Indentation hardness meter

Image analysis – Histogram processing – For setting a threshold

Patent

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Details

73 81, 358101, 358107, 356378, 356379, G06K 900, G01N 348

Patent

active

046531068

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an indentation hardness meter which impresses an indenter into a specimen of a metallic material or the like to make therein a quadrangular pyramidal or spherical impression and measures the hardness of the specimen by measuring the lengths of first and second diagonals of the quadrangular pyramidal impression or diameter of the spherical impression.


BACKGROUND ART

As the abovesaid type of indentation hardness meter, there has heretofore been proposed such an arrangement in which a quadrangular pyramidal impression made in a specimen is imaged by scanning through the use of a scanning image sensing device, first and second diagonal-length signals representing the lengths of first and second diagonals of the impression are obtained from the image output and a hardness signal representing the hardness of the specimen is derived from the first and second diagonal-length signals.
The conventional indentation hardness meter of such an arrangement possesses, however, defects that a complex, bulky and expensive scanning image sensing device is needed which is capable of imaging the impression by scanning its entire area two-dimesionally, that the arrangement for obtaining the first and second diagonal-length signals from the image output of the scanning image sensing device is extremely complex and that a relatively long period of time is required for obtaining the first and second diagonal-length signals.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, an indentation made in a specimen is imaged by scanning through a one-dimensional scanning image sensing device and, in the case of the indentation being quadrangular pyramidal, signals representing the lengths of its diagonals are produced and, in the case of the indentation being spherical, a signal representing its diameter is generated.
The scanning by the one-dimensional scanning image sensing device in this case does not cover the entire area of the impression but covers its area of a smaller width which contains its diagonals in the case of the impression being quadrangular pyramidal and its diameter in the case of the impression being spherical.
Therefore, the present invention is free from the abovesaid defects of the prior art.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an example of the mechanical system of a first embodiment of the indentation hardness meter of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an indentation made in a specimen;
FIG. 4 is a diagram explanatory of imaging of the specimen by one-dimensional scanning through a one-dimensional image sensing device; and includes waveform diagrams explanatory of one-dimensional scanning of the specimen;
FIG. 5 is a systematic connection diagram illustrating an example of the electrical system of the first embodiment of the indentation hardness meter of the present invention in the case of using the mechanical system show in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are signal arrangement diagrams explanatory of the electrical system shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an example of the mechanical system of a second embodiment of the indentation hardness meter of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line II--II in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a diagram explanatory of imaging a specimen by one-dimensional scanning through the one-dimensional image sensing device;
FIG. 12 is a systematic connection diagram illustrating the electrical system of the second embodiment of the indentation hardness meter of the present invention in the case of employing the mechanical system shown in FIGS. 9 and 10; and
FIGS. 13 and 14 are signal arrangement diagrams explanatory of the electrical system shown in FIG. 12.


BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION



Embodiment 1

A description will be given first of a first embodiment of the indentation hardness meter of the present invention.
FIGS. 1 an

REFERENCES:
patent: 3754436 (1973-08-01), Saxton
patent: 3848089 (1974-11-01), Stewart
patent: 4147052 (1979-04-01), Tsujiuchi et al.
patent: 4149187 (1979-04-01), Palmer
patent: 4222262 (1980-09-01), Batie et al.
patent: 4255966 (1981-03-01), Batie et al.
patent: 4277174 (1981-07-01), Kleesattel
patent: 4354761 (1982-10-01), Jacoby
patent: 4435837 (1984-03-01), Abernathy
patent: 4463600 (1984-08-01), Hobbs et al.

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