Gear pattern inspection system

• US 20070058854A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gregory Caskey, Roland Degraaf
• Original Assignee: Gregory Caskey, Roland Degraaf
• Inventors: DeGraaf, Roland, Caskey, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US11/520,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058854A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/152
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/021 Gearings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/88 Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30164 Workpiece; Machine component
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection

Abstract

A method and apparatus for evaluating gears includes an imaging system that provides a non-contact method of evaluating gear meshing using technology that is quick, robust, and provides information not available at production rates from human inspection. The method and apparatus includes one or more imaging devices, illumination, and a computer program to rapidly evaluate the quality of gear set meshing, and which anticipates the move to three-dimensional imaging to permit upstream evaluation of gear quality prior to mating.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a gear, the gear having a plurality of gear teeth, each tooth having two flanks, the gear having a contact area generated on each flank of each tooth, said method comprising:

rotating the gear;

providing an imaging device;

gathering images of the flanks of the gear teeth with the imaging device while rotating the gear; and

analyzing the images of the flanks of the gear teeth to evaluate the contact areas on the teeth to determine whether the contact areas are acceptable.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a processor, said analyzing comprises analyzing the images with the processor.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising illuminating each flank of each tooth while gathering the images.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said illuminating includes illuminating each flank with a strobe light.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said gathering images includes gathering all the images of the flanks of the teeth prior to analyzing the images.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said gathering images includes gathering one image of one flank of one tooth of the gear and analyzing the one image.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said gathering images includes gathering at least one image of one flank of one tooth of the gear and analyzing the at least one image.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a reference pattern of an acceptable or unacceptable contact area pattern, said analyzing including comparing the pattern of contact areas on the gear teeth to the reference pattern.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a reference tooth:

flank, dividing the reference tooth flank into grid areas, indicating selected grid areas of said grid areas where a contact area may occur, dividing each flank of the analyzed gear teeth into a plurality of grid areas, and said analyzing including comparing the correspondence of the locations of the contact areas relative to the grid areas of the analyzed tooth to the contact areas on the grid areas of the reference tooth.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said indicating selected grid areas of said reference tooth flank includes indicating where an acceptable contact area may occur.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing an imaging device includes providing at least two imaging devices, said gathering images includes gathering images one set of flanks of the gear teeth with one of the imaging devices and gathering images of another set of flanks of the gear teeth with the other imaging device.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device has a field of view, said method further comprising detecting when the gear tooth is in the field of view of the imaging device.

13. A gear inspection apparatus for inspecting a gear with a plurality of gear teeth, each tooth having first and second faces, the gear having being driven by another gear to generate contact areas on each of said first and second faces, said apparatus comprising:

at least one imaging device;

means for rotating the gear during an inspection cycle; and

a processor, said imaging device gathering images of the flanks of the teeth of the gear during said inspection cycle, said processor processing said images and using said images to analyze the contact areas of the teeth of the gear to evaluate the gear.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said imaging device gathering images of the faces of the teeth of the gear while the gear is rotating.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said imaging device comprises a pair of imaging devices, one of said imaging devices gathering images of the first faces of the gear teeth and another of said of said imaging devices gathering images of the second faces of the gear teeth.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said imaging device comprises a camera.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a light source for illuminating each flank of the teeth while said imaging device gathers the images of said flanks of the teeth.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said light source generates a strobe light.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said processor is programmed to analyze the images after all the images of the flanks of the teeth are gathered.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said processor is programmed to analyze an image of one or more flanks prior to gathering all of the images of the flanks of the teeth of the gear.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said processor includes a reference pattern of an acceptable or unacceptable contact area pattern, said processor comparing the pattern of contact areas on the gear teeth to the reference pattern.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said processor divides the flanks of the teeth into grid areas, and said processor comparing the pattern of the contact areas in the grid areas of the analyzed tooth to a reference pattern on the grid areas on a reference tooth.

23. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a sensor, said imaging device having a field of view, said sensor detecting when the gear tooth in is said field of view of the imaging device.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said sensor is in communication with said processor.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said sensor generates a trigger signal, said processor initiating said imaging device to gather images when said trigger signal is generated.

26. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said processor is in communication with said imaging device.

27. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said imaging device includes said processor.