JP2005291842A - Irradiation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an irradiation device for inspecting a coating surface provided with a light and shade pattern capable of being opposed and arranged to the coating surface to easily detect even a coating flaw smaller in dimension. <P>SOLUTION: The light and shade pattern has an annular light part 14a capable of irradiating the fine flaw of the coating surface from the whole peripheral direction and the annular light part 14a is extended into a background-like shade part 16 in a reticulated state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an irradiation apparatus for a painted surface inspection having a light and dark pattern that can be disposed opposite to a painted surface.

As this type of irradiation apparatus, there is one described in Patent Document 1 shown below as prior art document information related to the present invention. The invention of Patent Document 1 relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting coating defects such as dust and blisters in a coating completion inspection line that is the final process of a painting line for an automobile body, and the apparatus is an automobile that is moved by a conveyor. It is equipped with a transmissive screen that stands on both sides of the body and a projector that projects a predetermined stripe pattern onto the transmissive screen. The stripe pattern projected on the transmissive screen passes through the transmissive screen to paint the automobile body. It is configured to be reflected on the surface. The stripe pattern consists of vertical stripes with contrast of light and dark.For example, if there is a coating defect in a dark part projected on the painted surface of an automobile body, only that part will be shining and observed, so the operator can paint it visually. Defects can be detected. That is, here, the irradiation device is composed of a transmission screen and a projector, and the light / dark pattern of the irradiation device is in the form of vertical stripes.
JP 2003-215049 A (paragraph numbers 0018, 0022, 0027, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, the irradiation apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to detect if the size of the coating defect is below a certain dimension.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an irradiation apparatus that can easily detect even a coating defect having a smaller size.

A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is an irradiation apparatus for coating surface inspection having a light and dark pattern that can be disposed opposite to a coating surface,
The bright and dark pattern has an annular bright portion that can irradiate minute defects on the coating surface from the entire circumference, and the annular bright portion extends in a mesh shape in the background dark portion.
Therefore, in the irradiation apparatus according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the bright part forming one of the bright and dark patterns has an annular shape that can surround the minute defect from the entire circumferential direction. Even in the case of scratches and scratches, the bright areas due to the coating defects and scratches reflecting the light from the bright areas clearly appear in the dark areas formed on the painted surface, making it possible to detect coating defects and scratches more reliably. Become. Furthermore, in the irradiation device according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, the plurality of annular bright portions continuously extend in a mesh shape in the background dark portion, and thus the operator extends in this manner. In addition, a relatively wide area covered with a plurality of annular bright portions can be observed at a time, and higher inspection efficiency can be obtained. In addition, from the knowledge that the irradiation apparatus according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention can detect even coating defects and scratches of very small dimensions, in the irradiation apparatus in which the conventional light and dark pattern is a vertical stripe shape. It can be inferred that the reason why it was difficult to detect the coating defect having a small size was that the coating defect was irradiated only by the bright portions located on the left and right sides thereof.

More specifically, the annular light portion can be constituted by a large number of LED light sources arranged adjacent to each other.
If comprised in this way, an illuminating device can be produced with the simple method of arrange | positioning and fixing many LED light sources on a board | substrate etc. so that a predetermined | prescribed annular pattern may be obtained. Moreover, since each LED light source can be arrange | positioned comparatively freely, the shape formed with a some LED light source can also be selected freely. In addition, by using an LED as a light source with a small calorific value, it contributes to energy saving, and at the same time, a material for forming a background-like dark part adjacent to a bright part is a wide range including a synthetic resin that is not very heat resistant. It is possible to select from various materials.

In particular, the annular light portion may have a honeycomb shape having a regular hexagonal ring as a unit.
If configured in this way, the light and dark pattern can be filled with only a large number of annular bright parts having the same shape as the regular hexagon and the same size as each other. Can be detected more easily.

It can be set as the structure which is a handy type irradiation apparatus which an operator can move and operate manually up and down and laterally.
With this configuration, the operator can easily inspect the entire surface of the automobile body for coating defects and scratches by observing the painted surface while freely moving the irradiation device along the painted surface of the automobile body. can do. Also, with this configuration, the operator can freely change the distance from the irradiation device to the painted surface of the automobile body, so that there are no coating defects or scratches regardless of the painted color of the automobile body. The inspection can be performed under conditions that are most easily detected. Similarly, the angle formed by the irradiation device with respect to the painted surface of the car body can be changed as appropriate according to the car body contour shape, etc., so that most coating defects and scratches are detected regardless of the car body contour shape. Inspection can be carried out under conditions that are easily performed.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments using the drawings.

Embodiments of an irradiation apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a coating completion inspection area 1 for an automobile equipped with an irradiation apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention is viewed from above.
The coating completion inspection area 1 is provided at the final stage of the painting line, and includes a conveyor 2 that conveys the automobile body B that has finished painting at the previous stage at a constant slow speed. Further, on both sides of the automobile body B conveyed by the conveyor 2, plate-like or film-like light shielding means 3 for preventing extraneous light from entering the coating completion inspection area 1 are installed. Yes. Two inspection workers P are normally arranged in the coating completion inspection area 1 and are located on both sides of the automobile body B.
Each inspection worker P carries a handheld irradiation device 4 in one hand, and observes the painted surface over almost the entire surface of the vehicle body B while illuminating the painted surface of the vehicle body B with light emitted from the irradiation device 4. If a coating defect or scratch is detected on the painted surface, it is marked with a marker or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiation device 4 includes a rear panel 6 made of metal or synthetic resin, and an irradiation panel 8 fixed to the peripheral edge of the rear panel 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation panel 8 includes a curved peripheral portion so as to form a space having a predetermined thickness between the irradiation panel 8 and the rear panel 6, and is formed between the irradiation panel 8 and the rear panel 6. A substrate 9 is arranged in the space thus formed. The irradiation panel 8 is formed of a black and opaque synthetic resin or the like, and a large number of through holes 8a are formed at the center thereof. The through holes 8a are regularly arranged so as to have a honeycomb shape having a regular hexagonal ring as a unit. The tip of the LED 10 having a predetermined emission color is inserted through each through hole 8a. LED10 is being fixed to the board | substrate 9 through the lead part.

  The back panel 6 is provided with a belt 11 into which the inspection worker P can insert one hand. If the inspection worker P attaches the irradiation device 4 to the hand via the belt 11, the arm or wrist is attached. The irradiation device 4 can be moved up and down and laterally only by adjusting the angle, and the distance from the irradiation panel 8 to the painting surface and the angle of the irradiation panel 8 with respect to the painting surface can be freely changed. The rear panel 6 is connected to a suspension cable 20 that suspends the irradiation device 4 from the ceiling of the coating completion inspection area 1 so as to be movable in the vertical direction and the east, west, north, and south directions. The suspension cable 20 reduces the fatigue of the inspection worker P due to the weight of the irradiation device 4. The suspension cable 20 also functions to protect a conducting wire (not shown) for supplying power to the irradiation device 4.

  Further, the inspection worker P determines the light intensity of the LED 10 on the rear panel 6 according to the paint color of the automobile body to be inspected and the brightness in the coating completion inspection area 1 or the visual characteristics of the inspection worker P. A light amount adjustment button 12 (an example of an operation unit) is provided for adjustment according to the above. The light amount adjustment button 12 is provided so that the inspection worker P can operate the light amount adjustment button 12 by finger operation of the hand on the side where the irradiation device 4 is attached with the irradiation device 4 attached to the hand. All the LEDs 10 are configured to emit light with the same amount of light, and if the light amount adjustment button 12 is operated for a time length of 1 second or less, the light amounts of all the LEDs 10 arranged on the irradiation panel 8 are simultaneously increased or decreased. The light quantity adjustment button 12 includes a plus button 12a for increasing the light quantity of the LED 10 from the standard level and a minus button 12b for reducing the light quantity from the standard level. The plus button 12a also has the power on / off function of the irradiation device 4. If the plus button 12a is continuously pressed for 3 seconds or more when the power is off, the power is on and the LED 10 is lit at the standard light amount level. If the plus button 12a is kept pressed for 3 seconds or longer in the ON state, the power is turned off and the LED 10 is deenergized.

  When the LED 10 of the irradiation device 4 is turned on, a light / dark pattern is formed on the irradiation panel 8, which includes a bright portion formed by each LED 10 and a dark portion formed by a black and opaque synthetic resin adjacent to the LED 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a regular hexagonal (an example of an annular shape) unit light portion 14 a is formed by twelve LEDs 10, and a large number of regular hexagons are continuously connected. As described above, the bright portion 14 having a honeycomb shape (an example of a mesh shape) extends into the dark portion 16 having a background shape. The dark part 16 is formed of a black and opaque synthetic resin of the irradiation panel 8.

  Then, when the inspection worker P observes the painted surface with the irradiation panel 8 facing the painted surface of the automobile body B, as shown in FIG. 5, the eyes of the inspection worker P are emitted from the LED 10. It can be seen that a bright honeycomb-like band 24 formed by light is reflected on the painted surface. Each hexagonal cell 24a of the honeycomb, that is, one unit of the honeycomb, is formed by reflecting light from 12 LEDs 10 arranged in a regular hexagonal shape on the painted surface. Honeycomb-like bright bands 24 or hexagonal light cells 24a appear to float in the dark background 26. During the inspection, the inspection worker P may focus the eyes on the painted surface, but several LEDs 10 reflected on the painted surface (for example, LEDs 10 constituting 5 to 6 unit bright portions 14a adjacent to each other). You may focus your eyes on itself. When the painted surface is observed while moving the irradiation device 4 along the painted surface, when the defect F is present on the painted surface, the defect F is found when the defect F enters the regular hexagonal cell 24a. Since the 12 LEDs 10 surrounding the defect F are irradiated from all around, the defect F is very fine because only the defect F shines in the background 26 which is originally dark. Even if it exists, it is clearly grasped by the eyes of the inspection worker P. In FIG. 5, for simplicity, each side constituting the hexagonal cell 24a is shown as a straight line having the same width, but three light spots having a circular outline are arranged in a straight line. Sometimes it looks like this.

[Another embodiment]
<1> An operation button provided separately on the rear panel 6 of the irradiation device 4 using a hybrid white LED having three LED chips corresponding to the respective emission colors of RGB as the LED 10 to emit light on the irradiation panel 8 It is good also as a structure which can change the luminescent color from LED10 according to the coating color of the vehicle body used as a test object (not shown).

<2> Instead of arranging the LEDs 10 in an annular shape on the irradiation panel 8, an annular slit or a large number of through holes arranged in an annular shape is formed in the irradiation panel 8 made of an opaque material. By attaching a fluorescent lamp or other light emitting member on the inside, light leaks from the annular slit, and a light / dark pattern is formed from a bright part formed by the slit and a dark part formed by a part other than the slit. It may be configured.

<3> The irradiation device 4 is not used as the handy type irradiation device 4 used by the inspection worker with his / her hand, but is fixed to a stand or the like standing on the floor of the coating completion inspection area 1. It is also possible to take a configuration in which an inspection worker visually inspects the painted surface irradiated by. In this case, further, an image of the painted surface irradiated by the irradiation device 4 is read by a TV camera or the like, and the read image is analyzed by a computer to detect defects or scratches on the painted surface, or to detect defects or scratches. You may take the structure which pinpoints a position.

Top view of coating completion inspection area Front and back view of the irradiation device Partially broken side view of the irradiation device Front view showing bright and dark parts formed on the irradiation panel Explanatory drawing showing a bright band and dark background reflected on the painted surface of the car body

Explanation of symbols

1 Coating completion inspection area 2 Conveyor 3 Shading means 4 Irradiation device 10 LED
12 Light intensity adjustment button 14 Honeycomb-shaped bright part (light / dark pattern)
14a Unit bright part (bright / dark pattern, annular bright part)
16 Dark part (light / dark pattern)
24 Bright honeycomb band 26 Background B Car body F Defect

Claims (4)

An irradiation device for inspecting the paint surface with a light and dark pattern that can be placed opposite the paint surface,
The light / dark pattern has an annular bright part capable of irradiating minute defects on a painted surface from the entire circumference, and the annular bright part extends in a mesh shape in a background dark part.   The irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the annular light portion is configured by a plurality of LED light sources arranged adjacent to each other.   The irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the annular light portion has a honeycomb shape having a hexagonal ring as a unit.   The irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation apparatus is a handheld irradiation apparatus that can be manually moved up and down and laterally by an operator.

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