Contact thermometer

Abstract

To provide a contact type thermometer that lowers the contact pressure and improves the durability of a contact plate.SOLUTION: Provided is a contact type thermometer 1 comprising a head body 10, a contact plate 20, an urging member 30, and a temperature detection element 40. The head body 10 has a first support pin 11 and a second support pin 12 extending in a Y direction while being spaced apart from each other in an X direction. The first support pin 11 is located nearer to the tip side of the head body 10 than the second support pin 12 and comes closer to the side of the contact plate 20 that is opposite the side that is in contact with a measurement object than the second support pin 12. The contact plate 20 has: a first supporting hole 21 which is formed at one end part in the X direction and into which the first support pin 11 is inserted without backlash; and a second supporting hole 22 which is formed at the other end part and has a length in at least a Z direction longer than that of the first supporting hole 21 and into which the second support pin 12 is inserted with backlash, the contact plate being supported on the head body 10 in a manner to be swingable in the Z direction around the one end part thanks to a support structure that the one end part constitutes a rotating end and the other end part constitutes a free end.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact thermometer, and more particularly to a contact thermometer that directly contacts a moving object to be measured to measure the temperature of the object. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Contact thermometers have been proposed that measure the temperature of moving materials or products by directly contacting them in the manufacturing process of various sheet-like products (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Anritsu Meter Co., Ltd., S-Series High-Performance Surface Temperature Sensor, Temperature Measuring Instrument General Catalog, February 2020, pp. 81-87 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In contact thermometers that come into direct contact with a moving object to be measured, the friction between the contact plate of the contact thermometer and the object to be measured increases as the contact pressure on the object increases, generating frictional heat. Frictional heat is a cause of measurement errors in the temperature of the object to be measured.

[0005] 7, the contact thermometer 100 described in Non-Patent Document 1 is configured to include a head body 101, a contact plate 102, a biasing member 103, and a temperature detection element 104. The contact thermometer 100 has a structure in which the first support hole 107 and the second support hole 108 each have some play with respect to the first support pin 105 and the second support pin 106, and the contact plate 102 moves parallel in the Z direction when it comes into surface contact with the object to be measured.

[0006] In the contact thermometer 100, when the contact plate 102 is brought into contact with the object to be measured, the contact plate 102 moves parallel to the Z direction, thereby reducing the contact pressure on the object to be measured. This is advantageous in reducing the frictional force between the contact plate 102 and the object to be measured, and makes it possible to suppress the generation of frictional heat.

[0007] However, the contact thermometer 100 is structured so that the contact plate 102 moves in parallel in the Z direction to reduce the contact pressure of the contact plate 102, and the distance between the contact plate 102 and the first support pin 105 and the second support pin 106 is long. Therefore, as shown by the dotted line in the figure, if an unexpected force is applied to the contact plate 102 from the X direction, there is a risk that the contact plate 102 will deform with the support pins as the fulcrum.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a contact thermometer which reduces the contact pressure while improving the durability of the contact plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The contact thermometer of the present invention which solves the above-mentioned problems includes a contact plate which protrudes from the tip of a head body and comes into direct surface contact with an object to be measured, a biasing member which elastically biases the contact plate towards the object to be measured, and a temperature detection element which is arranged on the opposite side of the surface of the contact plate which contacts the object to be measured and converts the temperature of the object to an electric signal, wherein the head body has a first support pin and a second support pin which are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the contact plate and extend in the width direction of the contact plate, the first support pin is arranged closer to the tip of the head body than the second support pin and is closer to the tip of the head body than the second support pin. contact The contact plate has a first support hole formed at one end in a longitudinal direction thereof, into which the first support pin is inserted without play, and a second support hole formed at the other end thereof, the second support hole having a length in the thickness direction of the contact plate longer than that of the first support hole, into which the second support pin is inserted with play, and the one end is an axis by a support structure in which the one end is a rotation end and the other end is a free end. BeforeThe contact plate is supported on the head body so as to be swingable in the thickness direction of the contact plate. Effect of the Invention

[0010] In the present invention, the support structure of the contact plate is a structure in which one end is a rotating end and the other end is a free end, and the contact plate can swing around the one end as an axis, so that the contact pressure when the contact plate is brought into contact with the object to be measured can be reduced. In addition, in the present invention, the distance between the first support pin and the contact plate is shortened, so that the moment of force acting on the contact plate with the first support pin as a fulcrum can be reduced. Therefore, according to the present invention, the frictional force between the contact plate and the object to be measured is kept low, and the generation of frictional heat is suppressed, and deformation of the contact plate at one end can be suppressed even if an unexpected force is applied when the contact plate is brought into contact with the object to be measured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a contact thermometer of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a side view illustrating a state in which one of the front end side blocks of the contact thermometer in FIG. 1 has been removed and the contact plate is not in contact with the object to be measured. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a perspective view illustrating a supporting member of the contact plate of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a side view illustrating a state in which one of the front end side blocks of the contact thermometer in FIG. 1 is removed and a contact plate is in contact with a measurement object. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the end blocks, supports, and connecting rods of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a side view illustrating a state in which one of the front end side blocks of the contact thermometer in FIG. 1 is removed and a contact plate is in contact with a measurement object. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a contact thermometer according to a known technique. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the contact thermometer of the present invention will be described. In the figure, the X direction indicates the longitudinal direction of the contact plate 20 of the contact thermometer 1, the Y direction indicates the width direction of the contact plate 20, and the Z direction indicates the thickness direction of the contact plate 20. The thickness direction of the contact plate 20 is the direction at the contact portion between the contact plate 20 and the biasing member 30. In addition, in FIG. 1, the tip of each member of the contact thermometer 1 is on the upper side in the figure, and the end is on the lower side in the figure, and in FIG. 2, the tip of each member of the contact thermometer 1 is on the lower side in the figure, and the end is on the upper side in the figure. In the figure, the dimensions are changed to make the configuration easy to understand, and do not necessarily match the ratio of the actual manufactured product.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the contact thermometer 1 of the embodiment has a contact plate 20 protruding from the tip of the head body 10 elastically biased by a biasing member 30 to directly contact the surface of the object to be measured, and the temperature detection element 40 converts the heat transferred through the contact plate 20 and the biasing member 30 into an electrical signal as the temperature of the object to be measured. The contact thermometer 1 transmits the converted electrical signal to a measuring device via a signal line (not shown) derived from the end of the support 50, and the measuring device displays the temperature of the object to be measured based on the electrical signal. The contact thermometer 1 and the measuring device are not limited to a configuration in which they are directly connected via a signal line, and may be configured so that the contact thermometer 1 and the measuring device can exchange data via wireless signals, or may be configured so that the measuring device is directly connected to the end of the support 50 without using a signal line and integrated.

[0014] Contact thermometer 1 is composed of a head body 10, a contact plate 20, an urging member 30, a temperature detection element 40, a support 50, and a connecting rod 60. In contact thermometer 1, the contact plate 20 and the urging member 30 are arranged on the tip side of head body 10, and the support 50 is arranged on the end side of head body 10. Contact thermometer 1 consists of two support structures: a support structure on the tip side that supports the contact plate 20 on the head body 10 so that it can swing in the Z direction with one end of the contact plate 20 in the X direction as an axis, and a support structure on the end side that supports the head body 10 on the support 50 so that it can swing in the X direction with the connecting rod 60 as an axis.

[0015] The head body 10 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped with a groove extending in the X direction at the tip end and recessed from the tip side to the end side, and both ends of the tip end of the rectangular parallelepiped in the X direction are chamfered. The head body 10 is composed of a tip central block 10a, two tip side blocks 10b, and an end block 10c. The tip central block 10a has a first support pin 11, a second support pin 12, a protrusion 13, a storage section 14, a biasing support section 15, and an element support section 16 not shown in FIG. 1. The tip side blocks 10b are arranged on both sides of the tip central block 10a in the Y direction, and a groove is formed between the tip side blocks 10b. The head body 10 is composed of the tip central block 10a and the two tip side blocks 10b each screwed to the end block 10c.

[0016] The contact plate 20 is supported by the head body 10 so as to protrude from the tip of the head body 10. The contact plate 20 has a first support hole 21 formed at one end in the X direction, into which the first support pin 11 is inserted, and a second support hole 22 formed at the other end, into which the second support pin 12 is inserted. The contact plate 20 is made up of a contact plate body 23 and a support member 24. The contact plate body 23 is substantially L-shaped when viewed in the Y direction, has the first support hole 21 formed at one end, and a bent portion 25 formed at the other end. The support member 24 is U-shaped when viewed in the X direction, and is joined to the surface of the contact plate body 23 opposite the surface that contacts the object to be measured, and a second support hole 22 is formed in each of the pieces that face each other in the Y direction.

[0017] The biasing member 30 is made of a material more elastic than the contact plate 20, and is in surface contact with the surface of the contact plate 20 opposite the surface that contacts the object to be measured, with the C-ring portion of the Ω-shape forming a rounded rectangular shape when viewed in the Y direction. The biasing member 30 is disposed in the storage section 14 of the head body 10, and is supported by a biasing support section 15 consisting of four support pins. When the contact plate 20 comes into contact with the object to be measured, the biasing member 30 elastically biases the contact plate 20 toward the object to be measured.

[0018] The tip side of the temperature detection element 40 is arranged along the inner circumferential surface of the biasing member 30, and the end side passes through the inside of the head body 10 and the support 50 to become a signal line. Examples of the temperature detection element 40 include various types of thermocouples, such as type K, which uses chromel for the positive electrode and alumel for the negative electrode, type E, which uses chromel for the positive electrode and constantan for the negative electrode, and type B, which uses a platinum-rhodium alloy (rhodium content 30%) for the positive electrode and a platinum-rhodium alloy (rhodium content 6%) for the negative electrode. The temperature detection element 40 has a temperature sensing part 43 formed by joining wires 41 and 42 made of different metals (not shown in FIG. 1) joined to the surface of the biasing member 30 opposite to the surface that contacts the contact plate 20.

[0019] The support body 50 has a rod shape with its axial direction oriented in the Z direction, and has the temperature detection element 40 disposed therein. The tip of the support body 50 is connected to the head body 10 by a connecting rod 60. The connecting rod 60 has a cylindrical shape with its axial direction oriented in the Y direction.

[0020] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the support structure of the contact plate 20 on the tip side is a structure in which one end of the contact plate 20 in the X direction is a rotating end and the other end is a free end, and the contact plate 20 is supported on the head body 10 so that it can swing in the Z direction.

[0021] The tip central block 10a has a pin insertion hole formed on the tip side of a protrusion 13 at one end in the X direction into which a first support pin 11 is inserted, and a pin insertion hole formed at the other end in the X direction into which a second support pin 12 is inserted. The tip central block 10a has a storage section 14 disposed in the center in the X direction, in which a biasing support section 15 and an element support section 16 are disposed.

[0022] The first support pin 11 forms a cylinder extending in the Y direction. When the contact thermometer 1 is assembled, the first support pin 11 is inserted without play into both the pin insertion hole in the protruding portion 13 of the head body 10 and the first support hole 21 in the contact plate 20. The first support pin 11 is positioned closer to the tip side than the second support pin 12 in the Z direction. The first support pin 11 is always in contact with the surface of the contact plate 20 opposite the surface 20c that contacts the object to be measured.

[0023] The second support pin 12 forms a cylinder extending in the Y direction. When the contact thermometer 1 is assembled, the second support pin 12 is inserted without play into a pin insertion hole formed at the other end in the X direction of the head body 10, and is inserted with play into the second support hole 22 of the contact plate 20. The second support pin 12 is disposed closer to the distal end than the first support pin 11 in the Z direction, and contacts one of the Z direction ends of the second support hole 22 described below that is farther from the contact plate 20 when the contact plate 20 is not in contact with the object to be measured.

[0024] In this disclosure, a state without play refers to a state in which there is no gap or looseness between the pin and the hole, and the pin inserted into the hole, or the hole into which the pin is inserted, does not move on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin. This state without play includes a state in which there is absolutely no gap or looseness between the pin and the hole structurally, but also includes a state in which there is some gap or looseness within the margin of error when the pin is inserted into the hole. A state with play refers to a state in which there is a gap or looseness between the pin and the hole, and the pin inserted into the hole, or the hole into which the pin is inserted, can move within a range in which the pin and the hole do not come into contact with each other on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin.

[0025] The protruding portion 13 is formed at one end of the tip central block 10a in the X direction and protrudes from the end toward the tip from other parts of the tip central block 10a. The protruding portion 13 has a pin insertion hole formed on its tip side, closer to the tip side in the Z direction than the second support pin 12, into which the first support pin 11 is inserted.

[0026] The storage section 14 is formed in the center of the tip central block 10a in the X direction, and is formed as a hole penetrating from the tip to the end. A biasing support section 15 and an element support section 16 are arranged in the storage section 14. A portion including the biasing member 30 supported by the biasing support section 15 and the temperature sensing section 43 of the temperature detection element 40 protrudes from an opening on the tip side of the storage section 14, and the wires 41, 42 of the temperature detection element 40 supported by the element support section 16 are led out from an opening on the end side.

[0027] The biasing support part 15 is composed of four support pins extending in the Y direction. Two support pins of the biasing support part 15 are arranged at each of the inner corners on the distal end side of the rounded rectangle of the biasing member 30, and two support pins are arranged at each of the outer corners of the inwardly convex bent part of the Ω shape. The biasing support part 15 supports the biasing member 30 in an unfixed manner to the head body 10 with both ends of the biasing member 30 in a free state by the four support pins.

[0028] The element support 16 is composed of a plurality of support pins extending in the Y direction and a short-circuit prevention member that prevents a short circuit of the temperature detection element 40. The element support 16 may have any configuration as long as it can guide the temperature detection element 40 to the support 50 and prevent a short circuit between the wires 41, 42 of the temperature detection element 40, and is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment.

[0029] The tip side block 10b is disposed on the side of the tip central block 10a in the Y direction, and functions as a retainer for the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 inserted into the respective pin insertion holes of the tip central block 10a. When the contact plate 20 is pressed against the object to be measured and tilted significantly in the Z direction, the tip side block 10b functions to protect the contact plate 20, the biasing member 30, and the temperature detection element 40 by making a surface contact with the object to be measured. The tip of the tip side block 10b is located on the tip side of the portion of the tip central block 10a other than the protruding portion 13, and a groove is formed between the two tip side blocks 10b when the contact thermometer 1 is assembled. The tip surface of the tip side block 10b may be disposed on the tip side of the tip of the protruding portion 13.

[0030] The first support hole 21 of the contact plate 20 has a substantially circular shape when viewed in the Y direction, and the first support pin 11 is inserted without play. The first support hole 21 is formed by folding back one end of the contact plate body 23 in the X direction toward the distal end and joining it to the surface of the contact plate body 23 opposite the surface that contacts the object to be measured. The first support hole 21 is always in contact with the surface of the contact plate 20 opposite the surface that contacts the object to be measured. The folded back one end of the contact plate body 23 is joined to the opposite surface at a position spaced from the first support hole 21.

[0031] The second support hole 22 is larger than the second support pin 12, the length in the Z direction is equal to or greater than the distance between the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 in the Z direction, and the width in the X direction is greater than the diameter of the second support pin 12. It is desirable that the second support pin 12 contacts one of the ends of the second support hole 22 in the Z direction that is farther from the contact plate 20 when the contact plate 20 is not in contact with the object to be measured. It is desirable that the second support hole 22 has a shape in which the width in the X direction gradually narrows from the terminal side in the Z direction toward the tip side. The second support hole 22 is formed in the support member 24.

[0032] 3, the support member 24 has a U-shape when viewed in the X direction, and is made up of a pair of support pieces 26 facing each other in the Y direction, and a connecting piece 27 connecting the support pieces 26. A second support hole 22 is formed in each of the pair of support pieces 26. The connecting piece 27 of the support member 24 is joined to the surface of the contact plate body 23 opposite to the surface that contacts the object to be measured.

[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the assembled contact thermometer 1, the center point P1 of the part of the biasing member 30 that makes surface contact with the contact plate 20 is located on the axis in the Z direction passing through the center of the connecting rod 60 when the head body 10 is not tilted relative to the support 50. The shape of the biasing member 30 as viewed in the Y direction is linearly symmetrical with the axis in the Z direction as the axis of symmetry. The shape of the part of the temperature detection element 40 along the biasing member 30 is linearly symmetrical with the axis in the Z direction as the axis of symmetry. The temperature sensing part 43 of the temperature detection element 40 is located on the second support pin 12 side from the center point P1. In the X direction, the distance between the first support pin 11 and the center point P1 is longer than the distance between the second support pin 12 and the center point P1, and the intermediate point P2 between the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 is located on the first support pin 11 side from the center point P1. In the contact thermometer 1, a middle point P2, a center point P1, and a temperature sensing part 43 are disposed in this order from one end to the other end in the X direction.

[0034] The contact plate 20 protrudes from the tip of the tip side block 10b in a state where the contact plate 20 is not in contact with the object to be measured and the second support pin 12 is in contact with the end of the second support hole 22 on the Z-direction terminal side. In the above-mentioned state, the contact plate 20 is biased by the biasing member 30 from the Z-direction terminal side toward the tip side, and the surface in contact with the object to be measured forms a curved surface that is convex toward the Z-direction terminal side.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, when the temperature of a measurement object 2 moving in the X direction is measured with the contact thermometer 1, the person measuring holds the handle of the support 50 and presses the contact plate 20 against the measurement object 2. The measurement object 2 is a sheet-like object that moves from the right to the left in the X direction in the figure. The contact thermometer 1 is used so that the first support pin 11 is disposed on the right side in the X direction in the figure, and the second support pin 12 is disposed on the left side in the X direction.

[0036] When the contact plate 20 of the contact thermometer 1, which is supported by the head body 10 so as to be able to swing, is pressed against the object to be measured 2, the contact plate 20 moves with one end in the X direction as an axis and the other end toward the end in the Z direction. In addition, the contact plate 20 is biased toward the tip end in the Z direction by the biasing member 30. Therefore, in the contact thermometer 1, the contact plate 20 of the contact thermometer 1 is in surface contact with the object to be measured 2 at a portion of length L1, and the temperature-sensing part 43 of the temperature detection element 40 is located at the center of the surface contact portion. Note that the length L1 is preferably 20 times or more the thickness of the temperature detection element 40 in the Z direction. Thus, according to the contact thermometer 1, when the temperature of the object to be measured 2 is measured, heat is sufficiently transferred from the object to be measured 2 to the temperature detection element 40 via the contact plate 20, and the temperature detection element 40 is sufficiently heated. This allows the temperature of the object to be measured 2 to be measured with high accuracy.

[0037] Before being attached to the head body 10, the contact plate 20 has a shape in which the contact plate body 23 is flat at a portion of length L1. When the contact plate 20 is attached to the head body 10, the surface that comes into contact with the object to be measured by the biasing member 30 forms a convex curved surface toward the tip side in the Z direction as shown in Fig. 2, and when pressed against the object to be measured 2, the portion of length L1 becomes flat and returns to its original shape.

[0038] In the contact thermometer 1, the support structure of the contact plate 20 is structured such that one end is a rotating end and the other end is a free end, and the contact plate 20 can swing around one end as an axis, which makes it possible to reduce the contact pressure when the contact plate 20 is brought into contact with the measurement object 2. Therefore, according to the contact thermometer 1, even if the contact plate 20 is pressed against the measurement object 2, the frictional force generated between the contact plate 20 and the measurement object 2 can be reduced. This is advantageous in suppressing the generation of frictional heat, and allows the temperature of the measurement object 2 to be measured with high accuracy.

[0039] In the contact thermometer 1, the distance between the first support pin 11 and the contact plate 20 is shortened, so that the moment of force acting on the contact plate 20 with the first support pin 11 as a fulcrum can be suppressed when measuring the temperature of the measurement object 2. Therefore, according to the contact thermometer 1, even if an unexpected force is applied when the contact plate 20 is brought into contact with the measurement object 2, deformation of one end of the contact plate 20 can be suppressed. This is advantageous in improving the durability of the contact thermometer 1, and the frequency of replacement of the contact thermometer 1 can be reduced.

[0040] In the contact thermometer 1, the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 may be at the same position in the Z direction. In that case, the distance between the first support pin 11 and the contact plate 20 may increase, and the moment acting on the contact plate 20 with the first support pin 11 as a fulcrum may become large. In addition, the second support hole 22 becomes longer toward the end side in the Z direction, and when the contact plate 20 is not in contact with the measurement object 2, the part between the first support hole 21 and the second support hole 22 of the contact plate 20 becomes more oblique compared to the embodiment. Therefore, when the shape of the biasing member 30 as viewed in the Y direction is non-linearly symmetrical with the axis line in the Z direction as an axis of symmetry, and the contact plate 20 is pressed against the measurement object 2 in a configuration in which the positions of the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 in the Z direction are at the same position, the biasing force acting on the contact plate 20 from the biasing member 30 may become non-uniform. Therefore, in the contact thermometer 1, it is desirable that, when the contact plate 20 is not in contact with the measurement object 2, the first support pin 11 contacts the surface of the contact plate 20 opposite to the surface that contacts the measurement object 2, and the second support pin 12 contacts the end of the second support hole 22 in the Z direction that is farther from the contact plate 20. This makes the distance between the first support pin 11 and the contact plate 20 as close as possible, which is advantageous for suppressing the moment acting on the contact plate 20 with the first support pin 11 as a fulcrum. In addition, the shape of the biasing member 30 when viewed in the Y direction is line symmetrical, and the biasing force acting on the contact plate 20 becomes uniform.

[0041] In the contact thermometer 1, the temperature sensing part 43 of the temperature detection element 40 may be disposed at the center point P1 of the biasing member 30, or the middle point P2 in the X direction between the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 may be disposed at the center point P1 of the biasing member 30. In this case, the temperature sensing part 43 is disposed at a position that is out of the center of the part of the contact plate 20 that is in surface contact with the object to be measured 2, which may result in a decrease in measurement accuracy. In addition, the length of the X direction of the contact plate 20 that is in surface contact with the object to be measured 2 may become shorter, which may increase the contact pressure. Therefore, in the contact thermometer 1, it is preferable that the center point P1 of the part of the contact plate 20 that is in surface contact with the object to be measured in the X direction is disposed closer to the second support pin 12 than the middle point P2 between the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12, and the temperature sensing part 43 of the temperature detection element 40 is disposed closer to the second support pin 12 than the center point P1. This ensures the length of the surface of the contact plate 20 that is in contact with the object to be measured 2, which is advantageous in keeping the contact pressure low. Furthermore, disposing the temperature sensing part 43 at the center of the portion where the contact plate 20 makes surface contact with the measurement object 2 is advantageous in improving the measurement accuracy.

[0042] In the contact thermometer 1, the first support hole 21 of the contact plate 20 may be formed in a separate member from the contact plate body 23, like the second support hole 22. In this case, there is a possibility that the connection between the contact plate body 23 and the separate member supported by the first support pin 11, which is caused by the force acting in the X direction from the measurement object 2 on the contact plate 20, may be released. Therefore, in the contact thermometer 1, it is preferable that the first support hole 21 of the contact plate 20 is formed by folding back one end of the contact plate body 23 in the X direction and joining it to the surface of the contact plate body 23 opposite to the surface that contacts the measurement object 2. As a result, even if a force in the X direction acts on the contact plate 20 from the measurement object 2, only the folded back portion of the contact plate body 23 is pulled, which is advantageous for improving durability.

[0043] In the contact thermometer 1, it is preferable that the joint portion of one end of the folded back contact plate body 23 is spaced from the first support hole 21 as far as possible. When a force acts on the contact plate 20 from the right to the left in the X direction, the longer the distance, the smaller the force acting in the Z direction on one end of the folded back contact plate body 23 and the larger the force acting in the X direction. Therefore, the joint is less likely to come apart, which is advantageous for improving durability.

[0044] In the contact thermometer 1, it is preferable that the biasing member 30 is supported loosely on the head body 10 by the biasing support parts 15 with both ends free. With this configuration, when the contact plate 20 is pressed against the object to be measured, the biasing member 30 is supported loosely, so that even if the contact plate 20 becomes an inclined surface, no stress is applied and the contact plate 20 can be elastically deformed. As a result, the contact plate 20 can be biased toward the object to be measured by the elastic force, maintaining surface contact between the contact plate 20 and the object to be measured, which is advantageous for improving durability and measurement accuracy.

[0045] 2, the support structure for head body 10 on the distal side is a structure for supporting head body 10 on support body 50 so as to be swingable in the X direction around connecting rod 60. Also, the support structure for head body 10 is a structure for supporting head body 10 on support body 50 so as to be swingable in the Y direction by the amount of play between connecting rod 60 and connecting hole 55 for support body of support body 50.

[0046] 5, the terminal block 10c has a support insertion hole 17, a communication hole 18, and two head body connection holes 19. The terminal block 10c has a screw hole (not shown).

[0047] The support insertion hole 17 is disposed in the center of the end of the end block 10c, and is formed of a hole that is hollowed out from the end to the tip to the through hole 18. The support insertion hole 17 is an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction faces the X direction when viewed in the Z direction. The length of the support insertion hole 17 in the X direction is longer than the length of the connecting body 51 of the support 50 in the X direction. The length of the support insertion hole 17 in the X direction is preferably a length that allows the head body 10 to tilt in the range of 4° to 20° from the Z direction, which is the axial direction of the support 50, toward the X direction. The width of the support insertion hole 17 in the Y direction is wider and longer than the width of the connecting body 51 of the support 50 in the Y direction. The width of the support insertion hole 17 in the Y direction is preferably a width that allows the head body 10 to tilt in the range of 2° to 10° from the Z direction, which is the axial direction of the support 50, toward the Y direction.

[0048] The communication hole 18 extends in the Z direction and communicates between the storage section 14 and the support insertion hole 17. The configuration of the communication hole 18 is not particularly limited as long as the wires 41, 42 of the temperature detection element 40 can pass through it. For example, two communication holes 18 may be provided, and the wires 41, 42 may pass through each of them.

[0049] Each of the two head body connecting holes 19 extends in the Y direction, penetrates the end block 10c, and is circular when viewed in the Y direction. Each of the two head body connecting holes 19 is disposed opposite each other in the Y direction via the support body insertion hole 17. The diameter of the two head body connecting holes 19 is approximately the same as the diameter of the connecting rod 60, and the connecting rod 60 is inserted into the two head body connecting holes 19 without any play.

[0050] The support 50 is composed of a connector 51, a support body 52, and a handle (not shown), with the connector 51 fixed to the tip of the support body 52, and the handle to be held by the measurer fixed to the end of the support body 52. ​​A signal line (not shown) is led out from the end of the support 50.

[0051] The connector 51 has an insertion portion 53, a main body insertion hole 54, a support connection hole 55, a wire insertion hole 56, and a limiting portion 57. The connector 51 is formed by cutting a cylinder so that the insertion portion 53 is formed on the tip side, and the main body insertion hole 54 is formed at the end.

[0052] The corners on the tip side of the insertion part 53 are chamfered, and when viewed in the Y direction, the insertion part 53 has a hexagonal shape with the corners on the tip side of the rectangle chamfered. By chamfering the corners on the tip side of the insertion part 53, collision with the bottom of the support body insertion hole 17 is avoided when the head body 10 swings around the connecting rod 60 as an axis, and the swing angle is increased. The main body insertion hole 54 is recessed from the end of the connecting body 51 toward the tip, and the tip part of the support body 52 is inserted and connected and fixed to the support body 52 by screws.

[0053] The support body connecting hole 55 penetrates the insertion portion 53 in the Y direction, and communicates with the two head body connecting holes 19 when the insertion portion 53 is inserted into the support body insertion hole 17. The support body connecting hole 55 has a hole diameter longer than the diameter of the connecting rod 60, and the connecting rod 60 is inserted with some play. The support body connecting hole 55 desirably has a hole diameter that allows the head body 10 to tilt in the range of 2° to 10° from the Z direction, which is the axial direction of the support body 50, toward the Y direction.

[0054] The wire insertion hole 56 penetrates the insertion portion 53 in the Z direction and communicates with the main body insertion hole 54. The wire insertion hole 56 is formed for each wire 41, 42, and the support connection hole 55 is formed between the wire insertion holes 56. The limiting portion 57 has a circular outer periphery when viewed in the Z direction. The limiting portion 57 has a tip surface that comes into contact with the end surface of the terminal block 10c when the head body 10 swings in the X direction or the Y direction. The tip surface of the limiting portion 57 comes into contact with the end surface of the terminal block 10c, thereby restricting the swing of the head body 10.

[0055] The support body 52 has a cylindrical shape. A signal line in which the wires 41 and 42 of the temperature detection element 40 are covered with a covering material is disposed inside the support body 52.

[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the temperature of a measurement object 2 moving in the X direction is measured by a contact thermometer 1, a person measuring the temperature holds the handle of a support 50 and presses a contact plate 20 against the measurement object 2.

[0057] In the contact thermometer 1, the head body 10 is supported so as to be swingable in the X and Y directions relative to the support body 50, so that even if the support body 50 is tilted in the Z direction, the head body 10 will tilt relative to the support body 50 due to its own weight, and the contact plate 20 will come into surface contact with the measurement object 2. This is advantageous in avoiding partial contact between the contact plate 20 and the measurement object 2, and allows the contact plate 20 to come into sufficient surface contact with the measurement object 2. As a result, a decrease in measurement accuracy can be avoided.

[0058] 4, when a force in the X direction or the Y direction acts on the contact plate 20, the contact plate 20 cannot deflect the force. Therefore, a strong force is applied to the contact portion between the contact plate 20 and the measurement object 2, and the contact plate 20 may be distorted into a convex arc shape from the tip side to the end side in the Z direction in an attempt to release the force. Note that in the present disclosure, the force in the X direction or the Y direction acting on the contact plate 20 is exemplified by either the force of the measurer pressing the contact thermometer 1 against the measurement object 2 or the force of the measurement object 2 moving.

[0059] 6, when a force in the X direction acts on the contact plate 20 of the contact thermometer 1, the head 10 moves so as to tilt relative to the support 50, with the connecting rod 60 as the axis. Therefore, the force acting on the contact plate 20 can be deflected. As a result, a strong force is applied to the contact portion between one end of the contact plate 20 and the measurement object 2, and a decrease in measurement accuracy due to distortion of the contact plate 20 can be avoided.

[0060] 6 illustrates an example in which a force acts on the contact plate 20 from the left to the right in the X direction. In this case, the head body 10 tilts to the right in the X direction relative to the support 50 so as to deflect the force acting on the contact plate 20. Although not shown, when a force acts on the contact plate 20 from the right to the left in the X direction, the head body 10 tilts to the left in the X direction relative to the support 50 so as to deflect the force. Similarly, when a force acts on the contact plate 20 in the Y direction, the head body 10 tilts in the Y direction relative to the support 50 so as to deflect the force.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the contact thermometer 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0062] The contact thermometer 1 is not limited to having two support structures, that is, a structure in which the contact plate 20 on the tip side is supported on the head body 10 and a structure in which the head body 10 on the end side is supported on the support body 50. The contact thermometer 1 may be configured to have only the structure in which the contact plate 20 on the tip side is supported on the head body 10 out of the two support structures.

[0063] The head body 10 may be configured such that some of the four blocks are integrally formed. For example, the two tip side blocks 10b and the end block 10c may be integrated into one block. The head body 10 is not limited to four blocks, and may be configured only with the tip central block 10a and the end block 10c without the tip side block 10b, as long as the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 are not removed from the pin insertion hole of the tip central block 10a. Even if the first support pin 11 and the second support pin 12 are not removed from the pin insertion hole of the tip central block 10a, the tip side block 10b may be provided for the purpose of protecting the contact plate 20, the biasing member 30, and the temperature detection element 40.

[0064] The contact plate 20 is not limited to an L-shape when viewed in the Y direction, and the other end in the X direction may not be formed with the bent portion 25. By forming the bent portion 25 at the other end of the contact plate 20, when the contact plate 20 is pressed against the measurement object 2, if the other end of the contact plate 20 is located on the right side in FIG. 4 and one end is located on the left side in the figure, the bent portion 25 prevents the contact plate 20 from getting caught on the measurement object 2. In addition, by forming the bent portion 25, the direction in which the contact thermometer 1 is used can be confirmed, which is advantageous in preventing the contact thermometer 1 from being used in the wrong direction.

[0065] The biasing member 30 may be configured to elastically bias the contact plate 20 toward the tip end, and is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. For example, the biasing member 30 may be configured with a plurality of springs. The temperature detection element 40 may be a resistance temperature detector instead of a thermocouple. The temperature detection element 40 may be disposed on the surface of the biasing member 30 that comes into surface contact with the contact plate 20 or on the surface of the contact plate 20 opposite to the surface that comes into surface contact with the measurement target 2.

[0066] The connecting rod 60 may be inserted with some play into the support connecting hole 55 of the support 50. This allows the head body 10 to swing in the Y direction relative to the support 50, which is advantageous in avoiding partial contact of the contact plate 20. In this case, the Y-directional width of the support insertion hole 17 of the end block 10c needs to be larger than the Y-directional width of the insertion portion 53 of the support 50. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 Contact thermometer 10 head body 11 First support pin 12 Second support pin 20 Contact plate 21 First support hole 22 Second support hole 30 Urging member 40 Temperature detection element 50 Support 60 Connecting rod

Claims

1. A contact thermometer comprising a contact plate protruding from the tip of a head body and in direct surface contact with an object to be measured, a biasing member for elastically biasing the contact plate toward the object to be measured, and a temperature detection element disposed on the opposite side of the contact plate that contacts the object to be measured and for converting the temperature of the object to an electric signal, the head body has a first support pin and a second support pin that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the contact plate and extend in the width direction of the contact plate, the first support pin is disposed closer to the tip of the head body than the second support pin and is closer to a surface opposite to the contact surface than the second support pin, The contact plate has a first support hole formed at one end in its longitudinal direction, into which the first support pin is inserted without any play, and a second support hole formed at the other end, which has a length in the thickness direction of the contact plate at least longer than the first support hole, and into which the second support pin is inserted with play, and is supported by the head body so as to be able to swing in the thickness direction of the contact plate around the one end as an axis by a support structure in which the one end is a rotating end and the other end is a free end.

2. The contact thermometer described in claim 1, wherein when the contact plate is not in contact with the object to be measured, the first support pin contacts the opposite surface, and the second support pin contacts the end of the second support hole in the plate thickness direction that is farther from the contact plate.

3. The biasing member is configured to be in surface contact with a surface opposite to the contact surface, 3. The contact thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the center of the surface contact portion of the urging member in the longitudinal direction is positioned closer to the second support pin than the midpoint between the first support pin and the second support pin, and the temperature sensing portion of the temperature detection element is positioned closer to the second support pin than the center.

4. 4. The contact thermometer according to claim 1, wherein the first support hole is formed by folding back one end of the contact plate in the longitudinal direction and joining it to the opposite surface.

5. A contact thermometer as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a support whose tip is inserted into a support insertion hole formed in an end portion of the head body; a plurality of connecting holes formed in each of the end portion of the head body and the tip portion of the support, which communicate with each other in the width direction of the contact plate when the tip portion of the support is inserted into the support insertion hole; and connecting rods inserted into those connecting holes, wherein the head body is supported by the support so as to be able to swing in the longitudinal direction of the contact plate with the connecting rods as an axis.

6. In the width direction of the contact plate, the width of the support insertion hole is wider than the width of the tip end of the support, 6. The contact thermometer according to claim 5, wherein the hole diameter of the connecting hole formed in the support is longer than the diameter of the connecting rod, the connecting rod is inserted into the connecting hole formed in the head body without any play and is inserted into the connecting hole formed in the support body with some play, and the head body is supported by the support body so as to be able to swing in the width direction of the contact plate by an amount equivalent to the play between the connecting hole formed in the support body and the connecting rod.

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