JPH0132146Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a container inspection device that can be applied mainly to low-level drum can inspection lines and receiving inspection lines in storage facilities for radioactive waste generated at nuclear power plants.

Radioactive waste generated at conventional nuclear power plants is
After being put into drums (hereinafter referred to as cans) and solidified with cement or glass, they are inspected, transported, and stored. The conventional procedure is as shown in Figure 1 (~
is the processing order, and . . . corresponds to the numbers in FIG. 1).

Put the radioactive waste into a can and solidify it (details omitted as it is outside the scope of this invention).

Write the can management number (hereinafter referred to as can number) on a sheet of paper and paste it on the surface of the can, and write the can number and information (contents, radiation dose, weight, date, etc.) on the ledger.

On the can inspection line, the can number is read using an industrial television in a remote control room or by a person directly approaching the can and comparing it with the can number on the ledger.

Cans are inspected on the can inspection line (can dirt, external damage, solidification status, radiation leakage, can surface radiation level, etc.). If there is any abnormality, repair it and re-inspect.

After the can inspection is completed, the cans are transported by truck to a storage facility. After that, the acceptance inspection is carried out again on the inspection line in the storage facility using the same procedure as above.
Stored in a storage facility. The stored cans are periodically inspected or removed again for transport to another processing facility and subjected to the same inspections as above.

However, the above-mentioned conventional apparatus had the following drawbacks.

○B If the paper with the can number attached to it was damaged or soiled when the can was handled, there was a possibility that it would become unreadable on industrial televisions as described above.

○B When the can numbers are read manually as described above, there is a drawback that reading errors are likely to occur due to psychological burden on the worker and monotonous labor.

○C As the amount of cans increased, the number of ledgers increased, and manpower and storage space were required to manage the ledgers.

○D Changes or additions to management items (information) regarding cans,
When a deletion occurs, there is a drawback that it requires a lot of effort to manually update the ledger.

E. When reading the can number as described above after being stored in a storage facility for a long period of time (for example, 10 to 50 years), there was a possibility that the can number would become illegible due to discoloration or deterioration of the ink, paper, etc. Note that radioactive waste contains radioactive materials with a fairly long half-life and is currently stored permanently.

○F When reading the can number, the reading device reads the can while moving (for example, around the can), so if the can was deformed, the reading head was likely to hit the can and malfunction.

The present invention was proposed to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and reduces the chances of workers touching or approaching cans, thereby reducing the chances of exposure to radiation (radiation exposure). can be automatically read by a machine, and by combining an automatic can number reading device, a processing device, a storage device, and a control device, we can centrally manage can information, making information management more accurate, faster,
Measure labor savings. In addition, changes in management items related to cans,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container inspection device that can perform addition and deletion accurately, quickly, and easily.

As described above, the can number is automatically read and the reading device rotates while following the can, so it can be read even if the can is deformed. By installing multiple reading devices, the frame can be All readings are possible with one degree of rotation. In addition, the reader is replaceable, and the automatic can number reading is combined with the processing device, storage device, and control device, making it possible to centrally manage information more quickly and accurately than the ledger entry method. Since the can number is read while in contact with the surface and in a stationary state, it has the advantage of improving the reliability of the reading device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 2 to 13 show embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an overall view of the device of the present invention, with arrows B and C
indicates the direction in which the can travels (conveyor direction), A, I indicate the rotation direction, and C, E, O, and F indicate the direction of expansion and contraction. Also R
indicates the right side, and L indicates the left side. In addition, elements with numbers in the figure indicate elements on the left side as viewed in the direction of travel of the can, and those without numbers indicate elements on the right side.

The following describes the case of one pair (two) of reading heads based on the drawing. 1 is a rotation mechanism of the frame 3, and the arm rotation axis 2 is rotated in the direction A or A to the maximum.
It rotates up to 180 degrees by the angle specified by the rotation control device 43 (FIG. 12). Rotation is 5 degrees, 10
The degree is arbitrary (a structural example of 1 is shown in FIG. 4).
Further, the lower part of the rotation mechanism 1 is attached to gate-shaped fixed beams 19, 19' fixed to the floor.

The arm rotation shaft 2 is rotated up to 180 degrees in the direction A or B by the arm rotation mechanism 1. The frame 3 is integrated with the arm rotation shaft 2 by welding, etc.
It supports the reading head transport mechanism 5. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the frame 3 includes an industrial television 2.
0 is attached with screws etc. 4 is a drum can (can), and can No. 9 to be read is attached as shown in FIG.

5 is a reading head feeding mechanism;
There is a device for expanding and contracting the motor in directions U and E, such as a known electric cylinder, and FIG. 5 shows an example of a structure that utilizes forward and reverse rotation of the motor. 6
is a reading head support shaft that supports the reading head 7. These are screwed together as shown in FIG. 6 to facilitate replacement of the head 7. The reading head 7 is also equipped with a can surface detector 8 and a reading detector 8a. For one reading head 7, the detectors 8 are arranged in a quadruple arrangement, and the detectors 8a are arranged in a grid pattern (for example, 7×90) as shown in FIG. 6B.

The can surface detector 8 is, for example, a known limit switch or micro switch, and an example of its structure is shown in FIG. In this example structure,
When the detector 8 comes into contact with the can surface (that is, is pushed in the direction of arrow E), the spring 8g contracts, the contacts 8j and 8i come into contact, and an electric signal flows. When the spring 8h further contracts in the E direction, the spring 8h contracts and absorbs the error.

The head 7 and the detector 8 are attached by a known method such as screwing, and the electrical contact signals from the contacts 8j and 8i are also taken out by a known method, not shown.
The reading detectors 8a are arranged in a grid pattern as shown in FIG. 6B, and the processing device 40 in FIG.
is rotated in the direction A or A (in this example, A), and after stopping the arm rotation shaft 2, the head 7 is extended in the direction C, the detectors 8 and 8a are brought into contact with the can surface, and the contact signal of the reading detector 8a is read. Read several digits of the can number at once.

Further, the detector 8 is for detecting the can surface, as shown in FIG. ₃ is closer to the can surface. l ₃ is the thickness of the character, that is, the height of the convexity. When the detector 8 comes into contact with the can surface, the detector 8a also comes into contact with the convex portion of the can number, and the contact signal flows. The processing device 40 reads all of these signals, creates a matrix with the processing device, and converts them into numbers. Conversion to numbers can be determined by font size, font spacing, and font shape. Further, l ₁ l ₂ shown in FIG. 8 is a gap for adjusting the accuracy of can centering and absorbing convexities and concavities on the can surface.

9 is a metal can number stamped or pasted on the can.
It is. In addition, can No. 9 is stamped or pasted with the required number of digits, and the start signal (first
Attach 9a) in Figure 0. When the start signal 9a is present in the read data, the processing device 40 treats it as the beginning of the can number.

10 is a can positioning mechanism (for example, a known mechanism such as an electric cylinder, not shown). This device centers the cans in the direction of the conveyor, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the traveling directions B and C of the cans, in order to align the cans with the rotation axis center P of the rotation mechanism 1. Also, the positioning mechanism 10
are equipped in left and right pairs with respect to the conveyor direction B, and when the can 4 advances to the can arrival detector 14, the roller conveyor 17 is stopped, and then the can positioning arms 11 and 11' are pushed in the O direction from the left and right. , align the center of the can with P.

Reference numeral 11 designates a can positioning arm, and a stop plate 12 having the same curvature as the outside diameter of the can is attached to the tip by welding or the like (both the structure and shape are known, and details are not shown). Furthermore, by matching the curvature of the contact plate 12 with the outer diameter of the can, the center of the can is aligned with P when pushed from the left and right. Reference numeral 13 denotes a stand, which fixes the can positioning mechanism 10 to the floor.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a can arrival detector, and its mechanism is a known one, such as a phototube, and its details are not shown. can 4
travels on the conveyor in the direction of arrow B and reaches detector 1.
When the light of 4 is turned off, the signal is detected and input to the conveyor control device 47, which stops the roller conveyor 17, and the can 4 is stopped on the conveyor.

15 is a bracket for mounting the can arrival detector 14; 16 is the roller conveyor 1 of the conveyor
7, and has a known structure.
18 is a conveyor leg.

As shown in Fig. 11, the industrial television 20 is mounted on the frame 3 in left and right pairs, and is used to read the can number by remote manual operation when the reading head 7 etc. is broken and the can number cannot be read automatically. is attached by a known method such as screwing as shown in FIG. Further, in FIG. 4, 50 is a drive gear, 51 is a drive motor, 52 is a driven gear, and 53 is a bearing. In addition, 54 in FIG. 5 is a drive motor, 55 is a drive gear, 5
6 is a holding metal fitting, 57 is a mounting bolt, and 58 is a driven gear.

Next, these control system diagrams will be explained according to FIG. 12. 40 is a processing device that controls the entire device shown in FIG. This is a device that manages the date, can number, etc.). 41 is a storage device that stores information regarding cans.

Reference numeral 42 denotes an input/output device, which inputs the can number to the processing device 40 when the reading head 7 or the like reads the can number by remote control on the industrial television 20 in the event of a failure.
Reference numeral 43 denotes a rotation control device for the arm rotation shaft 2, which outputs a rotation command instructed by the processing device 40 to the arm rotation mechanism 1 to control the rotation. 4
Reference numeral 4 denotes a reading control device that collects reading information from the reading detector 8a at regular intervals and inputs it to the processing device 40.

45 is a reading head control device, and the processing device 4
The operation in the C or E direction instructed by 0 is output to the reading head feeding mechanism 5 and controlled. Reference numeral 46 denotes a can positioning control device, which outputs and controls operations in the upward and downward directions instructed by the processing device 40 to the can positioning mechanism 10. A conveyor control device 47 controls the roller conveyor 17 based on instructions from the processing device 40. A can arrival detector 14 inputs a signal to the processing device 40 when a can cuts off the phototube of the detector 14 . The reading detector 8a reads the contact information of the can number and sends it to the control device 4.
4 as read data.

Next, to explain the operation, the processing device 40 of this device
performs the following operation control. That is, when the can 4 advances from the B direction, the reading head 7 and the backing plate 12 are retracted as much as possible in the E and F directions. The reading head 7 is rotated in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor traveling direction, and when the can 4 is traveling, the reading head 7 and the backing plate 12 are rotated.
Avoid contact with. Further, when the can 4 cuts off the phototube of the detector 14, the roller conveyor 17 is stopped by the conveyor control device 47.

Next, the can positioning arms 11, 11' are extended in the O direction from the left and right, and the stopping position of the can is aligned with the center P of the arm rotation shaft 2 for centering. Subsequently, the reading head 7 is moved in the direction C until the can surface detector 8 of FIG. 6 comes into contact with the surface of the can 4 and the head support shaft 6 is extended until the signal is detected. The contact signals of the detector 8 are brought close to the can surface until contact signals from at least two locations are inputted to one set of reading heads 7.

When approaching (contacting) the can surface is completed, the contact status is read by the reading detector 8a as shown in FIG. 13 and is stored in the storage device 41. When one reading is completed, the reading head 7 is pulled in the A direction, the arm rotating shaft 2 is rotated (in this example, θ degrees in the A direction), the reading head 7 is extended in the C direction, and the reading operation is performed again. .

The read data is subjected to detection of a start signal, normalization of the read signal arrangement, assembly, rearrangement, and combination for each reading operation, and reading is completed when a predetermined required number of digits is completed.

The data read at one time is set as 1 for the part where the contact signal of the reading detector 8a is flowing, and as 0 for the part where the contact signal is not flowing.After reading the data according to the arrangement of the reading detector 8a as shown in Fig. Divide into sections and examine part 1 of them. First, as normalization, the 13th
Data with a configuration like F in the figure is not included in the combination and is replaced with 0.

Next, as assembly, the left side reading data is 1, 2,
3. The right side read data is assembled and memorized as "18"(" is a start signal). Also, one number may span adjacent sections. In that case, it is shifted one scale (one square) to the left to indicate the significance. It is checked repeatedly (9 times in this example) to see if the number is significant, and only if it is a significant number, it is set as a value between 0 and 9.

Next, check whether there is a start symbol in the assembled data, and if there is, as in the example in Figure 13, 1, 8, etc.
Arrange 1, 2, 3. At this time, if the required number of digits is completed, reading is completed. On the other hand, arm rotation axis 2
If the required number of digits is not aligned even after rotating 180 degrees, a reading error occurs.

The number of arrays in FIG. 13 is the same as the array of reading detectors 8a of the reading head 7, and the size of one section (vertical,
The horizontal grid) can be determined by the size, shape, and arrangement of the characters (in this example, one digit is 7×9). Further, the number of digits that one reading head can read at one time can be determined by the number of reading detectors 8a and the size of the characters, and the angle of one rotation .theta. degrees is also determined accordingly.

When the reading of the can number is completed, the reading head 7,
7' is pulled in the E direction on both the left and right sides, and then rotated back to a state perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyor, and further the backing plates 12 and 12' are pulled in the left and right directions to drive the roller conveyor 17. Let me, can 4
Proceed in the direction of arrow C.

If the can number is a reading error (i.e., the read data cannot be normalized but does not match the predetermined number of digits), the processing device 40 displays it on the input/output device 42,
The operator instructs the processing device 40 to rotate the arm rotating shaft 2 through the input/output device 42, determines the can number using the industrial television 20, and inputs the result to the processing device 40 through the input/output device 42.

Since the present invention is constructed as explained in detail above, by installing this device on can inspection and conveyance lines, it is possible to reduce the chances of workers being exposed to radiation, and by automatically reading can numbers. Reading errors are reduced. Furthermore, by connecting to a processing device and a storage device, it is possible to centrally manage information regarding cans.

On the other hand, the reading device is easy to install, replace, and expand, and the reading head follows the cans even if the cans are distorted or the cans are not accurately stopped on the conveyor.
Reading accuracy improves. Furthermore, since the can number is read by contact, the reading accuracy is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the conventional can inspection work procedure, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a can inspection device showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the main part of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 The figure is a detailed perspective view of the arm rotation mechanism in Figure 2,
5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the reading head feeding mechanism shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 6 A is a plan view of the reading head shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7
The figure is an enlarged side view of the reading head, Figure 8 is a side sectional view of the can surface detector, Figures 9 and 10 are perspective views showing the can numbers of drums, and Figure 11A is the same as Figure 2. An enlarged side view of the main parts, Figure 11B is a detailed view of the x section in Figure 11A, Figure 12 is a control system diagram of the device in Figure 2,
FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing left and right side read data. Explanation of the main parts of the diagram, 1...Rotation mechanism, 2...
Arm rotation axis, 3... frame, 4... can, 5...
...reading head feeding mechanism, 6...reading head support shaft, 7...reading head, 8...can surface detector, 8
a...Reading detector, 9...Can No., 10...Can positioning mechanism, 11...Can positioning arm, 16...
Frame, 17... Roller conveyor, 40... Processing device, 42... Input/output device, 43... Rotation control device, 44... Reading control device, 45... Reading head control device, 46... Can positioning control device , 47
... Conveyor control device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A device for reading characters (numbers) formed on the outer surface of a cylindrical container, comprising: a positioning and fixing device having extendable arms on both sides of a container transport conveyor; and a rotating support member coaxial with the axis of the container. , a reading device slidably installed on the sliding frame of the rotary support member, and a number of contact fingers installed in front of the contact fingers of the reading device to detect irregularities on the outer surface of the container and output a contact signal. and a data processing device that accepts the contact signal and converts it into a character (number) signal.