JP2001124148A - Inspection method and inspection device of belt assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for efficiently inspecting a belt assembly with stable accuracy. SOLUTION: This belt assembly 2 composed of an endless metallic belt 3 and a large number of elements 4 arranged/superposed in an annular shape in the circumferential direction by being held by the endles metallic belt 3, is extended between a driving roller 5 and a driven roller 6, and while imparting tensile force to the belt assembly 2 by separating both rollers, the belt assembly 2 is rotated, and is familiarized so as to be smoothly rotatable. Afterwards, in a stopping state or a rotating state of the belt assembly 2, a plunger 20 of a load sensor 16 is moved by rotation of a handle 19, a part positioned between both rollers of the belt assembly 2 is pressed in the inside direction, and a deflection quantity of the belt assembly 2 at pressing time is measured by a distance measuring sensor 22 to inspect the belt assembly 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for inspecting a belt assembly used in a continuously variable transmission or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A belt assembly used in a continuously variable transmission is composed of an endless metal belt and a number of elements which are held by the endless metal belt and overlapped in a ring along the circumferential direction thereof. It is composed of Conventionally, a belt assembly has been inspected by manually applying a thickness gauge to a clearance (gap) between some selected elements of a belt assembly in which an endless metal belt and an element are assembled, and visually inspecting the belt assembly. The measurement is performed by measuring the clearance and determining whether the measured clearance is appropriate.

[0003] However, such an inspection is very inefficient because it is a manual operation, and the inspection accuracy may vary depending on individual differences and proficiency. In addition, the clearance between the elements that have not been measured may be inappropriate, and the predetermined number of elements constituting the belt assembly may be insufficient, which may affect the product performance of the belt assembly. And, in the worst case, the element may fall off from the endless metal belt.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for solving the above-mentioned inconvenience and for efficiently and stably inspecting a belt assembly.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an endless metal belt and an annular belt which is held by the endless metal belt and is annularly aligned along the circumferential direction thereof. A method for inspecting a belt assembly including a plurality of elements, wherein the belt assembly is wound around a driving roller and a driven roller, and the two rollers are separated to apply tension to the belt assembly. After rotating the belt assembly to allow the belt assembly to rotate smoothly, the two rollers of the belt assembly may be stopped or rotated. The belt assembly is inspected by pressing an intermediate portion inward of the belt assembly and measuring the amount of deflection of the belt assembly when the belt assembly is pressed.

According to the belt assembly inspection method of the present invention, after rotating the belt assembly while applying tension to the belt assembly, the portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers is pressed, Measure the amount of deflection. The amount of deflection (measured value) is determined as the amount of deflection (predetermined value) for an appropriate belt assembly in which the clearance between the elements is appropriate as a whole and the predetermined number of elements is not insufficient.
In comparison with the above, it can be checked whether the belt assembly is proper. Therefore, the inspection of the belt assembly can be performed efficiently, and the inspection accuracy can be inspected with stable accuracy while avoiding variation in the inspection accuracy due to individual differences.

In the inspection method according to the present invention, the driving roller and the driven roller are arranged vertically, and a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers is horizontally pressed inward of the belt assembly. It is preferred to do so. In this case, the portion of the belt assembly located between the rollers extends in a substantially vertical direction under tension, and the amount of deflection when this portion is pressed in the horizontal direction is measured. Measurement can be performed with high accuracy.

Further, the belt assembly inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises an endless metal belt and a number of elements held by the endless metal ring and superposed in a ring along the circumferential direction thereof. An apparatus for inspecting a belt assembly, comprising: a driving roller and a driven roller around which the belt assembly is wound; and a tension for separating the driving roller and the driven roller to apply tension to the belt assembly. Urging means, a drive source for driving the drive roller to rotate the tensioned belt assembly, and a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers in a direction inward of the belt assembly. And a measuring means for measuring the amount of deflection of the belt assembly due to the pressing of the pressing means.

In the belt assembly inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the driving roller and the driven roller are arranged in a vertical direction, and the pressing means opposes a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers. It is preferable that they are arranged so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an inspection device used in the inspection method of a belt assembly according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the inspection device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of a portion A of the inspection device of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, a belt assembly 2 to be inspected by an inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment comprises a pair of left and right endless metal belts 3, 3 and a pair of endless metal belts. The endless metal belts 3, 3 are held from the left and right by a plurality of elements 4 arranged in a ring along the circumferential direction of the endless metal belt 3. The endless metal belt 3 is formed by laminating a plurality of band-shaped metal rings having different circumferential lengths (not shown).

The inspection apparatus 1 includes a driving roller 5 and a driven roller 6 around which the belt assembly 2 is wound. The drive roller 5 is rotatably supported on a surface of a flat base 7 standing upright in a vertical direction via a support member 8.
Are connected via a connection mechanism (not shown) to a drive motor 9 which is a drive source provided inside.

The driven roller 6 is a linear guide 1 vertically slidably engaged with a guide rail 10 fixed to the surface of the base 7 below the driving roller 5 in the vertical direction.
1 is rotatably supported via a support member 12.
The driving roller 5 and the driven roller 6 have substantially the same size.

A weight 13 serving as a tension urging means is suspended from the linear guide 11, and the weight 13 is restricted from moving downward by a stopper (not shown). Adjust the position of the stopper (not shown) to
Is moved downward by a predetermined distance, the linear guide 11
Moves along the guide rail 10 vertically downward by a predetermined distance, and the driven roller 6 is vertically separated from the driving roller 5 by a predetermined distance, so that the driven roller 6 is wound around the driving roller 5 and the driven roller 6. A predetermined tension is applied to the belt assembly 2 thus completed.

Outside the portion between the two rollers of the belt assembly 2 wrapped around the rollers 5, 6, a guide rail 14 fixed to the surface of the base 7 is slidable in the horizontal direction. The load sensor 16 is fixed to the engaged linear guide 15. The linear guide 15 is connected to one end of a shaft 18 rotatably supported by a support member 17 fixed to the base 7 via a connection mechanism (not shown), and a handle 19 is connected to the other end of the shaft 18. ing. When the handle 19 is rotated in one direction, the rotation of the handle 19 is transmitted to the linear guide 15 via the shaft 18 and a coupling mechanism (not shown), and the linear guide 15 is horizontally moved along the guide rail 14 to the belt assembly 2. Move forward towards. When the handle 19 is rotated in the reverse direction, the linear guide 15 moves backward.

As shown in FIG. 3, the end face 20a of the plunger 20 provided at the tip of the load sensor 16 is
Has an outline corresponding to the outline of the outer side surface 4a. As the linear guide 15 advances along the guide rail 14 toward the belt assembly 2, the plunger 20 of the load sensor 16 moves the portion of the belt assembly 2 located between the rollers toward the inside of the belt assembly 2. Press horizontally.
The load sensor 16 measures a load of the plunger 20 pressing the belt assembly 2. The guide rail 14, the linear guide 15, the load sensor 16, the support member 17, the shaft 18, the handle 19, and the plunger 20 constitute a pressing unit.

At a position opposing the load sensor 16 with a portion located between the rollers 5 and 6 of the belt assembly 2 interposed therebetween,
A distance measuring sensor 22 as a measuring means is provided via a support member 21 fixed to the surface of the base 7. The distance measuring sensor 22 can be fixed to the support member 21 by adjusting the positional relationship between the distance measuring sensor 22 and a portion located between the rollers 5 and 6 of the belt assembly 2. Plunger 20 of load sensor 16
When the belt assembly 2 is bent inward when the portion of the belt assembly 2 located between the two rollers is pressed inward in the horizontal direction, the amount of deflection of the belt assembly 2 is measured by the distance measuring sensor 2.
2 measures. As the distance measuring sensor 22, for example, a laser distance measuring sensor or the like is used.

Next, a method of inspecting the belt assembly 2 using the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In an assembling process which is a pre-process of this inspection method, a pair of left and right endless metal belts 3, 3 and a pair of endless metal belts 3, 3,
Endless metal belts 3, 3
A belt assembly 2 composed of a number of elements 4 superposed in a ring shape along the circumferential direction is assembled.

First, the assembled belt assembly 2 is
It is wrapped between a driving roller 5 and a driven roller 6 arranged in a vertical direction. Next, when the weight 13 is moved downward by a predetermined distance by adjusting the position of a stopper (not shown),
The linear guide 11 moves vertically downward along the guide rail 10 by a predetermined distance.
Is separated from the drive roller 5 by a predetermined distance, and a predetermined tension is applied to the belt assembly 2.

Next, by driving the drive motor 9 to rotate the drive roller 5, the belt assembly 2 in a tensioned state is rotated, and the belt assembly 2 is adapted to rotate smoothly. . As a result, the belt assembly 2 is in a state close to the state actually used for a continuously variable transmission or the like. The drive time and rotation speed of the drive motor 9 for adapting the belt assembly 2 are determined according to the structure and length of the belt assembly 2.

Next, the drive motor 9 is stopped to stop the rotation of the belt assembly 2 in a tensioned state. By rotating the handle 19 in one direction, the linear guide 15 is moved in the horizontal direction toward the belt assembly 2 along the guide rail 14, and the plunger 20 of the load sensor 16 causes the linear guide 15 to move. 2 is pressed in a horizontal direction toward the inside of the belt assembly 2. At this time, the load by which the plunger 20 presses the belt assembly 2 is detected by the load sensor 1.
6, the handle 19 is rotated so that the measured load value becomes a predetermined value.

When the portion between the rollers 5 and 6 of the belt assembly 2 is pressed inward in the horizontal direction by the plunger 20 of the load sensor 16, the belt assembly 2
Is bent inward, a distance measuring sensor 22 located at a position opposing the plunger 20 across the belt assembly 2 measures the amount of bending of the belt assembly 2.

Here, in advance, for a proper belt assembly 2 in which the clearance between the elements 4 is appropriate as a whole and the shortage of the predetermined number of elements 4 does not occur,
After the belt assembly 2 is rotated and tensioned under the same conditions as described above, the portion of the belt assembly 2 located between the rollers 5 and 6 is pressed with the predetermined load value. The amount of deflection of the belt assembly 2 is determined as a predetermined value.

The amount of deflection (measured value) of the belt assembly 2 is changed to the appropriate amount of deflection (predetermined value) of the belt assembly 2.
Compare with If the measured value is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the belt assembly 2 is appropriate. If the measured value exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the belt assembly 2 is not appropriate, and the belt assembly 2 is returned to the previous assembling process to adjust the clearance between the elements 4 or to add the missing number of the elements 4. And so on. Accordingly, the inspection of the belt assembly 2 can be efficiently performed, and the inspection accuracy can be inspected with stable accuracy while avoiding variation in the inspection accuracy due to individual differences. Thus, a stable quality belt assembly 2 can be supplied.

Since the belt assembly 2 is stretched between the rollers 5 and 6 arranged in the vertical direction to apply tension,
The portion of the belt assembly 2 located between the rollers 5, 6 extends in the vertical direction, and has almost no horizontal deflection. Therefore, such a portion is connected to the plunger 20 of the load sensor 16.
Accordingly, the amount of deflection of the belt assembly 2 when pressed with a predetermined load value can be accurately measured by the distance measuring sensor 22.

In the inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the rotation of the handle 19 is transmitted to the linear guide 15 via the shaft 18 and a connecting mechanism (not shown) as the pressing means, so that the linear guide 15 is moved. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the linear guide 15 may be moved by a cylinder having a known configuration.

In the inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 described above, the inspection is performed with the belt assembly 2 stopped. However, as a modified example of the inspection device 1, an inspection device in which the belt assembly 2 is rotated can be used. This modification will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified example of the inspection device 1 corresponding to FIG. In this modification, members having the same configurations as those of the inspection apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, a roller 31 is rotatably supported at the tip of the plunger 30 of the load sensor 16 so as to be rotatable in the rotation direction of the belt assembly 2. The peripheral side surface 31 of the roller 31 is the outer side surface 4 a of the element 4 of the belt assembly 2.
Has a contour corresponding to the contour of. When the roller 31 of the plunger 30 comes into contact with the overlapping elements 4 of the belt assembly 2 and presses the belt assembly 2 inward while the belt assembly 2 is rotating, the outer periphery of each rotating element 4 The peripheral side surface 31 of the roller 31 comes into contact with the side surface 4a, and the roller 31 rotates to reduce friction and impact at the time of contact. Thus, even when the belt assembly 2 is rotating, the amount of deflection when the plunger 30 presses the belt assembly 2 can be measured by the distance measurement sensor 22.

Therefore, according to the modified example of FIG. 4, after the belt assembly 2 is rotated and adjusted by applying tension, not only in the stopped state but also in the rotated state, the load sensor 16 determines the predetermined state. The belt assembly 2 can be inspected by measuring the amount of flexure when the belt assembly 2 is pressed with the load value by the distance measuring sensor 22.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an inspection apparatus used for an inspection method of a belt assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1 partially shown in a cross section taken along line II-II.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line aa of a part A of the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 of a modification of the inspection device of FIG. 1;

[Description of Signs] 1. Inspection device, 2. Belt assembly, 3. Endless metal belt, 4. Element, 5. Driving roller, 6. Driving roller, 9. Driving motor, 10
..Guide rails, 11 linear guides, 13.
・ Weight, 14 ・ ・ Guide rail, 15 ・ ・ Linear guide, 16 ・ ・ Load sensor, 17 ・ ・ Support member,
18 ・ ・ Shaft 、 19 ・ ・ Handle 、 20 ・ ・
Plunger, 21 ... Support member, 22 ... Distance measuring sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for inspecting a belt assembly comprising an endless metal belt, and a number of elements held by the endless metal belt and superposed in a ring along the circumferential direction thereof. The belt assembly is wound around a driving roller and a driven roller, the rollers are separated from each other, tension is applied to the belt assembly, and the belt assembly is rotated to smoothly rotate the belt assembly. After being adapted to rotate, with the belt assembly stopped or rotated,
Inspecting the belt assembly by pressing a portion of the belt assembly located between the rollers toward the inside of the belt assembly and measuring the amount of deflection of the belt assembly when pressed; A method for inspecting a belt assembly, comprising: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving roller and the driven roller are arranged vertically, and a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers is horizontally pressed inward of the belt assembly. The method for inspecting a belt assembly according to claim 1. 3. An apparatus for inspecting a belt assembly comprising an endless metal belt and a number of elements held by said endless metal ring and superposed annularly in a ring along its circumferential direction. A drive roller and a driven roller around which the belt assembly is wound; tension applying means for separating the drive roller and the driven roller to apply tension to the belt assembly; and applying the tension. A drive source that drives the drive roller to rotate the belt assembly, a pressing unit that presses a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers toward the inside of the belt assembly, Measuring means for measuring the amount of deflection of the belt assembly due to pressing. 4. The driving roller and the driven roller are disposed vertically, and the pressing means is disposed opposite a portion of the belt assembly located between the two rollers and moves in a horizontal direction. The belt assembly inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inspection apparatus is freely adjustable.