JP2019015652A - Flaw detection system and application device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique that can reduce variations of the length of the time from application of a contact medium to flaw detection and can obtain results of flaw detection with a high reproductivity.SOLUTION: The present application discloses a flaw detection system for detecting flaws of an inspection target. The flaw detection system includes: an application unit for applying a contact medium used for flaw detection; a flaw detection unit for propagating ultrasonic waves to the inspection target through the contact medium and performing flaw detection; and a driving unit for generating a driving force for moving the application unit and the flaw detection unit together. The driving unit moves the application unit and the flaw detection unit to a direction in which the flaw detection unit is subsequent to the application unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for applying a contact medium used for flaw detection of an inspection object.

  Various techniques for examining the position of a defect to be inspected and the shape of the defect using ultrasonic waves have been developed (see Patent Document 1). In order to efficiently transmit the ultrasonic wave to the inspection object, a contact medium is applied to the inspection object before the ultrasonic flaw detection. Conventionally, the contact medium is applied to the inspection object manually.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-90430

  When surface SH waves are used as ultrasonic waves for ultrasonic flaw detection, the contact medium generally has a high viscosity. Therefore, when the operator manually applies the contact medium, the thickness of the layer of the contact medium on the inspection target tends to be non-uniform. In addition, the contact medium is often highly hygroscopic. The propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves varies depending on the amount of moisture absorbed by the contact medium. This means that variation in the length of the period from when the contact medium is applied to the inspection object until the ultrasonic flaw detector performs flaws greatly affects the flaw detection results. In addition to moisture absorption characteristics, variations in the length of the period from when the contact medium is applied to the inspection object until the ultrasonic flaw detector performs flaws also fluctuate the sagging property, viscosity, and quick drying property of the contact medium. Changes in these characteristics also have a great influence on the flaw detection results. Therefore, it has been difficult to obtain flaw detection results with high reproducibility.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that makes it possible to obtain a highly reproducible flaw detection result by reducing fluctuations in the period length from application of a contact medium to flaw detection.

  A flaw detection system according to one aspect of the present invention performs flaw detection on an inspection target. The flaw detection system integrates an application unit that applies a contact medium used for the flaw detection, a flaw detection unit that transmits ultrasonic waves to the inspection object through the contact medium, and the application unit and the flaw detection unit. And a driving unit that generates a driving force for moving the device. The drive unit moves the application unit and the flaw detection unit in a direction in which the flaw detection unit follows the application unit.

  According to the above configuration, the application unit that applies the contact medium used for flaw detection is moved by the driving force generated from the drive unit, so that the operator does not manually apply the contact medium to the inspection target. May be. Since the contact medium application period does not depend on the skill of the operator, the variation in the length of the period during which the contact medium is in contact with the outside air is reduced. This means that changes in the moisture absorption amount, sagging property, viscosity, and quick drying property of the contact medium are reduced. Therefore, the flaw detection system can perform flaw detection on the inspection target and obtain flaw detection results with high reproducibility.

  The driving force generated from the drive unit integrally moves the application unit and the flaw detection unit that propagates ultrasonic waves to the inspection target through the contact medium and performs flaw detection. Fluctuations are reduced. This means that the moisture absorption amount of the contact medium is reduced in a period from when the contact medium is applied to the inspection target to when the ultrasonic wave is propagated through the contact medium to the inspection target. Therefore, the flaw detection system can perform flaw detection on the inspection target and obtain flaw detection results with high reproducibility.

  With regard to the above configuration, the flaw detection system may further include a connecting member that connects the flaw detection portion to the application portion.

  According to said structure, since a connection member connects a flaw detection part to an application part, an application part and a flaw detection part can move integrally by the driving force which generate | occur | produced from the drive part.

  With regard to the above configuration, the connecting member may be bendable around at least one rotation axis so that the application unit and the flaw detection unit are moved along a curved surface of the inspection target. .

  According to said structure, since a connection member can be bent around at least 1 rotation axis | shaft, an application part and a flaw detection part can move along the curved surface of a test object. Therefore, the flaw detection system can be suitably used for flaw detection of an inspection object having a curved surface.

  With respect to the above configuration, the connecting portion may include a first member connected to the application portion and a second member connected to the flaw detection portion. The second member may be separable from the first member.

  According to said structure, since a 2nd member is separable from a 1st member, a flaw detection part can be isolate | separated from an application part. Therefore, the operator can carry a flaw detection part and an application part separately. As a result, the operator can easily handle the flaw detection apparatus and the coating apparatus.

  With regard to the above configuration, the flaw detection system may further include a control unit having a movement control unit that controls the drive unit. The driving unit may include a first driving unit that generates a first driving force that moves the application unit, and a second driving unit that generates a second driving force that moves the flaw detection unit. The application unit may include a discharge unit in which a discharge port through which the contact medium is discharged is formed, and a pressure detection unit that detects a medium pressure of the contact medium toward the discharge port. When the medium pressure detected by the pressure detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, the movement control unit controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit, and the flaw detection unit follows the application unit. As described above, the movement of the flaw detection unit and the application unit may be started.

  According to said structure, a flaw detection part and an application part can continue still until the medium pressure of the contact medium which goes to the discharge outlet formed in the discharge part exceeds a predetermined threshold value. When the medium pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold, a sufficient amount of contact medium for flaw detection can be discharged to the inspection object. When the medium pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold, the movement control unit controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit, and moves the flaw detection unit and the coating unit so that the flaw detection unit follows the coating unit. Therefore, after a sufficient amount of the contact medium is discharged from the discharge port, the flaw detection unit can propagate the ultrasonic wave to the inspection target through the sufficient amount of the contact medium, and perform the inspection target inspection.

  With regard to the above configuration, the flaw detection unit may be separated from the application unit. The second drive unit moves the flaw detection unit and the application unit at a constant speed under the control of the control unit.

  According to said structure, since the flaw detection part is isolate | separated from the application part, the operator can carry a flaw detection part and an application part easily. Since the second drive unit moves the flaw detection unit at a constant speed with the application unit under the control of the control unit, the application unit and the flaw detection unit can move integrally under the control of the control unit. In addition, since the operator can move the application unit and the flaw detection unit integrally without connecting the flaw detection unit to the application unit, the flaw detection operation can be performed efficiently.

  With regard to the above configuration, the application unit applies an extrusion pressure to the contact medium, pushes the contact medium to the discharge port, and a flow rate detection unit that detects a flow rate of the contact medium pushed by the push unit. And may be included. The control device may include a supply control unit that controls the amount of the contact medium supplied to the discharge unit by the extruding unit. The supply control unit may control the extrusion unit such that the extrusion pressure increases as the flow rate decreases.

  According to the above configuration, the extrusion unit applies an extrusion pressure to the contact medium and pushes the contact medium to the discharge port. Therefore, if the extrusion unit applies a high extrusion pressure, the flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit is high. Become. On the other hand, if the extrusion unit applies a low extrusion pressure, the flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit becomes small. Since the supply control unit controls the extrusion unit so that the extrusion pressure increases in accordance with the decrease in the flow rate, the risk of excessive decrease in the discharge amount of the contact medium is reduced.

  Regarding the above configuration, the application unit, the flaw detection unit, and the drive unit may be designed as one device.

  According to said structure, since an application part, a flaw detection part, and a drive part are designed as one apparatus, an operator integrally connects an application part and a flaw detection part, without connecting a flaw detection part to an application part. Can be moved. Therefore, the worker can efficiently perform the flaw detection work.

  A coating apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention applies a contact medium used for flaw detection to be inspected. The coating apparatus includes: a discharge unit in which a discharge port through which the contact medium is discharged is formed; a holding unit that holds the discharge unit such that the discharge port faces a surface of the inspection target; and the discharge port The ultrasonic wave is propagated to the inspection object through the driving unit that applies a driving force to the holding unit, the holding unit, and the contact medium so as to move along the surface of the inspection target, and the flaw detection is performed. A flaw detection apparatus to perform, and a connecting member connected to the flaw detection apparatus. The driving unit applies the driving force to the holding unit so that the holding unit precedes the flaw detection apparatus.

  According to said structure, the contact medium used for the flaw detection of a test object is discharged from the discharge outlet formed in the discharge part of the coating device. Since the holding unit that holds the discharge unit is driven by the driving unit, the discharge unit can move along the surface of the inspection target. Therefore, when the holding unit that holds the discharge unit that discharges the contact medium from the discharge port is moved by the driving unit, the contact medium is applied to the inspection target. That is, unlike the prior art, the contact medium is applied by an applicator rather than manually by the operator.

  Since the connecting member is connected not only to the holding unit but also to a flaw detection apparatus that propagates ultrasonic waves to the inspection object through the contact medium and performs flaw detection, the flaw detection apparatus is connected to the coating apparatus by the connection member. Become. Since the driving unit applies a driving force to the holding unit so that the holding unit precedes the flaw detection device, the flaw detection device can move following the coating device. As a result, the ultrasonic wave is propagated to the inspection object through the contact medium immediately after being applied to the inspection object by the coating apparatus.

  The period length from application of the contact medium to flaw detection is determined by the distance from the application device to the flaw detection device and the moving speed of the holding unit. If the distance from the coating device to the flaw detection device and the moving speed of the holding unit are constant, the period length from the application of the contact medium to the flaw detection is also constant. Therefore, the designer who designs the coating apparatus can easily reduce the variation in the period length from the application of the contact medium to the flaw detection. Since the amount of moisture absorbed by the contact medium during the period from the application of the contact medium to the flaw detection is also substantially constant, the flaw detection results obtained from the flaw detection device are not affected by fluctuations in the period length from the application of the contact medium to the flaw detection, and are highly reproducible. Can have sex.

  The technique described above makes it possible to reduce the variation in the length of the period from application of the contact medium to flaw detection, and to obtain flaw detection results with high reproducibility.

1 is a schematic plan view of an exemplary flaw detection system. FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the coating device of the flaw detection system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is another schematic perspective view of the coating apparatus shown in FIG. 2. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the coating device shown by FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary application system. FIG. It is a schematic flowchart showing the exemplary process of the supply control part of the coating system shown by FIG. It is a schematic flowchart showing the exemplary process of the movement control part of the coating system shown by FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the flaw detection apparatus of the flaw detection system shown in FIG. FIG. 8B is another schematic perspective view of the flaw detection apparatus shown in FIG. 8A. It is a schematic side view of a connection member. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the connecting member shown in FIG. 9. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the discharge part of the coating device shown by FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of another another discharge part.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an exemplary flaw detection system 100. A flaw detection system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The flaw detection system 100 is used for flaw detection of the inspection target ITG. FIG. 1 shows a cylindrical body including a magnetic body as the inspection target ITG. However, the flaw detection system 100 may be used for flaw detection of a rectangular tube or a flat plate. Therefore, the principle of the present embodiment is not limited to a specific shape of the inspection target ITG.

  The flaw detection system 100 includes a coating device 200 and a flaw detection device 300. The coating device 200 and the flaw detection device 300 can be magnetically attracted to the inspection target ITG. The operator places the flaw detection apparatus 300 at a desired height position on the inspection target ITG. The coating device 200 is designed as a coating unit that applies a contact medium used for flaw detection of the inspection target ITG. The flaw detection apparatus 300 is designed as a flaw detection unit that propagates ultrasonic waves to the inspection target ITG through the contact medium to detect the inspection target ITG. Regarding the present embodiment, the application unit is designed as a device different from the flaw detection unit. However, the flaw detection system may be designed as a single device in which the application unit and the flaw detection unit are incorporated. Therefore, the principle of this embodiment is not limited to the specific structures of the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300.

  The coating apparatus 200 can apply various contact media having different viscosities. For example, a contact medium having a viscosity of 50 Pa · s to 4000 Pa · s can be applied by the application apparatus 200. The principle of this embodiment is not limited to a specific contact medium. For example, SHN-B25 (manufactured by Santech) can be suitably used as the contact medium.

  The flaw detection system 100 further includes a connecting member 150 that connects the flaw detection apparatus 300 to the coating apparatus 200. Since the flaw detection apparatus 300 is connected to the coating apparatus 200 by the connecting member 150, the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 can move integrally. Regarding the present embodiment, the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 are integrated by a connecting member 150. However, the movement of the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 may be controlled such that the flaw detection apparatus 300 follows the coating apparatus 200 at a substantially constant interval. In this case, under the control of moving the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 at a constant speed, the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 can move integrally. Therefore, the principle of this embodiment is not limited at all by the connecting member 150.

  The flaw detection system 100 includes a drive unit that generates a drive force for moving the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 integrally. FIG. 1 shows a first drive unit 140 and a second drive unit 410 as drive units. The first driving unit 140 is incorporated in the coating apparatus 200 and generates a first driving force for moving the coating apparatus 200. The second drive unit 410 is incorporated in the flaw detection apparatus 300 and generates a second driving force for moving the flaw detection apparatus 300. The first driving unit 140 and the second driving unit 410 provide the first driving force and the second driving force so that the coating device 200 and the testing device 300 move in a direction in which the testing device 300 follows the coating device 200. Generate each. As described above, since the flaw detection apparatus 300 is connected to the coating apparatus 200 by the connecting member 150, the first driving unit 140 and the second driving unit 410 generate the first driving force and the second driving force, respectively. Then, the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 can move integrally.

  Regarding the present embodiment, the first driving unit 140 applies a first driving force to the coating device 200, and the second driving unit 410 applies a second driving force to the flaw detection device 300. However, the driving unit may apply a driving force to one of the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300. If the driving unit applies driving force only to the coating apparatus 200, the flaw detection apparatus 300 connected to the coating apparatus 200 by the connecting member 150 can move so as to be dragged by the coating apparatus 200. If the driving unit applies a driving force only to the flaw detection apparatus 300, the coating apparatus 200 can move so as to be pushed by the flaw detection apparatus 300.

  FIG. 1 conceptually shows two rotation axes PX1 and PX2. The connecting member 150 can be bent around the rotation axes PX1 and PX2. The operator places the flaw detection apparatus 300 at a desired height position on the inspection target ITG. Thereafter, the operator can bend the connecting member 150 around the rotation axes PX1 and PX2, and allow the coating apparatus 200 to approach the inspection target ITG from the position shown in FIG. As a result, not only the flaw detection apparatus 300 but also the coating apparatus 200 can be magnetically attracted to the curved surface of the inspection target ITG. Thereafter, the coating apparatus 200 is moved in the traveling direction shown in FIG. 1 along the curved surface of the inspection target ITG. The flaw detection apparatus 300 is moved in the traveling direction following the coating apparatus 200.

  If the flaw detection system 100 is exclusively used for flat plate flaw detection, the connecting member 150 may not be bent. Therefore, the principle of the present embodiment is not limited to a specific structure of the connecting member 150.

  The designer may determine how many pivots are formed on the connecting member 150 so as to fit the range of the radius of curvature of the surface of the inspection target ITG in which the flaw detection system 100 can be used. Therefore, the connecting member 150 may have a single rotation axis or may have more than two rotation axes. Therefore, the principle of this embodiment is not limited at all depending on how many rotation shafts are formed on the connecting member 150.

<Other features>
The designer can give various features to the flaw detection system 100 described above. The features described below do not limit the design principles of the flaw detection system 100 described above.

(Coating device)
The coating apparatus 200 is used to apply a contact medium (not shown) used for flaw detection of an inspection target (not shown). Many of the known contact media have high hygroscopicity and high viscosity. When the operator manually applies the contact medium to the inspection object, the length of the period during which the contact medium is in contact with the air may depend on the skill level of the operator. This means that the moisture absorption amount of the contact medium is changed depending on the skill level of the operator. The high viscosity makes it difficult to form a layer of contact medium of uniform thickness on the surface to be examined. The thickness uniformity of the contact medium layer also depends on the skill of the operator. Both the variation in the moisture absorption amount of the contact medium and the variation in the thickness of the layer of the contact medium result in variations in the flaw detection results. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a flaw detection result with high reproducibility under the conventional coating technique (that is, manual coating operation). On the other hand, the coating apparatus 200 enables a substantially constant coating operation without depending on the skill level of the operator. The variation in the moisture absorption amount of the contact medium and the variation in the thickness of the layer of the contact medium are reduced as a result of a substantially constant coating operation of the coating apparatus 200, so that the coating apparatus 200 obtains a flaw detection result with high reproducibility. To contribute.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the coating apparatus 200. With reference to FIG.1 and FIG.2, the coating device 200 is demonstrated.

  Regarding the present embodiment, the first driving unit 140 and the connecting member 150 described with reference to FIG. 1 are designed as a part of the coating apparatus 200. The coating apparatus 200 includes a discharge unit 110, a supply mechanism 120, and a holding unit 130 in addition to the first drive unit 140 and the connecting member 150. The discharge unit 110 is a hollow plate member that is long in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the coating apparatus 200. With respect to the present embodiment, the extending direction of the discharge unit 110 is referred to as a “vertical direction”. However, the principle of the present embodiment is not limited at all by the term indicating the direction.

  The discharge unit 110 includes a facing surface 111 that faces the inspection target ITG (see FIG. 1). The plurality of discharge ports 112 are formed on the facing surface 111. The plurality of discharge ports 112 are slit holes that are long in the vertical direction. The plurality of discharge ports 112 are aligned in the vertical direction. The plurality of discharge ports 112 communicate with elongated bunches (not shown) formed in the discharge unit 110. The contact medium described above is discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112 to the inspection target ITG.

  The supply mechanism 120 forms a supply path for supplying the contact medium to the plurality of ejection ports 112. The discharge unit 110, the supply mechanism 120, and the first drive unit 140 are attached to the holding unit 130. When the first driving unit 140 generates a first driving force for moving the holding unit 130, the discharge unit 110, the supply mechanism 120, the holding unit 130, and the first driving unit 140 output from the first driving unit 140. The first driving force is moved integrally in the traveling direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting member 150 includes a first member 151, a second member 152, two intermediate members 153, a first connecting shaft 154, and a second connecting shaft 155. The first member 151 is connected to the holding unit 130. The second member 152 is positioned rearward in the traveling direction of the coating apparatus 200 and is connected to the flaw detection apparatus 300 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the flaw detection apparatus 300 is located behind the coating apparatus 200 in the traveling direction of the coating apparatus 200. As described above, since the contact medium is discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112, the surface of the inspection target ITG located in front of the flaw detection apparatus 300 is covered with the contact medium. Accordingly, the flaw detection apparatus 300 can perform flaw detection by propagating ultrasonic waves to the inspection target ITG through the contact medium.

  The two intermediate members 153 are disposed between the first member 151 and the second member 152. The first connecting shaft 154 passes through the first member 151 and the two intermediate members 153. The second connection shaft 155 passes through the second member 152 and the two intermediate members 153. The connecting member 150 can be bent at each of the first connecting shaft 154 and the second connecting shaft 155. Therefore, the coating device 200 and the flaw detection device 300 can be arranged so as to conform to the curved surface of the inspection target ITG. The rotation axes PX1 and PX2 described with reference to FIG. 1 are formed by the first connection shaft 154 and the second connection shaft 155, respectively. However, these rotational axes PX1 and PX2 may be formed by other parts (for example, rivets) that connect a plurality of parts and allow bending between these parts.

  The holding unit 130 includes a base plate 131, a wheel mechanism 132, and a holding bracket 133. The base plate 131 may be a thin metal plate. With respect to the present embodiment, bending processing is applied to the outer peripheral edge of the base plate 131. Therefore, the base plate 131 can have high rigidity. The base plate 131 includes an inner surface 134 and an outer surface 135 opposite to the inner surface 134. In the following description, the term “inward” means a direction from the base plate 131 toward the inspection target ITG. The term “outward” means the direction opposite to the direction represented by the term “inward”.

  The wheel mechanism 132 is formed between the inspection target ITG and the inner surface 134 of the base plate 131. The wheel mechanism 132 includes an axle holding portion 231, a front axle 232, a rear axle 233, a plurality of front wheels 234, and a plurality of rear wheels 235. The axle holding portion 231 protrudes inward from the inner surface 134 of the base plate 131 and holds the lower ends of the front axle 232 and the rear axle 233 extending in the vertical direction. In addition, the axle holding part 231 holds the front axle 232 and the rear axle 233 near the first drive part 140. The front axle 232 extends in the vertical direction in front of the discharge unit 110. The rear axle 233 extends in the vertical direction behind the discharge unit 110. The front axle 232 and the rear axle 233 receive the first driving force from the first driving unit 140 and can rotate around their central axes. The plurality of front wheels 234 are magnet wheels fixed to the front axle 232. The plurality of rear wheels 235 are magnet wheels fixed to the rear axle 233. Therefore, the coating apparatus 200 can be magnetically attracted to the inspection object ITG including a magnetic material by these magnet wheels. When the first drive unit 140 rotates the front axle 232 and the rear axle 233, the plurality of front wheels 234 and the plurality of rear wheels 235 roll on the surface of the inspection target ITG, and the coating apparatus 200 It can move in the direction of travel along the surface of the ITG. During this time, the contact medium is discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112 of the discharge unit 110 disposed between the plurality of front wheels 234 and the plurality of rear wheels 235.

  The first member 151 of the connecting member 150 includes a base portion 156, three first connecting portions 157, and three rear projecting portions 158. The base 156 extends substantially parallel to the rear axle 233. The three first connecting portions 157 protrude forward from the base portion 156.

  The three first connecting portions 157 are aligned in the vertical direction. The rear axle 233 passes through the three first connecting portions 157. The first member 151 can rotate around the rear axle 233. The lowermost first connecting portion 157 is connected to the rear axle 233 between the lowermost rear wheel 235 and the second rear wheel 235 from the bottom. The uppermost first connecting portion 157 is connected to the rear axle 233 between the uppermost rear wheel 235 and the second rear wheel 235 from the top. The two rear wheels 235 are located between the middle first connecting portion 157 and the lowermost first connecting portion 157. The other two rear wheels 235 are located between the middle first connecting portion 157 and the uppermost first connecting portion 157.

  The three rear protrusions 158 are aligned in the vertical direction. The first connection shaft 154 passes through the two intermediate members 153 and the three rear protrusions 158. A part of one of the two intermediate members 153 is disposed between the lower rear protrusion 158 and the middle rear protrusion 158. The other part of the two intermediate members 153 is disposed between the upper rear protrusion 158 and the middle rear protrusion 158. The first connecting shaft 154 is fixed using a C-type retaining ring. The operator can remove the C-type retaining ring and pull out the first connecting shaft 154. As a result, the second member 152 and the two intermediate members 153 can be separated from the first member 151.

  The second member 152 includes a second connecting portion 251 and three front projecting portions 252. The second connecting portion 251 extends substantially parallel to the base portion 156 of the first member 151. The flaw detection apparatus 300 is connected to the second connecting portion 251. The connection structure between the flaw detection apparatus 300 and the second connection part 251 may be determined so as to be adapted to the structure of the flaw detection apparatus 300. The principle of the present embodiment is not limited to a specific connection structure between the flaw detection apparatus 300 and the second connection portion 251.

  The three front protrusions 252 protrude forward from the base 156. The three front protrusions 252 are aligned in the vertical direction. The second connection shaft 155 passes through the two intermediate members 153 and the three front protrusions 252. A part of one of the two intermediate members 153 is disposed between the lower front projecting portion 252 and the middle front projecting portion 252. The other part of the two intermediate members 153 is disposed between the upper front protrusion 252 and the middle front protrusion 252. The second connecting shaft 155 is fixed using a C-type retaining ring. The operator can remove the C-type retaining ring and pull out the second connecting shaft 155. As a result, the second member 152 can be separated from the two intermediate members 153 and the first member 151.

  FIG. 3 is another schematic perspective view of another coating apparatus 200. With reference to FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 3, the coating device 200 is further demonstrated.

The supply mechanism 120 includes a supply source 121, a connection pipe 122, a pipeline block 123, a flow rate detection unit 124, a connection block 125, and a connection tube 126 (FIG. 2), an upstream branch pipe 127, a downstream branch pipe 128, and a pressure detector 129. The contact medium described above is filled in the supply source 121. The supply mechanism 120 supplies the contact medium from the supply source 121 to the upstream branch pipe 127 through the connection pipe 122, the pipeline block 123, the flow rate detection unit 124, the connection block 125, and the connection tube 126. Part of the contact medium supplied to the upstream branch pipe 127 is then discharged from the discharge unit 110.
Supplied to. The other part of the contact medium supplied to the upstream branch pipe 127 is supplied to the downstream branch pipe 128. The contact medium supplied to the downstream branch pipe 128 is then supplied to the discharge unit 110. The contact medium that has reached the discharge unit 110 is then discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112.

  The holding bracket 133 of the holding unit 130 is installed on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131. The holding bracket 133 protrudes outward from the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131. The supply source 121 is inserted into a circular opening formed in the holding bracket 133 and is held by the holding bracket 133.

  Similar to the supply source 121, the pipeline block 123 is installed on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131. The pipeline block 123 is located below the supply source 121. The connection pipe 122 extends downward from the supply source 121 and is connected to the pipeline block 123. A pipe line (not shown) extending from the connecting part to which the connecting pipe 122 is connected to the connecting part connected to the flow rate detecting part 124 is formed in the pipe block 123. The contact medium supplied from the supply source 121 flows into the flow rate detection unit 124 through the connection pipe 122 and the pipeline in the pipeline block 123.

  The flow rate detection unit 124 is installed on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131 above the pipeline block 123. The flow rate detection unit 124 detects the flow rate of the contact medium flowing into the flow rate detection unit 124. The flow rate detection unit 124 generates a detection signal representing the detected flow rate. The detection signal is used for feedback control for keeping the flow rate substantially constant.

  The connection block 125 is installed on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131 above the flow rate detection unit 124. The connection block 125 is connected to the flow rate detection unit 124 and the connection tube 126. The contact medium that has passed through the flow rate detection unit 124 flows into the upstream branch pipe 127 through the connection block 125 and the connection tube 126.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating apparatus 200. With reference to FIG. 2 thru | or FIG. 4, the coating device 200 is further demonstrated.

  The upstream branch pipe 127 includes an outer cylinder part 221, an inner cylinder part 222, and a vertical cylinder part 223. A slot 236 elongated in the vertical direction is formed substantially at the center of the base plate 131. The outer cylinder part 221 protrudes outward from the base plate 131 through the slot 236. A connection tube 126 extending from the connection block 125 is connected to the outer cylinder portion 221. The inner cylinder part 222 extends in the opposite direction (that is, inward) from the outer cylinder part 221 and is connected to the discharge part 110. The vertical cylinder portion 223 extends upward and is connected to a downstream branch pipe 128 disposed above the upstream branch pipe 127. Part of the contact medium that has flowed into the upstream branch pipe 127 through the connection tube 126 flows into the discharge unit 110 through the inner cylinder part 222, while the other part of the contact medium flows downstream through the vertical cylinder part 223. It flows into the tube 128.

  Similar to the upstream branch pipe 127, the downstream branch pipe 128 includes an outer cylinder part 224, an inner cylinder part 225, and a vertical cylinder part 226. Similar to the outer cylinder part 221 of the upstream branch pipe 127, the outer cylinder part 224 of the downstream branch pipe 128 protrudes outward from the base plate 131 through the slot 236. The pressure detection part 129 is attached to the outer cylinder part 224. Similar to the inner cylinder part 222 of the upstream branch pipe 127, the inner cylinder part 225 of the downstream branch pipe 128 extends inward and is connected to the discharge part 110. Unlike the vertical cylinder portion 223 of the upstream branch pipe 127, the vertical cylinder portion 226 of the downstream branch pipe 128 extends downward. The vertical cylinder part 226 of the downstream branch pipe 128 is substantially coaxial with the vertical cylinder part 223 of the upstream branch pipe 127. The contact medium flows from the vertical cylinder part 223 of the upstream branch pipe 127 to the vertical cylinder part 226 of the downstream branch pipe 128. Part of the contact medium that has flowed into the vertical cylinder portion 226 of the downstream branch pipe 128 flows into the discharge portion 110 through the inner cylinder portion 225. The other part of the contact medium is guided to the pressure detection unit 129 by the outer cylinder unit 224. Since the outer cylinder part 224 and the inner cylinder part 225 of the downstream branch pipe 128 are farthest from the supply source 121 in the supply mechanism 120, the contact medium is filled most in the outer cylinder part 224 and the inner cylinder part 225. Hateful. If the contact medium is not sufficiently filled in the outer cylindrical portion 224, the pressure detection unit 129 detects a low medium pressure. If the contact medium is sufficiently filled in the outer cylindrical portion 224, the pressure detection unit 129 detects a high medium pressure. The pressure detection unit 129 generates a detection signal representing the detected medium pressure. As described above, the medium pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 129 serves as an index as to whether or not the contact medium is sufficiently filled in the supply mechanism 120. Therefore, the detection signal activates the first drive unit 140. Can be used as a trigger signal.

  In addition to the facing surface 111, the discharge unit 110 includes a connection surface 113 on the side opposite to the facing surface 111. The discharge unit 110 includes two inlet tubes 114 that protrude from the connection surface 113 toward the base plate 131. The two inlet cylinders 114 are arranged in the vertical direction. The inner cylinder portion 222 of the upstream branch pipe 127 is connected to the lower inlet cylinder 114. The inner cylinder portion 225 of the downstream branch pipe 128 is connected to the upper inlet cylinder 114.

  The discharge part 110 includes two thick parts 115 raised from the connection surface 113. These thick portions 115 are used for connection with the holding portion 130.

  The holding unit 130 includes two coupling mechanisms 330 that are used for coupling to the discharge unit 110. One of the two coupling mechanisms 330 is disposed below the lower end of the slot 236. The other of the two coupling mechanisms 330 is disposed above the upper end of the slot 236. Each of these coupling mechanisms 330 includes a base member 331, a coupling pin 332, a washer 333, a bolt 334, and a coil spring 335. Base member 331 includes a fixed plate portion 336 and an insertion portion 337. The fixing plate portion 336 of the lower coupling mechanism 330 is overlaid on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131 so as to cover a through hole that penetrates the base plate 131 below the lower end of the slot 236 and is fixed to the base plate 131. The fixing plate portion 336 of the upper coupling mechanism 330 is overlaid on the outer surface 135 of the base plate 131 so as to cover the through hole penetrating the base plate 131 above the upper end of the slot 236 and is fixed to the base plate 131. The insertion portion 337 of the lower coupling mechanism 330 protrudes inward from the fixed plate portion 336 and is inserted into a through hole formed below the slot 236. The insertion portion 337 of the upper coupling mechanism 330 protrudes inward from the fixed plate portion 336 and is inserted into a through hole formed above the slot 236.

  The connection pin 332 of each of the two connection mechanisms 330 passes through the fixed plate portion 336 and the insertion portion 337 and protrudes from the end surface of the insertion portion 337 toward the discharge portion 110. The male screw portion formed at the inner end of the connecting pin 332 is screwed into the female screw hole formed in the thick portion 115. As a result, the ejection unit 110 is coupled to the coupling mechanism 330 such that the plurality of ejection ports 112 face the inspection target ITG (see FIG. 1).

  The coil spring 335 surrounds the insertion portion 337 and the connecting pin 332 between the thick portion 115 and the base plate 131. The coil spring 335 pushes the discharge unit 110 toward the inspection target ITG. When the plurality of front wheels 234 and the plurality of rear wheels 235 are magnetically attracted to the inspection target ITG, the coil spring 335 is compressed and deformed by a reaction force from the inspection target ITG. That is, the discharge unit 110 is displaced in a direction approaching the base plate 131. At this time, the connecting pin 332 can move linearly along the central axis of the coil spring 335. When the plurality of front wheels 234 and the plurality of rear wheels 235 are separated from the inspection target ITG, the coil spring 335 returns to the natural length. At this time, the discharge part 110 and the connecting pin 332 move inward. The washer 333 functions as a stopper against the inward movement of the discharge unit 110 and the connecting pin 332. The bolt 334 is screwed into a female screw hole formed in the outer end surface of the connecting pin 332 to fix the washer 333.

  The coating device 200 further includes two spacer rollers 161 and 162. The spacer roller 161 is attached to the lower end surface of the discharge unit 110. The spacer roller 162 is attached to the upper end surface of the discharge unit 110. The spacer rollers 161 and 162 can rotate coaxially around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. When the plurality of front wheels 234 and the plurality of rear wheels 235 are magnetically attracted to the inspection target ITG, the spacer rollers 161 and 162 are pressed against the surface of the inspection target ITG by the coil spring 335. At this time, the diameters of the spacer rollers 161 and 162 are designed so that the discharge unit 110 is slightly separated from the inspection target ITG. Since the plurality of discharge ports 112 are not blocked by the surface of the inspection target ITG, the contact medium can be smoothly discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112.

(Contact medium flow control)
If the temperature of the environment in which the contact medium is used is low, the contact medium has a high viscosity. On the other hand, if the ambient temperature is high, the contact medium has a low viscosity. If the medium pressure applied to the contact medium from the source 121 (see FIG. 2) is constant, the application amount of the high viscosity contact medium will be excessively reduced while the application amount of the low viscosity contact medium is , Sometimes too many. If the application amount of the contact medium is excessively reduced, a part of the surface of the inspection target ITG (see FIG. 1) may be exposed from the contact medium. This results in inappropriate flaw detection results. An excessively large application amount means waste of the contact medium. That is, the flaw detection cost increases unnecessarily. A control technique for reducing the influence of the environmental temperature on the coating amount of the contact medium will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the supply source 121 includes a storage container 321, an extrusion unit 322, and an air compressor. The contact medium is filled in a closed space surrounded by the storage container 321 and the pushing portion 322. Since the contact medium is difficult to touch the air, the moisture absorption amount of the contact medium is very small. The air compressor is disposed at a position away from the storage container 321 and the pushing portion 322. The compressed air generated by the air compressor is sent to the extrusion unit 322 through a hose (not shown). The extruding part 322 is pushed by compressed air and narrows the closed space. As a result, the contact medium is pushed out of the storage container 321. The contact medium flows into the connection pipe 122 connected to the storage container 321, and then flows into the upstream branch pipe 127 through the conduit block 123, the flow rate detection unit 124, the connection block 125, and the connection tube 126. Part of the contact medium flows into the discharge unit 110 through the upstream branch pipe 127. The other part of the contact medium flows from the upstream branch pipe 127 to the downstream branch pipe 128 and then flows into the discharge unit 110. During this time, the flow rate detection unit 124 detects the flow rate of the contact medium passing through the flow rate detection unit 124. The flow rate detection unit 124 generates a detection signal representing the detected flow rate. The detection signal is used for feedback control for keeping the flow rate of the contact medium substantially constant. The flow rate detection unit 124 may be a general flow meter. The principle of this embodiment is not limited to a specific measurement device used as the flow rate detection unit 124.

  The flow rate of the contact medium can be adjusted by the amount of compressed air supplied from the air compressor to the extrusion unit 322. An increase in the supply of compressed air results in an increase in the flow rate of the contact medium. A decrease in the supply amount of compressed air results in a decrease in the flow rate of the contact medium. The amount of compressed air supplied from the air compressor is adjusted under the feedback control described above.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the flaw detection system 100. The flaw detection system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. The solid arrows in FIG. 5 schematically represent the signal flow. The dotted line in FIG. 5 schematically represents the flow of the contact medium.

  In addition to the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300 described with reference to FIG. 1, the flaw detection system 100 includes a control device 500 that controls the coating apparatus 200 and the flaw detection apparatus 300. Control device 500 includes a supply control unit 510, a movement control unit 520, and an operation panel 530. The supply control unit 510 controls the air compressor 323. The movement control unit 520 controls the first driving unit 140.

  The operator operates the operation panel 530 and requests the supply control unit 510 to supply the contact medium. Supply control unit 510 generates a control signal in response to an operator's request. The control signal is output from the supply control unit 510 to the air compressor 323. At this time, the control signal may indicate a predetermined value with respect to the supply amount of the compressed air.

  The air compressor 323 supplies the amount of compressed air instructed by the control signal to the extrusion unit 322 in accordance with the control signal. As a result, the compressed air applies an extrusion pressure to the contact medium in the closed space surrounded by the storage container 321 and the extrusion unit 322 via the extrusion unit 322. Since the extruding part 322 is displaced by the compressed air so as to narrow the closed space, the contact medium in the closed space is pushed out of the container 321 by the extruding part 322. The contact medium pushed out by the extruding unit 322 passes through the flow rate detection unit 124 and is finally discharged from the discharge unit 110 to the detection target ITG.

  The flow rate detection unit 124 detects the flow rate of the contact medium that has passed through the flow rate detection unit 124. The flow rate detection unit 124 generates a detection signal representing the detected flow rate. The detection signal is output from the flow rate detection unit 124 to the supply control unit 510.

  The supply control unit 510 refers to the detection signal from the flow rate detection unit 124 and determines the supply amount of compressed air. When the flow rate represented by the detection signal decreases and falls below a predetermined threshold, the supply control unit 510 determines an increase in the supply amount of compressed air. As a result, the extrusion pressure applied to the contact medium by the extrusion unit 322 increases. When the flow rate represented by the detection signal increases and becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, the supply control unit 510 determines a decrease in the supply amount of the compressed air. As a result, the extrusion pressure that the extrusion unit 322 applies to the contact medium decreases.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart illustrating exemplary processing of the supply control unit 510. The processing of the supply control unit 510 will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Step S110)
Supply control unit 510 waits for an activation request from operation panel 530. When the operator operates the operation panel 530 and an activation request is output from the operation panel 530 to the supply control unit 510, step S120 is executed.

(Step S120)
Supply control unit 510 generates a control signal in response to the activation request. The control signal is output from the supply control unit 510 to the air compressor 323. The air compressor 323 sends compressed air to the extrusion unit 322 in accordance with the control signal. As a result, the contact medium is pushed out of the storage container 321 by the pushing portion 322. The contact medium pushed out from the storage container 321 passes through the flow rate detection unit 124. The flow rate detection unit 124 detects the flow rate of the contact medium that has passed through the flow rate detection unit 124. The flow rate detection unit 124 generates a detection signal representing the detected flow rate. The detection signal is output from the flow rate detection unit 124 to the supply control unit 510. When supply control unit 510 generates a control signal, step S130 is executed.

(Step S130)
The supply control unit 510 compares the detected flow rate “FRT” represented by the detection signal from the flow rate detection unit 124 with a predetermined flow rate threshold value “FTH”. If the detected flow rate “FRT” is below the flow rate threshold value “FTH”, step S140 is executed. In other cases, step S160 is executed.

(Step S140)
Supply controller 510 determines to increase the supply amount of compressed air. The supply control unit 510 generates a control signal that indicates the increased supply amount. The control signal is output from the supply control unit 510 to the air compressor 323. The air compressor 323 increases the supply amount of compressed air according to the control signal. As a result, the extrusion unit 322 can increase the extrusion pressure applied to the contact medium in the storage container 321. Since the contact medium is pushed out of the container 321 by the increased extrusion pressure, the flow rate of the contact medium that passes through the flow rate detection unit 124 can also be increased. When supply control unit 510 generates a control signal indicating the increased supply amount, step S150 is executed.

(Step S150)
Supply control unit 510 waits for a stop request from operation panel 530. When the operator operates the operation panel 530 and a stop request is output from the operation panel 530 to the supply control unit 510, the supply control unit 510 ends the process. In other cases, step S130 is executed.

(Step S160)
Supply control unit 510 determines to reduce the supply amount of compressed air. The supply control unit 510 generates a control signal indicating the reduced supply amount. The control signal is output from the supply control unit 510 to the air compressor 323. The air compressor 323 reduces the supply amount of compressed air according to the control signal. As a result, the extrusion unit 322 can reduce the extrusion pressure applied to the contact medium in the storage container 321. Since the contact medium is pushed out of the storage container 321 by the reduced extrusion pressure, the flow rate of the contact medium passing through the flow rate detection unit 124 can also be reduced. When the supply control unit 510 generates a control signal instructing the reduced supply amount, step S150 is executed.

  As a result of the processing shown in FIG. 6, the flow rate of the contact medium supplied from the supply source 121 is stabilized around the flow rate threshold value “FTH”. That is, regardless of whether the contact medium is used in a high temperature environment or a low temperature environment, the flow rate of the contact medium becomes a value close to the flow rate threshold value “FTH”.

(Moving control of coating device)
If the coating device 200 (see FIG. 3) starts to move before the contact medium reaches the downstream branch pipe 128 (see FIG. 3) from the supply source 121 (see FIG. 3), the contact medium The application width is smaller than the vertical length of the plurality of discharge ports 112 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the ultrasonic wave emitted from the flaw detection apparatus 300 (see FIG. 1) directly reaches the inspection target ITG (see FIG. 1) without passing through the contact medium layer. This results in inappropriate flaw detection results. A control technique for starting the movement of the coating apparatus 200 after the contact medium is sufficiently filled in the supply mechanism 120 (see FIG. 4) will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first drive unit 140 includes a motor 141, a gear box 142, and gears 143 and 144. The motor 141 is fixed to the gear box 142. The shaft of the motor 141 is inserted into the gear box 142 and connected to the gear 143. The gear 144 meshes with the gear 143. A gear (not shown) that meshes with the gear 143 is attached to each of the front axle 232 (see FIG. 2) and the rear axle 233 (see FIG. 2).

  The motor 141 is driven under the control of the movement control unit 520 described with reference to FIG. 5 and generates a first driving force. When the motor 141 is driven by the movement control unit 520, the first driving force of the motor 141 is transmitted to the front axle 232 and the rear axle 233 through the gears 143 and 144, respectively. As a result, the plurality of front wheels 234 (see FIG. 2) and the plurality of rear wheels 235 (see FIG. 2) are rotated, and the coating apparatus 200 can move in the traveling direction.

  As described with reference to FIG. 3, the pressure detection unit 129 is farthest from the supply source 121 in the supply mechanism 120. As shown in FIG. 5, part of the contact medium that has passed through the flow rate detection unit 124 is directed to the pressure detection unit 129. If a part of the contact medium that has passed through the flow rate detection unit 124 does not reach the pressure detection unit 129, the pressure detection unit 129 detects a low medium pressure. If the contact medium is filled in the supply mechanism 120 to a sufficient extent to be discharged from the plurality of discharge ports 112 as a whole, the contact medium has reached the pressure detection unit 129, so that the pressure The detection unit 129 can detect a high medium pressure.

  The pressure detection unit 129 generates a detection signal representing the detected medium pressure. The detection signal is output from the pressure detection unit 129 to the movement control unit 520. The movement control unit 520 determines whether or not to drive the motor 141 with reference to the medium pressure represented by the detection signal.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart showing exemplary processing of the movement control unit 520. The process of the movement control unit 520 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 7.

(Step S210)
The movement control unit 520 waits for an activation request from the operation panel 530. When the operator operates the operation panel 530 and an activation request is output from the operation panel 530 to the movement control unit 520, step S220 is executed.

(Step S220)
The movement control unit 520 compares the medium pressure “PRS” represented by the detection signal from the pressure detection unit 129 with a predetermined pressure threshold “PTH”. Step S220 is repeated until the medium pressure “PRS” exceeds the pressure threshold “PTH”. When the medium pressure “PRS” exceeds the pressure threshold “PTH”, Step S230 is executed.

(Step S230)
The movement control unit 520 generates a drive signal. The drive signal is output from the movement control unit 520 to the motor 141 of the first drive unit 140. The motor 141 rotates the gear 143 according to the drive signal. As a result, the front axle 232, the plurality of front wheels 234, the rear axle 233, and the plurality of rear wheels 235 receive the first driving force via the gear 144, and the coating device 200 can move in the traveling direction. When the movement control unit 520 generates a drive signal, step S240 is executed.

(Step S240)
The movement control unit 520 waits for a stop request from the operation panel 530. When the operator operates the operation panel 530 and a stop request is output from the operation panel 530 to the movement control unit 520, the movement control unit 520 ends the process. If the movement control unit 520 has not received a stop request, step S220 is executed.

(Flaw detector)
The flaw detection apparatus 300 (see FIG. 1) connected to the coating apparatus 200 (see FIG. 1) may have various structures. An exemplary structure of the flaw detection apparatus 300 will be described below.

  8A and 8B are schematic perspective views of the flaw detection apparatus 300. FIG. The flaw detection apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 7 to 8B.

  With respect to the present embodiment, the second drive unit 410 described with reference to FIG. 1 is designed as a part of the flaw detection apparatus 300. The second drive unit 410 includes a front motor 415 and a rear motor 416. The flaw detection apparatus 300 includes, in addition to the front motor 415 and the rear motor 416, two probes 411, a holding portion 412, two front wheels 413, two rear wheels 414, and four magnets 417. Prepare. The two probes 411, the two front wheels 413, the two rear wheels 414, the front motor 415 and the rear motor 416 are attached to the holding portion 412. The four magnets 417 are incorporated in the two front wheels 413 and the two rear wheels 414, respectively. Therefore, similarly to the coating apparatus 200, the flaw detection apparatus 300 can be magnetically attracted to the inspection target ITG.

  The front motor 415 drives the two front wheels 413 under the control of the movement control unit 520 described with reference to FIG. Similar to the front motor 415, the rear motor 416 drives the two rear wheels 414 under the control of the movement control unit 520. The rotation directions of the two front wheels 413 and the two rear wheels 414 are determined so that the traveling direction of the flaw detection apparatus 300 matches the traveling direction of the coating apparatus 200. With respect to the present embodiment, the second drive unit 410 includes a front motor 415 and a rear motor 416. Alternatively, the second drive unit may be a single motor. In this case, the second driving force generated by the single motor is transmitted to the two front wheels 413 and the two rear wheels 414 by a plurality of gears (not shown) arranged in the holding portion 412.

  In step S230 described with reference to FIG. 7, the drive signal is output from the movement control unit 520 not only to the motor 141 of the coating apparatus 200 but also to the front motor 415 and the rear motor 416. Therefore, the flaw detection apparatus 300 can start moving in the traveling direction in synchronization with the coating apparatus 200.

  The holding part 412 has a box structure surrounding the two probes 411, the two front wheels 413 and the two rear wheels 414. The holding unit 412 opens toward the inspection target ITG, and the two probes 411, the two front wheels 413 and the two rear wheels 414 are exposed through the opening of the holding unit 412. The holding unit 412 includes a front wall 418 that faces the coating apparatus 200. Two positioning holes 421 and two through holes 422 are formed in the front wall 418. The two positioning holes 421 and the two through holes 422 are arranged in the vertical direction. One of the two through holes 422 is formed below the two positioning holes 421. The other of the two through holes 422 is formed above the two positioning holes 421.

  FIG. 2 shows two positioning pins 171 and two connecting screws 172. The operator can remove these connecting screws 172 from the second connecting portion 251 and bring the second connecting portion 251 into contact with the front wall 418. As a result, the positioning pin 171 is fitted into the positioning hole 421 formed in the front wall 418. Thereafter, the operator can insert the two connecting screws 172 into the two through holes 422 formed in the front wall 418 and screw them into the two female screw holes of the second connecting portion 251. As a result, the connecting member 150 is connected to the flaw detection apparatus 300.

  One of the two probes 411 emits ultrasonic waves. With respect to the present embodiment, the ultrasonic wave is a surface SH (Shear Horizontal) wave. As described above, since the coating apparatus 200 traveling in front of the flaw detection apparatus 300 can appropriately apply the contact medium to the surface of the inspection target ITG, the ultrasonic wave passes through the contact medium layer and the inspection target ITG. Will be propagated to. The other of the two probes 411 receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the inspection target ITG. Whether or not a defect exists in the inspection target ITG is determined by analyzing the ultrasonic wave reflected by the inspection target ITG. Known flaw detection analysis techniques can be applied to the analysis of ultrasonic waves reflected by the inspection target ITG. Therefore, the principle of the present embodiment is not limited to a specific analysis method for ultrasonic waves reflected by the inspection target ITG.

(Other structures of connecting members)
The structure of the connecting member may be designed to be compatible with the mechanical structure of the coating device and the flaw detection device. Other structures of the connecting member are described below.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of the connecting member 150A. The connecting member 150A will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 8A and 9.

  The connecting member 150A can be replaced with the connecting member 150 described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 schematically shows a coating apparatus 200A and a flaw detection apparatus 300A in addition to the connecting member 150A. The coating apparatus 200A is different from the coating apparatus 200 described with reference to FIG. Therefore, the description regarding the coating device 200 is applied to the coating device 200 </ b> A except for the connecting arm 180. The flaw detection apparatus 300A is different from the flaw detection apparatus 300 described with reference to FIG. 8A only in that the flaw detection apparatus 300A has a connecting arm 480. Therefore, the description regarding the flaw detection apparatus 300 is applied to the flaw detection apparatus 300 </ b> A except for the connection arm 480.

  The connecting arm 180 includes two protruding plates 181 and 182 and a connecting shaft 183. The two protruding plates 181 and 182 protrude toward the flaw detection apparatus 300A. The protruding plates 181 and 182 are arranged in the vertical direction. The base ends of the protruding plates 181 and 182 may be fixed to the base plate 131 (see FIG. 2). The connecting shaft 183 is connected to the protruding plates 181 and 182 and extends in the vertical direction.

  The connecting arm 480 includes two protruding plates 481 and 482 and a connecting shaft 483. The two protruding plates 481 and 482 protrude toward the coating apparatus 200A. The protruding plates 481 and 482 are arranged in the vertical direction. The base ends of the protruding plates 481 and 482 may be fixed to the front wall 418 (see FIG. 8A). The connecting shaft 483 is connected to the protruding plates 481 and 482 and extends in the vertical direction.

  The connecting member 150 </ b> A is connected to the connecting shafts 183 and 483. The connecting member 150 </ b> A can change the angle with respect to the coating apparatus 200 </ b> A around the connecting shaft 183. The connecting member 150 </ b> A can change an angle with respect to the flaw detection apparatus 300 </ b> A around the connecting shaft 483.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the connecting member 150A. The connecting member 150A is described with reference to FIG.

  The connecting member 150A has a split structure. The connecting member 150 </ b> A includes an inner member 351 and an outer member 352. The inner member 351 and the outer member 352 sandwich the connecting shafts 183 and 483.

(Structure around the discharge port)
The thickness of the contact medium layer depends on the shape of the periphery of the discharge port 112. The influence of the shape around the discharge port 112 on the thickness of the contact medium layer will be described below.

  FIG. 11A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the discharge unit 110. FIG. 11B is a schematic cross-sectional view of another discharge unit 110A. The discharge units 110 and 110A will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A and 11B. The discharge unit 110 </ b> A can be replaced with the discharge unit 110.

  The discharge unit 110 includes a protrusion 116 that protrudes from the facing surface 111 toward the inspection target ITG. The protrusion 116 extends in the vertical direction. The discharge port 112 is formed on the end surface of the protrusion 116.

  FIG. 11A shows the layer thickness “LT1” of the contact medium. The layer thickness “LT1” of the contact medium substantially matches the distance from the edge of the protrusion 116 extending in the vertical direction to the surface of the inspection target ITG.

  Unlike the discharge unit 110, the discharge unit 110 </ b> A does not have the protrusion 116. Accordingly, the discharge port 112 is formed on the flat facing surface 111.

  FIG. 11B shows the layer thickness “LT2” of the contact medium. The layer thickness “LT2” of the contact medium substantially coincides with the distance from the edge of the facing surface 111 extending in the vertical direction to the surface of the inspection target ITG. Since the facing surface 111 is larger in width than the protrusion 116, the thickness “LT2” of the contact medium layer is larger than the thickness “LT1” of the contact medium layer. Therefore, the discharge part 110 is larger than the discharge part 110A in the adjustment width of the layer thickness of the contact medium.

  The principle of the above-described embodiment can be applied to various coating apparatuses and various flaw detection apparatuses.

  For the embodiment described above, the contact medium is extruded using compressed air from the air compressor 323. However, a plunger that is directly moved by a motor may push out the contact medium.

  With respect to the above-described embodiment, two discharge ports 112 are formed in the discharge portions 110 and 110A. However, one discharge port may be formed in the discharge portion. Alternatively, more than two discharge ports may be formed in the discharge unit. The principle of the above-described embodiment is not limited at all depending on how many ejection openings are formed in the ejection section.

  Regarding the above-described embodiment, the supply mechanism 120 is held by the holding unit 130. However, the supply mechanism may not be held by the holding unit 130. For example, a long hose may be extended from the supply source 121 separated from the holding unit 130 to the discharge port 112. The contact medium can be supplied from the supply source 121 to the discharge port 112 through a long hose.

  The principle of the above-described embodiment is preferably used in various work sites where the contact medium is applied.

100 ... flaw detection system 110, 110A ... discharge unit 112 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Discharge port 124 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Flow detection unit 129 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Pressure detector 130 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Holder 140 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・... 1st drive part 150, 150A ... Connection member 151 ... ... 1st member 152 ... 2nd member 200, 200A ... 300, 300A ... flaw detector 322 ... ... extruder 410 ... second drive 500 ... ... Control device 510 ... Supply control unit 520 ...・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Motor Control Unit ITG ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Inspection Target

Claims (9)

A flaw detection system that performs flaw detection on an inspection object,
An application part for applying a contact medium used for the flaw detection;
A flaw detection unit that propagates ultrasonic waves to the inspection object through the contact medium and performs the flaw detection;
A driving unit that generates a driving force for integrally moving the application unit and the flaw detection unit;
The drive unit moves the application unit and the flaw detection unit in a direction in which the flaw detection unit follows the application unit. The flaw detection system according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting member that connects the flaw detection unit to the application unit. The flaw detection system according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member is bendable around at least one rotation axis so that the application unit and the flaw detection unit are moved along a curved surface of the inspection target. . The connection part includes a first member connected to the application part, and a second member connected to the flaw detection part,
The flaw detection system according to claim 2, wherein the second member is separable from the first member. A control unit having a movement control unit for controlling the drive unit;
The drive unit includes a first drive unit that generates a first drive force that moves the application unit, and a second drive unit that generates a second drive force that moves the flaw detection unit,
The application unit includes a discharge unit in which a discharge port through which the contact medium is discharged is formed, and a pressure detection unit that detects a medium pressure of the contact medium toward the discharge port,
When the medium pressure detected by the pressure detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, the movement control unit controls the first driving unit and the second driving unit, and the flaw detection unit follows the application unit. The flaw detection system according to claim 1, wherein movement of the flaw detection unit and the application unit is started. The flaw detection part is separated from the application part,
The flaw detection system according to claim 5, wherein the second drive unit moves the flaw detection unit at a constant speed with the application unit under the control of the control unit. The application unit includes an extrusion unit that applies an extrusion pressure to the contact medium and pushes the contact medium to the discharge port, and a flow rate detection unit that detects a flow rate of the contact medium extruded by the extrusion unit,
The control device includes a supply control unit that controls the amount of the contact medium supplied to the discharge unit by the extrusion unit,
The flaw detection system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the supply control unit controls the push-out unit so that the push-out pressure increases with a decrease in the flow rate. The flaw detection system according to claim 1, wherein the application unit, the flaw detection unit, and the drive unit are designed as one device. An application device for applying a contact medium used for flaw detection to be inspected,
A discharge part formed with a discharge port through which the contact medium is discharged;
A holding unit that holds the discharge unit such that the discharge port faces the surface of the inspection target;
A driving unit that applies a driving force to the holding unit such that the discharge port moves along the surface of the inspection target;
A coupling member coupled to the holding unit and a flaw detection apparatus that propagates ultrasonic waves to the inspection object through the contact medium and performs the flaw detection;
The application unit applies the driving force to the holding unit so that the holding unit precedes the flaw detection apparatus.

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