JP2003106820A - Method and system for measuring and recording groove depth - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform accurate quality control by efficiently and accurately measuring and recording the remaining thickness in a groove bottom section in parallel with groove machining and at the same time reliably exclude the generation of nonconforming articles. SOLUTION: A linear groove that is cut and machined on the surface of a cover made of resin is irradiated with laser beams from its opening side to receive the images of the reflection light by a CCD. It is judged whether the value of the deepest section of a groove that is calculated from the image processing of the received images and the thickness value of the covering are within a set range or not and are equal to or more than the set minimum value or not. Then, only when all the judgment results are good, the remaining thickness is calculated and outputted from the value of the deepest section in the groove and is recorded. At the same time, when either of the judgment results is not good, the value is judged as non-conforming and an alarm is outputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention mainly corresponds to an air bag installation location of a resin skin such as vinyl chloride (PVC), polyolefin (TPO), polyurethane (TPU) or the like for forming an instrument panel for automobiles. When a destructive force above a certain level is applied to the part to be covered, the stress will be concentrated on that part and it will rupture securely to ensure proper deployment of the airbag. The present invention relates to a method and system for measuring the depth of a linear groove formed by cutting and measuring and recording the remaining thickness of the bottom of the linear groove in a sheet-like work from the measured value.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a product produced by cutting a linear groove into a sheet-like work, the remaining thickness of the bottom of the linear groove is measured to obtain data for each product in order to properly control the product quality. It is important to record and keep it. In particular, since the linear groove processed in the portion corresponding to the air bag installation location of the resin skin for automobiles is closely related to the safety of passengers, the bottom of the linear groove with a certain fracture resistance. It is very important to accurately measure the remaining thickness of the bottom of the linear groove and record and store the data for each product in order to process the product with good reproducibility.

Conventionally, the remaining thickness is measured by irradiating light from the opening side of the linear groove cut on the front surface side of the sheet-like work toward the groove bottom and measuring the amount of light transmitted to the back surface side of the work. The means to measure was adopted.

[0004]

However, in the case of the light-transmitting type measuring means as described above, when the groove is meandered along the longitudinal direction within an allowable range,
It is difficult to always specify the light irradiation position in the deepest part of the groove, and not only the irradiation position tends to deviate from the deepest part, but the amount of transmitted light also fluctuates greatly due to changes in the material of the workpiece, so there is an error in the measured value of the remaining thickness Is likely to occur and accurate quality control cannot be performed.

Further, in the case of the light transmission type measuring means, since it is necessary to separately arrange the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion on both sides of the sheet-like work, the sheet-like work to be machined is to be processed. It is not possible to place the measuring device in one direction on the side of the groove processing equipment that performs groove processing by closely fixing it to a flat surface such as a surface plate, and measure at a location distant from the groove processing location, or groove processing It is necessary to perform measurement in a separate process from the process, and there is a problem that the device tends to be complicated and the number of processes increases, resulting in deterioration of productivity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the remaining thickness of the bottom portion of the processed linear groove can be measured in parallel with the groove processing efficiently, and can be measured and recorded with extremely high accuracy to be accurate. An object of the present invention is to provide a groove depth measuring and recording method and system capable of not only performing quality control but also reliably eliminating generation of defective products.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a groove depth measuring and recording method according to the present invention measures the depth of a linear groove cut into the surface of a sheet-like work, and measures the depth. A method for calculating and recording the remaining thickness of the bottom of the linear groove in the sheet work from the value, and recording it from the opening side of the linear groove on the front surface of the sheet work that is fixed and held so that the back surface closely contacts the flat surface. An image of the reflected light is received by a laser beam, the CCD receives the image, and the value of the deepest part of the groove and the thickness value of the sheet-like work are calculated by image processing of the received image by this CCD, and then the calculated deepest part of the groove. It is determined whether or not the value is within a preset allowable range, and it is determined whether or not the calculated thickness value of the sheet-shaped work exceeds a preset minimum thickness value. , Above calculated groove If the partial value is within the set allowable range and the sheet-like work thickness value exceeds the set minimum thickness value, the remaining thickness is calculated and output from the calculated groove deepest value and the output While the value is recorded, in the case of any other determination result, an alarm that the product is defective is output.

Further, the groove depth measuring and recording system according to the present invention measures the depth of the linear groove cut into the surface of the sheet-like work, and from the measured value, the bottom of the linear groove in the sheet-like work is measured. This is a system for calculating and recording the remaining thickness and recording it.A platen that holds the sheet-like work fixed so that the back surface of the sheet-like work sticks to a flat surface, and laser light from the opening side of the linear groove on the surface of the sheet-like work. A CCD for irradiating and receiving an image of the reflected light, a means for calculating a groove deepest value and a sheet-like work thickness value by image processing of the received image by the CCD, and the calculated groove deepest value. Judgment means for judging whether or not it is within a preset allowable range, and also for judging whether or not the calculated thickness value of the sheet-shaped work exceeds a preset minimum thickness value, and both of these judgments. means Oite located within the set allowable range calculated above groove deepest values, and, when the determination result that the sheet-like workpiece thickness value exceeds a set minimum thickness value comes,
When the remaining thickness is calculated and output from the deepest value of the calculated groove and the output value is recorded and both judgment means give a judgment result other than the above, an alarm that the sheet-like work is defective And a means for outputting.

According to the present invention having the above-mentioned constitutional requirements, the laser irradiated from the groove opening side of the linear groove which is fixed and held so that the back surface is in close contact with the flat surface and is cut into the surface of the sheet-like work. The reflected light image of light is received by the CCD, and the value of the deepest part of the groove and the thickness value of the sheet-like work are calculated by image processing of the received image, and the calculated value of the deepest part of the groove falls within a preset allowable range. It is determined whether or not the calculated work thickness value exceeds the preset minimum thickness value. Only when both of the determination results are OK, the remaining thickness is calculated, output, and recorded. , In other cases, it outputs a defective product alarm, so even if the groove is meandering within the allowable range in the longitudinal direction,
Regardless of the material of the sheet-shaped work itself, it is possible to accurately measure and record the remaining thickness corresponding to the deepest part of the groove.Of course, the value of the deepest part of the groove is outside the allowable range, as well as within the allowable range. However, if the thickness value of the sheet-shaped work itself is less than the set minimum thickness value, it can be rejected as a defective product. In this way, by introducing image processing to measure the deepest part of the groove and the remaining thickness corresponding to it, and simultaneously inspecting the thickness of the sheet-like work itself, which tends to vary during processing, etc., in parallel with the measurement of the predetermined remaining thickness, Accurately control the quality control of the entire product by reliably rejecting defective products and recording the remaining thickness data of only non-defective products, and using the recorded data as feedback data to process the linear groove with good reproducibility. It is possible to

Further, since the reflected light of the laser light is received and both the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged on the front surface side of the sheet-like work, the measurement from one direction is possible, so that the back surface of the sheet-like work can be measured. It is possible to measure the groove depth in parallel with the groove processing by arranging the whole measuring device close to the groove processing device side that processes the groove on the surface by closely fixing to the flat surface such as the surface plate,
Groove processing and measurement of the processed groove depth can be performed efficiently in a series of steps, and product productivity can be improved.

In the above-described groove depth measuring and recording method and system according to the present invention, as the thickness value of the sheet-like work, as described in claims 2 and 5, processing of both end portions in the width direction of the received image is performed. By determining the average value of the thickness values calculated by, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the sheet-like work is a defective product with insufficient thickness.

Further, the sheet-like work targeted by the groove depth measuring and recording method and system according to the present invention may be any sheet-like one having a linear groove formed on the surface thereof. As described in claim 3 and claim 6,
This is particularly effective when a resin-made skin for automobiles in which a linear groove is cut in a state where a predetermined thickness remains in a portion corresponding to an airbag installation location is targeted. In the case of targeting this resin-made skin for automobiles, the linear groove of the linear groove which is required to be processed within a very small error range from the viewpoint of ensuring the safety of passengers of the automobile, that is, the deployment performance of the airbag. The processing depth can be accurately measured and recorded,
It can be effectively used to create feedback materials for reproducible groove processing.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a groove depth measurement recording system used when the method of the present invention is carried out by using an automobile resinous skin as a target sheet-shaped work. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an automobile resin skin that is placed so that its back surface is in close contact with the flat upper surface 2a of the surface plate 2. On the front surface, a portion corresponding to the airbag installation location is, for example, an ultrasonic wave. The linear groove 3 is cut by a groove processing apparatus (not shown) such as a processing apparatus, a laser processing apparatus, or a high-frequency processing apparatus while leaving a thickness of a predetermined thickness t at the bottom.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor installed above the surface of the resin-made skin 1, which is installed so as to move integrally with the groove processing device. 5 is a CCD of the laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor 4
A visual recognition device having an image processing unit (usually a personal computer is used) that captures a received image via an output unit 6 of the NTSC system and an image transmission system 7 and performs image processing,
A communication port 8 for outputting the value calculated by the visual recognition device 5 is connected.

The laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor 4 is
As shown in the operation principle diagram of FIG. 2, a large number of laser beams Lo having a minute diameter are emitted obliquely from above the opening side of the linear groove 3 in the resin skin 1, and the reflected light Lr is reflected by the CCD 10 through the light receiving lens 9. To receive. The position where the CCD 10 receives the reflected light Lr differs depending on the distance from the sensor 4, and an image having a difference in power between the reflected light Lr from the bottom of the groove 3 and the reflected light Lr from the surface of the skin 1 is displayed. Received,
An image P as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the monitor screen M of the visual recognition device 5 in which the received image is captured.

The image processing section of the visual recognition device 5 uses the value d at the deepest portion of the groove and the thickness value t of the resin skin 1 as distances by the image processing of the image P shown in FIG. Means for calculating, whether the calculated value d of the deepest portion of the groove is compared with the minimum value dmin and the maximum value dmax of the deepest portion which are preset and inputted, and whether the value of the deepest portion of the groove is within the allowable range. A means for determining whether or not the thickness value t of the resin skin 1 is set in advance and the minimum thickness value tm is inputted.
means for judging whether or not the thickness value t of the resin skin 1 calculated by comparing with in exceeds a set minimum thickness value tmin, and the judgment results by both of these judgment means are combined to be a good product or a defective product. Comprehensive determination means for determining whether the product is a defective product, means for outputting an alarm corresponding to the defective product, and a file name when the product is determined to be a non-defective product and storing the calculated values d and t And means for doing so.

Here, the thickness value t of the resin skin 1 is
It is an average value of the thickness values calculated by the image processing of both end portions Pe, Pe in the width direction in the received image P. When it is determined that the product is a non-defective product as a result of the determination by the comprehensive determination means in the image processing unit, the remaining thickness T of the bottom of the linear groove 3 is calculated from the value d of the deepest groove. The set values dmin, dmax, and tmin described above are numerically input on the monitor screen M.

Next, using the groove depth measuring and recording system having the above structure, the linear groove 3 cut by the groove processing device preceding the portion corresponding to the air bag installation location of the resinous skin 1 for an automobile is formed. A method of measuring and recording the depth and the like will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a correction calibration for setting the correction value of the CCD 10 in the laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor 4 corresponding to the set distance between the processing device for the linear groove 3 on the resin skin 1 and the flat upper surface 2a of the surface plate 2. Laser specular reflection CCD
A predetermined measurement operation by the displacement sensor 4 is started (steps S21 and S22).

With this measurement operation, the image of the measured portion received by the CCD 10 is taken into the visual recognition device 5, and the value d at the deepest portion of the groove and the thickness value t of the skin 1 are distanced by the image processing of the received image P. Is calculated as (steps S23 and S24). Next, the value d of the deepest portion of the calculated groove is compared with the minimum value dmin and the maximum value dmax of the deepest portion that are set and input in advance to determine whether or not the value d of the deepest portion of the calculated groove is within the set allowable range. Is determined (steps S25 and S26), and the calculated thickness value t is compared with the preset minimum thickness value tmin to determine whether the calculated thickness value t exceeds the set minimum thickness value tmin. (Step S27).

When the determination results of steps S25 and S26 are OK, and the determination result of step S27 also satisfies the AND condition of OK, and step S2
If any of the determination results of 5, S26 and S27 satisfies the NG OR condition, the determination result and the data (each calculated value d, t) at that time are stored (step S28).

Next, based on the stored determination result, it is determined whether or not to continue the measurement operation, and when the AND condition of OK is satisfied, the measurement position is moved along the longitudinal direction of the linear groove 3. While the measurement operation in the steps described above is repeatedly continued, when the NG OR condition is satisfied, the measurement operation is ended (steps S29 and S30).

When the measuring operation is completed, a comprehensive judgment is made based on the judgment result over the entire length of the linear groove 3 (step S31), and if there is even one NG judgment result, that is, the resin skin 1 In the case of a processing defect including a portion where the depth over the entire length of the linear groove 3 is outside the setting allowable range, and in the case of a thickness defect including a portion where the thickness of the resin skin 1 itself is equal to or less than the set minimum thickness Outputs an alarm that the product (resin skin 1 in which the linear groove 3 has been cut) is defective (step S32), while all determination results are O.
If it is a non-defective product of K, a file name is produced and the calculated values d, t and T are stored in the hard disk together with the file name, and only the file name is output to the communication port 8 (steps S33, S34, S35). .

In the above embodiment, the resin skin 1 in which the linear groove 3 is cut while leaving a predetermined thickness in the portion corresponding to the installation location of the automobile air bag is the object of measurement. Of course, the present invention may be applied to the groove measurement of any sheet-like work in which a linear groove is processed on the surface.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, a predetermined residual thickness is measured by introducing image processing into the deepest groove portion cut into the surface of the sheet-like work and the residual thickness corresponding thereto. In parallel with this, by simultaneously measuring the thickness of the sheet-like work itself, which tends to vary during processing, even if the groove is meandering within the allowable range in the longitudinal direction, the sheet-like work itself Regardless of the material, the remaining thickness corresponding to the deepest part of the groove can be accurately measured and recorded, and not only the defective products with excessive or insufficient groove depth can be detected, but the thickness of the work itself can be insufficient. The presence or absence of non-defective products can also be inspected. Therefore, the remaining thickness record data of only good products can be effectively used as feedback data for processing the linear grooves with good reproducibility, and the quality control of the whole product can be greatly controlled. It can be done accurately.

In addition, the reflected light of the laser light is received, and both the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged on the front surface side of the sheet-like work, that is, the back surface of the sheet-like work is flattened such as a surface plate. The whole of the measuring device is closely arranged on the side of the groove processing device that closely fixes to the surface and processes the groove, and the groove depth can be measured in parallel with the groove processing. The depth can be efficiently measured in a series of steps, and the product productivity can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a groove depth measuring / recording system for an automobile resin skin, which is used when a groove depth measuring / recording method according to the present invention is carried out.

FIG. 2 is an operation principle diagram of a laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor, which is a main part of the system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a monitor screen image-displayed on a visual recognition device which is a main part of the system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of measuring and recording the depth of a linear groove cut into an automobile resin skin.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Automotive resin skin (an example of a sheet-like work) 2 surface plate 3 linear grooves 4 Laser specular reflection CCD displacement sensor 5 Visual recognition device (an example of image processing device) 10 CCD

Continued front page    F term (reference) 2F065 BB01 CC02 EE00 FF42 GG04                       GG15 HH12 HH16 JJ08 LL30                       PP11 PP22 QQ21 QQ23 QQ28                       QQ42 QQ47 RR05 SS02 SS09                       SS13

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method for measuring the depth of a linear groove cut into the surface of a sheet-like work and calculating and recording the remaining thickness of the bottom of the linear groove in the sheet-like work based on the measured value. , The linear groove on the surface of the sheet-like work that is fixed and held so that the back surface is in close contact with the flat surface is irradiated with laser light from the opening side and the image of the reflected light is received by the CCD. After calculating the value of the deepest part of the groove and the thickness value of the sheet-like work by image processing, it is determined whether the calculated value of the deepest part of the groove is within a preset allowable range, and the calculated sheet It is determined whether or not the thickness value of the work piece exceeds a preset minimum thickness value, and in both of these judgments, the calculated groove deepest value is within the set allowable range, and the sheet work piece thickness value is Set minimum thickness If the judgment result is that the value exceeds the above, the remaining thickness is calculated and output from the calculated groove deepest value, and the output value is recorded.On the other hand, if the judgment result is other than that, an alarm indicating that the product is defective is issued. A groove depth measuring and recording method characterized by outputting. 2. The groove depth measurement recording method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness value of the sheet-like work is an average value of the thickness values calculated by processing both end portions in the width direction of the received image. 3. The resin sheet for automobiles, wherein the target sheet-like work is an automobile resin skin in which a linear groove is cut while leaving a predetermined thickness in a portion corresponding to an airbag installation location. The groove depth measurement recording method described in. 4. A system for measuring the depth of a linear groove cut into the surface of a sheet-like work and calculating and recording the remaining thickness of the linear groove bottom portion in the sheet-like work from the measured value. A surface plate that holds and holds the sheet-like work so that the back surface of the sheet-like work is in close contact with the flat surface, and a CCD that receives laser light from the opening side of the linear groove on the surface of the sheet-like work and receives the image of the reflected light. And means for calculating the value of the groove deepest portion and the thickness value of the sheet-like work by image processing of the received image by the CCD, and whether the calculated groove deepest portion value is within a preset allowable range. And a determining means for determining whether or not the calculated thickness value of the sheet-like work exceeds a preset minimum thickness value, and in both of these determining means, the calculated groove deepest part value is set permissible. Example Located within, and, when the determination result that the sheet-like workpiece thickness value exceeds a set minimum thickness value comes, as well as calculates and outputs the remaining thickness from the calculated groove deepest portion value,
In the case where the means for recording the output value and the both determination means produce a determination result other than the above,
A groove depth measuring and recording system, comprising: means for outputting an alarm that a sheet-like work is defective. 5. The groove depth measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the means for calculating the thickness value of the sheet-like work is a means for obtaining an average value of the thickness values calculated by processing both end portions in the width direction of the received image. Recording system. 6. The resin sheet for automobiles, wherein the target sheet-like work is a resin-made skin for carving a linear groove in a state where a predetermined thickness is left in a portion corresponding to an airbag installation location. The groove depth measurement recording system described in.