JPH0815131A - Deterioration diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To diagnose deterioration of a highly transparent material regardless of irregularities or contamination on the surface thereof while operating a machine. CONSTITUTION:Reflectance RL of an object (p) is measured for two wavelengths L1, L2 and then the reflection loss AL and the difference of reflection loss DELTAL1L2 are determined, respectively, according to formulas I and II. An actual thickness (t) is employed if the object has reflectance of 50% or above, otherwise (t) is set equal to 1. The diagnosis is effected by comparing the DELTAAL1L2 with a data representative of the relationship between the DELTAAL1L2 and the extent of deterioration of the object expressed in terms of the time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deterioration diagnosis system capable of nondestructively measuring the deterioration degree of an insulating material or a structural material used in a device without stopping the operation of the device in actual operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a nondestructive measuring system for evaluating the degree of deterioration of an insulating material of an electric device in a rotating machine or the like, a white standard light source is used as a light source as disclosed in JP-A-64-84162. The emitted light from the used optical fiber is reflected in the sensor part made of the same resin as the insulating resin, and this reflected light is sampled as incident light through the receiving optical fiber, and the L ^* a ^* b ^* color A diagnostic device has been proposed that performs colorimetric calculation based on chromaticity or chromaticity difference based on the system. Where L ^* is the brightness index, which represents the brightness, and a ^*
And b ^* are called chromatic indices and represent chromaticity (hue and saturation). Further, as described in JP-A-3-226651, light emitted from an optical fiber using a white standard light source as a light source is transmitted through a sensor section made of the same resin as an insulating resin, There has also been proposed a colorimetric calculation diagnostic device based on the chromaticity or chromaticity difference based on the L ^* a ^* b ^* colorimetric system by a transmissive light system in which the transmitted light is sampled as incident light through a receiving optical fiber.

[0003]

In the above prior art, it is necessary to embed the illumination optical fiber, the light receiving optical fiber, and the sensor section in the insulating layer in the electric device such as a rotating machine when manufacturing the electric device. However, there is an essential problem that these cannot be applied to existing equipment such as rotating machines that are not buried. Furthermore, in the colorimetric calculation method based on the reflected light due to the chromaticity or the chromaticity difference based on the L ^* a ^* b ^* colorimetric system, in the case of an object to be measured whose surface is soiled by dust or the like, or an object to be measured having irregularities. However, there is a problem that an accurate value cannot be obtained because the influence of the fluctuation of the absolute reflected light amount is large.

The present invention solves these problems, and nondestructs the deterioration degree of the insulating material and the structural material used in the equipment without stopping the operation of the equipment in actual operation in the maintenance management inspection of various equipment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a deterioration diagnosis system that can be measured by.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] As a result of studying the relationship between the degree of deterioration of insulating resin and lubricating oil and optical properties,
We have found a method to judge the degree of deterioration from the change in the intensity of light reflected from the surface of resin or oil due to heat deterioration. This method is particularly effective for the quantitative evaluation of the surface reflected light intensity, and it is confirmed that the surface is also applicable to the case where the object to be measured is soiled with dust or the like, or the object to be measured having irregularities, The present invention has been reached.

According to the present invention, in a deterioration diagnosis system for diagnosing a deterioration degree of an object to be measured, at least two kinds of wavelengths (L
1, L2), reflectance measuring means for obtaining the reflectance of the object to be measured, at least input means for receiving an input of the thickness of the object to be measured, and reflection obtained by the reflectance measuring means. Using the rate R _L and the thickness of the measured object received by the input means, the following equation 4 (= equation 1) and equation 5 (=
_Calculate the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 defined by _Equation 2),
Deterioration degree calculating means for diagnosing the degree of deterioration of the DUT based on the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 ,

[0007]

[Mathematical formula-see original document] A _L =-(10 / t) · log (R _L / 100) A _L : Light reflection loss (dB / mm) R _L : Reflectance of the measured object with respect to light of wavelength L (nm) ( %) T: Thickness of measured object (mm)

[0008]

[ _Formula 5] ΔA _L1L2 = A _L1 −A _L2 However, (L1 <L2) ΔA _L1L2 : A deterioration diagnosis system characterized by having a light reflection loss difference (dB / mm) is provided.

In this case, the input means further receives an input of light transmittance of the object to be measured or presence / absence of thickness correction, and the deterioration degree calculation means receives the light transmission received by the input means. When the ratio is 50% or more, or when the instruction for the thickness correction “with” is accepted, when the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 is _calculated ,
As the thickness t in (= Equation 1), it is preferable to adopt the value of the thickness accepted by the input means.

Furthermore, when the light transmittance received by the input means is 50% or less, or when the instruction for no thickness correction is not received, the deterioration degree calculation means receives the light reflection. When _{obtaining the} loss difference ΔA _L1L2 , it is preferable to adopt 1 as the thickness t in the above-mentioned _Formula 4 (= _Formula 1).

A memory (hereinafter referred to as "master data") indicating a correspondence relationship obtained by an experiment between the reference index indicating the degree of deterioration of the object to be measured and the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 is stored. Further comprising means, the deterioration degree calculating means, with reference to the master data,
It is preferable to obtain the value of the reference index corresponding to the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 obtained by the above calculation, and diagnose the degree of deterioration based on the value of the reference index.

It is preferable that the reference index is a conversion time (θ) defined by the following expression 6 (= expression 3).

[0013]

(Equation 6)

The wavelength (L1, L2) of the light for measuring the reflectance R _L by the reflectance measuring means is 660 nm or more and 850 n or more.
m or less. When light outside this wavelength range is used, the detector (corresponding to the reference light quantity measuring means and the reflected light material measuring means described later) is in the over range while the degree of deterioration is small, and there is a possibility that photometry cannot be performed. is there. When the object to be measured is acrylic, polycarbonate, etc., which is originally highly transparent, 660, 780, 800 n
It is more preferable to use light having a wavelength of 800 nm or less such as m. On the other hand, if the object to be measured is an originally colored alkyd, unsaturated polyester, or epoxy that discolors black immediately, 780, 800, 8
It is more preferable to use a wavelength in the near infrared region such as 20,830,850 nm.

The above-mentioned reflectance measuring means may be specifically as follows. That is, a light source capable of generating at least two kinds of light having different wavelengths (L1, L2), a light amount measuring means for measuring the intensity of incident light, and a light source for guiding light emitted from the light source to the object to be measured. Illuminating light guide means for irradiating, and light receiving light guide means for receiving reflected light from the object to be measured of light emitted by the illuminating light guide means and guiding it to the light quantity measuring means, Any one of the reference light guide means for guiding the light emitted from the light source to the light quantity measurement means, the light emitted from the light reception light guide means, and the light emitted from the reference light guide means. Of the light having a wavelength that can be generated by the light source, and a path switching unit that actually enters the light amount measuring unit.
The light of any one wavelength is selected, and the intensity of the light of the selected wavelength is incident through the wavelength selecting means for causing the light quantity measuring means to measure and the light receiving light guiding means measured by the light quantity measuring means. The light intensity of the two wavelengths (L1, L2) is incident on the two wavelengths (L1, L2) through the reference light guide means measured by the light amount measuring means.
Of the above two wavelengths (L1,
L2) calculating means for obtaining the reflectance R _L for each of the L2).

The light source may include a plurality of light emitting elements which emit monochromatic light. In this case, the peak wavelength of the monochromatic light is preferably 660 nm or more and 850 nm or less. The light emitting element is preferably a light emitting diode. This is because it is easily available and has a long life and stable performance.

When such a light source is used as the light source, the wavelength selection means causes only the light emitted by any one of the light emitting elements to enter the reference light guide means or the illumination light guide means. It may be configured to include a switching means for controlling.

An optical coupler may be further provided for making the monochromatic light emitted from a plurality of the light emitting elements enter the reference light guide means or the illumination light guide means at the same time.

The light source may emit white light. The light source in this case may include a halogen lamp.

With such a structure, the wavelength selecting means may include a spectroscope or an optical filter.

The light guiding means for illumination may also serve as the light guiding means for reference.

At least one of the illuminating light guide means, the light receiving light guide means, and the reference light guide means preferably includes a plastic optical fiber.

[0023]

The operation of the present invention will be described below together with its measuring principle.

First, the measurement principle will be described.

In general, the change of the light reflection loss spectrum due to the thermal deterioration of the organic material made of a single material is represented by the change shown in FIG. In this way, the light reflection loss shows a significant increase on the short wavelength side of the visible light range. Therefore, due to the limitation of the measurement range of the measuring instrument, the light reflection loss of the material used up to the life point of the instrument in the wavelength range of less than 660 nm. It becomes practically difficult to continue to measure. The increase in the light reflection loss on the short wavelength side is mainly due to the increase in the electron transition absorption loss due to the thermal oxidation deterioration reaction. Further, since the light reflection loss A _L increases as the deterioration degree increases, the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 (= A _L1 −A _L2 ) between the two wavelengths also increases. here,
L1 <L2. In FIG. 1, _assuming that the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 between the wavelength L1 (nm) and the wavelength L2 (nm) is α1, α2, and α3 in the order of increasing deterioration, α1 is obtained.
The relationship of>α2> α3 is established.

In the case of an inspected material (resin film or the like) having a light transmittance of 50% or more, not only the surface-reflected light but also the light reflected by the back surface after passing through the inspected material is affected. Therefore, in order to correct this, the thickness t of the material to be inspected is included in equation 1 (= equation 4). If the thickness of the material to be inspected is large, the optical path length becomes long, so that the optical loss becomes larger than it should be (compared to the case of the unit length (thickness)). Therefore, the correction is performed so as to reduce the light loss. On the other hand, when the thickness of the material to be inspected is thin, the required optical loss (compared to the optical loss value in the case of the unit length (thickness)) is smaller than it should be. Therefore, the correction is made so as to increase the light loss.

When the light transmittance is less than 50%, the proportion of light reflected on the back surface decreases, and the influence of light reflected from the back surface becomes almost negligible. Therefore, when the light transmittance is less than 50%, it is not necessary to correct the thickness. In this case, t = 1 may be applied in Expression 1 (= Expression 4). Thus, the light transmittance is 50%
The most significant feature of the present invention is that more accurate deterioration diagnosis can be performed by correcting the reflected light intensity of the resin or the like having the above with the thickness (optical path length).

FIG. 2 shows a light reflection loss spectrum measured on an insulating resin surface having no surface stain and a light reflection loss spectrum measured on an insulating resin surface having the same degree of deterioration and surface stain. . When there is no surface contamination, the difference ΔA _L1L2 in light reflection loss between the wavelengths L1 and L2 is
If there is surface contamination and Δα ′, Δα≈Δα ′ will be obtained regardless of the presence or absence of contamination if the insulating resin has the same degree of deterioration. Although surface contamination changes (may increase or decrease) the absolute intensity of reflected light, it is generally considered to have a small wavelength dependence, and in particular, it is considered to be constant regardless of wavelength in the measurement wavelength region of the present invention. Good. The same is true for measurements on uneven surfaces. As described above, using the optical reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 between the two wavelengths as an index,
The degree of deterioration can be diagnosed with almost no effect on the surface of the object to be measured and the influence of the shape.

The deterioration of materials is often compared and examined using the conversion time θ as a scale. Therefore, it is more preferable to previously obtain the correspondence between the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 and the conversion time θ by an experiment. By doing so, the deterioration index value (light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 ) obtained by the present invention can be replaced with a more general conversion time for discussion. The conversion time is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-226651. The meaning of the conversion time θ will be briefly described below.

The conversion time θ (h) is obtained by the above equation 3 (= equation 6).
Is defined in. When the degree of deterioration is diagnosed using this converted time θ, if the values of θ are equal, the degree of deterioration is treated as the same even if the thermal history of each inspected material is different.

In Equation 3 (= Equation 6), ΔE is the activation energy (J / mol), which is the apparent activation of heat, R is the gas constant (J / K / mol), and T is the absolute temperature of heat degradation (K). ),
t is the deterioration time (h). ΔE of resin and oil is
The change in the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 with respect to several kinds of deterioration temperatures can be easily calculated by Arrhenius plotting.

Further, if the conversion time at the life point of the equipment using the resin or oil or the like that is obtained in advance is θ ₀ , the difference Δθ (= θ ₀ −
θ) is the converted time corresponding to the remaining life, and is a measure for determining the degree of deterioration. That is, the remaining life Δθ (h) is expressed by the equation 7.

[0033]

(Equation 7)

From Equation 7, if the operating temperature condition of the device after the time t is determined, the remaining life time Δt (= t ₀ -t) can be obtained.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described according to the structure.

The reflectance measuring means obtains the reflectance of the object to be measured with respect to each of the lights of the wavelengths (L1, L2) (details will be described later). In addition, the measurer separately inputs the thickness of the object to be measured and the light transmittance of the object to be measured using the input means.

The deterioration degree computing means uses the measured reflectance and the input thickness of the object to be measured to calculate the light reflection loss A _L1 , A _L2 defined by the above equation 4 (equation 1). Is calculated.
In this case, the light transmittance input from the input means is 50%.
When the above is true, or when the thickness correction “existence” is instructed, the deterioration degree calculating means is set to the above-mentioned mathematical expression 4
As the thickness t in (= Equation 1), the value of the thickness accepted by the input means is adopted. On the other hand, if the input light transmittance is less than 50%, or if the thickness correction is "No"
1 is adopted as the thickness t in the above equation 4 (= equation 1).

After that, the deterioration degree calculating means further obtains the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 by using the light reflection losses A _L1 and A _L2 obtained here and the equation 5 (= equation 2). Then, the degree of deterioration of the DUT is diagnosed based on the _calculated light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 . Alternatively, further, by referring to the master data, a value of a reference index (for example, conversion time) corresponding to this light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 is obtained, and diagnosis is performed based on this value.

A procedure for obtaining the reflectance will be described.

By the path switching means, the light from the light source (eg, light emitting diode, halogen lamp) is guided to the reference light guiding means (eg, plastic optical fiber).
Incident on. Then, the intensity of the light emitted from the reference light guide means is measured by the light quantity measuring means.

Subsequently, the light from the light source is made incident on the light guiding means for illumination (for example, an optical fiber made of plastic) by the path switching means. The illuminating light guide means irradiates the object to be measured with this light. The light guide means for light reception (for example, an optical fiber made of plastic) receives the reflected light from the object to be measured and guides it to the light quantity measuring means. The light quantity measuring means measures the intensity of this light.

The wavelength selection means selects and changes the wavelength of light, and the above operation is performed for light of at least two types of wavelengths.

The wavelength selection by the wavelength selection means is, for example, when the light source includes a plurality of light emitting elements which emit monochromatic light, the switching means selects only the light emitted by any one of the light emitting elements. This is done by making the light incident on the reference light guide means or the illumination light guide means.

When the monochromatic light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements is simultaneously made incident on the reference light guide means by the optical coupler, or when the light source is white light such as a halogen lamp, wavelength selection The means comprises a spectroscope and an optical filter.

The calculation means calculates the intensity of the light (wavelengths L1 and L2) incident through the light guide means for light reception thus obtained, and the light (wavelengths L1 and L2) incident through the light guide means for reference. The reflectance for each wavelength (L1, L2) is obtained by dividing by the intensity of.

[0046]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a deterioration diagnosis system. This deterioration diagnosis system includes a central control unit 1, a switching control unit 2, a switching unit 3, a switching unit 4, a switching unit 5, a light source 6, a reference optical fiber 7, a light quantity measuring unit 8, an illumination optical fiber 9, and reflected light. The measuring unit 10, the light receiving optical fiber 13, the light source 14, the external storage device 15, and the operation key 19 are provided.

The light sources 6 and 14 generate light for irradiating the insulating film to be inspected. This light source 6,14
Are configured so that their light emitting states can be controlled by the central control unit 1 independently of each other. In the following description, the peak wavelength of the light emitted from the light source 6 is L1, and the peak wavelength of the light emitted from the light source 14 is L2 (where L1 <L
2) will be described. In this embodiment, L1 and L2 are 6
A light emitting diode in the range of 60 nm to 850 nm is used. The reason for this is as described above.

The reference optical fiber 7 includes the light sources 6 and 6.
The light emitted by 14 is guided to the light quantity measuring unit 8. The illuminating optical fiber 9 is for irradiating the measurement target portion of the insulating resin P with the light emitted from the light sources 6 and 14. The light receiving optical fiber 13 is for guiding the reflected light from the insulating resin P to the light quantity measuring unit 8. The emitting end of the illuminating optical fiber 9 and the incident end of the receiving optical fiber 13 are attached to the light shielding member 10 in such a manner that their positional relationship does not change (see FIG. 4). The light blocking member 10 has a structure for blocking external stray light. Therefore, the influence of external light does not affect the measurement. In this embodiment, plastic optical fibers 7, 9 and 13 are used.

The switching units 3, 4 and 5 follow the instructions from the switching control unit 2 and use the light sources 6 and 14,
The light passing path (reference optical fiber 7, illumination optical fiber 9, light receiving optical fiber 13) is switched. The switching unit 3 is for switching the light emitted from the light source 6 and the light emitted from the light source 14 so that only one of them is used for measurement. The switching unit 4 is for switching the optical fibers (reference optical fiber 7 and illumination optical fiber 9) on which the light of the light source used at that time is incident. The switching unit 5
This is for switching the light (one of the light emitted from the reference optical fiber 7 and the light emitted from the light receiving optical fiber 13) to be incident on the light quantity measurement unit 8. Since the switching units 3, 4, and 5 are already well-known techniques, their specific configurations are omitted.

The light quantity measuring section 8 measures the intensity of the input light, and is a light sensor (for example, CdS, CCD).
Element) and the like. The light quantity measuring unit 8 is configured to output the measured light intensity to the central control unit 1. The light amount measuring unit 8 is not particularly limited in its specific configuration as long as it has sufficient sensitivity for the purpose of the present invention.

In the external storage device 15, as shown in FIG. 5, the deterioration degree θ of the insulating resin (here, the conversion time θ described above is used.
And the light reflection loss difference ΔA is stored in advance. This correspondence relationship (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "master data") is obtained by comparing the light reflection loss difference Δ with respect to samples having various degrees of deterioration (conversion time) in advance.
It is obtained by seeking A. The master data needs to be prepared for each material of the material to be inspected.

The operation key 19 is for inputting various instructions and data. For example, when performing thickness correction, the thickness at the measurement site of the insulating film to be diagnosed is input.

The display 20 is for displaying data input from the operation keys 19, measurement results and the like. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal display board is used.

The central control unit 1 controls and controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned units (for example, the light sources 6, 14 and the switching units 3, 4, 5), and based on the obtained data, the inspection target (in this embodiment, the inspection target). , The degree of deterioration of the insulating film P) is obtained. The central control unit 1 is configured to include a microprocessor and a memory (ROM, RAM) in which programs and data necessary for various controls and calculations are stored in advance. The above equations (1) and (2) are also stored in the memory as a part of the program.

"Input means" referred to in the claims
In the present embodiment, means that the operation key 19 is included. The “deterioration degree calculation means” corresponds to the central control unit 1. The "reference index" corresponds to the conversion time. The “light quantity measuring means” means that the light quantity measuring unit 8 includes an illumination light guide means, a light reception light guide means, a reference light guide means, and an illumination optical fiber 9, a light reception optical fiber 13, and a reference light. They correspond to the fibers 14, respectively. The “route switching means” is realized by the switching unit 4, the switching unit 5, and the central control unit 1 that controls these. The "wavelength selection means" (particularly, "switching means" in claim 11) is realized by the switching unit 3 and the central control unit 1 that controls the switching unit 3. The “arithmetic means” is realized by the central control unit 1.

A measurement processing procedure for obtaining the degree of deterioration will be described.

The measurement is carried out in the following order.

Thickness measurement and input of the object to be inspected When the transmittance of the object to be measured is 50% or more, the thickness at the position where the degree of deterioration is measured (the position where the light emitted from the illumination optical fiber 9 is irradiated) To measure. Then, the measurement result is input to the central controller through the operation keys 19. However, the measurement and the input to the central control unit 1 are
It does not necessarily have to be done first. Depending on the content of the program provided in the central controller 1, the measurement and input may be performed at a later stage.

For a material having a transmittance of 50% or less, this thickness measurement and input are unnecessary.

Measurement of Reference Light Amount for Each Wavelength (L1, L2) The central control unit 1 previously operates the switching units 3, 4, 5 through the switching control unit 2 so that the light from the light source 6 (or 14) is It is in a state of being incident on the light quantity measuring unit 8 via the reference optical fiber 7.

In this state, the central controller 1 sends a signal to the light source 6 to generate light. The monochromatic light (peak wavelength: L1) emitted from the light source 6 is transmitted to the light amount measuring unit 8 through the switching unit 3, the switching unit 4, the reference optical fiber 7, and the switching unit 5. The light quantity measuring unit 8 measures the light quantity (hereinafter, referred to as “reference light quantity”) I ₁ of the incident light and outputs it to the central control unit 1. The central controller 1 stores this reference light amount I ₁ in the memory.

After that, the central control unit 1 switches so that the light from the light source 14 enters the switching unit 3. Similarly, the monochromatic light emitted from the light source 14 (peak wavelength: L
The reference light amount I ₂ for 2) is measured and stored.

Measurement of the amount of light reflected on the surface of the insulating resin The central control unit 1 switches the light from the light source 6 to the light amount measuring unit 8 via the illumination optical fiber 9 and the light receiving optical fiber 13 so as to enter the switching unit 3. , 4, 5 are switched.
Then, in this state, the light source 6 is caused to emit light.

Monochromatic light from the light source 6 (peak wavelength: L1)
Is transmitted through the switching unit 3, the switching unit 4, and the illumination optical fiber 9, and is irradiated onto the surface of the insulating resin P in the reflected light measuring unit 10. The reflected light r from the surface of the insulating resin P is incident on the light receiving optical fiber 13, and the transmitted light is output to the light quantity measuring unit 8 through the switching unit 5. Then, the light quantity measuring unit 8
Is the intensity of this light (hereinafter referred to as "reflected light amount") I ₁ '
Is measured and output to the central control unit 1.

The central control unit 1 also performs the same measurement on the light emitted from the light source 14 to obtain the reflected light amount I ₂ ′.

Calculation of Deterioration Degree The central control unit 1 uses the data (I ₁ ′, I ₁ , I ₂ ′, I ₂ ) obtained in the measurement so far to calculate the reflectance R _L1 (=
100 × I ₁ '/ I ₁ ), R _L2 (= 100 × I ₂ ' / I ₂ )
Ask for. Further, the light reflection losses A _L1 and A _L2 are obtained by using the reflectances R _L1 and R _L2 and the above-mentioned Formula 1 (= Formula 4). In this case, when the transmittance of the insulating film is less than 50%, t = 1 in the equation 1 is set. On the other hand, when the transmittance is 50% or more, the thickness of the insulating film P is substituted. The rationale for adopting such a value as t is as described above.

Further, the light reflection loss A _L1 , A _L2 and the equation 2
From (= _Equation 5), the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 (= A _L1 −
A _L2 ) is calculated.

The central control unit 1 _compares the light reflection loss ΔA _L1L2 thus obtained with the master data stored in the external storage unit 15 to compare the deterioration degree of the insulating film P (converted). Time θ) is calculated. Furthermore, the remaining life Δθ is calculated using the converted time θ (Equation 7)
reference). Then, these are output to the display device 20 or the like as measurement results.

[Embodiment 2] The deterioration diagnosis system of this embodiment is characterized in that diagnosis is performed by using three wavelengths (L1 to L3) at the same time, as compared with the above embodiment.

The hardware configuration of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. However, in addition to the light sources 6 and 14, a light source 18 that emits monochromatic light (peak wavelength L3: L3 ≠ L1, L2) is further provided.

Further, the switching section 3 is omitted, and the light of three kinds of wavelengths is always emitted to the reference optical fiber 7 or the illumination optical fiber 9 through the optical coupler 16. There is. Even if light of three kinds of wavelengths is transmitted in one optical fiber, the system operates well because the light has no coherence. Corresponding to this, the light quantity measuring unit 8 is provided with an optical filter 80 for each wavelength (L1, L2, L3) of each light. By driving these filters 80 in a time-divisional manner, the amount of light of each wavelength can be instantaneously measured. A spectroscope (eg, prism) can be used instead of the optical filter. Further, these optical filters and the like are not necessarily used in the light quantity measuring unit 8
You don't have to have it yourself. As long as the wavelength of the light incident on the light receiving portion (not shown) of the light quantity measuring portion 8 can be limited to the above-mentioned target wavelength, it may be arranged at any position.

The light quantity measuring unit 8 is provided with the measurement value of the light quantity.
The information indicating the type of the light (not necessarily the wavelength; any information that can determine which of the above three types of light has the light amount) is sent to the central controller 1.
Output to.

The same data as in the first embodiment is stored in the external storage device 15. In this embodiment, there are three types of master data (ΔA _L1L2- θ, ΔA _L2L3- θ, ΔA) depending on the combination of wavelengths used when obtaining the reflection loss difference.
_L1L3- θ) _Available .

The "optical coupler" in the claims corresponds to the optical coupler 16 in this embodiment. The “wavelength selecting means” corresponds to the optical filter 80.

The measurement processing operation is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the reference light amount I and the reflected light amount I ′
Are measured sequentially. In this case, in the present embodiment, the selection of the wavelength for measuring the light quantity is performed by the time division driving of the filter as described above.

Thereafter, the central control unit 1 uses the data output from the light quantity measuring unit 8 to calculate and store the reflectances RL1 to RL3 at the wavelengths _{L1 to L3} . Further, data of this three wavelengths - of the data, obtains the light reflection loss difference .DELTA.A _LL between any two wavelengths _{'(= A L -A L'} ). Then, by referring to the master data regarding the combination of the two wavelengths, the deterioration degree and the like can be obtained.

[Third Embodiment] The deterioration diagnosis system of the present embodiment is characterized in that a white light source (halogen lamp) is used as the light source, as compared with the above-mentioned embodiment.

The basic structure of this embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. However, since the light emitted from the white light source contains light of various wavelengths, the optical coupler 16 is unnecessary.

The light quantity measuring section 8 is equipped with a spectroscope 82 composed of an interference filter, and is provided for each wavelength (500 to 90).
The amount of light at 0 nm) can be measured instantly.

The measurement process and its procedure are basically the same as those in the second embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, the reference light amount and the reflected light amount can be measured not only for a specific wavelength but also for light of many wavelengths included in the light emitted from the light source 17. However, for the purpose of this system and speeding up the measurement, it is necessary to measure 5
As described above, it is preferable to keep the wavelength within the range of 00 to 900 nm.

The central control unit 1 continuously calculates and stores the reflectances R _{500 to} R ₉₀₀ at wavelengths of _{500 to 900} nm using the measurement data of the light quantity measuring unit 8.

[0083] Furthermore, the central control unit 1, of the reflectance in the thus obtained wavelength 500 to 900 nm, the light reflection loss difference .DELTA.A _LL between any two wavelengths' (= A _L -A
_{L '} ). Then, by referring to the master data stored in the external storage device 15, the degree of deterioration and the like can be obtained.

Using the deterioration diagnosis system of the present invention described above, a diagnosis was performed on an insulating film having a light transmittance of 50%. In this diagnosis, deterioration diagnosis was performed on the insulating film of the composite material (including epoxy and iron oxide) as an inspection target. The thickness range of this composite film was 100 to 350 μm (measured with a micrometer). For measurement, wavelength 750
nm and 850 nm light was used. The results of this measurement test are shown in FIG. For comparison, the data without thickness correction is also shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the symbol a is added to the data (◯) when the thickness of the insulating film is not corrected. On the other hand, reference numeral b is added to the data (●) when the thickness is corrected.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, when the thickness is not corrected, there are large variations in the data. This means that we cannot obtain sufficiently reliable master data. Even if reliable master data is obtained (this can be done by strictly defining the film thickness used in the experiment), the degree of deterioration is actually diagnosed. In doing so, accurate data cannot be obtained, and consequently, accurate deterioration diagnosis cannot be performed. On the other hand, when the present invention is applied to correct the thickness, there is no such variation. That is, the error caused by the difference in the thickness of the insulating film can be eliminated, and the deterioration degree can be diagnosed more accurately.

FIG. 9 shows the result of a diagnosis (without thickness correction, setting t = 1) of an insulating film having a light transmittance of 45%. Wavelength of light used in diagnosis, material of insulating film,
The thickness range and the like are almost the same as in the case of FIG. However, the composition ratio of the insulating film is changed in order to set the transmittance to 45%. Looking at FIG. 9, there is almost no variation in the data. When the light transmittance is low as described above, most of the light incident on the light-receiving optical fiber 13 is the light reflected on the surface of the insulating film, and the influence of the thickness of the insulating film is negligible. It seems that it is getting smaller.

As described above, in the first, second, and third embodiments to which the present invention is applied, accurate deterioration diagnosis can be performed even for the inspection target having a transmittance of 50% or more.

In Examples 2 and 3, the degree of freedom in wavelength selection used for calculation is high, so that the light used for diagnosis can be selectively used according to the type of insulating film and more accurate measurement is possible. is there.

It is not necessary to previously install the optical fibers 7, 9 and 13 in the equipment. Therefore, the optical fiber itself is not required to have high heat resistance, and a plastic optical fiber can be used. The diameter of a plastic optical fiber can be easily increased, and even if the diameter is increased, it is less likely that the fiber will be bent (compared to an optical fiber made of glass). Therefore, the operability is excellent.

Further, in a mode in which two or more different types of monochromatic light are finally guided to one illumination optical fiber via the optical coupler, the position of the light emitted from the illumination optical fiber is determined at one point. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence of misalignment.

In the above embodiment, the light reflection loss difference is replaced with the conversion time to diagnose the degree of deterioration.
However, it is also possible to directly diagnose the degree of deterioration using the light reflection loss difference itself as an index. In this case, the value of the light reflection loss difference is stored in the external storage device 15 for each degree of deterioration.

In each of the above embodiments, the reference optical fiber 7 is provided exclusively. However, the reference light needs to be measured only when the light emission intensity of the light source is changed, and thus the illumination optical fiber 9 may also serve as the reference optical fiber 7. In this case, the reference light amount can be measured by connecting the emission end of the illumination optical fiber 9 to the light amount measuring unit 8 (configured so as to be connectable in advance). With such a configuration, the switching units 4 and 5 are unnecessary. In this way, the cost of the system can be reduced.
However, in this case, in order to prevent erroneous measurement, either the reference light amount or the reflected light amount to be measured can be designated by the operation switch 19, or
More preferably, the display device 20 is caused to display an instruction as to which is to be performed.

In the above embodiment, whether or not to correct the thickness is determined according to the transmittance. However, whether or not the thickness correction is performed is predetermined depending on the material forming the inspection target. Therefore, the transmittance (or simply the presence / absence of the thickness correction necessity) for various materials is stored in the storage device 15.
It may be stored in. Then, the user operates the operation key 1
When the type of the inspection object is designated from 9, whether or not to perform the thickness correction is automatically determined, and when the thickness correction is performed, a display prompting the user to input the thickness is displayed. Is also easily possible. By doing so, the actual usability is also improved.

[0094]

According to the present invention, it is possible to nondestructively measure the degree of deterioration of an insulating material or a structural material used in a device without stopping the operation of the device in actual operation. Further, it is possible to obtain a deterioration diagnosis system applicable to an object to be measured whose surface is soiled by dust or the like or an object to be measured having irregularities. Furthermore, high light transmittance (50% or more)
Accurate diagnosis can also be performed on materials.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a measurement principle.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing changes in light reflection loss due to surface contamination.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing details of the measuring unit 10.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of master data.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing how data varies for an insulating film having a transmittance of 50% depending on the presence or absence of thickness correction.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing data (without thickness correction) for an insulating film having a transmittance of 45%.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Central control part, 2 ... Switching control part, 3 ... Switching part, 4 ... Switching part, 5 ... Switching part, 6 ... Light source (wavelength L1), 7 ... Reference light fiber, 8 ... Light quantity measuring part, 9 ... Optical fiber for illumination, 10 ... Shading member, 13 ... Optical fiber for receiving light, 1
4 ... Light source (wavelength L2), 15 ... External storage device, 16 ... Optical coupler, 17 ... Light source (halogen lamp), 80 ... Optical filter, 82 ... Spectrometer, P ... Insulating resin, r ... Reflected light

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Shin-ichi Akasaka 7-1-1 Omika-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Hitachi Ltd. Hitachi Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Juichi Miya Miya 1-chome Kanda Nishiki-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo Hitachi Building System Service Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Makoto Shimodera 1-6, Kandanishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hitachi Building System Service Co., Ltd.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A deterioration measuring system for diagnosing a deterioration degree of an object to be measured, wherein a reflectance measuring means for obtaining a reflectance R _{L of the} object to be measured with respect to each of lights of at least two kinds of wavelengths (L1, L2). And at least the input means for receiving the input of the thickness of the measured object, the reflectance _RL obtained by the reflectance measuring means, and the thickness of the measured object received by the input means, 1 and a deterioration degree calculating means for calculating a light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 defined by _Equation 2 and diagnosing the degree of deterioration of the DUT based on the light reflection loss difference ΔA _{L1L2; L} = − (10 / t) · log ( _RL / 100) _AL : light reflection loss (dB / mm) _RL : reflectance (%) of the object to be measured with respect to light of wavelength L (nm) t: object the thickness of the workpiece (mm) Equation 2] ΔA _L1L2 = a _L1 -A _L2 However, (L1 <L2) A _L1L2: degradation diagnostic system characterized by having a light reflection loss difference (dB / mm). 2. The input means further receives an input of the light transmittance or the presence / absence of thickness correction of the object to be measured, and the deterioration degree calculating means determines that the light transmittance received by the input means is 50% or more, or thickness correction ”
If the “Yes” instruction is accepted, when the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 is obtained, the value of the thickness accepted by the input means is adopted as the thickness t in the above mathematical _expression 1. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. The light reflection loss is calculated by the deterioration degree calculating means when the light transmittance accepted by the input means is 50% or less, or when the instruction of thickness correction “without” is not accepted. _3. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 2, wherein when the difference ΔA _L1L2 is obtained, 1 is adopted as the thickness t in the above mathematical _expression 1. 4. Data (hereinafter referred to as "master data") indicating a correspondence relationship obtained in advance between experiments between a reference index indicating the degree of deterioration of the object to be measured and the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 is stored. The deterioration degree calculation means further includes a storage means, _obtains the value of the reference index corresponding to the light reflection loss difference ΔA _L1L2 obtained by the calculation with reference to the master data, and obtains the value of the reference index. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the degree of deterioration is diagnosed based on the deterioration diagnosis system. 5. The above-mentioned reference index is a conversion time (θ) defined by the following mathematical expression 3, The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 4, wherein 6. The wavelength (L1, L2) of the light for measuring the reflectance R _L by the reflectance measuring means is 660 nm or more and 850 n or more.
The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the deterioration diagnosis system is m or less. 7. The reflectance measuring means comprises a light source capable of generating at least two kinds of light having different wavelengths (L1, L2), a light quantity measuring means for measuring the intensity of incident light, and An illumination light guide means for guiding the emitted light to irradiate the object to be measured, and a reflected light from the object to be measured of the light radiated by the illumination light guide means for receiving the reflected light from the object to be measured. From the light guide means for receiving light for guiding, the light guide means for reference for guiding the light emitted from the light source to the light quantity measuring means, the light emitted from the light guide means for receiving light, and the light guiding means for reference. Of the light emitted from the light source, and the path switching means for actually entering the light quantity measuring means, and the light of one of the wavelengths that can be generated by the light source. , The light intensity of the selected wavelength The wavelength selection means to be measured by the light quantity measuring means, and the intensity of the light of the two wavelengths (L1, L2) incident through the light receiving light guiding means measured by the light quantity measuring means,
The two wavelengths (L1, L2) are divided by the intensity of the two wavelengths (L1, L2) incident through the reference light guide means measured by the light quantity measuring means.
The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the deterioration diagnosis system is configured to include a calculation unit that obtains the reflectance _RL for each. 8. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 7, wherein the light source is configured to include a plurality of light emitting elements that emit monochromatic light. 9. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the peak wavelength of the monochromatic light is 660 nm or more and 850 nm or less. 10. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 9, wherein the light emitting element is a light emitting diode. 11. The wavelength selecting means includes a switching means for causing only the light emitted from any one of the light emitting elements to enter the reference light guide means or the illumination light guide means. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: 12. The deterioration according to claim 7, further comprising an optical coupler for simultaneously introducing the monochromatic light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements into the reference light guide means or the illumination light guide means. Diagnostic system. 13. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 7, wherein the light source emits white light. 14. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 13, wherein the light source includes a halogen lamp. 15. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 12, wherein the wavelength selection means is configured to include a spectroscope or an optical filter. 16. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 7, wherein the illumination light guide means also serves as the reference light guide means. 17. At least one of the light guide means for illumination, the light guide means for light reception, and the light guide means for reference includes a plastic optical fiber. The deterioration diagnosis system according to claim 7.