Shelf-plate crack detecting method, honeycomb structure delivering method, shelf-plate crack detecting apparatus, and shelf plate delivering apparatus

• US 10,101,254 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Ihara, Chikashi, Tokunaga, Takeshi, Yamasawa, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tran M
• Application Number:
  US15/072,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/52 Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture with walking sticks A45B3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/40 Investigating hardness or rebound hardness

Abstract

A detecting apparatus includes: a lifting mechanism section that is provided with a lifting portion for lifting honeycomb structures and a shelf plate; an actual load value measuring section that measures an actual load value; a total load value calculating section that adds up the plurality of measured actual load value; a total load value determining section that compares a standard total weight value of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the total load value and determines whether to satisfy a total load value determining condition; an actual load value determining section that compares the actual load value to the specified load value and determines whether to satisfy an actual load value determining condition; and a shelf-plate crack determining section that determines that the shelf plate is cracked when the total load value determining condition or the actual load value determining condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A shelf plate crack detecting method using a detecting apparatus comprising:

a lifting mechanism section;

an actual load value measuring section; and

a computing apparatus, which includes a total load value calculating section;

a total load value determining section;

a specified load value calculating section;

an actual load value determining section; and

a shelf plate crack determining section;

the method comprising;

a lifting process, in the lifting mechanism section, of lifting a shelf plate mounted with honeycomb structures using a plurality of lifting portions;

an actual load value measuring process, in the actual load value measuring section, of measuring actual load values applied to the lifting portions by which the shelf plate is lifted, for each of the lifting portions, and transmitting each measured actual load value to the total load value calculating section and the actual load value determining section;

a total load value calculating process, in the total load value calculating section, of adding up the plurality of measured actual load values to calculate a total load value;

a total load value determining process, in the total load value determining section, of comparing a predetermined standard total weight value related to a total weight of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the calculated total load value and determining whether the calculated total load value is within a predetermined range of the standard total weight value as a first condition to be satisfied;

an actual load value determining process, in the actual load value determining section, of comparing a specified load value to each measured actual load value and determining whether each measured actual load value is equal to or larger than the specified load value as a second condition to be satisfied, the specified load value being obtained, in the specified load value calculating section, by multiplying the standard total weight value by a specified coefficient specified in advance depending on the number of the lifting portions; and

a shelf plate crack determining process, in the shelf plate crack determining section, of determining that the shelf plate mounted with the honeycomb structures is cracked when at least one of the first condition of the total load value determining process and the second condition of the actual load value determining process is not satisfied.

2. The shelf plate crack detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the specified coefficient is set, in the specified load value calculating section by subtracting a measurement error from a standard distribution ratio decided by a prescribed standard mounting position of the honeycomb structure on the shelf plate and a standard lifting position of the lifting portion.

3. The shelf plate crack detecting method according to claim 1, wherein each lifting portion includes an extension portion extending along a length of the lifting portion and in proportion to the actual load value, such that when lifting the shelf plate, the shelf plate is parallel to a horizontal plane.

4. A honeycomb structure delivering method using the shelf plate crack detecting method according to claim 1, the delivering method further comprising:

a stop process of notifying the determination in the shelf plate crack determining process that the shelf plate is cracked and stopping a delivery of the honeycomb structures due to the shelf plate at the same time; and

a shelf plate delivering process of delivering the shelf plate mounted with the honeycomb structures to a predetermined position when it is determined by the shelf plate crack determining process that the shelf plate is not cracked.

5. A shelf plate crack detecting apparatus comprising:

a lifting mechanism section including a plurality of lifting portions that lifts a shelf plate mounted with honeycomb structures;

an actual load value measuring section incorporated in the lifting portions to measure actual load values applied to the lifting portions by which the shelf plate is lifted, for each of the lifting portions; and

a computing apparatus connected to the actual load value measuring section, the computing apparatus including;

a total load value calculating section that adds up the plurality of actual load values measured by the actual load value measuring section to calculate a total load value;

a total load value determining section that compares a predetermined standard total weight value related to a total weight of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the calculated total load value and determines whether the calculated total load value is within a predetermined range of the standard total weight value as a first condition to be satisfied;

a specified load value calculating section that calculates a specified load value obtained by multiplying the standard total weight value by a specified coefficient specified in advance depending on the number of the lifting portions;

an actual load value determining section that compares the calculated specified load value to each measured actual load value from the actual load value measuring section and determines whether each measured actual load value is equal to or larger than the specified load value as a second condition to be satisfied; and

a shelf plate crack determining section that determines that the shelf plate mounted with the honeycomb structures is cracked when at least one of the first condition of the total load value determining section and the second condition of the actual load value determining section is not satisfied.

6. A shelf plate delivering apparatus using the shelf plate crack detecting apparatus according to claim 5, the delivering apparatus further comprising:

a delivery stopping section that notifies the determination in the shelf plate crack determining section that the shelf plate is cracked and stops a delivery of the honeycomb structures due to the shelf plate at the same time; and

a shelf plate delivering section that delivers the shelf plate mounted with the honeycomb structures to a predetermined position when it is determined by the shelf plate crack determining section that the shelf plate is not cracked.