JP2002131010A - Height detecting apparatus of powdery sintered body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a height detecting apparatus of powdery sintered body capable of detecting right or wrong of an attitude without necessity of bother adjusting operations and also with high accuracy. SOLUTION: The apparatus is composed of a detecting platform 50 to be driven upward and downward, a stopping means to stop the platform 50 at a stop position when dropping, a detecting probe 60 and a reference detecting probe 70 mounted respectively on the platform 50 to move freely upward and downward and a mutual position detecting sensor R to detect mutual positions in an up-and-down direction of the probe 70 to the probe 60. The sensor R hereby is composed of a position-indicating board 80 fixed to the probe 70 and a position-detecting sensor 81 fixed to the probe 60 to oppose to the board 80 in an up-and-down direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder sintered body height inspection apparatus for inspecting the height of a powder sintered body on a turntable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a powder sintered body is placed on a rotating turntable to correct the powder sintered body, it is checked whether the powder sintered body is in an inverted or inclined state on the turntable. The posture of the powder sintered body on the turntable is inspected in advance. Most of the powder sintered body has a shape in which a convex portion is formed on an end face. Therefore, when the powder sintered body is inverted on a turntable or the like, it is turned by the height of the convex portion. The height of the top surface from the table changes. In order to check the posture of the powder sintered body on the turntable, it is performed to check whether the height of the upper end face is correct.

[0003] In order to inspect the height of a powder sintered body, for example, a height inspection apparatus B (hereinafter simply referred to as an inspection apparatus B) as shown in FIG. 6 is used. . The height inspection apparatus B includes a detection table 100 driven in a vertical direction by a driving mechanism (not shown),
A stop means (not shown) for stopping at a predetermined stop position that can be adjusted, and movable vertically with respect to the detection table 100,
And a detector 200 urged downward by a spring 220 or the like and provided on the detection table 100. Detection table 100
Are slidably provided on the guide rail 110 so as to be driven in the vertical direction.
10 is fixed to the height adjustment unit 120. The height adjusting section 120 has a through hole into which the column 130 is fitted, and is provided on the column 130 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction and rotatable around the axis. After the height adjustment unit 120 is slid up and down on the support 130 and rotated about the axis of the support 130, by fixing to the support 130, the reference height of the detection table 100 and the orientation around the support 130 are changed. It is being adjusted. The reference height and orientation of the detection table 100 are such that when the detection table 100 is lowered, the tip of the detector 200 abuts on the end surface H of the powder sintered body W on the turntable (work table), and the detection table 100 stops. In the position, the detector 200 is adjusted so as to be pushed upward. On the other hand, the detector 200 has a substantially rod shape, is slidably inserted into a support plate 210 fixed to the detection table 100, and is attached in a state of being urged downward by a spring 220. Further, at the upper end of the detector 200,
A slit 230 having a gap S in the horizontal direction is provided. Further, the detection table 100 is provided with a detection unit 300. The detecting unit 300 includes a light source 310 and a light receiving unit 320 that are arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction. When the detector 200 comes into contact with the powder sintered body W and is pushed upward, the slit unit 230 enters. Light source 31
0 and the light receiving unit 320. The detection unit 300 can be fixed at an arbitrary height position on the detection table 100, and when the detector 200 is pushed up, the gap S of the slit unit 230 is positioned exactly between the light source 310 and the light receiving unit 320. And is fixed on the detection table 100.

[0006] In the inspection apparatus B shown in FIG. 6, when the powder sintered body W on the turntable is transferred to the inspection position, the detection table 100 is lowered until it reaches the stop position, and the tip of the detector 200 is powdered. The detector 200 abuts against the end face H of the sintered body W
Is pushed upward. At this time, the slit 230
Enters between the light source 310 and the light receiving unit 320 of the detection unit 300. Since the position of the detection unit 300 is adjusted in advance so that the gap S is located between the light source 310 and the light receiving unit 320, the light emitted from the light source 310 passes through the gap S and is detected by the light receiving unit 320. Assuming that the front and back of the powder sintered body W are not reversed or the powder sintered body W is not in a correct posture, the height of the powder sintered body W is increased by, for example, the protrusion T provided on the end face portion H. Therefore, the gap S is the light source 3
It is pushed up to a position higher than 10 and the light receiving section 320. Thus, the light emitted from the light source 310 is blocked by the slit 230, so that no light is detected. As described above, the correctness of the posture of the powder sintered body W on the turntable is inspected and determined based on the presence or absence of the detection signal.

[0005]

However, the height inspection apparatus B having the above configuration has the following disadvantages. That is, when the type of the powder sintered body on the turntable changes, the height at which the detector 200 is pushed up changes accordingly. This change in height changes the fixing position of the height adjustment unit 120 with respect to the column 130, for example, and changes the height of the detection table 1
The height can be reduced by adjusting the reference height of 00 to be higher. However, since the height position of the gap S also slightly changes, the height position of the detection unit 300 must be adjusted again according to the height of the gap S. However, in practice, the light receiving unit 320 is sensitive to a change in the amount of light, and the detecting unit 300 is adjusted so that the light passes through the gap S.
It is a difficult task to fix the powder sintered body on the detection table 100 so as to perform the detection, and a complicated adjustment operation is forced every time the type of the powder sintered body changes. Further, when the height of the convex portion provided on the powder sintered body W is reduced, the height difference generated when the powder is inverted is reduced, and there is a problem that it is difficult to detect the correctness of the posture. This is because if the gap S is narrowed to narrow the light beam having a large emittance emitted from the light source 310, the beam spreads due to the effect of diffraction, and the width of the light beam is narrowed to such an extent that a slight difference in height is detected. In addition, the smaller the width of the gap S is, the smaller the light amount is, the more the detection error of the light receiving unit 320 is increased, and the like. In a gap having a width of about 0.5 mm, if the height of the projection is less than 1 mm, it is difficult to determine whether the orientation of the powder sintered body is correct or not. Thus, as a result of not being able to inspect the posture of the powder sintered body well, there has been a problem that reverse correction of the powder sintered body is likely to occur. Further, since the detector 200 abuts on the end surface H of the powder sintered body W at only one location, the dimensional accuracy related to the entire powder sintered body W, such as the flatness of the contact surface and the overall torsion, is high. The difference in the powder sintered body W
There is also a problem that it is easy to misrecognize the posture as an incorrect posture, and there has been a demand for the development of an appropriate technique for making the correctness of the posture correct.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when inspecting powder sintered bodies having different heights, a height inspection of the powder sintered bodies that does not require complicated adjustment work. It is to provide a device. Another object is to provide a powder that can detect the correctness of the posture even when the height dimension from the end face of the protrusion formed on the end face of the powder sintered body is small and the height difference when inverted is small. An object of the present invention is to provide a sintered body height inspection apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a powder sintered body height inspection apparatus which does not cause an erroneous determination of a posture due to the dimensional accuracy of the height of the entire powder sintered body.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detection table driven in a vertical direction, a stopping means for stopping the detection table at a stop position when descending, And a detector movably provided on the
A height inspection apparatus for a powder sintered body, wherein the detector is configured to contact the powder sintered body on a worktable and to be pushed upward at the stop position of the detection table, And a position index body is fixed to one of the detection bases, and a position detection sensor is fixed to the other side where the position index body is not fixed, so as to face the position index body in the vertical direction. The detection sensor is provided so as to detect a distance to the position indicator.

With this configuration, when the detection table is lowered and stopped at a predetermined stop position by the stopping means, the detector comes into contact with the powder sintered body placed on the work table. Pushed upwards. At this time, the position indicator fixed to the detector is also pushed up. On the other hand, the position detection sensor is fixed to the detection table so as to oppose the position index body in the up-down direction, and the position index body is pushed up and the distance between the position detection sensor and the position index body is separated. By comparing the distance between the position index body and the position detection sensor when the powder sintered body is in the normal posture and when it is not, the correctness of the posture is determined. For example, the height at the time of a normal posture is set to a zero point, and whether the posture is correct or not is determined based on whether the value indicated by the position detection sensor is zero or not. Since the distance between the position detection sensor and the position indicator may be determined, the position sensor may be fixed to the detector, and the position indicator may be fixed to the detection table. Unlike a conventional inspection device in which a signal is detected only when the posture is normal, a signal of the position of the position index body is always detected from the position detection sensor, and the indicated value is continuous. In other words, if the type of the powder sintered body changes, only the value indicated when in the normal posture changes. If a new value is adopted as a criterion for determining a normal posture for each type of powder sintered body, there is no need to adjust the position of the detection sensor itself.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the powder sintered body height inspection apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the position indicator is a conductive metal plate, and the position detection is performed. The sensor is an eddy current proximity sensor that generates an eddy current in the metal plate and detects a distance to the metal plate.

With this configuration, the eddy current proximity sensor generates an eddy current in the metal plate serving as the position indicator, and detects the distance to the metal plate. In terms of accuracy, for example, the distance to the metal plate within a range of 0.5 to 10 mm can be detected with an accuracy of 4 to 6 μm. Therefore, in a state where the detection table is lowered and the detector contacts the powder sintered body and is pushed upward, the stop position of the detection table is set so that the distance between the metal plate and the position detection sensor is about 5 mm. By setting in advance, the correctness of the attitude of the powder sintered bodies having different heights within the range of ± 5 mm can be determined with an accuracy of 4 to 6 μm.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detection table driven vertically, a stopping means for stopping the detection table at a stop position when descending, and a detection table provided movably in the vertical direction. The first detection element and the second detection element, and a relative position detection sensor for detecting the vertical position of the second detection element with respect to the first detection element, the detection table In the stop position, the first detector and the second detector are configured to abut on different portions of the powder sintered body on the work table and to be pushed upward respectively. I do.

With such a configuration, when the detection table is lowered and stopped at a predetermined stop position by the stopping means, the first detector and the second detector are respectively placed on the work table. The placed powder sintered body contacts different positions and is pushed upward. At this time, for example, when the powder sintered body has a step, the first detector and the second detector are respectively in contact with two portions having a step and different heights, and the first detector The relative position in the vertical direction between the detector and the second detector changes. By detecting the change in the relative position with the relative position detection sensor, the level difference of the powder sintered body can be directly measured. If the posture is not correct,
A normal step is not detected, and it is determined that the posture is wrong. When there is only one detector and the height is inspected by contacting only one point of the powder sintered body, the contact surface on the side of the powder sintered body placed on the work table placed on the work table And the variation in height due to the dimensional accuracy of the whole, such as distortion and twist of the whole shape, are all reflected in the detected height. Compared to this, by using two measurement points and directly inspecting the steps, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of the posture due to the entire dimensional error.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the powder sintered body height inspection apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the relative position detection sensor is a position index fixed to the first detector. And a position detection sensor fixed to the second detector so as to face the position indicator in the up-down direction, wherein the position sensor detects a distance to the position indicator. It is characterized by the following.

With such a configuration, the detection of the change in the relative position between the first detector and the second detector is performed by the position indicator fixed to the first detector and the second position detector. This is performed by measuring the distance between the two detectors and a position detection sensor fixed to the two detectors.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an apparatus for inspecting the height of a powder sintered body according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a powder sintered body height inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a powder sintered body height inspection apparatus A1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as an inspection apparatus A1) includes a detection table 10 driven in a vertical direction by a driving mechanism (not shown) and a detection table 10 at the time of descent. The control device includes a stop means (not shown) for stopping at a predetermined adjustable stop position, and a detector 20 provided on the detection base 10 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the detection base 10.

The detection table 10 is slidably provided on a guide rail 11 so as to be driven up and down, and the guide rail 11 is fixed to a height adjustment unit 12. The height adjusting part 12 is a through hole 1 in which the support 13 is fitted.
4 is provided on the support 13 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction and rotatable around the axis. After the height adjustment unit 12 is slid up and down on the column 13 and rotated around the axis of the column 13, it is fixed to the column 13, so that the reference height of the detection table 10 and the direction around the column 13 can be adjusted. It is being adjusted. The reference height and orientation of the detection table 10 are such that when the detection table 10 is lowered, the tip of the detector 20 abuts on the end surface H of the powder sintered body W on the turntable (work table), and the detection table 10 stops. In position, detector 2
It is adjusted so that 0 is pushed upward.

On the other hand, the detector 20 has a substantially rod-like shape and includes an upper portion 25 having a slightly larger diameter and a lower portion 26 having a smaller diameter than the upper portion 25. A tapered distal end portion 27 that contacts the united body W is formed. The lower part 26 of the detector 20 is
Is slidably inserted through an insertion hole 23 provided in the first hole.
At this time, the upper part 25 is locked by the insertion hole 23. The spring 22 is fitted on the lower part 26, and a spring supporting disk 24 is further attached. Here, the spring support disk 24
Is attached to the lower part 26 in a state where the spring 22 is contracted by contacting the tip of the spring 22, so that the detector 20 is attached to the support plate 21 in a state of being urged downward. By fixing the support plate 21 to the detection table 10,
The detector 20 is vertically movable with respect to the detection table 10,
It is urged downward and provided on the detection table 10.

At the upper end of the detector 20, a position indicator plate 30 (position indicator) made of conductive metal is attached. Further, a position detection sensor 31 is attached to a sensor attachment plate 32 fixed to the detection base 10 so as to face the position index plate 30 in the vertical direction. Here, the position detection sensor 31 is an eddy current proximity sensor that generates an eddy current in the metal position index plate 30 and detects the distance to the position index plate 30.

FIG. 2 shows the vertical positional relationship of the main part of the inspection apparatus A1. Support plate 21 and sensor mounting plate 32
Means that the detector 20 is urged downward and attached to the detection base 10 so as to have a gap C of about 0.5 mm between the position index plate 30 and the position detection sensor 31.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of these main parts. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter D of the position detection sensor 31 is about 20 mm, whereas the width L of the sensor mounting plate 32 on which the position detection sensor 31 is mounted is about 40 mm, and the width M of the position index plate 30 is about 20 mm. It is about 30 mm.

The powder-sintered-body height inspection apparatus A1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and its operation will now be described. When the detection base 10 descends and is stopped at a predetermined stop position by stop means (not shown), the detector 2
0 contacts the end face H of the powder sintered body W placed on the turntable and is pushed upward. At this time, the position index plate 30 fixed to the detector 20 is also pushed up. On the other hand, the position detection sensor 31 is fixed to the detection base 10 so as to face the position index plate 30 in the up-down direction, and when the position index plate 30 is pushed up, the position detection sensor 31 and the position index plate 30 Are separated. The position index plate 30 when the powder sintered body W is in the normal posture and when it is not.
By comparing the distance between the position and the position detection sensor 31, it is determined whether the posture is right or wrong. For example, the height at the time of a normal posture is set to a zero point, and the correctness of the posture is determined based on whether the value indicated by the position detection sensor 31 is zero or not.

Unlike the conventional inspection apparatus in which a signal is detected only when the posture is normal, the signal of the position of the position index plate 30 is always detected from the position detection sensor 31, and the indicated value is continuous. In other words, if the type of the powder sintered body changes, only the value indicated when in the normal posture changes. If a new value is used as a criterion for determining a normal posture for each type of powder sintered body, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the position detection sensor 31 again.

An eddy current proximity sensor generates an eddy current on the metal plate serving as the position index plate 30, and detects the distance to the metal plate. In terms of accuracy, for example, the distance to the metal plate within a range of 0.5 to 10 mm can be detected with an accuracy of 4 to 6 μm. Therefore, in a state where the detection base 10 is lowered and the detector 20 abuts on the powder sintered body W and is pushed upward, the detection base is set so that the distance between the metal plate and the position detection sensor is about 5 mm. 10 stop positions and columns 1
If the position and the like of the height adjustment unit 12 to be attached to 3 are set in advance, the correctness of the attitude of the powder sintered bodies having different heights within a range of ± 5 mm can be determined with an accuracy of 4 to 6 μm.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to readjust the height position of the position detecting sensor 31 even if the type of the powder sintered body changes. In addition, since the height inspection accuracy is increased, even when the height of the convex portion provided on the end face of the powder sintered body becomes 1 mm or less, it is possible to inspect and determine an incorrect posture of the powder sintered body such as inversion. it can.

In the above embodiment, the position index plate 30
Is provided on the detector 20 and the position detection sensor 31 is provided on the detection base 10, respectively.
The position detection sensor 31 may be provided on the detector 20 at 0.

Any device may be used as long as it measures the relative movement distance of the detector 20 with respect to the detection table 10. A position indicator is provided on the detector 20 to indicate the position.
May be provided with means for measuring the moving distance of the position indicator.

In the above-described embodiment, the spring 22 is used as a means for urging the detector 20 downward. However, another elastic body such as rubber may be used. Alternatively, it may be configured to urge downward using compressed air, hydraulic pressure, or the like.

[Second Embodiment] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of a powder sintered body height inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, a powder sintered body height inspection device A2
(Hereinafter, referred to as an inspection apparatus A2) includes a detection table 50 driven vertically by a driving mechanism (not shown), and a stop (not shown) that stops the detection table 50 at a predetermined stop position where the detection table 50 can be adjusted when descending. Means, a detector 60 (second detector) and a reference detector 70 (first detector) which are respectively provided on the detection table 50 so as to be vertically movable, and a reference detector 70 for the detector 60. And a relative position detection sensor R for detecting a relative position in the vertical direction. At the stop position of the detection table 50, the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 are connected to a powder sintered body W on a turntable (work table). , For example, an end face portion H and an upper end face of a convex portion T provided on the end face portion H and are pushed upward.

The detection table 50 is slidably provided on the guide rail 51 so as to be driven in the vertical direction. A support plate 61 for mounting the detector 60 on the detection base 50,
A support plate 71 for mounting the reference detector 70 is fixed.

The detector 60 has a detector body 65 having a substantially U-shaped cross section in which the upper and lower ends of the plate are bent and horizontal.
, A spring shaft 67 provided at the upper end, and a tapered lower portion 66 provided at the lower end in contact with the powder sintered body W. The detector main body 65 is fixed to a sliding portion 63 slidably mounted on the support plate 61 in the vertical direction. The detector main body 65 is provided so that the detector 60 can be moved in the vertical direction with respect to the detection table 50. I have. Further, the spring shaft 67
A spring 62 whose upper end is supported by a spring support plate 64
In a state where the spring 62 is contracted,
The sliding portion 63 is attached to the support plate 61 and the detector 60
Is provided on the detection table 50 in a state of being urged downward. The lower end of the support plate 61 has a height adjusting screw 6 with which the sliding portion 63 is abutted and positioned when the detector 60 descends.
8 is screwed, and the height position at which the sliding portion 63 abuts is adjusted by the screwing depth of the height adjusting screw 68.

The reference detector 70 has substantially the same configuration as that of the detector 60, and is provided at the upper end with a substantially U-shaped detector main body 75 in which the upper and lower ends of the plate are bent and horizontal. And a lower portion 76 provided at the lower end of the lower portion 76 which abuts on the powder sintered body W. At the lower end of the lower portion 76, a head portion 76a is mounted. A contact surface 76b is formed on the lower surface so as to make surface contact. The detector main body 75 is fixed to a sliding portion 73 slidably mounted on the support plate 71 in the up-down direction.
The reference detector 70 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Further, the spring shaft 77 is fitted into a spring 72 whose upper end is supported by a spring support plate 74. In a state where the spring 72 is contracted, the sliding portion 73 is attached to the support plate 71, and the reference detector 70 is provided on the detection base 50 in a state where it is urged downward. At the lower end of the support plate 71, a height adjusting screw 78, which is positioned by abutment of the sliding portion 73 when the reference detector 70 is lowered, is screwed. Thereby, the height position at which the sliding portion 73 contacts is adjusted.

The upper end of the spring shaft 67 is slidably inserted into the spring support plate 64 and protrudes upward.
A sensor mounting plate 82 is provided at the upper end of the sensor mounting plate 82 extending in the depth direction of FIG. 4 and in the right direction of FIG. 5, and is mounted on the spring support plate 64 of the sensor mounting plate 82. A position detection sensor 81 is provided on the opposite side. The position detection sensor 81 is an eddy current proximity sensor that generates an eddy current in the metal plate to detect a distance to the metal plate, and is mounted above the sensor mounting plate 82.

The upper end of the spring shaft 77 is slidably inserted into the spring support plate 74 and protrudes upward.
7 at the upper end in the depth direction of FIG.
A position index plate 80 (position index body) extending rightward in FIG. 5 is attached, and is provided so as to face the position detection sensor 81 in the vertical direction. Here, the position index plate 80 is made of a conductive metal plate, and an eddy current is generated by a position detection sensor 81 which is an eddy current proximity sensor. Further, the position index plate 80 is provided with a sensor adjusting screw 83. As described above, the relative position detection sensor R is configured by the position index plate 80 and the position detection sensor 81 provided on the detector 60 and the reference detector 70.

The powder-sintered-body height inspection apparatus A2 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and its operation will now be described. The detection base 50 is lowered by a drive mechanism such as compressed air or a motor, and is stopped at a predetermined stop position by a stop means (not shown) such as control of the drive mechanism. At this time, the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 have different positions of the powder sintered body W placed on the turntable, for example, the tapered tip formed in the lower part 66 of the detector 60 has an end face H, The contact surfaces 76b formed on the lower surface of the head portion 76a of the reference detector 70 respectively contact the upper end surfaces of the convex portions T and are pushed upward. Here, when the detection table 50 is at the upper standby position, the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 are both urged downward, and come into contact with the height adjustment screw 68 and the height adjustment screw 78. It is in a pressed state. Here, the height adjusting screw 68
And the height adjusting screw 78 are adjusted respectively, and when the detection table 50 is lowered to the stop position, the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 are adjusted.
Is adjusted in advance so that the tip of the member abuts against the powder sintered body W and is slightly pushed up. When the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 abut against the correctly mounted powder sintered body W and are pushed up, the distance between the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 with respect to the detector 60 is measured by the relative position detection sensor R, For example, by taking the value at this time as a zero point, a reference value for a normal posture is determined. Whether the posture of the powder sintered body W is correct or not is determined based on whether or not this value is correctly indicated. For example, when the powder sintered body W has a step on the end face as shown in the figure, the detector 60 is attached to the end face H,
Also, while the reference detector 70 abuts on the upper end surface of the convex portion T and detects the step h1 as the reference step h1, the powder sintered body W is temporarily inverted, and the relative position between the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 is determined. If the step h2 is detected from the change, it is determined that the posture of the powder sintered body W is incorrect. If, for example, an eddy current detection sensor is used as the position detection sensor 81 as in this embodiment, the difference in level difference is 4 mm within a range of ± 5 mm.
Discrimination is possible with an accuracy of up to 6 μm.

As described above, according to the inspection apparatus A2 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the posture of the powder sintered body W can be more reliably inspected. That is, when there is only one detector and the height is inspected by contacting only one point of the powder sintered body W, the contact of the powder sintered body W placed on the turntable Variations in height due to dimensional accuracy applied to the entire surface, such as flatness of the surface, and distortion and twist of the entire shape, are all reflected in the detected height. Compared to this, by using two measurement points and directly inspecting the steps, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of the posture due to the entire dimensional error. Further, by measuring not the absolute positions of the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 but only the change in the relative distance between them, the labor for adjustment can be reduced. Further, since the eddy current proximity sensor is used, highly accurate inspection can be performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the position detection sensor 81 is provided on the detector 60 and the position index plate 80 is provided on the reference detector 70. However, the mounting methods may be reversed. Further, a signal transmitting / receiving device may be provided between the detector 60 and the reference detector 70 so that a signal is detected only when the vehicle is in a correct posture and at a correct step. In this case, every time the type of the powder sintered body changes, it is necessary to adjust the signal transmitting / receiving device so that the signal is detected when the powder is in the correct posture. However, the advantage of directly inspecting the step can be used.

[0037]

The present invention has the following effects. As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the position index body and the position detection sensor are fixed to the detector and the detection table so as to oppose each other in the vertical direction. Since the configuration is such that the distance to the position index body is detected, the distance between the position index body and the position detection sensor when the powder sintered body is in the normal posture and when the powder sintered body is not in the normal posture is compared. Correctness can be determined. Even when inspecting different types of powder sintered compacts, the reference value of the normal posture may be changed, and it is not necessary to adjust the position of the position detection sensor for each type of powder sintered compact.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the position indicator is a conductive metal plate and the position detection sensor is an eddy current proximity sensor.
The correctness of the posture of the powder sintered bodies having different heights in the range of about 5 mm can be determined with an accuracy of 4 to 6 μm.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first detector and the second detector are mounted on the detection table which is driven vertically and can be stopped at a predetermined stop position when descending. When the detection table is at the stop position, the first detector and the second detector abut on two different portions of the powder sintered body having a step and are pushed upward, and the posture is determined from the change in the relative position. Erroneous determination of the posture can be prevented due to the difference in height related to the overall dimensional accuracy of the powder sintered body.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the position detection sensor is configured to detect the distance to the position indicator, so that the position of the powder sintered body can be determined when the powder sintered body is in the normal posture and when it is not. By comparing the distance between the position index body and the position detection sensor, it is possible to determine whether the posture is right or wrong. Even when inspecting different types of powder sintered bodies having different steps, the reference value of the normal posture may be changed, and there is no need to adjust the position of the position detection sensor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a first embodiment according to the present invention, and is a perspective view showing an example of a height inspection device for a powder sintered body.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a first embodiment according to the present invention, and is a view of a main part of a height inspection apparatus for a powder sintered body as viewed from the front.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the first embodiment according to the present invention, and is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a height inspection apparatus for a powder sintered body.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a second embodiment according to the present invention, and is a front view of a height inspection device for a powder sintered body.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a second embodiment according to the present invention, and is a side view of a height inspection apparatus for a powder sintered body.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional apparatus for inspecting the height of a powder sintered body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A1, A2: height inspection device for powder sintered body R: relative position detection sensor 10, 50: detection table 20: detector 30, 80: position index plate (position index body) 31, 81: Position detection sensor 60: Detector (second detector) 70: Reference detector (first detector)

Claims (4)

[Claims] A detection table that is driven in a vertical direction, a stopping unit that stops the detection table at a stop position when the detector table descends, and a detector that is movably provided in the detection table in a vertical direction. Wherein, at the stop position of the detection table, the height of the powder sintered body is configured so that the detector abuts on the powder sintered body on the worktable and is pushed upward, A position indicator is fixed to one of the detector and the detection base, and a position detection sensor is fixed to the other side where the position indicator is not fixed, so that the position indicator is vertically opposed to the position indicator. The height inspection device for a powder sintered body, wherein the position detection sensor is provided to detect a distance to the position indicator. 2. The height inspection apparatus for a powder sintered body according to claim 1, wherein the position indicator is a conductive metal plate, and the position detection sensor is the metal plate. A height inspection device for a powder sintered body, characterized in that the device is an eddy current proximity sensor that generates an eddy current to detect a distance to the metal plate. 3. A detection table driven vertically, a stop means for stopping the detection table at a stop position when descending, and first detectors provided on the detection table so as to be vertically movable. And a second detector, comprising a relative position detection sensor for detecting the vertical position of the second detector with respect to the first detector, the stop position of the detection table, The height of the powder sintered body, wherein the first detector and the second detector are configured to abut on different portions of the powder sintered body on the workbench and be pushed upward respectively. Inspection equipment. 4. The height inspection device for a powder sintered body according to claim 3, wherein the relative position detection sensor includes a position indicator fixed to the first detector, and the position indicator. And a position detection sensor fixed to the second detector so as to oppose in the vertical direction, wherein the position detection sensor is configured to detect a distance to the position indicator. Characteristic height inspection device for powder sintered compact.