JPH08122021A - Size measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a portable size measuring instrument by which a size can be measured precisely. CONSTITUTION: Reflected light from a face 20B to be measured is received by a two-dimensional CCD sensor 36, and a digital signal which expresses the track of a luminous spot on the face 20B to be measured is received by an arithmetic unit 40. Then, on the basis of the digital signal, the arithmetic unit 30 operates the size of a gap and a difference in level which have been formed on the face 20B to be measured. In addition, the arithmetic unit 40 judges whether the distance between a casing and an object 20 to be measured is proper or not, it judges whether a part corresponding to the bottom part of the difference in level in a slit image 38 is chipped off or not, and it finds the correct size of the difference in level and that of the gap on the basis of a judgment result. Then, the correct size of the difference in level and that of the gap are displayed on a liquid-crystal display 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a size measuring device, and more particularly, to measure the size of an object to be measured by holding a casing so that the slit light emitted from the object is irradiated. Regarding dimension measuring instruments.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when measuring a dimension of a desired portion of an object to be measured,
Because of its simplicity, it is common to use calipers or the like. The caliper is small and lightweight and has excellent portability, and the size of the desired site can be easily measured by bringing the caliper into contact with the desired site.

However, in the measurement using the above-mentioned calipers, even if the same portion is repeatedly measured for a single object to be measured, the difference in the contact state of the caliper to the object to be measured at that time is different. In many cases, the measured values differ due to errors caused by the illusion of the eyes of the measurer. Further, in the case where the material to be measured is soft, when the caliper or the like is brought into contact with the object to be measured, the object to be measured is deformed, so that accurate measurement is almost impossible.

Further, in relation to the above, a slit-shaped light beam (hereinafter,
(Slit light), the reflected light from the surface to be measured is received by the light detection sensor provided at a predetermined angle with the optical axis of the irradiated slit light, and the reflected light from the light receiving position is detected using the triangulation principle. A shape measuring device for measuring the shape of a measuring surface with two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates has been proposed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-36374, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-138204, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-22508). JP-A-58-5
2508, etc.). However, in the above-mentioned shape measuring apparatus, since it is necessary to place the object to be measured on the measurement reference plane that serves as the reference of the coordinate system in the measurement when performing the measurement, an object that is too large to be placed cannot be placed. The dimensions could not be measured, and the objects to be measured were limited. Further, the above-mentioned shape measuring device is large-scaled and expensive, and the arithmetic processing is complicated.

On the other hand, the surface of the object to be measured is irradiated with slit light, the reflected light of the irradiated slit light is received, and the dimensions of the gaps, steps, etc. of the surface to be measured are measured from the light receiving position using the triangulation principle. There is a size measuring instrument that is smaller than the above-described shape measuring device for measuring However, in order to measure the dimensions of the gaps, steps, etc. on the surface to be measured from the light receiving position using the triangulation principle, the reflected light of the slit light irradiated on the surface to be measured as described above must be measured. The distance between the instrument and the surface to be measured is within a predetermined range, the optical axis of the slit light is approximately perpendicular to the surface to be measured, and the luminous flux surface of the slit light (the surface formed by the luminous flux) is relative to the surface to be measured. It had to be vertical. That is, when the distance between the dimension measuring device and the surface to be measured is not within a predetermined range or when the optical axis of the slit light is not substantially perpendicular to the surface to be measured, as shown in FIG. 5 (A) or FIG. 6 (B). In addition, a part of the slit image formed on the light receiving surface of the signal output means is lost, and accurate dimension measurement cannot be performed. Also,
Even when the luminous flux surface of the slit light is not perpendicular to the surface to be measured, the line segment 38C corresponding to the step in the slit image does not correspond to the step on the surface to be measured as shown in FIG. Can not be.

Therefore, when measuring dimensions such as gaps and steps on the surface to be measured with this dimension measuring device, the columnar pieces are placed on the surface to be measured 92 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, for example. The jig 90 for supporting the casing 11 of the dimension measuring device 10 by the supporting portion 90A of FIG. By using this jig 90, the dimension measuring device 10 makes the luminous flux surface and the optical axis of the emitted slit light 18 perpendicular to the measured surface 92, and further, the distance H between the measured surface 92 and the casing 11 is constant. It was positioned so that

By the way, there are cases in which the size of a local part of a large machine, an automobile, etc. is measured before the product is shipped, etc. In this case, the object to be measured may have a complicated shape, or the surface to be measured may be inclined, so that positioning and adjustment work for measurement may be difficult. Further, in dimension measurement that does not require so much precision, the above-mentioned troublesome positioning and adjustment work may be very complicated. Therefore, there has been a long-felt demand for a portable size measuring instrument that allows a measurer to easily measure the size while holding it by hand.

However, when a portable size measuring instrument is used, it is inevitable that a measuring person who holds the size measuring instrument will be shaken. Therefore, the size measuring instrument is relatively moved with respect to the surface to be measured. It was difficult to position (fix) at a fixed position. For this reason, it has been difficult to perform accurate size measurement with a portable size measuring device.

In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable size measuring instrument which can perform accurate size measurement.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is to emit the slit light, and to receive the reflected light of the slit light and to reflect the slit light. A signal output means for outputting a signal representing the locus of the bright spot on the irradiation object, and is configured by being housed in a casing,
A dimension measuring instrument for measuring the dimension of an object to be measured by holding a casing so that the slit light is irradiated to the object to be measured, which is a bright spot on the object to be measured output from the signal output means. Based on the signal representing the locus, a computing means for computing the dimension of the part of the measured object corresponding to each of the line segments forming the locus of the bright spot, and the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the measured object. And the determination means for determining whether or not the loci of the bright spots are continuous, and the determination means determines that the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the measured object and Output means for outputting the calculation result by the calculation means when it is determined that the loci of points are continuous;
It has.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the calculation result by the calculating means is minimized, the luminous flux surface of the slit light is an object to be measured. It is characterized in that it is judged to be perpendicular to.

Further, in the invention described in claim 3, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, when the judging means judges that the luminous flux surface of the slit light is not perpendicular to the object to be measured. In the case of outputting an instruction to change the direction of the casing so that the luminous flux surface of the slit light becomes perpendicular to the object to be measured, and the judgment means judges that the loci of bright spots are not continuous. <1> further includes an instruction unit that outputs an instruction to change the direction of the casing or the distance of the casing with respect to the object to be measured so that the loci of bright spots are continuous.

Further, in the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 3, the indicating means includes a plurality of lamps respectively representing a changing direction of a casing direction and a changing direction of a distance of the casing with respect to an object to be measured. It is characterized in that an instruction to change the direction of the casing or the distance of the casing to the object to be measured is output by turning on any one of the plurality of lamps.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the casing is held so that the slit light emitted by the emitting means is irradiated to the object to be measured, the signal output means receives the reflected light of the slit light, A signal representing the locus of the bright spot on the DUT that reflects the slit light is output. Then, the calculating means calculates the size of each of the line segments forming the locus of the bright spots based on the signal representing the locus of the bright spots on the measured object output from the signal outputting means.

By the way, as described in the prior art, the reflected light of the slit light radiated to the object to be measured is received, and the gap and step of the object to be measured are accurately detected from the light receiving position using the triangulation principle. In order to measure various dimensions, the distance between the casing and the object to be measured should be within a specified range, and the optical axis of the slit light should be approximately perpendicular to the object to be measured so that it is connected to the light receiving surface of the signal output means. It is necessary to prevent the slit image showing the locus of the imaged bright spots from being lost and further to make the luminous flux surface of the slit light perpendicular to the object to be measured.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the determining means determines whether or not the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the object to be measured and whether or not the loci of bright spots are continuous. You can Further, since the casing accommodating the injection means and the signal output means is held, the distance between the casing and the object to be measured and the direction of the casing (the inclination angle of the optical axis of the slit light with respect to the object to be measured and the luminous flux surface of the slit light are The inclination angle with respect to the object to be measured can be changed.

Therefore, while varying the distance to the object to be measured, the casing is held and finely moved so that the inclination angle of the optical axis of the slit light and the inclination angle of the light beam surface with respect to the object to be measured are changed in the vertical direction. By doing so, it is possible to create a state in which the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the object to be measured and the loci of bright spots are continuous. The calculation result by the calculation means when the judgment means judges that this state is
Since it can be considered as an appropriate calculation result, the output means outputs the calculation result at this time so that the operator who handles the size measuring instrument can obtain the correct size.

Thus, the problem that the dimension measurement cannot be accurately performed due to the hand shake of the operator holding the dimension measurement device, and the dimension measurement of the object to be measured can be performed easily and quickly.

A case where the inclination angle of the light flux surface of the slit light with respect to the object to be measured is changed in the vicinity of the vertical will be described below. First, when the luminous flux surface of the slit light is not perpendicular to the measured object, for example, the luminous flux surface of the slit light 18 irradiated on the measured surface 20B having a gap and a step as shown in FIG. 7A is measured. If it is not perpendicular to the surface 20B, a signal representing the slit image 38C (see FIG. 7B) of the line segment corresponding to the dimension M larger than the step L is output by the signal output means, and the dimension larger than the step L. M is calculated by the calculation means. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the luminous flux surface of the emitted slit light 18 is perpendicular to the measured surface 20B, the slit image 38D of the line segment corresponding to the step L (FIG. 7D). A signal representing the reference) is output by the signal output means, and the step L is obtained by the calculation means. Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (E), beyond the position where the luminous flux surface of the irradiated slit light 18 is perpendicular to the measured surface 20B, the inclination angle of the luminous flux surface to the measured surface 20B is no longer perpendicular. In this case, similarly to the case shown in FIG. 7A, the signal output means outputs a signal representing the slit image 38E (see FIG. 7F) of the line segment corresponding to the dimension N larger than the step L. The size N larger than the step L is calculated by the calculation means. Therefore, when the inclination angle of the luminous flux surface of the slit light with respect to the object to be measured is vertical, the calculation result by the calculation means becomes the minimum. Therefore, the judging means can judge that the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the object to be measured when the calculation result by the calculating means is minimized as in the second aspect of the invention.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the pointing means determines that the luminous flux surface of the slit light is not perpendicular to the object to be measured by the judging means. Outputs an instruction to change the orientation of the casing so that it is vertical. The output of this instruction can be performed by turning on a lamp indicating the changing direction of the direction of the casing as in the invention of claim 4. Therefore, the operator can easily and quickly perform the adjustment work for making the luminous flux surface of the slit light beam perpendicular to the object to be measured according to the instruction from the instruction means.

Further, the pointing means changes the direction of the casing or the distance of the casing to the object to be measured so that the loci of the bright spots are continuous when the locus of the bright spots is judged not to be continuous by the judging means. Output instructions. The output of this instruction can be performed by turning on a lamp indicating the changing direction of the distance of the casing with respect to the object to be measured as in the invention of claim 4. Therefore, the operator can easily and quickly perform the adjustment work for making the locus of the bright spots a continuous locus according to the instruction from the instruction means. As described above, the operator can more easily and quickly measure the size of the object to be measured.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the dimension measuring device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, an example in which the step L and the gap Q of the groove 20A are measured for an object 20 to be measured, which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped in which a groove 20A having a constant depth is formed on the upper surface. Show.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dimension measuring device 10 is provided with a casing 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape,
The surface of the casing 11 opposite to the surface from which the slit light 18 is emitted (hereinafter referred to as a head) (the upper surface in FIG. 1)
The liquid crystal display 12 as an output means for displaying the measurement result of the dimension and the attitude adjustment instructing section 14 for instructing the operator the direction in which the attitude of the casing 11 should be adjusted are provided. The attitude adjustment instructing unit 14 instructs the right lamp 14A to instruct to adjust the attitude of the casing 11 in the right direction (the rotation direction indicated by the arrow J around the rotation axis 1-1 line in the arrow S direction in the casing 11). The central lamp 14B for instructing to maintain the attitude of the casing 11 as it is, the left lamp 14C for instructing to adjust the attitude of the casing 11 to the left, and the attitude of the casing 11 in the front-back direction (arrow T in the casing 11).
The NG lamp 14D for instructing to adjust in any direction of the rotation direction indicated by the arrow K about the rotation axis 2-2 line of the direction or the opposite direction).

On the side surface of the casing 11, there is provided a distance adjustment instruction section 16 for instructing the operator of the direction in which the distance between the casing 11 and the object 20 to be measured should be adjusted. The distance adjustment instructing section 16 instructs the near lamp 16C to instruct the casing 11 to approach the DUT 20,
A center lamp 16B for instructing to keep the distance between the casing 11 and the DUT 20 as it is, and a far lamp 16A for instructing to move the casing 11 away from the DUT 20 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dimension measuring device 10 includes a semiconductor laser 26 as a light source, a collimator lens 28 composed of a spherical lens, and a rod lens 30 for diverging an incident laser beam in a slit shape in one direction. Light source device 24 having a light receiving lens 34 and two-dimensional CC
The light receiving device 32 including the D sensor 36, the arithmetic device 40 connected to the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36, and the dimension measuring device 10
Switch 5 for instructing to start or stop the dimension by
8, a liquid crystal display 12 described above, a posture adjustment instruction section 14, and a distance adjustment instruction section 16, all of which are housed in the casing 11 of FIG. Of the above, the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 is the signal output means of the present invention, the light source device 24 is the ejection means of the present invention, and the posture adjustment instruction unit 14 and the distance adjustment instruction unit 16 are the instruction means of the present invention. Each corresponds.

According to this dimension measuring device 10, the slit light emitted from the rod lens 30 is applied to the measured surface 20B of the measured object 20. At this time, a bright line 22 (a locus of bright points) is generated on the measured surface 20B. The slit light radiated to and reflected by the surface 20B to be measured is received by the light receiving lens 34, and the light receiving surface of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 (image forming area)
Is imaged. Therefore, an image (hereinafter, referred to as a slit image) 38 of the bright line 22 on the measured surface 20B is formed in the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36. Further, the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the position of the slit image 38 and the light intensity to the arithmetic unit 40. The optical axis of the light receiving device 32 is the light source device 2
It is installed at a predetermined angle with the optical axis of 4. Therefore, the position of a point on the bright line 22 (hereinafter referred to as a light spot) is displaced in the optical axis direction of the light source device 24 (direction of arrow R in FIG. 2) according to a step or displacement, so that FIG. As shown in B), the slit image 38 formed in the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 has a portion corresponding to the displaced light spot in a predetermined direction (FIG. 5) according to the displacement amount of the light spot. It appears at a position displaced in (B) Z-axis direction).

The arithmetic unit 40 includes an amplifier circuit (AMP) 42.
The input end of the amplifier circuit 42 is connected to the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36. The amplifier circuit 42 is a two-dimensional CC
The signal output from the D sensor 36 is amplified by a predetermined amplification factor and output. The output end of the amplifier circuit 42 is connected to the input end of an analog-digital converter (hereinafter referred to as A / D converter) 44, and the output end of the A / D converter 44 is the light on the measured surface 20B. It is connected to a microcomputer 46 that calculates the two-dimensional coordinate values of points. The microcomputer 46 includes a CPU 50, a ROM 52 and a RAM 5
4 and an input / output port (hereinafter, referred to as I / O) 48 for inputting / outputting to / from an external device, which are connected by a bus 56 so that data and commands can be exchanged with each other. .

Further, the above-mentioned posture adjustment instructing section 14 includes
The right lamp 14A, the center lamp 14B, the left lamp 14C, and the NG lamp 14D are each provided with a drive circuit 14E for driving the turning on / off of these lamps. The drive circuit 14E is also provided in the I / O 48. It is connected. Further, the distance adjustment instruction unit 16 includes a near lamp 16C,
A drive circuit 16 connected to each of the central lamp 16B and the far lamp 16A to drive turning on / off of each of these lamps.
D is provided, and this drive circuit 16D has an I / O 48
Is also connected to. Further, the switch 58 and the liquid crystal display 12 described above are also connected to the I / O 48.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the measured surface 2
A case of measuring the dimensions of the gap and the step formed in 0B will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the operator holds the casing 11 with its head facing the surface 20B to be measured and the switch 58 of the dimension measuring device 10 is turned on, a laser beam is emitted from the semiconductor laser 26. . The emitted laser beam is collimated by the collimator lens 28, diverged in a slit shape by the rod lens 30, and irradiated as slit light 18 on the surface 20B to be measured. As a result, the bright line 22 appears on the measured surface 20B. The slit light reflected on the surface 20B to be measured is focused by the light-receiving lens 34 onto the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36.
The image is formed as an image (slit image 38) of the bright line 22 that changes according to the unevenness of the measured surface 20B. Then, the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the position of the slit image 38 and the light intensity to the arithmetic unit 40.

The slit image 38 input to the arithmetic unit 40
The detection signal of is amplified by the amplification circuit 42 at a predetermined amplification factor and input to the A / D converter 44. And A /
The D converter 44 samples the signal every predetermined time, converts it into a digital signal, and outputs it to the microcomputer 46.

When the CPU 50 detects that the digital signal is input to the microcomputer 46, the CPU 50 of FIG.
The control routine by the CPU 50 shown in is started.

The flow of this control routine will be described below. In step 100, the step size stored in the RAM 54 is set to a predetermined very large value, and the gap size is set to “0”.
To the initial settings. In the next step 102, the above digital signal, that is, the detection signal corresponding to the position and light intensity of the slit image 38 output by the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 is amplified and analog-to-digital converted.

At the next step 104, as shown in FIG. 8, the positions of the slit images 38 on all the scanning lines on the imaging region 35 (displacement amount in the arrow Z direction) are obtained based on the captured digital signals. After recognizing the slit image 38, the slit image 38 is detected by the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36.
It is determined whether or not there is a deviation in the direction corresponding to the step direction of the surface to be measured in the image forming region 35 (the arrow Z direction in FIGS. 5A to 5C and the opposite direction).

By the way, the casing 11 and the surface 20 to be measured
When B is too close, that is, when the surface 20B to be measured is located in the distance range A shown in FIG. 4, the image forming area 35 of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 is in the arrow Z direction as shown in FIG. 5C. The reflected light is shifted and irradiated, and a slit image 38 representing the locus of the discontinuous bright points shown by the solid line is formed. On the other hand, when the casing 11 and the measured surface 20B are too far, that is, when the measured surface 20B is located in the distance range C shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the reflected light is shifted and irradiated in the direction opposite to the arrow Z in the image forming area 35, and the slit image 38 representing the locus of the discontinuous bright points shown by the solid line is formed.

As a result, the casing 11 and the surface to be measured 2 are
If 0B is too close or too far, step 10
An affirmative decision is made in step 4, and the flow proceeds to step 108, where the slit image 3
It is determined whether or not 8 is displaced in the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 in the arrow Z direction and is chipped. If the casing 11 and the surface to be measured 20B are too close to each other, an affirmative decision is made and step 1
10, the selection signal for lighting the far lamp 16A is transmitted to the drive circuit 16D. The drive circuit 16D that receives this selection signal supplies a predetermined current to the far lamp 16A according to the selection signal to light the far lamp 16A. As a result, the operator recognizes that the distance lamp 16A is turned on and moves the casing 11 away from the surface 20B to be measured.
On the other hand, if the casing 11 and the surface 20B to be measured are too far, a negative determination is made in step 108, and the process proceeds to step 112 to transmit a selection signal for lighting the near lamp 16C to the drive circuit 16D. The drive circuit 16D which receives this selection signal supplies a predetermined current to the near lamp 16C according to the selection signal to light the near lamp 16C. As a result, the operator recognizes that the near lamp 16C is turned on,
The casing 11 is brought close to the measured surface 20B.

As described above, the casing 11 and the measured surface 20B are too close (the measured surface 20B is located in the distance range A in FIG. 4) or too far (the measured surface 20B is in the distance range in FIG. 4). C)), the surface to be measured 20
Casing 11 so that B is located in the distance range B in FIG.
And the surface to be measured 20B are adjusted. Then, the processes after step 102 described above are performed again in the adjusted state. Even if the measured surface 20B is not located in the distance range B in FIG. 4 even after the adjustment as described above, the distance between the casing 11 and the measured surface 20B is adjusted again. By repeating such adjustment, the measured surface 20B with respect to the casing 11 is positioned within the distance range B in FIG.

When the measured surface 20B reaches the distance range B shown in FIG. 4 with respect to the casing 11, a negative determination is made in step 104, and the process proceeds to step 106 and the distance adjustment instruction section 1
A selection signal for turning on the central lamp 16B of No. 6 is transmitted to the drive circuit 16D. The drive circuit 16D which receives this selection signal supplies a predetermined current to the central lamp 16B according to the selection signal to light the central lamp 16B. The operator recognizes that the central lamp 16B is turned on and holds the distance between the casing 11 and the surface 20B to be measured as it is.

As described above, the casing 11 and the surface to be measured 2 are
0B is too close, the far lamp 16A is turned on, when it is too far, the near lamp 16C is turned on, and when it is neither too close nor too far, the central lamp 16B is turned on. Therefore, the operator identifies the turned-on lamp. By adjusting the distance corresponding to the lamp, the distance can be easily adjusted.

In the next step 114, the above step 1
It is determined whether the slit image 38 recognized in 04 lacks a portion corresponding to the bottom of the step.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18 is in the direction opposite to the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured (note that the direction of the arrow T in FIGS. When it is largely inclined in the same direction as the arrow T direction in FIG. 1), a shadowed portion 74 where the slit light 18 is not emitted is generated on a part of the side surface and the bottom surface of the step, as shown in FIG. 6B. In the imaging region 35, the upper side of the portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step is cut off. Further, as shown in FIG. 6E, when the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18 is largely tilted in the direction of the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured, the slit light 18 is not irradiated on a part of the side surface and the bottom surface of the step. Since the shadowed portion 76 is generated, the lower side of the portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step is cut off in the imaging region 35 as shown in FIG. 6 (F).
However, as shown in FIG. 6C, the optical axis 1 of the slit light 18
When 8A is substantially perpendicular to the surface 20B to be measured, since there is no shadow portion where the slit light 18 is not irradiated as described above, the slit image 38 has a missing portion as shown in FIG. 6D. Does not happen.

As a result, the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18
Is too tilted in the direction of the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured, or is tilted in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow T too much, a portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step of the slit image 38 has a chipped portion, and step 114 Affirmative judgment is made in step 11
Go to 6. In step 116, it is determined whether or not the upper side of the portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step in the imaging region 35 is missing. When the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18 is tilted too much in the direction opposite to the arrow T with respect to the measured surface 20B,
An affirmative decision is made and the routine proceeds to step 120, where a selection signal for lighting the right lamp 14A is transmitted to the drive circuit 14E.
The drive circuit 14E receiving this selection signal supplies a predetermined current to the right lamp 14A according to the selection signal, and the right lamp 1A
Turn on 4A. The operator recognizes that the right lamp 14A is turned on, and moves the casing 11 to the right (1 in FIG. 1).
Rotate in the direction of arrow J about line -1). Also,
When the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18 is tilted too much in the direction of the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured, a negative determination is made, and the processing proceeds to step 118, where a selection signal for lighting the left lamp 14C is transmitted to the drive circuit 14E. Upon receiving this selection signal, the drive circuit 14E supplies a predetermined current to the left lamp 14C according to the selection signal to light the left lamp 14C. The operator recognizes that the left lamp 14C is turned on, and rotates the casing 11 in the left direction (the direction opposite to the arrow J centered on the line 1-1 in FIG. 1).

As described above, the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18
Is too inclined in the direction of the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured or is too inclined in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow T, the slit 18 is slit so that the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18 is close to perpendicular to the surface 20B to be measured. Measurement surface 2 of optical axis 18A of light 18
The tilt with respect to 0B is adjusted. Then, the processes after step 102 described above are performed again in the adjusted state. Even after the adjustment, if the slit image 38 lacks the portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step, the adjustment is performed again. By repeating such adjustment, the slit light 18
The optical axis 18A is adjusted so as to be nearly perpendicular to the surface 20B to be measured, and the portion 38A corresponding to the bottom of the step in the slit image 38 becomes a continuous locus without being chipped.

When the slit image 38 becomes a continuous locus,
When a negative determination is made in step 114, the process proceeds to step 122, and a selection signal for lighting the central lamp 14B of the attitude adjustment instruction section 14 is transmitted to the drive circuit 14E. Upon receiving the selection signal, the drive circuit 14E supplies a predetermined current to the central lamp 14B according to the selection signal to light the central lamp 14B. The operator recognizes that the central lamp 14B is turned on, and holds the posture of the casing 11 as it is.

As described above, the optical axis 18A of the slit light 18
Is tilted too much in the direction opposite to the arrow T with respect to the surface 20B to be measured, the right lamp 14A is used and the optical axis 18A is the surface 2 to be measured.
The left lamp 14C is turned on when it is tilted too much in the direction of the arrow T with respect to 0B, and the central lamp 14B is turned on when the optical axis 18A is substantially perpendicular to the surface 20B to be measured and there is no part missing in the slit image 38. Therefore, the operator can easily perform the posture adjustment by identifying the lit lamp and performing the posture adjustment corresponding to the lamp.

Further, in step 122, the slit image 38
Based on the above, the size of the step and the gap (hereinafter referred to as the step / gap dimension) is calculated. The calculation of the step / gap dimension will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the slit image 38 formed in the image forming area 35 of the two-dimensional CCD sensor 36 is
Corresponding to the concave portion formed in the central portion of the measured surface 20B,
Only the central portion along the Y-axis direction is an image displaced in the negative direction of the Z-axis. Further, the amount of displacement of the Z axis in the negative direction is correlated with the size of the step of the recess (proportionately proportional). Further, the length in the Y-axis direction of the portion (the portion corresponding to the bottom of the step) 38A displaced in the negative direction of the Z-axis has a correlation with the size of the gap of the recess (proportionally proportional).

On the other hand, the output signals of the arbitrary scanning lines 37A and 37B corresponding to the Z-axis direction of the image forming area 35 in FIG. 8A are as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C. Two-dimensional C
The CD sensor 36 outputs such a signal to the arithmetic unit 40. The portion where the amplitude of the output signal is large is the slit portion on the scanning line, that is, the position of the slit image.

Therefore, the positions of the slit images 38 on all the scanning lines on the imaging region 35 are calculated by the arithmetic unit 40 based on the input signals, and the positions of the slit images 38 in the negative direction of the Z axis in the slit image 38 are calculated. The correlation between the amount of displacement and the step of the recess, and the length of the slit image 38 displaced in the negative Z-axis direction (the portion corresponding to the bottom of the step) 38A in the Y-axis direction and the gap of the recess Based on the correlation, it is possible to obtain the gap and the step of the measured surface 20B.

At the next step 124, it is determined whether or not the step size calculation result is smaller than the step size stored in the RAM 54.

As described in the operation section, the slit light 18
When the direction in which the slit light 18 is emitted is changed so that the inclination angle of the light flux surface with respect to the measured surface 20B changes,
As shown in FIG. 7C, the dimension corresponding to the step L is obtained as the step dimension only when the slit light 18 is vertically irradiated to the surface 20B to be measured, and the slit light 18 is emitted to the surface 20B to be measured. When the irradiation is not performed vertically, a step size larger than the step L is required. That is, the step size when the minimum value is obtained as the step size corresponds to the step L.

At first, since the step size stored in the RAM 54 is initially set to a predetermined very large value, an affirmative decision is always made and the routine proceeds to step 126.

At step 126, a selection signal for turning on the NG lamp 14D of the attitude adjustment instruction section 14 is transmitted to the drive circuit 14E. The drive circuit 14E that receives this selection signal supplies a predetermined current to the NG lamp 14D according to the selection signal to light the NG lamp 14D. The operator recognizes that the NG lamp 14D is turned on, and the casing 11 is moved in the front-rear direction (the arrow K direction around the line 2-2 in FIG. 1) so that the slit light 18 is vertically irradiated to the surface 20B to be measured. Or in the opposite direction). Further, in step 126, the stored value of the step / gap dimension stored in the RAM 54 is updated to the step / gap dimension of the present calculation result.

Thereafter, the processing from step 102 onward is performed again, and by repeating the above steps 124 and 126, the value close to the step L is gradually stored in the RAM 54. Then, when the step size stored in the RAM 54 reaches the step L, the stored step size is the smallest value as the step size, so when the determination in step 124 is performed next time, a negative determination is made and the process proceeds to step 128.

In step 128, a selection signal for turning on the central lamp 14B of the attitude adjustment instruction section 14 is transmitted to the drive circuit 14E. Upon receiving the selection signal, the drive circuit 14E supplies a predetermined current to the central lamp 14B according to the selection signal to light the central lamp 14B. The operator recognizes that the central lamp 14B is turned on, and holds the posture of the casing 11 as it is.

As described above, when the luminous flux surface of the slit light 18 is not perpendicular to the surface 20B to be measured and the measured value of the step size becomes a value larger than the actual step L, the NG lamp 14D is set to the slit light. The luminous flux surface of 18 is the measured surface 20B.
When the measured value of the step size is vertical to the actual step L, the central lamps 14B are turned on respectively, so that the operator can easily identify the lamps that have been turned on and adjust the posture corresponding to the lamps. You can adjust the posture.

Further, in step 128, the RAM 5 is then
The step / gap dimensions stored in 4 are displayed in a table format on the liquid crystal display 12. In this embodiment, the size of the step / gap is only one set, but when the measurement is performed on the surface to be measured having a plurality of steps / gap, it is predetermined in the relative positional relationship with the casing 11. The first step (or gap), the second step (or gap), and so on are identified in the order from the direction, and after the plurality of steps and gaps are identified, the respective step and gap dimensions are displayed as described above. The format is displayed on the liquid crystal display 12. The operator can obtain the correct step / gap dimensions by looking at the step / gap dimensions displayed on the liquid crystal display 12.

When the operator who has obtained the step / gap dimension turns off the switch 58 of the dimension measuring instrument 10,
The execution of the control routine described above is stopped, and the emission of the laser beam from the semiconductor laser 26 is also stopped.

As described above, the dimension measuring instrument of the present embodiment determines whether the distance between the dimension measuring instrument and the object to be measured is appropriate, and the portion corresponding to the bottom of the step in the slit image is Judgment as to whether or not there is a defect and whether or not the calculation result of the step size is the minimum is automatically performed, and the correct step / gap size is obtained based on the judgment / judgment result.
Since the correct step / gap dimensions are displayed on the liquid crystal display, the conventional problem of being unable to perform accurate dimension measurement due to camera shake of the operator holding the dimension measuring instrument is eliminated, and step / gap dimension measurement is easy. And it can be done quickly.

In this embodiment, an example of measuring a gap or a step on the surface to be measured is shown. However, the present invention measures the dimensions of other local parts such as the height of the protrusion and the diameter of the circular hole. It is also applicable to the measurement of the external dimensions of a minute object to be measured.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the measured value of the gap or the step is displayed on the liquid crystal display 12 is shown, but the output means of the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a printer or the like can be used to display paper or the like. Output of measured values by printing on recording media, audio output of measured values from a voice output device such as a speaker, and terminal display provided in a computer system connected to a size measuring instrument via a communication cable or the like. The measured value may be displayed on the screen.

In the present embodiment, an example of outputting an instruction to change the direction of the casing or the distance of the casing with respect to the object to be measured by turning on any one of the plurality of lamps provided in the casing 11 has been shown. The instruction means of the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it is provided in a computer system that outputs an instruction from a voice output device such as a speaker, or is connected to a dimension measuring instrument via a communication cable or the like. The instruction may be displayed on the terminal display or the like.

In this embodiment, an example of obtaining slit-shaped light by using a rod lens has been described, but a cylindrical lens, a cylindrical mirror or the like can be used as an element for obtaining slit-shaped light, and a rotary polygon mirror. It is also possible to obtain slit-shaped light by scanning a laser beam such as.

Further, although the case where the two-dimensional CCD sensor is used as the light receiving element has been described in the present embodiment, the invention is not limited to the two-dimensional CCD sensor, and the one-dimensional CCD is used.
An element capable of outputting a two-dimensional position on the sensor may be used by using the position detection method by the television system using the sensor and the image pickup tube.

[0065]

According to the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the problem that an accurate dimension measurement cannot be performed due to the hand shake of the operator holding the dimension measuring device is solved, and the object to be measured is solved. It has an excellent effect that the dimension measurement can be performed easily and quickly.

According to the third or fourth aspect of the invention, the operator performs the adjustment work for making the luminous flux surface of the slit light beam perpendicular to the object to be measured and the locus of the bright spots as a continuous locus. This has an excellent effect that the adjustment work for doing so can be performed easily and quickly, and accordingly, the dimension measurement of the measured object can be performed more easily and quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a dimension measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a dimension measuring device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control routine by a microcomputer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a region that can be measured by a dimension measuring device.

FIG. 5A shows the irradiation state of reflected light in the image formation area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor when the dimension measuring device is too far from the surface to be measured, and FIG. 5B shows the dimension measuring device with respect to the surface to be measured. (C) shows the irradiation state of the reflected light in the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor when the distance is appropriate, and in the image forming area of the two-dimensional CCD sensor when the dimension measuring device is too close to the surface to be measured. It is a diagram which shows the irradiation state of reflected light, respectively.

FIG. 6A shows a state in which the optical axis of the slit light is too tilted in the direction opposite to the arrow T with respect to the surface to be measured, and FIG. 6C shows the optical axis of the slit light is substantially perpendicular to the surface to be measured. A certain state
(E) is a schematic diagram showing a state where the optical axis of the slit light is too inclined in the direction of arrow T with respect to the surface to be measured,
(B), (D), and (F) are (A), (C), and
It is a diagram which shows the irradiation state of the reflected light in the imaging area of a two-dimensional CCD sensor in the case of (E).

7 (A) and 7 (E) are schematic diagrams showing a state in which the slit light is inclined with respect to the surface to be measured and a state (C) in which the slit light is perpendicular to the surface to be measured. ,
(B), (D), and (F) are (A), (C), and
It is a diagram which shows the irradiation state of the reflected light in the imaging area of a two-dimensional CCD sensor in the case of (E).

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing the irradiation state of a laser beam in the image formation region of a two-dimensional CCD sensor, and FIGS.
It is a diagram which shows each output signal of a three-dimensional CCD sensor.

9A is a front view of a jig used in the conventional dimension measurement, and FIG. 9B is a side view of the jig shown in FIG. 9A.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Dimension measuring device 11 Casing 12 Liquid crystal display (output means) 14 Attitude adjustment instruction | indication part (a part of instruction means) 16 Distance adjustment instruction | indication part (a part of instruction means) 18 Slit light 20 Measured object 24 Light source device (injection means) ) 36 two-dimensional CCD sensor (signal output means)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A casing comprising: emitting means for emitting slit light; and signal output means for receiving reflected light of the slit light and outputting a signal representing a locus of bright spots on the object to be illuminated that reflected the slit light. A dimension measuring instrument for measuring the dimension of an object to be measured by holding a casing so that slit light is radiated to the object to be measured, the object being output from the signal output means. Based on the signal representing the locus of the bright spot on the measurement object, a calculating means for calculating the dimensions of the part of the measured object corresponding to each of the line segments forming the locus of the bright spot, and the luminous flux surface of the slit light is Judging means for judging whether or not the locus of the bright points is continuous with respect to the DUT, and the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the DUT by the judging means. And the locus of the bright spots is continuous. A dimension measuring instrument comprising: an output unit that outputs a calculation result by the calculation unit when it is determined that it is continuing. 2. The determining means determines that the luminous flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the object to be measured when the calculation result by the calculating means is minimized. 1. The dimension measuring device according to 1. 3. When the determination means determines that the light flux surface of the slit light is not perpendicular to the object to be measured, the light flux surface of the slit light is perpendicular to the object to be measured. When an instruction for changing the orientation of the casing is output and it is determined by the determination means that the loci of the bright spots are not continuous, the orientation of the casing or the casing with respect to the DUT so that the loci of the bright spots are continuous. The dimension measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an instruction unit that outputs an instruction to change the distance. 4. The instructing means includes a plurality of lamps respectively representing a changing direction of a casing direction and a changing direction of a distance of the casing with respect to an object to be measured, and the casing is provided by turning on any one of the plurality of lamps. The dimension measuring instrument according to claim 3, wherein the dimension measuring instrument outputs an instruction to change the direction of the casing or the distance of the casing to the object to be measured.