JPH09236426A - Contact detector and contact detection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately and surely execute the contact detection of an article to be contacted by a simple structure. SOLUTION: Detection of contact with respect to an article 40 to be contacted is made by virtue of variation of a characteristic of a mechanical filter 20 made of a constant elasticity material due to the contact of a contact element 21 or 22 at a tip section of a part of a vibrator of the mechanical filter 20 with the article 40. Thereby, the material of the article 40 which may be subjected to the contact detection is not limited to a conductive material and, even when it is an insulator or the like, the contact detection is readily and surely executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact sensor and a contact sensing system for sensing contact of an object to be contacted such as solid, liquid, gas, etc. by a mechanical filter having a vibrator as a contact.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Contact sensing between a contactor and an object to be contacted detects a change in an electrical signal generated by a displacement of the contactor due to a current flowing in a contact portion due to the contact between the contactor and the object to be contacted. This is possible. Incidentally, optical measurement using a laser length-measuring device, a CCD camera or the like is mainly for non-contact detection, and it is possible to detect the position, shape, presence or absence of an object.

[0003]

As described above, the contact detection of the contacted object by the conventional contact described above is performed by detecting the current flowing between the contact points and the change of the electric signal generated by the displacement of the contactor. Is made possible by.

However, in the case of current detection, if an insulator is present between the contactor and the contacted object, or if the contacted object itself is an insulator, no current flows between the contact points. It becomes impossible to detect the contact of a contact object.

Further, in the case of contact detection of an object to be contacted by displacement of the contactor, it takes time and contact pressure until the contactor comes into contact with the object to be contacted, so that not only the sensitivity is low but also the contacted object is contacted. There is a risk that the object will be deformed. Furthermore,
Before the contactor comes into contact with the contacted object, displacement due to external vibration or electrical noise may cause a sensing error.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned non-contact detection method by optical measurement has a large structure, and therefore not only the device itself becomes large but also expensive. Furthermore, if the surface of the object to be detected is uneven or transparent, or if the optical measuring instrument itself vibrates, it will collect irregularly reflected light or erroneous data, and the object will be detected. You could make a mistake.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and provides a touch sensor and a touch sensing system which are capable of appropriately and reliably sensing the touch of a contacted object with a simple structure. The purpose is to

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In a contact sensor for detecting contact with an object to be contacted, a mechanical filter using a part of a vibrator as a contactor, input means for inputting a signal to the mechanical filter, and contact between the contactor and the object to be contacted. Output means for outputting a change in the characteristic of the mechanical filter caused by the above.

According to the present invention, when a contact vibrating at a natural frequency comes into contact with an object to be contacted, the vibration is suppressed, the resonance condition of the vibrator is deviated, and the filtering characteristic of the mechanical filter, that is, the mechanical filter characteristic is The change is utilized, and the signal input to the mechanical filter is attenuated after the contact and is output to the output means to detect the contact with the contacted object.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the contactor is set as a gauge adapted to the shape, size and material of the sensing location of the contacted object.

In the present invention, since the contactor is set as a gauge adapted to the shape or the like to be sensed by the contacted object, it is possible to inspect at once as a limit gauge for various shapes and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the contactor has a shape adapted to the environment of the contact sensing location of the contacted object,
It is characterized by being set in size and material.

In the present invention, since a part of the vibrator is used as the contactor, the electromechanical transducer of the vibrator is isolated from the contactor which is exposed to severe environment such as high temperature and high humidity, chemicals and radiation. Since it is possible to form the contactor in a different place, the contactor can be used by setting the shape, size, and material according to the environment of the contact sensing location of the contacted object.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the contactor has elasticity.

In the present invention, since the contactor has elasticity, the mechanical filter characteristic changes continuously according to the deformation of the contactor from the start of contact between the contactor and the object to be contacted. It is effective for detecting the amount of movement of the contact object and the softness of the contact object. A spring rigid material, a rubber material, a material using a gas or a liquid as a cushion material, or the like can be used to provide elasticity.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the vibrator,
It is characterized in that an adapter is formed to make the contactor detachable.

According to the present invention, since the vibrator is formed with the adapter, the contactor can be easily fixed and removed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the characteristic of the mechanical filter is automatically adjusted by a characteristic adjusting means for adjusting the characteristic.

According to the present invention, even if the resonance sharpness (Q) of the mechanical filter characteristic is deviated due to temperature change or the like, each is automatically adjusted, so that highly accurate contact sensing can be performed for a long period of time. Becomes In addition, it becomes possible to diagnose the degree of abnormality by knowing the degree of automatic adjustment.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the contactor or the contacted object is adjusted to a predetermined position by moving means, and the contacting object or the contacted object is moved from the movement start point to the contacted object by the distance measuring means and the timing means. It is characterized in that the moving distance and the moving time to the contact start point can be measured.

According to the present invention, since the contactor and the contactee are aligned with each other at a predetermined position by the moving means having a position setting and control function, etc., contact detection of the contacted object at a predetermined position is performed. It becomes possible to measure the complicated shape and size of the contacted object, and further the moving speed, the moving acceleration, and the moving trajectory of the contacted object.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that a plurality of the contactors are provided in correspondence with the contact sensing locations of the contacted object.

According to the present invention, since a plurality of contacts are provided in accordance with the contact-sensing points of the contacted object, even if there are many contact-sensing points of the contacted object, defective points can be detected in a short time. It becomes possible to detect.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the contactor includes:
It is characterized in that a number of contact parts corresponding to the shape, size and material of the contact sensing part of the contacted object are provided.

According to the present invention, even when there are a large number of contact-sensing points on the contacted object and the respective shapes are different,
Since the contact is detected by the contact portion of the contact corresponding to each of them, it is possible to detect a defective portion in a wide range by detecting the contact once.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the contact elements are separated by a predetermined distance, and the thin wire that is bridged between these contact elements has a contact function.

In the present invention, since the thin wire laid between the contacts spaced apart by a predetermined distance has a contact function, the size and mass of the contacts and the signal input power are not increased.
It is possible to detect the contact of the contacted object over a wide range with high sensitivity and at high speed.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the contactor is
It is characterized in that they are separated by a predetermined distance, and that a plate that is bridged between these contacts has a contact function.

In the present invention, since the plate that is hung between the contacts that are separated by a predetermined distance has a contact function,
Further, it becomes possible to detect the contact of the contacted object over a wide range with high sensitivity and at high speed.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the average speed of vibration of the contact is at least twice the moving speed of the contacted object.

In the present invention, the average speed of vibration determined by the frequency and amplitude of the contact is set to be twice or more the moving speed of the contacted object, so that the contacted object itself changes at high speed. Also, it becomes possible to detect the vibration state.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the change in the mechanical filter characteristic is measured by using the data continuously taken by the measuring means in a cycle shorter than half of the vibration cycle of the vibrator, whereby the contact is obtained. The contact state between the child and the contacted object is sensed.

According to the present invention, the change of the mechanical filter characteristic is measured by using the data continuously taken by the measuring means in a cycle shorter than half of the vibration cycle of the vibrator, whereby the contactor and the contacted object are Since the contact state is detected, the contact can be detected at high speed without being restricted by the vibration cycle of the vibrator.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the touch sensors are combined, and the touch sensors are associated with each other by the control means.

In the present invention, since a plurality of touch sensors are combined and each touch sensor is associated with each other by the control means, more complex shape, size, material, etc. can be sensed with high sensitivity and high speed. You can

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the touch sensor of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the mechanical filter 2
Reference numeral 0 indicates a vibrator 22 in which a transducer such as piezoelectric ceramics is fixed to a constant elastic material having a high Q such as Elinvar.
Is formed, and the tip part that is a part of the
It is 1.

Here, when the electric signal f from the signal source 10 is applied between the input terminal 23 and the terminal 25 connected to the transducer such as the above-mentioned piezoelectric ceramics through the input resistance Ri, it is a mechanical resonator. The oscillator 22 is tuned and vibrates at a specific frequency together with the contactor 21 at the tip thereof. Further, this mechanical vibration causes the output terminal 24 and the terminal 2 connected to the transducer such as the above-mentioned piezoelectric ceramics.
An electric signal f tuned from 5 is output from the output resistor Ro. Then, this electric signal f is measured by the measuring device 30.

Now, when the contact 21 is not in contact with the contacted object 40, the filtering characteristic of the mechanical filter 20,
That is, since the mechanical filter characteristic does not change, the electric signal f from the signal source 10 passes through with almost no attenuation and is measured by the measuring device 30, but when the contact 21 comes into contact with the contacted object 40, mechanical resonance occurs. Vibration of the child is suppressed, the mechanical filter characteristic is changed, and the electric signal f from the signal source 10 is attenuated and measured by the measuring device 30. Due to such a difference, it is possible to sense the contact with the contacted object 40. As for the mechanical filter characteristic, generally, the frequency characteristic of the mechanical filter 20 expresses the relationship between frequency, phase, gain and the like.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the contacted object 4 is formed by the contactor 21 at the tip portion which is a part of the vibrator of the mechanical filter 20 formed of a constant elastic material.
Since the contact of the contacted object 40 is sensed by the change in the characteristics of the mechanical filter 20 caused by the contact with 0, the material of the contacted object 40 to be contact-sensed is not limited to a conductor or the like, but an insulator or the like. Even in this case, the contact can be easily and surely detected.

By the way, although the micro switch type contact sensor as shown in FIG. 2 can detect the contact of the contacted object 40, the contact point having the mechanical filter 20 in the present embodiment is as follows. The function is different from the sensor.

That is, in the microswitch type, when the contact 26 is not in contact with the contacted object 40, the switch s is connected to the terminal a side by the urging force of the elastic member (not shown), and the contacted object 40 and Switch s
Is pushed and connected to terminal b, resistors R1 and R
The indication value of the measuring device 30 varies depending on the difference in the resistance value of 2, and the presence or absence of contact is detected.

In this case, by increasing the distance d between the terminals a and b, it is possible to make it less susceptible to external vibration, but conversely, if the distance d between the terminals a and b is increased, the sensitivity is increased. Will drop. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the sensitivity by reducing the distance d,
On the contrary, it is more likely to be affected by external vibration, and is likely to cause a sensing error due to the influence of vibration or the like. Also, switch s
A pressing force is required to switch the
The pressing force applied to the contact point 41 of 0 may cause inconvenience such as deformation of the contacted object 40.

Furthermore, such a switch s and terminal a,
The same problem may occur not only in the contact type with b but also in the non-contact method of detecting the contacted object 40 by the magnitude of the change of the electric field or the magnetic field.

In this respect, the contact sensor of the present embodiment does not need a mechanical switch and can detect the contact by the change of the mechanical filter characteristics. Therefore, the contact sensitivity is high and the vibration resistance is high. The above-mentioned inconvenience is solved.

FIG. 3 relates to claims 2, 3 and 5, and shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the mechanical filter 20 of FIG. 1 is changed. The mechanical filter of tuning fork type is shown in FIG. Regarding the shape, material, attachment and detachment of the contactor, the contactor 21p is a lightweight ceramic material having excellent wear resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc., and vibration of a constant elastic material having an extremely high Q. It is attached to a jig which is an adapter (not shown) that is removable from the child 22a. In the drawings described below, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted.

The vibrator 22a and the contactor 21p shown in FIG.
Vibrates in synchronization with the electric signal f from the signal source 10 as described above. At this time, when the vibration direction of the contact 21p is in the direction of arrow c, for example, the contact point of the contact 21 with the contacted object 40 is set to P1,
You can choose P2, P3, etc.

Here, the contact points P1, P2,
Explaining P3, first, in the case of P1, the contact 21
This is a direction orthogonal to the direction of arrow c, which is the direction of vibration of p, and since there is no change in the position of the contactor 21 in this orthogonal direction, the position detection accuracy using the mechanical filter 20 in this direction is high. To be extinguished. Further, at the contact point P2, since it is in the vibration direction of the contactor 21, it is a high-sensitivity portion in which a subtle drag force can be sensed, and the output signal changes depending on the degree of contact. Further, since the contact portion P3 has a narrow width, it is a convenient portion for sensing an object in a narrow place.

FIG. 4 relates to claim 2 or 3 and shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the contact 21p of FIG. 3 is changed.

That is, the figure is a modification of the shape of the contact 21p shown in FIG. 3, and the contact 21a shown in FIG.
Is a pyramid shape, the contactor 21b in the same figure (b) is a needle shape, the contactor 21c in the same figure (c) is a spherical shape, and the contactor 21d in the same figure (d) is a cylindrical shape, The contact 21e shown in FIG. 6E has a thin plate shape, and the contact 21f shown in FIG.
Is a curved plate shape, the contactor 21g in the same figure (g) is wedge-shaped, the contactor 21h in the same figure (h) is comb-shaped, and the contactor 21i in the same figure (i) is variously contacted. It is provided with holes adapted to the shape of the object.

By selectively using any one of the contacts 21a to 21i, it is possible to perform contact sensing in accordance with various shapes and the like.

That is, by assembling the cylindrical contactor 21d shown in FIG. 4 (d) into a shape that fits as a dimensional limit gauge, it is possible to determine the quality of the product. In addition, the needle-shaped contactor 21 shown in FIG.
By using b, it is possible to inspect the depth of the fine holes.

Further, regarding the material, moisture resistant, cold resistant, elastic or rigid material, and further an insulator, a conductor, a semiconductor or the like is selected according to the purpose of use to form a contact. can do.

Further, the contact 22a shown in FIG. 3 is not limited to the piezoelectric tuning fork vibrator, but a tuning piece vibrator, a magnetostrictive vibrator, a crystal vibrator, a ceramic vibrator or the like may be used. Further, the above-mentioned various contacts 21a to i, 21p and the like may be detachably attached to these via an adapter for connection.

FIG. 5 relates to claim 4, and FIG.
10 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the contact 21p is changed, and the adhesive 2 is attached to the tip of the vibrator 22a.
A contact 21j made of a thin wire having a spring property is fixed by 7.

In this case, compared to the contacted object 40, the contactor 2
Since 1j has elasticity, when the contacted object 40 is moved to make contact with the contactor 21j, the contactor 21j is bent and deformed according to the amount of movement from the start of contact. Then, the stress suppresses the vibration of the vibrator 22a of the mechanical filter 20 and changes the mechanical filter characteristics, so that the attenuation, phase, etc. of the electric signal f from the signal source 10 described above are measured by the measuring device 30, The movement amount of the contacted object 40 is measured from the correlation of the movement amount of the contacted object 40 and its attenuation amount and phase change.

Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the material and size of the contactor 21j, the moving amount of the contacted object and the softness of the soft contacted object 40 can be measured, and the contact pressure can cause problems such as a living body or a liquid liquid. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to position and displacement and dimension measurement of a semiconductor surface and the like, position and displacement and vibration measurement of a vibrating part in a machine tool, for example, a touch switch and a limit switch with large overtravel.

FIG. 6 relates to claim 6, and FIG.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 2 is changed, and an automatic device including an electronic device such as a CPU is provided in the input means and the output means of the mechanical filter 20. Adjustment devices 50 and 51 are provided for automatically adjusting the circuit constants of the input means and the output means to appropriate states.

That is, in this embodiment, even if the peak of the resonance sharpness Q of the mechanical filter 20 is deviated due to a temperature change or the like, it is automatically adjusted to an appropriate state by the automatic adjusting devices 50 and 51. Therefore, touch sensing with high sensitivity is always possible. Further, by comparing the normal value of the mechanical filter characteristic and the automatically adjusted value, it is possible to diagnose an abnormal state of the contact sensor.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 6 is changed. When the output of the mechanical filter 20 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 52. The control unit 53 controls the frequency dividing operation of the frequency divider 54 based on the converted data so that the instruction value of the measuring instrument 30 becomes a predetermined value.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the frequency dividing operation of the frequency divider 54 is feedback-controlled, the output of the mechanical filter 20 can be set to a predetermined value. It is suitable for setting.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 1 is changed.
In order to know the contact state between the contactor 21 and the contactor 21 in detail, an amplifier 55, A /
A D converter 52 and a signal waveform analyzer 58 are provided.

That is, by increasing the resistance R3,
The resonance sharpness Q of the mechanical filter characteristic is lowered. In addition, the contact 21 has elasticity to increase the amplitude of vibration,
Moreover, the vibration frequency is high. Furthermore, the amplifier 5
5. The A / D converter 52 and the signal waveform analyzer 58 are capable of high speed and high resolution operation.

As a result, since the vibration frequency of the contact 21 is high and the A / D converter 52 and the like have high speed and high resolution, it is possible to detect a subtle contact state with respect to the contacted object 40. Since it becomes possible to strictly know the moving distance and moving speed of the contact object 40, and further the acceleration of the movement, it is suitable for the movement analysis of the contacted object 40 and the like.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment in which the contactor 21 shown in FIG. 1 is brought into contact with the object 40 to be contacted via the buffer material 60.

That is, in this embodiment, the contact 2
Since the contact between 1 and the contacted object 40 is performed via the buffer material 60, not only is it effective for the contacted object 40 that is fluid such as liquid, It is also effective for measures against wear and dirt of the contactor 21 due to contact. Moreover, when the contacted object 40 is a liquid,
Fluctuations in internal pressure and the like can also be known via the buffer material 60.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed, and a sequencer 56 for controlling the sensing operation time is provided on the output side of the mechanical filter 20. Has been. Further, the mechanical filter 20 of this embodiment has four terminals, and has input terminals 23 and 25 and output terminals 24 and 26.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the sequencer 56 controls the operation time of contact detection, for example, in a noisy factory or the like, position control of the robot mechanism or detection of lead wire bending of an LSI is performed. Since touch sensing does not work in the sensing process that does not require touch sensing, occurrence of sensing error due to external noise is suppressed.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 1 is changed. The output side of the mechanical filter 20 has A / D converters 52 and A / D.
A control unit 53 that receives the output of the D converter 52a,
A digital filter 70 is provided by the D / A converter 57 that converts the output of the control unit 53 into an analog signal.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the contactor vibrates by itself, it is superior in that it is basically strong against the noise of vibration coming from the outside. When the digital filter 70 is applied as in the above-described mode, the setting of the filter characteristic and the waveform analysis can be easily performed on the software. Therefore, by removing the noise, setting or changing the filtering characteristic and analyzing the high frequency vibration, the contact It is possible to greatly improve the performance of the sensor.

FIG. 12 relates to claim 7 and claim 13, and shows another embodiment in which the contact 21j shown in FIG. 5, for example, is applied to a robot. 21j having elasticity at the tip of the
Is attached.

In such a configuration, the contact 21j attached to the tip of the robot 80 allows the contacted object 40 to be measured at a predetermined position such as P4, P5.
, P6 are programmed in advance to make contact 4
In measuring the position and size of 0, it is possible to detect the contact pressure of about 1/1000 and to detect 1000 times faster than the conventional touch sensor.

In this case, even when the contact object 40 is moving on the table 81, the movement of the robot 80 is moved by using the moving means having the position setting and control functions. Since the contact can be sensed at a predetermined position, the moving speed and vibration state of the contacted object 40, the shape of the contacted object 40, and the like can be measured.

FIG. 13 relates to claim 8 and shows another embodiment in which a plurality of mechanical filters 20 of FIG. 1 are provided, and a base portion attached to the drive shaft 86. On the lower surface side of 85, a plurality of contacts 21 that are a part of the vibrator of the mechanical filter 20 are attached.

The length ln and the interval u of each contact 21 are individually set by the driving force of a servomotor or the like. Further, the detection signal from each contact 21 is applied to a computer device or the like via a signal line 87.

In such a configuration, each contact 2
The interval u of 1 is matched with the interval of the terminals 91 of the electronic component 90 such as an LSI, and each contact 21 vibrates individually.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the terminal 91 of the electronic component 90 comes into contact with any of the contacts 21,
Since the characteristics of the mechanical filter change, it is possible to instantly determine the defective portion of the terminal 91.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
When the number 1 is a single one, it is necessary to control the movement of the contactor 21 in accordance with the arrangement of the terminals 91 of the electronic component 90, so that the heights h of all the terminals 91 are detected. May cause problems in terms of time or accuracy.

FIG. 15 relates to claim 9 and shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the mechanical filter 20 shown in FIG. 1 is changed. The processed parts 101 to 104 of the processed product 100 are shown in FIG. The shape and size of the contact 21 are changed according to the above.

That is, the mechanical filter 20 shown in the figure uses a piezoelectric sound piece vibrator, and a vibrator 22A and a contactor 21B are integrally provided. The contact part on the lower end side of the contactor 21B has a shape and size that match the processed parts 101 to 104 of the processed product 100.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the contact portion on the lower end side of the contact 21B comes into contact with any of the processing points 101 to 104 of the processed product 100, the vibration of the vibrator 22A is hindered. Even if the processing shape is stubborn, it is possible to instantly detect processing defects and the like at these processing locations.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the contact 21B
Although the case where the vibrator 22A and the vibrator 22A are simply provided is described, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the contactor 21B and the vibrator 22A may be divided along the dividing line 28. In this case, Processing location 101 of processed product 100
Since it is possible to individually detect the contact with each of the to 104, it is possible to increase the contact sensitivity.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

As shown in the figure, the base portions 85 supported by the drive shaft 86 are arranged opposite to each other. Each base portion 85 is provided with a vibrator 22A having an input terminal 23a having a three-divided configuration, and a contact 21 is provided at each tip.

When the bending of the connector pin 120 is to be inspected, the drive shaft 86 is driven to align the contact 21 with the reference positions P7 and P8, and then the drive shaft 86 is moved to the arrow x. Is moved in the direction. At this time, one of the connector pins 120 comes into contact with one of the upper and lower contacts 21 to detect the bending and the bending direction of the connector pin 120 at the same time.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the contactor 21 is arranged in a divided manner, the contact sensitivity is increased and the width of the contactor 21 is increased as compared with the case where the contactor 21 is integrally provided. Dimension is one connector pin 1
Compared with the case where the width dimension is 20, the lateral movement distance can be about 1/6.

Here, when the width of the contact 21 is set to the width of one connector pin 120, the location of the defective bending of the connector pin 120 is determined based on the output signal from the contact sensed by the contact and the position of the drive shaft 86. And the direction can be specified. Even when the contactor 21 is fixed and the connector pin 120 is moved to inspect for a bending defect, the bent connector pin 120 can be identified from the position of the contactor 21 where the output signal of contact detection is output and the moving time of the connector pin. Can be Note that the number of contacts, intervals, and shapes are not limited to this example.

FIG. 17 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the touch sensor of FIG. 15 is changed.

As shown in the figure, the base portion 85 supported by the drive shaft 86 is provided with the contactor 21 matched to the shape and size of the individual processing points 105 to 107 of the processed product 100. There is.

Then, by the movement of the drive shaft 86 between the arrows x and y, the individual contactors 21 are moved along the machining points 105 to 107 of the machined article 100, whereby the machining dimensions of the machining points 105 to 107. The quality of is continuously inspected.

Therefore, the contact sensor according to this embodiment can be used, for example, as a reference gauge for determining the quality of the processing size, and is processed by an optical device such as a CCD camera or another sensor such as a micro switch. Compared with the one that inspects the quality of the dimension, the inspection required time,
It is remarkably excellent in accuracy and sensitivity.

In this embodiment, the case where the individual contactors 21 are moved simultaneously with the movement of the drive shaft 86 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and each contactor 21 is processed at each processing location. The position control device may be used to individually move along a predetermined locus according to the position, shape, and size of the.

FIG. 18 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 17 is changed.

That is, in the figure, a plurality of contacts 21 are provided which are matched with the reference dimensions of the processing points 108 to 112 of the processed product 100 by cutting. These contacts 21 are arranged at predetermined positions by an automatic position control device (not shown).

Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, by rotating the machined product 100 around its axis, the machining dimensions of each of the machined locations 108 to 112 are inspected in parallel. The inspection can be performed in a short time.

19 and 20 show another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

That is, in these figures, the partition wall 1
The contactor 21 is disposed in a substantially central portion of the space delimited by 30, 131, and a rubber container 132 containing a liquid therein is disposed in each space. Cells are configured.

In such a structure, as shown in FIG. 20, when a pressing force P is applied from the upper surface side, for example, the pressing force P appears as a displacement toward the gap 133 side of the rubber container 132, so that the pressing force P appears. The place where P is applied can be known, and the place where the pressing force P is applied, the size, and the like can be known by sensing with the contact 21.

At this time, each rubber container 132 is
Since the partition walls 130 and 131 are isolated from each other, they do not interfere with each other due to the displacement of the pressing force P, and the contact 21 vibrates at a specific frequency. It is also hard to receive, and due to the function peculiar to the mechanical filter 20, it has excellent temperature characteristics and the like.

Therefore, this embodiment is excellent in vibration, temperature characteristics and the like, and is effective when used for a handling part of a care equipment or a transportation facility.

FIG. 21 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

That is, in this embodiment, for example, in the vicinity of the dangerous gas injection port 135, the contactor 21 which is a part of a piezoelectric tuning fork type vibrator (not shown) having a mechanyl filter characteristic is arranged correspondingly. ing.

When the gas is injected from any of the injection ports 135, the mechanical filter characteristics are changed by the injection force. Therefore, the corresponding injection port 135 can be sensed from the change in the characteristics, the gas pressure or Humidity and the like can be detected.

In this embodiment, by using the material of the contactor 21 such as ceramics having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance, it is possible to detect gas with high sensitivity, which is difficult with other methods.

FIG. 22 relates to claim 10.
9 illustrates another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

As shown in the figure, the mechanical filter 2
Two 0s are provided, and a thin steel wire 137, which is lightweight, strong, and hard to be deformed, is bridged between the contactors 21 to form a long contactor. The length of the thin steel wire 137 is 5 cm, and the diameter thereof is 0.5 mmφ.

In such a configuration, when the input signal f having a frequency of, for example, 1 KHz is applied from the signal source 10 between the input terminals 23 and 25 of both mechanical filters 20, as described above, both mechanical filters 20. 20 oscillates in tune with its frequency.

At this time, when the above-described contacted object 40 or the like comes into contact with the thin steel wire 137, the vibration of both mechanical filters 20 is suppressed, and the output terminals 2 of both mechanical filters 20 are suppressed.
4 and the signal output from the terminal 25 change, the contact state with the contacted object 40 or the like can be sensed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the thin steel wire 137 is provided between the contacts 21 of the two mechanical filters 20.
Since it has a configuration in which both mechanical filters 2
The contact state with the contacted object 40 or the like can be detected at high speed and with high sensitivity in a wide range on the thin steel wire 137 without increasing the mass, size, volume and power of zero.

That is, for example, like the contact sensor having the structure shown in FIG. 23, the contact 2 of the mechanical filter 20 is used.
When 1 is set to have a width, the size and mass of the whole becomes large, so that high power is required to excite the vibrator 22, and the vibrator 22 easily becomes multimode vibration, so that the vibration waveform analysis can be performed. Although it is difficult to detect at high speed, and further, the contact sensitivity is remarkably reduced, but as shown in FIG. 22, the steel wire 137 is laid between the contactors 21 of the two mechanical filters 20. It enables high-speed, high-sensitivity touch sensing over a wide range while maintaining low power consumption and light weight.

When a rubber wire is used, the contact pressure is relieved by the tension of the rubber, so that a soft contact can be obtained, and even if the moving distance of the contacted object is long, the contact between the contacted areas is long. Perception is possible. The shape, size, material, etc. of the object to be passed over may be selected according to the state of the contacted object or the purpose of measurement. Further, although the signal source 10 and the measuring device 30 of both mechanical filters are each one circuit, they may be two circuits and the vibration frequencies of the respective vibrators 22 do not necessarily have to be the same.

In this embodiment, the case where the linear steel thin wire 137 is bridged between the contacts 21 of both mechanical filters 20 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the steel thin wire 137 is curved. Alternatively, it may have another shape such as an uneven shape.

FIG. 24 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed.

In the case of the touch sensor shown in the figure, a thin prismatic wire 138 made of ceramics is bridged between the contacts 21 of the two mechanical filters 20. Also, the prismatic line 1
A plurality of columnar protrusions 139 having high dimensional accuracy are provided on the protrusion 38.

With such a construction, the processed product 14
The cylindrical hole 141 formed in the
8 is inserted into the hole 14
Accuracy such as diameter and depth of 1 is detected.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since a plurality of cylindrical projections 139 having a high dimensional accuracy are provided on the prismatic wire 138 stretched between the contacts 21 of the two mechanical filters 20, for example, the processed product 140. It is possible to simultaneously inspect the diameters and depth defects of the plurality of holes 141 formed in the above.

In this embodiment, the prismatic wire 138 is used.
The case where a plurality of protrusions 139 are provided on the
Not limited to this example, the shape of the protrusion 139, the material of the prismatic wire 138, and the like can take various forms by selecting appropriate ones according to the measurement target.

FIG. 25 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the contact sensor of FIG. 22 is changed, and the contact sensor 22 is formed with a hole 22b so that the contact sensor has a wide width. The overall mass of has been reduced.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the hole 22b is formed in the contact 22 having a wide width, most of the problems in the contact sensor of FIG. 23 are solved.
Higher sensitivity, higher speed, and higher accuracy than the contact sensor of

FIG. 26 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed according to claim 11, and four mechanical filters 20 having the same characteristics are provided. There is. The contacts 21 are arranged so that they are flush with each other, and a thin plate 29 is fixed between the contacts 21.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the thin plate 29 fixed between the contactors 21 can form a contactor having a large area, it is possible to sense the contact in a wide range.

FIG. 27 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 26 is changed according to the twelfth aspect.

That is, as shown in the figure, the thin plate 29 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 29a to 29c which are matched to the shapes of the objects 40a to 40c to be measured.

In such a configuration, even if the objects 40a to 40c to be measured are moving separately (asynchronously) at a frequency of 1 KHz, the vibration state thereof is 3 KHz.
Can be sensed by the protrusions 29a to 29c that vibrate at the frequency. The movements of the measurement objects 40a to 40c can be detected by the sampling theorem.

FIG. 28 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed.

As shown in the figure, between the contacts 21 of the mechanical filter 20 arranged on the base portion 85,
The thin steel wire 137 is fixed. Further, the base portion 85 is provided with a plurality of elastic contacts 21j.

In the touch sensor having such a configuration, the LSI
It is suitable for detecting solder ball dimensional defects and the like when mounting electronic components such as the above on a substrate, and a thin steel wire 137 fixed between the contacts 21 of the mechanical filter 20 is arranged on the ball grid array. By moving, the dimension defect of the solder ball is detected. However, what is detected by the thin steel wire 137 has a size larger than the reference, and what is smaller than the reference is detected by the contacts 21j of a plurality of elastic mechanical filters.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the dimension defect of the solder ball is detected by the contact detection, not only the spherical or cylindrical shape which has been difficult in the inspection by the optical method can be detected. Since it is not necessary to energize the electronic components during the inspection, it is possible to prevent the electronic components from being damaged.

In this embodiment, the contact 21j
Although the case where the contacts 21j are arranged in one row is shown, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the contacts 21j may be arranged in two or more rows. In this case, since the number of the contacts 21j is increased, It is possible to increase the detection speed.

FIG. 29 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 26 is changed. For example, the thin plates 29 are provided on the contacts 21 of the three mechanical filters 20.
Is attached.

With such a configuration, when measuring the width W of the groove 113 formed in the processed product 100, the thin plate 29 is inserted into the groove 113. At this time, since the amplitude w of the vibration of the thin plate 29 changes depending on the signal f from the signal source 10 applied to the input terminal 23 and the terminal 25, when the vibration of the thin plate 29 is suppressed by the groove 113 and the mechanical filter characteristic changes. The width W of the groove 113 is measured from the magnitude of the input signal f.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the groove 11
Since the width W of 3 can be electrically measured, the groove width can be measured with high accuracy. In addition, FIG. 16 and FIG.
In the inspection of pin bending and pitch defect described in 5,
When two thin plates 29 having flat ends and comb-shaped ones are combined and placed above and below the pin in the figure,
It is possible to perform a wide range of inspections at once.

FIG. 30 relates to claim 13.
3 shows a touch sensor suitable for finding the origin of a moving object. As shown in the figure, the mechanical filter 20
Is housed inside the case 150, and a part of the contactor 21
Is exposed from the case 150. The case 150 is supported by the spring plate 151. The case 150 is provided with signal lines 152 to 154 that are drawn from two different locations in the output circuit of the mechanical filter. In the figure, the illustration of the signal input / output circuit of the mechanical filter is omitted.

These signal lines (152-153), (1
52-154), the output waveforms of the signals A and B are shown in FIG.
When the contact 21 starts to contact the work 160, the signal waveform from the signal lines 152 to 154 is output as a waveform according to the bending of the spring plate 151. That is,
Before the contactor 21 contacts the work 160, the crest values of the signals A and B are H1 and H2, respectively. When the contactor 21 starts contacting the work 160, the respective crest values are h1 and h1. Change to h2.

Therefore, the change in the AC waveform due to such contact is detected by using the CPU or the A / D converter with T1 /
By continuously and rapidly capturing the data at 100 sampling cycles, it is possible to accurately measure the contact start time t0 and the crest value h1 indicating the degree of contact by mathematical processing of transition data by a computer.

Further, in the measurement, the transition of the data before the contact is gentle according to the vibration of the contact 21, but at the contact start time t0, the waveform changes abruptly, and the peak value h1, h2 etc. will be decided. Therefore, it is possible to capture the contact state with high accuracy and at high speed by obtaining the difference between the mechanical filter characteristics of the one cycle before the contact and the characteristic of the mechanical filter after the contact, that is, the autocorrelation.

Further, as the mathematical processing of the transition data by the computer, for example, when judging the tendency of the change rate of the measurement data, removing noise or emphasizing the signal, based on the meaning of the physical phenomenon accompanying the touch sensing. There is a method of performing digital signal processing.

As described above, in this embodiment, the moving means for moving the work 160 or the contact 21 which is a moving object and the distance measuring means for measuring the moving distance from the movement start point to the contact start point are provided. Thus, it is possible to construct a displacement gauge, a thickness gauge, and the like, and further, by providing a time measuring means for measuring the movement time, it is possible to construct an apparatus capable of measuring the speed and acceleration of a moving object.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 32 and FIG. 33, the output characteristics of the mechanical filter are shown by the signal lines 155, 1
In the case of taking out from 56, the AC signals from these signal lines 155 and 156 become the DC output voltage Va when passing through the CR smoothing circuit, but after contact with the vibrating contactor 21 starts after the time constant τ. The output voltage becomes Vb. However,
In this embodiment, the illustration of the signal input / output circuit is omitted.

Therefore, when a contact is sensed, the contact start time t0 and the like can be measured by comparing a preset reference voltage, that is, the threshold voltage Vs and the output voltage Vb with a comparator or the like. The accuracy of the contact time is determined by the time constant τ of this CR smoothing circuit. For this reason,
Not only is it difficult to detect the contact time point with high accuracy, but it is also difficult to expect high sensitivity because it is necessary to set a threshold voltage Vs with a margin to avoid an error due to noise. There is.

FIG. 34 shows another embodiment in which the above-mentioned touch sensor is applied to detect the bottom dead center of the press machine.

That is, the press plate 17 of the press 170
1 is movable in the direction of arrow D, and the contactor 21 is arranged to be slightly movable in the same direction by a spring (not shown). However, in the figure, the illustration of the signal input circuit of the mechanical filter is omitted. The measuring device 30 is a high-speed ammeter.

Then, the press plate 171 of the press machine 170.
Is lowered, and the protruding piece 172 of the press 170 comes into contact with the contact 21.
By making contact with, the change in elastic stress of the contact 21 due to contact is expressed as an electric signal indicating the amount of displacement from the contact point.

Therefore, by capturing the instantaneous values of the terminal voltages V1 and V2 of the impedances Z1 and Z2 of the output circuit for outputting the change of the mechanical filter characteristics as digital signals, the starting point of contact and the distance between the press plates 171 can be determined. It becomes possible to detect.

Here, when the cycle of the continuous press is 1/10 seconds, the vibration cycle of the contact 21 is 1 millisecond, and the sampling cycle of this digital signal is less than half of the vibration cycle of the contact 21, that is, the sampling theorem. By processing the data measured in a cycle of 5 μs, which is shorter than 500 μs, which is a time determined by the above, it is possible to detect the contact time point, the amount of displacement, the dirt on the contactor, the movement state of the press machine 170, and the like.

Further, by using a means capable of high-speed sampling and data analysis thereof without increasing the vibration frequency of the mechanical filter 20, it is possible to detect the contact with high speed and high sensitivity. Wide range of choices such as material, size, structure, etc., and advantages such as reliability, durability, price, etc.

Further, for example, the contact 21 is attached to the reference surface 173.
When the average effective value for one cycle of the terminal voltage V1 or V2 having the vibration frequency of the contact sensor 20 is measured from the data of the high-speed sampling before the contact of the contact sensor 20 and the deviation from the normal value exceeds the allowable range. Only by issuing a warning and stopping the press machine 170 due to a defective initial state, it is possible to use the digital signal processing technology.

FIG. 35 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the contact sensor of FIG. 13 is changed, and is applied to a pitch defect inspector for lead pins of a large number of ICs arranged side by side.

That is, the piezoelectric ceramics 190 vibrating in the edge mode are arranged in a comb shape without using a constant elastic material for the vibrator, and the tip end portion thereof is the contactor 21.
2 is a schematic diagram of a touch sensor with Here, the contact of the lead pin is sensed to bring about a change in the filter characteristics.
C-shaped ceramic filter circuits Y1 to Yn and output terminals y1 to yn are provided. However, in the figure, the illustration of the signal input circuit of the filter is omitted.

Then, by a transfer system (not shown),
Among the lead pins 174 of the IC selected as the inspection place, the lead pin 1 is the lead titanate-based ceramics contact 21 that is processed to a predetermined size in the defective pitch portion.
When it enters between 74, it is specified because it touches this and the filter characteristics change at the corresponding positions of the terminals y1 to yn of the ceramic filter circuits Y1 to Yn.

The taper pin 180 and the linear image sensor 181 shown in the figure are used for the reference position alignment of the lead pin 174. When a large number of objects to be inspected are arrayed on a flat surface such as an inspection of the pitch interval, if a large number of objects are provided in correspondence with the shape of the contact 21 and the like, higher speed inspection becomes possible.

In the arrangement of the lead pins 174 of the IC shown in the figure, the lead pins 174 have a predetermined position above and below the lead pin 174 and a position with a predetermined pitch as an example of the defect inspection such as the vertical bending and the pitch deviation exceeding the standard range. There is a mode in which the contact 21 which is a part of the crystal filter oscillator is arranged like a limit gauge to detect contact.

Therefore, in the case of inspecting the flatness or the pitch interval as shown in the figure, if the contactor 21 is arranged in accordance with the arrangement and shape and size of the lead pin 174, the inspection at higher speed becomes possible.

FIG. 36 relates to claim 13.
9 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the contact sensor of FIG. 1 is applied to detect the state of a liquid.

As shown in the figure, the contact 21 is immersed in the liquid 191 to be measured.

As shown in FIG. 37, the terminal voltage V0 in the steady state has a waveform from the time t1 to the time t2, but the pulse-shaped waveform is hu due to the inclusion of bubbles and solids. , Hd, which appear only during a short time ΔT, can be captured as a signal by continuous sampling for a further short time Δt and statistical processing of transition data by a computer.

With such a configuration, when a sudden waveform abnormality due to foreign matter is found, as described above, the value of the steady-state waveform from time t1 to time t2 is continuously used as a reference. The abnormality can be detected by comparing with the monitored value or by capturing the difference between the terminal voltages V0 of the two mechanical filter circuits having almost the same vibrator as an analog signal.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to measure with high speed and high sensitivity the state in which the liquid flow, viscosity, non-uniformity of density, bubbles, impurities, dirt, etc. change with time.

In this embodiment, the case where various states relating to the liquid are measured has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the states such as the concentration and humidity of powder and gas can be measured at high speed. It is also effective for cases.

Further, although the case where the contact 21 is immersed in the liquid to sense the state of the liquid has been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this example, and a semiconductor wafer is used instead of the contact 21, for example. It may be immersed in an etching solution through an adapter. In this case, the change over time of the mechanical filter characteristics is continuously captured by the high-speed analysis means, and the progress of the chemical reaction, the etching amount of the wafer, etc. It is also possible to observe changes with high speed and high accuracy.

FIG. 38 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 36 is changed.

As shown in the figure, the contactor 2 which is a vibrator.
1A to 21H are arranged on the circumference. The contacts 21A, 21D, 21F, 21G have a flat plate shape, and the contacts 21B, 21C, 21E, 21H have a curved shape.

Then, these contacts 21A to 21H
Changes significantly in the mechanical filter characteristics with respect to the same vibration suppressing force in the vibration direction v and the direction perpendicular to the vibration direction, and depends on the shape of the contactors 21A to 21H, which are vibrators, such as flat surfaces and hemispherical surfaces. Even if the same flow direction F is received, the vibration suppression force is received differently. Therefore, if the characteristic relationship between the liquid and the individual contactors 21A to 21H is grasped in advance, the filter characteristics output from the respective contactors 21A to 21H are comprehensive. The liquid condition can be grasped by performing the evaluation.

As described above, in this embodiment, it can be used as a sensor for measuring the viscosity, speed and direction of a liquid at high speed.

FIG. 39 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed. However, in the same figure, the illustration of the signal input / output circuit of the mechanical filter is omitted.

As shown in the figure, the tilt detector 200 is provided with the above-mentioned contacts 21 facing each other. Also,
These contactors 21 are connected to the inclination detector 2 by the spring 20s.
00 toward the center.

An adjusting screw portion 203 supporting a triangular weight 202 is engaged with a screw portion 201 formed on the inclination detector 200.
3, the height position 205 of the weight 202 from the reference surface 204 is adjusted, and the weight 202 and the contactor 21 are adjusted.
A gap 206 between the and is set.

In such a structure, if the gap 206 between the weight 202 and the contact 21 is narrowed by adjusting the adjusting screw portion 203, the sensitivity of the contact 21 is increased. Conversely, the gap 20 between the weight 202 and the contactor 21
When 6 is widened, the sensitivity of the contact 21 is lowered.

Therefore, in this state, when the weight 202 leans to the left or right and comes into contact with the contact 21, the vibration of the contact 21 is suppressed, and the output voltage of the mechanical filter characteristic by the contact 21 is measured. By doing so, the direction of the inclination of the reference plane 204 can be detected. At this time, the contactor 21 causes the inclination detector 20 to move by the spring 20s.
Since it is biased toward the center of 0, it is possible to continuously measure the inclination.

In this embodiment, the case where the two contactors 21 are provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example.
A plurality of contacts 21 may be provided in the radial direction centering on the weight 202. In this case, since the number of sensing points by the contacts 21 increases, the resolution in the tilt direction of the reference plane 204 can be improved. .

FIG. 40 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of FIG. 13 is changed. As shown in the figure, a plurality of finely processed contacts 21 are arranged in a columnar shape at the upper end of the support 212. An elastic member 210 supporting the flow receiving plate 211 is provided at the center of each of the contacts 21.
Are arranged.

In such a structure, when the flow receiving plate 211 receives the pressure F of the liquid flowing in the arrow direction, for example, the elastic member 210 tilts in that direction and comes into contact with the contactor 21.
As a result, the mechanical filter characteristics change and the output from the corresponding output terminal e1 changes, so that the presence or absence and the direction of the liquid flow can be sensed in an instant.

Although the case where the liquid flow is sensed has been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the liquid as in this example, and other liquids such as gas leakage, air flow in the exhaust duct, and powder flow can be used. Can also be sensed.

FIG. 41 shows another embodiment in which the structure of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

As shown in the figure, around the rotary shaft 215, a plurality of contactors 21 as vibrators are arranged.
In addition, these contactors 21 are rotated by the spring 20s.
By being urged toward the central portion of 15, the contact 2
The tip portion of No. 1 elastically contacts the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 215 with a substantially uniform force.

In such a structure, since the contacts 21 are evenly elastically contacted with the rotary shaft 215, the rotary shaft 21
When the rotation of No. 5 is normal, the change due to the mechanical filter characteristic of each contact 21 does not appear. On the other hand, the rotary shaft 21
For example, when rotational shake occurs in 5, the contact state with respect to each contact 21 changes, so that the mechanical filter characteristic changes, so that the abnormality of the rotary shaft 215 can be detected.

Further, not only with such rotation blur, but also when the rotary shaft 215 is worn or the like, the same change appears, so that the abnormality of the rotary shaft 215 can be detected. Furthermore, since each contact 21 is biased toward the center of the rotary shaft 215 by the spring 20s, the rotary shaft 2
It is also possible to measure the degree of abnormality of 15 as a numerical value.

In this embodiment, the rotary shaft 215 is used.
Although the case where the abnormality is detected has been described, the present invention is not limited to this example, and by arranging a pipe through which the liquid flows in the portion of the rotary shaft 215, the abnormality in the internal pressure can be detected.

Further, in this embodiment, the rotary shaft 215
Although the case where a plurality of mechanical filters 20 are arranged around the above has been described, the number of the contactors 21, the installation location, the shape, and the like can be appropriately set according to the purpose.

FIG. 42 shows the mechanical filter 20 of FIG.
2 shows another embodiment in which the configuration is changed, and two cylindrical contactors 21 are arranged inside the mechanical filter 20. An optical fiber 220, for example, is inserted through the center of each contact 21. However, in the figure, the signal input / output circuit of the mechanical filter is omitted.

In such a configuration, when the optical fiber 220 is fed at high speed in the direction of the arrow without contacting each contactor 21, no change appears in each output terminal e2, e3. On the other hand, when the optical fiber 220 is broken or loosened and comes into contact with at least one of the contacts 21, a change appears in the output of at least one of the output terminals e2 and e3, so that the broken or loosened is detected instantly. be able to.

FIG. 43 shows another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 12 is changed. The contacted object is not a solid but a liquid deposit, and the deposit The case where the position of the interface is observed in real time is shown.

In the figure, the robot 80 is equipped with a moving means, a distance measuring means, and a time measuring means, which are not shown,
The contactor 21 attached to the tip of the drive shaft 86 is inserted into the liquid deposits 40a to 40d.

Then, for example, when the contact 21 is positioned at the interface between the deposits 40a and 40b having different viscosities, the position of the contact 21 is servo-controlled by using the robot 80 so that the mechanical filter characteristic becomes a predetermined value. , Deposit 4
Even if the interface position between 0a and 40b has a temporal change or a spatial distribution, it is possible to continuously measure the interface position, the amount of change, the change speed, the change time, and the like.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the measurement by various touch sensing is performed by using the touch sensor according to each purpose has been described, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Alternatively, the respective touch sensors described above may be combined as appropriate, and the touch sensors may be associated with each other by the control means.

Further, although the mechanical filter has been described in the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this.
It is also possible to apply the electromechanical vibrator to a touch sensor using an impedance element or circuit formed of a capacitor, an inductance, or the like.

[0187]

As described above, according to the contact sensor and the contact sensing system of the present invention, when a contact vibrating at a specific frequency comes into contact with an object to be contacted, the vibration is suppressed and vibrates. It utilizes the fact that the resonance condition of the child shifts and the filtering characteristic of the mechanical filter, that is, the mechanical filter characteristic changes, and that the signal input to the mechanical filter is output to the output means after being attenuated etc. Since the contact is sensed with respect to the contacted object, the contact can be appropriately and reliably sensed with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a touch sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation of the touch sensor of FIG.

3 is a perspective view showing a mechanical filter of the touch sensor of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment in which the shape of the contact of the mechanical filter of FIG. 3 is changed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the contactor of FIG. 3 is changed.

6 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

9 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

10 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

11 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the contactor of FIG. 5 is applied to a robot.

13 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the touch sensor of FIG.

15 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

16 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

17 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 15 is changed.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 17 is changed.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

20 is a side view showing the touch sensor of FIG. 19. FIG.

21 is a perspective view showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 19 is changed.

22 is a conceptual diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 23 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the touch sensor of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

27 is a conceptual diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

FIG. 28 is a conceptual diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 22 is changed.

FIG. 29 is a conceptual diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 26 is changed.

30 is a perspective view showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

31 is a waveform diagram showing an operation of the touch sensor of FIG. 30. FIG.

32 is a perspective view for explaining an operation of the touch sensor of FIG. 30. FIG.

FIG. 33 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the touch sensor of FIG. 32.

34 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 30 is changed.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

36 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

37 is a waveform chart for explaining the operation of FIG. 36. FIG.

38 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 36 is changed.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

41 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 13 is changed.

42 is a diagram showing another embodiment when the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 1 is changed.

43 is a diagram showing another embodiment in which the configuration of the touch sensor of FIG. 12 is changed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20A vibrator 20b hole 21,21a-j, 21p, 21A-H contactor 23,23a, 24,25 terminal 27 adhesive agent 28 dividing line 29a-c, 139 projection 41 contact point 52,52a, 57 A / D converter 55 amplifier 58 signal waveform analyzer 60 buffer material 70 digital filter 86 drive shaft 113 groove 130, 131 partition wall 133 gap 135 injection port 138 prismatic wire 139 protrusion 140 processed product 141 cylindrical hole 150 case 151 spring plate 152-156 signal line 171 Press plate 172 Projection piece 173 Reference surface 181 Linear image sensor 190 Ceramic filter 191 Liquid 201 Screw part 203 Adjustment screw part 204 Reference surface 205 Height position 206 Gap 210 Elastic member 211 Flow receiving plate 212 Support part 220 Optical fiber a, b terminal e1, e2, e3, y1 to yn output terminal f electric signal s switch p1, p2, p3 contact point Ri, Ro, R1, R2, R3 resistance Y1 to Yn ceramic filter circuit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (31) Priority claim number Japanese Patent Application No. 7-319641 (32) Priority date Hei 7 (1995) November 13 (33) Country of priority claim Japan (JP) (31) Priority Claim number Japanese Patent Application No. 7-353633 (32) Priority date Hei 7 (1995) December 31 (33) Country of priority claim Japan (JP)

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A contact sensor for detecting contact with an object to be contacted, comprising: a mechanical filter using a part of a vibrator as a contactor; input means for inputting a signal to the mechanical filter; and the contactor and the object to be contacted. An output unit for outputting a change in the characteristic of the mechanical filter caused by contact with a contact object. 2. The contact sensor according to claim 1, wherein the contactor is set as a gauge adapted to a shape, a size and a material of a sensing portion of the contacted object. 3. The contact sensor according to claim 1, wherein the contactor is set to have a shape, size, and material that match the environment of the contact sensing location of the contacted object. 4. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the contactor has elasticity. 5. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is formed with an adapter that allows the contactor to be attached and detached. 6. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the mechanical filter is automatically adjusted by a characteristic adjusting means for adjusting the characteristic. 7. The contactor or the contacted object is adjusted to a predetermined position by a moving means, and moved from a movement start point to a contact start point with the contacted object by a distance measuring means and a time measuring means. 7. A touch sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, characterized in that distance and travel time are measured. 8. The contact according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, wherein a plurality of the contacts are provided corresponding to the contact sensing points of the contacted object. Touch sensor. 9. The contactor is provided with a number of contact parts corresponding to the shape, size and material of the contact sensing part of the contacted object.
Touch sensor according to 5, 6, 7 or 8. 10. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the contacts are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a thin wire provided between the contacts has a contact function. . 11. The touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the contacts are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a plate provided between the contacts has a contact function. . 12. The average speed of vibration of the contact is at least twice the moving speed of the contacted object, and the average speed of vibration is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. , 8, 9, 1
The touch sensor according to 0 or 11. 13. The contactor and the contact object are measured by measuring the change in the mechanical filter characteristic using the data continuously taken by the measuring means in a cycle shorter than half of the vibration cycle of the vibrator. A contact state with the sensor is sensed.
The touch sensor according to 0, 11 or 12. 14. The touch sensing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the touch sensors are combined and each touch sensor is associated with each other by a control means.