TESTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TESTING A SURFACE OF A TEST OBJECT

Abstract

A testing device for testing a surface of a test object using an abrasion ribbon and a load body. The abrasion ribbon is guided from a provision device through a testing area, in which the abrasion ribbon can come into contact with the surface of the test object under the influence of the load body onto the abrasion ribbon, to a take-up device. The take-up device has a drive for moving the abrasion ribbon using the take-up device.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A testing device for testing a surface of a specimen using an abrasion ribbon and a load body, comprising the abrasion ribbon, the load body, a provision device, a testing area, a take-up device, and a control device for controlling the testing device, wherein the abrasion ribbon is guided in sections from the provision device through the testing area, where the abrasion ribbon can be brought into contact with the surface of the test specimen under the influence of the load body, to the take-up device, wherein the take-up device has a drive for moving the abrasion ribbon using the take-up device.

17. The testing device according to claim 16, wherein the drive is a winding motor for rotating the take-up device while winding or unwinding the abrasion ribbon.

18. The testing device according to claim 16, further comprising a means for determining the feed length of the abrasion ribbon.

19. The testing device according to claim 16, further comprising one or more guide rolls arranged between the testing area and the take-up device.

20. The testing device according to claim 16, further comprising a dancing bar which is movable between an upper position and a lower position.

21. The testing device according to claim 20, further comprising an adjustment device for adjusting the tensioning force exerted by the dancing bar on the abrasion ribbon, wherein a preset tensioning force is set using the adjustment device to keep the dancing bar in its lower position.

22. The testing device according to claim 20, further comprising a sensing device for detecting the position of the dancing bar.

23. The testing device according to claim 22, wherein the sensing device is a sensor or a switch.

24. The testing device according to claim 20, wherein the dancing bar is a rotating dancing bar which is rotatably mounted on a dancing bar holder about an axis of rotation.

25. The testing device according to claim 24, wherein the dancing bar holder is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the dancing bar and spaced apart from it.

26. The testing device according to claim 20, wherein the dancing bar is located in a first vertical plane in its lower position and in a second vertical plane in its upper position, which is spaced apart from the first vertical plane.

27. The testing device according to claim 20, wherein the dancing bar or at least one of the guide rolls is a counting roll.

28. The testing device according to claim 20, wherein the dancing bar has lateral guide elements that prevent movement of the abrasion ribbon in the axial direction, relative to the axis of rotation of the dancing bar.

29. A method for testing a surface of a test object using a testing device according to claim 1, wherein an abrasion ribbon is guided in sections from a feed device through a testing area in which the abrasion ribbon comes into contact with the test surface of the specimen under the influence of a loading body onto the abrasion ribbon, to a take-up device, whereby the abrasion ribbon is movable by means of a drive that drives the take-up device.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the tension of the abrasion ribbon is changed by rotating the take-up device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0052] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary designs, which should not restrict the invention, and with reference to the drawings. In this regard, the following is shown:

[0053] FIG. 1A a schematic representation of a surface to be touched by a finger;

[0054] FIG. 1B a schematic representation of an exemplary testing device according to the state of the art;

[0055] FIG. 2A a schematic representation of a first design of a testing device according to the invention;

[0056] FIG. 2B a schematic representation of a sequence of movements of a load body during testing;

[0057] FIG. 3 a schematic representation of a second design of a testing device according to the invention;

[0058] FIG. 4 a schematic representation of a third design of a testing device according to the invention;

[0059] FIG. 5A a top view of a roll;

[0060] FIG. 5B a sectional view of the roll shown in FIG. 5A, cut along sectional line A-A of FIG. 5A; and

[0061] FIG. 6 a perspective illustration of a module for winding up the abrasion ribbon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The first design of the testing device 1 according to the invention, shown in FIG. 2A, comprises a feed roll 2 and a winding roll 3. An abrasion ribbon 4 is unwound from the feed roll 2 and guided through the testing area 5 to the winding roll 3, onto which the abrasion ribbon 4 is wound up. In the testing area 5, the specimen 201 is arranged in such a way that its test surface 202 is in a vertical position. The section of the abrasion ribbon 4 that is located in the testing area 5 is aligned in such a way that, as long as the load body 6 does not exert any force on the abrasion ribbon 4, the surface sides of the abrasion ribbon 4 run parallel to vertical planes and at a distance from the test surface 202 of the specimen 201, forming a gap 7.

[0063] The feed roll 2 has a rotation axis D. The winding roll 3 has a rotation axis E. The rotation axes D and E are located horizontally and run parallel to each other. The rotation axis E is spaced apart from the rotation axis D and is lower than the rotation axis D. The feed roll 2 and the winding roll 3 can each be rotatably mounted on a common frame. The feed roll 2 and the winding roll 3 can be arranged such that the abrasion ribbon 4 is in a vertical position in the testing area 5.

[0064] The abrasion tape 4 is unwound section by section from the feed roll 2 for testing the test surface 202 of the specimen 201 (arrow A). For this purpose, the winding roll 3 has a motor (not shown). By rotating the winding roll 3 in a first direction (arrow B), the abrasion ribbon 4 is wound section by section onto the winding roll 3. In doing so, the section located in the test area 5, preferably after its use for testing the surface 202, of the abrasion ribbon 4 is guided out of the test area 5. At the same time, a new, unused section of the abrasion ribbon 4 enters the test area 5. Once the new, unused section of the abrasion ribbon 4 has entered the test area 5, the winding of the abrasion ribbon onto the winding roll 3 is stopped. However, if necessary, the tension of the abrasion ribbon can be adjusted. For this purpose, the winding roll 3 is rotated in the first direction (arrow B) or in the opposite direction (arrow C) about its axis of rotation (E), until the abrasion ribbon 4 has the specified tension. To adjust the tension, the take-up device 3 can be rotated multiple times in the first direction or in the second direction, or alternately in one direction and then the other.

[0065] If the new, unused section of the abrasive ribbon 4 is located in the test area 5 and the abrasive ribbon 4 has the specified tension, the testing of the surface 202 of the specimen 201 can begin. It may be possible that the abrasive ribbon 4 is not moved by means of the winding roll 3 during the test.

[0066] The test can be performed in the manner known from the state of the art. For this purpose, the load body 6 acts on the surface side of the abrasion ribbon 4, which faces away from the surface 202 of the test specimen 201. The load body 6 can be moved by the drive unit 8 in such a way that it is moved at an angle ? towards the surface 202 and thereby presses the abrasion ribbon 4 against the surface 202. The drive unit 8 has a rotatably mounted cylinder 21, which has a non-rotating piston 22 movable unidirectionally (double arrow P.sub.1) and is pivotable (double arrow P.sub.2) about a horizontal axis P. The drive unit enables a relative movement of the load body 6 (arrows F.sub.1 and F.sub.2). The load body 6 can perform a sliding movement, exclusively against the force of gravity. It can be moved on a defined path, which can optionally be adjusted and is referred to as a rubbing path. Subsequently, the load body 6 can be moved away from the abrasion ribbon 4, whereby the abrasion ribbon 4 is released from the surface 202. An exemplary movement of the load body 6 is shown in FIG. 2B as a trajectory. The described movement of the load body towards the surface 202 at the angle ?, the sliding movement of the load body while pressing the abrasion ribbon 4 against the surface 202, and the subsequent movement of the load body back, whereby the abrasion ribbon 4 is released from the surface 202, can form a cycle. This cycle can be repeated several times. The angle ? can be, for example, 45? or 60?.

[0067] The stress of the surface 202 is carried out for a predetermined number of cycles. The section of the abrasion ribbon 4 located in the test area 5 is not changed. After the predetermined number of cycles have been completed, the section of the abrasion ribbon 4 that has now been used is replaced with a new unused section by winding a section of the abrasion ribbon onto the winding roll 3. This wound section has a predetermined length, referred to as the feed length. The feed length corresponds to the length of the abrasion ribbon 4 that needs to be wound in order for the new unused section to enter the test area 5 and occupy the test area 5 in such a way that the testing of the surface 202 can now be conducted with this new unused section. To determine the feed length, a position sensor (not shown) may be provided to determine the position of the winding roll. In this way, position data can be obtained and transmitted to a central or local control device (not shown). The control device can cause the winding roll 3 to rotate (arrow B) via the motor. In order to adjust the tension of the abrasion ribbon 4, the control device can also cause the winding roll 3 to rotate in the direction of arrow B or C.

[0068] The abrasion ribbon 4 can be used either dry or soaked with a test medium 24. The test medium 24 can be applied either automatically or manually, for example, by a pipette or a spatula. The test medium 24 can be a substance such as synthetic sweat, sunscreen, toothpaste, or other substances that the test surface may come into contact with during the intended use of the test specimen 201. The active medium 24 can be guided to the abrasion ribbon 4 via a supply line 23.

[0069] The second design of the test device 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the first design shown in FIG. 2A. However, in addition, two guide rolls 9, 10 are provided for guiding the abrasion ribbon 4. The two guide rolls 9, 10 are used to guide the abrasion ribbon 4 emerging from the test area 5 to the winding roll 3. The two guide rolls have horizontal axes of rotation that run parallel to the axes of rotation D, E of the feed roll 2 and the winding roll 3. The two guide rolls 9, 10 can also be rotatably mounted on the frame on which the feed roll 2 and the winding roll 3 are already rotatably mounted, about their axes of rotation.

[0070] The first guiding roll 9 is a diversion roll and is arranged in such a way that the abrasion ribbon 4 is guided through the testing area 5 in a vertical position. This can be achieved by a corresponding arrangement of the guiding roll 9 to the feed roll 2. In contrast to the first design, the vertical position of the abrasion ribbon 4 is not achieved by the alignment of the winding roll 3 to the feed roll 2 in the testing area 5. The first guiding roll 9 is arranged lower than the winding roll 3 in the third design shown in FIG. 3.

[0071] The abrasion ribbon 4 passes from the feed roll 2 through the testing area 5 to the first guiding roll 9. The abrasion ribbon 4 is guided from the first guiding roll 9 to the second guiding roll 10, whose axis of rotation is in the same horizontal plane as the axis of rotation of the first guiding roll 9. The second guiding roll 10 serves as a counting roll. It can serve as a device for determining the length of the abrasion ribbon. The length of the abrasion ribbon that has been wound onto the winding roll 3 can be determined using the counting roll. The length determined by the counting roll can be transmitted to a central or local control device (not shown). The control device can cause rotation of the winding roll 3 (arrow B) via the motor. To adjust the tension of the abrasion ribbon 4, the control device can also cause rotation of the winding roll 3 in the direction of arrow B or C. The abrasion ribbon 4 lies with its surface side facing the surface 202 of the test specimen 201, both on the first guiding roll 9 and on the second guiding roll 10.

[0072] The third design of a testing device 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the second design shown in FIG. 3, except that an additional dancing bar 11 is provided to guide the abrasion ribbon 4 and the abrasion ribbon 4 is guided through a gap formed between the two guiding rolls 9 and 10. The dancing bar 11 is rotatably mounted on a dancing bar holder 12. The dancing bar holder 12 is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation (T2) that is parallel to the axis of rotation (T1) of the dancing bar and spaced apart from it. For this purpose, the dancing bar holder 12 can be rotatably mounted on the common frame. The axis of rotation (T1) and the axis of rotation (T2) are in the horizontal plane and run parallel to the axes of rotation of the feed roll 2, the guiding rolls 9 and 10, and the winding roll 3.

[0073] The dancing bar 11 is arranged in such a way that the abrasion ribbon 4 is guided through the testing area 5 in a vertical position when the dancing bar 11 is in its lower position. This can be achieved by a corresponding arrangement of the dancing bar 11 to the feed roll 2. In contrast to the second design, the vertical position of the abrasion ribbon 4 in the testing area 5 is not achieved by the alignment of the first guiding roll 9. In the design shown in FIG. 4, the dancing bar 11 is arranged above the first guiding roll 9.

[0074] The abrasion ribbon 4 passes from the feed roll 2 through the testing area 5 to the dancing bar 11 and from there to the first guiding roll 9. The abrasion ribbon 4 then passes through the second guiding roll 10, which serves as a counting roll, and is directed towards the winding roll 3. The abrasion ribbon 4 lies with its surface side facing away from the surface 202 of the test specimen 201 on the first guiding roll 9 and with its surface side facing the surface 202 of the test specimen 201 on the second guiding roll 10.

[0075] The dancing bar 11 can be moved between a lower position and an upper position. The upper position is shown by dashed lines in FIG. 4. To move the dancing bar 11 from the lower position to the upper position or from the upper position to the lower position, the dancing bar 11 is pivoted about its axis of rotation (T2) by means of the dancing bar holder 12. In the lower position, the axis of rotation (T1) of the dancing bar 11 lies in a first horizontal plane and a first vertical plane. In the upper position, the axis of rotation (T1) of the dancing bar 11 lies in a second horizontal plane, which is spaced apart from the first horizontal plane and located above it, and in a second vertical plane, which is spaced apart from the first vertical plane. The distance between the axis of rotation (T1) of the dancing bar 11 and the axis of rotation (T2) of the dancing bar holder 12 remains unchanged during the pivoting.

[0076] The testing device 1 can have an adjustment device (not shown) for adjusting the tensioning force that the dancing bar 11 exerts on the abrasion ribbon 4. By means of the adjustment device, a tensioning force is pre-adjusted that is intended to keep the dancing bar in its lower position. The tensioning force is applied to the dancing bar holder 12 via the adjustment device.

[0077] The testing device according to the invention comprises a detection device (not shown) for detecting the position of the dancing bar 11. If it is determined by means of the detection device that the dancing bar 11 does not reach the lower position for any reason, the testing of the surface 202 of the test specimen 201 may be stopped, as otherwise a false test would be carried out and/or no further abrasion ribbon 4 can be unwound from the feed roll 2, which means the end of the abrasion ribbon 4 is reached. The detection device is a position sensor that detects the position of the dancing bar 11 and transmits it to a control device.

[0078] In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a roll 13 is shown, which can be a guide roll, and feed roll, a winding roll, and a dancing bar. The roll 13 has a shaft 14 with an axis of rotation Y and a shell 15. The roll 13 also has two guiding elements 20, which are spaced apart from each other by a distance z, relative to the axis of rotation Y. The distance z is adapted to the width of the abrasion ribbon 4, so that movement of the abrasion ribbon axially to the axis of rotation Y of the shaft is prevented. The distance z between the two guiding elements 20 can be varied, for example by moving one or both guiding elements 20 on the shaft 14 or by changing the length of the shaft 14.

[0079] FIG. 6 shows a module 16 in which the winding roll 3, the first guide roll 9, and the second guide roll are attached to a frame 17. The winding roll 3, the first guide roll 9, and the second guide roll correspond to the second design of the testing device 1 shown in FIG. 3 and are needed for winding the abrasion ribbon 4 after leaving the testing area 5. The module 16 may also include a motor for rotating the winding roll 3 and at least one device for measuring the length of the abrasion ribbon 4, which are arranged in a housing 19 attached to the frame 17. The housing 19 is also part of the module 16.

[0080] The module 16 can be used to retrofit existing testing devices. For power supply of module 16 and data exchange between electronic components of module 16 with a control device, module 16 has a connection 18.

REFERENCE LIST

[0081] 1 Testing device [0082] 2 Feed roll [0083] 3 Winding roll [0084] 4 Abrasion ribbon [0085] 5 Testing area [0086] 6 Load body [0087] 7 Gap [0088] 8 Drive unit [0089] 9 First guide roll [0090] 10 Second guide roll [0091] 11 Dancing bar [0092] 12 Dancing bar holder [0093] 13 Roll [0094] 14 Shaft [0095] 15 Shell [0096] 16 Module [0097] 17 Frame [0098] 18 Connection [0099] 19 Housing [0100] 20 Guiding element [0101] 21 Cylinder [0102] 22 Piston [0103] 23 Supply line [0104] 24 Test medium [0105] 101 Test device [0106] 102 Load body [0107] 103 Drive unit [0108] 104 Abrasion ribbon [0109] 105 Test medium [0110] 106 Supply line [0111] 107 Weight [0112] 201 Test sample [0113] 202 Test surface [0114] 301 Finger