Device and method for inspecting connecting rod
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsTsuguo Koguchi, Hideki Okumura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connecting rod inspecting device is provided with a work table for placing a connecting rod in a status where the connecting rod is positioned at a prescribed position; a slide unit for reciprocating the work table along the horizontal direction; and first to fourth distance sensors for measuring a step quantity (D) of a step part by irradiating measuring planes composed of curved surfaces with laser beams and measuring distances between the sensors and the planes irradiated with the beams. Conforming/nonconforming judgment is made by the measured step quantity (D) and a range of allowable quantities previously set.
Claims8
An apparatus for inspecting a connecting rod by cracking a larger end of the connecting rod into a cap and a rod, rejoining the cap and the rod, and thereafter checking a step in a joint area between the cap and the rod, comprising:
- a workpiece table for placing the connecting rod positioned in place thereon;
- a slide unit for reciprocally moving said workpiece table in a horizontal direction;
- and
- a step extent detecting mechanism for detecting an extent (D) of said step by applying a laser beam to a curved measured surface of the connecting rod and measuring a distance up to the curved measured surface.
An apparatus for inspecting a connecting rod by cracking a larger end of the connecting rod into a cap and a rod, rejoining the cap and the rod, and thereafter checking a step in a joint area between the cap and the rod, comprising:
- a workpiece table for placing the connecting rod positioned in place thereon;
- a slide unit for reciprocally moving said workpiece table in a horizontal direction;
- and
- a plurality of distance sensors for detecting an extent (D) of said step by applying a laser beam to a curved measured surface of the connecting rod and measuring a distance up to the curved measured surface;
- wherein said distance sensors apply a laser beam to an inspected surface including said joint area of the connecting rod to measure a distance up to the inspected surface which is irradiated with said laser beam, a measurement range of said curved inspected surface is divided into a plurality of points and reference data is measured at said points, said reference data is averaged into shape data, thereafter a hypothetical line (K1) is established by a plurality of points extracted from said shape data, a point spaced a predetermined distance back from a point (A) where said step is detected is established as a reference point (B), said hypothetical line (K1) is translated into a hypothetical line (K2) passing through said reference point (B), a point spaced a predetermined distance ahead of said point (A) where said step is detected is established as a measurement point (C), and the distance in a one-dimensional direction of movement between said hypothetical line (K2) and said measurement point (C) is measured as the extent (D) of said step.
A method of inspecting a connecting rod by cracking a larger end of the connecting rod into a cap and a rod, rejoining the cap and the rod, and thereafter checking a step in a joint area between the cap and the rod, comprising the steps of:
- applying a laser beam to an inspected surface including said joint area of the connecting rod to measure a distance up to the inspected surface which is irradiated with said laser beam;
- dividing said curved inspected surface into a plurality of points and measuring reference data at said points;
- averaging said reference data into shape data;
- establishing a hypothetical line (K1) with a plurality of points extracted from said shape data;
- establishing a point spaced a predetermined distance back from a point (A) where said step is detected, as a reference point (B), and translating said hypothetical line (K1) into a hypothetical line (K2) passing through said reference point (B);
- establishing a point spaced a predetermined distance ahead of said point (A) where said step is detected, as a measurement point (C), and measuring the distance in a one-dimensional direction of movement between said hypothetical line (K2) and said measurement point (C) as an extent (D) of said step;
- and
- judging the connecting rod for acceptability based on whether said measured extent (D) of said step falls in a predetermined range or not.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.