JPH0219545A - Apparatus for determining acceptance of fluid ejection performance of nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the subject apparatus having high inspection efficiency, estimating the position of the fluid ejection central axis of a nozzle by a specific method using a measured value of pressure transmitted from a pressure sensor and determining the acceptance of the nozzle by comparing the estimated value with prescribed value. CONSTITUTION:The objective apparatus is provided with a pressure sensor PS, a central axis position estimation part 12, a measuring point controlling part 13 and an acceptance-judging part 15. The final measuring axis position is determined as a converged result of the measuring axis position estimated by the central axis position estimation part using the weighting of two measuring points utilizing the measured pressure values. The procedure is repeated to estimate the position (Xc,Yc) of the fluid ejection central axis of a nozzle N. The acceptance judging part judges whether the estimated position (Xc,Yc) of the fluid ejection central axis is within a prescribed range or not and the judged result is displayed on a display DP.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a weft inserting nozzle or sub-nozzle (hereinafter simply referred to as a nozzle) mainly used in a fluid-jet type loom. (This refers to the axis that connects the maximum pressure point in the pressure distribution pattern of the fluid jetted from the nozzle and the center of the nozzle injection hole, hereinafter referred to as the fluid jet center axis) is within a predetermined area. The present invention relates to a nozzle fluid ejection performance pass/fail determination device for determining nozzle fluid ejection performance.

In conventional fluid injection type looms, the weft is conveyed by the fluid ejected from the nozzle to perform the weft insertion operation, so the performance of the nozzle is that when the fluid is supplied at a predetermined pressure, the ejected fluid Not only does the flow velocity of
It is extremely important that the direction of the central axis of the fluid jet is correct.

Therefore, when determining the performance of a nozzle, it is required to accurately measure and determine whether or not the direction of the central axis of fluid ejection is within a predetermined reference area. , the following are known. That is, in a virtual plane facing the nozzle, two orthogonal coordinate axes are defined, measurement points are taken at equal pitches on each coordinate axis, and the pressure distribution curve for the coordinate axis is determined from the pressure measurement values at each measurement point. . Next, the coordinate position of the fluid ejection center axis penetrating the virtual plane (hereinafter simply referred to as
It is assumed that the direction of the fluid ejection center axis can be found from this estimation.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that when using such prior art, it is necessary to have an extremely large number of measurement points for pressure measurement, so the problem of poor inspection efficiency cannot be avoided. This is because, in order to improve the accuracy of determining the direction of the injection center axis, it is essential to make the pitch of the measurement points for each coordinate axis finer, so the number of measurement points must necessarily be increased. For example, in order to determine the direction of the central axis of fluid jet with an accuracy of ±0.5° in a sub-nozzle of an air jet loom, approximately 40 measurement points are required for each coordinate axis at a pitch of 0.1 mm. It is something to do.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to set two measurement points at a predetermined distance on both sides of the measurement axis position, instead of setting measurement points at equal pitches on the coordinate axis, and to calculate the pressure measurement values at these two measurement points. The measurement axis position for the next measurement is determined by dividing the total separation distance, the measurement axis position is quickly converged to the final measurement axis position, and this is used to estimate the nozzle fluid ejection center axis position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pass/fail determination device for the fluid ejection performance of a nozzle, which can significantly improve the overall inspection efficiency by employing methods such as the following.

Another object of the present invention is that for pass/fail determination, it is not necessary to accurately specify the position of the nozzle's fluid ejection center axis; it is sufficient to confirm that it is within a predetermined area. Furthermore, the objective is to improve inspection efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the object, the present invention has a configuration that includes a pressure sensor that detects injection pressure at an arbitrary measurement point in a virtual plane facing a nozzle, and a pressure measurement value from the pressure sensor. A center axis position estimating section that estimates the position of the nozzle's fluid ejection center axis using The gist thereof is to include a measurement point control section that controls the position, and a pass/fail determination section that compares the fluid ejection center axis position from the center axis position estimation section with a specified value.

Note that the measurement point control unit may also measure the injection pressure at the central axis position of the fluid injection, and the pass/fail determination unit may also compare the measured pressure value with a specified value.

Here, the center axis position estimating section is configured to insert designed fluid ejection center axis positions on both sides of the measurement axis position on the first measurement axis passing through the measurement axis position determined in the virtual plane. Two measurement points with a predetermined distance apart are determined, and the next measurement axis position is calculated by proportionally dividing the total separation distance based on the pressure measurement values at these measurement points. The calculation is repeated a predetermined number of times to determine the final measurement axis position on the first measurement axis, or the pressure measurement values at a plurality of measurement points are applied to a predetermined regression curve on the first measurement axis. Determine the final measurement axis position for one measurement axis, or determine the pressure distribution on both sides of the designed fluid injection center axis position from the pressure measurement values at each of multiple measurement points on both sides of the designed fluid injection center axis position. Determine the slope straight line of the curve, define the intersection point as the final measurement axis position for the first measurement axis, pass through the final measurement axis position determined by one of the procedures above, and then use the same procedure to set the final measurement axis position for the first measurement axis. The final measurement axis position in the second measurement axis of the direction is determined, and the final value of the final measurement axis position when the same procedure is repeated a predetermined number of times is estimated as the fluid ejection center axis position of the nozzle. In these procedures, it is possible to determine whether or not the nozzle is suitable depending on whether or not the fluid ejection central axis position converges within a specified range within a predetermined number of times. In addition, the center axis position estimating unit takes a plurality of measurement points in a virtual plane so as to form an arbitrary polygon surrounding the designed central axis of fluid ejection, and calculates the pressure measurement value at each measurement point. The final measurement axis position on each side is determined, and the centroid position of the polygon formed by the perpendicular lines passing through this is estimated as the fluid ejection center axis position. Pass/fail can be determined based on whether or not it is within the range.

Furthermore, a measurement point selection section is provided in place of the center axis position estimating section, and the pass/fail judgment section is located near the boundary line of the allowable fluctuation range of the fluid ejection center axis of the nozzle centered on the designed fluid ejection center axis position. In this case, the pressure measurement values at a plurality of measurement points determined by the measurement point selection section may be compared with the specified value.

Accordingly, when using this configuration, the measurement point control section positions and controls the relative position of the nozzle and the pressure sensor so that the injection pressure at a predetermined measurement point can be measured, and the pressure sensor The nozzle injection pressure is measured at the point, and the central axis position estimator outputs the required pressure measurement value.
The center axis position estimating section estimates the fluid ejection center axis position of the nozzle using one of the procedures described above, and the pass/fail determining section estimates whether the fluid ejection center axis position estimated in this way falls within a specified range within a predetermined number of times. It is possible to determine whether the nozzle is acceptable or not depending on whether the nozzle has converged to or not. In addition, the center axis position estimating unit uses a polygon in the virtual plane to directly calculate the center of fluid ejection using the center of gravity position of the polygon formed by perpendicular lines passing through the final measurement axis position on each side of the polygon. The axis position can also be estimated, and the pass/fail determination section at this time can make a pass/fail determination based on whether or not the fluid ejection center axis position estimated in this way is within a predetermined range.

In addition, the measurement point selection unit replacing the central axis position estimating unit determines the measurement point near the boundary line of the allowable variation area of the fluid jet central axis of the nozzle centered on the designed fluid jet central axis position,
If the pass/fail determination section compares the pressure measurement values at these measurement points with the specified values, the pass/fail determination can be made more easily.

It works as described above.

Example Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The pass/fail judgment device for the fluid ejection performance of the nozzle includes the device main body 10.
In addition, it is equipped with a pressure sensor PS and two servo motors MX and MY for driving and positioning the nozzle N (
Figure 1).

The nozzle N is a test object to be tested to see whether the direction of its central axis Na of fluid ejection is within a specified range, and is connected to a fluid source R at a predetermined pressure via an on-off valve V. . However, depending on the type of nozzle N, the fluid source R uses a liquid such as water or air.

/Zuru N is mounted on a positioning device N1 (not shown), and is movable in the X-axis direction and the X-axis direction of orthogonal coordinates included in a plane P1 perpendicular to the paper surface. That is, the servo motors MX and MY are capable of driving and positioning the nozzle N in the X-axis direction and the X-axis direction, respectively.

A predetermined pressure sensor PS is selected depending on the type of injection fluid. In other words, in the case of air (1, Pitot tube PS
1 may be used.

The pitot tube Psi is a hollow thin tube with an inclination angle that almost coincides with the prescribed direction of the fluid injection central axis Na, and its tip is
It is open to the nozzle N and can guide the pressure of the fluid ejected from the nozzle N to the pressure sensor PS. Furthermore, in the case of a liquid such as water, the injection pressure can be measured by directly applying the injection fluid to any type of pressure-electric conversion element without using the Pitot tube Psi.

The pressure sensor PS is fixed, but when the nozzle N is driven by the servo motor MX SMY and moves within the plane Pl, the pressure sensor PS moves to the virtual plane P2 that faces the nozzle N and is parallel to the plane P1. It is possible to detect the injection pressure pn at any measurement point within the range.

The device main body 10 includes a pressure reading section 11, a central axis position estimation section 2, a measurement point control section 13, a valve control section 14, and a pass/fail determination section 15.

The output signal PSa from the pressure sensor PS is transmitted to the pressure reading section 1.
1 as the pressure measurement value p, the central axis position estimator 1
2 is entered. The coordinates XY of the measurement point output from the central axis position estimating section 12 are input to the measurement point control section 13 and output from the device main body 10 as drive signals 13a for the servo motors MX and MY. Measurement point control section 1
3, a timing signal 13b indicating the timing tv for opening and closing the on-off valve V is output to the valve control unit 14,
The valve control unit 14 sends a drive signal 1 to the on-off valve ■.
4a is output. Furthermore, the measurement point control section 13 outputs to the pressure reading section 11 a timing signal 13c indicating the reading timing tp of the output signal PSa from the pressure sensor PS.

The pass/fail determination section 15 can input the fluid ejection center axis position (XcSYc) of the nozzle N estimated by the center axis position estimation section 12 and compare it with the specified value.

The output from the pass/fail determining unit 15 is output as data in an appropriate format to the data display unit DP so that it can be displayed or printed out, and is also output to the robot device RB. That is, the data display section DP is an appropriate display device or printer device, and the robot device RB removes the nozzle N of the test flow from the positioning device N1 and sorts it based on the judgment results of the pass/fail judgment sections 1 and 5. , the nozzle N to be inspected next is mounted on the positioning device Nl.

The operation of the nozzle fluid ejection performance pass/fail determination device having such a configuration is as follows.

Now, it is assumed that the pressure reading section 11 can read the output signal PSa from the pressure sensor PS in response to the timing signal 13c from the measurement point control section 13, and the central axis position estimation section 12 can read the output signal PSa from the pressure sensor PS in response to the timing signal 13c from the measurement point control section 13. Using the coordinates X, Y of the measurement point stored in the , and the pressure measurement value p from the pressure reading section 11, a predetermined data processing operation is executed, and the coordinates XY of the next measurement point are determined. Then, the measurement point control section] 3 is outputted.

The measurement point control unit 13 outputs a timing signal 13b to the valve control unit 14, and via the valve control unit 14,
The on-off valve (■) is controlled to open and close at a predetermined timing (■). The measurement point control unit 13 further includes a servo motor MX.
, MY, the coordinates XY from the central axis position estimation unit 12
Therefore, the servo motors MX and MY can position the nozzle N at a position corresponding to the coordinates XY via the positioning device N1. Measurement point control section 1
3 waits for the completion of this positioning operation and opens the on-off valve V via the valve control section 14, while outputting a timing signal 13c to the pressure reading section 11, so that the pressure reading section 11 responds to this. Then, the injection pressure pn at the new measurement point having the coordinates XY can be measured, and the pressure measurement value p can be output to the central axis position estimating section 12. Thereafter, by repeating the same operation, pressure measurement values p at a plurality of predetermined measurement points can be obtained. Note that here, the pressure reading section 11 reads the injection pressure horn pn over a predetermined plurality of times in response to one timing signal 13c, and outputs the average value as the pressure measurement value p. do.

The calculation contents in the central axis position estimating section 12 and the judgment contents in the pass/fail determining section 15 are defined by the flowchart in FIG.

First, set the variable YC to Yc = Yo (program step (1) in Figure 2, hereinafter simply written as (1)), and fix the Y-axis value of the coordinates XY to Y-Yc = Yo. In the X-axis direction, the final measurement axis position Xc in the first measurement axis 5LYo is determined (2). However, here,
The constant YO is an isobar pattern PN around the designed fluid ejection central axis Nb (Xb, Yb) where Y=YO passes through and the first measurement axis 5LYo parallel to the Y axis penetrates the virtual plane P2.
(Fig. 4).

Regarding the X-axis direction, the details of the practice for determining the final measurement axis position Xc in the first measurement axis 5LYo are as shown in FIG. That is, first, index i=Q
(program step (31) in the figure, hereinafter simply written as (31)), the first measurement axis Sl, Yo
Define the first two measurement points xiL xi2 above (32)
. However, here, xil=Xi −ai 5Xi2=
Xi +ai (1=Q), and the variable Xo is the constant Y
Similar to o, X=X.

, and a straight line LXo parallel to the Y-axis is arbitrarily determined so as to pass near the designed central axis Nb of fluid ejection (FIG. 4). Also, the constant aO passes through X=xil, X=xi2 for the variable Xo determined in this way,
Straight lines LXI and LX2 parallel to the Y-axis are arbitrarily determined so as to sandwich the designed central axis Nb of fluid ejection from both sides and intersect the isobars pattern PN.

In this way, when the two measurement points xil and xi2 are determined,
This is located on the first measurement axis 5LYo, and the designed fluid ejection center axis position x on the measurement axis
b, and a predetermined distance a from the position of the straight line LXo (hereinafter referred to as the measurement axis position) Xo.
They are separated by oSao. Therefore, the central axis position estimation section 12 uses the measurement point control section 13, the valve control section 1-4, and the pressure reading section 11 to calculate the injection pressure pn for each measurement point xil and xi2 according to the above-mentioned procedure. Measure and store the results as pressure measurements pif, pi2 (
32).

Next, the program uses the pressure measurement values pi1 and pi2 to determine the next measurement axis position Xi+4 (33)
. That is, assuming that p iK: p i2 (Figure 5), first, using a predetermined small constant △p, set a constant 1 pi so that △p = pil - pio.
Determine o. Next, the next measurement axis position Xi+1 can be determined using the following equation.

Xi+1 = ai (pi2-pit)/(p if+
p i2-2 p io) +Xi, that is, the next measurement axis position Xi+1 is calculated by calculating the total distance 2ai of the separation distance ai based on the result of subtracting a certain amount pio from the pressure measurement values pil and pi2 at the two measurement points xil and xi2. In other words, the shaded areas S1 and S2 in FIG. 5 are made equal. Note that the constant ff1pio is the pressure measurement value pif,
Since the pressure measurements pi1 and pi2 are subtracted from pi2, the result is that the ratio between them is substantially expanded compared to when pressure measurements pi1 and pi2 are used as is, and therefore the pressure measurement pi
The difference between t and pi2 can be expanded and reflected in the next measurement axis position Xi+1.

Hereinafter, if the same procedure is repeated with index i=i+1 ((34) to 37)), the measurement axis position Xi will be
The coordinate value gradually approaches and converges to the coordinate value corresponding to the peak value pm of the injection pressure distribution curve pYo on the first measurement axis 5LYo, that is, the final measurement axis position Xc on the first measurement axis 5LYo. However, the next separation distance at is set as ai = ai/bi (bi > 1), and
Let's narrow it down (37). Therefore, the pressure measurement value p
When the difference between i1 and pi2 becomes smaller than the predetermined limit value pO (34) or the predetermined number of repetitions i max has been performed (36), the final measurement axis in the first measurement axis 5LYo It is possible to determine the position flXc (38).

In this way, in the X-axis direction, the first measurement axis 5L
Once the final measurement axis position Xc at Yo is determined (2)
, Continuing, the straight line in the Y-axis direction passing through X=Xc is set as the second measurement axis 5LXo, and the final measurement axis position Yc on the second measurement axis 5LXo is determined by the exact same procedure (3
). However, the detailed procedure at this time can also be done by using the program shown in Figure 3.
xi2 is read as yil, yi2, and Xi,
Xi+1, XC shall be read as Yi5Yi+1, YC.

The first and second measurement axes 5LYo, 5 obtained in this way
Final measurement axis position Xc at LXo.

Check whether Yc is within a predetermined range (4
), and if the condition is not satisfied after a given number of iterations (
5), the nozzle N is determined to be rejected 6), and otherwise determined to be acceptable (7).

In other words, when the above procedure is repeated a predetermined number of times, the first
, second measurement axis 5LYjSSLXj (j=0-1.2・
This is because it is known that the final value of each final measurement axis position Xc s Yc at the positions Xc s Yc can be estimated as the fluid ejection center axis position (Xc, Yc) of the nozzle N.

Here, if we compare FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the central axis position estimating unit 12 in the former is different from step (1) or 3) in the latter.
Correspondingly, the former pass/fail determination unit 15 performs the latter step (
It is clear that this corresponds to 4) to 7).

Note that in step (37) in FIG. 3, ai =H
Setting i/bi (bi > 1) means that the separation distance at is narrowed each time the measurement axis position Xi is calculated. However, since the purpose of this is simply to increase the convergence speed of iterative calculations, it goes without saying that bi=1 may be used here.

In step (33) of FIG. 3, when dividing the total separation distance ai of 2ai, the pressure measurement values pit, pit
The reason for subtracting a certain amount pio from 2 is to better reflect the difference between the pressure measurement values pif and pi2 in the next measurement axis position Xill, and to increase the speed of convergence to the final measurement axis position Xc. be.

Therefore, the constant amount pio is determined so that when subtracted from the smaller of the pressure measurement values pil and pi2, a predetermined constant △p remains. In this case, the constant △p is the pressure measurement value It is preferable to set it to about a fraction of the maximum value pm of p. If the constant △p is too small, the amplitude of the measurement axis position Xi for each repeated calculation will become excessive, and on the contrary,
This is because the convergence speed becomes slow.

In step (32) of FIG. 3, two measurement points xil,
xi2 is determined so as to sandwich the designed fluid ejection central axis position xb. On the other hand, in step (37) in the same figure, the constant bi (bi > 1) for determining the distance ai = ai/bi between the next measurement points means that the next measurement point will always be at the designed center of fluid injection. It should be optimally selected for each repeated calculation so that the axis position xb is sandwiched between the two, and the separation distance ai is as small as possible.

Now, the fact that the constant bi has been made too large and the next measurement point no longer intersects the designed fluid injection central axis position xb can be obtained as a result of the repeated calculations in steps (32) to 37). Detection is performed when one or both of the numerical sequences consisting of pressure measurement values pil, pil..., pi2, pi2... corresponding to each measurement point include one in which the current data decreases compared to the previous one. I can do it. In other words, while maintaining the normal state, the constant bi
As long as the pressure measurement values pit, pil..., pi2, pi2... in this repeated calculation are selected,
are each a series of numbers that increases in a --like manner, so if a decrease in data is found within this series, the constant bi should be decreased and the series of steps should be re-executed.

When applying the above practices to the sub-nozzle of an air jet loom, the required number of times im in Figure 3
It is known that determination with necessary and sufficient accuracy is possible when ax=3 and the required number of times of step (4) in FIG. 2 is about 2. Therefore, the total number of measurement points required at this time is much smaller than in the conventional method.

When the pass/fail judgment for the nozzle N is made as described above, the pass/fail judgment section 15 displays the result on the data display section DP.
It can be displayed and output. The results are also output to the robot device RB, which then sorts the nozzles N into good or defective products.
Just attach the next nozzle N and repeat the same procedure.

In the above description, the pass/fail determining unit 15 determines the fluid ejection center axis position (X
The injection pressure pn at c; Yc) may also be compared with its specified value. That is, when the fluid injection center axis position (Xc, Yc) is estimated by the above-mentioned procedure, the injection pressure pn at the fluid injection center axis position (XcSYC) is measured using the measurement point control unit 13. , the pressure measurement value p may be sent to the pass/fail determination section 15. The pass/fail determination unit 15 determines the fluid ejection center axis position (Xc,
In addition to whether or not Yc) has converged within the specified range by repeated calculations within a predetermined number of times, the injection pressure pn at that position
Since it can be confirmed that is greater than the specified value,
- It is possible to make accurate pass/fail judgments.

Furthermore, the timing for discontinuing the iterative calculation in step (4) in Figure 2 is determined not only when the number of iterative calculations reaches a predetermined number, but also when the results of the current calculation and the previous calculation are compared. Needless to say, sufficient convergence may be detected. It goes without saying that this method can also be applied to step (36) in FIG.

Other Embodiments In steps (2) and (3) in FIG. 2, the above procedure is repeated independently in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to set the first and second measurement axes 5LYj, 5LXj. (j
=0.1.2 ・) ji: Final measurement axis position Xc at
SYc was calculated, but instead of this, step (
In 33), after finding the next measuring axis position Xill for the first measuring axis 5LYj, immediately find the next measuring axis position Yill on the second measuring axis 5LXj passing through this measuring axis position Xi+1, Thereafter, in the same way, the measurement axis position Xi is alternately set in the different coordinate axes X and Y directions.
, Yi and the measurement of the injection pressure pn can be repeated. Since the overall convergence speed becomes faster, even if the isobars pattern PN is an ellipse tilted with respect to the It is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously determining that the product is a good product.

Furthermore, the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction in steps (2) and (3) in FIG. 2 do not necessarily need to be fixed when steps (2) and (3) are repeated. That is, the coordinates XY initially determined when calculating steps 2) and (3) may be determined in different directions each time during the second and subsequent calculations.

First and second measurement axes 5 in central axis position estimating unit] 2
Final measurement axis position Xc, Yc at LYj, 5LXj
For the determination practice, a regression curve may be used instead of the one in FIG. 3 (FIG. 6). First, regarding the first coordinate axis direction (in the figure, the X-axis direction), the first measurement axis 5
A plurality of measurement points x1, x2, . These data (xi, pi) are
When applied to the regression curve prepared in advance, the peak value pm of the pressure distribution curve pYo for the first measurement axis 5LYo is determined, so the point corresponding to this peak value pm is determined as the final measurement axis position Xc on the first measurement axis 5LYo. And it is sufficient. Here, the shape of the regression curve to be used shall be determined in advance from measurement data for a large number of nozzles N.

In this way, in the X-axis direction, the first measurement axis 5L
Once the final measurement axis position Xc at Yo is determined, similarly, in the Y-axis direction, a second measurement axis 5LXo passing through the final measurement axis position Xc at the first measurement axis 5LYo is determined, and the final measurement axis position Xc at Yo is determined. The measurement axis position Yc is determined (step (3) in FIG. 2), and pass/fail determination can be made in accordance with the procedure shown in the same figure.

In addition, in this embodiment, data (xis
It goes without saying that the shape of the regression curve may be determined using, for example, the method of least squares, etc.

Furthermore, the designed fluid ejection center axis position xb is sandwiched on the first measuring axis 5LYo, and on both sides thereof,
A pressure distribution curve pY about the first measurement axis 5LYo is obtained by taking a plurality of measurement points X1, X2...
Regarding o, find the slope straight lines L12 and L34 on both sides of the designed fluid injection center axis position xb, and find the position of their intersection C,
The final measurement axis position Xc on the first measurement axis 5LYo is defined as the final measurement axis position Xc, and hereinafter, the final measurement axis position Yc on the second measurement axis 5LXo is determined by the above procedure for different school closure axis directions passing through the final measurement axis position Xc, The final measurement axis positions Xc and Yc of the first and second measurement axes 5LYj and 5LXj can also be determined by repeating a similar procedure a predetermined number of times.

In addition, in each example using FIGS. 6 and 7,
First and second measurement axes 5LYj, 5LXj (j-〇, 1.
2...) does not need to be fixed in the direction of the coordinate axes of the initially determined coordinates XY during repeated calculations.

Isobar pattern PN of nozzle N in virtual plane P2
When it is known that is close to a perfect circle, each side LM, M
An arbitrary triangle LMN is defined in the virtual plane P2 so that N and NL cross the isobars pattern PN and surround the designed central axis Nb of fluid ejection (FIG. 8),
With each vertex LSMSN of this triangle LMN as a measurement point,
For each side LMSMN and NL, follow steps (2) and (3) in FIG.
Final measurement axis position LMc sMNc , NLc at L
can be found. These final measurement axis positions LMc
, MNc 5NLc and perpendicular lines CLM, CMN erected on each side LMSMN, NL.

Find the center of gravity position of triangle abc formed by CNL, and use this as the fluid ejection center axis position (Xc, Yc) of this nozzle N.
The pass/fail determination unit 15 estimates that it is within a predetermined range β.
Pass/fail determination may be made depending on whether the value is within the range.

Since there is no need to repeat steps (2) to 5) in FIG. 2, the calculation can be completed efficiently.

Note that the center of gravity of triangle abc is determined by the coordinates of each vertex a, b, and c (Xck, Yck) (k=aSbSc),
For example, it can be determined as Xc-ΣXck/3 and Yc-ΣYck/3.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the triangle LMN in this embodiment can be expanded to any polygon.

A measurement point selection section 16 is provided in place of the center axis position estimating section 12 (FIG. 9), and the measurement point selection section 16 selects the designed fluid injection center as the specified position of the fluid injection center axis Na in the virtual plane P2. Taking the axis Nb, a plurality of measurement points x1, X2, etc. are determined in advance in the vicinity thereof (10th
), the pressure measurement value pi (i=
1.2...) can be input to the pass/fail determination section 15. However, in FIG. 9, the reading completion timing t of the pressure measurement value pi at the measurement point xi by the pressure reading unit 11 is
In order to immediately move the nozzle N to the next measurement point x i+1 after
is output to the measurement point selection section 16.

When the pressure measurement value pi at each measurement point xi is larger than each specified value at each measurement point, this nozzle N is determined to be a good product regardless of the actual position of the fluid ejection central axis Na. Therefore, pass/fail judgment can be easily made for the - layer. In addition, the fluid jet central axis Na
The allowable variation range of the design fluid injection center axis position Nb (
When setting a circular area centered on Xb, Yb) and setting multiple measurement points xi near the boundary line, pass/fail judgment is made based on whether all pressure measurement values pi are larger than a specified value at a certain level. It is also possible to do so.

Furthermore, the purpose of the data processing in the pressure reading unit 11 is to remove noise components included in the output signal PSa of the pressure sensor PS and read the injection pressure Pn with high accuracy, so the data processing is performed multiple times at each measurement point. In addition to simply averaging the reading results, any other processing format may be used. For example, a software-based low-pass filter function may be implemented, and the pressure sensor P
It goes without saying that a hardware low-pass filter may be interposed between S and the pressure reading section 11.

Note that this invention is not only used for simply inspecting the performance of the nozzle N, but also for checking whether the direction of the fluid ejection central axis Na is appropriate when the nozzle N is mounted on a loom. It can also be effectively applied.

As described in detail, the present invention includes a pressure sensor;
A center axis position estimation section, a measurement point control section, and a pass/fail judgment section are provided, and the center axis position estimation section converges the measurement axis position proportionally by "weighting" using pressure measurement values at two measurement points. By obtaining the final measurement axis position as a result and repeating this procedure, it is possible to use procedures such as estimating the nozzle's fluid ejection center axis position. Therefore, the required number of edge measurement points is simply set at equal pitches on the coordinate axis. Compared to the case where measurement points are taken at regular intervals, the number of measurement points required is significantly smaller, which has the excellent effect of greatly improving inspection efficiency.

Further, according to the present invention, the pass/fail determination section does not even have to finally specify the position of the fluid jet center axis of the nozzle (the pass/fail determination unit determines whether the fluid jet center axis position has converged to a specified range by repeated calculations within a predetermined number of times). Since it is possible to accurately determine whether the nozzle is acceptable or not based on whether or not the nozzle is present, there is an effect that it is possible to contribute to improving the -layer inspection efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment, Figure 1 is an overall system diagram, Figures 2 and 3 are program flowcharts of the center axis position estimation section and pass/fail judgment section, and Figures 4 and 5. is an operation explanatory diagram. 6 and 7 are views corresponding to FIG. 5, respectively, showing another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing still another embodiment. FIGS. 9 and 10 show still other embodiments, with FIG. 9 being a system diagram of the main parts equivalent to FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 being a diagram equivalent to FIG. 4. N... Nozzle Na... Fluid ejection center axis Nb... Designed fluid ejection center axis P2... Virtual plane X, Y... Coordinate axis 5LYj... First measurement axis 5LXj... Second measurement axis pn...Injection pressure pSpil, pi2, pi...Pressure measurement value Xi, Xi
+1...Measurement axis position xil, xi2, xi...Measurement point ai...Separation distance pYo...Pressure distribution curve L12, L34...Slope straight line C...Intersection point LM,
MN, NL...Sides CLM, CMNSCNL...Perpendicular line Xc SYc, LMc, MNc, NLc...Final measurement axis position (Xc, Yc)...Fluid injection center axis position (Xb, Yb
) ... Designed fluid injection center axis position PS ... Pressure sensor 11 ... Pressure reading section 12 ... Center axis position estimation section 13 ... Measurement point control section 15 ... Pass/fail judgment section 16
...Measurement point selection section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A pressure sensor that detects the injection pressure at an arbitrary measurement point in a virtual plane facing the nozzle, and a pressure measurement value from the pressure sensor to determine the position of the nozzle's fluid injection center axis. a central axis position estimating unit for estimating, and a measuring point control unit for controlling the relative position of the nozzle and the pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor detects the injection pressure at the measuring point defined by the central axis position estimating unit; A pass/fail determining device for fluid ejection performance of a nozzle, comprising: a pass/fail determining section that compares a fluid ejection center axis position from the center axis position estimating section with a specified value. 2) A pressure sensor that detects the injection pressure at an arbitrary measurement point in a virtual plane facing the nozzle, and a center axis position estimation that uses the pressure measurement value from the pressure sensor to estimate the position of the nozzle's fluid injection center axis. and a measurement point control unit that controls the relative position of the nozzle and the pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor detects the injection pressure at the measurement point defined by the center axis position estimation unit and the fluid injection center axis position. , a pass/fail determination unit that compares the fluid ejection center axis position from the center axis position estimation unit and the pressure measurement value at the fluid ejection center axis position with respective prescribed values; Judgment device. 3) The center axis position estimating unit is configured to sandwich designed fluid ejection center axis positions on both sides of the measurement axis position on a first measurement axis passing through the measurement axis position determined in the virtual plane. determining two measurement points with a predetermined separation distance, measuring the injection pressure at the two measurement points, and calculating the next measurement axis position by proportionally dividing the total separation distance according to the pressure measurement value,
Thereafter, the pressure measurement and measurement axis position calculation are sequentially repeated a predetermined number of times to determine the final measurement axis position on the first measurement axis, and through the same procedure, passing through the final measurement axis position,
The final measurement axis position in the second measurement axis in a different coordinate axis direction is determined, and the final value of the final measurement axis position when the above procedure is repeated a predetermined number of times is estimated as the fluid ejection center axis position, while the pass/fail determination section , the nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the procedure, pass/fail is determined based on whether or not the fluid ejection center axis position converges within a predetermined range within a predetermined number of times in the procedure. Pass/fail judgment device for fluid ejection performance. 4) The center axis position estimating unit defines a plurality of measurement points on the first measurement axis defined in the virtual plane, and applies the pressure measurement value at the measurement point to a predetermined regression curve to calculate the first measurement point. Determine the final measurement axis position on the measurement axis, and use the same procedure to determine the final measurement axis position on a second measurement axis passing through the final measurement axis position and in a different coordinate axis direction,
While estimating the final value of the final measurement axis position when the above procedure is repeated a predetermined number of times as the fluid ejection center axis position, the pass/fail determination section estimates that the fluid ejection center axis position is within a predetermined number of times in the procedure. 3. The pass/fail determination device for the fluid ejection performance of a nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pass/fail determination is made based on whether or not the fluid ejection performance of a nozzle has converged to a specified range. 5) The central axis position estimating unit determines a plurality of measurement points on the first measurement axis defined in the virtual plane so as to sandwich the designed fluid ejection central axis position, and The position of the intersection of the slope straight lines of the pressure distribution curve on both sides of the designed fluid injection central axis position, which is determined from the pressure measurement value at , is set as the final measurement axis position on the first measurement axis, and the Passing through the final measurement axis position, determine the final measurement axis position on the second measurement axis in a different coordinate axis direction, and estimate the final value of the final measurement axis position when the above procedure is repeated a predetermined number of times as the fluid injection center axis position. On the other hand, the pass/fail determination unit determines pass/fail based on whether or not the fluid ejection central axis position has converged within a prescribed range within a predetermined number of times in the procedure. 3. A pass/fail determination device for fluid ejection performance of the nozzle according to item 2. 6) The central axis position estimating unit defines a plurality of measurement points in the virtual plane so as to surround the designed central axis position of the fluid injection, measures the injection pressure at the measurement points, and based on the pressure measurement value, The length of each side of the polygon formed by the measurement points is divided proportionally to determine the final measurement axis position on each side, and the perpendicular line drawn on each side passing through the final measurement axis position forms the polygon. While estimating the center of gravity position as the fluid ejection center axis position, the pass/fail determination section judges pass/fail based on whether the fluid ejection center axis position is within a predetermined range. 1st term or 2nd term
An apparatus for determining whether or not the fluid ejection performance of the nozzle described in 1. 7) A pressure reading unit is interposed between the pressure sensor and the center axis position estimation unit, which repeatedly measures the injection pressure at a predetermined measurement point and outputs the average value of each measurement value as a pressure measurement value. A pass/fail determination device for fluid ejection performance of a nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: 8) A pressure sensor that detects the injection pressure at an arbitrary measurement point in a virtual plane facing the nozzle, a measurement point selection section that specifies the measurement point of the pressure sensor, and injection at the measurement point determined by the measurement point selection section. a measurement point control unit that controls the relative position of the nozzle and the pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor detects pressure; and a permissible variation of the fluid ejection center axis of the nozzle around the designed fluid ejection center axis position. A pass/fail determination device for fluid ejection performance of a nozzle, comprising a pass/fail determination unit that compares pressure measurement values at a plurality of measurement points set near a boundary line of a region with a specified value. 9) A pressure reading unit is interposed between the pressure sensor and the pass/fail determination unit, which repeatedly measures the injection pressure at predetermined measurement points and outputs the average value of each measurement value as a pressure measurement value. An apparatus for determining whether or not the fluid ejection performance of a nozzle is acceptable according to claim 8.