Roller Conveyor Looseness Detection via Pulse Interval Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roller conveyor systems with decentralized control face challenges in efficiently detecting looseness or backlash in motor-incorporating rollers, requiring complex diagnosis methods and specialized operations, which are time-consuming and lack versatility.
Innovation Solution
A roller conveyor system with a controller that generates pulse signals based on the rotation of motor-incorporating rollers, utilizing a delay phenomenon detection function to identify changes in pulse signal intervals, allowing for the detection of looseness in attachment parts without the need for reference profiles, and enabling efficient failure diagnosis across multiple control zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If decentralized control is implemented with multiple control zones, then cost effectiveness improves and control complexity is reduced, but the frequency of starting and stopping motor-incorporating rollers increases, leading to accelerated wear of gears, belts, and metal fittings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of looseness in metal fittings by monitoring pulse signal intervals from encoders during motor operation. By detecting changes in pulse intervals that indicate loosening before complete failure occurs, the system enables preventive maintenance, reducing the frequency of unexpected stoppages and extending component life in decentralized control systems
2Reliability
If traditional manual inspection methods are used to determine wear of consumable articles, then equipment can be maintained, but the diagnosis process is time-consuming and requires specialized human judgment
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-diagnosis by automatically monitoring pulse signal intervals from encoders and detecting loosening conditions without requiring manual inspection. The controller autonomously analyzes encoder pulse timing variations to identify metal fitting loosening, eliminating the need for specialized human judgment and significantly reducing diagnosis time while maintaining reliable maintenance capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical inspection methods with electronic sensor-based detection. By using encoders to generate pulse signals and electronically analyzing interval variations, the system substitutes human sensory judgment (touch, sound, smell) with automated electronic measurement, reducing diagnosis time and eliminating the need for specialized operational knowledge
3Measurement precision
If reference profiles are stored for failure diagnosis, then diagnosis accuracy can be improved, but the system requires complex setup procedures and specialized operations to acquire reference information
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing reference profiles of normal operation and detecting deviations, the system inverts the approach by directly detecting characteristic pulse interval patterns that indicate loosening conditions. By monitoring for specific interval variations rather than comparing against stored references, the system achieves diagnosis accuracy without requiring complex reference acquisition procedures or specialized setup operations
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a roller conveyor that has a function capable of specifying a failure part or a defective part. When a signal for executing a failure detection operation is transmitted from a host controller (50) to each zone controller (10), each zone controller (10) immediately activates the corresponding motor-incorporating roller (5a). Then, after a certain time, the motor-incorporating roller (5a) is stopped. A pulse interval thereafter is detected by a pulse interval monitoring program (36) to determine whether a delay phenomenon has occurred. The delay phenomenon is a phenomenon in which the pulse signal generation interval is temporarily extended.