JP2007024597A - Inspection method and inspection device for tooth contact state of gear wheel component - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tooth contact inspection method for accurately inspecting tooth contact even after assembling gear wheel components such as drive gears into a product. <P>SOLUTION: This tooth contact state inspection method for gear wheel components includes processes for: (step S21) rotating two gears, that is, a drive gear and a pinion gear, assembled into a product such as a differential gear with their teeth meshing with each other; (steps S22 to S25) detecting the state of a red lead primer previously spread on tooth flanks of at least either of the drive gear and the pinion gear; and (steps S26 to S28) inspecting the tooth contact state of the drive gear and the pinion gear with their prescribed parts excepted therefrom from the detected state of the coating on the tooth flanks. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tooth contact state inspection method and an inspection apparatus for gear parts.

  A vehicle differential gear usually includes gear components such as a drive gear and a drive pinion. In order to determine the quality of these gear parts, a tooth contact inspection is performed before the assembly of the differential gear.

  Tooth contact inspection means that after applying paint (Komitan) to one gear part, for example, the drive gear, it is meshed with the drive pinion and rotated to examine the peeling of Komitan to determine the quality of the meshing. Inspection (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Thereby, it can test | inspect whether the gear components are processed unevenly.

  In the above-described tooth contact inspection, the tooth contact between the drive gear and the drive pinion is inspected as an inspection process separately from the assembly process of the differential gear. Therefore, in the inspection process, the drive gear and the drive pinion are only held by a jig, and are not actually assembled by screws or the like.

In recent years, it has been considered to combine the inspection process and the assembly process in order to reduce the work area, reduce the man-hours, and the work time. When they are merged, the tooth contact inspection of the drive gear and the pinion gear is performed while actually assembling the differential gear.
JP-A-1-136008

  However, for example, when the drive gear is actually engaged, the drive gear is slightly deformed at the engagement location. Nevertheless, when the tooth contact inspection as described above is executed, the inspection is performed in consideration of deformation due to fastening, and the tooth contact of the drive gear and the pinion gear cannot be inspected with high accuracy. That is, when the drive gear is fastened, the meshing is slightly lifted at that portion, and it is considered that the drive gear is unevenly processed up to the distortion caused by the normally permitted bolt fastening. This makes it impossible to inspect the processing accuracy of the originally intended drive gear and pinion gear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a tooth contact inspection method and a tooth contact inspection device capable of inspecting tooth contact with high accuracy even after a gear part is assembled to a product. .

  The method for inspecting the tooth contact condition of a gear part according to the present invention includes a step of rotating two gear parts assembled in a product and having teeth meshing with each other, and pre-applied to at least one tooth surface of the two gear parts. A step of detecting a state of the paint, and an inspection step of inspecting a tooth contact state of the gear part by removing a predetermined portion from the detected state of the paint on the tooth surface.

  The tooth contact condition inspection device for a gear part according to the present invention is pre-applied to a rotating means for rotating two gear parts assembled in a product and having teeth engaged with each other, and at least one tooth surface of the two gear parts. Paint state detecting means for detecting the state of the paint, and inspection means for inspecting the tooth contact state of the gear part by removing a predetermined portion from the detected paint state of the tooth surface.

  According to the tooth contact state inspection method for a gear part of the present invention, the tooth contact state is inspected by removing a predetermined portion from the paint state of the tooth surface. The tooth contact state of the gear can be inspected with high accuracy without being affected.

  According to the gear part tooth contact state inspection device of the present invention, since the tooth contact state is inspected by removing a predetermined portion from the paint state of the tooth surface, it is possible to prevent distortion of the tooth surface by assembling the gear part to the product. The tooth contact state of the gear can be inspected with high accuracy without being affected.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a perspective view of the differential gear, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the differential gear as viewed along line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view and a rear view of the drive gear. In FIG. 3, (A) shows one side of the drive gear, and (B) shows the back side of (A).

  The gear component tooth contact state inspection method and inspection apparatus of the present embodiment inspects the tooth contact of the gear component included in the product. Before describing the inspection procedure, a differential gear will be described as an example of a product including gear parts.

  The differential gear is a device that absorbs a difference in rotation generated between the inner ring and the outer ring when the vehicle turns. As shown in FIG. 2, the differential gear includes two-direction shafts in the case. When the differential gear is mounted on the vehicle, one shaft is connected to the drive shafts of the left and right wheels, and the other shaft is connected to the propeller shaft.

  The shafts are connected to each other by a drive gear 10 and a pinion gear 20 and can rotate in conjunction with each other. The drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are both bevel gears and mesh with each other at substantially right angles.

  The drive gear 10 is a ring-shaped gear having a plurality of teeth formed on one surface of a flat plate as shown in FIG. 3 (A), and a bolt fastening on the back surface as shown in FIG. 3 (B). A plurality of screw holes 14 are formed. Hereinafter, a surface on which a plurality of teeth is formed is referred to as a tooth surface 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drive gear 10 is fixed to the differential gear by bolts (fixing members) 16. In FIG. 2, the shafts extending from the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are not shown, but both are rotatably held by a bearing or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the inspection of the differential gear, FIG. 5 is a top view of the inspection of the differential gear, and FIG. 6 is a right side view of the inspection of the differential gear. .

  The tooth contact state inspection device 30 is installed in a part of the assembly line. The differential gear in which the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are assembled in the assembly line reaches the process where the tooth contact state inspection device 30 is installed, and is inspected. The tooth contact inspection is an inspection for checking whether the teeth of the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are appropriately formed, that is, whether the mutual contact between the teeth is appropriate. The differential gear flows through the assembly line while the case is held by the transfer device 50. When the differential gear is carried into the tooth contact inspection process, the assembly of the entire case has not yet been completed, and the drive gear 10 is exposed from above the case as shown in FIGS.

  The tooth contact state inspection device 30 includes a motor (rotating means) 32, a pair of cameras (paint state detecting means) 34a and b, a set of lighting devices (irradiating means) 36a and b, and a product position detection sensor ( A product position detection means) 38, a tooth position detection sensor (tooth position detection means) 40, a bolt position detection sensor (fixing member detection means) 42, and a control device (inspection means) 44;

  The motor 32 has a pinion gear 20 and a detachable rotary shaft 33. The motor 32 can be moved up and down in the figure by a cylinder mechanism (not shown). When the differential gear is carried to the tooth contact inspection process, the motor 32 is moved to the pinion gear 20 side, and the pinion gear 20 and the rotating shaft of the motor 32 are connected. When the inspection process is completed, the rotating shaft of the motor 32 is removed from the differential gear. The pinion gear 20 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 32, and the drive gear 10 is rotated by one rotation or more in conjunction with the rotation.

  The pair of cameras 34 a and 34 b photograph the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10. As the cameras 34a and 34b, for example, various analog and digital cameras such as a CCD camera and a C-mos camera can be used. The two cameras 34a and 34b are attached to an up / down / left / right movable stage, and their positions and postures can be changed as appropriate.

  At the time of inspection, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cameras 34 a and 34 b each have a surface where the drive gear 10 contacts the pinion gear 20 when the vehicle moves forward, and a surface where the drive gear 10 contacts the pinion gear 20 when the vehicle moves backward. It is arranged at the position where can be photographed. That is, in the differential gear flowing on the assembly line, since the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 faces obliquely upward, the cameras 34a, b are arranged at positions where the tooth surface 12 can be photographed from the front as much as possible.

  For example, the camera 34a images one side of the teeth that hit the pinion gear 20 when the vehicle moves forward, and the camera 34b images the other surface of the teeth that hits the pinion gear 20 when the vehicle moves backward. The cameras 34 a and b shoot a state in which the light agar (paint) applied to the entire tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 is peeled off due to the engagement with the pinion gear 20.

  The pair of illumination devices 36a and 36b are devices that can irradiate light having a predetermined single wavelength, and are attached to the cameras 34a and 34b. As the illumination devices 36a and 36b, for example, a photodiode type LED illumination, a fluorescent lamp with a wavelength selective filter, a fluorescent lamp with a DC lighting inverter, or a discharge type illumination such as a xenon lamp can be used.

  The illuminating devices 36a and 36b irradiate the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 with light so that the cameras 34a and 34b can photograph the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 with the reflected light. The wavelength of the light irradiated by the illuminating devices 36a and 36b varies depending on the color of the light actin, that is, the wavelength of the light reflected by the light actin. For example, the illuminating devices 36a and 36b irradiate light having substantially the same wavelength as that of red light when the red light is red, and when the light light is white, the wavelength is approximately the same as that of blue light or shorter than that of blue light. Is applied to the tooth surface 12. As a result, the difference in brightness between the portion where the paint on the tooth surface 12 of the pinion gear 20 remains and the peeled portion becomes conspicuous, and recognition by the cameras 34a and 34b becomes easy.

  The product position detection sensor 38 is located above the loaded differential gear (product) and detects the position of the product. The position detection of the product is executed based on the feature point of the shape of the product, for example, the position of a knock pin hole or the like. As the sensor, for example, a laser displacement meter or a camera for taking an image is used.

  The tooth position detection sensor 40 is disposed above the differential gear so that the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 can be seen, and detects the teeth of the drive gear 10. As the tooth position detection sensor 40, a photoelectric tube, a laser displacement meter, a contact sensor, or the like can be used. With these sensors, the presence / absence of teeth of the rotating drive gear 10 can be determined by ON / OFF of an analog signal, and the position of the teeth can be specified in association with the detected time. Information on the tooth position is transmitted to the control device 44.

  The bolt position detection sensor 42 is a sensor that detects the position of the bolt 16 that fastens the drive gear 10 from the opposite side of the tooth surface 12. The bolt position detection sensor 42 detects the bolt 16 according to the rotating drive gear 10. Information on the position of the bolt 16 is transmitted to the control device 44. The bolt fastening position in the drive gear 10 is recognized by the tooth position detected by the tooth position detection sensor 40 and the position of the bolt 16 detected by the bolt position detection sensor 42.

  As the bolt position detection sensor 42, a phototube, a laser displacement meter, a camera, or the like can be used. When a phototube or a laser displacement meter is used, ON / OFF of an analog signal due to the passage of the bolt 16 is detected. When using a camera, the captured image is analyzed to identify the bolt position.

  The control device 44 is connected to the above-described components and controls the entire tooth contact state inspection device 30. As the control device 44, a general computer can be used. The control device 44 is connected to a display, and can display a result of determining whether the tooth contact state is good or bad. Further, the control device 44 is connected to a network together with other control devices 44 in the assembly line, and inputs information on a product being conveyed and outputs a progress of the process.

  Next, the tooth contact state inspection procedure by the tooth contact state inspection device 30 will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of the tooth contact state inspection method. The following state detection method is executed by the control device 44. It is assumed that Komyotan is applied to the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 in advance before the tooth contact state inspection step.

  First, the control device 44 acquires product information of the differential gear flowing through the assembly line (step S1). Product information is the vehicle model to which the differential gear is applied.

  The control device 44 controls the cameras 34a and 34b to appropriate positions and postures based on the acquired product information (step S2). Accordingly, the positions of the cameras 34a and 34b can be adjusted in accordance with the position and orientation of the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 that varies depending on the product, and the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 can be reliably photographed. The product information and the optimal positions and postures of the cameras 34a and 34b are stored in the control device 44 in association with each other in advance.

  Subsequently, the position of the characteristic point of the differential gear is detected by the product position detection sensor 38, and the position of the differential gear is detected (step S3).

  The control device 44 corrects the positions and postures of the cameras 34a, b based on the position of the differential gear (step S4). Accordingly, the cameras 34a and 34b can be arranged at optimum positions regardless of variations in conveyance by the conveyance device 50, and the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 can be reliably imaged.

  Then, according to a command from the control device 44, the rotating shaft of the motor 32 is mounted on the pinion gear 20 of the differential gear (step S5).

  Tooth contact inspection is performed (step S6). Details of the tooth contact inspection will be described later.

  It is determined whether or not the result of the tooth contact inspection is OK (step S7), and if it is OK (step S7: YES), it is displayed as a non-defective product on the display of the control device 44 (step S8). If it is NG (step S7: NO), the display of the control device 44 indicates that it is a defective product (step S9). In addition, you may show the result of a quality determination by lighting of the lamp | ramp of a spot etc. so that an operator may understand easily. The determination result is stored in the control device 44 (step S10).

  The control device 44 determines whether or not the stop switch of the assembly line has been pressed (step S11). If the stop switch is not pressed (step S11: NO), the control unit 44 starts the process from step S1 for the next product. Repeat the process. When the stop switch is pressed (step S11: YES), the tooth contact state inspection process is terminated.

(Tooth contact inspection)
Next, the tooth contact inspection in step S6 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of tooth contact inspection.

  In the tooth contact inspection, first, the motor 32 is controlled and rotated by the control device 44 (step S1). Here, when inspecting the contact between the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 when the vehicle moves forward, the motor 32 is rotated in the direction in which the pinion gear 20 rotates when the vehicle moves forward. When checking the reverse tooth contact, it is rotated in the reverse direction. The pinion gear 20 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 32, and the drive gear 10 is also rotated in conjunction with the rotation. While the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are engaged with each other and rotated, the portion of the light that touches the surface of the drive gear 10 is peeled off.

  Subsequently, the tooth position of the drive gear 10 is detected by the tooth position detection sensor 40 (step S22), and the position of the bolt 16 that fastens the drive gear 10 is detected by the bolt position detection sensor 42 (step S22). S23). Information on the detected tooth position of the drive gear 10 and the position of the bolt 16 is transmitted to the control device 44. Based on these pieces of information, the control device 44 recognizes the bolt fastening position in the drive gear 10.

  The tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 is irradiated by the illumination devices 36a and 36b. When the drive gear 10 is rotating in the vehicle forward direction, it is irradiated by the lighting device 36a, and when it is rotating in the backward direction, it is irradiated by the lighting device 36b (step S24).

  Images of the tooth surface 12 irradiated by the illuminating devices 36a and 36b are taken by the cameras 34a and 34b and transmitted to the control device 44 (step S25). The control device 44 recognizes the image of the tooth contact surface by excluding the part corresponding to the position of the bolt 16 received in step S22 from the image of the tooth contact surface of the drive gear 10 (step S26). The site | part corresponding to the position of the volt | bolt 16 is a site | part on the tooth surface 12 of the opposite surface to the site | part to which the volt | bolt 16 is fixed.

  The control device 44 performs density processing on the image of the remaining tooth surface 12 excluding a predetermined portion on the tooth surface 12 that is displaced by the bolt 16, and recognizes where the light light remains and where it is peeled off. (Step S27). On the tooth surface 12, there is a portion where Komyotan is thinned without completely peeling off. The difference in the degree of shaving of Komyotan is converted to a value proportional to the density by the density treatment. Therefore, if the numerical value which discriminate | determines whether Komitatan peeled is preset, the peeling part and non-peeling part of Komyotan on the tooth surface 12 can be recognized uniquely.

  The control device 44 determines whether or not the tooth contact is good based on the distribution of the peeled portion and the non-peeled portion of Komyotan (step S28). The control device 44 stores a tooth contact portion when the engagement between the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 is good, that is, a peeled portion of Komyotan. The control device 44 can determine whether the tooth contact is good or not based on whether or not the shapes of the peeled portions match within a predetermined error range.

  In addition, after completing the above steps S21 to S28, the tooth contact inspection at the time of forward or backward movement of the vehicle can be continuously performed by reversing the rotation direction of the motor 32.

  As described above, according to the tooth contact state inspection method and apparatus, the tooth contact state is inspected by removing the portion corresponding to the position of the bolt 16 from the paint state of the tooth surface 12 photographed by the cameras 34a and 34b. . Therefore, the tooth contact state can be inspected with high accuracy, except for the part that reduces the accuracy of the tooth contact state inspection. In particular, when the drive gear 10 is bolted to the differential gear, the tooth surface 12 is slightly distorted. However, according to the tooth contact state inspection method and apparatus, since the peeling of the paint on the tooth surface is inspected by excluding the distortion of the tooth surface 12 by the bolt 16, the tooth contact is accurately detected without being affected by the bolt fastening. Can check the condition. As a result, the tooth contact state can be inspected even after the drive gear 10 and the pinion gear 20 are assembled to the differential gear in the assembly line.

  A bolt position detection sensor 42 is provided. Therefore, based on the position of the bolt 16, it is possible to easily identify a portion that can be distorted on the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10.

  Furthermore, when red light aluminium is applied to the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10, light having a wavelength substantially equal to that of the red light is applied by the illumination devices 36a and 36b, and white light aluminium is applied. Is irradiated with light having a wavelength substantially equal to or shorter than that of blue light. Therefore, the density change when density processing is performed after the tooth surface 12 is photographed by the cameras 34a and 34b can be clarified. As a result, it is possible to detect the peeling and non-peeling of the light agar more clearly and improve the inspection accuracy of the vicinity of the teeth.

  The control device 44 changes the position of the cameras 34a and b in accordance with the type of differential gear carried into the process, that is, the information of the applicable vehicle type, so that the tooth surface 12 of the drive gear 10 is appropriately photographed for each vehicle type. it can. In addition, since the position of the differential gear carried into the process is detected by the product position detection sensor 38 and the positions of the cameras 34a and 34b are corrected, the tooth surface 12 can be photographed more reliably.

  In the above embodiment, a differential gear is exemplified and described as a product including gear parts. However, the tooth contact state inspection method and apparatus of the present embodiment can be applied to any product as long as it is a product for inspecting tooth contact.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the light gear is applied to the drive gear 10, the image of the tooth surface 12 is image | photographed, and tooth | gear contact is test | inspected. However, it is not limited to this. You may apply | coat Komyotan to the pinion gear 20, and may inspect a tooth contact by the image of the tooth surface of a pinion gear.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the control apparatus 44 controls each structure with 1 unit | set, or records a test result. However, it is not limited to this. The function of the control device 44 can be distributed to different devices.

It is a perspective view of a differential gear. It is sectional drawing of the differential gear seen along the 2-2 line of FIG. It is the top view and back view which show a drive gear. It is the figure which looked at a mode that a differential gear is inspected from the front. It is the figure which looked at a mode that a differential gear is inspected from the upper surface. It is the figure which looked at a mode that a differential gear is inspected from the right side. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a tooth-contact state inspection method. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a tooth contact inspection.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Drive gear,
12 ... tooth surface,
14 ... screw holes,
16 ... Bolt,
20 ... pinion gear,
30 ... Tooth contact condition inspection device,
32 ... motor,
33 ... rotating shaft,
34a, 34b ... camera,
36a, 36b ... lighting device,
38 ... Product position detection sensor,
40: Teeth position detection sensor,
42 ... bolt position detection sensor,
44 ... control device,
50: Conveying device.

Claims (16)

Rotating two gear parts assembled in a product and having teeth engaged with each other;
Detecting a state of paint previously applied to at least one tooth surface of the two gear parts;
Excluding a predetermined portion from the detected paint state of the tooth surface, an inspection step of inspecting the tooth contact state of the gear part;
Of tooth contact condition inspection of gear parts including   The tooth contact state inspection method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined part is a part that is displaced by a fixing member when the gear component coated with a paint is assembled to the product.   The tooth contact state inspection method according to claim 2, wherein the inspection step further includes a step of detecting the position of the fixing member and specifying the predetermined portion. The inspection process includes
Irradiating a single wavelength of light on the tooth surface to which the paint has been applied; and
The tooth contact state inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a peeling state of the paint is analyzed based on reflected light from a tooth surface, and a tooth contact state of the gear part is inspected.   The tooth contact state inspection method according to claim 4, wherein the coating material is red light aluminium, and the tooth surface is irradiated with light having a wavelength substantially equal to that of red light in the inspection step.   The tooth contact state inspection method according to claim 4, wherein the paint is white light aluminium, and the tooth surface is irradiated with light having a wavelength substantially equal to or shorter than that of blue light in the inspection step.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a step of changing a position of a detection device that detects a state of a paint on a tooth surface of the gear part in accordance with a product conveyed through an assembly line. Tooth contact condition inspection method. Detecting the position of the product that has been transported through the assembly line;
Correcting the position of the detection device based on the position of the product;
The tooth contact state inspection method according to claim 7, further comprising: A rotating means for rotating two gear parts assembled in a product and having teeth engaged with each other;
A paint state detecting means for detecting a state of a paint previously applied to at least one tooth surface of the two gear parts;
Excluding a predetermined portion from the detected paint state of the tooth surface, inspection means for inspecting the tooth contact state of the gear part;
An apparatus for inspecting the tooth contact state of a gear part.   The tooth contact state inspection device according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined part is a part that is displaced by a fixing member when the gear component to which the paint is applied is assembled to the product.   The inspection apparatus includes a fixing member detection unit that detects a position of the fixing member fixed to the back surface of the tooth surface, and the inspection device has a position on the tooth surface corresponding to the position of the fixing member detected by the fixing member detection unit. The tooth contact state inspection device according to claim 10, wherein the tooth contact state is inspected except for a predetermined portion. The inspection device includes:
An irradiation means for irradiating the tooth surface to which the paint is applied with light of a single wavelength;
The tooth contact state inspection device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the contact state of the gear part is inspected by analyzing a peeling state of the paint based on reflected light from a tooth surface.   The tooth contact state inspection device according to claim 12, wherein the paint is red light agar, and the irradiation unit irradiates the tooth surface with light having a wavelength substantially equal to that of red light.   The tooth contact state inspection device according to claim 12, wherein the paint is white light agar, and the irradiation unit irradiates a tooth surface with light having a wavelength substantially equal to or shorter than that of blue light.   The tooth surface state detection means changes the position and posture for detecting the state of the paint on the tooth surface of the gear part in accordance with the product conveyed through the assembly line. The tooth contact state inspection device according to 1. Product position detecting means for detecting the position of the product that has been transported through the assembly line;
Correction means for correcting the position of the tooth surface state detection means based on the position of the product;
The tooth contact state inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 15, further comprising:

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