Inspection device

Abstract

To enable inspection for estimating (mechanical) physical properties of high polymer material by a non-contacting / nondestructive method.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 for high polymer material consists of an oscillator 10 which can emit an electromagnetic wave within a specific range, a receiver 20 including an electronic element that receives and converts the electromagnetic wave led out of the oscillator 10 into an electric signal, and an amplifier that amplifies the electric signal, and an arithmetic part which performs computation from the absorption amount of the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver 20, and also computes, in addition to electric properties of the high polymer material H, mechanical and thermal properties from the absorption amount of the received electromagnetic wave through the high polymer material H between the oscillator 10 and the receiver 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional methods for performance and quality testing of film and yarn products made from polymeric materials involve sampling and destructive testing of a portion of the product, but non-destructive testing methods are desired for full inspection to ensure quality. While electromagnetic waves are an effective non-destructive method, they are used to measure electrical properties but are not known to measure mechanical or thermal properties. Methods using electromagnetic waves are limited to measuring the properties and characteristics of film products, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-21503 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this way, when a method using detection (electromagnetic waves) is adopted, it is often used as a technology to measure optical and electrical properties as described in Patent Document 1, but there is no method to measure the mechanical and thermal properties of the object being measured.

[0005] In addition, there is a demand for higher performance in products these days, and it is desirable to inspect all products (every single item).In order to inspect every single item, it is necessary to perform the inspection without changing the performance or quality of the product, so the inspection must be non-contact and non-destructive.

[0006] It is known that infrared light has a longer wavelength than visible light and generally has an absorption peak attributable to vibrations (between bonds) within a polymer.

[0007] Terahertz waves and millimeter waves have longer wavelengths than infrared light, making them suitable for observing a wider range than infrared light. It is generally known that they can be used to observe higher-order structures such as the vibrations between polymer molecules (intermolecular attraction) and their entanglement in polymeric materials.

[0008] The mechanical and thermal properties of membrane and yarn products are measured at sizes that are visible to the human eye and relatively easy to handle, and therefore are thought to measure the macroscopic properties of polymers.

[0009] In contrast, information obtained from conventional, commonly used techniques such as infrared spectroscopy only looks at the local (micro) properties of molecules (such as crystallinity), making it difficult to estimate macroscopic properties.

[0010] Therefore, by simultaneously using terahertz waves and millimeter waves, which have longer wavelengths, it becomes possible to control the properties of polymer materials at both micro and macro levels.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device that can inspect the mechanical and thermal properties of products made of polymeric materials in a non-destructive and non-contact manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] One aspect of the present invention is an inspection device for polymeric materials, which is composed of an oscillator capable of emitting electromagnetic waves in a specific range, a receiver equipped with an electronic element that receives the electromagnetic waves derived from the oscillator and converts them into an electrical signal, and an amplifier that amplifies the electrical signal, and a calculation unit that performs calculations based on the amount of absorption of the electromagnetic waves received by the receiver.This inspection device calculates not only the electrical properties of the polymeric material but also its mechanical and thermal properties from the amount of absorption of the received electromagnetic waves via the polymeric material located between the oscillator and the receiver.

[0013] With the above-mentioned inspection device, the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves used ranges from infrared light to millimeter waves, and by using the infrared light band as well as terahertz waves and millimeter waves, it is possible to observe and measure and estimate the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material being tested.

[0014] The wavelength band of the electromagnetic waves emitted by the oscillator in the above-described inspection device may be from the near-infrared to millimeter wave band.

[0015] The inspection device as described above may include a bandpass filter between the receiver and the polymeric material for receiving only specific wavelengths of electromagnetic waves.

[0016] The inspection device as described above may be configured to include a plurality of receivers, each of which is equipped with a band-pass filter and is capable of receiving a plurality of electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths.

[0017] In the inspection device as described above, a diffractor capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material for each wavelength may be provided between the receiver and the polymer material.

[0018] An interferometer capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material for each wavelength may be provided between the receiver and the polymer material in the inspection device described above.

[0019] A triangular mirror capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material for each wavelength may be provided between the receiver and the polymer material in the inspection device described above.

[0020] The inspection device as described above may be configured to include a plurality of oscillators and the same number of paired receivers, and to receive a plurality of specific wavelengths depending on the types of light sources of the oscillators and light receiving elements of the receivers.

[0021] In the inspection device as described above, the calculation unit may have a calculation method for removing noise caused by the influence of light such as interference and stray light that occurs when the electromagnetic wave passes through a polymer material from the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver.

[0022] In the inspection device as described above, the calculation unit may have a calculation method for estimating the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material in addition to the electrical properties from the amount of electromagnetic wave absorption in the polymer material received by the receiver.

[0023] In the inspection device as described above, the calculation unit may be provided with a calculation method for estimating the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material in addition to the electrical properties from the amount of electromagnetic wave absorption in the polymer material received by the receiver.

[0024] In the inspection device as described above, the calculation unit may have in advance information indicating the relationship between the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the polymer material and the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material.

[0025] In the inspection device as described above, the calculation unit may be provided in advance with information indicating the relationship between the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the polymer material and the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, the mechanical and thermal properties of products made of polymeric materials can be inspected non-destructively and non-contact. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an inspection device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of installation for receiving only one specific wavelength using a bandpass filter in a transmission optical system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reflective optical system. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a coaxial epi-illumination system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of installation for receiving a plurality of specific wavelengths using a plurality of bandpass filters in a transmission optical system. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reflective optical system. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of installation for obtaining spectral information in a transmission optical system. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reflective optical system. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an installation in which an oscillator emits and receives a specific wavelength in a transmission optical system. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reflective optical system. [Figure 11] In the presently disclosed invention, the results of estimating mechanical properties are shown, including (A) an example spectrum of the object to be measured, (B) an example of measurement at one arbitrarily selected wave number, (C) an example of measurement using a spectrometer, (D) an example of measurement at multiple arbitrarily selected wave numbers, and (E) a graph showing the measurement results from (B) to (D). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] A preferred embodiment of an inspection device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings (see FIGS. 1 to 9).

[0029] The inspection device according to the present disclosure is a device for measuring a polymer material H, such as a resin film, manufactured through various manufacturing processes, and for inspecting whether or not there are any abnormalities, such as mechanical properties or thermal properties that vary due to the material and manufacturing process conditions, that are outside the product specifications. Such an inspection device performs inspections based on the principle that an electromagnetic wave is irradiated onto the polymer material H between an oscillator and a receiver, and the attenuation (absorption) of the electromagnetic wave, which is determined by the internal medium and the polymer material H, is captured, and changes in the higher-order structure of the polymer are captured, thereby estimating the mechanical properties and thermal properties.

[0030] The inspection device T of this embodiment is configured as a device including an oscillator 10, a receiver 20, and a calculation unit 30 (see FIG. 1, etc.).

[0031] (oscillator) The oscillator 10 is a device that generates a continuous wave including a predetermined wave number band. In this embodiment, the oscillator 10 is configured assuming the use of electromagnetic waves in the mid-infrared to terahertz wave bands, but it is of course also possible to apply electromagnetic waves in the near-infrared and millimeter wave bands.

[0032] (Receiver) The receiver 20 receives the electromagnetic wave that is output from the oscillator 10 and has passed through the polymer material H.

[0033] (calculation section) The calculation unit 30 is composed of a calculation device that evaluates the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material H based on the attenuation of each wavenumber contained in the electromagnetic waves received by the receiver 20. The calculation unit 30 is equipped with an algorithm including a relational expression that pre-links the intensity of the electromagnetic waves received by the receiver 20 with the mechanical and thermal properties. The calculation unit 30 estimates the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material H being inspected from the intensity of the electromagnetic waves received by the receiver 20 and the relational expression. The relational expression is a pre-obtained correlation between the values ​​of the mechanical and thermal properties and the wavenumber bands that include the attenuation due to these properties, or the intensity or change in the wavenumber spectrum that changes depending on the attenuation due to these properties. The measured values ​​and the values ​​indicating the properties of the object are pre-modeled, i.e., the formula is adjusted to produce property values ​​using multiple results rather than the values ​​themselves. The algorithm is a theoretical formula for noise removal.

[0034] As an example, in this embodiment, by configuring the optical system shown in Fig. 2, it is possible to estimate the mechanical property of breaking strength shown in Fig. 11 from the intensity of the received electromagnetic wave of a specific wave number. This is of course possible with both the reflective optical system shown in Fig. 3 and the coaxial epi-illumination reflective optical system shown in Fig. 4.

[0035] The above estimation is merely an example, and can be adjusted appropriately based on the mechanical and thermal properties of the object to be estimated. Compared to conventional methods, this inspection device enables non-destructive and non-contact inspection, expanding the range of inspection applications.

[0036] (Use of multiple receivers) Here, the inspection device 1 may employ multiple receivers 20 for receiving electromagnetic waves, as shown in FIG. 5. This allows multiple independent wave numbers attributable to the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material H to be used in signal processing, thereby improving estimation accuracy. This is of course also possible with a reflective optical system as shown in FIG. 6. An example of an estimation method using multiple receivers 20 in the inspection device 1 configured as described above will be described below. Note that the reference numeral 40 denotes a bandpass filter. The bandpass filter 40 provided between the receiver 20 and the polymer material H receives only a specific wavelength from the electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, multiple bandpass filters 40 can receive multiple electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths.

[0037] (Use of a spectrometer) Here, the inspection device 1 may employ a diffractor 50 as the receiver 20 for receiving electromagnetic waves, as shown in FIG. 7, or an interferometer (not shown) or a triangular mirror (not shown). Essentially, any device capable of splitting a laser beam and serving as a reflector is sufficient. A specific example is a beam splitter (see FIGS. 4, 8, and 10). This allows the spectrum of wavenumbers attributable to the mechanical and thermal properties of polymer material H to be used in signal processing, improving estimation accuracy and facilitating the identification of the most effective wavenumbers attributable to the mechanical and thermal properties. This is also possible with a reflective optical system such as that shown in FIG. 8. An example of an estimation method using a spectrometer in the receiver 20 of the inspection device 1 configured as described above is described below.

[0038] (Use of multiple oscillators and receivers) Here, the inspection device 1 may employ a plurality of oscillators 10 that emit electromagnetic waves, as shown in Figure 9. This allows a plurality of independent wave numbers that belong to the mechanical properties and thermal properties of the polymer material H to be used in signal processing, thereby improving estimation accuracy. This is of course also possible with a reflective optical system as shown in Figure 10. An example of an estimation method using a plurality of oscillators 10 in the inspection device 1 configured as above will be described below.

[0039] In this embodiment, in addition to oscillator 10, other oscillators 11 and 12 are provided, and oscillators 10 to 12 use semiconductor lasers to emit electromagnetic waves in different wave number bands. [Industrial Applicability]

[0040] The present invention is suitable for application to an inspection device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1...Inspection equipment 10, 11, 12...Oscillators 12...Light source 20...Receiver 30...Arithmetic section 40...Bandpass filter 50...diffractor H…Polymer material

Claims

1. An inspection device for polymeric materials, an oscillator capable of emitting electromagnetic waves in a specific range; a receiver including an electronic element for receiving the electromagnetic wave derived from the oscillator and converting it into an electrical signal, and an amplifier for amplifying the electrical signal; a calculation unit that calculates the absorption amount of the electromagnetic wave received by the receiver; It consists of An inspection device that calculates the electrical properties as well as the mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material from the amount of absorption of the received electromagnetic waves via the polymer material located between the oscillator and the receiver.

2. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength band of the electromagnetic wave emitted by said oscillator is from the near-infrared to millimeter wave band.

3. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a bandpass filter between said receiver and said polymeric material for receiving only a specific wavelength of electromagnetic waves.

4. 4. The inspection device according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of said receivers and said bandpass filters, and capable of receiving a plurality of electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths.

5. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a diffractor between said receiver and said polymeric material, said diffractor being capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through said polymeric material for each wavelength.

6. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising an interferometer between said receiver and said polymeric material, said interferometer being capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through said polymeric material for each wavelength.

7. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a triangular mirror between said receiver and said polymeric material, said triangular mirror being capable of receiving electromagnetic waves transmitted through said polymeric material for each wavelength.

8. 2. The inspection device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said oscillators and said receivers paired therewith, and receiving a plurality of wavelengths depending on the type of light source of said oscillators and the type of light receiving element of said receivers.

9. 9. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit includes an algorithm for removing noise from the electromagnetic waves received by the receiver due to the influence of light, such as interference and stray light, that occurs when the electromagnetic waves pass through the polymer material.

10. 9. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit includes a calculation method for estimating mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material in addition to electrical properties from the amount of electromagnetic wave absorption in the polymer material received by the receiver.

11. 10. The inspection device according to claim 9, wherein the calculation unit includes a calculation method for estimating mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer material in addition to electrical properties from the amount of electromagnetic wave absorption in the polymer material received by the receiver.

12. The inspection device according to claim 10 , wherein the calculation unit is previously provided with information indicating a relationship between the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the polymer material and the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material.

13. The inspection device according to claim 11 , wherein the calculation unit is previously provided with information indicating a relationship between the electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the polymer material and the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the polymer material.

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