JP2013178156A - Measuring object support device and shape measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a measuring object support device and a shape measuring instrument capable of both supporting a measuring object and reducing distortion irrespective of the shape of the measuring object, and suppressing vibration of the measuring object with a simple configuration. provide.
A measurement object support device 10 is a support device that is used in a shape measuring instrument 1 that measures the shape of a plate-like measurement object W and supports the measurement object W in a vertical posture. The measurement object support device 10 includes at least three abutment portions (12, 14, 16) that abut against the edge of the measurement object W and each abutment portion (12, 14, 16) as the measurement object W. The thickness of the measurement object W between at least three support parts (20, 30, 40) supported toward the first contact part 12 and the first support part 20 supporting the first contact part 12 A pair of elastic members 22A and 22B provided on both sides of the first contact portion 12 in the direction (Y direction). At least one of the contact portions (14, 16) other than the first contact portion 12 allows a change in the posture of the measurement object W due to the displacement of the first contact portion 12 in the thickness direction (Y direction). It is like that.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement object support device and a shape measuring instrument, and more specifically to a measurement object support apparatus used for a measurement instrument that measures the shape of a plate-shaped measurement object and a shape measurement instrument equipped with the measurement object support apparatus. .

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a measurement object support device that supports a measurement object in a horizontal posture or a vertical posture when measuring the shape of a plate-like measurement object such as a wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display.
When the measurement object is supported in a horizontal posture, the measurement object is distorted due to gravity, making it difficult to measure the original shape of the measurement object. Therefore, in a field where the measurement accuracy of the shape of the measurement object is important, a measurement object support device that supports the measurement object in a vertical posture is desirable.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a support device that supports a semiconductor wafer in a vertical posture when measuring the shape of the semiconductor wafer.
Specifically, in the support device described in Patent Document 1, a first holding claw that defines a position in the thickness direction of the wafer, a second holding claw that defines the center position of the wafer, and a second holding claw. The wafer is supported in a vertical posture by using a third holding claw positioned opposite to the claw.
Further, in the support device described in Patent Document 2, the wafer is held in a vertical posture by sandwiching both sides of the wafer by a fixed rest member and a movable clamp member biased by a spring in a direction approaching the fixed rest member. It comes to support in terms of points.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, a pair of first holding members that are in contact with the lower end surface of a square substrate and a second holding member that holds the upper end surface of the substrate are used to support the substrate at three points in a vertical posture. An apparatus is described. In this support device, the first holding member and the second holding member are brought into contact with the upper end surface or the lower end surface of the substrate on the flat surface, and the frictional force generated between the flat surface of the holding member and the end surface of the substrate is used. And support the substrate. In addition, if an external force in the substrate thickness direction is applied from the holding member to the substrate during substrate alignment, the substrate slides on the flat surface of the holding member, reducing distortion of the substrate due to the external force generated during alignment. It has become so.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-203661 JP 2004-320015 A Japanese Patent No. 4465690

  In the support devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the wafer is supported by a plurality of support portions that are basically immovable in the wafer thickness direction, the original shape of the wafer may be distorted. Therefore, the original profile of the wafer may not be reflected in the measurement result, and it is difficult to measure the original shape of the wafer with high accuracy.

In this respect, in the support device described in Patent Document 3, when an external force in a thickness direction of a certain level or more is applied to the substrate, the substrate slides on the flat surface of the holding member, and the distortion of the substrate is reduced. In principle, it is possible to measure the original shape of the substrate.
However, the supporting device described in Patent Document 3 achieves both support of the substrate and reduction of distortion by appropriately setting the frictional force generated between the end surface of the rectangular substrate and the flat surface of the holding member. Therefore, depending on the shape of the edge of the substrate, it may be difficult to simultaneously support the substrate and reduce distortion. For example, in the case of a circular substrate with a thin plate thickness, a sufficient contact area between the end surface of the substrate and the holding member cannot be secured, and the frictional force generated between the end surface of the substrate and the flat surface of the holding member is set to an appropriate level. It is difficult to adjust, and it is difficult to achieve both substrate support and distortion reduction.

Further, when measuring the shape of the measurement object, vibration transmitted from the floor where the measuring instrument is installed and vibration caused by the air flow around the measuring instrument may affect the measurement result.
In this respect, in the support device described in Patent Document 2, a damper is attached to the frame on which the wafer is supported via the fixed rest member and the movable clamp member, so that vibration transmitted to the wafer is attenuated. The configuration of the entire apparatus becomes very complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can support both the support of the measurement object and the reduction of distortion regardless of the shape of the measurement object, and has a simple configuration for vibration of the measurement object. An object of the present invention is to provide a measurement object support device and a shape measuring instrument that can be suppressed by the above.

  A measurement object support device according to the present invention is a support device that is used in a shape measuring instrument for measuring a shape of a plate-like measurement object, and supports the measurement object in a vertical posture, and the measurement object At least three abutting portions that respectively abut against the edges of the first and second support portions, at least three supporting portions that support the abutting portions toward the measurement object, and a first abutting portion and the first of the abutting portions. A pair of elastic members provided on both sides of the first contact portion in the thickness direction of the measurement object between the first support portion supporting the contact portion, and the first of the contact portions. At least one of the abutting portions other than the one abutting portion allows a change in posture of the measurement object due to the displacement of the first abutting portion in the thickness direction.

In this measurement object support device, a pair of elastic members are provided on both sides of the first contact portion in the thickness direction, and at least one of the contact portions other than the first contact portion is the first contact in the thickness direction. The posture change of the measurement object accompanying the displacement of the contact portion is allowed. Therefore, even if an external force in the thickness direction of the measurement object is applied to the measurement object from the contact portion, the first contact portion is displaced in the thickness direction according to the amount of expansion / contraction of each elastic member, and other contact As a result of allowing the posture change of the measurement object to be allowed by at least one of the contact portions, the distortion of the measurement object due to the external force applied from each contact portion is greatly reduced.
In addition, the pair of elastic members provided on both sides of the first contact portion function as a vibration isolator or a damper, and vibration of the measurement object can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

Note that at least one of the support portions other than the first support portion rotates the contact portion corresponding to the support portion with a straight line extending from the support portion to the measurement object as a central axis. You may support it freely.
Thereby, the attitude | position change of the measuring object accompanying the displacement of the 1st contact part in thickness direction can be permitted effectively.

The first support part includes a frame having a pair of walls that support the first abutting part from both sides in the thickness direction via the elastic members, and the measurement object support device includes the thickness A displacement mechanism for displacing the frame body in the vertical direction may be further provided.
In this way, the first abutment portion is displaced in the thickness direction by providing a displacement mechanism that can displace the frame body having the walls supporting the first abutment portion from both sides via the elastic member in the thickness direction. Thus, the posture of the measurement object can be adjusted. For example, the distance between the laser displacement meter of the measuring instrument and the measurement object at an arbitrary measurement point is within an appropriate range, and the posture of the measurement object is adjusted so that the range of the laser displacement meter does not occur. It becomes possible.
In addition, due to the action of the pair of elastic members interposed between the first contact portion and the first support portion (frame body), excessive external force generated by the operation of the displacement mechanism is increased from the first support portion (frame body) to the first. This is mitigated in the process of transmission to one abutment. For this reason, even if the operation of the displacement mechanism accompanied by an excessive change in the posture of the measurement object exceeding the allowable level of the contact part other than the first contact part is performed, the first from the frame body. Since the external force transmitted to the contact portion is reduced, the deformation of the measurement object can be suppressed.

In addition, the shape measuring instrument measures a distance to the surface of the object to be measured while moving along the measuring direction, and a reference gauge for defining an interval between the pair of laser displacement meters. If the contact portion having the longest distance from the reference gauge in the scanning direction of the laser displacement meter is the first contact portion, the first support portion supporting the contact portion may be displaced by a displacement mechanism. Good.
As a result, if the position of the contact part other than the first contact part approximately matches the reference gauge, the position of the measurement object is changed by adjusting the position of the first contact part by the displacement mechanism. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently prevent the laser displacement meter from exceeding the range. That is, there is almost no possibility of range over at any measurement point on the scanning line, as long as the range over at the measurement point around the first contact portion farthest from the reference gauge on the scanning line of the laser displacement meter is prevented. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the posture adjustment work of the measurement object for preventing range over. Note that the position adjustment at the time of measurement can be omitted if the contact parts other than the first contact part are aligned with the reference gauge when the measuring instrument is installed.

Further, in the measurement object support device, a contact portion located below the contact portion is a support shaft provided along the thickness direction and is rotatable about the support shaft, and the measurement is performed. A roller that contacts the edge of the object.
In this way, the abutting portion positioned below includes a roller that is rotatable about the support shaft, thereby reducing the frictional force between the abutting portion and the edge of the measurement object. The deformation of the measurement object due to the frictional force can be prevented.

The shape measuring instrument according to the present invention includes the above-described measurement object support device.
In the measurement object support device, a pair of elastic members are provided on both sides of the first contact portion in the thickness direction, and at least one of the contact portions other than the first contact portion is the first contact in the thickness direction. The posture change of the measurement object accompanying the displacement of the contact portion is allowed. Therefore, even if an external force in the thickness direction of the measurement object is applied to the measurement object from the contact portion, the first contact portion is displaced in the thickness direction according to the amount of expansion / contraction of each elastic member, and other contact As a result of allowing the posture change of the measurement object to be allowed by at least one of the contact portions, the distortion of the measurement object due to the external force applied from each contact portion is greatly reduced. In addition, the pair of elastic members provided on both sides of the first contact portion function as a vibration isolator or a damper, and vibration of the measurement object can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

  According to the present invention, a pair of elastic members are provided on both sides of the first contact portion in the thickness direction, and at least one of the contact portions other than the first contact portion is the first contact portion in the thickness direction. Since the posture change of the measurement object due to the displacement of the measurement object is allowed, the distortion of the measurement object due to the external force applied from each contact portion is greatly reduced. In addition, the pair of elastic members provided on both sides of the first contact portion function as a vibration isolator or a damper, and vibration of the measurement object can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the whole structure of a shape measuring device. It is the front view which looked at the shape measuring instrument shown in FIG. 1 from the A direction. It is a side view which shows the structural example of a 1st contact part and a 1st support part. It is a side view which shows the structural example of a 2nd contact part and a 2nd support part. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a 3rd contact part and a 3rd support part periphery, (a) is a front view of a 3rd contact part and a 3rd support part periphery, (b) is B of Fig.5 (a). It is a side view of the area | region shown by.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely illustrative examples. Only.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of the shape measuring instrument. FIG. 2 is a front view of the shape measuring instrument shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the A direction.
Here, a configuration example of a shape measuring instrument for measuring the shape (profile and thickness) of the measuring object W on a horizontal straight line passing through the center of the circular measuring object W will be described. Needless to say, the configuration of the shape measuring instrument may be appropriately changed according to the measurement purpose.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shape measuring instrument 1 measures the shape of a support device (measurement object support device) 10 that supports a measurement object W in a vertical posture and a plate-like measurement object W. Sensor 60.
The measuring object W is not particularly limited as long as it is a plate member having a sufficiently large size (width, length, diameter, etc.) with respect to the thickness, and is a plate member having an arbitrary shape including a circle and a rectangle. Also good. Specific examples of the measurement object W include wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, and plate members such as those photomasks.

In the shape measuring instrument 1, a frame 5 is fixed to a base member 4 installed on the gantry 3. The frame 5 includes a pair of columns 5A provided on both sides in the X direction of the support device 10 and extending in the vertical direction, and beams 5B connecting the upper ends of the columns 5A. A mainspring spring 6 is fixed to each column 5 </ b> A, and a movable table 7 is suspended by the mainspring spring 6. The mainspring spring 6 is a constant load spring whose tension is substantially constant regardless of the stroke, and is capable of expressing tension that balances the movable table 7 and the total weight of the objects placed on the movable table 7. It may be used. Thereby, the movable table 7 can be raised / lowered with a small force.
In addition, the movable table 7 at the time of raising / lowering is guided by a pair of linear guides 8. The vertical position of the movable table 7 is fixed by a lock mechanism 9. As the lock mechanism 9, for example, a lock pin that fits into a recess provided on the movable table 7 side can be used.

The sensor 60 is a laser displacement meter for measuring the shape of the measurement object W, and is provided on each side of the measurement object W (only the sensor 60 on the near side is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). ing). The sensor 60 is supported by a support 64 erected on a table 62. The table 62 extends in the Y direction so as to pass under the base member 4, and a pair of rails 66 are laid along the X direction below both ends in the Y direction (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 1). 2 shows only the rail 66 on the near side of the measuring object W). Therefore, the table 62 is movable in the X direction along the pair of rails 66.
The shape measuring instrument 1 is intended to measure the shape (profile and thickness) of the measuring object W on a horizontal straight line passing through the center of the circular measuring object W. A mechanism that moves the sensor 60 in the Z direction is not necessarily provided as long as it can move in the X direction.

In addition, in order to measure the thickness of the measuring object W using the pair of sensors 60, in addition to obtaining the distance between each sensor 60 and the measuring object W from the measurement result of each sensor 60, It is necessary to know the distance between the pair of sensors 60. Therefore, in this embodiment, a reference gauge 68 is provided on the side of the measurement object W, and the distance between the pair of sensors 60 is defined by focusing each sensor 60 on each surface of the reference gauge 68. .
The reference gauge 68 is a gauge that is precisely processed and has a known thickness. For example, a block gauge made of an arbitrary material such as ceramics or metal can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support device 10 includes three contact portions (12, 14, 16) that contact the edges of the measurement object W, and each contact portion (12, 14, 16). Are provided with three support portions (20, 30, 40) that support the measurement object W toward the measurement object W.
The first contact portion 12 and the second contact portion 14 are in contact with the lower edge portion of the measurement object W, and the third contact portion 16 is in contact with the upper edge portion of the measurement object W. The measurement object W is supported by supporting the first to third contact parts (12, 14, 16) that are in contact with the edge of the measurement object W by the first to third support parts (20, 30, 40). Is supported in a vertical posture.

The first support portion 20 and the second support portion 30 are movable in the X direction along the rail 17 provided on the movable table 7. For example, the first support portion 20 and the second support portion 30 are attached to the screw shaft (feed screw) 18, and the screw shaft 18 is rotated by the rotation handle 19, whereby the first support portion 20 and the second support portion 20 are supported. The part 30 may be moved along the rail 17 in the X direction. The male screw portion 18A of the screw shaft 18 that is screwed to the female screw of the first support portion 20 is a right screw (or left screw), and the male screw portion 18B of the screw shaft 18 that is screwed to the female screw of the second support portion 30 is left. A screw (or right-handed screw) is preferable. Accordingly, the first support portion 20 and the second support portion 30 can be moved in the X direction symmetrically with respect to the center of the measurement object W by using a set of screw shafts 18 and the rotation handle 19. it can.
On the other hand, the third support portion 40 that supports the third contact portion 16 is attached to the beam 5 </ b> B of the frame 5.

Here, a specific configuration example of the contact portion (12, 14, 16) and the support portion (20, 30, 40) will be described.
FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration example of the first contact portion 12 and the first support portion 20. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration example of the second contact portion 14 and the second support portion 30. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example around the third contact portion 16 and the third support portion 40, and FIG. 5A is a front view around the third contact portion 16 and the third support portion 40. 5 (b) is a side view of the region indicated by B in FIG. 5 (a).

As shown in FIG. 3, the first contact portion 12 is a roller attached to the support shaft 21, and is rotatable about the support shaft 21. The first abutting portion 12 has a groove 13 formed over the entire circumference, and the edge of the measuring object W is fitted into the groove 13.
Although the groove 13 may have an arbitrary shape, the edge of the measurement object W and the first contact part when the posture of the measurement object W is changed by forming a V shape as shown in FIG. 12 can be avoided. That is, by forming the groove 13 of the circular roller-shaped first contact portion 12 in a V shape, even if the measurement object W rotates around the three axes in the XYZ directions and changes its posture, the measurement object W Interference between the edge portion and the first contact portion 12 can be avoided to some extent. Thereby, the posture change of the measuring object W due to the displacement of the first contact portion 12 in the Y direction is easily allowed.

A pair of elastic members 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B is provided between the first contact portion 12 and the first support portion 20 that supports the first contact portion 12. The elastic members 22A and 22B are provided on both sides of the first contact portion 12 in the Y direction so as to sandwich the first contact portion 12. The first contact portion 12 is supported by the first support portion 20 via elastic members 22A and 22B, and the elastic members 22A and 22B expand and contract to form the first support portion 20 (frame body 24 described later). On the other hand, it can be displaced in the Y direction relatively.
The elastic members 22A and 22B are not particularly limited as long as a restoring force along the Y direction can be applied to the first contact portion 12, but a spring, rubber, or the like can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. A coil spring provided around the shaft 21 may be used.

The first support portion 20 includes a frame body 24 having a pair of walls 23 erected on both sides in the Y direction of the first contact portion 12, a uniaxial stage 25 to which the frame body 24 is fixed, and the uniaxial stage 25. It is comprised with the block 27 provided below.
The pair of walls 23 of the frame body 24 support the first contact portion 12 from both sides in the Y direction via the elastic members 22A and 22B. The uniaxial stage 25 to which the frame body 24 is fixed can move in the Y direction relative to the block 27 by operating the displacement mechanism 70. The block 27 has a screw hole through which the screw shaft 18 (see FIG. 2) passes, and the male screw portion 18A of the screw shaft 18 is screwed into a female screw formed on the inner wall surface of the screw hole. It has become. Therefore, the block 27 can move in the X direction along the rail 17 by operating the rotation handle 19.

Although the specific configuration of the displacement mechanism 70 is not particularly limited, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a thimble 72 as an operation unit, a spindle 74 that rotates together with the thimble 72, and a sleeve 76 that covers the spindle 74 are provided. Alternatively, the displacement mechanism 70 may be used. The male thread 75 of the spindle 74 is screwed with the female thread 77 of the sleeve 76. The tip of the spindle 74 is fixed to the uniaxial stage 25, and the sleeve 76 is fixed to the block 27.
According to the displacement mechanism 70 configured as described above, the spindle 74 is rotated by the operation of the thimble 72, and the spindle 74 is advanced and retracted in the Y direction relative to the sleeve 76 fixed to the block 27. The relative movement of the stage 25 in the Y direction is possible.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second contact portion 14 is a roller attached to the support shaft 31 and is rotatable about the support shaft 31. The second contact portion 14 has a groove 15 formed over the entire circumference, and the edge of the measurement object W is fitted into the groove 15.
The groove 15 may have an arbitrary shape, but as shown in FIG. 4, the edge portion of the measurement object W and the second contact portion when the posture of the measurement object W is changed by forming a V shape. 14 can be avoided. That is, by forming the groove 15 of the second contact portion 14 in the shape of a circular roller into a V shape, even if the measurement object W rotates around the three axes in the XYZ directions and changes its posture, the measurement object W Interference between the edge and the second contact portion 14 can be avoided to some extent. Thereby, the posture change of the measuring object W due to the displacement of the first contact portion 12 in the Y direction is easily allowed.

The second support portion 30 includes a frame body 34 having a pair of walls 33 erected on both sides of the second contact portion 14 in the Y direction, and a block 37 to which the frame body 34 is fixed.
The pair of walls 33 of the frame 34 supports the support shaft 31 to which the second contact portion 14 is attached from both sides in the Y direction. The block 37 to which the frame body 34 is fixed has a screw hole through which the screw shaft 18 (see FIG. 2) passes, and a male screw portion of the screw shaft 18 is connected to a female screw formed on the inner wall surface of the screw hole. 18B is screwed together. Therefore, the block 37 can be moved in the X direction along the rail 17 by operating the rotation handle 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the third contact portion 16 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member in which a groove 17 is formed on a surface facing the measurement object W. The edge of the measurement object W is fitted into the groove 17 of the third contact portion 16. In addition, although the V-shaped groove | channel 17 was illustrated in FIG.5 (b), the groove | channel 17 may be arbitrary shapes.

  The third support portion 40 includes a support rod 41, a coil spring 42, a guide member 43, a lower plate 44, an upper plate 45, a central plate 46, and a pair of rods 47A and 47B. A portion of the third support portion 40 above the beam 5B is covered with the housing 54.

The support rod 41 is provided on the back side of the third contact portion 16 (on the side opposite to the surface on which the groove 17 is formed), and is rotatable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Support. For example, a bearing may be interposed between the back surface side of the third contact portion 16 and the distal end portion of the support rod 41 so that the third contact portion 16 is rotatable. Accordingly, the third contact portion 16 rotates following the change in posture of the measurement target W accompanying the displacement of the first contact portion 12 in the Y direction, and the change in posture of the measurement target W is allowed.
The rotation center of the third contact portion 16 is a straight line L extending from the third support portion 16 to the measurement object W (specifically, the center of the measurement object W).

  The support rod 41 is inserted into a hole formed in the guide member 43 and is slidable in the Z direction while being guided by the wall surface of the hole. In addition, a coil spring 42 surrounding the support rod 41 is provided between the third contact portion 16 and the guide member 43, and the third contact portion 16 faces the measuring object W side by the coil spring 42. Is energized.

One end of each of the rods 47A and 47B is fixed to both ends in the X direction of the lower plate 44 on which the guide member 43 is mounted. The other ends of the rods 47A and 47B are connected to each other by the upper plate 45. Further, the central portion of each rod 47 </ b> A, 47 </ b> B is supported by a central plate 46 positioned between the upper plate 45 and the lower plate 44 via the bush 48.
Although not shown in FIG. 5A, the center plate 46 is fixed to the beam 5B of the frame 5 and does not move with respect to the beam 5B. On the outer periphery of the rod 47A, a plurality of recesses 49 are formed at different positions depending on the assumed size of the measuring object W. The protrusion 49 connected to the knob 50 can be fitted into the concave portion 49 of the rod 47A. The knob 50 is fixed to the upper surface of the beam 5B by a fixing tool 51. Therefore, when the knob 50 is pushed in and the protrusion 52 is fitted into the concave portion 49 of the rod 47A, the rods 47A, 47B, the upper plate 45, and the lower plate 44 are immovable in the Z direction. On the other hand, when the knob 50 is pulled to remove the protrusion 52 from the concave portion 49 of the rod 47A, the rods 47A, 47B, the upper plate 45, and the lower plate 44 are movable in the Z direction.

Next, a procedure for using the shape measuring instrument 1 having the above configuration will be described.
Before setting the measurement object W on the support device 10, the contact portions (12, 14, 16) of the support device 10 are moved to appropriate positions according to the size of the measurement object W. Specifically, the height of the movable table 7 is adjusted in accordance with the size of the measuring object W with the lock mechanism 9 released, and the movable table 7 is fixed by the lock mechanism 9. Further, the screw shaft 18 is rotated using the rotation handle 19 to move the first support portion 20 and the second support portion 30 along the rail 17 to a position corresponding to the size of the measurement object W. In addition, after the knob 50 is pulled and the projection 52 is removed from the concave portion 49 of the rod 47A, the third support portion 40 is moved in the Z direction, and then the knob 50 is pushed in so that the projection 52 corresponds to the size of the measurement object W. It is made to fit in the recessed part 49 in a position.
Thereafter, the third contact portion 16 is lifted against the urging force of the coil spring 42, and the lower edge of the measurement object W is moved between the groove 13 of the first contact portion 12 and the second contact portion 14. It fits into the groove 15, and the upper edge of the measuring object W is fitted into the groove 17 of the third contact part 16. In this way, the measurement object W is supported in the vertical posture by the support device 10.
Further, the table 62 is moved along the rail 66 in the X direction so that the pair of sensors 60 are opposed to the reference gauge 68. Then, each sensor 60 is focused on each surface of the reference gauge 68 to define the distance between the pair of sensors 60. Thereafter, the table 62 is moved in the X direction along the rail 66, and the distance to the surface of the measurement object W is measured while moving the pair of sensors 60 in the scanning direction (X direction). Thereby, the profile of both surfaces of the measuring object W is obtained. Further, since the distance between the pair of sensors 60 is defined using the reference gauge 68, the thickness distribution of the measurement object W on the scanning line is determined from the measurement results of the distances between the sensors 60 and the surface of the measurement object W. Can also be obtained.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the pair of elastic members 22A and 22B are provided on both sides of the first contact portion 12 in the thickness direction (Y direction) of the measurement object W, and the first contact portion 12 is provided. Other contact parts (second contact part 14 and third contact part 16) allow the posture change of the measuring object W accompanying the displacement of the first contact part 12 in the Y direction. For this reason, even if an external force in the thickness direction of the measurement target W is applied to the measurement target W from the contact portions (12, 14, 16), the first contact depends on the amount of expansion / contraction of each elastic member 22A, 22B. As a result of the portion 12 being displaced in the thickness direction and the posture change of the measuring object W being allowed by the other contact portions (14, 16), it is caused by the external force applied from each contact portion (12, 14, 16). The distortion of the measured object W is greatly reduced.
Further, the pair of elastic members 22A and 22B provided on both sides of the first contact portion 12 function as a vibration isolating material or a damper, and the vibration of the measuring object W can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

  Further, since the third support portion 40 is configured to rotatably support the third contact portion 16 corresponding to the third support portion 40 about the straight line L, the first contact portion in the thickness direction. The posture change of the measuring object W accompanying the 12 displacements can be effectively allowed.

Further, since the frame 24 having the wall 23 that supports the first contact portion 12 from both sides via the elastic members 22A and 22B is provided, the displacement mechanism 70 that can displace in the thickness direction is provided. The posture of the measuring object W can be adjusted by displacing 12 in the thickness direction. Therefore, for example, the distance between the sensor 60 and the measurement object W at an arbitrary measurement point is within an appropriate range, and the posture of the measurement object W is adjusted so that the range of the sensor 60 does not occur. Is also possible.
In addition, excessive external force generated by the operation of the displacement mechanism 70 due to the action of the elastic members 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B interposed between the first contact portion 12 and the first support portion 20 (frame body 24) is the first support portion 20. It is reduced in the transmission process from the (frame body 24) to the first contact portion 12. Therefore, the operation of the displacement mechanism 70 accompanied by an excessive change in the posture of the measurement target W beyond the extent that the contact part (third contact part 16) other than the first contact part 12 can be tolerated is about to be performed. Even in this case, since the external force transmitted from the frame body 24 to the first contact portion 12 is reduced, the deformation of the measurement object W can be suppressed.

  In this embodiment, the contact portion having the longest distance from the reference gauge 68 in the scanning direction (X direction) of the sensor 60 is defined as the first contact portion 12, and the corresponding contact portion is displaced in the Y direction by the displacement mechanism 70. It is possible. Therefore, if the positions of the contact parts (14, 16) other than the first contact part 12 coincide with the reference gauge 68, the position of the first contact part 12 is adjusted by the displacement mechanism 70. The range of the sensor 60 can be efficiently prevented by changing the posture of the object W. In other words, as long as the range over at the measurement point around the first contact portion 12 farthest from the reference gauge 68 on the scanning line of the sensor 60 is prevented, there is almost no possibility of range over at any measurement point on the scanning line. Therefore, the posture adjustment work of the measuring object W for preventing the range over can be simplified.

  Of the contact portions (12, 14, 16), the contact portions (12, 14) located below are rotatable about the support shafts (21, 31) provided along the thickness direction. Since the roller is configured to abut against the edge of the measurement object W, the frictional force caused by gravity between the abutment portions (12, 14) and the edge of the measurement object W is reduced, and the measurement object W is reduced. Can be prevented from being deformed.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, various improvement and deformation | transformation may be performed.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the second contact portion 14 is configured by a roller having the V-shaped groove 15, and the third support portion 16 is rotatably supported by the support rod 41. The example in which the change in the posture of the measurement object W due to the displacement of the first contact portion 12 is allowed by the contact portions (14, 16) other than the first contact portion 12 has been described. However, depending on the contact state (line contact, line contact or surface contact) between the edge of the measuring object W and each contact part (12, 14, 16), the contact part (14) other than the first contact part 12 (14). , 16) may be configured to allow the posture change of the measuring object W.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shape measuring device 3 Base 4 Base member 5 Frame 5A Column 5B Beam 6 Mainspring spring 7 Movable table 8 Linear guide 9 Lock mechanism 10 Support apparatus (measurement object support apparatus)
12 First contact portion 13 Groove 14 Second contact portion 15 Groove 16 Third contact portion 17 Groove 18 Screw shaft 18A Male screw portion 18B Male screw portion 19 Rotating handle 20 First support portion 21 Support shaft 22A Elastic member 22B Elasticity Member 23 wall 24 frame 25 uniaxial stage 27 block 30 second support portion 31 support shaft 33 wall 34 frame 37 block 40 third support portion 41 support rod 42 coil spring 43 guide member 44 lower plate 45 upper plate 46 center plate 47A Rod 47B Rod 48 Bush 49 Recess 50 Knob 52 Protrusion 60 Sensor 62 Table 64 Support 66 Rail 68 Reference gauge 70 Displacement mechanism 72 Thimble 74 Spindle 75 Male thread 76 Sleeve 77 Female thread

Claims (6)

It is used in a shape measuring instrument that measures the shape of a plate-shaped measurement object, and is a support device that supports the measurement object in a vertical posture,
At least three abutting portions that respectively abut against the edge of the measurement object;
At least three support portions for supporting each contact portion toward the measurement object;
A pair provided on both sides of the first contact portion in the thickness direction of the measurement object between the first contact portion of the contact portions and the first support portion that supports the first contact portion. An elastic member,
At least one of the contact parts other than the first contact part among the contact parts allows a change in the posture of the measurement object accompanying the displacement of the first contact part in the thickness direction. A measuring object support device. The first support portion includes a frame body having a pair of walls that support the first contact portion from both sides in the thickness direction via each elastic member,
The measuring object support device according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement mechanism that displaces the frame body in the thickness direction. The shape measuring instrument has a pair of laser displacement meters that measure the distance to the surface of the object to be measured while moving along the measurement direction, and a reference gauge for defining the distance between the pair of laser displacement meters. And
The measurement object support device according to claim 2, wherein the first abutting portion has the longest distance from the reference gauge in the scanning direction of the laser displacement meter among the abutting portions.   At least one of the support portions other than the first support portion can freely rotate the contact portion corresponding to the support portion with a straight line extending from the support portion to the measurement object as a central axis. The measurement object support device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement object support device is supported by the measurement object.   The contact portion located below the contact portion is rotatable about the support shaft provided along the thickness direction, and contacts the edge of the measurement object. The measuring object support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a roller.   A shape measuring instrument comprising the measurement object support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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