JPH02128137A - Characteristic tester for switch operating force - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a higher speed of measuring a operating force characteristic by subtracting an output of a load sensor for measuring vibration from an output of a load sensor for measuring an operating force. CONSTITUTION:In this apparatus, a slide mechanism section 22 is mounted on a measuring base section 21 and a driving force generating source 23 thereon. A working section 22 is connected direct to the generating source 23 to operate a detection mechanism section 24 actually and the mechanism 24 is moved vertically along a slide surface of the working section 22. The mechanism section 24 is equipped with a load sensor for measuring operating forces, a load sensor 34 for measuring vibration, a stroke sensor 35 for measuring operating forces and a stroke sensor 36 for measuring vibration. Then, a signal of the totalization of vibration components and signals of the vibrations alone are detected both for operating forces and strokes. Then, the latter signals are subtracted from the former signal to obtain a operating force vs stroke characteristic containing none of the vibration components. Thus, the removal of the vibration components enables a higher testing speed significantly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" This invention relates to speeding up a switch operation force characteristic testing device.

"Prior art J" One of the important characteristics of a switch is the operating force characteristic. The operating force characteristic indicates the relationship between the distance the finger moves and the load applied to the finger when operating the switch. Generally, the operating part has spring properties.Therefore, when pressed, a force that returns to the original position is generated as a reaction force.The operating force characteristic is a graph of the movement distance of the operating part and the reaction force of the spring.
For example, it will look like Figure 6A. This operating force characteristic is an important element for humans to confirm whether or not a switch operation has actually been performed. This is what is commonly said.

The on/off of the contact, which is the original function of the switch, can be expressed by the stroke and contact resistance characteristics, as shown in FIG. 6B. Therefore, since the relationship between load and resistance when the stroke is the same value can be determined, it is possible to correlate the operating force characteristics with the on/off state of the switch.

This operation force characteristic is measured by a load sensor and a stroke sensor. Alternatively, instead of a stroke sensor, you can count the operating pulses of a stepping motor that moves the mechanism up and down, and use a value multiplied by the travel distance per pulse, or count the output pulses of the servo motor's rotational position and calculate the number of pulses. It may also be used by multiplying the distance traveled by the hit. However, the measurement speed was slow and it took a long time to complete the measurement. The reason for this is that when speeding up, a vibration component as shown in FIG. 7 is superimposed on the operating force, making accurate measurement impossible. That is, when increasing the speed, a large force is suddenly applied to the moving parts during operation, causing the casing to bend. Furthermore, if there is even a slight lack of smoothness or play in the movement of Structure 1, the force will not be applied evenly and vibration will occur.

In addition, it is easily affected by external vibrations, so it is necessary to reduce play and have a strong structure.

However, there is a limit to how much vibration can be removed, especially high-frequency vibrations tend to occur.In order to remove the vibration components of the detected signal, a low-pass filter is used, but the low-pass filter has a delay. It takes time and has transient response characteristics, which impedes speeding up. Recording on a pen recorder is also one of the reasons for slowing down the measurement speed.

FIG. 5 shows a generally known conventional switch operation force characteristic testing device. The switch to be measured is mounted on the test stand l. Press the start switch on the operation box 2 to rotate the servo motor 3, move the ball screw 4,
A load sensor mounting portion 6 to which the load sensor 5 is mounted is moved up and down to measure the load applied to the operating portion of the switch. The output of the load sensor 5 is amplified by an amplifier built into the pen recorder 7. The vibration component of the amplified signal is removed by a low-pass filter within the amplifier. Further, a rotary encoder 8 is attached to the servo motor 3 to obtain a rotational position signal of the servo motor 3, and the encoder pulses are counted.
This is multiplied by the distance traveled per pulse to obtain the stroke. The operating force characteristics are then recorded on a pen recorder using a signal indicating the load and a signal indicating the stroke. The measuring device base 9 needs to have a solid structure so that vibrations caused by the vertical movement of the load sensor mounting part and external vibrations are not transmitted during measurement.

The contact resistance characteristics shown in FIG. 6B are measured using a separate resistance measuring device using the stroke as a parameter.

"Problems to be Solved by the Invention" As described above, in the conventional measurement method, as the speed increases, vibrations are more likely to occur and the sensor detects this, which may reduce measurement accuracy. In addition, it was necessary for the inspector to judge the quality by recording the operating force characteristics on a pen recorder. Vibrations during operation and external vibrations are transmitted to the load sensor, and a low-pass filter with a slow response speed was used in the recorder's amplifier to remove the vibrations. For these reasons, the conventional method has the drawback of extremely low work efficiency in measuring operating force characteristics and determining pass/fail.

Furthermore, it is necessary to measure the contact resistance of the switch with a different measuring device, separately from the operating force characteristics, and to plot it again using the stroke as an intermediary in order to clarify the correspondence with the operating force characteristics, which is inconvenient.

The present invention eliminates these conventional drawbacks, and provides a switch operation force testing device that speeds up the measurement of operation force characteristics, enables simultaneous measurement of contact resistance characteristics, and automates and speeds up judgment of pass/fail. The purpose is to

[Means for solving the problem] A flat base, a test stand installed on the measurement base and on which the switch under test is placed, and a slide mechanism built on the measurement base. a detection mechanism section that is moved in the vertical direction along the mechanism section; a load sensor for vibration measurement attached to the detection mechanism section; and an operation section that is attached to the detection mechanism section so as to face the test stand. A load sensor for force measurement, a stroke sensor for vibration measurement and a stroke sensor for measuring operating force installed on the detection mechanism, a driving force generation source installed on the measurement base, and driven by the driving force generation source. an operating section that moves the detection mechanism up and down, a control section that controls the operation of the driving force generation source, and means for subtracting the output of the vibration measuring load sensor from the output of the operating force measuring load sensor. , means for subtracting the output of the vibration measuring stroke sensor from the output of the operating force measuring stroke sensor are provided in the switch operating force characteristic testing device of the present invention.

A memory for storing a reference value of the operating force characteristics of the switch under test, a means for comparing the reference value with the measured value, and a means for determining whether the switch under test passes or fails based on the comparison result. It is desirable to have it in the test equipment.

Further, the switch operating force characteristic testing apparatus may be provided with means for measuring the stroke versus contact resistance value at the same time as measuring the stroke versus operating force of the switch under test.

Preferably, the detection mechanism section has a rectangular cylindrical body with a square cross section arranged parallel to the measurement base section, and the vibration measurement load sensor is attached to the lower surface of the upper plate of the rectangular tube. , the load sensor for measuring the operating force is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate of the rectangular cylinder.

[Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, the test device is roughly divided into a mechanical section 11 and an electronic device section 12. A slide mechanism section 22 is installed on the measurement base section 21, and a driving force generation source 23,
For example, a motor is attached.

The driving force generation source (motor) 23 actually includes a detection mechanism section 2.
An operating unit 25, such as a cam, for moving the 4 is directly connected. The detection mechanism section 24 is moved up and down along the sliding surface of the slide mechanism section 22. When the vertical movement does not occur, the detection mechanism section 2
4 is located at the top of the slide mechanism section 22, and the angle 26
It is lifted up by a spring 27 suspended below and is in contact with the operating part (cam) 25. The slide mechanism 22 also has a mechanism operation monitor sensor 30 on one side of its front surface.
31 is attached, and monitors the operating position of the detection mechanism section 24 depending on whether or not the blade 32 for operation monitoring attached to the side surface of the detection mechanism section 24 comes into contact with it.

A load sensor 33 for measuring operating force, a load sensor 34 for measuring vibration, a stroke sensor 35 for measuring operating force, and a stroke sensor 36 for measuring vibration are attached to the detection mechanism section 24. Operating force measuring probes 37 are attached to the tips of the load sensors 33 and 34, respectively. This probe 37 has a structure that does not apply a large force to the load sensors 33 and 34 more than necessary. As shown in FIG. 2, a spring 37b is fitted inside the case 37a of the probe 37, and when a force greater than the spring force is applied to the probe tip 37c, the probe tip 37c is retracted.

The detection mechanism section 24 has a rectangular tube body 24a with an opening-shaped cross section from the front side.
is formed protruding parallel to the plate surface of the measurement base portion 21. That is, the square cylinder body 24a is composed of a top plate 24b, a bottom plate 24c, and left and right side plates 24d.

The operating force measuring load sensor 33 is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 24c, and the vibration measuring load sensor 34 is attached to the lower surface of the upper plate 24b. This structure allows the two load sensors 33 and 34 to sense the effects of vibration with approximately the same phase and magnitude. Further, when the square cylinder body 24a is projected forward and the switch is pressed, sufficient space is provided below.

If the load sensors 33 and 34 are arranged horizontally in parallel on the bottom surface of the square cylinder 24a, if a twist occurs in the way the vibrations are transmitted, there will be a difference in the magnitude and phase of the vibrations detected by the two load sensors. coming out. Since the motion of movement is up and down, 2
When two sensors are installed one above the other, it is relatively easy to align the vibration phase and magnitude.

Furthermore, since the sensor is mounted on the top and bottom plates of the hollow structure, even if the top plate 24b and the bottom plate 24c are twisted on the front, back, left, and right sides of the plate surface, and there is a difference in phase and magnitude, the vibration will be transmitted to the two side plates. 24d, and the vibrations that are ultimately transmitted to the two load sensors tend to have the same phase and magnitude.

The stroke sensor 35 for measuring operating force and the stroke sensor 36 for vibration measurement are installed side by side on the side surface of the detection mechanism section 24, and measure distance by reflecting light. Reflection plates 38 and 39 that reflect light emitted from the stroke sensors 35 and 36 are attached to the slide mechanism section 22 and the detection mechanism section 24, respectively.

The resistance measurement probe 40 is attached to the measurement base 21 and is capable of contacting the terminal of the switch 41 under test.

When the probe 37 of the operating force measurement load sensor 33 of the detection mechanism section 24 presses the operating section of the switch to be measured 41, a change in the resistance between the terminals, that is, the resistance between the contacts occurs,
The change is measured.

Note that the switch under test 41 is held on the test stand 42 so as not to move during measurement.

The electronic device section 12 controls the mechanical section 11 and also makes pass/fail judgments on the measured data. Signal cables are led out from behind the electronic device section 12 to control the operation of each sensor and transmit data. It is connected to, for example, the slide mechanism section of the mechanical section l,1.

A display section 51 and a control key box 52 are provided on the front surface for performing operations and displaying data and pass/fail results.

2. Operation of the track test device will be explained with reference to the block diagram in FIG. 3 and the operation flowchart in FIG. 4.

(Step 101) When the power switch of the device is turned on, the standard input in advance is displayed on the display section 51 of the electronic device section 12, and the position of the detection mechanism section 24 is detected by the mechanism section operation monitor sensor 30.31. and display it. Also, as the next operation, a display is displayed to accept or accept command instructions for inputting standard values or measuring.

(Step 102) Select standard value input mode or measurement mode from the control key box 52.

(Step 103) If standard value input is selected, the load and resistance standard values and tolerances with respect to the change in switch stroke are input. There are three input methods: a key-in method, a teaching method, and an external communication method. The key-in method is a method in which standard numerical values are input from the control key box 52. The teaching method is to actually measure the operating characteristics and resistance change characteristics of non-defective samples and use these characteristics as reference data. The external communication method transfers standard values (reference values and tolerances) stored in an external device (for example, a personal computer) to the electronic device section 12 via the external communication device 53 .

Furthermore, by using the external communication device 53, the input standard values can be transferred to another device.

(Step 104) When starting measurement, operate the control key box 52 to set the measurement mode. When the measurement mode is entered, the CPU 77 controls the mechanism operation motor sensor 3.
0.31 to confirm the position of the detection mechanism section 24. If it is not in the initial position (top dead center), this breast is displayed, and the operation data is transferred to the operation force movement control interface 5 so that it will be in the initial position by operating the control key box 52.
4 to the operating force operation control device 55. Driving force is generated based on this data/! The operating unit 25 moves the motion detection mechanism unit 24 to the initial position with the operating force of 23. Once the initial position has been confirmed, the storage area of the memory 56 is cleared.

When a command to start measurement is input from the control key box 52, operation data is sent to the operating force operation control device 55. This data includes information such as the detected motion speed and motion position. For example, it is information that the motion speed is constant or returns without going to the bottom dead center position. These are previously incorporated into the memory 56 by software. Then, the driving force generation source 23 is operated. As a result, the operating section 25 actually moves up and down along the detection mechanism section 24 and the slide mechanism section 22.

(Step 105) When the detection mechanism section 24 is lowered, the mechanism section operation monitoring sensor 31 detects the operating position monitoring blade and samples the operating force data and resistance data of the switch to be measured 41. Therefore, adjustment must be made in advance so that the operating force measuring load sensor 33 does not come into contact with the switch before the position monitoring blade 32 reaches the position of the mechanism operation monitoring sensor 31.

(Step 106) The detection mechanism section 24 is further lowered, and the measurement probe 37 of the operating force measurement load sensor 33 presses the switch to be measured 41, and an operating force is generated. This operating force characteristic is detected by the operating force measuring load sensor 33 and the operating force measuring stroke sensor 35. Since this detected data contains vibration components, it is necessary to remove those vibration components. Therefore, a load sensor 34 for vibration measurement and a stroke sensor 3 for vibration measurement detect only the vibration component.
6 is required.

The load signals detected by the load sensors 33 and 34 are amplified by amplifiers 60 and 61, respectively. The output of the amplifier 61 is subjected to phase correction through the phase correction circuit 62, and the phase and magnitude of the vibration component detected by the vibration measurement load sensor 34 are converted into the phase and magnitude of the vibration component detected by the operating force measurement load sensor 33. Adjust it to If the amplification degree of the amplifier 61 and the phase correction value of the phase correction circuit 62 are determined, the vibration generated at that time is the same for both load sensors 33 and 34 when the measurement operation is performed without setting the switch under test. It's like this. That is, the output amplified by the amplifier 60 of the load sensor 33 for measuring operating force is set constant, and then the amplification and phase correction values are changed for the output of the load sensor 34 for vibration measurement, and the output of the amplifier 60 is set constant. This is done so that the output, phase, and magnitude are the same. Therefore, by subtracting with the adder/subtractor 63, the vibration component detected by the operating force measuring load sensor is removed. This signal is stored in memory 56 through A/D converter 64.

After the outputs of the stroke sensors 35 and 36 are counted by counters 70 and 71, they are subtracted by an adder/subtractor 72 to remove vibration components. This data is stored in memory 56 via digital sensor input interface 73.

A constant voltage or current is applied from the voltage/current source 74 to the contact resistance through the resistance measurement probe 40, and the resulting contact current or terminal voltage is input to the amplifier 75, whose amplified output is sent to the A/D converter 76. It is given to the CPU 77 via the CPU 77. The CPU 77 calculates a contact resistance value from the input signal and stores the value in the memory 56. memory 56
The load and resistance data stored in is sampled as appropriate along with the stroke.

In addition, sampling of the stroke, load, and resistance is performed for both the pushing operation and restoring operation of the operating section of the switch 41 as necessary.

(Step 107) The detection mechanism section 24 moves back and the position monitoring blade 32 moves to the mechanism section operation monitoring sensor 31.
Sampling ends when the position is passed.

(Step 10B) The CPU 77 compares the stored measurement data with the reference value data input in advance,
If the difference is within the allowable value, it is determined to be good, and otherwise it is determined to be defective.

(Steps 109 and 110) The CPU 77 causes the display unit 51 to display the pass/fail results.

(Step 111) The CPU 77 determines whether the initial setting conditions specify that the test results are to be output to the outside.

(Step 112) If external output is required, the CPU 77 outputs the pass/fail determination result and test data via the external communication device 53. During this time, the detection mechanism section 24 is moving to be located at the top dead center.

(Step 113) If you use the control key box 52 to perform continuous measurements, you can return to the initial measurement settings.
Also, end the measurement once the individual or required number of times is completed,
Stop the operation.

We have described the above operations, but depending on the state of the vibration, adding a load sensor and stroke sensor for vibration measurement will allow for more efficient detection and better removal of vibration components.

The load sensor mentioned here is a load cell.

The load cell has a bridge configuration of a metal strain gauge and a semiconductor strain gauge. When force is applied to the detection part, strain occurs and becomes the output of the load cell.

The stroke sensor is an optical displacement sensor. The stroke is determined by looking at the size of the spot where the light from the stroke sensor appears on the reflector, and the distance is determined by the amount of reflected light.

For even more advanced models, laser length measurement may be considered. There is also a method of producing strokes by operating a spindle and counting the number of slits. In any case, it is sufficient as long as the stroke can be measured at high speed.

In the explanation so far, the driving force generation source 23 and the operating part 25 are a motor and a cam, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this case, and each may be a servo motor and a pole screw, or an air and a cylinder. However, other combinations are also possible.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, in this invention, a load sensor for measuring operating force, a load sensor for measuring vibration, a stroke sensor for measuring operating force, and a stroke sensor for measuring vibration are attached to the detection mechanism section, and the operating force and stroke are By detecting a signal in which the vibration components are summed and a signal containing only the vibration components for both, and subtracting the latter signal from the former signal, it is possible to obtain the operating force versus stroke characteristic that does not include the vibration component. Since the vibration component can be removed without using a low-pass filter,
It is possible to significantly improve testing speed compared to conventional methods.

In addition, the CPU automatically compares the reference value and the measured value of the switch operating force characteristic to determine pass/fail, thereby further speeding up the operating force test.

Additionally, at the same time as measuring the switch stroke vs. operating force, the stroke vs. resistance value between the contacts is measured, and the quality of the switch can be determined based on both of these characteristics. Compared to the conventional method of measuring using a separate test device, the measurement time can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
The principle front view of the operating force measuring probe 37 shown in Fig. 3.
1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A and 6B are diagrams each showing an example of the operating force characteristics and contact resistance characteristics with respect to the stroke of the switch, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing only the vibration component on the operating force characteristic of the switch with respect to the stroke.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A flat measurement base, a test stand installed on the measurement base and on which the switch under test is placed, a slide mechanism built on the measurement base, and a slide mechanism on the measurement base. a detection mechanism section that is moved vertically along the same; a load sensor for vibration measurement attached to the detection mechanism section; and a load for measuring operating force attached to the detection mechanism section so as to face the test table. a sensor, a stroke sensor for vibration measurement and a stroke sensor for measuring operating force attached to the detection mechanism section, a driving force generation source attached to the measurement base section, and a device driven by the driving force generation source to detect the detection mechanism. an operating section that moves the mechanical section up and down; a control section that controls the operation of the driving force generation source; a means for subtracting the output of the vibration measuring load sensor from the output of the operating force measuring load sensor; and the operating force. and means for subtracting the output of the vibration measuring stroke sensor from the output of the measuring stroke sensor. (2) A claim comprising a memory that stores a reference value of the operating force characteristics of the switch under test, a means for comparing the reference value with the measured value, and a means for determining whether the switch under test passes or fails based on the comparison result. The switch operation force characteristic testing device according to item (1). (3) The switch operating force characteristic testing device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means for measuring the stroke versus contact resistance value at the same time as measuring the stroke versus operating force of the switch under test. (4) The detection mechanism section has a rectangular cylinder with a square cross section arranged parallel to the measurement base, and the vibration measurement load sensor is attached to the lower surface of the upper plate of the rectangular cylinder. The switch operating force characteristic testing device according to claim 1, wherein the operating force measuring load sensor is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate of the rectangular cylinder.