JPH1089944A - Inspection device for tubular object - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection device for tubular object which can automatically and accurately measure the length, etc., of a pipe, etc., so as to reduce the burden of inspectors and, at the same time, to reduce the occurrence of defective products by quickly recognizing the occurrence of a defective product at the time of forming the pipe. SOLUTION: An inspection device for tubular object is constituted in such a way that two supporting rails 21 are separably supported closely to a device frame 1 and rollers 29 are respectively attached to the front ends of arm members 22 so that a vinyl chloride pipe P can be placed on the rollers 29 and the rollers 29 can be rotated by fixing the arm members 22 to the rails 21 at intervals and, at the same time, a push plate 31 is provided on one end side of the rails 21 and a stopper cylinder 41, a wall thickness measuring instrument 70, an outside diameter measuring instrument 60, and a rotating mechanism 50 which rotationally drives the pipe P placed on the rollers 29 are provided on the other end side of the rails 21. The inspection device is constituted so that the device can measure the length of the pipe P and the instruments 70 and 60 can respectively measure the wall thickness and outside diameter of the pipe P even when the pipe P is rotated by means of the mechanism 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting a tubular article suitable for dimensional inspection of a tubular article such as a resin pipe,
The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus that automates the measurement of dimensions such as length.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vinyl chloride pipe or the like is formed by an extruder or the like and cut to a predetermined length. After cutting, a length, an outer diameter, a thickness, etc. are inspected, and a dimensional defect is found. In addition to eliminating the poorly dimensioned pipe,
We are adjusting extruders and cutting machines. Conventionally, when inspecting the dimensions of such a polyvinyl chloride pipe, the pipe is extracted from the molding line, and an inspector manually performs measurement using a micrometer or a measure, and returns the pipe to the molding line after the measurement. I was doing the work.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional dimension inspection of pipes, an inspector manually measures dimensions such as thickness and length using a micrometer or a measure. There is a problem that a large number of man-hours are required for the inspection. In addition, in the manual measurement of the inspector,
100% inspection is practically impossible, it is necessary to rely on sampling inspection, it is not possible to quickly know the dimensional state, that is, the molding state of the molding machine, etc. There was also a problem that a large number of defective products were generated. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an inspection device for a tubular object capable of automatically and accurately measuring the length and the like of a pipe or the like, reducing the burden on an inspector, and forming a pipe. It is an object of the present invention to quickly grasp the occurrence of defective products and reduce the occurrence of defective products.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting a tubular article which holds a tubular article transported by a transfer mechanism at a predetermined position and measures the dimensions of the tubular article. Wherein the sliding members are slidably mounted on the apparatus frame in two rows with an interval therebetween, and the sliding members are brought into contact with one end surface of the tubular members on the sliding member to slide the tubular members. A pressing member that presses in the row direction of the members is movably supported on the device frame in a direction parallel to the row direction of the sliding member and connected to an actuator, and is located at the other end of the sliding member in the row direction on the device frame. A positioning member is provided so as to be able to contact the other end of the tubular object pressed by the pressing member, and the position defining member is detected based on a relative position between the pressing member and the position defining member by detecting the position of the pressing member. Contacted It provided the length measuring device to calculate the length of the Jo thereof.

[0005] A tubular object inspection apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
At least one row of the sliding members is movably supported toward another row and connected to an actuator,
A transport conveyor for transporting the tubular object below the sliding member may be provided so as to be able to move up and down (claim 2).

Further, the inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to the present invention comprises:
In a mode (Claim 3) in which a thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of a tubular object abutting on the position-defining member is provided adjacent to the position-defining member, furthermore, The present invention can be configured to provide an outer diameter measuring device for measuring the outer diameter of an object (claim 4). According to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, further, a contact roller that rollably contacts the outer peripheral surface of the tubular object placed on the sliding member, and an actuator that rotationally drives the contact roller. ,
A rotary drive mechanism having a brake for inhibiting the rotation of the contact roller may be provided (claim 5). Further, in the aspect of claim 5, the apparatus uses a roller as the sliding member, Two support rails are attached to the frame at intervals, and a plurality of arm members are fixed to each of the support rails, and the rollers are rotatably mounted on the ends of these arm members around an axis parallel to the support rail extending direction. It can be configured to be attached (claim 6).

[0007] The tubular article is represented by the above-mentioned vinyl chloride pipe, but the present invention can be applied to various pipes such as metal pipes and ceramics pipes, as well as long members (columns). is there. When the weight of the tubular object is not so heavy, a lifter mechanism or the like that connects a vertically movable and vertically movable vacuum suction pad to an actuator and drives the transfer mechanism is used as the transfer mechanism. During the inspection, the transfer mechanism takes out a tubular object from a molding line or the like and places the tubular object on the sliding member of the arm member.

[0008] In a desirable mode, a weight measuring unit for measuring the weight of the tubular object is provided in the inspection apparatus either before or after the dimension measurement, and performs the weight inspection together with the dimension inspection. If the tubular article is a molded article such as a vinyl chloride pipe molded by a molding machine, the tubular article cut by the cutting machine is directly introduced into the weight measuring section to measure the weight, and the weight measurement is completed. It is configured to transfer the formed tubular object to the dimension measuring unit by the transfer mechanism.

The sliding members are arranged in two rows so that the tubular objects can be placed on the apparatus frame, and allow the tubular objects to slide in the longitudinal direction. The sliding members are arranged in two rows at intervals corresponding to the outer diameter of the tubular object to be inspected and attached to the apparatus frame, and the tubular members are transferred onto these sliding members by the transfer mechanism during the inspection. . As the sliding member, a spherical or disk-shaped member made of a resin, a ferrous metal, a non-ferrous metal, or the like, desirably, a resin having excellent lubricity is used.

[0010] Further, as a desirable mode of these sliding members, the intervals between the rows are provided so as to be adjustable, and the rows are provided so as to be able to approach and separate. In a specific embodiment, a plurality of sliding members are respectively attached to two long supporting members arranged in parallel so as to be parallel and spaced apart from each other, and can be approached / separated, and at least one of the supporting members is attached to the actuator. In addition to the connection, the transfer conveyor is arranged below the sliding member so as to be able to move up and down (claim 2). In this aspect, at the time of inspection, the lowermost part of the tubular object placed on the sliding member is always located at a constant height regardless of the size of the outer diameter (when inspecting a tubular object having a different outer diameter). After the inspection, the transfer conveyor is raised, and the sliding member is driven by the actuator in a direction to be separated by the actuator to drop the inspected tubular object onto the transfer conveyor after the inspection. Then, the dropped tubular object is transferred to the next step by the transfer conveyor.

The pressing member is supported movably in the row direction of the sliding member, and is connected to a driving mechanism having a chain, an actuator, and the like. The pressing member is driven by the drive mechanism when the tubular object is placed on the sliding member, and abuts against the end of the tubular object on the sliding member to press and move the tubular object toward the position defining member. The position defining member is fixed to or fixed to the apparatus frame so as to be adjustable, and the tubular object pressed by the pressing member abuts to define the inspection position of the tubular object.
The position defining member is composed of a member fixedly provided at a fixed position of the apparatus frame, a so-called stopper or the like. As a desirable mode, this position defining member is attached to the device frame via a shock absorbing device such as a shock absorber or a cylinder which responds to the movement of the pressing member, and is pressed by a tubular object to be positioned at a fixed position. It is constituted so that.

The length measuring device measures the length of the tubular object in a state where the tubular object is in contact with the position defining member, that is, in a state where the tubular object is located at the inspection position. Specifically, the length measuring device detects the position of the pressing member with a sensor, and calculates the length of the tubular object from the relative position between the pressing member and the position defining member. Examples of a sensor used in the length measuring device include a wire-type linear encoder, a linear scale, and an optical scale sensor provided in a driving mechanism of a pressing member.

The thickness measuring device measures the wall thickness of the tubular object at the inspection position, and similarly, the outer diameter measuring device measures the outer diameter of the tubular object at the inspection position. When the lower part of the tubular object on the sliding member is always located at a constant height regardless of the outer diameter, the thickness measuring device is fixed at the height, and the height of the tubular object is the outer diameter or the like. When it changes, it is provided so that the position can be adjusted. This thickness measuring device is a measuring device having a contact-type sensor or the like, for example, a patent application previously filed by the present applicant (filed on August 6, 1996).
Date, reference number PK608063) is used. As the outer diameter measuring device, for example, a device in which a pair of contact type sensors are arranged to face each other, and these sensors are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular object to measure the outer diameter is used.

The rotary drive mechanism supports the contact roller so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the tubular object. When the tubular object is located at the inspection position, the contact roller contacts the outer peripheral surface of the tubular object and the rotation of the contact roller is controlled by a brake. When the contact roller is prohibited and restricted, and the inspection position is changed, the contact roller is rotationally driven by an actuator to rotate the tubular object.
This rotation drive mechanism rotates the tubular object when measuring the thickness and outer diameter of the tubular object, and enables measurement of the thickness variation and roundness of the tubular object.

When a rotary drive mechanism is provided, a plurality of rollers are used as sliding members. These rollers are
It is made of a resin, a ferrous metal, a non-ferrous metal, or the like, preferably a resin having excellent lubricity. Each of the plurality of rollers is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm member around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tubular member, and two support members are attached to the apparatus frame at an interval in parallel with each other. The base ends of the arm members are attached with their ends facing each other. As a desirable mode, as described above, the support member is supported so as to be able to approach / separate and the interval between the rollers can be adjusted.

[0016]

According to the inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to the present invention, when the tubular object is placed on the sliding members of the two rows of arm members by the transfer mechanism, the pressing member contacts the end face of the tubular object and Is pressed, and the tubular object is slid on the sliding member to abut the position defining member. Then, at the inspection position in contact with the position defining member, the length of the tubular object is measured by the length measuring device based on the relative position of the pressing member and the position defining member, and if necessary, the thickness is measured by the thickness measuring device. The thickness and the outer diameter are measured by an outer diameter measuring device. Thereafter, when the measurement is completed, the tubular object is discharged from the inspection position on the sliding member and transported to the next process.For example, each row of the arm members moves in a direction away from each other, and the tubular object is placed on the transfer conveyor. It falls and is conveyed by the transfer conveyor. Therefore, the inspection can be performed automatically, and the inspection of all the molded products provided on a molding line or the like can be easily performed.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show an inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall plan view, FIG. 2 is an overall front view, FIG. 3 is an overall side view, and FIG.
FIG. 5A is a plan view showing an outline of another main part, FIG. 5B is a plan view showing an outline of another main part, FIG.
Is a partially enlarged plan view.

In FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, S indicates an inspection device, and the inspection device S is provided at an inspection station on a molding line of a vinyl chloride pipe (tubular material) P. Although not explicitly shown in the drawings, the molding line for the vinyl chloride pipe P in this embodiment is provided with an extruder at a molding station and a cutter at a cutting station following the molding station. An inspection station having the inspection device S is provided.

In the inspection apparatus S, an apparatus frame 1 is constructed by assembling frame members such as angles, and a weight measuring section 10 is provided on one side of the apparatus frame 1 and a dimension measuring section 20 is provided on the other side of the apparatus frame 1. Weighing unit 1
A transfer lifter (transfer mechanism) 90 for transferring the vinyl chloride pipe P from 0 to the dimension measuring unit 20 is provided. The weight measuring unit 10 includes a pair of weight scales 11, 11 on the device frame 1.
Are provided apart from each other in the pipe take-in direction D, and a take-off roller 12, a pair of take-in rollers 13, 13 and a photoelectric switch 14 are provided on the cutting station side.

Each of the weighing scales 11 has a weighing roller 11a at an upper portion thereof, and a vinyl chloride pipe P is placed on the weighing roller 11a to measure an actual weight value. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the weight scale 11 is connected to a controller, and outputs a measurement signal indicating the actual weight value of the vinyl chloride pipe P to the controller. The take-off roller 12 is rotatably attached to the apparatus frame 1. The take-in rollers 13, 13 are arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction, are connected to an interval adjusting cylinder to adjust the distance between them, and are connected to an actuator such as a motor controlled by a controller to be driven to rotate. . The photoelectric switch 14 detects the rear end of the vinyl chloride pipe P guided to the weight scale 11, and outputs a detection signal when the vinyl chloride pipe P is located at the weight measuring position on the weighing roller 11a. When the cutting completion signal is input to the controller from the cutting machine of the cutting station, the weight measuring section 10 rotates the take-in rollers 13, sandwiching the vinyl chloride pipe P, takes in the cut vinyl chloride pipe P, and weighs the weight. When the photoelectric switch 14 outputs a detection signal to the weight measurement position on the weighing roller 11a, the rotation stops.

The transfer lifter 90 supports a slider member 91 movably between the weight measuring section 10 and the dimension measuring section 20 above the apparatus frame 1 and is connected to a traveling mechanism 96. A plurality of (four) elevating cylinders 92 are provided at 91 at a distance from each other in the pipe taking direction D with their rods facing downward, and a plurality of vacuum suction pads 93 are attached to the rods of these elevating cylinders 92 by brackets 95 respectively. You. The traveling mechanism 96 rotatably supports a support shaft 97 on one side of the apparatus frame 1 in parallel with the pipe taking-in direction D, and fixedly drives driven sprockets 97a, 97a at both ends of the support shaft 97, respectively. 1 on the other side idle sprocket 98 and motor 9
9 in the pipe take-in direction D,
Chains 94, 94 are respectively mounted between the driving sprocket 99a and the driven sprocket 97a, which are fixed to the rotating shaft 9 and between the idle sprocket 98 and the other driven sprocket 97a.
4 and 94 are fixed to the slider member 91.

The above-mentioned motor 99 is connected to a controller, the elevating cylinder 92 is connected to a pressurized air supply source via a control valve or the like connected to the controller, and similarly, the vacuum suction pad 93 is connected to the controller. It is connected to a negative pressure source via a control valve. When the weight measurement by the weight measurement unit 10 is completed, the transfer lifter 90
2 lowers the vacuum suction pad 93 to suck the vinyl chloride pipe P, and then raises the vacuum suction pad 93 to drive the slider member 91 by the traveling mechanism 96 to move the slider member 91 from above the weight measuring section 10 to the dimension measuring section 20. The lifting cylinder 92 is moved upward on the dimension measuring unit 20 by the vacuum suction pad 9.
3 is lowered, the vinyl chloride pipe P is released from the vacuum suction pad 93, and is placed on a roller described later.

The dimension measuring section 20 has two support rails 21.
Are mounted on the apparatus frame 1 in parallel so that they can approach and separate from each other. Ball screw shafts 23a, 23b and 23c are threaded through both side portions and a center portion of the support rail 21, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, these ball screw shafts 23 are rotatably supported by the device frame 1 via bearings and the like, and a central ball screw shaft 23a is connected to a drive motor 24 via a transmission shaft 25. The ball screw shaft 23 is connected to the drive motor 24 via the transmission shaft 25 via a bevel gear mechanism 26, a connection shaft 27, a coupling 28 and the like. The ball screw shafts 23 are driven by a drive motor 24 to rotate integrally, and the support rails 21 move in parallel in a direction in which they approach and separate from each other by the rotation of the ball screw shaft 23.

A plurality of support arms 22 are attached to the support rail 21 in parallel with a space therebetween, and the tip of the support arm 22 of one support rail 21 and the tip of the support arm 22 of the other support rail 21 face each other. As shown in FIG. 6, a roller (sliding member) 29 is provided at the tip of each of the support arms 22 in the extending direction of the support rail 21 (see FIG. 6).
It is rotatably mounted around an axis parallel to B).
These rollers 29 are made of a resin or a metal, preferably a resin having excellent lubricity such as a fluororesin or a polycarbonate resin, and the outer diameter thereof is larger than the thickness of the support arm 22.
Chamfering is performed on a portion facing a push plate described later. As will be described later, a vinyl chloride pipe P is placed on the rollers 29 of the support arms 22 with the support rails 21 approaching a predetermined interval by the transfer lifter 90 described above. Is driven by the drive motor 24 and moves in a direction in which the rollers 2 are separated from each other.
The vinyl chloride pipe P on 9 is dropped. Note that the roller 29 described above can also be manufactured by removing one side of a commercially available cam follower (made of SS or the like) by additional processing.

As shown in FIG. 1, a push plate (pressing member) 31 is slidably engaged with a guide rod or the like at one end of the support rail 21 in the longitudinal direction. A stopper cylinder 41 is provided on the other end side so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the rail 21, and the length measuring device 3 is provided by the push plate 31 and the stopper cylinder 41.
0 is configured. The push plate 31 is connected to a rodless cylinder 32 extending parallel to the support rail 21, and in a desirable mode, a wire (not shown) extending from a wire encoder 33 is fixed. This push plate 3
1 is reciprocally driven in a predetermined range parallel to the support rail 21 by the rodless cylinder 32,
As a result, the vinyl chloride pipe P comes into contact with the end face of the vinyl chloride pipe P placed on the roller 29 and is pressed toward the stopper cylinder 41.

The wire encoder 33 is connected to the controller, detects the position of the push plate 31 based on the length of the wire drawn out, and outputs a detection signal to the controller. As will be described later, this controller uses the vinyl chloride pipe P based on the detection output of the wire encoder 33, etc., based on the relative position between the push plate 31 and the position defining plate when the vinyl chloride pipe P contacts the position defining plate of the stopper cylinder 41. The length of the pipe P is calculated. Note that the above-described wire encoder 33 can be replaced with a linear scale, an optical scale sensor, or the like.

As the stopper cylinder 41, an air cylinder or the like is used, and the stopper cylinder 41 is fixed to the apparatus frame 1 with the rod facing the wire encoder 33 side. Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, a position defining plate (position defining member) is fixed to the tip of the rod of the stopper cylinder 41 so as to be able to contact the end of the vinyl chloride pipe P pressed by the push plate 31. And a microswitch for detecting the measurement position of the position defining plate. The stopper cylinder 41 is connected to and controlled by a controller, and the vinyl chloride pipe P is connected to the push plate 31.
The rod is extended when pressed by the rod to advance the position defining plate in the direction opposite to the PVC pipe P. When the PVC pipe P comes into contact with the position defining plate, it functions as a shock absorber and functions as a shock absorber. Reduces the impact that acts. The microswitch is connected to the controller, and outputs a detection signal to the controller when the position defining plate contacts the vinyl chloride pipe P and moves to the retreat limit position. The stopper cylinder can be omitted, or can be replaced with a shock absorber or a spring.

Further, in the dimension measuring section 20, a rotation drive mechanism 50 and an outer diameter measuring device 60 are disposed on the stopper cylinder 41 side, and a thickness measuring device 70 is disposed adjacent to the stopper cylinder 41. Is done. The rotation drive mechanism 50 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, a crank shaft 53 connected to a cylinder 52 is provided at the center of the support shaft 51 so as to be rotatable on the apparatus frame 1 in parallel with the support rail 21.
The contact rollers 55 are attached to both sides of the support shaft 51 by mounting arms 54, respectively, and one end of the support shaft 51 is connected to a lock clutch 56 provided on the apparatus frame 1.

The crank arm 53 has a substantially rectangular shape.
The base end is fixed to the support shaft 51, and the front end is rotatably connected to the rod of the cylinder 52. The cylinder 52 is swingably supported by the apparatus frame 1 and connected to a controller. The cylinder 52 is controlled by a controller to rotationally drive the support shaft 51 (see FIG. 5B), and causes the contact roll 55 to contact the peripheral surface of the vinyl chloride pipe P at the time of dimension measurement. The mounting arm 54 has a base end fixed to the support shaft 51 and a bracket 54a provided at the end with a contact roll 5.
5 is rotatably supported. The contact roll 55 is provided with a rubber lining on a peripheral surface, and incorporates a motor, a brake mechanism (or an irreversible actuator such as a geared motor), and an encoder. The motor and the brake mechanism are connected to and controlled by a controller, and the encoder is also connected to the controller to detect rotation of the contact roll 55 and output a detection signal to the controller. The contact roll 55 is controlled by a motor or the like connected to a controller, and contacts the peripheral surface of the vinyl chloride pipe P in a state in which rotation is prohibited by a brake mechanism to restrain the vinyl chloride pipe P in the rotation direction. , While being in contact with the peripheral surface of the PVC pipe P
Is driven to rotate.

The outer diameter measuring device 60 has a pair of cylinder scales 61 opposed to each other at a distance in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the support rails 21 extend. Possible device frame 1
It is configured to be attached to. The cylinder scale 61 has a measurement plate fixed to the tip of a measurement rod protruding from the cylinder body, and has a built-in sensor for detecting the length of the measurement rod protruding inside the cylinder body. The outer diameter measuring device 60 measures the outer diameter of the vinyl chloride pipe P by bringing the measurement plate of the cylinder scale 61 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the vinyl chloride pipe P at a position diametrically opposed. The outer diameter measuring device 60
Can be replaced with a non-contact type laser dimension measuring device or the like.

Although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the thickness measuring device 70 is constituted by a non-contact type sensor such as a contact type displacement sensor or a laser type sensor. The thickness measuring device 70 has a sensor connected to the controller and outputs a detection signal of the thickness detected by the sensor to the controller. As described above, the thickness measuring device 70 is a thickness measuring device previously submitted by the present applicant (submission date: August 6, 1996, reference number PK6
08063).

Further, below the dimension measuring section 20,
The transfer conveyor 80 that conveys the PVC pipe P that has been inspected and falls from the dimension measuring unit 20 is moved up and down by the lifting frame 8.
1 and a transfer conveyor 8
0, a pusher 82 is provided, and an exclusion guide 83 is provided near the other side of the transfer conveyor 80. The transfer conveyor 80 is composed of a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, and the like, in which rollers and belts are drivably supported by the conveyor frame, and the conveyor frame is attached to the apparatus frame 1 so as to be able to move up and down by a cylinder. This transfer conveyor 80
The cylinders and the like are controlled by a controller to transfer the non-defective vinyl chloride pipe P to the next step.

Although not shown, the pusher 82 is configured by attaching an extruding plate to the tip of a rod of an air cylinder, and is attached to the apparatus frame 1 at substantially the same height as the transport surface of the transport conveyor 80 in the raised state. This pusher 8
Reference numeral 2 is connected to and controlled by a controller. When the controller outputs a failure signal, the controller 2 operates to push the vinyl chloride pipe P dropped on the conveyor 80 toward the exclusion guide 83. The defect sorting / eliminating guide 83 is formed of a plate-like member which is inclined downward from the side of the conveyor 80 to the outside, and the edge on the side of the conveyor 80 is
At a height that is continuous with the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor 80 at the ascending position. The pusher 82 described above functions as a defect sorting machine.

Although illustration and detailed explanation are omitted, the controller has a monitor and an alarm device such as a buzzer, etc., controls the transfer lifter 90 and the like, the weight scale 11, the length measuring device 3 and the like.
0, the measurement data of the outer diameter measuring device 60 and the thickness measuring device 70 are totaled, and it is determined whether or not the data is a normal value. In particular, when the measured value is out of the specified range, the controller displays details of the measured dimensions on a display and sounds a buzzer or the like to alert an operator, and furthermore, a pusher 82 or the like. And outputs a defective signal to select defective products.

In this embodiment, a vinyl chloride pipe P is continuously extruded by a molding machine at a molding station, and the vinyl chloride pipe P is cut by a cutter at a cutting station, and the cut vinyl chloride pipe is cut. The pipe P is carried into the inspection station and subjected to the dimensional inspection by the inspection device S. That is, in the inspection station, the cut vinyl chloride pipe P is first taken into the weight measuring unit 10 of the inspection device S by the take-off roller 12 and the take-in roller 13 from the cutting machine, and the polyvinyl chloride pipe P is weighed by the weighing roller 11a of the weight scale 11. Place on top and measure actual weight. At this time, the transfer lifter 90 places the slider member 91 on the weight measuring unit 10 and waits.

Subsequently, when the weight measurement is completed, the transfer lifter 90 causes the lifting cylinder 92 to lower the vacuum suction pad 93 to suck the vinyl chloride pipe P, and then raises the vacuum suction pad 93 to move the slider member. 91 moves onto the dimension measurement unit 20. Then, on the dimension measuring section 20, the support rail 21 is positioned so that the rollers 29 are separated from each other by a distance corresponding to the outer diameter of the vinyl chloride pipe P, and the elevating cylinder 92 lowers the vacuum suction pad 93 to lower the vinyl chloride. The pipe P is placed on the roller 29 of the support arm 22 of the support rail 21.

When the polyvinyl chloride pipe P is placed on the roller 29 by the transfer lifter 90, the length measuring device 3
At 0, the push plate 31 is driven by the rodless cylinder 32 and moves toward the stopper cylinder 41 to abut against the end face of the PVC pipe P.
Is pressed toward the position defining plate of the stopper cylinder 41 to move it, and the other end of the vinyl chloride pipe P is brought into contact with the position defining plate of the stopper cylinder 41. Here, since the PVC pipe P moves on the roller 29, it is not damaged, and since the stopper cylinder 41 functions as a shock absorber, the impact of the PVC pipe P abutting on the position defining plate is reduced. When the position defining plate is located at a predetermined position, the position of the push plate 31 at this time is detected by the wire encoder 33, and the wire encoder 33 outputs a detection signal to the controller, and the detection signal is input in advance. The controller measures the length of the vinyl chloride pipe P based on the position data of the position defining plate and the like.

At the same time as the length measurement is completed or the length measurement is started (when the vinyl chloride pipe P is sandwiched between the push plate 31 and the position defining plate), the rotation driving mechanism 50 is turned on. The cylinder 52 extends to contact the contact roll 55 with the peripheral surface of the vinyl chloride pipe P, and the contact roll 55
Is prohibited by the brake mechanism. Then, in this state, the outer diameter measuring device 60 measures the outer diameter in one diameter direction of the vinyl chloride pipe P, and the thickness measuring device 70 measures the thickness at one location. That is, the outer diameter measuring device 60 measures the outer diameter by bringing the measuring plate of the cylinder scale 61 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the vinyl chloride pipe P at a position diametrically opposed thereto, and the thickness measuring device 70 is a displacement sensor or the like. Measure the wall thickness with.

Further, when measuring the outer diameter and the thickness of another portion after this, the rotation drive mechanism 50 rotates the contact roll 55 to rotate the vinyl chloride pipe P by an angle corresponding to the measured position. At this angular position, the rotation of the contact roll 55 is prohibited again by the brake mechanism as described above, and the outer diameter and thickness are measured. Thereafter, when all the measurements are completed, the transfer conveyor 80 moves up, and the support rails 21 are driven by the drive motor 24 to move away from each other to drop the vinyl chloride pipe P onto the transfer conveyor 80.

The controller compares the measured weight, length, outer diameter, and thickness of the polyvinyl chloride pipe P with predetermined reference values to determine whether the product is good or defective, and displays the result of the determination on a display. In the case of failure, an alarm is generated by sounding a buzzer, etc., and a correction signal is output to the molding machine or cutting machine as necessary to correct the failure.
The pusher 82 or the transfer conveyor 80 is selectively driven according to the determination result. In other words, the pusher 82 operates without causing the transfer conveyor 80 to travel with respect to the PVC pipe P whose measurement result is defective, and pushes out the transfer conveyor 80 toward the exclusion guide 83, and
The transfer conveyor 80 travels to the vinyl chloride pipe P having a good measurement result and is transferred to the next step or the like.

In the same manner, the weight measurement and the dimension measurement are performed on all the vinyl chloride pipes P sequentially cut by the cutting machine. If a weight defect or dimensional defect is found, the defective PVC pipe P is discharged from the line as described above, and is displayed on a display monitor or the like and a buzzer or the like is sounded to alert the worker. Prompt
Further, the failure data is output to a controller of a molding machine or a cutting machine. Therefore, it is possible to quickly cope with the occurrence of a molding defect or a cutting defect, and the occurrence of a defect can be extremely reduced.

[0042]

As described above, according to the apparatus for inspecting a tubular object according to the present invention, the sliding members are arranged in two rows so that the tubular objects can be mounted thereon, and one end of the sliding member in the row direction is mounted. A pressing member is provided on the other end side, a position defining member is provided, a tubular object is placed on the sliding member, and the pressing member is brought into contact with one end of the tubular object on the sliding member to place the tubular object on the position defining member side. To move the tubular object between the position defining member and the pressing member to measure the length of the tubular object from the relative position between the position defining member and the pressing member, so that the length measurement can be performed automatically,
The effect is obtained that the total inspection of vinyl chloride pipes and the like formed by a molding machine or the like can be easily performed.

In the inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to the second aspect, the inspection is completed because each row of the pressing members is attached so as to be able to approach / separate and the transfer conveyor is provided below the sliding member so as to be able to move up and down. The transfer of the tubular article can be performed automatically, and the tubular article can be prevented from being damaged during the transfer.

Further, the inspection apparatus for a tubular article according to the third aspect is provided with a thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of the tubular article. Since the outer diameter measuring device for measurement is provided, the dimensions of the tubular object can be comprehensively inspected, and the dimensional inspection can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, the tubular object inspection apparatus according to claim 4 is provided with a rotation drive mechanism capable of rotating the tubular object on the sliding member, so that the thickness and the outer diameter at a plurality of locations can be measured, and more accurate. Inspection can be performed. In the inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to the fifth aspect, the resistance at the time of rotating the tubular object by the rotation driving mechanism can be reduced, and the tubular object can be smoothly rotated. In particular, in the tubular object inspection apparatus according to the sixth aspect, since the roller is used as the sliding member, the rotation of the tubular object by the rotation drive mechanism can be performed smoothly, and quick inspection can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a tubular object inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall front view of the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an overall side view of the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of the inspection apparatus.

FIG. 5 shows another main part of the inspection apparatus, wherein a is a plan view and b is a view of A as viewed from an arrow A.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of another part of the inspection apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device frame 10 Weight measuring part 11 Weight scale 12 Pulling roller 13 Take-in roller 20 Dimension measuring part 21 Support rail 22 Support arm 23 Ball screw shaft 24 Drive motor 29 Roller (sliding member) 30 Length measuring device 31 Push plate 32 Rodless Cylinder 33 Wire encoder 41 Stopper cylinder 50 Rotation drive mechanism 51 Support shaft 52 Cylinder 55 Contact roll 56 Lock clutch 60 Outside diameter measuring device 61 Cylinder scale 70 Thickness measuring device 80 Transfer conveyor 83 Pusher 90 Transfer lifter 91 Slider member 92 Lifting Cylinder 93 Vacuum suction pad P PVC pipe (tubular) S Inspection device

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for inspecting a tubular object which holds a tubular object conveyed by a transfer mechanism at a predetermined position and measures a dimension of the tubular object, wherein two rows of sliding members are spaced apart from each other on an apparatus frame. The tubular member is slidably mounted on the sliding member, and a pressing member that contacts one end surface of the tubular member on the sliding member and presses the tubular member in the row direction of the sliding member is provided on the device frame. The other end of the tubular member which is movably supported in parallel with the sliding member in the column direction and connected to the actuator, and the position defining member is pressed by the pressing member at the other end side position of the sliding member on the device frame in the column direction. To be able to contact with
A length measuring device is provided for detecting a position of the pressing member and calculating a length of the tubular object abutting on the position defining member based on a relative position between the pressing member and the position defining member. Inspection device for tubular objects. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one row of the sliding members is arranged in another row.
The inspection apparatus for a tubular object according to claim 1, wherein a transfer conveyor for transferring the tubular object is provided below the sliding member so as to be able to move up and down while being supported so as to be able to advance and retreat toward the row and connected to the actuator. 3. The inspection of a tubular object according to claim 1, wherein a thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness of the tubular object in contact with the position defining member is provided adjacent to the position defining member. apparatus. 4. An apparatus for inspecting a tubular object according to claim 1, further comprising an outer diameter measuring device for measuring an outer diameter of the tubular object abutting on the position defining member. 5. A contact roller rotatably contacting an outer peripheral surface of a tubular object placed on the sliding member, an actuator for driving the contact roller to rotate, and a brake for inhibiting rotation of the contact roller. The inspection device for a tubular object according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a rotating drive mechanism having the rotation driving mechanism. 6. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sliding member is a roller, and two support rails are attached to the apparatus frame at an interval.
6. The inspection of a tubular object according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of arm members are fixed to each of the support rails, and the rollers are rotatably attached to the ends of these arm members around an axis parallel to the direction in which the support rails extend. apparatus.