KR102307971B1 - Appearance Inspection Apparatus For Steel Ball - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steel ball appearance inspection device, comprising: a supply unit that supplies a steel ball to be inspected; a loading unit for aligning and rotating the steel ball supplied from the supply unit to a steel ball loading unit; an inspection unit including a steel ball facing unit that includes a light emitting unit for irradiating light to the steel ball by being installed on one side of the loading unit and a light receiving unit for receiving the light reflected from the steel ball, and is formed to surround a part of the outer peripheral surface of the steel ball, and a classification unit for classifying the steel ball according to the inspection result of the inspection unit. An objective of the present invention is to provide the steel ball appearance inspection device capable of inspecting and analyzing the appearance of a steel ball at a relatively high processing speed by using a line scan camera.

Description

Appearance Inspection Apparatus For Steel Ball

The present invention relates to a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus, and more particularly, to a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus for inspecting the surface of a steel ball, which is a component such as a ball bearing, using an optical fiber and a line scan camera.

In general, a ball bearing is a part used to rotate the shaft accurately and smoothly, composed of an outer ring, an inner ring, a retainer, and a steel ball. It prevents damage to other parts by reducing energy loss or heat generation due to friction.

Such a ball bearing is a major component mostly used in various machines including a rotating body, such as a transport machine.

In particular, the steel ball, which is a component of these ball bearings, is an ultra-precise mechanical part whose dimensional tolerance or shape tolerance is managed below 2.0㎛. If there is a defect in the appearance, it can have a fatal effect on the life and function of the ball bearing, so it is very important to check the appearance. do.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2011-0040283 discloses a steel ball supply unit 10 for supplying a steel ball to be inspected as shown in FIG. 1 in order to inspect the appearance of the steel ball as described above and the steel ball supply. It is connected to the unit 10 and is adjacent to the steel ball loading unit 20 and the steel ball loading unit 20 on which the steel ball is rotatably loaded for inspection of the steel ball supplied from the steel ball supply unit 10 . It is arranged to inspect whether the steel ball rotated on the steel ball loading unit 20 is defective, but is connected to the steel ball inspection unit 30 and the steel ball loading unit 20 having at least one vision for photographing the steel ball, , a steel ball classification unit 40 for classifying the steel ball into a normal line and a defective line according to the inspection result from the steel ball inspection unit 30 is respectively installed in the frame (F) is disclosed a steel ball vision inspection machine.

Such a conventional steel ball vision inspection machine uses a method of directly photographing a steel ball, which is an inspection target, using a vision camera.

In the conventional steel ball vision inspection machine to which this method is applied, there should be no obstacle between the steel ball to be inspected and the camera, and a high-cost lighting system capable of accurately illuminating the exterior of the steel ball without shadow is essential.

Accordingly, the conventional steel ball vision inspection machine is relatively expensive, and as it takes a relatively long time to analyze the image taken by the camera, there is a problem in that the inspection efficiency is reduced.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0040283 (published on April 20, 2011)

An object of the present invention is to provide a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus capable of detecting defects in the appearance of a steel ball by irradiating indirect lighting to the entire range of a steel ball to be inspected through an optical fiber and analyzing the reflected light. will provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus capable of inspecting and analyzing the appearance of a steel ball at a relatively high processing speed by using a line scan camera.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned may be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention.

Moreover, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

In order to solve the above problems, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a supply unit for supplying a steel ball to be inspected, a loading unit for aligning and rotating the steel ball supplied from the supply unit to a steel ball loading unit, and one side of the loading unit Inspection unit including a steel ball facing portion which is installed in the steel ball to surround a part of the outer circumferential surface of the steel ball, including a light emitting part for irradiating light to the steel ball and a light receiving part for receiving the light reflected by the steel ball, and the inspection result of the inspection unit It includes a classification unit for classifying the steel ball according to the.

More specifically, the supply unit has a hopper shape on the inner bottom surface and a box shape with an open upper surface on which the steel balls are loaded, and the steel balls are formed on the inner bottom surface of the steel ball loading table and loaded on the steel ball loading table. It includes a steel ball input unit which is input one by one, and a steel ball transfer unit for transferring the steel balls from the steel ball input unit to the loading unit.

In addition, the loading unit has an escaper for putting the steel balls one by one from the steel ball transfer unit to the steel ball loading unit, a stopper for limiting the movement of the steel balls located in the steel ball loading unit, and a steel ball discharge groove formed on one side of the steel balls. It includes a steel ball rotating roller for rotating the steel ball located in the loading unit.

In addition, the inspection unit includes a light including a first optical fiber for emitting light to the light emitting unit, a line scan camera that receives the light incident from the light receiving unit through a second optical fiber, and the steel ball through the light received from the lines scan camera. It includes a PC that judges whether it is defective or not.

In addition, the classification unit includes a first discharge passage and a second discharge passage through which the steel balls discharged to the steel ball discharge groove 341 are branched by a gate, the discharge passage formed under the steel ball loading part, the first The first classification rail for discharging the steel balls discharged from the discharge passage to the first classification rail through the first classification rail discharge unit and the steel balls discharged from the second discharge passage through the second classification rail discharge unit to the second classification loading tray and a second sorting rail for discharging.

As described above, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention irradiates the entire surface of the steel ball to be inspected with indirect lighting through an optical fiber and analyzes the reflected light to detect the appearance defect of the steel ball, thereby providing a relatively expensive lighting system. Since it can be replaced with inexpensive optical fiber-only lighting, the cost can be reduced.

In addition, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention can improve inspection efficiency by inspecting and analyzing the appearance of the steel ball at a relatively high processing speed by using a line scan camera.

In addition to the above-described effects, the specific effects of the present invention will be described together while describing specific details for carrying out the invention below.

1 is an overall perspective view of a conventional steel ball vision inspection machine.
2 is a perspective view of a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a side view of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a side view showing the main configuration of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A and 5B are a perspective view showing the shape of an inspection unit of a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and a conceptual diagram illustrating the concept of the inspection unit.

The above-described objects, features and advantages will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention.

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

In the following, that an arbitrary component is disposed on the "upper (or lower)" of a component or "upper (or below)" of a component means that any component is disposed in contact with the upper surface (or lower surface) of the component. Furthermore, it may mean that other components may be interposed between the component and any component disposed on (or under) the component.

Also, when it is described that a component is "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, the components may be directly connected or connected to each other, but other components are "interposed" between each component. It should be understood that “or, each component may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” through another component.

As used herein, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or various steps described in the specification, some of which components or some steps are It should be construed that it may not include, or may further include additional components or steps.

Throughout the specification, when “A and/or B” is used, it means A, B or A and B, unless specifically stated to the contrary, and when “C to D” is used, it means that there is no specific contrary description. Unless otherwise specified, it means that it is greater than or equal to C and less than or equal to D.

Hereinafter, a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention will be described.

2 and 3 are respectively a perspective view and a side view of a steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, Figure 4 is a side view showing the main configuration of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, a and b of FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the shape of the inspection unit of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and a conceptual diagram illustrating the concept of the inspection unit.

2 to 5 , the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a frame 100 , a supply unit 200 , a loading unit 300 , an inspection unit 400 , and a classification unit 500 .

More specifically, the frame 100 is coupled and supported by the components of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention, including the control unit 110 , the emergency light 120 , and the oil pan 130 .

The control unit 110 is a display to control the supply unit 200, the loading unit 300, the inspection unit 400, and the sorting unit 500, respectively. It is preferable that it is a touch panel including.

In addition, the emergency light 120 may generate a notification signal when there is an abnormality in each component to notify the operator or the like.

In addition, the oil pan 130 includes an oil pan 130 installed below the loading unit 300 , the inspection unit 400 , and the sorting unit 500 to prevent oil from falling to the ground.

On the other hand, the supply unit 200 supplies a steel ball to be inspected to the loading unit 300, including a steel ball loading table 210, a steel ball input unit 220, and a steel ball transfer unit 230.

The steel ball loading table 210 has a hopper shape formed on the inner bottom surface and the steel balls to be inspected are loaded in a box shape with an open upper surface.

In addition, it is preferable that the steel ball loading table 210 is formed to be detachable from the frame 100 .

More preferably, the steel ball loading table 210 is formed to have a height on both sides lower than the height of the central part of the inner bottom surface as shown in FIG. It can come together on both sides.

In addition, the steel ball input unit 220 is formed on the lower side of the inner bottom surface of the steel ball loading table 210 to allow the steel ball loaded on the steel ball loading table 210 to enter the steel ball transfer unit 230 . it is for

In addition, when the steel ball input unit 220 is formed to have a height on both sides lower than the height of the central portion of the inner bottom surface of the steel ball loading table 210 as described above, on both sides of the inner bottom surface of the steel ball loading table 210 . each can be formed.

In addition, the steel ball input unit 220 is rotated by the steel ball input unit driving motor 221 or moves up and down simultaneously with rotation to induce smooth entry of the steel ball loaded on the steel ball loading table 210 .

In addition, the steel ball transfer unit 230 is a means for transferring the steel ball that has entered the steel ball input unit 220 to the loading unit 300, a plurality of transfer rollers driven by the steel ball transfer unit driving motor 231, etc. may include.

Meanwhile, the loading unit 300 includes a steel ball loading unit 310 , an escaper 320 , a stopper 330 , and a steel ball rotating roller 340 .

The steel ball loading unit 310 is formed on the end side of the steel ball transfer unit 230 and is a space in which the steel balls to be inspected are located one by one.

In addition, the escaper 320 has a protrusion formed on one side so that the steel ball transferred along the steel ball transfer unit 230 is separated from the steel ball transfer unit 230 and positioned in the steel ball loading unit 310 . rotate a certain angle.

In addition, the stopper 330 is a means for supporting the steel ball located in the steel ball loading part 310 not to be separated to another place.

In addition, the steel ball rotating roller 340 is positioned in the steel ball loading part 310 to rotate the steel ball supported by the stopper 330 .

At this time, the position of the rotating steel ball is not moved by the stopper 330 .

In addition, the steel ball rotating roller 340 has a steel ball discharge groove 341 formed on one side, and the steel ball discharge groove 341 is located on the side of the steel ball rotated by the rotation of the steel ball rotating roller 340. is discharged to the classification unit 500 through the steel ball discharge groove 341.

Accordingly, the diameter of the steel ball rotating roller 340 is preferably formed so that the steel ball can enter the steel ball discharge groove 341 after rotating at least one revolution or more.

On the other hand, the inspection unit 400 includes a steel ball facing portion 410, a lighting 420, a line scan camera 430 and a PC 440, the steel ball facing portion 410 is the steel ball loading unit 310 ) is located on the side.

More specifically, the steel ball facing portion 410 includes a plurality of hole-shaped light emitting portions 411 and the steel ball formed so that light generated from the lighting 420 is irradiated to the surface of the steel ball through the first optical fiber 421 . It includes a plurality of hole-shaped light receiving units 412 for receiving the light reflected on the surface.

At this time, the steel ball facing portion 410 is formed in an arc shape to surround a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the steel ball, and the light emitting portion 411 and the light receiving portion 412 are spaced apart from each other as shown in a of FIG. 5 , respectively. It is preferable to be spaced apart and formed in a line.

In addition, the light collected from the light receiving unit 412 is transmitted to the linescan camera 430 through the second optical fiber 431 .

That is, ends of the first optical fiber 421 and the second optical fiber 431 are respectively located in the light emitting unit 411 and the light receiving unit 412 .

In addition, it is preferable that the lighting 420 is a dedicated optical fiber lighting.

In addition, the PC 440 determines whether there is a defect through the image of the steel ball taken by the line scan camera 430 .

At this time, the PC 440 may be installed on the frame 100 or separately installed outside, and more preferably includes a display means to visualize and start the image of the steel ball taken by the lines scan camera 430 . can do.

Also, the PC 440 may be formed integrally with the controller 110 .

Meanwhile, the sorting unit 500 includes a discharge passage 510 , a first sorting rail 520 , and a second sorting rail 530 .

More specifically, the discharge passage 510 includes a first discharge passage 512 and a second discharge passage 513 in which the steel ball discharged to the steel ball discharge groove 341 is branched by a gate 511, It is formed on the lower side of the steel ball loading part 310 .

In addition, the first sorting rail 520 discharges the steel balls discharged from the first discharge passage 512 to the first sorting platform 522 through the first sorting rail discharge part 521 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , the first sorting rail 520 is a first sorting rail so that the steel ball supplied from the first outlet passage 512 can reach the first sorting rail outlet 521 . It includes a plurality of rollers rotated by the sorting rail driving motor 523 .

In addition, the first sorting platform 522 is preferably formed to be detachably attached to the frame 100 .

In addition, the second classification rail 530 discharges the steel balls discharged from the second discharge passage 513 to the second classification loading stand 532 through the second classification rail discharge unit 531 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , the second sorting rail 530 is configured so that the steel ball supplied from the second outlet passage 513 can reach the second sorting rail outlet 531 . It includes a plurality of rollers rotated by the dividing rail driving motor 533 .

In addition, the second sorting platform 532 is preferably formed to be detachably attached to the frame 100 .

In addition, the first sorting rail 520 and the second sorting rail 530 are preferably formed to be symmetrical to an imaginary vertical line passing through the rotation axis of the steel ball rotating roller 340_.

In addition, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention is such that the transfer unit 200 , the loading unit 300 , the inspection unit 400 , and the sorting unit 500 are symmetrical on both sides of the frame 100 , respectively. formed to improve the test capacity.

On the other hand, the operating method of the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above is as follows.

The steel balls to be inspected loaded on the steel ball loading table 210 are transferred by the steel ball transfer unit 230 through the steel ball input unit 220 .

At this time, the steel ball transferred to the end side of the steel ball transfer unit 230 is separated from the steel ball transfer unit 230 by the escaper 320 and is located in the steel ball loading unit 310, and one side is the stopper ( 330) is supported.

Then, as the steel ball is rotated by the steel ball rotating roller 340 and light is irradiated to the surface from the light emitting unit 411, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention can irradiate the entire surface of the steel ball. .

In addition, the light reflected from the steel ball is collected by the light receiving unit 412 and photographed by the line scan camera 430 through the second optical fiber 421 .

In addition, whether the image of the steel ball photographed by the line scan camera 430 is defective is determined by the PC 440 .

On the other hand, the steel ball, which has been inspected for defects as described above, is discharged to the discharge passage 510 through the steel ball discharge groove 431 .

At this time, when the gate 511 closes the first discharge passage 512 when the steel ball is judged to be defective by the inspection unit 400 , the steel ball moves through the second discharge passage 513 along the second discharge passage 513 . It is delivered to the second sorting platform 532 via the second sorting rail 530 .

On the other hand, when the gate 511 closes the second discharge passage 513 when the steel ball is determined to be normal by the inspection unit 400, the steel ball moves along the first discharge passage 512 It is transferred to the first sorting platform 522 via the first sorting rail 520 .

In this case, the passageway closed by the gate 511 according to the failure or normality of the first sorting rail 520 and the second sorting rail 530 is changeable.

Accordingly, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention irradiates the entire surface of the steel ball to be inspected with indirect lighting through the optical fiber and analyzes the reflected light to detect the appearance defect of the steel ball, thereby converting a relatively expensive lighting system to a relatively inexpensive optical fiber only. Since it can be replaced with lighting, the cost can be reduced.

In addition, the steel ball appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention can improve inspection efficiency by inspecting and analyzing the appearance of the steel ball at a relatively fast processing speed by using a line scan camera.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in the present specification. It is obvious that variations can be made.

In addition, although the effects according to the configuration of the present invention are not explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the configuration should also be recognized.

B. steel ball
100. Frame
110. Control
120. Emergency lights
130. Oil drip tray
200. Supply unit
210. Steel ball loading stand
220. Steel ball input part
221. Steel ball input part drive motor
230. Steel ball transfer unit
231. Steel ball transfer part drive motor
300. Loading unit
310. Steel ball loading part
320. Escaper
330. Stopper
340. Steel Ball Rotating Roller
341. Steel ball discharge groove
342. Steel ball rotating roller drive motor
400. Inspection unit
410. Steel ball facing part
411. Light emitting part
412. Receiver
420. Lights
421. First optical fiber
430. Linescan Camera
431. Second optical fiber
440. PC
500. Sorting unit
510. Exhaust passage
511. Gate
511a. gate drive motor
512. First discharge passage
513. Second discharge passage
520. First sorting rail
521. First sorting rail outlet
522. 1st classification loading stand
523. 1st classification rail drive motor
530. Second sorting rail
531. 2nd classification rail discharge part
532. 2nd classification loading stand
533. 2nd classification rail drive motor

Claims (5)

a supply unit 200 for supplying a steel ball to be inspected;
an escaper 320 for inserting the steel balls one by one from the steel ball transfer unit 230 to the steel ball loading unit 310; a stopper 330 for limiting the movement of the steel ball located in the steel ball loading unit 310; and a steel ball rotating roller 340 having a steel ball discharge groove 341 formed on one side thereof to rotate and discharge the steel ball located in the steel ball loading unit 310, the steel ball supplied from the supply unit 200, A loading unit 300 for aligning and rotating the steel ball loading unit 310;
It is installed on one side of the loading unit 300 and includes a light emitting part 411 for irradiating light to the steel ball and a light receiving part 412 for receiving the light reflected by the steel ball to surround a part of the outer peripheral surface of the steel ball. Inspection unit 400 including a steel ball facing portion (410); and
A steel ball appearance inspection apparatus comprising a; a classification unit 500 for classifying the steel ball according to the inspection result of the inspection unit 400 .
The method of claim 1,
The supply unit 200 is
a steel ball loading table 210 having a hopper shape formed on the inner bottom surface and loading the steel balls in a box shape with an open upper surface;
a steel ball input unit 220 formed on the inner bottom surface of the steel ball loading table 210 and into which the steel balls loaded on the steel ball loading table 210 are put in one by one; and
A steel ball appearance inspection apparatus including a; a steel ball transfer unit 230 for transferring the steel ball from the steel ball input unit 220 to the loading unit 300 .
delete The method of claim 1,
The inspection unit 400 is
a lighting 420 including a first optical fiber 421 for emitting light to the light emitting unit 411;
a line scan camera 430 for receiving the light incident from the light receiving unit 412 through a second optical fiber 431; and
A steel ball appearance inspection apparatus including a;
The method of claim 1,
The classification unit 500 is
The steel ball discharged to the steel ball discharge groove 341 includes a first discharge passage 512 and a second discharge passage 513 that are branched by a gate 511 and is formed on the lower side of the steel ball loading part 310 an exhaust passage 510;
a first sorting rail (520) for discharging the steel balls discharged from the first discharge passage (512) to a first sorting platform (522) through a first sorting rail discharge part (521); and
Steel ball appearance inspection including; Device.

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