JPH11343021A - Roller follow-up device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the rollers follow up the shape of a long member even when the long member is curved by comprising a roller rotatable while abutting to the long member, and a following-up mechanism for making the roller follow up the shape of the long member. SOLUTION: A billet 1 is carried and driven by a driving motor 6 in a state that it is held and pressed between a driven pinch roller 2 and a driving pinch roller 3. In a follow-up mechanism 11, a parallel link is formed by the supporting members 7, 7' and an operational cylinder 5, and the follow-up mechanism can be vertically moved in the direction of an arrow (b) on the fulcrums 7a, 7a' while following up the shape of the billet 1. A housing 9 is suspended from a frame 8 by the supporting springs 4, so that it can be moved not only vertically in the direction of an arrow (c), but also in every direction including the horizontal, direction while following up the shape of the billet 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roller follower suitable for use in carrying and driving a long member such as a billet in a magnetic recording flaw detector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A magnetic recording flaw detector using a magnetic recording flaw detection method is used to detect a flaw on the surface of a billet (a billet or a bar) as a long member used as a material of a wire such as a piano wire. Are known. A pinch roller device is provided to transport and drive the billet to the magnetic recording flaw detector.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the structure of a conventional pinch roller device.
0 is the driving pinch roller 23, as shown in FIG.
Driven pinch roller 22, support member 27, working cylinder 2
5 and a drive motor 26. A driven pinch roller 22 is disposed above the billet 1, and a driving pinch roller 23 is disposed below the billet 1.
Are arranged, and the billet 1 is held between the driving pinch roller 23 and the driven pinch roller.

[0004] The driven pinch roller 22 is rotatably attached to an intermediate portion of a support member 27.
Numeral 7 is pivotally attached to a frame 28 at a fulcrum 27a formed near one end (left side in FIG. 4). An end of the working cylinder 25 is connected near the other end of the support member 27 (the right side in FIG. 4), and the other end of the working cylinder 25 is fixed to the frame 28.

The working cylinder 25 is an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like. By operating and extending the working cylinder 25, the support member 27 is pressed downward, and the driven pinch roller 22 is pressed against the billet 1. ing. On the other hand, the drive pinch roller 23 is rotatably attached to the frame 28 at a position below the billet 1, and further, the drive pinch roller 23 is provided with a drive motor 26. By doing so, the drive pinch roller 23 is driven to rotate.

With such a configuration, the working cylinder 25
In a state where the billet 1 is nipped and pressed by the driven pinch roller 22 and the drive pinch roller 23,
By driving the drive motor 26 and rotating the drive pinch roller 23, the billet 1 is transported in the direction of arrow a. A fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system provided with the above-described conventional pinch roller device will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 5 shows a fully automatic billet inspection
FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a flaw removal system. As shown in FIG. 5, a fully automatic billet inspection / flaw removal system includes a magnetic recording flaw detector 11, 12, a pinch roller apparatus 20,
It comprises a control console 30, a marking device 70, an automatic flaw removal device 80, and control units 32a and 32b.

Each of the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 is an inspection apparatus for detecting a flaw on the surface of the billet 1 by using the magnetic recording flaw detection method, and is capable of simultaneously inspecting two opposing surfaces of the billet 1. I have. In addition, the magnetic recording flaw detector 1
The magnetic recording flaw detector 1 and the magnetic recording flaw detector 12 are configured so that flaws on different surfaces of the billet 1 can be inspected from each other. At 12, the flaws on the other two opposite surfaces are inspected. When the billet 1 passes through the magnetic recording flaw detector 11 and the magnetic recording flaw detector 12, the four surfaces of the billet 1 are inspected. Flaws can be inspected.

[0008] The marking device 70 is for marking a predetermined portion of the billet 1 with paint or the like, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 32a. The automatic flaw removal device 80 removes flaws on the surface of the billet 1 by grinding or the like, and is controlled by the control unit 32b.

The control unit 32a receives the position information of the flaw of the billet 1 sent from the control console 30, and controls the marking device 60 so as to mark the position of the flaw. Further, the control unit 32b receives the position information of the flaw of the billet 1 sent from the control console 30, and controls the automatic flaw removing device 70 to remove the flaw.

Information on the surface of the billet 1 detected by the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 is input to the control console 30. Based on this information, the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 are input. , Pinch roller device 2
0, marking device 70 and control units 32a, 3
2b is controlled. The control console 30 compares the information on the surface of the billet 1 sent from the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 with a preset reference value as needed, and when the magnetic recording information becomes larger than the reference value, the billet is used. 1 is determined to be flawed.

The control console 30, which has determined that there is a flaw on the surface of the billet 1, calculates the position of the flaw on the billet 1 based on the transport speed of each pinch roller device 20, and the like, and controls the control unit 32a and the control unit 32b. To send the position information etc. of the flaw to
Further, various kinds of information are displayed on the CRT 31.

Each of the pinch roller devices 20 is configured to be transported while firmly holding the billet 1, and to stably transport and drive the billet 1 during inspection by the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12. It has become. With such a configuration, the billet 1 is firmly held by the pinch roller device 20 while the magnetic recording flaw detector 1
1 and inspected by the magnetic recording flaw detector 11 for flaws on the two opposing surfaces by the magnetic recording flaw detection method, and then, while being pinched and pressed by the pinch roller device 20, It is sent to the magnetic flaw detector 12.

The billet 1 is inspected by the magnetic recording flaw detector 12 for the flaws on the other two opposing surfaces by the magnetic recording flaw detection method. The sheet is conveyed to the marking device 70 while being pinched and pressed by the following device 20. In the magnetic recording flaw detector 11 and the magnetic recording flaw detector 12, the billet 1
When a flaw is detected on the surface of the marking device 70, the fact is transmitted to the control console 30 and this marking device 70 is detected.
After the marking is performed on the position of the flaw in the above, the flaw is removed in the automatic flaw removing device 80.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above described magnetic recording flaw detector 1
In order to maintain stable inspection accuracy in the cases 1 and 12, the billet 1 needs to be supplied (transported) to the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 at a constant transport speed by the pinch roller device 20. Also, in the above-described fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system, the marking device 70 and the automatic flaw removal device 80 perform marking and removal of flaws on the surface of the billet 1, thereby improving the quality of the billet 1. For this purpose, it is necessary to transport the billet 1 to the marking device 70 and the automatic flaw removing device 80 at a constant transport speed.

However, the billet 1 is not always straight, for example, 50 mm to 100 mm per 20 m.
1 mm due to bending near the end called "nose bending" which occurs during the manufacturing process.
In some cases, it is bent by about 30 mm per m. In the above-described conventional pinch roller device 20, when the billet 1 bent in this manner is conveyed to the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 while being bent, the driving pinch roller 2
3, the stable driving force cannot be transmitted to the billet 1, so that the transport speed of the billet 1 is not constant,
Stable inspection accuracy cannot be maintained in the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12. Further, when the billet 1 has a plurality of bends or the like intermittently, vibration is generated by the transport of the billet 1, and the vibration deteriorates the inspection accuracy, looses the device screws and the like, and reduces noise. Or may occur.

FIG. 5 shows a fully automatic billet inspection system.
Also in the flaw removal system, since the flaws on the surface of the billet 1 cannot be accurately marked or removed, the quality of the billet 1 may not be maintained at a high level. For this reason, in the above-described conventional pinch roller device 20, the shaft of the drive pinch roller 23 is fixed to the frame 28, and the driven pinch roller 22 is strongly pressed against the billet 1 by the operation cylinder 25, and the billet 1 is driven by the drive pinch roller. 23 and the driven pinch roller 22, and the billet 1 is driven while being conveyed while being pressed.
The bending of the billet 1 is extended to stably drive the billet 1. However, in order to extend the bending of the billet 1, it is necessary to clamp the billet 1 with a strong pressing force by the working cylinder 25, When configuring the pinch roller device 20, it is necessary to secure high rigidity,
Also, a large working cylinder 2 to secure a strong pressing force
5 is required, so that the production cost is increased and the size of the apparatus is increased.

In order to extend the billet 1, there is a method of using a dedicated straightener using hydraulic pressure or the like, but such a straightener is expensive. The present invention
In consideration of such a problem, it is possible to make the roller follow the shape of the long member even if the long member is bent by applying a device that is not affected by the bending of the long member. It is an object of the present invention to provide a roller follower that can perform the following.

[0018]

According to the present invention, a roller follower according to the present invention includes a roller that can rotate in contact with a long member, and the roller is formed into a shape of the long member. It is characterized in that it is provided with a following mechanism for following. In the roller follower according to the first aspect, a pair of the rollers may be provided, and the pair of rollers may sandwich the long member (claim 2).

Further, in the roller follower according to the second aspect, the pair of rollers may be configured as a pair of pinch rollers that convey and drive while nipping and pressing the long member (claim 3). Furthermore, in the roller following device according to the third aspect, a driving device that rotationally drives the pinch roller may be provided on one or both of the pair of pinch rollers (claim 4).

In the roller follower according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a suspension mechanism for suspending the roller may be provided. Further, in the roller following device according to claim 5, the suspension mechanism may also serve as the following mechanism (claim 6).

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (A) Description of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a roller follower (pinch roller follower) as a first embodiment of the present invention, and a pinch according to the first embodiment. The roller following device 10 is provided in the fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removing system shown in FIG. 5, and as shown in FIG. 1, the driven pinch roller 2 (roller), the driving pinch roller 3 (roller), the following mechanism 11, a support spring 4 and a drive motor 6 are provided.

That is, the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 are arranged at a position facing each other with the billet 1 as a long member therebetween. The driven pinch roller 2 is rotatably mounted near the center of the support member 7, and the drive pinch roller 3 is rotatably mounted near the center of the support member 7 '.

A drive motor 6 is attached to the drive pinch roller 3. The drive motor 6 is a drive motor driven by electric power, hydraulic pressure, or the like. The drive motor 6 drives the drive pinch roller 3 to rotate at a constant speed. The follow-up mechanism 11 is composed of support members 7, 7 'and the working cylinder 5, and the support member 7 is located near one end (left side in FIG. 1).
At a fulcrum 7a formed on the housing 9,
Similarly, the support member 7 'is pivotally attached to the housing 9 at a fulcrum 7a' formed near one end (left side in FIG. 1).

Each end of the working cylinder 5 is pivotally mounted near the other end of the support member 7, 7 'so as to connect the support members 7, 7'. 5 is operated to contract, the billet 1 is driven by the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3.
Can be held and pressed. Further, in a state where the billet 1 is nipped and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3, the drive motor 6
By driving the driving pinch roller 3 to rotate,
The driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 hold and press the billet 1 to carry and drive it.

The follow-up mechanism 11 is provided with support members 7, 7 '.
And the working cylinder 5 form a parallel link, so that the distance between the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 is not changed, and the shape of the billet 1 is followed using the fulcrums 7a and 7a 'as fulcrums. To move up and down in the direction of arrow b. One end of a plurality of support springs 4 serving as a suspension mechanism is attached to the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 9.
Is attached to the frame 8. The support springs 4 are coil springs, and the housing 9 is suspended from the frame 8 by the support springs 4 and can move up and down in the direction of arrow c following the shape of the billet 1 and also includes the horizontal direction. The billet 1 can be moved in any direction following the shape of the billet 1.

With this configuration, the operating cylinder 5 is operated, the billet 1 is nipped and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3, and the driving motor 6 is driven in this state to drive the pinch. By driving the roller 3 to rotate, the billet 1 is transported and driven in the direction of arrow a. Here, when the billet 1 is bent in the vertical direction, the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 follow the shape of the billet 1 while holding the billet 1 while holding the fulcrum 7a, 7a '. The drive pinch roller 3 moves up and down to the fulcrum in the direction of the arrow b, and the drive force of the drive pinch roller 3 is always transmitted to the billet 1 without separating from the billet 1, and the billet 1 is transported at a stable speed.

When the billet 1 is bent irregularly in a direction other than the vertical direction, the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 are held in a state where the billet 1 is held therebetween.
The housing 9 is moved by following the shape of the billet 1 by the support spring 4, and the driving force of the driving pinch roller 3 is always transmitted to the billet 1 without separating the driving pinch roller 3 from the billet 1. 1 is transported at a stable speed.

Furthermore, even when the billet 1 has a plurality of bends and the like and the housing 9 vibrates due to the driving of the billet 1, the support spring 4 absorbs the vibration and transmits the vibration to the frame 8. There is no. As described above, according to the pinch roller follower 10 as the first embodiment of the present invention, the follower pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 follow the shape of the billet 1 and move up and down in the direction of arrow b by the follower mechanism 11. Since the driven pinch roller 2 is moved, the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 surely contact the billet 1, the drive pinch roller 3 does not separate from the billet 1, and the driving force of the drive pinch roller 3 Can be stably transmitted to the billet 1, and the billet 1 can be transported and driven at a stable speed.

Further, since the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 are securely brought into contact with the billet 1 by the following mechanism 11, a large pressing force sufficient to change the shape of the billet 1 like a straightening machine is required. Instead, the billet 1 may be pinched with a small pinching force compared to the straightening machine, and a small working cylinder 5 can be used, and it is not necessary to secure high rigidity as a whole device, and the device can be downsized. The manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the housing 9 is suspended by the support spring 4, even when the billet 1 is bent irregularly in a direction other than the vertical direction, the housing 9 is still supported by the support spring 4.
As a result, the pinch roller 3 moves following the shape of the billet 1, and the driving force of the driving pinch roller 3 can be constantly transmitted to the billet 1 without separating the driving pinch roller 3 from the billet 1. And can be transported. Further, even when vibration occurs due to the bending of the billet 1, the vibration is not transmitted to the frame 8 because the support spring 4 absorbs the vibration.
This vibration can prevent deterioration of inspection accuracy, loosening of screws, generation of noise, and the like.

Further, the pinch roller follower 10 of the first embodiment is used, for example, to transport the billet 1 in the above-described fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system shown in FIG. In the above, when the flaws on the surface of the billet 1 are read, the transport speed of the billet 1 does not change, the accuracy of flaw reading can be improved, and the reliability of detection accuracy can be improved.

Further, the pinch roller following device 10 of the first embodiment is used as a transport device for transporting the billet 1 to the marking device 70 and the flaw removing device 80 in the aforementioned fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removing system shown in FIG. When the billet 1 is used, the billet 1 is transported at a stable transport speed in the marking step and the flaw removing step, so that the position of the billet 1 does not shift in each stroke, and the marking position shifts in the marking device 70. Thus, a high quality product can be manufactured without causing any flaws or leaving any flaws in the flaw removing device 80.

(B) Description of Second Embodiment FIG. 2 shows a roller follower (pinch roller follower) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. Pinch roller follower 10 '
Is configured by removing the support spring 4 and the frame 8 of the pinch roller following device 10 according to the above-described first embodiment, and the other parts are configured similarly to the pinch roller following device 10 of the first embodiment. Have been. The installation location is also provided in the fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system shown in FIG. 5, similarly to the pinch roller follower 10 according to the above-described first embodiment. In the drawings, the same reference numerals as those described above indicate the same or almost the same portions, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

Since the pinch roller follower 10 'according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above,
The operating cylinder 5 is operated, and the billet 1 is nipped and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3,
Further, in this state, the billet 1 is transported and driven in the direction of the arrow a by driving the drive motor 6 to rotate the drive pinch roller 3.

Here, when the billet 1 is bent in the vertical direction, the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 follow the shape of the billet 1 while holding the billet 1 and support the fulcrum 7a. , 7a 'as a fulcrum and arrow b
The driving pinch roller 3 always moves to the billet 1 without separating the driving pinch roller 3 from the billet 1, and continuously drives the billet 1 at a stable speed.

As described above, according to the pinch roller follower 10 'as the second embodiment of the present invention, the first
Similarly to the pinch roller follower 10 of the embodiment, the follower mechanism 11 and the driven pinch roller 3
Are adapted to move up and down in the direction of the arrow b following the shape of the billet 1, so that the driving pinch roller 3 does not separate from the billet 1 and stably drives the driving force of the driving pinch roller 3. The transmission to the billet 1 can be continued, the billet 1 can be transported and driven at a stable speed, and the number of components can be reduced, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the apparatus can be downsized. Can be.

Further, the pinch roller follower 10 'of the second embodiment may be used, for example, to transport the billet 1 in the above-described fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removing system shown in FIG. Similarly to the pinch roller follower 10, the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 do not change the conveying speed of the billet 1 when reading the flaws on the surface of the billet 1, thereby improving the flaw reading accuracy and detecting accuracy. Can be improved in reliability.

Further, the pinch roller follower 10 'according to the second embodiment is provided with a fully automatic billet inspection and inspection system shown in FIG.
In the case of using the billet 1 to the marking device 70 or the flaw removing device 80 in the flaw removing system, similarly to the pinch roller following device 10 of the first embodiment, the billet is used in the marking process or the flaw removing process. 1 is driven at a stable transport speed, so that the billet 1 is not displaced in each stroke, the marking position is shifted in the marking device 70, or the flaw is left in the flaw removing device 80. And high quality products can be manufactured.

(C) Description of Third Embodiment FIG. 3 shows a roller follower (pinch roller follower) according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and a pinch roller follower 10 ″ of the third embodiment. Is provided in the fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system shown in FIG. 5, like the pinch roller following device 10 according to the first embodiment and the pinch roller following device 10 ′ according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the driven pinch roller 2 (roller), the drive pinch roller 3 (roller), the support members 71 and 72, the support spring 4 and the drive motor 6 are provided, and are long. A driven pinch roller 2 and a driving pinch roller 3 are arranged at a position facing each other with a billet 1 as a member therebetween. The driven pinch roller 2 is rotatably mounted on one end of a support member 72 around a shaft 2a, and the drive pinch roller 3 is mounted on one end of the support member 71 with the shaft 3a as an axis. It is rotatably mounted. The drive pinch roller 3 is provided with a drive motor 6. The drive motor 6 is driven to rotate the drive pinch roller 3 at a constant speed.

Further, both ends of the working cylinder 5 are fixed to the shaft 2a of the driven pinch roller 2 and the shaft 3a of the driving cylinder 3, respectively. The billet 1 can be held and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3. Further, while the billet 1 is sandwiched and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3, the drive pinch roller 3 is driven to rotate by the drive motor 6 so that the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 The billet 1 is transported while being held and pressed.

The other ends of the support members 71 and 72 are fixed to the other ends of the support springs 4 respectively, and the other ends of the support springs 4 are fixed to the frame 8 respectively. The driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 are configured to be suspended from the frame 8 by these support springs 4. Each support spring 4
Is a coil spring, which is configured as a suspension mechanism for suspending the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3. The support spring 4 allows the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3 to move in all directions including the horizontal direction. It can move in the direction following the shape of the billet 1.

The driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 are vertically moved by the respective support springs 4 so as to follow the shape of the billet 1, and these support springs 4 as a suspension mechanism follow. The mechanism is also used. With such a configuration, the working cylinder 5 is operated, the billet 1 is nipped and pressed by the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3, and the drive motor 6 is driven in this state to drive the drive pinch roller 3 By rotating the billet 1, the billet 1 is transported and driven in the direction of arrow a.

When the billet 1 is bent in the vertical direction, the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 hold the billet 1 while holding the billet 1 therebetween.
As a result, the pinch roller 3 moves up and down following the shape of the billet 1, and the driving force of the driving pinch roller 3 is constantly transmitted to the billet 1 without separating from the billet 1, and the billet 1 is moved at a stable speed. It is transported and driven.

When the billet 1 is bent irregularly in a direction other than the vertical direction, the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3 are held in a state where the billet 1 is held therebetween.
The support spring 4 moves to follow the shape of the billet 1, and the driving pinch roller 3 does not separate from the billet 1, continuously transmits the driving force of the driving pinch roller 3 to the billet 1, and stabilizes the billet 1. It is transported at a speed.

Furthermore, even when the billet 1 has a plurality of bends and the like, and the billet 1 is driven to be vibrated, each supporting spring 4 absorbs the vibration and transmits the vibration to the frame 8. Absent. As described above, according to the pinch roller following device 10 ″ as the third embodiment of the present invention, the same operation and effect as those of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained, and the support spring 4 can be driven by the driven pinch roller 2 The number of parts constituting the apparatus is reduced because the following mechanism is used as a follower mechanism for causing the driven pinch roller 3 to follow the shape of the billet 1 and a suspension mechanism for suspending the driven pinch roller 2 and the drive pinch roller 3. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

The pinch roller follower 10 ″ of the third embodiment can also be used for conveying the billet 1 in, for example, the aforementioned fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system shown in FIG. Similarly to the pinch roller follower 10, the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12 do not change the conveying speed of the billet 1 when reading the flaws on the surface of the billet 1, thereby improving the flaw reading accuracy and detecting accuracy. Can be improved in reliability.

Further, the pinch roller follower 10 ″ of the third embodiment is connected to the fully automatic billet inspection and inspection system shown in FIG.
In the case of using the billet 1 to the marking device 70 or the flaw removing device 80 in the flaw removing system, similarly to the pinch roller following device 10 of the first embodiment, the billet is used in the marking process or the flaw removing process. 1 is driven at a stable transport speed, so that the billet 1 is not displaced in each stroke, the marking position is shifted in the marking device 70, or the flaw is left in the flaw removing device 80. And high quality products can be manufactured.

(D) Others In the above-described first embodiment, one end of the support spring 4 is attached to the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 9. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be attached to the side surface of the housing 9 so that the housing 9 can be moved in the horizontal direction. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In each of the above-described embodiments, only one pinch roller (drive pinch roller 3) of the pair of pinch rollers is rotationally driven by the drive motor 6, but the invention is not limited to this. , Both pinch rollers may be rotationally driven by a common or separate drive motor 6, and by rotating both pinch rollers,
The billet 1 can be transported more reliably,
The reliability and transport drive performance of the apparatus can be improved.

In each of the above-described embodiments, a coil spring is used as the support spring 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various springs such as a leaf spring may be used. , Instead of coil springs, air cylinders, dampers, rubber,
Elastic means such as resin may be used, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In each of the above embodiments, the pinch roller followers 10, 10 ', 10 "(roller followers)
Is provided with a pair of rollers, that is, a driven pinch roller 2 and a driving pinch roller 3, and the billet 1 is sandwiched between the driven pinch roller 2 and the driving pinch roller 3. However, the invention is not limited thereto. Instead, one roller may be rotated in contact with a long member such as the billet 1 and the roller may be rotated by following the shape of the long member by a follow-up mechanism without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Various modifications can be made within the scope.

For example, when the above-described roller follower is used as a detection roller of a distance detection device that detects the amount of movement of the long member by making the detection roller follow and rotate while abutting as the long member moves. Since the detection roller does not separate from the long member and the roller does not run idle, the detection accuracy of the movement amount of the long member can be improved.

Further, for example, when the billet 1 is supplied to a character paint device (not shown) by the pinch roller follower of each of the above-described embodiments, and the character paint device paints a character on the surface of the billet 1, the paint is also applied. The position of billet 1 does not shift during the process,
It is possible to paint characters of stable quality on the surface of the billet 1.

Further, the roller follower of each of the above-described embodiments can be used as a follower for bringing the magnetic recording tape into contact with the billet 1 in the magnetic recording flaw detectors 11 and 12, or the marking unit can be used in the marking device 70. It can be used for a follow-up mechanism that follows the shape of the billet 1 or a flaw removing device 80
In the above, the flaw removing part may be used for a follow-up mechanism that follows the shape of the billet 1, and thereby, a higher quality product can be manufactured.

[0056]

As described above in detail, according to the roller follower of the present invention, a roller that can rotate while contacting the long member is provided, and the roller follows the shape of the long member by the follower mechanism. Therefore, the positional relationship between the roller and the elongated member can be kept constant, and there is an advantage that the roller is not separated from the elongated member (claim 1).

Further, a pair of pinch rollers may be constituted by a pair of pinch rollers which are driven to convey while nipping and pressing the long member, so that the pinch roller does not separate from the long member and is pinched. There is an advantage that the driving force of the roller can be stably transmitted to the long member, and the long member can be transported and driven at a stable speed.
Since it does not require a large pressing force enough to change the shape of the long member, a device for strong pressing,
There is no need to secure the rigidity for this, and there are advantages that the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced and that the device can be downsized.

Further, a driving device may be provided on one or both of the pair of pinch rollers to rotate the pinch roller, thereby continuously transmitting the driving force of the pinch roller to the long member. Therefore, there is an advantage that the long member can be transported and driven at a stable speed. Still further, a roller may be suspended by providing a suspension mechanism, so that even when the long member is bent irregularly, the suspension mechanism absorbs vibration caused by transport of the long member. This vibration is not transmitted to the apparatus, and there is an advantage that deterioration of inspection accuracy, loosening of screws, generation of noise, and the like due to the vibration can be prevented (claim 5).

Further, the suspension mechanism may also serve as the follow-up mechanism, which can reduce the number of parts constituting the apparatus, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.
There is an advantage that the device can be downsized (claim 6).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a roller following device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a roller following device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a roller following device as a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a conventional pinch roller device.

FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a fully automatic billet inspection and flaw removal system.

[Description of Signs] 1 billet (long member) 2 driven pinch roller (pinch roller) 3 drive pinch roller (pinch roller) 4 support spring (suspension mechanism) 5 operation cylinder 6 drive motor 7, 7 ', 71, 71 support Member 7a, 7a 'Supporting point 8 Frame 9 Housing 10, 10', 10 "Pinch roller follower (roller follower) 11 Follower mechanism

Claims (6)

[Claims] The invention is characterized in that it comprises a roller that can rotate in contact with the elongate member, and a follow-up mechanism that makes the roller follow the shape of the elongate member.
Roller follower. 2. A roller follower according to claim 1, wherein said roller has a pair of rollers, and said pair of rollers sandwiches said elongated member. 3. The roller follower according to claim 2, wherein said pair of rollers are configured as a pair of pinch rollers that carry and drive while nipping and pressing said elongated member. 4. The roller following device according to claim 3, wherein one or both of said pair of pinch rollers is provided with a driving device for rotating said pinch rollers. 5. The roller following device according to claim 1, further comprising a suspension mechanism for suspending the roller. 6. The roller following device according to claim 5, wherein the suspension mechanism also serves as the following mechanism.