JP7003346B2 - Ceramic sphere inspection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device for a ceramic sphere used for a bearing, for example, a ceramic sphere made of a material that transmits X-rays such as silicon nitride.

In bearings, in recent years, ceramic spheres have become widespread in place of steel spheres due to their advantages such as high temperature resistance and chemical resistance. Internal defects may occur in the manufacturing process (granulation / firing) of ceramic spheres, but the current method for inspecting internal defects is mainly non-destructive inspection such as X-ray transmission inspection.

Depending on the appearance of internal defects, it may not be possible to detect the defects by X-ray irradiation from one direction. This is because, when internal defects appear in a thin layer, depending on the direction of X-ray irradiation, the layered internal defects appear only in an extremely small area in the X-ray image, making defect detection difficult. Is. However, even in such a case, if the ceramic sphere to be inspected is subjected to X-ray transmission inspection from a plurality of directions, defects are detected in either direction, so that the inspection accuracy can be significantly improved. It will be possible.

Although Patent Document 1 does not perform an X-ray transmission inspection, it supports a ceramic sphere as an inspected object so as to be rotatable at a predetermined position, illuminates the ceramic sphere with light, and detects the reflected light. Therefore, a ceramic sphere inspection device for evaluating the internal state of the surface layer is disclosed. That is, by rotating the ceramic sphere during the inspection, it is possible to inspect the ceramic sphere from a plurality of directions.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-0374224

The ceramic sphere inspection device described in Patent Document 1 supports the ceramic sphere to be inspected so as to be sandwiched between a plurality of support rollers, and the ceramic sphere can rotate by using one of the support rollers as a drive roller. It is said to be a supportive configuration.

However, in the inspection device of Patent Document 1, since the ceramic sphere at the time of inspection is supported by a plurality of support rollers, it is difficult to use the device for X-ray transmission inspection because these support rollers are an obstacle. Therefore, the inspection device of Patent Document 1 irradiates a ceramic sphere with light and executes the inspection based on the reflected light. However, in such an inspection using reflected light, although the internal state of the surface layer can be inspected, the internal state of the entire sphere cannot be inspected, which is insufficient for inspecting the internal defects of the ceramic sphere. ..

Further, even if the inspection device of Patent Document 1 can perform an X-ray transmission inspection, it cannot perform an appropriate inspection unless it is a ceramic sphere having a high sphericity. This is because, in a distorted ceramic sphere having a low sphericity, the ceramic sphere and the plurality of support rollers do not properly contact each other, and the ceramic sphere cannot rotate properly. Therefore, the inspection device of Patent Document 1 can be applied only to a ceramic sphere having a shape close to that of the final product after the polishing process. When the X-ray transmission inspection is performed after the polishing process, there is a problem that unnecessary polishing is performed even for defective ceramic spheres containing internal defects, resulting in a decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a ceramic sphere inspection apparatus having a simple structure and capable of performing non-destructive inspection on ceramic spheres before a polishing process from a plurality of angles. The purpose.

In order to solve the above problems, the ceramic sphere inspection device of the present invention is arranged above the transport unit and a transport unit that transports the ceramic sphere to be inspected along a predetermined transport direction, and is said to be the transport unit. Non-destructive inspection to perform non-destructive inspection on the sphere contact portion that gives rotational displacement to the ceramic sphere being transported by contacting the ceramic sphere conveyed by the unit and the ceramic sphere conveyed by the transport unit. A plurality of non-destructive inspection units are arranged along the transport direction of the transport unit, and the spherical contact portion is arranged between adjacent non-destructive inspection units. It is characterized by being.

According to the above configuration, the ceramic sphere inspection device is provided with a plurality of non-destructive inspection units, and sphere contact portions are arranged between adjacent non-destructive inspection units. Therefore, the ceramic sphere is subjected to a non-destructive inspection by the non-destructive inspection unit of one stage and then subjected to a rotational displacement by the sphere contact portion before being subjected to the non-destructive inspection by the non-destructive inspection unit of the next stage. As a result, the ceramic sphere inspection device can perform non-destructive inspection on the ceramic sphere from a plurality of angles, and can greatly improve the detection accuracy of internal defects.

Further, the sphere contact portion has a simple structure that only contacts the ceramic sphere being conveyed, does not require other driving means, and can realize a ceramic sphere inspection device with a simple structure.

Furthermore, a high sphericity is not required for a ceramic sphere to which a rotational displacement is given by contact with a sphere contact portion. As a result, the non-destructive inspection can be performed on the ceramic sphere before the polishing process, and in this case, it is possible to avoid unnecessary polishing on the defective ceramic sphere containing internal defects. Therefore, it contributes to the improvement of manufacturing efficiency.

Further, the ceramic sphere inspection device uses a mounting tray on which a plurality of the ceramic spheres can be placed as a jig, and the transport unit mounts the plurality of ceramic spheres on the above-mentioned mounting tray. It is possible to transport the tray together with the tray described above in the state.

According to the above configuration, by using the mounting tray as a jig, non-destructive inspection can be easily performed on a large number of ceramic spheres, and the inspection efficiency is improved. Further, by exchanging the mounting tray according to the size of the ceramic sphere, non-destructive inspection can be easily performed on the ceramic sphere of various sizes.

Further, in the ceramic sphere inspection device, the height position of the sphere contact portion can be adjusted, and by adjusting the height position of the sphere contact portion, the distance between the sphere contact portion and the ceramic sphere being conveyed is adjusted. Can be changed.

According to the above configuration, by adjusting the height position of the sphere contact portion according to the size of the ceramic sphere to be inspected, non-destructive inspection can be easily performed on ceramic spheres of various sizes. Further, by finely adjusting the height position of the sphere contact portion, the amount of rotation of the ceramic sphere can also be adjusted.

Further, in the ceramic sphere inspection device, the sphere contact portion is a member that directly contacts the ceramic sphere to be conveyed, and has a leaf spring-shaped contact piece, and the contact piece is conveyed. When the ceramic sphere contacts and passes under the contact piece, it can be configured to be able to escape upward due to the elastic deformation of the leaf spring.

According to the above configuration, when the conveyed ceramic sphere passes under the sphere contact portion, the sphere contact portion escapes upward due to the elastic deformation of the leaf spring, so that the ceramic sphere does not get caught in the sphere contact portion. Good transportability can be obtained.

The ceramic sphere inspection device of the present invention has an effect that non-destructive inspection can be performed on a ceramic sphere from a plurality of angles due to a simple structure, and the detection accuracy of internal defects can be significantly improved. Further, the ceramic sphere inspection apparatus of the present invention can perform non-destructive inspection on the ceramic sphere before the polishing process, and also has an effect of contributing to the improvement of manufacturing efficiency.

It shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view of a ceramic sphere inspection apparatus viewed from diagonally above. It is a perspective view which looked at the ceramic sphere inspection apparatus of FIG. 1 from diagonally below. It is a front view of the ceramic sphere inspection apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the mounting tray used in the ceramic sphere inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) is a plan view of the mounting tray, (b) is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the mounting tray. It is an enlarged perspective view which shows the mounting tray and a sphere contact part during transportation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from diagonally above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 as viewed from diagonally below. FIG. 3 is a front view of the ceramic sphere inspection device 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 roughly includes a transport unit 11, a sphere contact unit 12, an X-ray irradiation unit 13, and an X-ray light receiving unit 14, and these functions thereof. The portions are configured to be held in a predetermined positional relationship by the frame. Further, in the present embodiment, the non-destructive inspection unit described later is composed of the X-ray irradiation unit 13 and the X-ray light receiving unit 14, that is, the case where the X-ray transmission inspection is performed as the non-destructive inspection is exemplified. There is. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and non-destructive inspection (inspection using radiation other than X-ray) other than X-ray transmission inspection may be performed.

The transport unit 11 transports the ceramic sphere B to be inspected along a predetermined transport direction (direction of arrow A) (see FIG. 5). Specifically, the ceramic sphere B is placed on the mounting tray 20, and the transport unit 11 transports the ceramic sphere B together with the mounting tray 20. Specifically, the ceramic sphere B is a ceramic material that transmits radiation (X-rays in the case of X-ray transmission inspection) used for non-destructive inspection (for example, silicon chloride in the case of X-ray transmission inspection). Consists of. That is, the type of radiation used for the non-destructive inspection of the present invention may be determined according to the material of the ceramic sphere to be inspected.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the mounting tray 20, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the mounting tray 20 (a state in which the ceramic sphere B is mounted). As shown in FIG. 4A, the mounting tray 20 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and a plurality of recesses 21 are formed in a matrix on the main surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 4B, the recess 21 is a substantially hemispherical recess in which one main surface (upper surface) is a large opening. Further, a small opening is also formed on the other main surface (lower surface) of the recess 21, and the recess 21 is formed so as to penetrate the mounting tray 20.

In the mounting tray 20, one ceramic sphere B is mounted in each of the recesses 21. Further, the mounting tray 20 is used as a jig for setting the ceramic sphere B in the ceramic sphere inspection device 1, and the mounting tray 20 is also recessed according to the size of the ceramic sphere B to be inspected. The size of 21 is replaced with the appropriate one. That is, the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 can perform non-destructive inspection on ceramic spheres B of various sizes by using a mounting tray 20 suitable for the size of the ceramic sphere B.

The mounting tray 20 is made of a material having a low coefficient of friction so that the mounted ceramic sphere B can easily rotate in the recess 21 while being able to transmit radiation used for non-destructive inspection. The material of such a mounting tray 20 is not particularly limited, but for example, carbon is preferably used.

Further, the transport unit 11 is placed above and below the mounting tray 20 (at least above and below the formation region of the recess 21) so as not to obstruct the transmission of radiation for inspection with respect to the mounting tray 20 described above. It is necessary to transport while opening. Therefore, the transport unit 11 is provided with transport rails (not shown) that support both end portions of the mounting tray 20, and is configured to be able to transport the mounting tray 20 along the transport rails.

Further, the transport unit 11 has a transport pin 111 for applying a transport force to the mounting tray 20. The transport pin 111 is attached to the endless belt 112 at a predetermined pitch, moves in the transport direction A by the rotational drive of the endless belt 112, and pushes the rear end of the mounting tray 20 to transport (the transport pin 111). See FIG. 5). A notch 22 (see FIG. 4A) is formed in the mounting tray 20, and the transport pin 111 is inserted into the space formed by the notch 22 when the mounting tray 20 is conveyed. ing.

The sphere contact portion 12 is arranged above the transport portion 11 and comes into contact with the ceramic sphere B transported by the transport portion 11 to give a rotational displacement to the ceramic sphere B on the mounting tray 20. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the mounting tray 20 and the spherical contact portion 12 during transportation. In FIG. 5, in order to simplify the illustration, the recess 21 is described only in one mounting tray 20, and the recess 21 is omitted in the other mounting trays 20. Further, in FIG. 5, only one ceramic sphere B to be mounted is shown in the mounting tray 20 in which the recess 21 is described, but at the time of actual inspection, all (or almost all) recesses 21 are shown. The ceramic sphere B is placed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sphere contact portion 12 has a contact piece 121 and a support portion 122 that supports the contact piece 121.

The contact piece 121 directly contacts the top of the ceramic sphere B to be conveyed, and a resin material having a high coefficient of friction or the like (for example, silicone resin) so that the ceramic sphere B can rotate in the recess 21 of the mounting tray 20 by this contact. ). The contact piece 121 may be made of a resin having a high coefficient of friction at least on the surface in contact with the ceramic sphere B. For example, the contact piece 121 may be on the surface of a metal leaf spring (the surface on the contact side with the ceramic sphere B). It may have a structure in which resin layers are laminated.

Further, the contact piece 121 has a shape having a function of, for example, a leaf spring, and when the ceramic sphere B to be conveyed passes under the contact piece 121, it can escape upward due to the elastic deformation of the leaf spring. It is preferably configured. As a result, the ceramic sphere B does not get caught in the contact piece 121, and good transportability can be obtained. Specifically, it is possible to avoid problems such as the ceramic sphere B being caught by the contact piece 121 and the transport being stopped, or the ceramic sphere B being disengaged from the mounting tray 20.

It is preferable that the height position of the contact piece 121 is adjusted according to the size of the ceramic sphere B to be inspected. Therefore, the support portion 122 supports the contact piece 121 so that the height of the contact piece 121 can be adjusted. The contact piece 121 is adjusted to a high position when the size of the ceramic sphere B is large, and is adjusted to a low position when the size of the ceramic sphere B is small. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the contact pressure between the contact piece 121 and the ceramic sphere B regardless of the size of the ceramic sphere B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact piece 121 has a convex shape that bulges downward when viewed from the front side of the ceramic sphere inspection device 1, and comes into contact with the ceramic sphere B near the top of the convex surface. It is said to be composed. In this case, the amount of rotation of the ceramic sphere B can also be adjusted by finely adjusting the height position of the contact piece 121. That is, if the height position of the contact piece 121 is increased, the contact area with the contact piece 121 when the ceramic sphere B passes under the contact piece 121 is shortened, and the rotation amount of the ceramic sphere B is also reduced. On the other hand, if the height position of the contact piece 121 is lowered, the contact area between the contact piece 121 and the ceramic sphere B becomes longer, and the amount of rotation of the ceramic sphere B also increases. Such fine adjustment of the height of the contact piece 121 can also be performed by the support portion 122.

The X-ray irradiation unit 13 and the X-ray light receiving unit 14 are combined with one X-ray irradiation unit 13 and one X-ray light receiving unit 14 to form a pair of non-destructive inspection units. A plurality of pairs of non-destructive inspection units are provided along the transport direction A of the transport unit 11. In the present embodiment, the X-ray irradiation unit 13 is arranged below the transport unit 11, and the X-ray light receiving unit 14 is arranged above the transport unit 11, but the arrangement positions are upside down. You may.

In the ceramic sphere inspection device 1, as shown in FIG. 3, one sphere contact portion 12 is arranged between adjacent non-destructive inspection units (X-ray irradiation unit 13 and X-ray light receiving unit 14). That is, when the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 is provided with N pairs of non-destructive inspection portions, (N-1) sphere contact portions 12 are provided. In the present embodiment, the number of the X-ray irradiation unit 13 and the X-ray light receiving unit 14 which are non-destructive inspection units is set to 3 pairs, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this, and 2 pairs or It may be 4 pairs or more.

The ceramic sphere B is subject to non-destructive inspection each time it passes through each non-destructive inspection unit. At this time, in the ceramic sphere B having an internal defect, an image (defect image) of the internal defect is displayed in the inspection image (for example, an X-ray image), so that the ceramic sphere having the internal defect is detected by image analysis. B can be extracted. However, depending on the appearance of internal defects in the ceramic sphere B, the defects may not be found by non-destructive inspection at one place (for example, X-ray irradiation from one direction).

On the other hand, in the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of pairs of non-destructive inspection units are provided, and a sphere contact portion 12 is arranged between adjacent non-destructive inspection units. Therefore, the ceramic sphere B is subjected to a non-destructive inspection at a non-destructive inspection unit in one stage and then subjected to a rotational displacement by the sphere contact portion 12 before being subjected to a non-destructive inspection at the non-destructive inspection unit in the next stage. As a result, the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 can perform non-destructive inspection on the ceramic sphere B from a plurality of angles, and can greatly improve the detection accuracy of internal defects.

Further, the sphere contact portion 12 in the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 has a simple structure that only contacts the ceramic sphere B being conveyed and does not require other driving means or the like, and has a simple structure for the ceramic sphere inspection device 1. Can be realized with.

Further, in the ceramic sphere inspection device 1, high sphericity is not required for the ceramic sphere B to which the rotational displacement is given by the contact with the sphere contact portion 12. As a result, the non-destructive inspection can be performed on the ceramic sphere B before the polishing process, and in this case, useless polishing is performed on the defective ceramic sphere B containing internal defects. Since it can be avoided, it contributes to the improvement of manufacturing efficiency.

Further, the ceramic sphere inspection device 1 can easily perform a non-destructive inspection on a large number of ceramic spheres B by using a mounting tray 20 on which a plurality of ceramic spheres B can be placed as a jig. , Inspection efficiency can be improved.

The embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and are not grounds for limited interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not construed solely by the above-described embodiment, but is defined based on the description of the scope of claims. It also includes all changes within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1 Ceramic sphere inspection device 11 Transport section 12 Sphere contact section 121 Contact piece 122 Support section 13 X-ray irradiation section (non-destructive inspection section)
14 X-ray light receiving part (non-destructive inspection part)
20 Mounting tray 21 Recess B Ceramic sphere

Claims (3)

A transport unit that transports the ceramic sphere to be inspected along a predetermined transport direction,
A sphere contact portion that is arranged above the transport portion and that gives a rotational displacement to the ceramic sphere being transported by contacting the ceramic sphere transported by the transport portion.
It is provided with a non-destructive inspection unit for performing non-destructive inspection on the ceramic sphere conveyed by the transport unit.
A plurality of the non-destructive inspection units are arranged along the transport direction of the transport unit, and the spherical contact portions are arranged between adjacent non-destructive inspection units.
The sphere contact portion is a member that directly contacts the ceramic sphere to be conveyed, and has a leaf spring-shaped contact piece.
The ceramic sphere inspection device is characterized in that the contact piece has a structure capable of escaping upward due to elastic deformation of a leaf spring when the ceramic sphere to be conveyed contacts and passes under the contact piece. The ceramic sphere inspection apparatus according to claim 1.
A mounting tray on which a plurality of the ceramic spheres can be mounted is used as a jig.
The ceramic sphere inspection device is characterized in that the transport unit is configured to transport a plurality of ceramic spheres together with the previously described tray in a state of being placed on the previously described tray. The ceramic sphere inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
The height position of the spherical contact portion can be adjusted, and the height position of the sphere contact portion can be adjusted.
A ceramic sphere inspection apparatus characterized in that the distance between the ceramic sphere during transportation can be changed by adjusting the height position of the sphere contact portion.

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