This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-129260, filed on May 15, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roundness measuring device, method and program for measuring the roundness of a measured object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Roundness measuring devices are used to measure the roundness of columnar or cylindrical workpieces. Such roundness is measured by mounting the workpiece on a turntable (table), rotating the turntable or revolving a detector unit itself around the workpiece, and then tracing the round surface of the workpiece (such as the outer or inner surface) with the detector unit. To evaluate the roundness, the deviation (eccentric position) of the measured object from the rotation axis must be taken into account.
As such, certain configurations of roundness measuring devices for calculating such eccentric positions are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 (Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. (SHO) 56-98602, Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. (SHO) 57-207813, and Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent National Publication of Translated Version No. (HEI) 10-507268). Besides, each calculation described therein is based on the radial deviation from a reference circle with a predetermined radius centered at the rotation axis.
However, each calculation described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is an approximate calculation, which is premised on the assumption that a distance between an eccentric position and the rotation axis is small enough in comparison with the radius of the workpiece. Thus, with the calculation methods described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, calculation errors would occur when any event against the assumption of approximate calculation is found. For example, when a measurement is performed on a workpiece having a small radius, with its eccentric position quite apart from the rotation axis, some errors would be included in the calculation result.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a roundness measuring device that can obtain an eccentric position with a high degree of accuracy even if its eccentric position is quite apart from the rotation axis, and to provide a method of and program for measuring roundness.
One aspect of the present invention provides a roundness measuring device for obtaining an eccentric position of a measured object with respect to a rotation axis in measuring roundness of the measured object with a detector unit, by rotating and driving the measured object or the detector unit about the rotation axis with a rotary drive unit, the roundness measuring device comprising: a measurement acquisition unit obtaining, as measurements, rotation angles of the measured object provided by the rotary drive unit and distances from the rotation axis to a surface of the measured object, the distance corresponding to the rotation angle; and an eccentricity calculation unit setting a circular correction circle with its center position provided as variable parameters, calculating the center position of the correction circle that minimizes sum of squares of distances between each of the measurements and the correction circle, in a direction from each of the measurements toward the center position of the correction circle, and determining the calculated center position of the correction circle as the eccentric position.
With the above-mentioned configuration, a correction circle is set with its center position and radius value provided as parameters, those parameters are obtained and a correction circle is determined so that a minimum deviation from the measurement point would be provided, the center position of the correction circle is considered as the eccentric position. Thus, the eccentric position may be obtained with a high degree of accuracy, not limited to the distances of the eccentric position from the rotation axis.
The eccentricity calculation unit may be configured to apply the Gauss-Newton method to calculate minimum sum of squares of distances between each of the measurements and the correction circle in a direction toward the center position of the correction circle. The roundness measuring device may further comprise an analysis unit analyzing roundness or cylindricity based on each of the rotating angles and distances between each of the measurements and the correction circle in a direction from the measurements toward the center position of the correction circle, the distance corresponding to the rotating angle, after the center position of the correction circle is calculated by the eccentricity calculation unit.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of measuring roundness using a roundness measuring device for obtaining an eccentric position of a measured object with respect to a rotation axis in measuring roundness of the measured object with a detector unit, by rotating and driving the measured object or the detector unit about the rotation axis with a rotary drive unit, the method comprising: a measurement acquisition step of obtaining, as measurements, rotation angles of the measured object provided by the rotary drive unit and distances from the rotation axis to a surface of the measured object, the distance corresponding to the rotating angle; and an eccentricity calculation step of setting a circular correction circle with its center position provided as variable parameters, calculating the center position of the correction circle that minimizes sum of squares of distances between each of the measurements and the correction circle, in a direction from each of the measurements toward the center position of the correction circle, and determining the calculated center position of the correction circle as the eccentric position.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a program for measuring roundness adapted to cause an eccentric position of a measured object with respect to a rotation axis to be obtained in measuring roundness of the measured object with a detector unit by rotating and driving the measured object or the detector unit about the rotation axis with a rotary drive unit, the program causing a computer to perform: a measurement acquisition step of obtaining, as measurements, rotation angles of the measured object provided by the rotary drive unit and distances from the rotation axis to a surface of the measured object, the distance corresponding to the rotating angle; and an eccentricity calculation step of setting a circular correction circle with its center position provided as variable parameters, calculating the center position of the correction circle that minimizes sum of squares of distances between each of the measurements and the correction circle, in a direction from each of the measurements toward the center position of the correction circle, and determining the calculated center position of the correction circle as the eccentric position.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to
The centering table 5 is provided to rotate the workpiece 4 mounted on the turntable 11, by rotating and driving a discoid turntable 11 with a rotary driver 12 positioned under the discoid turntable 11. The rotary driver 12 has a side surface, in which centering knobs 13 and 14 for adjusting axis misalignment, as well as leveling knobs 15 and 16 for adjusting inclination, are positioned at angular intervals of substantially 90° in circumferential direction. Through the operation of these knobs 13 to 16, centering and leveling of the turntable 11 may be achieved.
The displacement sensor 6 is configured as follows: The base 3 has a column 21 provided to stand upright thereon and extend upward therefrom. The column 21 has a slider 22 installed thereon so as to move in vertical direction. The slider 22 has an arm 23 installed thereon. The arm 23 is driven in horizontal direction so that a stylus 24 provided on its end comes in contact with the round surface of the workpiece 4, and subsequently the workpiece 4 is rotated, which enables radial displacements of the round surface of the workpiece 4 to be obtained as measurement data.
The measurement data obtained by the displacement sensor 6 is input to the processor 2, which in turn obtains, for example, the center coordinates and roundness of the measured section of the workpiece 4. The processor 2 has a processor main unit 31 that performs computations, an operation section 32, and a display 33.
Referring now to
The processor main unit 31 mainly has a CPU 41, a RAM 42, a ROM 43, a HDD 44, and a display control unit 45. In the processor main unit 31, code information and position information input from the operation section 32 are input to the CPU 41 via an I/F 46a. The CPU 41 performs operations, such as a measurement execution, eccentricity calculation, analysis, or display operation, according to a macro program stored in the ROM 43 and other programs stored in the RAM 42 from the HDD 44 via an I/F 46b.
According to the measurement execution operation, the CPU 41 controls the roundness measuring unit 1 via an I/F 46c. The HDD 44 is a storage medium that stores various types of control programs. The RAM 42 provides work areas for various types of operations, in addition to storage of various types of programs. In addition, the CPU 41 displays measurement results on the display 33 via the display control unit 45.
The CPU 41 reads and executes various types of programs from the HDD 44, thereby functioning as a measurement acquisition unit 41a, an eccentricity calculation unit 41b, and an analysis unit 41c.
The measurement acquisition unit 41a obtains the following as measurements P: rotating angles of the workpiece 4 provided by the rotary driver 12; and distances from the rotation axis to the surface of the workpiece 4. Note that the distances correspond to the rotation angles.
The eccentricity calculation unit 41b sets a circular correction circle CL with its center position (a, b) provided as variable parameters. Then, the eccentricity calculation unit 41b calculates a center position (a, b) of the correction circle CL that minimizes sum of squares of distances (deviation) between each of the measurements P and the correction circle CL, in the direction from each of the measurements P toward the center position (a, b) of the correction circle CL. This means that the calculated center position (a, b) of the correction circle CL has the same value as that of the eccentric position of the workpiece 4. Accordingly, the eccentricity calculation unit 41b determines that the center position (a, b) coincides with the eccentric position of the workpiece 4. Besides, the radius of the correction circle CL is preset to, e.g., R+r.
Based on the center position (a, b) of the correction circle CL calculated at the eccentricity calculation unit 41b, the analysis unit 41c analyzes the concentricity (concentric axis) and the roundness (cylindricity).
Referring now to
As illustrated in
Referring now to
Returning to
Referring now to
In the eccentricity calculation, a radial deviation ri and an angle γ with respect to any measurement P are calculated by the following Formula 1 and Formula 2, respectively.
In this case, if a radial deviation ri is partially differentiated with each of the parameters (“a” and “b”) in Formula 1, then the following Formula 3 through Formula 5 are obtained:
The eccentricity calculation unit 41b obtains parameters “a” and “b” through a non-linear least square method where a deviation ri based on Formula 1 is employed as an evaluation function. In the non-linear least square method, φ (sum of squares of ri) indicated in the following Formula 6 is taken as the minimum value.
Wherein, the Gauss-Newton method is applied to the non-linear least square method, the following Formula 7 through Formula 10 are held:
Then, the eccentricity calculation unit 41b performs computations for modifying approximate solutions X in sequence, as indicated by the relationship in the following Formula 11, to calculate parameters “a” and “b”.
X
(k+1)
=X
(k)
−ΔX [Formula 11]
Returning now to
Then, the analysis unit 41c determines whether an input has been received that indicates roundness (cylindricity) evaluation to be performed (step S109). In this case, if it is determined by the analysis unit 41c that an input has been received that indicates roundness (cylindricity) evaluation to be performed (“Y” branch at step S109), then the roundness (cylindricity) is analyzed with a radial deviation ri for each angle (step S110), and the process terminates. Besides, at the operation of step S110, each of the measurements P may be correction in such a way that the eccentric position (a, b) is aligned with the axis O (the eccentric position (a, b) is subtracted from each of the measurements P), and the roundness (cylindricity) may be analyzed based on the correction measurements P. Alternatively, at the operation of step S108, if it is determined by the analysis unit 41c that an input has not been received that indicates roundness (cylindricity) evaluation to be performed (“IN” branch at step S109), then the above-mentioned step s110 is skipped and the process terminates.
As described above, with the roundness measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a correction circle CL is set with its center position (a, b) provided as variable parameters. Then, the parameters and the correction circle CL are determined that minimizes the sum of squares of radial deviations from the correction circle CL ri for each measurements P would be minimum, and the center position is considered as the eccentric position. Thus, the eccentric position may be obtained with a high degree of accuracy, not limited to the distances of the eccentric position from the rotation axis O.
By way of example, the present invention has the following advantages when a measurement is performed with a cylindrical workpiece provided in a highly eccentric condition with respect to the rotation center and when a measurement is performed with some eccentricity in shape of the workpiece itself for different parts (such as a camshaft or crankshaft). The first advantage is that evaluation may be performed using an eccentric (center) position with higher accuracy, when a sectional center position, such as concentricity or coaxiality, is to be evaluated. The second advantage is that evaluation may be performed using a radial deviation, on which off-centering compensation is performed based on such eccentricity with higher accuracy, when a radial deviation such as roundness or cylindricity is to be evaluated after off-centering compensation.
Comparing the present invention with the prior art, a significant increase in errors was found in the prior art if there exists an eccentricity equal to or more than 20% of the radius of the workpiece. However, according to the present invention, lesser errors may be provided than in the prior art even if there exists an eccentricity equal to or more the 20% of the radius of the workpiece.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007-129260 | May 2007 | JP | national |