Method and apparatus for electro-optically determining the contact pattern on tooth flanks of gears

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are described for optoelectronically determining the contact patterns on tooth flanks of gears. The tooth flanks of at least one gear (24) of a pair of gears (22, 24) to be tested are marked by application of a marking compound. Contact patterns (28) are formed on the points of contact of the tooth flanks during operation. These contact patterns are picked-up and stored as a first digital image. The first digital image serves to determine a second digital image containing the outline of the tooth flank. A third digital image which contains the contact pattern (28) is determined from the first digital image. The second and the third digital images are superimposed on each other to determine a fourth digital image of the tooth flank, which contains the outline thereof and has its contact pattern inscribed therein, and which can be analyzed to determine the position and size of the contact pattern with reference to the outline. It is advantageous that the contact pattern can be determined and analyzed without a desired representation of the contact pattern or any reference image at all having to be available beforehand. It is a universal method in which the actual outline of the tooth flanks of the marked gear of the pair of gears to be tested is used for the analysis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.