Scraping method and scraping device

Abstract

Provided are a scraping method and scraping device in which the orientation of a scraper can be appropriately adjusted. The scraping method comprises an imaging step in which, in a state wherein, in a scraper 22 that has a blade 24 having an arc-shaped or V-shaped tip, the distalmost portion of the blade 24 is in contact with a flat surface, a gap between the tip of the blade 24 and the flat surface is imaged and image data is generated, and an adjustment step in which the orientation of the scraper 22 is adjusted in accordance with information related to gaps formed on both sides of distalmost portion of the blade 24 on the basis of the image data.

Description

Scraping method and scraping device

[0001] The present invention relates to a scraping method and a scraping device.

[0002] Traditionally, a type of hand-held tool used to cut metal is known as a scraper. The original purpose of scraping is to finish the sliding surface into a highly flat surface. The minute micron-sized depressions formed on the sliding surface by scraping act as reservoirs for lubricating oil during sliding, improving the lubrication of the sliding surface and preventing ringing during sliding. This type of manual scraping requires skill and is also very hard work. Therefore, progress is being made in the development of scraping machines that can perform scraping automatically.

[0003] JP-A-7-1229 JP-A-7-136843

[0004] In scraping, if the scraper is not positioned properly, the scraping will not be performed at the desired position, and the desired surface will not be obtained.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a scraping method and a scraping device that can appropriately adjust the attitude of a scraper.

[0006] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems.

[0007] That is, the scraping method of the present invention is characterized by comprising: an imaging step of imaging the gap between the tip of a scraper having an arc-shaped or V-shaped blade and a plane with the most distal end of the blade in contact with the plane, and generating image data; and an adjustment step of adjusting the attitude of the scraper based on the image data in accordance with information related to the gaps formed on both sides of the most distal end of the blade.

[0008] The scraping device of the present invention is a scraping device comprising: a scraper having a blade with an arc-shaped or V-shaped tip; and a moving mechanism for moving the scraper, characterized in that it also comprises: an imaging device that images the gap between the tip of the blade and a flat surface while the most distal end of the blade is in contact with the flat surface; and a control device that controls the moving mechanism to adjust the attitude of the scraper in accordance with information related to the gap formed on both sides of the most distal end of the blade, based on image data captured by the imaging device.

[0009] According to these inventions, the orientation of the scraper is adjusted based on image data in accordance with information related to the gaps formed on both sides of the tip of the blade, thereby enabling scraping to be performed with the scraper in the desired orientation.

[0010] Here, the information related to the gap may be the area of ​​the gap, the height of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the plane, or the length of the gap in a direction parallel to the plane. In addition, the information related to the gap may be positional information of a region where no gap is formed between a pair of the gaps formed on both sides of the tip end.

[0011] Furthermore, the tip of the blade has a shape that is symmetrical on both sides of the most distal end, and in the adjustment process, it is preferable to adjust the attitude of the scraper based on information related to the gap so that the gap formed on both sides of the most distal end has an approximately symmetrical shape.

[0012] The above configurations may be combined as much as possible.

[0013] As described above, according to the present invention, the attitude of the scraper can be appropriately adjusted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scraping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a scraper unit held by a robot hand. FIG. 3(a) is a side view of the scraper blade in contact with the workpiece surface to be machined, and FIG. 3(b) is a vertical view from above. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism for adjusting the scraper roll angle. FIG. 7(a) is a partial front view of an arc-shaped scraper blade, and FIG. 7(b) is a partial front view of a V-shaped scraper blade. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing an example of an image of a scraper blade, and FIG. 8(b) is a binarized view of a portion of FIG. 8(a). FIGS. 9(a) to 9(e) are explanatory diagrams of image processing. FIG. 10 is an operation control flow chart. FIG. 11 is an operation control flow chart. FIG. 12 is an operation control flow chart.

[0015] The following detailed description of the present invention will be given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, although the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0016] (Example) <Schematic Configuration of Processing Apparatus> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a scraping apparatus 1 according to an example of the present invention, and various components are shown in perspective views. In the figure, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction, and arrows X and Y indicate directions that are perpendicular to the Z direction and orthogonal to each other. Note that a plane including the X and Y directions is a plane parallel to the horizontal plane. The scraping apparatus 1 includes a control device 100, a robot arm 200 as a movement mechanism, and a three-dimensional shape measuring device 300.

[0017] The scraping device 1 is a device that automatically performs scraping on the work surface 11 of a workpiece 10, which is the object of processing. The workpiece 10 may be, for example, a metal sliding member constituting a machine tool, and its sliding surface may serve as the work surface 11. Scraping is a type of metal processing in which a scraper 22, a scraping tool, is used to scrape off convex portions of the work surface 11, improving the flatness of the work surface 11 and further reducing the coefficient of sliding friction by forming oil reservoirs. The original purpose of scraping is to finish the sliding surface to a highly flat surface. In scraping, in order to prevent the occurrence of wringing during sliding of the sliding surface, numerous micron-sized depressions are formed on the sliding surface as reservoirs of lubricating oil during the finishing process of the scraping, thereby improving the lubricity of the sliding surface.

[0018] The robot arm 200 is, for example, a six-axis articulated robot arm, and is controlled by the control device 100. The robot arm 200 has a robot hand 210 at its tip end, and the scraper unit 20 and the hand chuck 30 can be detachably attached to the robot hand 210. In other words, the scraper unit 20 and the hand chuck 30 can be selectively attached to the robot arm 200. The robot arm 200 can move the robot hand 210 to any position in an XYZ three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system by driving each joint (for example, the first to sixth axes) with a servo motor or the like.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a scraper unit 20 held by a robot hand 210. The scraper unit 20 is an attachment including a holder 21 detachably attached to the robot hand 210 and a scraper 22, which is a scraping tool integrally formed with the holder 21. The scraper 22 includes a generally strip-shaped scraper body 23 made of a flexible metal material and a blade 24 attached to the tip of the scraper body 23. The blade 24 is made of, for example, a cemented carbide alloy and is capable of cutting the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10, which is made of, for example, a cast metal. The symbol W in the figure indicates the width of the blade 24. In this embodiment, the tip 25 of the blade 24 has an arc shape (e.g., a circular arc or an elliptical arc). However, in the present invention, the tip 25 of the blade 24 may have a V-shape. For example, scraper units 20 having different widths W of the blade 24 and different shapes and dimensions of the tip 25 can be attached to the robot hand 210.

[0020] The scraping of the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10 is performed, for example, by fixing the workpiece 10 to a processing stand C1 shown in Figure 1 and controlling the robot arm 200 with the scraper unit 20 held by the robot hand 210. The surface of the processing stand C1 is formed in a flat shape parallel to the X-Y plane.

[0021] 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing the state in which the blade 24 of the scraper 22 is in contact with the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10. Note that FIG. 3(a) is a side view, and FIG. 3(b) is a vertical view from above. In scraping, the blade 24 is placed obliquely against the workpiece surface 11, and the robot hand 210 is driven in the -Z direction to press the blade 24 against the workpiece surface 11. Then, the robot hand 210 is moved parallel to the XY plane in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3(a). As a result, the workpiece surface 11 is cut off in increments of a thickness on the order of microns or submicrons.

[0022] The symbol θ shown in FIG. 3A is the angle between the blade 24 and the X-Y plane when the blade 24 cuts the workpiece surface 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "tool angle"). The robot arm 200 can adjust the cutting depth ΔDS and cutting width WC of the workpiece surface 11 in one cutting stroke with the scraper 22 by, for example, using the tool angle θ during scraping and the vertical push-in amount (displacement amount in the -Z direction) δz of the robot hand 210 as control parameters. Here, the vertical push-in amount (displacement amount in the -Z direction) δz of the robot hand 210 is set, for example, using the height of a reference point on the workpiece surface 11 measured by the three-dimensional shape measuring device 300 as the reference height (zero point). The position of the reference point on the workpiece surface 11 (X-Y coordinates) is not particularly limited. For example, a corner of the workpiece surface 11 may be set as the reference point, and the surface height at that point may be used as the reference height. As described above, the scraper body 23 is flexible, and therefore the scraper body 23 is bent when cutting the surface 11 to be processed. Therefore, while the cutting depth of the surface 11 to be processed is on the order of microns or submicrons, the vertical push-in amount δz of the robot hand 210 during cutting can be set as a displacement amount on the order of millimeters.

[0023] Next, the hand chuck 30 will be described. The hand chuck 30 is an attachment for gripping the workpiece 10 when moving the workpiece 10 between the pedestals, and is detachable from the robot hand 210. In the layout shown in Fig. 1 , the hand chuck 30 is used, for example, when moving the workpiece 10 between the processing pedestal C1 and the measurement pedestal C2. That is, the robot arm 200 can freely move the workpiece 10 between the processing pedestal C1 and the measurement pedestal C2 by gripping the workpiece 10 with the hand chuck 30 attached to the robot hand 210.

[0024] The measurement stage C2 is a stage on which the workpiece 10 is placed when measuring the three-dimensional shape of the processing target surface 11 of the workpiece 10 using the three-dimensional shape measuring instrument 300. The surface of the measurement stage C2 is also formed into a flat surface parallel to the XY plane.

[0025] The three-dimensional shape measuring instrument 300 is, for example, a white light interferometer-type measuring instrument, and can acquire three-dimensional shape data (uneven shape data) of the workpiece surface 11 with high accuracy. However, the three-dimensional shape measuring instrument 300 is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the uneven shape data (height data) of the workpiece surface 11, and for example, a three-dimensional laser scanner or the like may be used. Furthermore, the three-dimensional shape measuring instrument 300 may be a "non-contact" measuring instrument that acquires the uneven shape data of the workpiece surface 11 without contact, or a "contact" measuring instrument that acquires the uneven shape data of the workpiece surface 11 by contacting a probe or the like with the workpiece surface 11. In addition, the scraping device 1 may also be equipped with a tool mounting stand C3 for mounting the scraper unit 20, a hand chuck stand C4 for mounting the hand chuck 30, etc.

[0026] The robot arm 200 also includes a force sensor 220. The force sensor 220 is a sensor that detects the load (resistance) acting on the scraper 22 during scraping. The control device 100 of the scraping device 1 monitors the load state during scraping output by the force sensor 220 and, as necessary, performs feedback control based on the strength of the load. Note that the above-described robot arm 200 is an example of a moving mechanism according to the present invention, and the moving mechanism is not limited to the robot arm 200. The moving mechanism according to the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to automatically perform scraping on the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10 by operating the scraper it holds.

[0027] <Control Device> The control device 100 of the scraping device 1 will be described. The control device 100 controls the robot arm 200 in accordance with the processing instruction data, and as a result, scraping is performed on the processing target surface 11 of the workpiece 10 in accordance with the processing instruction data. The control device 100 also generates processing instruction data for controlling the robot arm 200. That is, the control device 100 functions as a device that controls the robot arm 200, and also functions as an information processing device for generating processing instruction data used to control the robot arm 200. However, the processing instruction data for controlling the robot arm 200 may be generated by an information processing device separate from the control device 100. In this case, the control device 100 acquires the processing instruction data generated by the information processing device, and controls the robot arm 200 in accordance with the acquired processing instruction data. The processing instruction data may be transmitted from the information processing device to the control device 100 via either wired communication or wireless communication.

[0028] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 is, for example, a general-purpose computer. The computer constituting the control device 100 includes a communication interface (communication I / F) 101, a storage device 102, an input / output device 103, and a processor 104, which are connected via a communication bus 105.

[0029] The communication I / F 101 may be, for example, a network card or a communication module, and communicates with other computers, devices, etc. based on a predetermined protocol. For example, the control device 100 receives three-dimensional shape information of the processing target surface 11 of the workpiece 10 from the three-dimensional shape measuring device 300 via the communication I / F 101.

[0030] The storage device 102 includes, for example, a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an auxiliary storage device (secondary storage device) such as a HDD (Hard-Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory. The main storage device temporarily stores programs read by the processor 104 and information sent and received between other computers, and secures a working area for the processor 104. The auxiliary storage device stores programs executed by the processor 104 and information sent and received between other computers. The auxiliary storage device may also include removable media (portable recording media). Removable media is, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, or a disc recording media such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a Blu-ray disc. The storage device 102 (for example, an auxiliary storage device) stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various information tables, and the like.

[0031] The input / output device 103 is a user interface, such as an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, an output device such as a monitor, or an input / output device such as a touch panel.

[0032] The processor 104 is an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and performs various processes according to this embodiment by executing programs. For example, the processor 104 loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage device of the storage device 102 into the main storage device and executes the program, thereby realizing various processes such as a processing instruction data generation process for generating processing instruction data.

[0033] The control device 100 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, but may be configured by a plurality of computers that cooperate with each other.

[0034] Next, the functional configuration of the control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 has a processing instruction data generation unit 110 and a control unit 111 as functional units. The processor 104 of the control device 100 loads a program stored in the auxiliary storage device of the storage device 102 into the main storage device and executes it, thereby realizing the above-mentioned functional units. The processing instruction data generation unit 110 executes a processing instruction data generation process that generates processing instruction data. The control unit 111 acquires the processing instruction data generated by the processing instruction data generation unit 110 and controls the robot arm 200 in accordance with the processing instruction data.

[0035] <Adjusting the Roll Angle of the Scraper> A description will be given of a method (adjusting device) for adjusting the roll angle (roll angle of the blade 24) of the scraper 22. The adjustment of the roll angle of the scraper 22 is performed at an appropriate timing, such as when the scraper 22 is replaced.

[0036] Specifically, the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be adjusted by controlling the rotation of an appropriate number of arms among the multiple arms that make up the robot arm 200.

[0037] 6, for example, a rotation mechanism 26 having a motor for rotating the scraper body 23 can be provided. This allows the scraper body 23 to be directly rotated by the rotation mechanism 26, thereby changing the roll angle of the scraper 22. In this way, various configurations can be adopted for the mechanism for adjusting the roll angle of the scraper 22.

[0038] 7(a) and 7(b) are enlarged views of a portion of the blade 24 of the scraper 22 as viewed from the front. The tip 25 of the blade 24 in this embodiment has a shape in which both sides of its most distal end 25a are symmetrical. Note that FIG. 7(a) shows the case in which the tip 25 of the blade 24 is arc-shaped, and FIG. 7(b) shows the case in which the tip 25 of the blade 24 is V-shaped. As described above, the roll angle of the blade 24 of the scraper 22 is adjusted (see arrow R) by the method (adjustment device) for adjusting the roll angle of the scraper 22.

[0039] The procedure for adjusting the roll angle will be described below. In this embodiment, the control device 100 processes the captured image (photographed), and the roll angle is adjusted by controlling the robot arm 200 based on the data obtained by the image processing. Therefore, the scraping device 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a light source 51 and a camera 52 as an imaging device to capture images (see FIGS. 3( a) and 3(b)). Here, in order to facilitate adjustment of the roll angle of the scraper 22 from the data obtained by image processing of the image (photographed) captured by the camera 52, the light source 51 and the camera 52 should be arranged as follows: That is, it is desirable to arrange the light source 51 and the camera 52 so that a virtual line passing through the center of the width direction of the scraper 22 (a virtual line passing through the tip end 25a of the blade 24 (see the thick dashed line L1 in FIG. 3(b))) coincides with a virtual line passing through the center of the image captured by the light source 51 and the camera 52 (see the thin dashed line L2 in FIG. 3(b)) when projected vertically (see FIG. 3(b)). While FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) show a case in which the light source 51 is arranged further forward than the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the camera 52 is arranged further rearward, these arrangements may be reversed. The light source 51 and the camera 52 may be installed on the processing stand C1, fixed to the base of the robot hand 210, or installed elsewhere.

[0040] Using the scraping device 1 configured as described above, with the leading edge 25a of the blade 24 in contact with a flat surface, light is irradiated from the light source 51 so as to pass through the gap between the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the flat surface (illumination process). Then, the gap between the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the flat surface is imaged by the camera 52 from the opposite side of the light source 51 through the blade 24, and image data is generated (image capture process). In this embodiment, when obtaining the image data, the leading edge 25a of the blade 24 is in contact with the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10. However, as long as the leading edge 25a of the blade 24 is in contact with a flat surface, the contact object does not have to be the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10. For example, the leading edge 25a of the blade 24 may be in contact with a flat surface of a dedicated member (such as a dedicated adjustment platform with a flat surface) used only when adjusting the roll angle of the scraper 22.

[0041] Fig. 8(a) shows an image (image capture) taken by camera 52. Fig. 8(b) shows a diagram (binarized image) obtained by image processing the image of the area surrounded by the dotted line V in Fig. 8(a) during the image capture. By binarizing the image of the area whose width direction coincides with both ends of blade 24 as shown in range V in Fig. 8(a), it is possible to identify the ranges of gaps G1 and G2 formed on both sides of tip 25a of blade 24, as shown in Fig. 8(b).

[0042] In this embodiment, the roll angle of the scraper 22 is adjusted based on information related to the gaps G1, G2 formed on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24, based on image data captured by the camera 52 (adjustment process).

[0043] The tip 25 of the blade 24 in this embodiment has a shape in which both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24 are symmetrical. In order for the blade 24 configured in this manner to perform processing at the desired position, it is necessary to perform processing in a state in which the roll angle of the scraper 22 is adjusted so that the gaps on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24 are symmetrical. When the light source 51 and the camera 52 are arranged as described above, if the gaps G1 and G2 are symmetrical in the image obtained by the camera 52, it can be said that the roll angle of the scraper 22 has been adjusted so that the gaps on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24 are symmetrical.

[0044] Therefore, in the above adjustment process, the roll angle of the scraper 22 should be adjusted so that the gaps G1 and G2 in the image data obtained by image processing have symmetrical shapes. Therefore, the following information can be given as information related to the gaps G1 and G2 formed on both sides of the tip 25 a of the blade 24.

[0045] The first is the areas S1 and S2 of the gaps G1 and G2. If these areas are equal, it can be determined that the gaps G1 and G2 have symmetrical shapes. Therefore, in the binarized image data, the integrated value of the area corresponding to the gap G1 (corresponding to the area S1) is compared with the integrated value of the area corresponding to the gap G2 (corresponding to the area S2). If these values ​​are equal, it can be determined that the gaps G1 and G2 have symmetrical shapes. However, in an actual product, the minimum unit by which the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be changed is determined depending on the performance of the robot arm 200, etc. Therefore, in an actual product, the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be adjusted according to this minimum unit so that the difference between the areas S1 and S2 of the gaps G1 and G2 is minimized. In this case, the gaps G1 and G2 are not completely symmetrical, but are approximately symmetrical.

[0046] The second is the height in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the gaps G1 and G2 (in this embodiment, the workpiece surface 11 of the workpiece 10). Note that, while any height at the same position in the width direction of the gaps G1 and G2 may be used, it is preferable to use the maximum height so that a difference between the two is easily generated. That is, in FIG. 8( b ), by comparing the height H1 at the leftmost position of the gap G1 with the height H2 at the rightmost position of the gap G2, if these are equal, it can be determined that the gaps G1 and G2 have symmetrical shapes. However, as described above, in an actual product, the minimum unit by which the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be changed is fixed, so the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be adjusted so that the difference between the heights H1 and H2 is minimized.

[0047] The third is the length of the gaps G1 and G2 in a direction parallel to the plane. Note that, for the gaps G1 and G2, any length at the same height position may be used; however, it is preferable to use the maximum length so that the difference between the two is easily generated. In other words, in FIG. 8( b ), by comparing the width W1 of the gap G1 on the plane with the width W2 of the gap G2, if these are equal, it can be determined that the gaps G1 and G2 have symmetrical shapes. However, as described above, in an actual product, the minimum unit by which the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be changed is fixed, so the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be adjusted so that the difference between the width W1 and the width W2 is minimized.

[0048] The fourth information is the position information of region A where no gap is formed between a pair of gaps formed on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24. That is, in Figure 8(b), if the center of region A is located at the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2, it can be determined that gaps G1 and G2 have symmetrical shapes. However, as described above, in an actual product, the minimum unit by which the roll angle of the scraper 22 can be changed is fixed, so it is sufficient to adjust the roll angle of the scraper 22 so that the distance L between the center of region A and the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2 is minimized.

[0049] 9(a) to 9(d) are images (binarized images) after image processing when the roll angle of the scraper 22 is different. FIG. 9(a) is a binarized image in which S1<<S2, H1<<H2, and W1<<W2, and the center of region A is farther to the left in the figure than the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2. FIG. 9(b) is a binarized image in which S1<S2, H1<H2, and W1<W2, and the center of region A is slightly further to the left in the figure than the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2. FIG. 9(c) is a binarized image in which S1=S2, H1=H2, and W1=W2, and the center of region A coincides with the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2. 9(d) is a binarized image in which S1>S2, H1>H2, and W1>W2 hold and the center of region A is slightly further to the right in the figure than the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2. FIG. 9(e) is a binarized image in which S1>>S2, H1>>H2, and W1>>W2 hold and the center of region A is significantly further to the right in the figure than the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2.

[0050] The roll angle of the scraper 22 may be adjusted to the state shown in Fig. 9(c) . As described above, in an actual product, the roll angle may be adjusted so that the binarized image is in a state in which the difference between S1 and S2 is minimum, the difference between H1 and H2 is minimum, the difference between W1 and W2 is minimum, and the distance L between the center of region A and the center of the region from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2 is minimum.

[0051] 10 is a flow chart showing the operation control up to the adjustment of the roll angle of the scraper 22 in the scraping device 1. When the control device 100 receives a command to start the operation of adjusting the roll angle (step SS), it drives the robot arm 200 to move the blade 24 of the scraper 22 onto the surface 11 to be processed of the workpiece 10, and performs control to change the roll angle (step S1), and then the control of the operation of adjusting the roll angle ends (step SE).

[0052] FIG. 11 is an operational control flow diagram showing a first specific example of the roll angle control step (step S1). When step S1 is started (step S11S), the control device 100 controls the camera 52 to capture an image and performs image processing to binarize the captured image (step S111). Next, the control device 100 determines, for example, whether the difference between S1 and S2 is within a predetermined threshold (step S112). If the difference between S1 and S2 is not within the predetermined threshold, the control device 100 controls the scraper 22 to change its roll angle (step S113). The same operation is repeated until it is determined that the difference between S1 and S2 is within the predetermined threshold. If it is determined in step S112 that the difference between S1 and S2 is within the predetermined threshold, the operational control for changing the roll angle is terminated (step S11E).

[0053] While the case where S1 and S2 are used as the determination targets (information related to the gap) has been described above, the determination targets can also be any of H1 and H2, W1 and W2, and the distance L between the center of region A and the center of the region extending from the left edge of gap G1 to the right edge of gap G2. While only one of these may be used as the determination target, multiple (two, three, or all) may be used to improve the accuracy of the determination. For example, if the difference between S1 and S2 is within a predetermined threshold range and the difference between H1 and H2 is also within a predetermined threshold range, the operational control for changing the roll angle can be terminated.

[0054] FIG. 12 is an operational control flow diagram illustrating a second specific example of the roll angle control step (step S1). When step S1 is initiated (step S12S), the control device 100 moves the blade 24 of the scraper 22 multiple times while sequentially changing the roll angle of the scraper 22 in minimum increments. For example, the control device 100 sequentially moves the blade 24 of the scraper 22 in minimum increments from a state where S1<<S2 to a state where S1>>S2. While moving the blade 24 of the scraper 22, the control device 100 also controls the camera 52 to take images in each state and performs image processing to binarize the images (step S121). This results in, for example, the image data shown in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d). Then, based on each image data, the control device 100 determines, for example, the image data in which the difference between S1 and S2 is minimal. That is, the control device 100 determines the image in which the roll angle of the scraper 22 is at the optimal position (step S122). Then, the control device 100 moves the blade 24 of the scraper 22 so that the roll angle is the same as when the image determined to be at the optimal position was captured. That is, the roll angle is adjusted (step S123), and the operation control for changing the roll angle is completed (step S12E).

[0055] While the case where S1 and S2 are used as the determination targets (information related to the gap) has been described above, the determination targets can also be any of H1 and H2, W1 and W2, and the distance between the center of region A and the center of the region extending from the left edge of gap G1 to the right edge of gap G2. While only one of these may be used as the determination target, multiple (two, three, or all) may be used to improve the accuracy of the determination. For example, the control device 100 may comprehensively determine the difference between S1 and S2 and the difference between H1 and H2 to determine an image in which the roll angle of the scraper 22 is at the optimal position.

[0056] <Advantages of the scraping method and scraping device according to this embodiment> According to the scraping method and scraping device 1 according to this embodiment, the roll angle of the scraper 22 is adjusted in accordance with information related to the gaps G1, G2 formed on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the roll angle of the scraper, perform processing with the desired roll angle, and accurately process the desired position, thereby obtaining the desired surface.

[0057] (Others) In this embodiment, the shape of the tip 25 is shown to be symmetrical on both sides of the most distal end 25a of the blade 24. Furthermore, the light source 51 and the camera 52 are arranged so that an imaginary line (dotted dash line L1) passing through the center of the width of the scraper 22 in the direction of extension of the scraper 22 coincides with an imaginary line (dotted dash line L2) passing through the center of the image captured by the light source 51 and the camera 52 when projected vertically.

[0058] By adopting such a configuration, if the roll angle of the scraper 22 is adjusted so that the gaps on both sides of the tip 25 a of the blade 24 are symmetrical, the gaps G1 and G2 will also be symmetrical in the image captured by the camera 52. Therefore, in this embodiment, a method and device for adjusting the roll angle of the scraper 22 based on various information related to the gaps G1 and G2 so that the gaps G1 and G2 are approximately symmetrical.

[0059] However, the present invention does not necessarily require the above configuration. For example, even if the blade 24 configured as described above is employed, the light source 51 and the camera 52 do not necessarily have to be arranged as described above. For example, the light source 51 and the camera 52 may be arranged so that an imaginary line passing through the center of the width direction of the scraper and an imaginary line passing through the center of the image captured by the light source 51 and the camera 52 intersect obliquely when projected vertically. In this case, in a state where the roll angle of the scraper 22 is adjusted so that the gaps on both sides of the tip 25a of the blade 24 are symmetrical (referred to as the target state), the gaps G1 and G2 will not be symmetrical in the image captured by the camera 52. Therefore, even if the scraping device 1 has a blade 24 in which the tip 25a of the blade 24 is symmetrical on both sides, as in the above-described embodiment, it is not possible to determine whether the target state is reached based on the image captured by the camera 52 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. In this case, it is necessary to previously determine the shape and dimensions of the gaps G1 and G2 in the image captured by the camera 52 in the target state. For example, in the image obtained by the camera 52 in the target state, S1-S2=Sn (mm ２ ), H1-H2=Hn (mm), W1-W2=Wn (mm), and the distance L between the center of area A and the center of the area extending from the left end of gap G1 to the right end of gap G2 is L=Ln (mm). In this case, at least one of S1-S2, H1-H2, W1-W2, and L is measured in the image obtained by camera 52, and it is possible to determine whether or not the scraping device 1 is in the target state based on whether or not the difference between these and the target values ​​Sn, Hn, Wn, and Ln is within the threshold range. Therefore, for example, when the difference between S1 and S2 is the smallest Sn (mm), ２ The roll angle can be adjusted so that the binarized image has a value close to .

[0060] The present invention can also be applied to a blade 24 having a tip 25 in which both sides of the most distal end 25a are not symmetrical. In this case, when the roll angle of the scraper 22 is set to a desired position (referred to as a target state), the gaps G1 and G2 will not be symmetrical in the image captured by the camera 52. In this case, as described above, the shape and dimensions of the gaps G1 and G2 in the image captured by the camera 52 in the target state are investigated in advance, and the shapes and dimensions of the gaps G1 and G2 in the image captured by the camera 52 are compared with those shapes and dimensions of the gaps G1 and G2 in the image actually captured by the camera 52. This allows the roll angle to be adjusted in the same way as in the above case.

[0061] In the above embodiment, a method for adjusting the roll angle of the scraper 22 based on an image acquired by the camera 52 has been described. However, the adjustment is not limited to the roll angle of the scraper 22. The present invention also includes a scraping method including an adjustment step for adjusting a desired attitude of the scraper 22 based on an image acquired by the camera 52. In this case, the installation position, imaging direction, imaging range, etc. of the camera 52 are set so that when the attitude of the scraper 22 to be adjusted is changed, a change in the shape and dimensions of the gap between the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the flat surface appears in the image acquired by the camera 52. Then, by investigating in advance what the shape and dimensions of the gap between the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the flat surface will be in the image acquired by the camera 52 when the attitude of the scraper 22 is in a target state, and comparing the shape and dimensions of the gap in the image actually acquired by the camera 52 with the shape and dimensions of the gap, the attitude of the scraper 22 can be adjusted.

[0062] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the light source 51 is disposed on the opposite side of the camera 52 across the blade 24, but the arrangement and type of the light source are not limited to the above example as long as it is possible for the camera 52 to capture an image of the shape and dimensions of the gap between the tip 25 of the blade 24 and the flat surface. Also, if the ambient light in the environment in which the scraping device 1 is installed, for example the lighting device or natural light in the room in which the scraping device 1 is installed, provides a sufficient amount of light for imaging, then the scraping device 1 does not need to be provided with a separate light source for imaging.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the scraper 22 is exemplified, in which the tip shape of the blade 24 is arc-shaped or V-shaped. However, the tip shape of the blade 24 is not limited to the above example, as long as it has a shape that leaves gaps on both sides of the most distal end 25a of the tip 25 when the tip 25 is abutted on a flat surface. For example, it may be polygonal, stepped, or any shape that monotonically increases from the apex 25a to both sides in a cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the blade 24 extends (a cross section similar to that shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b)). Furthermore, the shape of the tip 25 is not limited to a bilaterally symmetrical shape, as described above.

[0064] 1: scraping device 10: workpiece 11: surface to be processed 20: scraper unit 21: holder part 22: scraper 23: scraper body 24: blade 25: tip 25a: tip end part 26: rotation mechanism 30: hand chuck 51: light source 52: camera 100: control device 200: robot arm 200a: first arm 200b: second arm 210: robot hand 220: force sensor 300: three-dimensional shape measuring device

Claims

1. an imaging step of imaging a gap between a tip of a scraper having an arc-shaped or V-shaped blade and a flat surface while a tip of the blade is in contact with the flat surface, and generating image data; an adjustment step of adjusting the attitude of the scraper in accordance with information related to the gap formed on both sides of the tip of the blade based on the image data; A scraping method comprising the steps of:

2. 2. The scraping method according to claim 1, further comprising an irradiation step of irradiating light from a light source so as to pass through the gap between the tip of the blade and the flat surface.

3. The scraping method according to claim 2 , wherein in the imaging step, an image of the gap between the tip of the blade and the flat surface is captured from an opposite side to the light source via the blade.

4. 4. The scraping method according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the gap is an area of ​​the gap.

5. 4. The scraping method according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the gap is a height of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the plane.

6. 4. The scraping method according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the gap is a length of the gap in a direction parallel to the plane.

7. The scraping method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the information related to the gap is positional information of an area where no gap is formed between a pair of the gaps formed on both sides of the most distal end portion.

8. The tip of the blade has a shape that is symmetrical on both sides of the most distal end, The scraping method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in the adjustment step, the attitude of the scraper is adjusted based on information related to the gap so that the gap formed on both sides of the tip end portion has a substantially symmetrical shape.

9. 4. The scraping method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment step comprises adjusting a roll angle of the scraper.

10. A scraper having an arc-shaped or V-shaped tip; A moving mechanism for moving the scraper; A scraping device comprising: an imaging device that images a gap between the tip of the blade and a flat surface while the tip of the blade is in contact with the flat surface; A control device that controls the moving mechanism so as to adjust the attitude of the scraper in accordance with information related to the gap formed on both sides of the tip of the blade based on image data captured by the imaging device; and A scraping device comprising:

11. The scraping device according to claim 10, further comprising a light source capable of irradiating light so as to pass through the gap between the tip of the blade and the flat surface.

12. The scraping device according to claim 11 , wherein the imaging device images the gap between the tip of the blade and the flat surface from the opposite side to the light source with respect to the blade.

13. The scraping device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the information relating to the gap is an area of ​​the gap.

14. 13. The scraping device according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to the gap is a height of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the plane.

15. 13. The scraping device according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to the gap is a length of the gap in a direction parallel to the plane.

16. A scraping device as described in any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the information related to the gap is positional information of an area where no gap is formed between a pair of the gaps formed on both sides of the most distal end portion.

17. The tip of the blade has a shape that is symmetrical on both sides of the most distal end, The scraping device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the control device adjusts the attitude of the scraper based on information related to the gap so that the gap formed on both sides of the tip end portion has an approximately symmetrical shape.

18. The scraping device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the control device controls the moving mechanism so as to adjust a roll angle of the scraper.