a LiDAR sensor.

[0012] (4) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (3), wherein: in the first acquisition step, the LiDAR sensor continuously measures a predetermined area including an area where the powder drops, and the specification step specifies a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data acquired by continuously measuring the predetermined area.

[0013] (5) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (4), wherein: the specification step specifies the dropping position based on a cumulative distance or an average distance within the predetermined area measured in a predetermined time period, and the cumulative distance or the average distance is related to a distance from the LiDAR sensor to a measurement object.

[0014] (6) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (5), wherein: the specification step determines that the powder is not dropping in a case where the cumulative distance or the average distance measured by the LiDAR sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0015] (7) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (4), wherein: the specification step specifies the dropping position based on a frequency of the powder in measurement, and the frequency of the powder is related to a number of powders within a predetermined range of distance from the LiDAR sensor.

[0016] (8) The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to (7), wherein: the specification step determines that the powder is not dropping in a case where the frequency is less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0017] (9) The monitoring method according to any one of (1) to (8), further comprising: a warning step of issuing a warning in a case where a dropping position of the powder is not within a predetermined range.

[0018] (10) The monitoring method according to any one of (1) to (9), further comprising: a second acquisition step of acquiring position information on a belt surface of the conveyor belt; and an evaluation step of evaluating presence or absence of an error in a conveyance process of the powder based on the dropping position of the powder specified and position information on the belt surface.

[0019] (11) A conveying method of powder, comprising: a powder control step of controlling an aspect in which the powder is dropped onto the conveyor belt based on a result of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to any one of (1) to (10).

[0020] (12) A program, configured to allow at least one computer to execute each step of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to any one of (1) to (10). Of course, the present disclosure is not limited to the above aspects.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a top view of an overall configuration of a process to which a monitoring system may be applied.FIG. 2 is a side view of an overall configuration of a process to which a monitoring system may be applied.FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a mounting position of an optical sensor 3.FIG. 4 shows a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus 2, etc.FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a function of an information processing apparatus 2.FIG. 6 is an activity diagram showing a flow of information processing using a monitoring system 100, etc.FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining measurement data measured by an optical sensor 3.

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. It should be noted that various features described in the embodiment below can be combined with each other.

[0023] That is, the monitoring method of a conveyor belt of the present embodiment is as follows. A monitoring method of a conveyor belt, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring measurement data of powder that is in a process of dropping from above the conveyor belt onto a belt surface of the conveyor belt; and a specification step of specifying a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data, the measurement data being acquired by measuring the powder with an optical sensor in a direction that intersects with a dropping direction of the powder.

[0024] A program for realizing a software described in the present embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, may be provided to be downloaded via an external server, or may be provided so that the program is activated on an external computer and the program's function is realized on a client terminal (that is, the function is provided by so-called cloud computing).

[0025] In addition, in various information processing according to an embodiment, an input and an output in response to the input can be realized. Here, as long as an output is obtained as a result of an input, the aspect of information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as reference information) is not limited. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, a predefined function (including a determination formula such as a regression formula constructed by statistical methods), may be a learned model in which the correlation between an input and an output has been learned in advance, or may be a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting a prompt.

[0026] The term "unit" in an embodiment may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented as circuits in a broad sense and information processing of software that can be concretely realized by these hardware resources. Further, various information is performed in an embodiment, and the information can be represented by, for instance, physical values of signal values representing voltage and current, high and low signal values as a set of binary bits consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called qubits), and communication / calculation can be executed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0027] Furthermore, the circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least an appropriate number of a circuit, a circuitry, a processor, a memory, or the like. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. In other words, a circuit includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA)), and the like.

[0028] A monitoring method of a conveyor belt according to the present embodiment can be applied to a process of conveying powder and can be typically executed by a monitoring system 100 shown below. First, the process of conveying powder and the configuration related to the hardware that can configure this process will be described.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a top view of an overall configuration of a process to which a monitoring system may be applied. FIG. 2 is a side view of an overall configuration of a process to which the monitoring system may be applied. The processes illustrated by these figures are ones in which a moving machine 1 dispenses predetermined powder and transfers the powder onto the surface of a belt 41 of a conveyor belt 4. Note that, in the present embodiment, the powder to be transferred to the conveyor belt 4 can be appropriately selected depending on the type of process. As an example, the powder may be coal, coke breeze, cement, biomass fuel, sediment, ore, slag, dust, etc.

[0030] It should be noted that the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment does not necessarily have to involve observing the powder dispensed from the moving machine 1. In other words, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment can be applied to any process in which the powder is dropped. In other words, in addition to the process of dispensing powder from the moving machine 1, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment can be applied to, for example, a process in which the powder is guided by a chute member and dropped on a conveyor belt, or a process in which the powder conveyed from the conveyor belt of the preceding stage is dropped onto the conveyor belt of the subsequent stage and transferred. In the following, the process of dispensing powder by the moving machine 1 will be described as an example.

[0031] First, details of the moving machine 1 will be described. The moving machine 1 is selected from among heavy machinery capable of conveying powder to the conveyor belt 4. Typically, the moving machine 1 may be an unloader, a stacker, a reclaimer, etc. However, the moving machine 1 is not limited thereto and any machine applicable to the illustrated process may be used.

[0032] The moving machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is provided with a boom 11 and moves powder inside the boom 11. The boom 11 is an arm-shaped member provided in the moving machine 1. FIG. 2 shows an internal structure of the moving machine 1. The moving machine 1 moves the powder by a moving mechanism 13 inside the boom 11 and dispenses the powder from an opening 14 at the end of the boom 11. A plate 15 may be provided at the end of the boom 11, and a dropping direction of the powder can be adjusted by changing the position and angle of this plate 15. The position and angle of the plate 15 may be controlled by a signal output from an information processing apparatus 2 described later.

[0033] The moving machine 1 is configured to be movable along a rail 12. The rail 12 is formed along a flow direction D1 of the conveyor belt 4, and thus it can also be said that the moving machine 1 is configured to be movable along the flow direction D1 of the conveyor belt 4.

[0034] Furthermore, in the moving machine 1, optical sensors 3a, 3b are mounted in the boom 11 thereof. FIG. 1 shows an example in which two optical sensors are mounted in the moving machine 1. However, the number of optical sensors provided in the moving machine 1 is not limited thereto. That is, the moving machine 1 may comprise one optical sensor or three or more optical sensors. Hereinafter, the optical sensors applied to the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to present embodiment may be collectively referred to as an "optical sensor 3".

[0035] The optical sensor 3 may be appropriately selected from among known optical sensors. For example, the optical sensor 3 may be a LiDAR sensor, an infrared camera, or the like. Preferably, the optical sensor 3 is a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensor. The LiDAR sensor is a sensor that irradiates a laser beam onto an object, measures the distance to the object by detecting the reflected light, and generates measurement data of a measuring object. Based on this principle, the measurement data described above may include point cloud data obtained via the optical sensor 3. The LiDAR sensor here may be either a so-called two-dimensional LiDAR or three-dimensional LiDAR. The optical sensor 3 may include an unshown laser light source, a light receiving unit, a microcomputer, and a communication unit. That is, a laser beam is irradiated from the laser light source, the light receiving unit receives reflected light reflected by the object, the microcomputer generates point cloud data, and the point cloud data can be output externally via the communication unit (a communication path 31).

[0036] In addition, in the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment, the optical sensor 3 is configured to measure powder in a direction intersecting with a dropping direction of the powder. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a mounting position of the optical sensor 3. As shown in FIG. 3A, the optical sensor 3 may be mounted via a jig 16 connected to the opening 14. In this case, the laser can be irradiated in a direction substantially orthogonal to the dropping direction of the powder. On the other hand, a laser irradiation direction of the optical sensor 3 does not necessarily have to be orthogonal to the dropping direction of the powder. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, the optical sensor 3 may be mounted via the jig 16 connected to the opening 14. In this case, the laser can be irradiated so as to intersect with the dropping direction of the powder in an oblique direction. In other words, the "direction intersecting with the dropping direction of the powder" in the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment is not limited to the direction orthogonal to the dropping direction of the powder, and a condition for performing measurement from an arbitrary direction in which the optical sensor 3 can measure the dropping position of the powder may be adopted.

[0037] In addition, the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment comprises the optical sensor 3. Note that, the "monitoring system" may comprise any configuration other than the optical sensor 3. The monitoring system 100 shown in FIG. 1, etc., is called a monitoring system 100 as a configuration combining the optical sensor 3 and the moving machine 1. However, the components of the monitoring system 100 may vary depending on the application process of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment. In addition, the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment can be called a monitoring system that includes a configuration for appropriately analyzing the data acquired by the optical sensor 3. In other words, the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment may include an information processing apparatus 2 described later in addition to the optical sensor 3.

[0038] On the other hand, the conveyor belt 4 that is a monitoring target of the monitoring system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a belt 41 and rollers 42. Each of the rollers 42 supports the belt 41 and moves the belt 41 in the flow direction D1 while rotating. Although a combination of three rollers is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rollers used in the monitoring method according to the present embodiment are not limited thereto. That is, the roller 42 may be configured by a single roller, or may be configured by a plurality of rollers other than three.

[0039] Although the details are not shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the optical sensor 3 may be configured to communicate with a predetermined information processing apparatus 2, and predetermined calculations and the like may be executed by the information processing apparatus 2.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 2, etc. As shown in FIG. 4, the optical sensor 3 is connected to the information processing apparatus 2 via the communication path 31. The communication path 31 is selected from among means that can communicate between the optical sensor 3 and the information processing apparatus 2, and the means may be either wired or wireless. Hereinafter, details of the information processing apparatus 2 will be described.

[0041] <Information processing apparatus 2> The information processing apparatus 2 comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a controller 23, a display unit 24, and an input unit 25, and is configured by electrically connecting each of these units via a communication bus 20.

[0042] (Communication unit 21) The communication unit 21 is configured to transmit various electric signals from the information processing apparatus 2 to an external component. In addition, the communication unit 21 is configured to receive various electric signals from the external component to the information processing apparatus 2. The communication unit 21 has a network communication function, thereby various information can be communicated between the information processing apparatus 2 and an external apparatus via a communication line.

[0043] (Storage unit 22) The storage unit 22 stores various information defined by the description above. This may be implemented as, for example, a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing apparatus 2 executed by the controller 23, or a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (argument, array, or the like) related to calculation of program. The storage unit 22 stores various programs or variables related to the information processing apparatus 2 which are executed by the controller 23.

[0044] (Controller 23) The controller 23 is, for example, an unshown central processing unit (CPU). The controller 23 is configured to realize various functions related to the information processing apparatus 2 by reading and executing a predetermined program stored in the storage unit 22. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by the controller 23 that is an example of hardware, thereby may be executed as each functional unit included in the controller 23. Further details on these will be described in the next section. It should be noted that the controller 23 is not limited to being singular and may be implemented with two or more controllers 23 for each function. Additionally, a combination thereof may be applied.

[0045] (Display unit 24) The display unit 24 may be, for example, included in a housing of the information processing apparatus 2 or may be externally attached. The display unit 24 is configured to display a screen of graphical user interface (GUI) that is operable by a user. For instance, this is preferable to be implemented by using different display devices such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a plasma display, depending on the type of the information processing apparatus 2.

[0046] (Input unit 25) The input unit 25 may be included in a housing of the information processing apparatus 2 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 25 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 24. With the touch panel, a user may input through tapping, swiping, or other operation. Of course, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be employed instead of the touch panel. In other words, the input unit 25 receives operation input performed by the user. This input, treated as a command signal, is transferred to the controller 23 via the communication bus 20, and the controller 23 may execute predetermined control or calculation as necessary.

[0047] 2. Functional configuration This section describes a functional configuration according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a function of the information processing apparatus 2. As mentioned above, information processing by software (stored in the storage unit 22) is concretely realized by hardware (the controller 23), thereby may be executed as each functional unit included in the controller 23.

[0048] Specifically, the information processing apparatus 2 (the controller 23) may comprise an acquisition unit 231, a specification unit 232, an estimation unit 233, an evaluation unit 234, a powder controller 235, a warning unit 236, a storage management unit 237, and a display controller 238 as each functional unit. It should be noted that each functional unit may be increased or omitted as appropriate depending on application to which the information processing apparatus 2 is applied.

[0049] (Acquisition unit 231) The acquisition unit 231 is configured to execute an acquisition step. In the acquisition step, the acquisition unit 231 acquires various types of information and data. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 231 acquires measurement data of powder that is in the process of dropping from above the conveyor belt 4 onto the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4, as a first acquisition step. Here, the measurement data is acquired by measuring the powder with the optical sensor 3 in a direction that intersects with the dropping direction of the powder. In addition, the acquisition unit 231 acquires position information on the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4 as a second acquisition step. The specific processing of the above-mentioned steps will be explained later.

[0050] (Specification unit 232) The specification unit 232 is configured to execute a specification step. In the specification step, the specification unit 232 specifies the dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data. The specific processing for the above will be explained later.

[0051] (Estimation unit 233) The estimation unit 233 is configured to execute an estimation step. In the estimation step, the estimation unit 233 estimates a degree of meandering of the belt 41 or a degree of a deviation of the belt 41 based on the specified dropping position. The specific processing for the above will be explained later.

[0052] (Evaluation unit 234) The evaluation unit 234 is configured to execute an evaluation step. In the evaluation step, the evaluation unit 234 evaluates presence or absence of an error in a conveyance process of the powder based on the specified dropping position of the powder and the position information on the surface of the belt 41. The specific processing for the above will be explained later.

[0053] (Powder controller 235) The powder controller 235 is configured to execute a powder control step. In the powder control step, the powder controller 235 controls an aspect in which the powder is dropped onto the conveyor belt 4 based on the result of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt in the present embodiment. The specific processing for the above will be explained later.

[0054] (Warning unit 236) The warning unit 236 is configured to execute a warning step. In the warning step, the warning unit 236 issues a warning in the case where the dropping position of the powder is not within a predetermined range. The content of this warning will be explained later.

[0055] (Storage management unit 237) The storage management unit 237 is configured to execute a storage management step. In the storage management step, the storage management unit 237 is configured to manage various information to be stored that is associated with the process or the like of the present embodiment. Typically, the storage management unit 237 is configured to allow information, etc. handled by the information processing apparatus 2 to be stored in a storage area. Examples of the storage area include the storage unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 2 or storage units of various apparatuses or terminals, but the storage area does not necessarily have to be within the process shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and the storage management unit 237 may also manage various information so as to be stored in an external storage unit or the like.

[0056] (Display controller 238) The display controller 238 is configured to execute a display control step. In the display control step, the display controller 238 creates various types of display information and controls the information so that it can be visible to the user or the like. Note that, the display information may be visual information itself such as a screen, an image, an icon, a text, etc. generated in a form that is visible to the user, or the display information may be rendering information for displaying visual information such as a screen, an image, an icon, a text, etc. on various devices or terminals.

[0057] 3. Details of monitoring method of conveyor belt In Section 3, the details of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt will be described with reference to the activity diagram, etc., as appropriate.

[0058] As mentioned above, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment acquires measurement data with the optical sensor 3 by measuring the powder that is in the process of dropping. In other words, the powder that is in the process of dropping is measured in this way, so that the positional relationship of the powder as the powder is dropped onto the conveyor belt 4 can be easily managed.

[0059] In the present embodiment, further analysis, calculation, etc. may be performed using the measurement data measured by the optical sensor 3 as described above. This analysis, calculation or the like is typically executed by the information processing apparatus 2. Hereinafter, the monitoring method in which the analysis, calculation, etc. are performed by the information processing apparatus 2 will now be described.

[0060] FIG. 6 is an activity diagram showing the flow of information processing using the monitoring system 100, etc. In the monitoring method of the conveyor belt in the present embodiment, first, the optical sensor 3 measures the dropping powder (Activity A101). Specifically, the optical sensor 3 continuously irradiates a laser beam relative to the powder dropping from the opening 14. Then, the optical sensor 3 detects the reflected light reflected from the powder.

[0061] Then, the information processing apparatus 2 acquires measurement data from the optical sensor 3 (Activity A102). Specifically, the acquisition unit 231 of the information processing apparatus 2 receives the measurement data output from the optical sensor 3 via the transmission path (communication path 31) through the communication unit 21 and stores the data in the storage unit 22 as appropriate. In the present specification, the acquisition of measurement data by the optical sensor 3 indicated as Activity A101, and the acquisition of measurement data by the information processing apparatus 2 indicated as Activity A102 may be collectively referred to as an "acquisition step (or the first acquisition step)". The measurement data output here may be so-called point cloud data.

[0062] Then, a predetermined analysis is performed based on the measurement data acquired in Activity A102 (Activity A103). In the Activity A103, typically, the specification unit 232 of the information processing apparatus 2 specifies the dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data.

[0063] This specification may be performed based on various methods, but as an example, an aspect can be given in which an area with a high proportion of powder in the acquired measurement data is specified as the dropping position of the powder. Note that, the "dropping position" may refer to a single point or a predetermined area. The "dropping position" may refer to a relative positional relationship with respect to the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4 or refer to a relative positional relationship with respect to the drop source (e.g., the opening 14). In the following, details of the specification step will be described.

[0064] The specification step specifies the dropping position of the powder based on the acquired measurement data. This measurement data may be measurement data of the powder at a certain point of time or may be measurement data of the powder in a predetermined time period. In addition, a measurement object included in the measurement data may include an object other than powder. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving the accuracy of specifying the dropping position, it is preferable that the measurement data is obtained by continuously measuring the measuring object in a certain time period. In an exemplary aspect, in the first acquisition step, the optical sensor 3 (LiDAR sensor) may continuously measure a predetermined area including an area where the powder drops. Furthermore, the specification step may specify a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data acquired by continuously measuring the predetermined area.

[0065] The measurement data acquired by the optical sensor 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the measurement data measured by the optical sensor 3. FIG. 7 shows measurement data obtained by measuring the powder in a direction substantially orthogonal to the dropping direction of the powder. As shown in FIG. 7, the powder dropping from the opening 14 moves downward while diffusing in many cases and drops onto the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4.

[0066] In one embodiment, the specification step may specify the dropping position based on a cumulative distance or an average distance within a predetermined area measured in a predetermined time period. Here, the cumulative distance or the average distance is related to the distance from the optical sensor 3 (LiDAR sensor) to the measurement object. In other words, in the case where the powder that is in the process of dropping is measured using the optical sensor 3 such as a LiDAR sensor that can measure the distance to the measurement object, the distance to the powder tends to be dominated by the denser part of the powder. From this perspective, it is possible to specify the dropping position of the powder based on the cumulative distance or the average distance within a predetermined area measured in a predetermined time period. The average distance here is obtained by dividing the cumulative value (cumulative distance) of the distances measured when a predetermined area is measured by the optical sensor 3 in a certain time period by the number of detected powders. In other words, as explained based on FIG. 7, since a part P1 through which a large amount of powder passes is measured more frequently by the optical sensor 3, the distance from the optical sensor 3 tends to be a stable (short) measurement value. On the other hand, at a part P2 in FIG. 7, the frequency of measurement by the optical sensor 3 is low, and thus the distance from the optical sensor 3 tends to be large (long) measurement value (in this case, an object behind the powder is to be measured). In such an aspect, the position relative to the part P1, which is an area where the cumulative distance or the average distance measured in a predetermined time period is small, can be specified as the dropping position of the powder. The dropping position may be specified based on the position corresponding to a predetermined area of the part P1, or it may be specified based on the center position of the part P1.

[0067] In specifying such an aspect, the specification step may determine that the powder is not dropping in the case where the cumulative distance or the average distance measured by the optical sensor 3 (LiDAR sensor) exceeds a predetermined threshold value. That is, in the case where the frequency of the passing powder is low, the average distance of the powder to be measured tends to be long. Also, in the case where this average distance of the powder exceeds a preset threshold value, it may be possible to specify that the powder is not primarily dropping at all. Such a determination that the powder is not dropping may be made for the entire measurement range of the optical sensor 3.

[0068] In another embodiment, the specification step may specify a dropping position based on the frequency of the powder in measurement. Here, the frequency of the powder is related to the number of powders within a predetermined range of distance from the optical sensor 3 (LiDAR sensor). In other words, the distance between the optical sensor 3 and the powder that is a measurement object can often be foreseen before the powder is actually conveyed. In such a case, an expected range of distance from the optical sensor 3 when powder passes may be set in advance, and the dropping position of the powder may be specified by evaluating how much of the measurement data includes powder that satisfies the above-mentioned range of distance. According to the example of FIG. 7, the number of powders that comes into such a predetermined range of distance is large at the part P1, and thus the position relative to the part P1 can be specified as a dropping position of the powder. In specifying the dropping position of the powder, the center position of the part P1 can be specified as the dropping position, similarly to the aspect described above.

[0069] Furthermore, in specifying such an aspect, the specification step may determine that the powder is not dropping in the case where the frequency is less than a predetermined threshold value. In other words, the area shown in the part P2 is at a low level of the frequency of the powder in measurement. However, in the case where this frequency of the powder does not meet the preset threshold value, it is possible to specify that the powder is not primarily dropping at all. Such a determination that the powder is not dropping may be made for the entire measurement range of the optical sensor 3.

[0070] In the analysis shown as Activity A103, the following estimation may be performed. That is, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment may further comprise an estimation step. The estimation step may estimate a degree of meandering of the belt or a degree of a deviation of the belt based on the specified dropping position.

[0071] That is, in the case where the specified dropping position of the powder is deviated from the center of the belt 41, it is considered that the dropping of the powder may cause meandering or a deviation of the belt 41. In the estimation step of the present embodiment, such a phenomenon can be estimated.

[0072] Such an estimation is performed by matching the specified dropping position of the powder with the reference information prepared in advance. This reference information may be various information that contributes to this specification step, and as an example, the reference information may be reference data corresponding to a state (reference state) in which the conveyor belt 4 is operating normally. That is, the specification step of the present embodiment may specify the degree of meandering of the belt 41 or the degree of a deviation of the belt 41 based on the specified dropping position of the powder and the reference data corresponding to a reference state related to the conveyor belt 4.

[0073] In this context, the analysis shown as Activity A103 may include an evaluation as follows. That is, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment may further comprise a second acquisition step and an evaluation step. The second acquisition step acquires position information on the belt surface of the conveyor belt. The evaluation step evaluates presence or absence of an error in a conveyance process of the powder based on the specified dropping position of the powder and the position information on the belt surface.

[0074] In one embodiment, the presence or absence of the error is evaluated as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the optical sensor 3 measures the powder, various members (such as the belt 41, the rollers 42 or the like) related to the conveyor belt 4 may also be measured simultaneously (that is, the measurement range of the optical sensor 3 may include both the powder and various members related to the conveyor belt 4). Based on such various members related to the conveyor belt 4, the position information on the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4 can be acquired as the second acquisition step. Typically, the optical sensor 3 shown in FIG. 7 is measuring the positional relationship of the belt 41, and the measurement result of the belt 41 can specify the center position of the belt 41 in the width direction. In the evaluation step, the positional relationship between the dropping position of the powder specified in the above-mentioned specification step and the center position of the belt 41 in the width direction described above is compared, and in the case where the deviation of this positional relationship is less than or equal to a predetermined value, it can be evaluated that the powder is normally conveyed (in the case where the deviation of the positional relationship exceeds the predetermined value, it can be evaluated that an error is present in a crushing process).

[0075] The position information on the surface of the belt 41 may not necessarily be specified by the measurement result of the belt 41. For example, the position information of the belt 41 may be estimated based on the positional relationship of the roller 42 that supports the belt 41. In estimating the position information on the surface of the belt 41 based on the positional relationship of the roller 42, for example, both ends of the roller 42 are specified and the center position of the both ends is regarded as the center position of the surface of the belt 41, whereby the position information of the surface of the belt 41 can be estimated. Of course, the position information on the surface of the belt 41 may be estimated based on an object not shown in FIG. 7, whose dimensions and positional relationship are known.

[0076] Note that, the method of acquiring position information on the belt surface of the conveyor belt is not limited to that using the optical sensor 3. For example, in the case where the position information on the surface of the belt 41 of the conveyor belt 4 is stored in advance in the storage unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 2, the evaluation unit 234 of the information processing apparatus 2 can use this stored position information in the evaluation step to perform a predetermined evaluation.

[0077] Furthermore, the above-mentioned analysis may be one that quantitatively specifies the analysis target, or one that qualitatively specifies the analysis target. As an example, the above-mentioned analysis quantitatively (preferably numerically) specifies the analysis target. The analysis target is not limited to the above-mentioned dropping position of the powder, meandering of the belt, a deviation of the belt or the like. That is, the analysis target may be various items related to the conveyor belt 4 or the dropping position of the powder or may be ones related to the risk of the breakage or damage to the belt 41.

[0078] The information (analysis results) specified in this way may be displayed to the user who operates the information processing apparatus 2 (Activity A104). In other words, various information specified in the specification step may be displayed on the display unit 24, etc. of the information processing apparatus 2. Such processing can be realized by the function of the display controller 238.

[0079] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the warning unit 236 may issue a warning in the case where the dropping position of the powder is not within a predetermined range. According to such an aspect, the monitoring status of the conveyor belt 4 can be made easier for workers and others to understand. Specifically, such a warning may be issued based on the following processing.

[0080] That is, prior to issuing a warning, a specific result performed in the specification step is matched with a predefined warning condition (Activity A105). In the case where the matching satisfies the warning condition, a warning is presented to the worker (an example of a user) who performs a conveyance operation (Activity A106). In the case where the warning condition is not satisfied, the processing of Activity A106 is skipped. For example, when the dropping position of the powder is quantitatively (numerically) specified, a warning may be controlled to be presented to the workers or the like in the case where the specified value exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Examples of this warning include displaying a predetermined warning message on a display, generating a warning sound from a predetermined device, turning on a patrol lamp placed in a conspicuous position, and combinations of these, but are not limited thereto. This warning may be an aspect related to various warnings. In other words, the warnings in the present embodiment are not limited to visual information but may be for other five sense information such as auditory information, tactile information, etc. or a combination of two or more of these.

[0081] Such information processing according to Activities A101 to A106 is continuously performed at each frame rate of the optical sensor 3 or each control rate of the controller 23, thereby executing the monitoring method of monitoring the conveyor belt 4.

[0082] In addition, in the present embodiment, a conveying method of powder based on the results of the monitoring method described above may be provided. In other words, the conveying method of the powder according to the present embodiment is shown below. A conveying method of powder, comprising: a powder control step of controlling an aspect in which the powder is dropped onto the conveyor belt based on a result of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt stated above.

[0083] In the conveying method of the powder according to the present embodiment, the powder controller 235 of the information processing apparatus 2 controls the dropping aspect of the powder based on the results of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt. In explanation of a typical example, a device provided in the moving machine 1 or the like is controlled to control the aspect in which the powder is dropped, based on the dropping position of the powder or the like, which are specified by the specification unit 232 of the information processing apparatus 2. Note that, this powder control may be performed based on one or more elements of the meandering of the belt 41, the deviation of the belt 41, and the shape of the powder, in addition to the dropping position of the powder.

[0084] For example, in the case where it is predicted that the powder will drop unevenly on the belt 41, the powder controller 235 can adjust the position of the dropping powder by controlling the angle of the plate 15 provided in the moving machine 1. In addition, in the case where it is estimated that a deviation of the belt 41 will occur, the powder controller 235 can adjust the position of the dropping powder by controlling the angle of the plate 15 provided in the moving machine 1. Furthermore, in the case where it is predicted that the powder will spread excessively and drop onto the belt 41, the powder controller 235 can narrow the opening area of the opening 14 to optimize the spread of the powder to be dropped onto the conveyor belt 4. Of course, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various controls may be performed to stabilize the conveyance process and improve efficiency.

[0085] 4. Others Section 4 describes a modified example of the above-mentioned monitoring method of the conveyor belt.

[0086] The embodiment related to the above-mentioned information processing has been described as a configuration of the monitoring system 100 (information processing apparatus 2). However, a program configured to allow at least one computer to execute each step of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt described above may be provided. Similarly, a program configured to allow at least one computer to execute each step of the control method of the powder described above may be provided.

[0087] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the information processing apparatus 2 performs various analyses and calculations. However, the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to the present embodiment may be realized by monitoring by human action the measurement data measured by the optical sensor 3 as it is. In other words, the specification of the dropping position may also include an aspect of specifying the dropping position by human action based on the acquired measurement data.

[0088] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the information processing apparatus 2 performs various storage and control operations. However, a plurality of external devices may be used in place of the information processing apparatus 2. In other words, the behavior, etc. related to the conveyor belt 4 may be distributed and stored in a plurality of external devices using blockchain technology or the like.

[0089] Finally, various embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the abstract of the invention. The embodiments and its modifications are included in the scope and abstract of the invention and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

[0090] 1 Moving machine 2 Information processing apparatus 3, 3a, 3b Optical sensor 4 Conveyor belt 11 Boom 12 Rail 13 Moving mechanism 14 Opening 15 Plate 16 Jig 20 Communication bus 21 Communication unit 22 Storage unit 23 Controller 24 Display unit 25 Input unit 31 Communication path 41 Belt 42 Roller 100 Monitoring system 231 Acquisition unit 232 Specification unit 233 Estimation unit 234 Evaluation unit 235 Powder controller 236 Warning unit 237 Storage management unit 238 Display controller P1, P2: Part

Claims

1. A monitoring method of a conveyor belt, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring measurement data of powder that is in a process of dropping from above the conveyor belt onto a belt surface of the conveyor belt; and a specification step of specifying a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data, the measurement data being acquired by measuring the powder with an optical sensor in a direction that intersects with a dropping direction of the powder.

2. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 1, further comprising: an estimation step of estimating a degree of meandering of the belt or a degree of a deviation of the belt based on the dropping position specified.

3. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the optical sensor is a LiDAR sensor.

4. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 3, wherein: in the first acquisition step, the LiDAR sensor continuously measures a predetermined area including an area where the powder drops, and the specification step specifies a dropping position of the powder based on the measurement data acquired by continuously measuring the predetermined area.

5. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 4, wherein: the specification step specifies the dropping position based on a cumulative distance or an average distance within the predetermined area measured in a predetermined time period, and the cumulative distance or the average distance is related to a distance from the LiDAR sensor to a measurement object.

6. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 5, wherein: the specification step determines that the powder is not dropping in a case where the cumulative distance or the average distance measured by the LiDAR sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

7. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 4, wherein: the specification step specifies the dropping position based on a frequency of the powder in measurement, and the frequency of the powder is related to a number of powders within a predetermined range of distance from the LiDAR sensor.

8. The monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to claim 7, wherein: the specification step determines that the powder is not dropping in a case where the frequency is less than a predetermined threshold value.

9. The monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a warning step of issuing a warning in a case where a dropping position of the powder is not within a predetermined range.

10. The monitoring method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: a second acquisition step of acquiring position information on a belt surface of the conveyor belt; and an evaluation step of evaluating presence or absence of an error in a conveyance process of the powder based on the dropping position of the powder specified and position information on the belt surface.

11. A conveying method of powder, comprising: a powder control step of controlling an aspect in which the powder is dropped onto the conveyor belt based on a result of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A program, configured to allow at least one computer to execute each step of the monitoring method of the conveyor belt according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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