Plate thickness measuring device and plate thickness measurement method

Abstract

To provide a plate thickness measuring device and a plate thickness measurement method capable of precisely and rapidly measuring a thickness dimension of a thin-plate member and capable of suppressing damage or the like to the thin-plate member in measurement.SOLUTION: A plate thickness measuring device 1 for measuring a thickness dimension (t) of a thin-plate member W formed in a sheet shape comprises: a pedestal section 2 having a mounting surface F in which multiple absorption holes 2ba are formed; suction means 3 for sucking the thin-plate member W; a movable section 4 movable between a measurement position and a non-measurement position; sealing means 5 abutting on a peripheral section of the thin-plate member W and capable of sealing its inner area when the movable section 4 is in the measurement position; and measurement means 6 for measuring the thickness dimension (t) of the thin-plate member W with the mounting surface F as a reference surface by detecting a height of a surface of the thin-plate member W sucked by the suction means 3 in the inner area sealed by the sealing means 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plate thickness measuring device and a plate thickness measuring method for measuring the thickness dimension of a thin plate member formed in a sheet shape. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, fuel cell separators are made by stamping a thin metal plate member with grooves for fuel flow, trimming the plate member to fit the product shape including the grooves, and stacking multiple trimmed thin plate members to form a fuel cell. Such thin plate members are formed into sheets with a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and are usually inspected to ensure that the thickness after stamping is within a specified tolerance.

[0003] Conventionally, when inspecting thickness dimensions, one separator from a continuous production line is sampled at a predetermined interval, and an operator measures the thickness by clamping it with a micrometer at multiple measurement points. After confirming that the measured thickness dimensions at all measurement points are within the predetermined tolerance, the separator is trimmed to fit the product shape, thereby obtaining a thin plate member as a separator. Note that this prior art does not relate to an invention publicly known in the literature, and therefore there is no prior art literature information to be disclosed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, an operator must individually extract one of the continuously manufactured thin plate members and manually measure its thickness, which raises the risk of measurement errors depending on the operator's level of skill. In addition, when measuring, the measurement point of the thin plate member must be clamped with a micrometer, which raises the risk of the thin plate member being damaged by the pressure caused by clamping.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a plate thickness measuring device and a plate thickness measuring method that can measure the thickness dimension of a thin plate member with high precision and quickly, and can prevent the thin plate member from being damaged during measurement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a plate thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness dimension of a thin plate member formed in a sheet shape, and comprises: a base portion having a mounting surface on which the thin plate member is placed and on which a plurality of suction holes are formed; a suction means for sucking the thin plate member placed on the mounting surface through the suction holes in the mounting surface; a movable portion arranged opposite the base portion and movable between a measurement position close to the base portion and a non-measurement position away from the base portion; a sealing means attached to the movable portion and capable of abutting against the peripheral portion of the thin plate member placed on the mounting surface and sealing its inner area when the movable portion is in the measurement position; and a measuring means attached to the movable portion and measuring the thickness dimension of the thin plate member using the mounting surface as a reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate member sucked by the suction means in the inner area sealed by the sealing means.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is a plate thickness measuring device described in claim 1, wherein the sealing means comprises an elastic member attached to the movable part, and is capable of sealing the inner area by abutting against the peripheral edge of the thin plate member and bending as the movable part moves from the non-measurement position to the measurement position.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is a plate thickness measuring device described in claim 2, wherein the thin plate member is made of a metal thin plate having a pressed product area and an edge width area located on the outer periphery of the product area, and the sealing means is capable of sealing by abutting against the edge width area.

[0009] The invention of claim 4 is the plate thickness measuring device of claim 1, wherein the measuring means is attached to the movable part in plurality, and is capable of measuring a plurality of measurement points on the thin plate member simultaneously.

[0010] The invention described in claim 5 is a plate thickness measuring device described in claim 4, which has a judgment means connected to each of the multiple measurement means and capable of determining whether each measured thickness dimension is within a predetermined range.

[0011] The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in the plate thickness measuring device of claim 1, the measuring means comprises a contact-type indicator having a contactor that comes into contact with the surface of the thin plate member placed on the placement surface when the base part is in the measurement position, and measuring the thickness dimension using the placement surface as a reference surface.

[0012] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the plate thickness measuring device of the first aspect, wherein the thin plate member is a separator of a fuel cell.

[0013] The invention described in claim 8 is a plate thickness measurement method for measuring the thickness dimension of a thin plate member using a plate thickness measuring device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a placing and suction process for placing the thin plate member on the placing surface of the base unit and sucking the thin plate member placed on the placing surface with the suction means, a sealing process for moving the movable part to the measurement position relative to the base unit after the placing and suction process and abutting the sealing means against the peripheral edge of the thin plate member to seal its inner area, and a plate thickness measurement process for measuring the thickness dimension of the thin plate member using the placing surface as a reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate member sucked by the suction means in the inner area sealed by the sealing means after the sealing process with the measuring means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the inventions described in claims 1 and 8, the thickness dimension of the thin plate member is measured using the placement surface as the reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate member sucked by the suction means in the inner area sealed by the sealing means, thereby enabling the thickness dimension of the thin plate member to be measured quickly and with high precision, and also preventing the thin plate member from being damaged during measurement.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 2, the sealing means comprises an elastic member attached to the movable part, and is capable of sealing the inner area by abutting against the peripheral edge of the thin plate member and bending as the movable part moves from the non-measurement position to the measurement position, thereby enabling the inner area to be sealed smoothly and reliably.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 3, the thin plate member is made of a metal thin plate having a pressed product area and an edge-width area located on the outer periphery of the product area, and the sealing means is capable of sealing by abutting against the edge-width area, so that the sealing means can utilize the edge-width area to seal, and it is possible to avoid the sealing means abutting against the product area.

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 4, the measuring means is attached to the movable part in multiple numbers, and multiple measurement points on the thin plate member can be measured simultaneously, so that multiple measurement points can be measured all at once in a short period of time.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 5, since there is provided a judgment means that is connected to each of the plurality of measuring means and can judge whether each measured thickness dimension is within a predetermined range, the measurement results at the plurality of measurement points can be automatically judged.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 6, the measuring means comprises a contact-type indicator having a contactor that comes into contact with the surface of a thin plate member placed on a mounting surface when the movable part is in the measurement position, and measures the thickness dimension using the mounting surface as a reference surface, so that the thickness dimension of a thin plate member can be measured inexpensively.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 7, the thin plate member is made of a fuel cell separator, so that the thickness dimension of the fuel cell separator can be measured with high precision and quickly, and damage to the separator during measurement can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a plate thickness measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] Three-view diagram showing the same plate thickness measuring device [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the plate thickness measuring device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the movable part in the plate thickness measuring device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the movable part of the plate thickness measuring device is in a non-measurement position. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the movable part of the plate thickness measuring device is at a measurement position. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a thin plate member applied to the plate thickness measuring device; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plate thickness measuring device, showing the positional relationship between the thin plate member and the sealing member; [Figure 9] Flowchart showing the plate thickness measurement method of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The plate thickness measuring device 1 of this embodiment measures the thickness dimension t of a thin plate material W formed in a sheet form, and as shown in Figures 1 to 4, is configured to include a base portion 2 installed on the floor surface, a suction means 3 connected to the base portion 2, a movable portion 4 arranged opposite the base portion 2, a sealing means 5 formed at a predetermined position on the movable portion 4, multiple measuring means 6 attached to the movable portion 4, a determination means 7 capable of communicating with the measuring means 6, and an alarm means 8 electrically connected to the determination means 7.

[0023] The thin plate member W used in this embodiment is made of a fuel cell separator, and as shown in Figure 7, is made of a metal thin plate having a product area Wa in which a groove shape M is formed by press working (including impact forming, which applies an impact to a mold to process, and roll forming, which transfers a shape with a roll), and an edge width area Wb located on the outer periphery of the product area Wa. Then, after the thickness dimension t (approximately 0.1 mm) is measured using the plate thickness measuring device 1 according to this embodiment, the edge width area Wb can be trimmed from the product area Wa to obtain a fuel cell separator as a product.

[0024] The base 2 has a mounting surface F on which the thin plate member W is placed and on which a plurality of suction holes 2ba are formed, and is composed of a pedestal portion 2a and a mounting portion 2b, as shown in Figure 3. The pedestal portion 2a is made of a metal plate placed on the floor, and has four guide bars L and a plurality of stoppers S protruding upward. In addition, holding blocks B are detachably attached to both side edges of the pedestal portion 2a.

[0025] The mounting portion 2b is made of a plate-like member attached to the top of the base portion 2a, and has multiple suction holes 2ba formed upward. These suction holes 2ba are small holes formed over almost the entire top surface of the base portion 2a, allowing ventilation. The mounting portion 2b also has a connection port 2bb formed therein that communicates with the multiple suction holes 2ba, and as shown in Figure 1, the connection port 2bb is connected to the suction means 3 via a tube T.

[0026] The suction means 3 sucks the thin plate member W placed on the mounting surface F through the suction holes 2ba of the mounting surface F, and is composed of a suction device (for example, a fan that exhausts air to the outside or a negative pressure generator that can generate negative pressure) that sucks air from the opening of the suction holes 2ba. That is, after the thin plate member W is placed on the mounting surface F and the suction holes 2ba are covered, the suction means 3 is operated so that the thin plate member W is sucked onto the mounting surface F and comes into close contact with the mounting surface F in a flat state.

[0027] The movable part 4 is disposed opposite the mounting part 2b of the base part 2 and is movable between a measurement position (see FIG. 6) close to the base part 2 and a non-measurement position (see FIG. 5) away from the base part 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movable part 4 is held in the non-measurement position by attaching a holding block B to the pedestal part 2a. By removing the holding block B from the pedestal part 2a, the movable part 4 can be lowered toward the base part 2. When the movable part 4 reaches the measurement position, the back surface of the movable part 4 abuts against a stopper S, as shown in FIG. 6, and the movable part 4 is held in the measurement position.

[0028] The movable part 4 is formed with an insertion hole h through which the guide bar L of the base part 2 is inserted, and is configured so that movement between the measurement position and the non-measurement position is guided by the guide bar L. The movable part 4 is formed with handles 4b on both side edges, and an operator can grasp the handles 4b to lift the movable part 4 and move it between the measurement position and the non-measurement position.

[0029] The sealing means 5 is attached to the rear surface of the movable part 4 (the surface facing the mounting surface F of the base part 2), and when the movable part 4 is in the measurement position, it abuts against the peripheral portion (edge ​​width region Wb) of the thin plate member W placed on the mounting surface F, thereby sealing its inner region (region including the product region Wa), and is made of an elastic material (sponge material, rubber material, resin material, etc.) formed in a square (frame) shape, as shown in Figure 4. Note that the sealing means 5 is not limited to an elastic material, as long as it is abutting against the peripheral portion (edge ​​width region Wb) of the thin plate member W placed on the mounting surface F, thereby sealing its inner region (region including the product region Wa).

[0030] The sealing means 5 according to this embodiment is capable of sealing the inner region by contacting the peripheral edge (edge ​​width region Wb) of the thin plate member W and bending by a predetermined amount during the process in which the movable part 4 moves from the non-measurement position to the measurement position (until the movable part 4 contacts the stopper S). As a result, when the inner region including the product region Wa is sealed by the sealing means 5, the suction means 3 is operated to reliably suck and tightly seal the thin plate member W against the placement surface F while preventing air leakage from the inner region.

[0031] The measuring means 6 is attached to the installation portion 4a formed on the upper surface of the movable portion 4, and measures the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W using the placement surface F as a reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate member W sucked by the suction means 3 in the inner area sealed by the sealing means 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the measuring means 6 according to this embodiment is a contact-type indicator that has a contactor 6a that comes into contact with the surface of the thin plate member W placed on the placement surface F when the movable portion 4 is in the measurement position, and measures the thickness dimension t using the placement surface F as a reference plane.

[0032] Specifically, before measuring the thin plate member W, without the thin plate member W placed on the placement surface F, the movable part 4 is moved to the measurement position and the contact 6a of the measuring means 6 is brought into contact with the placement surface F to measure the zero point (height α of the reference plane). Thereafter, when measuring the thin plate member W, after the thin plate member W is placed on the placement surface F, the movable part 4 is moved to the measurement position and the contact 6a of the measuring means 6 is brought into contact with the surface of the thin plate member W placed on the placement surface F to detect its position (measurement height β).

[0033] As a result, by obtaining the difference between the measurement height β and the height α of the reference plane, it is possible to measure the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W based on the mounting surface F. According to this embodiment, the contactor 6a is brought into contact with the surface of the thin plate member W, and the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W can be measured based on the mounting surface F. Therefore, compared to measurement means that require clamping the thin plate member W, such as a micrometer, it is possible to prevent excessive pressure from being applied, and to avoid damage to the thin plate member W.

[0034] Furthermore, a plurality of measuring means 6 according to this embodiment (nine in this embodiment) are attached to the installation portion 4a of the movable portion 4, and as shown in Fig. 7, a plurality of (nine) measurement points P on the thin plate member W can be measured simultaneously. Note that by arbitrarily changing the measuring means 6 attached to the installation portion 4a, the number and positions of the measurement points P can be changed to any desired number and positions.

[0035] Furthermore, the measuring means 6 according to this embodiment is capable of converting a measurement value (measured thickness dimension t) into an electric signal and transmitting it wirelessly or via a wire to the determining means 7. The determining means 7 is connected wirelessly or via a wire to each of the multiple (nine) measuring means 6, and is capable of receiving the measurement values ​​transmitted from the measuring means 6 and determining whether each measured thickness dimension t is within a predetermined range (within a tolerance) that has been set in advance, and is made up of, for example, a computer or a microcomputer.

[0036] The notification means 8 is electrically connected to the determination means 7, and is capable of notifying the operator by displaying on the display means or emitting light from the light-emitting means when the determination means 7 determines that all measurement values ​​(thickness dimensions t) are within a predetermined range (within tolerance) (OK determination), or when the determination means 7 determines that any measurement value (thickness dimension t) is not within the predetermined range (within tolerance) (NG determination). Note that the notification means 8 may be configured to notify the operator only when the determination means 7 makes an NG determination.

[0037] Next, a measurement method using the plate thickness measuring device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The reference height (zero point) of the mounting surface F is measured in advance, and then the mounting and suction step S1 is performed. The mounting and suction step S1 is a step in which the thin plate member W is mounted on the mounting surface F of the base part 2 (thin plate member W set), and the suction means 3 is activated to suck the thin plate member W mounted on the mounting surface F with the suction means 3.

[0038] After the placing and suction step S1, a sealing step S2 is performed. In this sealing step S2, the movable part 4 is moved to the measurement position (see FIG. 6) relative to the base part 2, and the sealing means 5 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge (edge ​​width region Wb) of the thin plate member W to seal the inner region. This allows the inner region including the product region Wa of the thin plate member W to be sealed, and the thin plate member W can be sucked and tightly attached through the suction holes 2ba in the inner region.

[0039] Then, after waiting for a predetermined time in a waiting step S3 to stabilize the suction state, a plate thickness measuring step S4 is performed. The plate thickness measuring step S4 is a step in which the thickness dimension t of the thin plate material W is measured using the placement surface F as a reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate material W sucked by the suction means 3 in the inner area sealed by the sealing means 5 with the measuring means 6. Thereafter, the process proceeds to a judging step S5, in which the value measured by the measuring means 6 (thickness dimension t) is transmitted wirelessly or by wire to the judging means 7, which then makes a judgment (OK judgment or NG judgment).

[0040] In the judgment step S5, it is judged whether the measurement value by the measuring means 6 is within a predetermined range (within tolerance) (S6), and if it is judged to be within the tolerance, the process proceeds to S7, where the notification means 8 issues an OK judgment (OK notification), and if it is judged not to be within the tolerance, the process proceeds to S8, where the notification means 8 issues an NG judgment (NG notification). After the OK notification (S7) or NG notification (S8) is issued, the movable part 4 rises to the non-measurement position, the sealing by the sealing means 5 is released (S9), and the suction means 3 is stopped (S10). This completes the series of steps for measuring the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W.

[0041] According to this embodiment, the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W is measured using the placement surface F as a reference plane by detecting the height of the surface of the thin plate member W sucked by the suction means 3 in the inner area sealed by the sealing means 5, so that the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W can be measured quickly and with high precision, and damage to the thin plate member W during measurement can be prevented. That is, since the thin plate member W is sucked by the suction means 3 in the inner area of ​​the sealing means 5, the thin plate member W can be brought into close contact with the placement surface F, and measurement can be performed accurately using the placement surface F as a reference plane, and since there is no need to clamp the front and back surfaces of the thin plate member W, application of excessive pressure can be prevented, and damage, etc. can be avoided.

[0042] Furthermore, the sealing means 5 according to this embodiment is made of an elastic member attached to the movable part 4, and as the movable part 4 moves from the non-measurement position to the measurement position, it comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the thin plate member W and bends, thereby sealing the inner region, thereby enabling smooth and reliable sealing of the inner region. In particular, the thin plate member W is made of a metal thin plate having a pressed product region Wa and a narrow edge region Wb located on the outer periphery of the product region Wa, and the sealing means 5 comes into contact with the narrow edge region Wb, allowing the sealing means 5 to seal by utilizing the narrow edge region Wb, thereby preventing the sealing means 5 from coming into contact with the product region Wa.

[0043] Furthermore, since a plurality of measuring means 6 according to this embodiment are attached to the movable part 4 and can simultaneously measure a plurality of measurement points P on the thin plate member W, it is possible to measure a plurality of measurement points P collectively in a short time. In addition, this embodiment has a determination means 7 that is connected to each of the plurality of measuring means 6 and can determine whether each measured thickness dimension t is within a predetermined range, so that the measurement results at a plurality of measurement points P can be automatically determined.

[0044] Furthermore, the measuring means 6 according to this embodiment has a contact 6a that comes into contact with the surface of the thin plate member W placed on the placement surface F when the movable part 4 is in the measurement position, and is made up of a contact-type indicator that measures the thickness dimension t using the placement surface F as a reference plane, so that it is possible to inexpensively measure the thickness dimension of the thin plate member W. Furthermore, since the thin plate member W according to this embodiment is made up of a fuel cell separator, it is possible to measure the thickness dimension t of the fuel cell separator quickly and with high precision, and it is also possible to prevent the separator from being damaged during measurement.

[0045] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the measuring means 6 is not limited to a contact-type indicator, but may be an optical indicator that measures the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W based on the placement surface F by irradiating the surface of the thin plate member W with a laser or the like to detect the height of the surface of the thin plate member W. Also, the determining means 7 and the notifying means 8 may not be provided, and the thickness dimension t of the thin plate member W may be displayed on the display unit of the measuring means 6. Note that the thin plate member W is not limited to a fuel cell separator, and may be a thin plate member W used for other purposes. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The present invention can also be applied to devices with different external shapes or devices with additional functions, provided that they have the same gist as the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Plate thickness measuring device 2 Base 2a Base 2b Placement section 2ba suction hole 2bb connection port 3 Suction means 4 Moving parts 4a Installation part 4b Handle 5 Sealing means 6 Measurement means 6a Contact 7 Judgment means 8 Notification methods F Placement surface T-tube B Holding block L Guide bar S stopper h Insertion hole K Height position W Thin plate material Wa product area Wb Edge width area M groove shape

Claims

1. A plate thickness measuring device for measuring the thickness dimension of a thin plate member formed in a sheet shape, a base portion having a mounting surface on which the thin plate member is mounted and on which a plurality of suction holes are formed; a suction means for sucking the thin plate member placed on the placement surface through the suction holes in the placement surface; a movable part disposed opposite the base part and movable between a measurement position close to the base part and a non-measurement position spaced apart from the base part; a sealing means attached to the movable part, the sealing means being capable of abutting against a peripheral edge of the thin plate member placed on the placement surface to seal an inner area thereof when the movable part is at the measurement position; a measuring means attached to the movable portion, for measuring a thickness dimension of the thin plate member using the placement surface as a reference plane by detecting a height of a surface of the thin plate member sucked by the suction means in the inner area sealed by the sealing means; A plate thickness measuring device equipped with:

2. The sealing means comprises an elastic member attached to the movable part, and is capable of sealing the inner region by abutting against the peripheral edge of the thin plate member and bending during the process of the movable part moving from the non-measurement position to the measurement position. A plate thickness measuring device as described in claim 1.

3. 3. The plate thickness measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the thin plate member is made of a metal thin plate having a pressed product area and an edge width area located on the outer periphery of the product area, and the sealing means is capable of sealing by abutting against the edge width area.

4. 2. The plate thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the measuring means are attached to the movable portion so that a plurality of measuring points on the thin plate member can be measured simultaneously.

5. 5. A plate thickness measuring device according to claim 4, further comprising a determining means connected to each of the plurality of measuring means and capable of determining whether each measured thickness dimension is within a predetermined range.

6. The plate thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the measuring means comprises a contact type indicator having a contactor that comes into contact with the surface of the thin plate member placed on the placement surface when the movable part is in the measurement position, and measuring the thickness dimension using the placement surface as a reference surface.

7. 2. The plate thickness measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the thin plate member is a separator for a fuel cell.

8. A plate thickness measurement method for measuring the thickness dimension of the thin plate member using the plate thickness measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a placing and suction step of placing the thin plate member on the placing surface of the base portion and sucking the thin plate member placed on the placing surface by the suction means; a sealing step of moving the movable part to the measurement position relative to the base part after the placing and suction step, and abutting the sealing means against the peripheral edge of the thin plate member to seal the inner area thereof; a plate thickness measuring step of measuring a thickness dimension of the thin plate member using the placement surface as a reference plane by detecting a height of a surface of the thin plate member sucked by the suction means in an inner area sealed by the sealing means using the measurement means after the sealing step; A plate thickness measurement method having the following.

Images