JP2006242676A - Outer diameter measuring device and measuring probe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outer diameter measuring device for holding a columnar member when measuring the outer diameter of the columnar member, such as a column, and securing high measurement precision. <P>SOLUTION: The outer diameter measuring device measures the diameter of a groove section formed on a columnar member (work) to be measured by holding with upper and lower measuring probes installed in upper and lower directions (a direction in which gravity operates is set to the upper direction). The upper and lower measuring probes have two spherical contact terminals also serving as a positioning function, and a rod-like (columnar) contact terminal, respectively. The lower measuring probe has a support member (rod-like guide) for horizontally supporting the measurement member at both the left/right sides (both the axial sides of the member to be measured) in the contact terminal. The two spherical contact terminals installed on the upper measuring probe centers the member to be measured, and further the support member supports the posture of the member to be measured horizontally while the groove diameter is being measured by the contact terminal, thus measuring the member to be measured precisely. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an outer diameter measuring device and a measuring element, and for example, relates to an apparatus for measuring the outer diameter of a member having a cylindrical surface.

  For example, the processing accuracy of the outer diameter (diameter, groove diameter) of a member to be measured having a circular cross section, such as the outer diameter of a cylindrical member such as a spindle or the groove diameter of a ball bearing formed on the cylindrical member, is automatically measured. There is a request to sort.

As a method of measuring the outer diameter of such a cylindrical member, generally, a method is used in which a measuring terminal is sandwiched between two or three directions and the diameter is obtained from a displacement amount from a reference position.
As such a technique, there is a diameter measuring method disclosed in the following document.
JP-A-10-26523

This technique prepares a measurement reference member and measures the outer diameter of the disk member using the measurement reference member.
By using the measurement reference member, variation in measurement due to the centering accuracy of the disk member is reduced.

A conventional outer diameter measuring apparatus assumes measurement of a member to be measured such as a disk member having a small thickness in the axial direction, and does not assume measurement of an object to be measured that is long in the axial direction, such as a cylinder or a cylinder.
For this reason, there is a possibility that the measurement accuracy may deteriorate due to the member to be measured being inclined during measurement.
In particular, when measuring the groove diameter of a member to be measured having a plurality of rows of ball bearing grooves formed on a cylindrical surface, it is necessary to prepare different measuring elements corresponding to the respective grooves.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to hold the columnar member when measuring the outer diameter of a columnar member such as a cylinder and to ensure high measurement accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a contact terminal that contacts at least three different points or at least two different points passing through the center of the columnar member on the outer periphery of the surface perpendicular to the axis of the columnar member. A measuring means for measuring the outer diameter of the columnar member using the position of the contact terminal when contacting the outer periphery, and a point where the contact terminal contacts when the measuring means measures Provided is an outer diameter measuring device comprising a support portion for supporting the columnar member such that the surface and the axis of the columnar member are perpendicular to each other (first configuration).
Further, the present invention is the first configuration, wherein the columnar member is configured by a columnar member, and includes a rolling prevention member that contacts an outer periphery of the columnar member and prevents the columnar member from rolling, and the measuring unit includes When measuring the outer dimension of the columnar member, the columnar member may be measured separately from the rolling prevention member (second configuration).
Furthermore, the present invention provides at least one contact terminal used in the outer diameter measuring apparatus having the first configuration or the second configuration, and a support member for maintaining the posture of the columnar member with which the contact terminal contacts. Provided is a measuring element for an outer diameter measuring device, comprising: a fixing portion that is fixed as a unit; and a mounting portion for mounting on the outer diameter measuring device having the first configuration or the second configuration. (Third configuration).

  According to the present invention, the columnar member can be held at the time of measuring the outer diameter of a columnar member such as a cylinder, and high measurement accuracy can be ensured.

(1) Outline of Embodiment The external shape measuring apparatus of the present embodiment has a cylindrical shape by being sandwiched between an upper measuring element and a lower measuring element that are installed in the vertical direction (the direction in which gravity acts is the downward direction). The groove diameter of the groove formed on the member to be measured (workpiece) is measured.

The upper probe has two spherical contact terminals that also serve as a positioning function, and the lower probe has a rod-shaped (columnar) contact terminal.
Further, the lower measuring element is provided with support members (bar-shaped guides) for horizontally supporting the measurement member on both the left and right sides of the contact terminal (on both sides in the axial direction of the member to be measured).

  The two spherical contact terminals installed on the upper measuring element center the member to be measured, and while the groove diameter is measured by the contact terminal, the support member horizontally supports the posture of the member to be measured. Therefore, the member to be measured can be measured with high accuracy.

  The member to be measured in the present embodiment has two groove portions, and the change of the member to be measured is adjusted by moving the installation position of the member to be measured by an external drive device such as a robot. Do that.

  Due to the structure of the upper and lower styluses, even the measured member that is long and difficult to balance in the axial direction can be measured in a stable state with the measured member supported horizontally. The groove diameter can be measured.

(2) Details of Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the shape of a member to be measured, which is a workpiece for measuring the outer diameter by the outer diameter measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 1A shows the outer shape in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the member 50 to be measured, and FIG. 1B shows the outer shape in the axial direction.
The member to be measured 50 constitutes a columnar columnar member, and is formed using a metal material such as stainless steel or iron, for example.

The outer dimension of the member to be measured 50 is about 15 to 16 [mm] in length and about 4 [mm] in outer diameter (diameter).
The member to be measured 50 is used, for example, as a spindle for rotating a shaft-equipped grindstone with high speed and high accuracy.

A groove 51 and a groove 52 are formed in the member to be measured 50 at a distance of about 10 mm in the axial direction.
The groove 51 and the groove 52 are ball bearing grooves for fitting ball bearings, and are formed around the member to be measured 50.

The groove 51 and the groove 52 have a groove bottom having an R shape with a radius of 1.2 [mm] and a depth of about 0.15 [mm].
The cylindrical surface of the member to be measured 50, the groove 51, and the groove 52 are formed by, for example, machining such as lathe processing or grinding. Particularly, the processing accuracy of the groove 51 and the groove 52 into which the ball bearing is fitted is important. .

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an appearance of the external shape measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Although not shown, in addition to the outer shape measuring apparatus 1, a conveyance robot that sets the member to be measured 50 on the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 and sorts the member after measurement, a central control apparatus that controls the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 and the conveying robot, and the like Exists.
The outer diameter measuring system is constituted by the outer shape measuring device 1, the transfer robot, and the central control device.

The contour measuring device 1 is a device that measures the contours of the groove 51 and the groove 52.
The external shape measuring apparatus 1 includes a main body 8, an upper probe holder 5, a lower probe holder 6, an upper probe 2, a lower probe 3, and an installation table 22.
In the following, when the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3 are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as measuring elements.

  The main body 8 includes a drive mechanism that exerts a driving force for moving the upper measuring element 2 up and down, and a position sensor that detects the position (displacement amount) of the upper measuring element 2 when the measuring element sandwiches the member to be measured 50. Etc., and the operation of measuring the outer shape of the member 50 to be measured is performed by a measuring element.

The main body 8 is attached to the main body moving mechanism that moves in the front-rear direction (the axial direction of the member 50 to be measured) and vertically.
And this main body moving mechanism can move the main body 8 back and forth with the measuring element by the air pressure supplied from the central control device.

On the surface of the main body 8 on which the measurement is performed, the upper probe holder 5 and the lower probe holder 6 are attached in a pair of upper and lower with the upper probe holder 5 facing upward.
The upper probe 2 is attached to the upper probe holder 5, and the lower probe 3 is attached to the lower probe holder 6.

  The upper probe 2 is arranged on the upper probe holder 5 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and the position of the upper probe 2 can be detected by a position sensor. The detected position data can be transmitted to the central controller via an external input / output interface (not shown).

The downward movement of the upper probe 2 is performed by the elastic force of a spring disposed inside the main body 8, and the upward movement of the upper probe 2 is performed by the air pressure supplied from the central controller.
That is, when the air pressure applied to the upper measuring element 2 is lowered, the upper measuring element 2 is lowered by the elastic force of the spring.

  Thus, by adopting a configuration in which the member to be measured 50 is sandwiched by lowering the upper measuring element 2 with the elastic force of the spring, a mechanism for sandwiching the member to be measured 50 with a constant force can be realized at low cost.

On the other hand, the lower probe 3 is fixed to the lower probe holder 6 and defines the reference height when the position sensor of the upper probe 2 measures the position.
Thus, since the upper probe 2 moves up and down and the lower probe 3 is fixed, the upper probe 2 and the lower probe 3 can be opened and closed by moving the upper probe 2 up and down. it can.

In this embodiment, as an example, the upper probe 2 is movable and the lower probe 3 is fixed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Conversely, the upper probe 2 is fixed and the lower probe 2 is fixed. 3 may be movable.
Furthermore, both the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3 can be configured to move.

Further, the upper probe 2 and the lower probe 3 are configured to be detachable from the upper probe holder 5 and the lower probe holder 6, respectively.
And the lower probe holding | maintenance part 6 fixes together the support member for hold | maintaining the attitude | position of the columnar member which at least 1 of the contact terminal (after-mentioned) used with an outer diameter measuring apparatus and the said contact terminal contacts. A measuring element is provided that includes a fixed part and a mounting part for mounting on the outer diameter measuring device.

  An installation table 22 is provided on the front surface of the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 (the surface with respect to the member to be measured 50). The installation table 22 is a table on which the transport robot temporarily places the member to be measured 50 in order to measure the member to be measured 50.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the installation base 22 as viewed in the axial direction of the member 50 to be measured.
As shown in the figure, the installation base 22 is provided with a gap having a gap smaller than the diameter of the member to be measured 50, and the corner of the gap is in contact with the outer periphery of the member to be measured 50. Therefore, the member to be measured 50 can be stably placed at a fixed position. Thus, the installation base 22 constitutes a rolling prevention member.

Returning to FIG. 2A, the main body 8 measures the member to be measured 50 placed on the installation base 22 configured as described above as follows.
First, the main body 8 is moved in the direction of the installation table 22 by the main body moving mechanism in a state where the upper measurement unit 2 and the lower measurement unit 3 are opened, and the lower measurement unit 3 is inserted into the gap formed in the installation table 22.

The main body 8 moves the upper measuring element 2 downward to sandwich the member 50 to be measured, and moves upward by the main body moving mechanism.
In this way, the external shape measuring apparatus 1 can separate the member to be measured 50 from the installation base 22 at the time of measurement by lifting the member to be measured 50 with the measuring element.

Next, the transfer robot will be described. The transfer robot is driven by a motor controlled by the central control device.
Under the control of the central control device, the transfer robot takes out one measured member 50 from the measured member preparation area in which a plurality of measured members 50 are prepared, carries the measured member 50 to the installation table 22, and places it on the installation table 22. .

  When the measurement of the member to be measured 50 is completed, the transfer robot picks up the member to be measured 50 from the installation base 22 under the control of the central control device, and ranks according to the sorting destination (the processing accuracy is instructed) from the central control device. To carry).

Next, the central controller will be described.
The central control device controls the outer shape measuring device 1 and the transport robot while confirming the progress of measurement of the member 50 to be measured.
The central control device controls the movement of the contour measuring device 1 by controlling the air pressure to be supplied with respect to the contour measuring device 1, and controls the motion of the transport robot by controlling the power supplied to the motor with respect to the transport robot. Control.

  Further, the central control device receives the position data of the upper probe 2 from the outer shape measuring device 1, calculates the groove diameter of the member to be measured 50 based on the position data, and determines the processing accuracy of the member to be measured 50 based on the calculated groove diameter. A series of information processing such as selection of a sorting destination according to processing accuracy is performed.

In order to perform such information processing, the central processing unit is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage device, an external input / output interface, and the like. can do.
The central processing unit stores an outer diameter measurement program for performing the above-described series of processing in a storage device, and can execute the above-described processing by executing the program with a CPU.

Each drawing of FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the measuring element and the member to be measured at the time of measurement.
FIG. 3A shows a state in which the groove diameter of the groove 51 is measured by a probe.
A contact terminal 11 in contact with the groove bottom of the groove 51 is provided at the lower end of the upper probe 2, and a contact terminal 13 in contact with the groove bottom of the groove 51 is provided at the upper end of the lower probe 3. .

Here, the contact terminal 11 and the contact terminal 13 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
A concave cylindrical surface in which the axis of the member to be measured 50 is parallel to the axis is formed on the lower end surface of the upper probe 2.
Two spherical contact terminals 11 are embedded in the cylindrical surface at positions that are symmetric with respect to the center of the upper probe 2.

  The diameter of the contact terminal 11 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the groove portion 51, and therefore, each contact terminal 11 contacts the groove bottom of the groove portion 51 from two directions passing through the center of the member to be measured 50.

On the other hand, the upper end surface of the lower probe 3 is formed flat, and a contact terminal 13 having a cylindrical shape is embedded therein.
The contact terminal 13 is arranged such that the axis is perpendicular to the axis of the member 50 to be measured, and the diameter of the contact terminal 13 is set smaller than the diameter of the groove 51. Therefore, the contact terminal 13 contacts at the lower end portion of the groove bottom of the groove portion 51.

  As described above, the external shape measuring apparatus 1 suppresses the groove bottom of the groove 51 from the three directions passing through the center of the member to be measured 50 by the contact terminals 11 and 11 and the contact terminal 13. It is possible to prevent runout and perform measurement with high accuracy. In the following description, the contact terminals 11 and 11 and the contact terminal 13 are simply referred to as contact terminals unless otherwise distinguished.

Returning to FIG. 3A, the lower measuring element 3 is further provided with a support member 15 having a cylindrical shape and a support member 16.
The axes of the support member 15 and the support member 16 are parallel to the contact terminal 13, and are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to the axis of the contact terminal 13.

When measuring the groove diameter of the groove 51, the support member 15 is in contact with the outer surface of the member to be measured 50 and holds the posture of the member to be measured 50 so that the axis is horizontal.
On the other hand, when measuring the groove diameter of the groove portion 52, the support member 16 is in contact with the outer surface of the member to be measured 50 and similarly holds the posture of the member to be measured 50.

The contact terminals 11, 11, the contact terminal 13, the support member 15, and the support member 16 are all fixed to the measuring element with an adhesive so that they can be attached and detached.
For this reason, when these contact terminals and supporting members are worn, only the worn ones can be replaced, and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, when measuring a member whose outer shape or dimension is different from that of the member to be measured 50, the contact terminal 13, the support member 15, and the support member 16 having dimensions such that the member is held horizontally at the time of measurement are selected and measured below. It can be attached to the child 3.

The support member 15 and the support member 16 are provided in this way because the member to be measured 50 has a columnar shape that is long in the axial direction.
That is, since the member to be measured 50 has a structure that is long in the axial direction, torque is generated around the portion where the contact terminal contacts due to the action of gravity, and the member to be measured 50 tilts without the support member 16. There can be.

On the other hand, in order to accurately measure the outer diameter of the columnar member, the plane formed by the points where the contact terminals are in contact with the axis of the columnar member must be kept vertical.
Therefore, in the outer shape measuring apparatus 1, the support member 15 and the support member 16 support the member to be measured 50 in a direction to suppress the inclination of the member to be measured 50. The axis of the member 50 is kept vertical.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent a decrease in measurement accuracy due to the inclination of the member to be measured 50.
Further, since the support member 15 and the support member 16 balance the torque generated in the member to be measured 50, the stress applied to the contact terminal and the groove 51 can be reduced, and the contact terminal and the member to be measured 50 are damaged or deformed. Etc. can be suppressed.

FIG. 3C shows a state in which the groove 52 is measured with a measuring element.
The diameters of the contact terminals 11, 11 and the contact terminal 13 are set to be smaller than the diameter of the groove portion 52. For this reason, the contact terminals 11, 11 and the contact terminal 13 are arranged at three points on the groove bottom of the groove portion 52. You can touch.

  As in the case of the measurement of the groove 51, the support member 16 suppresses the inclination of the member to be measured 50 at the time of measurement. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the measurement accuracy from being lowered due to the inclination of the member to be measured 50.

  In the present embodiment, the groove diameters of the groove bottoms such as the groove part 51 and the groove part 52 are measured. However, this does not limit the measurement target part of the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 to the groove bottom. It can also be applied to the outer diameter measurement of columnar members having other cross-sectional shapes.

In this embodiment, the outer diameters of the groove 51 and the groove 52 are measured from three points where the contact terminal 11, the contact terminal 11, the contact terminal 13 and the groove 51, and the groove bottom of the groove 52 contact each other. It is also possible to measure the outer diameter.
In this case, for example, a distance between two points on the diameter of the groove bottom can be measured, or two points not on the diameter can be used but the center direction of the groove bottom is known.

That is, the outer diameter can be obtained by contacting the contact terminals at at least three different points or at least two different points passing through the center of the columnar member on the outer periphery of the surface perpendicular to the axis of the columnar member.
The outer shape measuring apparatus 1 includes a measuring unit that measures the outer diameter of the columnar member by using the position of the contact terminal when contacting the outer periphery with the position sensor, the upper measuring element 2, the lower measuring element 3, and the like. Yes.

Next, the operation when the contour measuring apparatus 1 measures the groove 51 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the workpiece transfer chuck 21 of the transfer robot sets the member to be measured 50 on the setting table 22.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 in the direction of the installation table 22, the probe moves forward in the direction of the installation table 22. Then, the lower probe 3 is inserted into a gap formed on the installation table 22.
The positional relationship between the member to be measured 50 and the measuring element at this time is a position where the position of the groove 51 and the position of the contact terminal 13 coincide.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 moves the upper measuring element 2 downward to close the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3, and sandwiches the groove 51 between the contact terminals.
Next, when the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 upward, the measuring element moves upward while sandwiching the groove 51, and the member to be measured 50 is lifted away from the installation base 22.
The reason why the member to be measured 50 is separated from the installation base 22 at the time of measurement is to prevent a measurement error due to interference of the installation base 22.

  When the measurement of the groove 51 is finished, the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 downward. As a result, the probe moves downward and the member to be measured 50 is placed on the installation table 22. Next, the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 opens the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3 to release the member to be measured 50 onto the installation table 22.

Although not shown, after the member to be measured 50 is released onto the installation base 22, the main body moving mechanism retracts the main body 8 backward, whereby the measuring element is separated from the installation base 22.
As described above, the groove diameter of the groove 51 is measured.

Next, the operation when the contour measuring apparatus 1 measures the groove 52 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the workpiece conveyance chuck 21 lifts the member to be measured 50 that has finished the measurement of the groove 51, moves it in the direction of the measuring element, and places it on the installation table 22 again. This position is a position where the position where the groove 52 is placed is the position where the groove 51 was placed during measurement.

That is, this position is a position where the position of the member to be measured 50 is shifted to the measuring element side by the distance between the groove 51 and the groove 52.
As described above, the position of the member to be measured 50 is shifted by the interval between the groove 51 and the groove 52 so that the contact terminal comes to the position of the groove 52 because the amount of forward and backward movement of the main body 8 is constant. is there. Thereby, it is not necessary to control the movement amount of the main body 8, and the configuration of the main body moving mechanism can be simplified to reduce the cost.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 in the direction of the installation table 22, the probe moves forward in the direction of the installation table 22. Then, the lower probe 3 is inserted into a gap formed on the installation table 22.
The positional relationship between the member to be measured 50 and the measuring element at this time is a position where the position of the groove 52 and the position of the contact terminal 13 coincide with each other by the position adjustment by the work conveying chuck 21 first.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 moves the upper measuring element 2 downward, closes the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3, and sandwiches the groove 52 with the contact terminals.
Next, when the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 upward, the measuring element moves upward with the groove 52 interposed therebetween, and the member to be measured 50 is lifted away from the installation base 22.

  When the measurement of the groove 52 is finished, the main body moving mechanism moves the main body 8 downward. As a result, the probe moves downward and the member to be measured 50 is placed on the installation table 22. Next, the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 opens the upper measuring element 2 and the lower measuring element 3 to release the member to be measured 50 onto the installation table 22.

Although not shown, after the member to be measured 50 is released onto the installation base 22, the main body moving mechanism retracts the main body 8 backward, whereby the measuring element is separated from the installation base 22.
As described above, the groove diameter of the groove 52 is measured.

Thereafter, the workpiece conveyance chuck 21 lifts the member 50 to be measured from the installation table 22 and conveys it to the sorting destination selected by the central control unit.
In the above description, after measuring the groove 51, the groove 52 is measured. However, the groove 52 may be measured first, and then the groove 51 may be measured.

Next, a procedure for measuring the member to be measured 50 by the outer diameter measurement system (the central control device, the outer shape measurement device 1, and the transfer robot) will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
First, the central control apparatus controls the motor of the transfer robot, and causes the transfer robot to place the member to be measured 50 on the installation table 22.

With this control, the transfer robot grasps one of the many measured members 50 prepared in the measured member preparation area with the workpiece transfer chuck 21 and transfers it to the installation table 22 (step 5).
When the transport robot transports the member to be measured 50 to the installation table 22, the transport robot places it in a fixed position.

Next, the central control unit controls the main body moving mechanism, advances the head toward the installation base 22 in a state where the probe is opened, and stops it at a fixed position (step 10).
As a result, one of the two groove portions (groove portion 51) and the position of the contact terminal are aligned at the measurement position.

Next, the central control device controls the outer shape measuring device 1 to sandwich the member to be measured 50 with a measuring element, and then controls the main body moving mechanism to move the main body 8 upward.
In this way, at the position where the member to be measured 50 is lifted from the installation table 22, the central control unit detects the position of the installation table 22 with the position sensor and measures the groove diameter of the groove 51 (step 15).
Next, the central control unit calculates the groove diameter of the groove 51 using the detected position data of the upper probe 2. Then, the central controller stores the calculated groove diameter.

When the measurement of the groove 51 is finished, the central control device controls the main body moving mechanism to move the main body 8 downward, and places the member to be measured 50 on the installation table 22.
Further, the central control mechanism controls the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 to open the measuring element to release the member to be measured 50 on the installation table 22, and then controls the main body moving mechanism to retract the main body 8.
As a result, the measuring element moves backward from the measured member 50 (step 20).

Next, the central controller controls the motor of the transfer robot to cause the transfer robot to align the member to be measured 50.
As a result, the transfer robot moves the workpiece transfer chuck 21 to the position of the member to be measured 50, holds the member to be measured 50, and performs alignment so that the groove portion 52 is placed at the position where the groove portion 51 was placed. (Step 25).

Next, the central control unit controls the main body moving mechanism, advances the head toward the installation base 22 in a state where the probe is opened, and stops it at a fixed position (step 30).
Thereby, the other of the two groove portions (groove portion 52) and the position of the contact terminal are aligned at the measurement position.

Next, the central control device controls the outer shape measuring device 1 to sandwich the member to be measured 50 with a measuring element, and then controls the main body moving mechanism to move the main body 8 upward.
At the position where the member to be measured 50 is lifted from the installation base 22, the central controller detects the position of the installation base 22 with a position sensor and measures the groove diameter of the groove 52 (step 35).
Next, the central controller calculates the groove diameter of the groove portion 52 using the detected position data of the upper probe 2. Then, the central controller stores the calculated groove diameter.

When the measurement of the groove 52 is finished, the central control device controls the main body moving mechanism to move the main body 8 downward, and places the member to be measured 50 on the installation table 22.
Further, the central control mechanism controls the outer shape measuring apparatus 1 to open the measuring element to release the member to be measured 50 on the installation table 22, and then controls the main body moving mechanism to retract the main body 8.
As a result, the measuring element moves backward from the measured member 50 (step 40).

Next, the central control device collates the groove diameters of the groove 51 and the groove 52 stored in the storage device with a processing accuracy reference stored in advance, and determines the processing accuracy of the member to be measured 50.
Then, the central control apparatus causes the member to be measured 50 to be transported to the separation destination corresponding to the processing accuracy determined by the transport robot (step 45).

Next, the central control unit checks whether or not there is an unmeasured member 50 to be measured in the measured member preparation area. If there is still a member to be measured 50 (step 50; Y), the process proceeds to step 5. Return. This confirmation can be made by detecting the member to be measured 50 remaining in the member-to-be-measured preparation area with a sensor, or by determining the number of members to be measured that have been preset by the operator in the central processing unit. Perform by comparing.
When there is no unmeasured member 50 to be measured (step 50; N), the central control unit ends the process.

The following effects can be obtained by the present embodiment described above.
(1) By providing a support member that supports the member to be measured, it is possible to prevent a positional deviation of the member to be measured during measurement.
(2) Since displacement of the member to be measured can be prevented, measurement errors caused by using a plurality of measuring elements can be prevented.
(3) Since the measurement site is changed by an external drive device such as a transfer robot, it is possible to cope with various members to be measured having different measurement sites in the axial direction.

In the present embodiment, the groove diameter of the member to be measured 50 is measured, but the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion can also be measured.
The measurement target is not limited to the columnar member having a circular cross section, and a columnar member having a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a quadrangle, or an elliptical cross section can be used as the member to be measured.
In this case, the shape and arrangement of the contact terminals can be changed according to the cross-sectional shape.

It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of the to-be-measured member which is a measuring object. It is the figure which showed the external appearance of the external shape measuring apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a measuring element and a to-be-measured member. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement which an external shape measuring apparatus measures a groove part. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement which an external shape measuring apparatus measures a groove part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the measurement operation | movement of an external shape measuring apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outline measuring device 2 Upper measuring element 3 Lower measuring element 5 Upper measuring element holding part 6 Lower measuring element holding part 8 Main body 11 Contact terminal 13 Contact terminal 15 Support member 16 Support member 21 Work conveyance chuck 22 Installation stand 50 Measured member 51 Groove 52 Groove

Claims (3)

Contact terminals that contact at least three different points on the outer periphery of the surface perpendicular to the axis of the columnar member, or at least two different points passing through the center of the columnar member;
Measuring means for measuring the outer diameter of the columnar member using the position of the contact terminal when in contact with the outer periphery;
A support portion for supporting the columnar member so that a surface formed by a point where the contact terminal contacts and an axis of the columnar member are perpendicular to each other when the measurement unit performs measurement;
An outer diameter measuring device comprising: The columnar member is composed of a cylindrical member,
Comprising a rolling prevention member in contact with the outer periphery of the columnar member to prevent rolling of the columnar member;
2. The outer diameter measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit measures the outer dimension of the columnar member by separating the columnar member from the rolling preventing member. A fixing portion that integrally fixes at least one of the contact terminals used in the outer diameter measuring device according to claim 1 or 2 and a support member for maintaining the posture of the columnar member with which the contact terminal contacts. When,
A mounting part for mounting on the outer diameter measuring device according to claim 1 or 2,
A measuring element of an outer diameter measuring device, comprising:

Images