JP7109584B2 - Thickness measuring device and thickness measuring method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thickness measuring device and a thickness measuring method.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 7-12347 (Patent Document 1) discloses an apparatus for conveying a plurality of stacked plate materials as thickness measurement objects one by one from above. In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-12347, the uppermost one of a plurality of laminated plate materials is held from above by a suction device and conveyed. At this time, a magnetic separator is used to prevent a plurality of plate materials from being held. The plurality of plate materials are separated one by one by the magnetic separator. A thickness detection device detects whether the separated plate material is one or more.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-12347

However, according to the plate material conveying apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-12347, there is a problem that when the thickness of the plate material is thin, accurate thickness detection cannot be performed by the non-contact method. Here, the thin plate means that the thickness is approximately 0.1 mm or less. This is due to the effects of warping and waviness of the thin plate material. Here, undulation means that the warpage is within the range of tolerance set for the thickness dimension. When the contact sensor detects the thickness of the plate, only a part of the surface of the plate is in contact with the contact sensor. As a result, scratches and irregularities occur in the plate material. In addition, for this reason, foreign matter is generated in the plate material, or foreign matter is caught in the plate material. Due to the above, the thickness of the plate may not be detected accurately. In addition, due to the above, it may take a long time to detect the thickness of the plate material.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thickness measuring device and a thickness measuring method capable of detecting an accurate thickness in a non-contact manner even when the thickness of a laminated object to be measured is thin.

A thickness measuring device of the present invention includes a holding/conveying mechanism section and a thickness measuring mechanism section. The holding/conveying mechanism includes a holding member made of a rigid material that contacts the object to be measured, an elastic member that contacts the holding member, and a joint member made of a rigid material that contacts the elastic member on the side opposite to the holding member. The thickness measuring mechanism section includes a base member made of a rigid material that faces the holding member and can sandwich the measurement object between itself and the holding member.

In the thickness measuring method of the present invention, the object to be measured is placed on the base member while holding the object to be measured by the holding member. An object to be measured placed on the base member is pressed toward the base member. The thickness of the measurement object pressed onto the base member is measured.

According to the present invention, by pressing the object to be measured against the surface of the base member with the elastic member in contact with the holding member, it is possible to correct warpage and undulation of the plate material. As a result, the accurate thickness of the object to be measured can be detected in a non-contact manner.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a first step of a thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a first step of a thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; 5 is a schematic front view showing a second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a fourth step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing a first step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a first step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a second step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a third step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a first step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a second step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a third step of a thickness measuring method using a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 5; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of a thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 5;

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration of the characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1 will be described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, thickness measuring apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 mainly includes holding/conveying mechanism section 1 and thickness measuring mechanism section 2 . The holding and transporting mechanism unit 1 is a member that holds and transports a thin plate 9 as an object to be measured for thickness. In other words, holding here means, for example, adsorption. Since the thin plate 9 is not a component of the thickness measuring device 100, it is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. That is, the holding/conveying mechanism 1 holds, for example, only one thin plate 9, which is the uppermost layer, separated from a plurality of thin plates 9 stacked in a magazine (not shown) with their positions regulated. The holding/conveying mechanism section 1 conveys the held thin plate 9 to the thickness measuring mechanism section 2 included in the thickness measuring device 100 . When the thin plate 9 is made of metal, the separation of one thin plate 9 is performed by a generally known magnetic separator (not shown) as a separate mechanism from the thickness measuring device 100, for example. However, the thin plate 9 may be made of non-magnetic metal. The thin plate 9 may also be made of plastic. In this case, a generally known mechanism capable of separating only one thin plate from the plurality of laminated thin plates 9 may be used, other than the magnetic separator.

The holding/conveying mechanism section 1 includes a holding member 11 , an elastic member 12 and a joint member 10 . The holding member 11 is a member that contacts the thin plate 9 , that is, holds the thin plate 9 . The holding member 11 of FIG. 2 has a main surface 11a on the upper side in the Z direction and a main surface 11b on the lower side in the Z direction opposite thereto. Main surface 11a and main surface 11b have, for example, a rectangular shape in plan view. Main surface 11a and main surface 11b extend along the XY plane. The distance between main surfaces 11 a and 11 b in the Z direction is the thickness of holding member 11 . However, the shape of the main surfaces 11a and 11b is not limited to this, and may be, for example, circular or elliptical. The holding member 11 is made of a rigid material, such as metal, which has a Young's modulus of about 200 GPa and does not substantially deform even when a force of about 100 N is applied. The main surfaces 11 a and 11 b of the holding member 11 preferably have areas larger than the thin plate 9 . For example, the main surface 11b held by the thin plate 9 of the holding member 11 preferably has a degree of flatness capable of correcting the warp and undulation of the thin plate 9 .

The elastic member 12 is arranged so as to be in contact with the holding member 11 . In FIG. 2, as an example, the elastic member 12 is arranged so as to contact the upper main surface 11a of the holding member 11 . The elastic member 12 is made of an elastic member such as rubber or resin, which has a Young's modulus of about 1 MPa and is deformed by 0.1 mm or more when a force of about 100 N is applied. The elastic member 12 also has a pair of, for example, rectangular main surfaces in a plan view, which are spaced apart from each other. Thus, the elastic member 12 is a rectangular member having a thickness in the Z direction. However, the main surface of the elastic member 12 may be circular or elliptical. The main surface extends along the XY plane. As described above, when viewed from the thin plate 9, the elastic member 12 is arranged directly above the holding member 11 sandwiching the holding member 11, which is a member made of one rigid material.

The joint member 10 contacts the side of the elastic member 12 opposite to the holding member 11 . Specifically, in FIG. 2, the holding member 11 is in contact with the lower side of the elastic member 12 in the Z direction. Therefore, in FIG. 2, the joint member 10 is in contact with the upper side of the elastic member 12 in the Z direction. The joint member 10 is made of a rigid material, such as metal, which has a Young's modulus of about 200 GPa and is substantially not deformed even when a force of about 100 N is applied. The joint member 10 is attached to a robot or a driving machine (not shown) that three-dimensionally drives by combining orthogonal axes. Therefore, the entire holding/conveying mechanism 1 including the joint member 10 can move in the X, Y, and Z directions, and the thin plate 9 can be arranged at any position. As described above, the elastic member 12 is provided between the holding member 11 and the joint member 10 . The joint member 10 is preferably separate from the elastic member 12 . This is because it is preferable that the member has rigidity from the viewpoint of acting as a joint.

2, the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 are arranged in this order from the bottom to the top in the Z direction. However, the order is not limited to this. For example, the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 may be arranged in this order from the upper side to the lower side in the Z direction. The holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 are joined together with an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like. As a result, the holding and transporting mechanism 1 in which the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 are integrated is formed.

A first air passage 13 is formed in the holding member 11 . First air passage 13 is formed to extend inside holding member 11 from main surface 11 b of holding member 11 that holds thin plate 9 . A plurality of first air passages 13 on the main surface 11b may be formed at intervals in the X direction or the Y direction. The main surface 11b is formed with the first air passages 13 as many as necessary for holding and fixing the thin plates 9. As shown in FIG. Also, the plurality of first air passages 13 may be connected together inside the holding member 11 as shown in FIG. The first air passage 13 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like. As a result, the inside of the first air passage 13 can be made to have a lower air pressure than the environment in which the holding member 11 is installed, that is, for example, the atmospheric pressure environment.

A through hole 14 is formed in the holding member 11 of the thickness measuring device 100 . Through hole 14 is formed so as to penetrate holding member 11 from main surface 11a to main surface 11b. A notch may be formed instead of the through hole 14 . The through-hole 14 is formed to pass a laser beam emitted for thickness measurement from the thickness measuring mechanism 2, which will be described later. An arbitrary number of through-holes 14 or notches are formed in the holding member 11 according to the number of locations whose thickness is to be measured. In the thickness measuring device 100, only one through-hole 14 is formed as an example. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is preferable that the holding member 11 is larger than the elastic member 12 and the joint member 10 in plan view. In this case, the holding member 11 overlaps the elastic member 12 and the joint member 10 to form a region protruding from the elastic member 12 and the joint member 10 . A through hole 14 or the like is preferably formed in the region where the holding member 11 protrudes.

It is preferable that the through hole 14 has a so-called elongated shape when the XY plane is viewed from above on the side of the main surface 11a, that is, on the upper side in the Z direction. The through hole 14 preferably has a circular shape on the main surface 11b side, that is, on the lower side in the Z direction, when the XY plane is viewed from above. Here, the elongated hole shape means a shape elongated in one direction so that the dimension in the Y direction is longer than the dimension in the X direction. On the main surface 11a side of the through hole 14, for example, a circular shape having a certain radius extends linearly in the Y direction at the center in the Y direction, thereby forming a planar shape in which the Y dimension is longer than the X dimension. have. On the other hand, the main surface 11b side of the through hole 14 has a circular shape having a radius substantially equal to that of the main surface 11a side, for example. Therefore, the plane area of the through hole 14 is larger on the main surface 11a side than on the main surface 11b side.

By making the through hole 14 larger on the main surface 11 a side than on the main surface 11 b side in this way, laser light, which will be described later, is more likely to enter the through hole 14 . The dimension of through-hole 14 in the longitudinal direction, for example, the Y direction, is determined in consideration of the incident angle and reflection angle of the laser beam. Further, by making the plane area of the through hole 14 smaller on the main surface 11b side than on the main surface 11a side, the warp and undulation of the thin plate 9 can be corrected more locally. As a result, the thickness measuring device 100 can improve the accuracy of measuring the thickness of the thin plate 9 .

The thickness measuring mechanism 2 is a member that measures the thickness of the thin plate 9 in the Z direction in FIG. The thickness measuring mechanism section 2 includes a base member 20 and a laser displacement gauge 21 . Although illustration of the lower side in the Z direction is omitted in FIG. 2, the base member 20 has a main surface 20a on the upper side in the Z direction and also has a main surface on the lower side in the Z direction opposite to this. . Main surface 20a has, for example, a rectangular shape in plan view. However, the shape of main surface 20a is not limited to this, and may be circular or elliptical, for example. The main surface 20a extends along the XY plane. The base member 20 is made of rigid material.

A main surface 20a of the base member 20 is configured to face the holding member 11 right thereabove. That is, the main surface 11b of the holding member 11 can face directly above the main surface 20a. The thin plate 9 held by the holding member 11 can be pressed against the main surface 20a. That is, when thin plate 9 is pressed by holding/conveying mechanism 1 , main surface 20 a can come into contact with thin plate 9 . At this time, the thin plate 9 is arranged between the base member 20 and the holding member 11 and contacts them. In other words, the base member 20 faces the holding member 11 and can sandwich the thin plate 9 between itself and the holding member 11 . It is preferable that the main surface 20a has a degree of flatness capable of correcting the warp and undulation of the thin plate 9 pressed thereon.

In FIG. 2, only one layer of the elastic member 12 is arranged. However, if the main surface 11b of the holding member 11 made of a rigid material and the main surface 20a of the base member 20 made of a rigid material can be arranged substantially parallel, the elastic member 12 can be composed of a plurality of layers. good. That is, the elastic member 12 may have a structure in which a layer made of an elastic material and a layer made of a rigid material are laminated. In this case, at least the bottom layer in contact with the holding member 11 and the top layer in contact with the joint member 10 among the plurality of layers constituting the elastic member 12 are more preferably made of an elastic material.

A second air passage 22 is formed in the base member 20 . Second air passage 22 is formed to extend inside base member 20 from main surface 20 a of base member 20 that holds thin plate 9 . A plurality of second air passages 22 on the main surface 20a may be formed at intervals in the X direction or the Y direction. The main surface 20a is formed with the second air passages 22 as many as necessary to release the bonded state due to the surface tension with the thin plate 9 to which oil or the like is adhered. Also, the plurality of second air passages 22 formed therein may be connected integrally inside the base member 20 as shown in FIG. The second air passage 22 may be connected to a pressure device or the like (not shown). In this case, the inside of the second air passage 22 can be made to have a higher air pressure than the environment in which the base member 20 is installed, ie, the atmospheric pressure environment. However, the second air passage 22 may be connected to a vacuum pump or the like (not shown). In this case, this allows the interior of the second air passage 22 to have a lower air pressure than, for example, the atmospheric pressure environment in which the base member 20 is installed. Such a configuration may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first air passage 13 and the second air passage 22 are preferably formed so as to substantially overlap in plan view, but are not limited to such an aspect. As an example in FIG. 1, the main surface 11b is formed with a total of nine first air passages 13, three each spaced apart from each other in the X direction and the Y direction. A total of nine second air passages 22 are formed on the main surface 20a at positions substantially overlapping the nine first air passages 13 in plan view. For example, a total of nine first air passages 13 are integrated within the holding member 11 . The integrated first air passage 13 partially communicates with the outside of the holding member 11 from, for example, the upper right position in plan view as shown in FIG. Similarly, a total of nine second air passages 22 are integrated within the base member 20, for example. The integrated second air passage 22 partially communicates with the outside of the base member 20 from, for example, the central position of the right end in plan view as shown in FIG.

The laser displacement gauge 21 is a device that can measure the thickness of the thin plate 9 . The laser displacement gauges 21 are installed by the number of through holes 14 or cutouts formed in the holding member 11 . Therefore, in the thickness measuring apparatus 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2, only one laser displacement gauge 21 equal in number to the through holes 14 is installed. The laser displacement gauge 21 is a non-contact device for detecting the thickness of the thin plate 9 . Laser displacement gauge 21 detects, for example, the thickness of thin plate 9 in the Z direction perpendicular to main surface 20 a of base member 20 . When detecting the thickness, the laser displacement gauge 21 sets the position of the main surface 20a in the Z direction to a reference height, ie, 0 mm, for example. Only one laser displacement meter 21 is arranged in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in the thickness measuring device 100, a plurality of laser displacement gauges 21 are installed at intervals in the X and Y directions directly above locations where thickness detection is required. The laser displacement gauge 21 is fixed by a bracket member directly above the location where the thickness is to be detected. In other words, it is preferable that the through-hole 14 is arranged at a position where the thickness of the thin plate 9 is to be detected and the position overlaps in plan view, and the laser displacement gauge 21 is installed right above the through-hole 14 .

As described above, the main surface 11 b of the holding member 11 and the main surface 20 a of the base member 20 are installed so as to have parallelism within the elastic deformation range of the elastic member 12 .

Next, a thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the first step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the first step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 and 4, in the thickness measuring method according to the present embodiment, first, holding and transporting mechanism section 1 having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is prepared. A thin plate 9 separated from a plurality of laminated thin plates 9 is arranged so as to be in contact with the main surface 11b of the holding member 11 included in the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 . In this state, the air pressure in the first air passage 13 in the holding member 11 is made lower than the ambient air pressure by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like. By doing so, the thin plate 9 is held by the holding member 11 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, holding member 11 and thin plate 9 are held by holding member 11, and holding and conveying mechanism portion 1 including holding member 11 is moved onto main surface 20a of base member 20 by a driving machine (not shown). It is preferable that the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 moves to a position where the entire thin plate 9 overlaps the main surface 20a in a plan view. At this point, the thin plate 9 is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the main surface 20a in the Z direction.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Referring to FIG. 6, the driving machine moves the holding/conveying mechanism 1 downward in the Z direction. The thin plate 9 is thereby placed on the main surface 20 a of the base member 20 . That is, the thin plate 9 is placed on the base member 20 while maintaining the thin plate 9 held on the main surface 11 b of the holding member 11 .

After that, the driving machine further applies a force to move the holding/conveying mechanism 1 downward in the Z direction. That is, the driving machine presses the thin plate 9 placed on the base member 20 toward the base member 20, that is, downward in the Z direction. Thereby, the thin plate 9 is sandwiched between the main surface 11b and the main surface 20a so as to be in contact therewith. That is, the thin plate 9 is sandwiched between the holding member 11 and the base member 20 .

In this manner, a pressing force is applied to the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 from the driving machine. By this pressing force, the elastic member 12 is crushed so that the thickness in the Z direction is reduced. As a result, the main surface 11b on which the thin plate 9 of the holding member 11 made of rigid material adjacent to the elastic member 12 is held and the main surface 20a on which the thin plate 9 of the base member 20 is in contact are both along the XY plane, for example. Therefore, the main surface 11b and the main surface 20a are substantially parallel to each other. Therefore, the main surface of thin plate 9 sandwiched between main surface 11b and main surface 20a also extends along the XY plane. As described above, the warp and undulation of the surface of thin plate 9 are corrected so as to be offset at main surface 11b and main surface 20a.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a fourth step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Referring to FIG. 7, thin plate 9 is pressed onto base member 20 as shown in FIG. A distance along the Z direction to is measured. This distance is measured as the thickness of the thin plate 9 . A laser displacement meter 21 is used to measure the thickness.

The process of measuring the thickness of the thin plate 9 is performed as follows. The laser displacement gauge 21 is arranged directly above the through hole 14 of the holding member 11 . The upper main surface 9 a of the thin plate 9 as the first surface in contact with the holding member 11 is irradiated with laser light emitted by the laser displacement gauge 21 . Specifically, in FIG. 7, the laser displacement gauge 21 is arranged so that the irradiated laser beam L passes through the inside of the through hole 14 . A laser beam L is emitted from the laser displacement meter 21 in this state. If the laser light L travels downward in the Z direction, the laser light L travels through the through hole 14 as an optical path. As described above, the laser beam L is passed through the through hole 14 formed in the holding member 11 .

By passing through the through hole 14, the laser light L reaches the upper main surface 9a of the thin plate 9 as the first surface in contact with the holding member 11, and is reflected by the upper main surface 9a. Information on the position of the main surface 9a in the Z direction is obtained from the laser light L reflected by the main surface 9a. Here, as described above, if the position in the Z direction of the main surface 20a as the second surface in contact with the thin plate 9 of the base member 20 on which the thin plate 9 is placed is determined as the reference height, the position of the main surface 9a The obtained positional information in the Z direction is the thickness of the thin plate 9 . When the main surface 20a is not set at the reference height in this way, for example, the Z-direction position of the main surface 20a obtained from the laser beam L reflected by the main surface 20a is measured in a state where the holding member 11 is not arranged. A difference between the measured position of the main surface 20a in the Z direction and the position of the main surface 9a in the Z direction is calculated. The difference between the measured values obtained in this manner is obtained as the thickness of the thin plate 9 .

After the thickness of the thin plate 9 is obtained, the air pressure in the second air passage 22 in the base member 20 is made higher than the surrounding air pressure by a pressure device (not shown) or the like. At this time, the pressure inside the first air passage 13 is continuously reduced by a vacuum pump or the like, and the thin plate 9 is held by the holding member 11 . While maintaining such a state, the holding/conveying mechanism 1 is moved upward in the Z direction by the driving machine. In this way, the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 moves upward in the Z direction while holding the thin plate 9 . This is because the joining state due to the surface tension between the main surface 20a and the thin plate 9 is released by pressurizing the second air passage 22 upward in the Z direction. After that, the thin plate 9 is conveyed to the next process by the driving machine that moves the holding and conveying mechanism section 1 . In addition, the structure of the transport mechanism to the next process combined with the thickness measuring device 100 is arbitrary.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.
In the thickness measuring device 100 of the present embodiment, the holding/conveying mechanism 1 has a configuration in which a holding member 11 made of a rigid material in contact with the thin plate 9, an elastic member 12, and a joint member 10 made of a rigid material are laminated in this order. have. In this manner, the holding member 11 made of a rigid material is sandwiched between the thin plate 9 and the elastic member 12 is arranged directly above the holding member 11 . Further, the thin plate 9 can be sandwiched so as to be in contact with the holding member 11 made of rigid material and the base member 20 made of rigid material. The main surfaces of the holding member 11 and the base member 20 are substantially parallel to each other along the XY plane due to the pressing force in the thickness direction that the elastic member 12 receives. As a result, warpage and undulation of the surface of the thin plate 9 sandwiched between the holding member 11 and the base member 20 are offset and corrected. In such a state, thin plate 9 is sandwiched between holding member 11 and base member 20 . Therefore, the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be accurately measured without being affected by warpage and undulation even by a non-contact method using the laser displacement gauge 21, for example.

In order to do so, the thin plate 9 is placed on the base member 20 while the thin plate 9 is held by the holding member 11 of the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 . The thin plate 9 is pressed against the base member 20 and the thickness of the thin plate 9 is measured. In this way, the holding member 11 and the base member 20 become substantially parallel due to the pressing force in the thickness direction that the elastic member 12 receives as described above, and the warp and undulation of the surface of the thin plate 9 are offset and corrected. . Therefore, the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be accurately measured without being affected by warping and waviness even by a non-contact method using the laser displacement gauge 21, for example.

The thickness measuring mechanism section 2 includes a laser displacement gauge 21 . The thickness of the thin plate 9 is obtained from the difference between the position of the main surface 9a obtained from the laser beam L reflected by the main surface 9a of the thin plate 9 in contact with the holding member 11 and the position of the main surface 20a of the base member 20 . In this way, the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be easily measured without touching the thin plate 9 which is the object to be measured.

In addition, the first air passage 13 and the second air passage 22 are used in the thickness measuring device 100 of the present embodiment. As a result, the thin plate 9 can be easily held and removed. Specifically, the holding member 11 of the thickness measuring device 100 is formed with a first air passage 13 that can have a lower air pressure than the environment in which the holding member 11 is installed. As a result, the thin plate 9 can be retained on the main surface 11b so as to be attracted, for example, by using air pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure of the first air passage 13 extending from the main surface 11b through the inside of the holding member 11 .

The base member 20 of the thickness measuring device 100 may be formed with a second air passage 22 that can have a lower air pressure than the environment in which the base member 20 is installed. Thus, by using the air pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure in the second air passage 22 extending from the main surface 20a through the base member 20, the thin plate 9 can be retained on the main surface 20a, for example, in an adsorbed manner.

However, the base member 20 of the thickness measuring device 100 may be formed with a second air passage 22 capable of having a higher air pressure than the environment in which the base member 20 is installed. In this way, the thin plate 9 held on the main surface 20a can be easily peeled off from the main surface 20a of the base member 20 by applying a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure from the second air passage 22. can. When the rust preventive oil or the like adheres to the thin plate 9, it may become difficult for the thin plate 9 to separate from the main surface 20a due to the surface tension of the rust preventive oil. Even in such a case, the thin plate 9 can be peeled off from the base member 20 by using air pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure from the second air passage 22 .

Note that this embodiment has the following significance. If the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be accurately measured, it can be determined accurately whether or not only one thin plate 9 has been transported from a plurality of laminated thin plates 9 . The thin plates 9 may be conveyed in a state in which a plurality of sheets are joined together even if they should be conveyed one by one due to the adhesion of rust preventive oil or the like. This is because the anti-corrosion oil exerts surface tension between the two thin plates 9, which may make it difficult to separate the two thin plates 9 one by one. If it can be confirmed by measuring the thickness that only one thin plate 9 has been extracted, the thin plate 9 is conveyed to the next step. However, if it is confirmed by thickness measurement that a plurality of thin plates 9 have been removed, the laminate of the thin plates 9 is taken out as a defective product.

The thin plates 9 are managed according to the number of sheets. Therefore, this embodiment is significant in that it can be confirmed whether or not the number of thin plates 9 extracted is one. Thin plates have a large thickness tolerance. This is because if a plurality of laminated thin plates are managed by numerical values of their thicknesses, the actual number of laminated thin plates will not be the same, making it impossible to accurately determine the number of thin plates.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. First, with reference to FIG. 8, the configuration of the characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 2 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 8, thickness measuring apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as thickness measuring apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The thickness measuring device 200 mainly includes a holding/conveying mechanism section 3 and a thickness measuring mechanism section 2 . The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the manner in which each member constituting the holding/conveying mechanism 3 is fixed.

The holding and transporting mechanism section 3 includes a holding member 31 , an elastic member 32 and a joint member 30 . Since these correspond to the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 of the holding/conveying mechanism 1 of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, the description of the common items with the first embodiment will not be repeated. The holding member 31 of rigid material has a main surface 31a on the upper side in the Z direction and a main surface 11b on the lower side in the Z direction. The elastic member 32 is arranged so as to be in contact with the main surface 31a. The joint member 30 made of a rigid material contacts the side of the elastic member 32 opposite to the holding member 31 . A first air passage 13 is formed to extend inside the holding member 31 from the main surface 11 b holding the thin plate 9 . A second air passage 22 is formed so as to extend inside the base member 20 from a main surface 20 a of the base member 20 that contacts the thin plate 9 .

A through hole 34 is formed through the joint member 30 and the elastic member 32 in the holding and transporting mechanism section 3 . The through-hole 34 penetrates the joint member 30 along the Z direction from the upper main surface 30a to the lower main surface 30b of the joint member 30 except for the central flange (the portion that protrudes upward in the drawing). is doing. The through hole 34 penetrates the elastic member 32 along the Z direction from the upper main surface 32a of the elastic member 32 to the lower main surface 32b. Furthermore, the through hole 34 extends in the Z direction from the upper main surface 31 a of the holding member 31 to the inside of the holding member 31 .

In the holding member 31, a recess having the same size as the through hole 34 in plan view is formed along the Z direction from the main surface 31a at a position overlapping the through hole 34 in plan view. A female thread 35 is formed on the inner side surface of the recess. That is, the holding member 31 is formed with a female thread 35 at a position overlapping the through hole 34 in plan view.

In a state in which the joint member 30, the elastic member 32, and the holding member 31 are overlapped, the through hole 34 of the joint member 30, the through hole 34 of the elastic member 32, and the concave portion of the holding member 31 overlap in plan view. . These through holes 34 and recesses thus extend as one through hole 34 in the Z direction from the joint member 30 to the holding member 31 . The holding member 31, the elastic member 32, and the joint member 30 are collectively formed by the male threaded member 36 passing through the through hole 34 and fastened with the female thread 35 to form the holding/conveying mechanism portion 3. As shown in FIG.

In other words, in the thickness measuring device 200, the holding member 31, the elastic member 32, and the joint member 30, which constitute the holding/conveying mechanism 3, are integrated by the male screw member 36 fastened to the female screw 35. . In this respect, the present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in which the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 constituting the holding/conveying mechanism section 1 are joined to each other by an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like.

It is preferable that the male screw member 36 has a male screw processed only in a region to be fastened with the female screw 35, that is, in a region on the tip side. In this way, the friction between the male screw member 36 and the joint member 30 and the elastic member 32 made of rigid material can be reduced, and the generation of foreign matter between them can be suppressed. That is, it is preferable that the length of the male thread in the longitudinal direction of the male screw member 36 and the length of the female thread 35 in the Z direction of the holding member 31 are substantially equal.

Next, a thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing the first step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the second embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the process shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 10 corresponds to the process shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. 9 and 10 that are the same as those in FIGS. 4 and 5 will not be described repeatedly. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, in the thickness measuring method of the present embodiment, first, holding/conveying mechanism 3 configured as shown in FIG. 8 is prepared. Specifically, the holding member 31 , the elastic member 32 and the joint member 30 are integrally fixed by the male screw member 36 . The thin plate 9 is held so as to be in contact with the main surface 11b of the holding member 31, and the holding/conveying mechanism portion 3 is moved onto the main surface 20a.

At the time of FIGS. 9 and 10, the elastic member 32 and the joint member 30 are lowered by their own weight by the length that can be stroked along the length direction of the male screw member 36 . A female screw 35 is processed in the holding member 31 and fastened with a male screw member 36 . On the other hand, the elastic member 32 and the joint member 30 only have through holes 34 and are not provided with female threads. Therefore, the elastic member 32 and the joint member 30 are not fastened with the male screw member 36 . Therefore, the elastic member 32 and the joint member 30 can move freely with respect to the male screw member 36 . As an example, if the stroke amount of the joint member 30 descending by its own weight with respect to the male screw member 36 is small, a gap is generated between the joint member 30 and the elastic member 32 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing the third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the second embodiment. The steps shown in FIG. 11 correspond to the steps shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the first embodiment. 11 that are the same as those in FIGS. 6 and 7 will not be repeated. Referring to FIG. 11, the driving machine moves the holding/conveying mechanism 3 downward in the Z direction. As a result, a reaction force is applied from the base member 20 in contact with the thin plate 9 toward the holding/conveying mechanism 3 side, that is, upward in the Z direction. This reaction force causes the holding member 31 and the elastic member 32 to rise relative to the joint member 30 . Thereafter, a downward pressing force in the Z direction is further applied to the holding/conveying mechanism 3 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Due to this pressing force, the elastic member 32 is crushed so that its thickness in the Z direction is reduced. As a result, main surface 11b and main surface 20a are substantially parallel to each other, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the warp and undulation of the surface of thin plate 9 are corrected so as to be offset at main surface 11b and main surface 20a.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment has the following effects in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the elastic member 32 is integrated by the male screw member 36 so as not to drop out from between the holding member 31 and the joint member 30 . A female screw 35 is formed in the holding member 31 . A male screw member 36 penetrates the inside of a hole formed by combining a through hole 34 passing through the joint member 30 and the elastic member 32 and a female screw 35 . That is, the elastic member 32, the joint member 30 and the holding member 31 are not adhesively fixed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the reduction in adhesive force due to aged deterioration of the adhesive fixing portion between the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10, which is a concern in the holding and transporting mechanism portion 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to omit periodic maintenance work for the adhesive fixing portion.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 12 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. First, with reference to FIG. 12, the configuration of the characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 12, thickness measuring apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment has basically the same configuration as thickness measuring apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The thickness measuring device 300 mainly includes a holding/conveying mechanism section 4 and a thickness measuring mechanism section 5 . Embodiment 3 differs from Embodiment 1 in that the surfaces holding thin plate 9 are inclined.

The holding/conveying mechanism section 4 includes a holding member 41 , an elastic member 12 and a joint member 10 . Since these correspond to the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 of the holding/conveying mechanism 1 of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, the description of the common items with the first embodiment will not be repeated. A rigid material holding member 41 has an upper main surface 11a in the Z direction and a lower main surface 41b in the Z direction. The main surface 41 b functions as a holding member surface capable of holding the thin plate 9 of the holding member 41 . The holding/conveying mechanism 4 can be driven in the vertical direction, that is, in the Z direction. The main surface 41b is inclined with respect to the X direction and the Y direction, which are horizontal directions perpendicular to the drive direction. In FIG. 12, as an example, the main surface 41b is inclined with respect to the XY plane so that the left side in the X direction is arranged below the right side in the Z direction. For example, the main surface 41b held by the thin plate 9 of the holding member 41 preferably has a degree of flatness capable of correcting the warp and undulation of the thin plate 9 .

A first air passage 43 is formed in the holding member 41 so as to extend inside the holding member 41 from the main surface 41b. As an example in FIG. 12, the first air passage 43 extends longer in the Z direction on the left side in the X direction than on the right side in the X direction. This is due to the inclination of the main surface 41b.

The thickness measuring mechanism section 5 includes a base member 50 and a laser displacement gauge 51 . Since these correspond to the base member 20 and the laser displacement gauge 21 of the thickness measuring mechanism 2 of the thickness measuring device 100, the description of the items common to the first embodiment will not be repeated. A rigid material base member 50 has a main surface 50a on the upper side in the Z direction. The main surface 50 a functions as a base member surface that can contact the thin plate 9 of the base member 50 . The main surface 50a is inclined with respect to the X direction and the Y direction, which are horizontal directions perpendicular to the driving direction of the holding/conveying mechanism 4 . In FIG. 12, as an example, the main surface 50a is inclined with respect to the XY plane so that the left side in the X direction is arranged below the right side in the Z direction. The main surface 50a is inclined so that the distance in the Z direction between the main surface 41b and the main surface 50a is substantially constant.

A second air passage 52 is formed in the base member 50 . As an example in FIG. 12, the second air passage 52 extends longer in the Z direction on the right side in the X direction than on the left side in the X direction. This is due to the inclination of the main surface 50a.

The laser displacement gauge 51 is arranged so as to be slightly inclined with respect to the laser displacement gauge 21 . In other words, the laser displacement gauge 51 is tilted at an angle that allows irradiation of the laser beam traveling in the direction perpendicular to the tilted main surfaces 41b and 50a. In this respect, the laser displacement gauge 51 is different from the laser displacement gauge 21 that can irradiate a laser beam traveling in the Z direction, which is the vertical direction. Along with this, a through hole 44 as an optical path of a laser beam formed so as to pass through the holding member 41 from the main surface 11a to the main surface 41b extends in a direction perpendicular to the main surface 41b. That is, the through hole 44 is inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the main surface 11a, that is, the Z direction.

The inclination angles of the main surfaces 41b and 50a with respect to the XY plane are arbitrarily determined depending on the balance of space with a robot or a driving machine combined with the thickness measuring device 300, or the like.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing the first step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic front view showing the second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a schematic front view showing the third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the third embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the process shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 14 corresponds to the process shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. The steps shown in FIG. 15 correspond to the steps shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the first embodiment. 13 to 15 differ from the steps shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 only in that the main surfaces 41b and 50a are inclined as shown in FIG. The steps shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 are the same as the steps shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 except for the points described above and the processing performed. Therefore, the description of the thickness measuring method of this embodiment will not be repeated.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment has the following effects in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, main surface 41b as a holding member surface that holds thin plate 9 and main surface 50a as a base member surface that contacts thin plate 9 so as to sandwich thin plate 9 are inclined with respect to the XY plane. there is As long as the main surface 41b and the main surface 50a are substantially parallel, both may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The main surfaces 41b and 50a correct warpage and undulation of the thin plate 9. As shown in FIG. If the anticorrosion oil accumulates on the main surface 50a, the anticorrosion oil adheres to the thin plate 9, which interferes with the process of lifting the thin plate 9 from the main surface 50a after thickness measurement. Therefore, if main surface 41b and main surface 50a are inclined as in the present embodiment, rust preventive oil applied to thin plate 9 can be prevented from stagnating and accumulating on main surface 50a. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to omit regular maintenance work such as removing the antirust oil on the main surface 50a.

Embodiment 4.
FIG. 16 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4. FIG. First, with reference to FIG. 16, the configuration of the characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 4 will be described.

Referring to FIG. 16, thickness measuring apparatus 400 according to the fourth embodiment is obtained by combining thickness measuring apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment with features of thickness measuring apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the thickness measuring devices 100, 200, 300, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The thickness measuring device 400 mainly has a holding/conveying mechanism section 6 and a thickness measuring mechanism section 5 . The fourth embodiment is different from the third embodiment in that each member constituting the holding/conveying mechanism section 3 is fixed in the same manner as in the second embodiment.

The holding and transporting mechanism section 6 includes a holding member 61 , an elastic member 32 and a joint member 30 . These basically correspond to the same-named components of the above-described embodiments. Therefore, the description of the items common to the first to third embodiments will not be repeated. The rigid material holding member 61 has an upper main surface 31a in the Z direction and a lower main surface 41b in the Z direction. The elastic member 32 is arranged so as to be in contact with the main surface 31a. The joint member 30 made of rigid material contacts the side of the elastic member 32 opposite to the holding member 31 . A first air passage 43 is formed in the holding member 61 . A second air passage 52 is formed in the base member 50 .

In the holding member 61, a recess having the same size as the through hole 34 in plan view is formed along the Z direction from the main surface 31a at a position overlapping the through hole 34 in plan view. A female thread 35 is formed on the inner side surface of the recess. A male screw member 36 is arranged to pass through the through hole 34 and the recess. The holding member 61, the elastic member 32, and the joint member 30 are collectively formed by the male screw member 36 to form the holding/conveying mechanism portion 6. As shown in FIG. In this respect, the present embodiment differs from the third embodiment in which the holding member 41, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10, which constitute the holding/conveying mechanism 4, are joined together by an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like.

12, the main surface 41b of the holding member 61 is inclined with respect to the XY plane. Therefore, the main surface 50a is also inclined with respect to the XY plane as in FIG. As a result, the laser displacement meter 51 is tilted at an angle that allows irradiation of the laser beam traveling in the direction perpendicular to the tilted main surfaces 41b and 50a. Accordingly, the through hole 44 is inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the main surface 31a, that is, the Z direction. In this respect, the present embodiment differs from Embodiments 1 and 2 in which main surfaces 11b and 20a extend along the XY plane.

FIG. 17 is a schematic front view showing the first step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a schematic front view showing the second step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a schematic front view showing the third step of the thickness measuring method using the thickness measuring device according to the fourth embodiment. The steps shown in FIG. 17 correspond to the steps shown in FIGS. 9 and 13 of the second and third embodiments. The steps shown in FIG. 18 correspond to the steps shown in FIGS. 10 and 14 of the second and third embodiments. The steps shown in FIG. 19 correspond to the steps shown in FIGS. 11 and 15 of the second and third embodiments. 17 to 19, thickness measuring device 400 is used to perform the same processing as in the second and third embodiments. Therefore, the description of the thickness measuring method of this embodiment will not be repeated.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain all the effects of the first, second, and third embodiments. In other words, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress aged deterioration of the adhesive fixing portion between the constituent members of the holding and transporting mechanism portion 6, and the rust preventive oil applied to the thin plate 9 stagnates and accumulates on the main surface 50a. can be suppressed.

Embodiment 5.
FIG. 20 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 21 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 5. FIG. The configuration of the characteristic portion of the thickness measuring device according to Embodiment 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG.

20 and 21, thickness measuring apparatus 500 according to the fifth embodiment has basically the same configuration as thickness measuring apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The thickness measuring device 500 mainly includes a holding/conveying mechanism section 7 and a thickness measuring mechanism section 8 . The fifth embodiment differs from the thickness measuring apparatus 100 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. different.

The holding and transporting mechanism section 7 includes a holding member 71 , an elastic member 12 and a joint member 10 . Since these correspond to the holding member 11, the elastic member 12, and the joint member 10 of the holding/conveying mechanism 1 of the thickness measuring apparatus 100, the description of the common items with the first embodiment will not be repeated. The rigid material holding member 71 has an upper major surface 71a in the Z direction and a lower major surface 71b in the Z direction. The main surface 71 b functions as a holding member surface capable of holding the thin plate 9 of the holding member 71 . The holding/conveying mechanism 7 can be driven in the vertical direction, that is, in the Z direction. For example, the main surface 71b held by the thin plate 9 of the holding member 71 preferably has a degree of flatness capable of correcting the warp and undulation of the thin plate 9 .

The holding member 71 is formed with the first air passage 13 similar to that of the first embodiment. 20 and 21, the holding member 71 is formed with a plurality of through holes 14 spaced apart in the X and Y directions. As an example, ten through-holes 14 are formed in total in FIG. 20, but this number is arbitrary.

The thickness measuring mechanism section 8 includes a base member 20 , a laser displacement meter 81 , a Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and an X-direction positioning mechanism 83 . Since base member 20 and laser displacement gauge 81 correspond to base member 20 and laser displacement gauge 21 of thickness measuring mechanism 2 of thickness measuring device 100, description of items common to Embodiment 1 will not be repeated. A second air passage 22 similar to that of the first embodiment is formed in the base member 20 .

Only one laser displacement gauge 81 is installed in the thickness measuring device 500 . The laser displacement gauge 81 is fixed to a Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 as a positioning mechanism and an X-direction positioning mechanism 83 as a positioning mechanism. The Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and the X-direction positioning mechanism 83 have drive sources. The laser displacement meter 81 is fixed to a Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and an X-direction positioning mechanism 83 in a three-dimensional space, ie, an XYZ space. By driving the Y-direction positioning mechanism 82, the laser displacement meter 81 moves in the Y direction, and the position of the laser displacement meter 81 in the Y direction is determined. When the X-direction positioning mechanism 83 is driven, the laser displacement gauge 81 moves in the X-direction and determines the position of the laser displacement gauge 81 in the X-direction. Along with this, the through-holes 14 as optical paths of the laser light formed to penetrate the holding member 71 from the main surface 71a to the main surface 71b are formed in the same number as the locations where thickness measurement is required.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. This embodiment has the following effects in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

In the thickness measuring device 500 of the present embodiment, the laser displacement gauge 81 is fixed to a Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and an X-direction positioning mechanism 83 as positioning mechanisms capable of positioning the laser displacement gauge 81 in a three-dimensional space. there is The Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and the X-direction positioning mechanism 83 can arbitrarily determine the position of the laser displacement gauge 81 on the XY plane.

For example, in the thickness measuring device 100 of Embodiment 1, the laser displacement gauge 21 is fixed directly above the location where the thickness of the thin plate 9 is to be detected by the bracket member as described above. Therefore, in the first embodiment, when there are a plurality of locations where the thickness of the thin plate 9 is to be measured, it is necessary to fix the laser displacement gauges 21 directly above the locations corresponding to the number of locations where the thickness is to be measured. In this way, since it is necessary to install a large number of laser displacement gauges 21, the manufacturing cost of the thickness measuring device 100 rises. In addition, the place where the thickness is measured may be changed in order to change the type of thin plate 9 or the like of the object whose thickness is to be measured by the thickness measuring apparatus 100 . In such a case, an operation of changing the fixed position of the laser displacement gauge 21 in the thickness measuring device 100 is required.

However, according to the thickness measuring device 500 of the present embodiment, only one laser displacement gauge 81 needs to be installed even when there are multiple locations where the thickness of the thin plate 9 is to be measured. A laser displacement gauge 81 is fixed to its positionable Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and X-direction positioning mechanism 83 . By driving the Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and the X-direction positioning mechanism 83, the position of the laser displacement meter 81 can be moved so that it is directly above the place where the thickness of the thin plate 9 is to be measured. Therefore, with a single laser displacement meter 81, the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be measured at a plurality of locations. Therefore, the thickness measuring device 500 can reduce the manufacturing cost compared to the thickness measuring device 100 that requires a large number of laser displacement gauges 21 to be provided.

Further, if the thickness measuring device 500 is used, even if the thickness measurement location is changed in order to change the type of the thin plate 9 of the object to be measured, the operation of changing the fixed position of the laser displacement gauge 81 can be done on the XY plane. It is only necessary to change the fixing position of the laser displacement meter 81 in . Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the work of changing the fixing position of the laser displacement gauge 81 can be simplified.

Next, a modification of the thickness measuring device 500 of this embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the thickness measuring device 500 of the present embodiment may further have a Z-direction positioning mechanism as a positioning mechanism in addition to the Y-direction positioning mechanism 82 and the X-direction positioning mechanism 83 . The Z-direction positioning mechanism has a drive source. The laser displacement gauge 81 in this case is fixed to a Y-direction positioning mechanism 82, an X-direction positioning mechanism 83, and a Z-direction positioning mechanism in a three-dimensional space, ie, an XYZ space. By driving the Z-direction positioning mechanism, the laser displacement gauge 81 moves in the Z direction, and the Z-direction position of the laser displacement gauge 81 is determined.

For example, when main surface 41b and main surface 50a are inclined as in thickness measuring device 300 of the third embodiment, the Z-direction coordinates change according to the positions within main surfaces 41b and 50a. In such cases, the thickness measuring device 500 having a Z-direction positioning mechanism is much more convenient. The thickness measuring device 500 has a Z-direction positioning mechanism, and by making the position of the laser displacement meter 81 changeable in all of the X-, Y-, and Z-directions, any position overlapping the inclined main surfaces 41b and 50a can be measured. This is because the thickness of the thin plate 9 can be measured. Also, if the thickness measuring device 500 has a Z-direction positioning mechanism, the fixed position of the laser displacement gauge 81 can be easily changed, including the Z-coordinate, when the type of the thin plate 9 is changed.

The laser displacement meter 81 of the present embodiment may be three-dimensionally drivable by combining orthogonal axes. However, laser displacement meter 81 of the present embodiment may be three-dimensionally drivable by a robot, for example.

You may apply so that the feature described in each embodiment (each example included in) described above may be suitably combined in the technically consistent range.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all changes within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1, 3, 4, 6, 7 holding and conveying mechanism 2, 5 thickness measuring mechanism 9 thin plate 9a, 9b, 11a, 11b, 20a, 31a, 41b, 50a, 71a, 71b main surface 10, 30 Joint member 11, 31, 41, 61, 71 Holding member 12, 32 Elastic member 13, 43 First air passage 14 Through hole 20, 50 Base member 21, 51, 81 Laser displacement gauge 22 , 52 second air passage 34 through hole 35 female screw 36 male screw member 44 through hole 82 Y-direction positioning mechanism 83 X-direction positioning mechanism 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 thickness measuring device L laser light.

Claims (10)

a holding and transporting mechanism that holds and transports the object to be measured;
and a thickness measuring mechanism for measuring the thickness of the measurement object,
The holding/conveying mechanism includes a holding member made of a rigid material in contact with the object to be measured, an elastic member in contact with the holding member, and a joint member made of a rigid material in contact with the side of the elastic member opposite to the holding member. and
The thickness measuring mechanism includes a base member made of a rigid material that faces the holding member and can hold the measurement object between itself and the holding member,
The holding member has a larger size in plan view than the elastic member and the joint member,
A thickness measuring device, wherein a through-hole is formed through the holding member in a region where the holding member protrudes with respect to the elastic member and the joint member, through which the laser beam passes . 2. The thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein said holding member is formed with a first air passage capable of having a lower air pressure than the environment in which said holding member is installed. 3. The thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the base member is formed with a second air passage that can be made to have a lower air pressure than the environment in which the base member is installed. 3. The thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the base member is formed with a second air passage capable of having a higher air pressure than the environment in which the base member is installed. 5. The thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein said thickness measuring mechanism includes a laser displacement gauge capable of measuring the thickness of said object to be measured. 6. The thickness measuring device according to claim 5, wherein said laser displacement gauge is fixed to a positioning mechanism capable of positioning said laser displacement gauge within a three-dimensional space. a through hole is formed in the holding and transporting mechanism so as to pass through the joint member and the elastic member;
A female screw is formed in the holding member at a position overlapping the through hole in a plan view,
7. The holding member, the elastic member, and the joint member are configured as the holding and conveying mechanism by a male screw member that passes through the through hole and is fastened to the female screw. The thickness measuring device according to item 1. A holding member surface capable of holding the object to be measured of the holding member and a base member surface of the base member capable of contacting the object to be measured are inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the holding/conveying mechanism. The thickness measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the thickness measuring device is A thickness measurement method using the thickness measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
placing the measurement object on the base member while holding the measurement object on the holding member;
a step of pressing the measurement object placed on the base member toward the base member;
and measuring the thickness of the object to be measured pressed onto the base member. The step of measuring the thickness of the measurement object includes:
a step of irradiating a first surface of the object to be measured which is in contact with the holding member with a laser beam;
calculating the difference between the position of the first surface obtained from the laser beam reflected by the first surface and the position of the second surface of the base member on which the object to be measured is placed and which is in contact with the object to be measured; The thickness measurement method according to claim 9, comprising the step of:

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