JP2609955B2 - Piston ring reverse alignment detector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting the presence of an inverted piston ring in a stack of piston rings, which is effective in preventing the piston ring from being mounted on a piston of an internal combustion engine or the like in a reverse direction. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art The vertical direction of a piston ring of an internal combustion engine is determined when the piston ring is assembled to a piston. An engraved mark is provided on the upper surface of the abutment portion of the piston ring, so that the up-down direction can be confirmed. However, since the attachment to the piston is almost entirely performed by an automatic machine, if anything that is arranged in the opposite direction in the stack of the piston rings is mixed with the piston, it is directly attached to the piston.

For example, when the direction of a tapering, which is often used as a second ring, is reversed, the consumption of lubricating oil increases. For this reason, it is necessary to confirm the presence or absence of reverse alignment before packaging after the final inspection of the piston ring. Conventionally, the presence or absence of engraving was checked visually from one direction.

[0004]

The above-described conventional method for checking whether or not the piston ring is reversely aligned takes time and effort.
Even if it is checked strictly, it is subject to human factors such as an inspector's skill, visual acuity, fatigue state, and the like, so that the detection of reverse alignment is uncertain.

An object of the present invention is to provide a piston ring reverse alignment detecting device which can easily and reliably detect the presence of a reverse-aligned piston ring in a stack of piston rings.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the structure of the present invention, the upper and lower surfaces of a stack in which a large number of piston rings whose outer peripheral surfaces have different reflectivities in the axial direction at least at both end regions are arranged in opposite directions. In a piston ring reverse alignment detection device that detects the presence of a ring, a light receiving unit that can relatively move along the axial direction of the stack and receives light reflected on the outer peripheral surface of the ring, and an optical signal received by the light receiving unit A photoelectric conversion unit that converts the signal into an electric signal; a counter unit that counts a specific signal from an output signal of the photoelectric conversion unit; and a display unit that displays the count number counted by the counter unit. .

The present invention may have the following configuration. That is, a piston ring reverse alignment detection for detecting the presence of a ring in which the upper and lower surfaces are arranged in opposite directions in a stack in which a large number of piston rings in which the reflectance of the outer peripheral surface is different at least at both end regions in the axial direction. In the apparatus, a light receiving unit that can move relatively along the axial direction of the stack and receives light reflected on the outer peripheral surface of the ring, a photoelectric conversion unit that converts an optical signal received by the light receiving unit into an electric signal, and a photoelectric conversion unit Calculating means for calculating the position or position and the total number of piston rings whose upper and lower surfaces are arranged in reverse directions from the output signal of the above, and displaying the position or position and the total number of the reversely aligned piston rings calculated by the calculating means. A display unit.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the light receiving section is fixed to a jig provided with a guide groove capable of housing the stack and moving the stack in the axial direction.

[0009]

The reflected light on the outer peripheral surface of the ring received by the light receiving portion is weak on the surface with low reflectance and is strong on the surface with high reflectance. Therefore, the reflectance of the outer peripheral surface differs in at least the both end regions in the axial direction. In a stack in which a number of piston rings are aligned, the reflected light on the outer peripheral surface of the ring is detected and converted to an electric signal.If the piston rings are arranged in a normal direction, a regular ON-OFF signal is obtained. Can be

However, if there is a ring in which the upper and lower surfaces are arranged in opposite directions in the piston ring stack, a portion having the same reflectance continues between the ends of the adjacent piston rings. The state or the OFF state continues, and an irregular ON-OFF signal is generated in this portion. Therefore, if the above ON-OFF signal is counted by a counter, the number of counts is smaller in a stack with reverse alignment than in a stack with normal alignment. Can be determined.

Further, from the irregular ON-OFF signal, the predetermined arithmetic means can calculate the position of the reversely aligned piston rings or the total number of piston rings.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 2, a completed piston ring 1 having a tapered face has a large diameter on the lower side of an outer peripheral surface, and a contact surface 2 is generally formed by lapping. The axial width of the piston ring 1 is 2-3 m
m, the width of the contact surface 2 is 0.3 to 0.5 mm.
The surface roughness of the contact surface 2 is, for example, 0.8 μm, and the surface roughness of the tapered surface 3 adjacent to the contact surface 2 is about 3 μm. For this reason, the contact surface 2 has a higher reflectivity than the tapered surface 3, and the outer peripheral surface of the piston ring 1 is divided into two regions having different reflectivities in the axial direction.

An apparatus for detecting a reversely aligned piston ring 1 in a stack 4 in which many such piston rings 1 are aligned will be described below.

In FIG. 3, a guide jig 5 has a guide groove 6 having a V-shaped cross section formed linearly on the upper surface thereof, and a groove slope 7 guides the stack 4 of the piston ring 1. The guide jig 5 is provided with a horizontal hole 8 penetrating from the outer surface to the groove slope 7, and a light emitting / light receiving member 11 having a light emitting part 9 and a light receiving part 10 is inserted and fixed in the horizontal hole 8. And faces the guide groove 6. Various types of light projecting / light receiving members 11 can be used here, and for example, a narrow field-of-view type of a reflection type beam sensor can be used. Here, the position of the light receiving unit 10 is determined by the outer peripheral surface of the piston ring 1 to be inspected and the groove slope 7
It is desirable that the distance from the outer peripheral surface of the piston ring 1 is appropriately selected in consideration of the aperture and the detection distance of the light receiving unit 10 to be used.

The light projecting / receiving member 11 is an optical fiber 1
2 is connected to the photoelectric converter 13 through the
Is connected to a counting counter 14 having a counter section and a display section for displaying the counted number.

Therefore, when the stack 4 of the piston ring 1 is moved in the axial direction along the groove slope 7 of the guide jig 5, the piston ring 1 of the light emitted from the light projecting portion 9 is moved.
The light reflected by the outer peripheral surface of is captured by the light receiving unit 10,
The light is transmitted to the photoelectric converter 13 via the optical fiber 12.
And here it is converted into an electric signal. The output signal is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reflected light on the tapered surface 3 has a low reflectivity and therefore has a low output, and the reflected light on the hitting surface 2 has a high reflectivity and has a high output. O
An FF signal is obtained. And this ON-OFF signal is
The number of ON outputs is transmitted to the counter 14 and counted and displayed.

In this case, as shown in FIG.
If the third piston ring 1 is in the right alignment and the next fourth is the reversely aligned piston ring 1 in which the upper and lower surfaces are arranged in opposite directions, the contact surface 2 of the third and fourth piston rings 1 is continuous. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, one ON output is provided for the third and fourth piston rings 1, and the number of (total number of piston rings 1 -1) is displayed on the count counter 14. As described above, when the reversely aligned piston rings 1 are present in the stack 4 of the piston rings 1, the total number of the piston rings 1 is different from the number displayed on the counter 14. 1 can be detected.

Therefore, the inspector first counts the total number of the piston rings 1 in advance, and presses the reset switch 15 to set the display of the counter 14 to zero. Next, the stack 4 of the piston ring 1 is placed in the groove 6 of the guide jig 5 and is manually moved in the axial direction from the beginning to the end of the stack 4 so that the count counter 14 displays the number of ON outputs. In this way, the inspector compares the total number of piston rings in the stack 4 with the number displayed on the counter 14, and if the numbers match, it is possible to detect that there is no reverse-aligned piston ring 1; It is possible to detect the presence of the piston ring 1 that is reversely aligned. In this case, the first or last reverse-aligned piston ring 1 cannot be detected, and it is necessary to visually confirm only this portion.

If the total number of piston rings does not match the count number, it is convenient to add a device that issues a warning with a lamp or a buzzer.

The above example only detects whether or not there is a reverse-aligned piston ring in the stack of piston rings, and cannot detect its position and the like. A device that can detect the trajectory is described.

In FIG. 4, a guide jig 5, a light projecting / receiving member 11 having a light projecting section 9 and a light receiving section 10, and an optical fiber 1
2, and the photoelectric converter 13 are the same as those described above. In this embodiment, the photoelectric converter 13 is provided with an arithmetic unit 16 including a successive approximation type AD converter and a computer.
Is connected to the arithmetic unit 16, and a display device 17 for displaying the position and the total number of the piston rings of the reverse alignment calculated by the arithmetic unit 16 is connected.

An example of the operation of the arithmetic unit 16 will now be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

Here, t _l is the detection start time of the reflected light below the reference intensity, t _h is the detection start time of the reflected light above the reference intensity, _TL is the detection continuation time of the reflected light below the reference intensity, T _H
Is the detection duration time of the reflected light of the reference intensity or more, and K is T _H / T
_{This is} the standard value of _L.

[0025] In FIG. 5, first, at 21, from the electrical signal of FIG. 1, reads the _{t l1, t h1, T L1} , T H1. Then 2
In step 2, T _H1 / T _L1 is calculated. And at 23, t _l1 becomes t
Check if it is smaller than _h1 . In the case of FIG. 1, since it is small, the process proceeds to 24 and it is determined that the first piston ring 1 is correctly aligned.

[0026] In the next 25, or _{T H1 / T L1 ≒ K,} T H1 / T
Judge whether _L1 ≒ 2K. In this case, since T _H1 / T _L1 ≒ K, the _flow returns to 21 to read the next t _l2 , th ₂ , T _L2 , and T _H2 . Next, at step 22, _TH / _TL2 is calculated. And 23
Then, it is checked whether or not t _l2 is smaller than t _h2 . In the case of FIG. 1, since it is small, the process proceeds to 24 and it is determined that the second piston ring 1 is correctly aligned.

Next, at 25, T _H2 / T _L2 ≒ K or T _H2 / T
Judge whether _L2 ≒ 2K. In this case, since T _H2 / T _L2 ≒ K, the _flow returns to 21 to read the next t _l3 , th ₃ , T _L3 , and T _H3 . Next, at step 22, _TH3 / _TL3 is calculated. And 23
In, it is checked whether or not t _l3 is smaller than t _h3. In the case of FIG. 1, since it is small, the process proceeds to 24 and it is determined that the third piston ring 1 is correctly aligned.

Next, at 25, T _H3 / T _L3 ≒ K or T _H3 / T
Judge whether _L3 ≒ 2K. In this case, T _H3 / T _L3 ≒ 2K
Therefore, the process proceeds to step 26, where the following t _l4 , T _L4 , and T _H4 are read as t _h4 = t _h3 + T _H3 / 2. Next, proceed to 22, and T _H4
/ T _L4 is calculated. Then at 23, checks whether t _l4 is less than t _h4. In the case of FIG. 1, since t _l4 is greater than t _h4 , the process proceeds to 27 and it is determined that the fourth piston ring 1 is reversely aligned.

Next, at 28, T _H4 / T _L4 ≒ K or T _H4 / T
_Judge whether _L4 ≒ K / 2. In this case, T _H4 / T _L4 ≒ K
So, back to the 21, read the following _{t l5, t h5, T L5} , T H5. Next, at step 22, T _H5 / T _L5 is calculated. And 2
At 3, it is checked whether t ₁₅ is smaller than t _h5 . In the case of FIG. 1, since t _l5 is greater than t _h5 , the process proceeds to 27 and 5
It is determined that the second piston ring 1 is reversely aligned.

Next, at 28, T _H5 / T _L5 ≒ K or T _H5 / T
_Judge whether _L5 ≒ K / 2. In this case, T _H5 / T _L5 ≒ K
/ 2, so the process proceeds to 29, and the next t _h6 , T _L6 , and T _H6 are read as t _l6 = t _l5 + T _L5 / 2. Next, the _program proceeds to 22, where T _H6 / T _L6 is calculated. Then, at 23, t _l6 becomes t _h6
Check if it is less than. In the case of FIG. 1, since it is small, the process proceeds to 24, where it is determined that the sixth piston ring 1 is correctly aligned.

Next, at 25, T _H6 / T _L6 ≒ K or T _H6 / T
_Judge whether _L6 ≒ 2K. In this case, since the T _H6 / T _L6 ≒ K, return to the 21, read the following _{t l7, t h7, T L7} , T H7. Next, at step 22, _TH7 / _TL7 is calculated. And 23
In, it is checked whether or not t _l7 is smaller than t _h7. In the case of FIG. 1, since it is small, the process proceeds to 24, where it is determined that the seventh piston ring 1 is correctly aligned.

In the same manner, it is determined whether the piston ring 1 is aligned right or wrong. In this way, the position of the reverse-aligned piston ring 1 is known, so that the total number of the reverse-aligned piston rings 1 is also known.

In the above example, a piston ring having a tapered face in cross section has been described as an example. However, the piston ring according to the present invention is not limited to this type. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to any piston ring in which the reflectance of the outer peripheral surface, such as the shape, is different at least in the region of both ends in the axial direction.

In the above description, the light receiving unit 10 is fixed,
Although the stack 4 is moved, the stack may be fixed and the light receiving unit may be moved. For example,
The light receiving section is fixed to the tip of the handle, and the handle is moved along the stack, or a jig for guiding the light receiving section is provided, whereby the light receiving section is moved along the stack.

[0035]

As described above, according to the piston ring reverse alignment detecting device of the first aspect, it is possible to determine whether or not the piston ring of the reverse alignment exists in the piston ring stack. According to the reverse alignment detection device, the position or the position and the total number of the reverse-aligned piston rings in the piston ring stack can be detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a diagram showing an output signal after photoelectric conversion of reflected light in the stack of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a stack in which a number of piston rings are aligned.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a piston ring reverse alignment detecting device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the piston ring reverse alignment detecting device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a calculation performed by the calculation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piston ring 2 Contact surface 3 Taper surface 4 Piston ring stack 5 Guide jig 6 Guide groove 7 Groove slope 8 Side hole 9 Light emitting part 10 Light receiving part 11 Light emitting / light receiving member 12 Optical fiber 13 Photoelectric converter 14 Count counter 15 a reset switch 16 operation unit 17 display t _l reference intensity following the reflected light detection start time t _h reference intensity than the reflected light of the detection start time T _L reference intensity following the detection duration of the reflected light T _H reference intensity over Standard value of K _TH / T _L

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A piston ring for detecting the presence of a ring whose upper and lower surfaces are arranged in a reverse direction in a stack in which a large number of piston rings having different reflectivities on an outer peripheral surface in at least both end regions in an axial direction are arranged. In the reverse alignment detection device, a light receiving unit that can relatively move along the axial direction of the stack and receives reflected light on the outer peripheral surface of the ring, and a photoelectric conversion unit that converts an optical signal received by the light receiving unit into an electric signal, A piston ring reverse alignment detecting device, comprising: a counter unit that counts a specific signal from an output signal of a photoelectric conversion unit; and a display unit that displays a count number counted by the counter unit. 2. A piston ring for detecting the presence of a ring whose upper and lower surfaces are arranged in a reverse direction in a stack in which a plurality of piston rings whose reflectivities on the outer peripheral surface are different at least at both end regions in the axial direction are arranged. In the reverse alignment detection device, a light receiving unit that can relatively move along the axial direction of the stack and receives reflected light on the outer peripheral surface of the ring, and a photoelectric conversion unit that converts an optical signal received by the light receiving unit into an electric signal, Calculation means for calculating the position or position and the total number of piston rings whose upper and lower surfaces are arranged in reverse directions from the output signal of the photoelectric conversion unit, and the position or position and the total number of the piston rings of the reverse alignment calculated by the calculation means And a display unit for displaying the position of the piston ring. 3. The piston ring reverse alignment detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving portion is fixed to a jig provided with a guide groove capable of housing the stack and moving the stack in the axial direction. .