ELECTRODE INSPECTION APPARATUS FOR SPOT WELDING

• US 20120200695A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keylex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Keylex Corporation
• Inventors: Yamane, Toshimasa, Yamane, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/90
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/3063 Electrode maintenance, e.g. cleaning, grinding
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/08 for measuring diameters

Abstract

An electrode inspection apparatus for spot welding is provided for precisely measuring diameters of a tip of an electrode without reducing availability ratio in a production line, and is particularly useful when inspecting a weld gun having electrodes with a narrow distance therebetween.

A CCD camera 91 for imaging the tip of the electrode held to the weld gun is disposed in an inspection apparatus body 6. The inspection apparatus body 6 includes a measuring reference unit 7 in which a fixing hole 72a for fixing the tip of the electrode is formed, and a mirror 8 obliquely arranged with respect to the electrode so as to be distant from the fixing hole 72a at a position opposite to the electrode with respect to the measuring reference unit 7. The CCD camera 91 is disposed in a side of the mirror 8 with a distance therebetween for imaging the tip of the electrode from a direct front thereof reflected on the mirror 8 by reflection.

Claims

1. An electrode inspection apparatus for spot welding, the apparatus comprising:

an inspection apparatus body in which one or more cameras for imaging tips of one or more electrodes for spot welding held to a weld gun are disposed; and

a control unit having a calculation section processing images of the tips of the electrodes captured by the cameras, and a determining section comparing a calculation result in the calculation section with a preset value to determine conditions of the tips of the electrodes, wherein

the inspection apparatus body includes a measuring reference unit in which a fixing hole for fixing each of the tips of the electrodes is formed, and a mirror obliquely arranged with respect to one of the electrodes so as to be distant from the fixing hole at a position opposite to the one of the electrodes with respect to the measuring reference unit, and

each of the cameras is disposed in a side of the mirror with a distance there between so as to image each of the tips of the electrodes from a direct front thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a pair of the electrodes are provided so as to face each other in both sides of the mirror,

the mirror is formed into a plate shape, and has mirror planes for reflecting the tips of the electrodes at both sides thereof, and

a pair of the cameras are provided in the both sides of the mirror.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a pair of the electrodes are provided so as to face each other in both sides of the mirror,

the mirror is formed into a plate shape, has a minor plane for reflecting the tips of the electrodes at one side thereof, and is rotatably attached to the inspection apparatus body, and

the mirror is rotated to switch the electrodes reflected on the mirror, and one of the cameras is configured to image the respective tips of the electrodes from a direct front thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a pair of the electrodes are provided so as to face each other in both sides of the mirror,

the mirror is provided so as to include a pair of minor sections for reflecting the respective tips of the electrodes, and

one of the cameras is configured to simultaneously image the respective tips of the electrodes reflected on the respective mirrors from a direct front thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

illumination light sources are disposed around a periphery of the lens of the cameras, and are made of an LED.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the inspection apparatus body is provided with a light quantity adjustment wall including a light through hole therein and disposed so as to be in a vicinity of a front of each of the cameras, and

a space through which light emitted from the illumination light sources passes is formed between an inner periphery of the light through hole and the outer periphery of each of the cameras.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the inspection apparatus body is provided with a protective cover for filling the fixing hole, and

the protective cover is provided with a curved portion for reflecting light which has been reflected on the mirror from the illumination light sources beyond a scope where the cameras capture images.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the inspection apparatus body is provided with a shield plate shielding light emitted from the illumination light sources and directly directing toward the electrode, and located between the illumination light sources and each of the electrodes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the inspection apparatus body is provided with a plurality of edge detection light sources illuminating a periphery of the tips of the electrodes with each of the electrodes fixed to the fixing hole.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the edge detection light sources are made of a blue LED.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control unit includes a data storage section storing the images captured by the cameras, the calculation result processed by the calculation section, and a result of comparison and determination by the determining section.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a display section includes for displaying the images captured by the cameras, the calculation result processed by the calculation section, and a result of comparison and determination by the determining section.