Guide frame for guiding components connected to one another to form a strip through a measuring region of an optical measuring system

Abstract

The invention relates to a guide frame (1) for arranging on a contact plane (3) of an optical measuring system (2) and guiding components (6) connected to one another to form a strip (5) along a conveying direction (X) through a measuring region (4) of the optical measuring system (2) that adjoins the contact plane (3), comprising a main support (10), which is designed to reach around the measuring region (4) at least in some sections, and a first guide bar (11) and a second guide bar (12), which are fixed to the main support (10) at a distance (A) corresponding to a width (B) of the strip (5), wherein the first guide bar (11) and the second guide bar (12) each define a guide rail (13) which is at a distance from the contact plane (3) and is in each case designed to reach around the strip (5) at least in some sections and defines a stop (14), extending in the conveying direction (X), for the strip (5) such that the strip (5) is guided between the first guide bar (11) and the second guide bar (12) in the guide rails (13) along the conveying direction (X) and can be conveyed through the measuring region (4) at a distance from the contact plane (3).

Description

[0001] Marquardt GmbH

[0002] P 631 PCT WE / Kn

[0003] Guide frame for guiding components connected to each other in a band through a measuring range of an optical measuring system

[0004] Description:

[0005] The invention relates to a guide frame for arrangement on a contact plane of an optical measuring system and for guiding components connected to each other to form a belt along a conveying direction through a measuring area of ​​the optical measuring system adjoining the contact plane, as well as an optical measuring system with such a guide frame.

[0006] Optical measuring systems for the optical detection and subsequent inspection of components are known. If a large number of components are to be inspected automatically, it is often necessary to guide them automatically through the measuring range of such a system. For example, with stamped parts, this can be achieved by stamping them in such a way that the stamped parts remain connected as a strip, and this strip is then guided through the measuring range of the optical measuring system.

[0007] Regardless of whether it is a strip of interconnected components and specific stamped parts or a strip-like product in general, it is usually intended that such a strip is guided directly over a transparent surface of the optical measuring system, usually made of glass, which determines or limits the measuring range.

[0008] However, this results in two main disadvantages. Firstly, the optical measuring system in general, and the transparent surface in particular, are worn and scratched by the tape over time, thus reducing the quality of the optical measurement. Secondly, only a flat tape can be guided through the optical measuring system or along the transparent surface, which significantly limits the application range of optical measuring systems. For example, components connected to a tape, where sections of the components extend out of the plane of the tape and especially onto the transparent surface of the tape, cannot be optically detected and therefore cannot be measured or inspected by the measuring system.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the objective of overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a guide frame for an optical measuring system or an optical measuring system with such a guide frame, which reduces the wear of the optical measuring system and improves its usability.

[0010] This problem is solved by the combination of features according to claim 1. The invention therefore proposes a guide frame for arrangement on a contact plane of an optical measuring system and for guiding components connected to one another to form a belt along a conveying direction through a measuring area of ​​the optical measuring system adjoining or adjacent to the contact plane. The guide frame has a base support configured to encompass the measuring area at least partially and preferably to enclose it in a frame-like manner on at least three, and preferably four, sides. Furthermore, the guide frame has a first guide rail and a second guide rail, which are fixed to the base support at a distance from each other corresponding to the width of the belt, wherein the fixing of the first and / or second guide rail is preferably releasable as intended.The width of the belt is defined as its extent perpendicular to its longitudinal direction or perpendicular to the conveying direction. The first and second guide rails each define or form a guide track spaced from the contact plane. Furthermore, the guide tracks are designed to at least partially encircle the belt and define a stop for the belt extending in the conveying direction. "Encirclement" in this context means that the guide tracks abut the belt, or at least an edge region of the belt extending in the conveying direction, on at least two sides and preferably three sides. This guides the belt between the first and second guide rails along the conveying direction, allowing it to be conveyed through the measuring area at a distance from the contact plane.In particular, the tape runs essentially in one tape plane within the measuring area, and especially in exactly one tape plane, and at a distance from the contact plane, so that, on the one hand, a surface forming the contact plane and determined by the measuring system is not contacted by the tape and therefore is not scratched or worn, and on the other hand, the distance between the tape or tape plane and the contact plane allows the components connected to the tape to extend out of the plane section by section, so that the optical measuring system can also detect components that are not completely flat.

[0011] An advantageous further development provides that the first guide rail and / or the second guide rail each have a base plate and a cover plate, which together form the respective guide rail and can be detachably fixed to each other in a predetermined orientation.

[0012] The respective cover plate of the first and / or second guide rail has a stepped recess on at least two, and preferably all, of its four edges running parallel to the conveying direction. The recesses have different heights. The cover plate is detachably fixed to the base plate. The recess facing the base plate and the measuring area, or the other guide rail, together with the base plate, forms the respective guide rail. Because the heights of the recesses vary relative to each other and preferably correspond to a thickness of a belt guided by the guide frame, the guide rail and its height can be varied and adapted to the belt being conveyed by the guide frame by rotating the guide rails accordingly.

[0013] Furthermore, the base plate of the first guide rail can be detachably fixed to the base carrier at a single predetermined position or at a multitude of predetermined positions, or it can be integrally formed with the base carrier. Likewise, the base plate of the second guide rail can be detachably fixed to the base carrier at a multitude of predetermined positions, so that the spacing of the guide rails corresponding to a band width is adjustable.

[0014] Since the belt, with its edge areas extending in the conveying direction, extends section by section into the guide rails of the guide strips or into the guide strips themselves, it should be clarified that the distance between the guide strips in the width direction of the belt or perpendicular to the conveying direction is a predetermined amount less than the width of the belt.

[0015] Furthermore, the cover plate of the first and / or the second guide rail is preferably pinned to the respective base plate in the predetermined orientation and / or the cover plate is detachably fixed to the base plate and integrally to the base support by a fixing means.

[0016] Furthermore, the cover plates of the first guide rail and the second guide rail are preferably designed as identical parts.

[0017] An advantageous further development also provides that the base plate of the first guide rail and / or the base plate of the second guide rail at least partially surrounds the base support and is guided on the base support when shifted transversely to the conveying direction.

[0018] The base carrier can also have a protective layer on a side facing away from the guide rails or towards the contact plane, which forms a bearing surface for mounting the base carrier on the optical measuring system. The protective layer can be made, for example, of an abrasion- or wear-resistant plastic, felt, or another material suitable for reducing mechanical stress on the contact plane and, in particular, scratching of the measuring system. The base carrier of the guide frame also preferably has at least one alignment means for aligning the base carrier on the optical measuring system in a predetermined position and / or at least one fastening means for attaching the base carrier to the optical measuring system, whereby the alignment means and fastening means can also be integrally integrated.For example, the locating holes provided on the guide frame for pinning to the optical measuring system can serve both for alignment and fastening.

[0019] In order to identify and, if necessary, access reference markings in the belt, which are usually located in the edge areas of the belt, a further development of the guide frame provides that at least one recess is provided in the first guide rail and / or the second guide rail, which runs through the respective guide rail, in particular orthogonally to the contact plane or the belt plane, and is designed to correspond to a reference marking provided on the belt, so that the reference marking is visible through the recess on a side of the respective guide rail facing away from the base carrier and / or on a side facing the base carrier.

[0020] A further aspect of the invention relates to an optical measuring system with a contact plane and an adjoining measuring area, as well as a guide frame according to the invention arranged on the contact plane and at least partially encircling or encompassing the measuring area. The optical measuring system comprises a plate, which is particularly transparent, and whose side facing the guide frame defines the contact plane. The components connected to form a belt are guided by the guide rail between the first and second guide rails in the guide rails along the conveying direction and are conveyed through the measuring area at a distance from the plate. This prevents the belt or the components from coming into direct contact with the plate, thus preventing wear or scratching of the plate.

[0021] The optical measuring system can also include a blow-off device designed to generate a particle-carrying airflow on the side of the plate facing the base support. Such a blow-off device could, for example, be a nozzle fixed to the guide frame or the optical measuring system, which may be connected to a suitable pump or similar device.

[0022] Furthermore, instead of an additional blow-off device, it can also be provided that the blow-off device is formed integrally by the guide frame and, in particular, by the base support of the guide frame. In a simple case, for example, bores acting as nozzles or designed as nozzles can be provided on the base support, through which air can be blown out.

[0023] The features disclosed above can be combined in any way, provided that this is technically possible and they do not contradict each other.

[0024] Other advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims or are described in more detail below together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the figures. The figures show:

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a side view of an optical measuring system with a guide frame attached to it;

[0026] Fig. 2 shows a top view of a guide frame;

[0027] Fig. 3 shows a side view of a second guide rail. The figures are schematic examples. Identical reference symbols in the figures indicate identical functional and / or structural features.

[0028] The guide frame 1 shown in Figure 2 can be the same as the guide frame 1 shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the second guide rail 12 shown in Figure 3 is the same as the second guide rail 12 shown in Figures 1 and / or 2.

[0029] It can be stated that, in principle, it is known in the prior art to inspect components 6 connected to form a band 5, as is particularly evident in Figure 2, using optical measuring systems 2. For this purpose, the optical measuring systems 2 usually have optical detection devices 9, such as a camera indicated in Figure 1, protected by a transparent plate 8. These devices are designed to detect the band 5 or the components 6 connected to the band 5 within a measuring area 4, the measuring area 4 being directly adjacent to the transparent plate 8. On a side opposite the camera 9 with respect to the plate 8, a light source and / or a uniform background can also be provided, which facilitates the detection of the components 6 or their outlines.

[0030] If the belt 5 is guided directly over the transparent plate 8, the transparent plate 8 will become scratched over time, or generally wear out, which makes optical detection and subsequent inspection of the components 6 more difficult or impossible.

[0031] To solve this problem, a guide frame 1 according to the invention is arranged on the optical measuring system 2, as shown in Figure 1 in a side view and in Figure 2 in a top view. The guide frame 1 has a base support 10 which, in the illustrated variant, surrounds or runs around the plate 8 or the measuring area 4 in a frame-like manner. Two guide rails 11, 12 are provided on the base support 10, wherein a first guide rail 11 is fixed to the base support 10 and a second guide rail 12 is adjustable with respect to its distance A from the first guide rail 11 corresponding to a width B of the belt 5, so that the belt 5, guided in guide rails 13 formed by the guide rails 11, 12, can be conveyed through the measuring area 4 at a distance from the transparent plate 8.

[0032] To prevent the base support 10 from slipping and thus also to ensure error-free and complete detection of the components 6 by the camera.

[0033] To enable this, locating bores 21 are provided on the base support, as shown in Figure 2. The locating bores 21 serve integrally as alignment means 21 and fastening means 21, so that the guide frame 1 is held at a predetermined position in a predetermined orientation on the optical measuring system.

[0034] The guide rails 11, 12 each have a base plate 15 and a cover plate 16, as shown in detail for the second guide rail 12 in Figure 3. In the variant shown in Figure 1, the base plate 15 of the first guide rail 11 is integrally formed with or by the base support 10, so that the cover plate 16 of the first guide rail 11 is attached directly to the base support by means of fixing elements 19.

[0035] 10 is fixed and furthermore pinned to it. In the case of the second guide rail 12, the cover plate 16 is fixed to the base plate 15 by the fixing means 19 and the second guide rail 12 as a whole is fixed to the base support 10.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, a slotted hole is provided in the cover plate 16 of the second guide rail 12 as part of the fixing means 19, so that the cover plate 16 can be moved independently of the base plate 15 transversely to the conveying direction X and thus the distance A can be finely adjusted.

[0037] Although the cover plates 16 of the guide rails 11, 12 are preferably designed as identical parts, according to the variant shown in Figure 2, it is provided that the cover plates 16 differ not only with regard to their fixing means 19, but that recesses 22 extending orthogonally to the contact plane 3 are provided in the cover plate 16 of the first guide rail 11, which correspond to reference markings 7 of the band 5, so that these can be detected by the camera 9.

[0038] Figure 3 shows a side view of the second guide rail 12 in detail. The guide rail 13 is formed jointly by the base plate 15 and the cover plate 16, respectively. The base plate 15 and the cover plate 16 each have a recess 18 on at least one of their edges 17 running in the longitudinal or conveying direction X, and in the illustrated embodiment, on each of their four edges 17. The recess 18 facing the other guide rail 11, 12 and simultaneously the base plate 15 forms the guide rail 13 with the stop 14 acting in the width direction of the belt 5 or transversely to the conveying direction X. The recesses 18 vary in height H, so that depending on the rotation of the cover plate 16 about its longitudinal or vertical axis, a different recess 18 defines the guide rail 13 and specifies a different height H in each case.This allows the guide rail 13 to be easily and quickly adapted to different band thicknesses.

[0039] * * * * *

Claims

Patent claims 1. Guide frame (1) for arrangement on a contact plane (3) of an optical measuring system (2) and for guiding components (6) connected to each other to form a belt (5) along a conveying direction (X) through a measuring area (4) of the optical measuring system (2) adjoining the contact plane (3), comprising a base support (10) which is configured to encompass the measuring area (4) at least section by section, and a first guide rail (11) and a second guide rail (12) which are fixed to the base support (10) at a distance (A) from each other corresponding to a width (B) of the belt (5), wherein the first guide rail (11) and the second guide rail (12) each define a guide rail (13) spaced apart from the contact plane (3), which each is configured to encompass the belt (5) at least section by section and defines a stop (14) extending in the conveying direction (X) for the belt (5),so that the belt (5) is guided between the first guide rail (11) and the second guide rail (12) in the guide rails (13) along the conveying direction (X) and can be conveyed through the measuring area (4) at a distance from the contact plane (3).

2. Guide frame according to claim 1, wherein the first guide rail (11) and / or the second guide rail (12) each have a base plate (15) and a cover plate (16) which together form the respective guide rail (13) and can be detachably fixed to one another in a predetermined orientation.

3. Guide frame according to claim 2, wherein the cover plate (16) has a recess (18) on at least two of its four edges (17) running parallel to the conveying direction (X), the heights of which are different from each other, and the cover plate (16) is detachably fixed to the base plate (15) and the recess (18) pointing towards the base plate (15) and the measuring area (4) together with the base plate (15) forms the respective guide rail (13).

4. Guide frame according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the base plate (15) of the first guide rail (11) is detachably fixable to the base carrier (10) at a single predetermined position or at a plurality of predetermined positions or is integrally formed with the base carrier (10) for fixing the first guide rail (11) to the base carrier (10), and wherein the base plate (15) of the second guide rail (12) is detachably fixable to the base carrier (10) at a plurality of predetermined positions for fixing the second guide rail (12) to the base carrier (10), such that the distance (A) of the guide rails (11, 12) corresponding to a width (B) of the band (5) is adjustable.

5. Guide frame according to the two preceding claims, wherein the cover plate (16) is pinned to the base plate (15) in the predetermined orientation and / or the cover plate (16) is detachably fixed to the base plate (15) and integrally to the base support (10) by a fixing means (19).

6. Guide frame according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the base plate (15) of the first guide rail (11) and / or the second guide rail (12) supports the base support (10) at least encompasses sections and is guided on the base support (10) during a displacement transverse to the conveying direction (X).

7. Guide frame according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base carrier (10) has a protective layer (20) on a side facing away from the guide rails (11, 12), which forms a bearing surface for arranging the base carrier (10) on the optical measuring system (2).

8. Guide frame according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base support (10) has at least one alignment means (21) for aligning the base support (10) on the optical measuring system (2) in a predetermined position and / or at least one fastening means (21) for fastening the base support (10) to the optical measuring system (2).

9. Guide frame according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one recess (22) is provided in the first guide rail (11) and / or the second guide rail (12), which passes through the respective guide rail (11, 12) and is formed corresponding to a reference marking (7) provided on the band (5), such that the reference marking (7) is visible through the recess (22) on a side facing away from the base carrier (10) and / or on a side of the respective guide rail (11, 12) facing the base carrier (10).

10. Optical measuring system (2) with a contact plane (3) and a measuring area (4) adjoining it, and a guide frame (1) arranged on the contact plane (3) and at least partially circumscribing the measuring area (4) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a plate (8) which defines the contact plane (3) on its side facing the guide frame (1), such that components (6) connected to a belt (5) are guided between the first guide bar (11) and the second guide bar (12) in the guide rails (13) along the conveying direction (X) and can be conveyed through the measuring area (4) at a distance from the plate (8).

11. Optical measuring system according to the preceding claim, wherein a blow-out device is provided which is designed to generate a particle-carrying airflow on the side of the plate (8) facing the base carrier (10).

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