CZ2001591A3 - A method of testing the quality of bristles and the use of such bristles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for quality inspection of bristles, especially brush bristles, with formed useable ends that are rounded in a dome-like manner. According to said method, the adjacent ends (8) of a plurality of bristles (6) are photographed with an image analysis apparatus (15) and the degree of roundness of the bristles is detected through image evaluation. In order to obtain perfectly reproducible results, the bristles are aligned side by side with their casings parallel to each other and with their ends in an enveloping surface. Said bristle ends are superficially structured, before or after said process, in such a way that a contrast is established between the ends and the casings. The bristle ends are then photographed by means of said image analysis apparatus (15). Quality inspection primarily comprises determining the quality of the shape given to bristle ends, but it can also concern the ratio of the end surface to the total surface of the bristle area and the number of bristles per surface unit. For the purpose of implementing said method, coloured ends can be used on finished brushes to indicate bristle wear.

Description

(57)

Method for testing the quality of bristles (6) intended for bristle goods (6), in particular for brushes, wherein the bristles (6) are shaped at their ends (8) on the use side thereof, in particular rounded to a spherical round apex at which juxtaposed ends (8) of the plurality of bristles (6) are sensed by the image recognition device (15), and the degree of shaping of the bristle ends (8) is judged by evaluating the image. The bristles (6) align with their skirt in a parallel position side by side and with their ends (8) in a flat envelope. Before or thereafter, they are surface-structured or colored at the ends (8) to reflect the bristle sheath (6). Subsequently, the structural or surface raster formed by the ends (8) in the packaging surface is scanned by the image recognition device (15) and thus the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are tested for reflectivity. The use of such tested bristles (6) for the manufacture of bristle goods (6) having properties that visualize the quality of the bristles (6) is to indicate wear of the bristle ends (8).

(21) Document number:

2001-591 (13) Document type: A3 (51) Int. Cl.

A46D 9/00

Method for testing the quality of bristles and the use of such bristles

Technical field

The invention relates to a method for testing the quality of bristles intended for bristle goods, in particular for brushes, wherein the bristles are shaped at their ends on the use side, in particular rounded to a spherical rounded apex, image recognition, and image evaluation judges the degree of shaping of the bristle ends. The invention further relates to the use of such tested bristles for bristle goods, as well as to the bristle goods themselves with properties that visualize the bristle shaping quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plastic bristles are today made from endless monofilaments or monofilament strands by cutting them to the desired length. In the cutting process, not only a substantially flat cutting surface is formed which is perpendicular or inclined to the bristle axis, but also burrs are formed on the cutting edges. Already in natural bristles, it has been found, see US 74, 560, that brushes for treating or treating sensitive surfaces should preferably have a spherical round tip. This is especially true for harder plastic bristles. For this reason, a number of methods for rounding the bristle ends have been proposed, and the rounding can be carried out by mechanical grinding, see DE 44 25 231, DE 195 26 933, EP 0 736 270 and EP 0 740 916, by generating friction heat at the ends of the bristles, see DE 296 14 118, or by chemical treatment. In all these cases, this treatment is carried out on the finished brush on which the bristles are fixed in bundles, the bristles having, optionally, different lengths within the bundle and the entire bristle field. By these acquaintances 9 9 9 99 9 9 9 9 99

9 9 9 9 9 9 99

999 99 99 99999 no perfect, dome-shaped rounded ends can be achieved on all bristles. This is especially true if the length of the bristles in the bundle is different.

Another known method, see EP 0 444 436, consists in treating the bristle ends before attaching them to the brush body. For this purpose, the bristles are placed parallel to each other, aligned at their ends and then rounded by grinding. In this method, each individual bristle within the bundle is uniformly applied by the abrasive forces so that a uniformly good rounding is achieved on all bristles. Such uniformly rounded bristles can then be arranged by axial displacement relative to one another such that their ends can have arbitrarily curved or stepped envelope surfaces, see EP 0 346 646.

There are still no effective methods for testing the bristle ends after they have been shaped at all, or to what extent, especially rounded. However, the knowledge of brush end shaping quality plays a decisive role in brushes for the treatment or treatment of sensitive surfaces, especially toothbrushes, but also in textile brushes, polishing brushes and other similar brushes, so that such brushes can be produced in series. , discarded.

According to one known design, see DE 37 41 616 A, individual bundles are tested on a finished brush by a random check method. For this purpose a conventional camera is used, which is inclined by its optical axis and angle with a steep incline relative to the bristles. In order to sufficiently illuminate only a very small test field of the bristle ends and to avoid optical interference due to reflections or other negative effects, the beam should be illuminated by means of a perpendicularly arranged light guide. As with this optical configuration, the reality of a close representation of the end of the respective bristle within the bundle can be achieved, but leaves the cited document open. Therefore, the testimony cannot be expected in this test, since not the entire machined surface is scanned at the ends of the bristles, and moreover, the ends within the bundle take different positions with respect to the optical axis of the camera, thereby also producing different patterns.

In a similar operation, see EP 0 189 067 A2, excessively long bristles that overlap the bristle flange and those bristles that laterally overhang due to the expansion of the bristle flange, are optoelectronically captured by the illumination of the bristle, and either additionally manually or the entire brush is discarded. Testing the quality of the treatment of the bristle ends is not possible with this method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method by which it is possible to test the ends of the bristles by their use with a predicative ability and to reproducibly test them after they have been worked.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Starting from the aforementioned known method, this object is achieved by aligning the bristles with their sheath in a parallel position side by side and with their ends in a flat wrapping surface, before or after they structure at their ends to reflect the bristle sheath on the surface or colored, and subsequently the structural grid or the surface grid formed by the ends in the envelope is scanned by the image recognition device and in this way the bristle ends are tested according to this reflectance. This method can be realized, for example, by means of an optoelectronic camera which is aligned with its optical axis perpendicular to the envelope and parallel to the bristles.

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In the method according to the invention, it is first necessary to ensure that the bristles are in the same relative position with respect to each other, and that the ends to be machined lie in a single common plane. In the plan view, the bristle ends form individual small surfaces in a uniform surface pattern. These individual small areas contrast with their very smooth bristle shell due to their structure or color. With corresponding alignment of the image recognition device with respect to the flat wrapping surface or the bristle axis, this scanning field of small areas is represented by optoelectronics. The perfectly shaped ends, with their ideal hemisphere-shaped, semi-elliptical or conically rounded outline, all exhibit the same reflective behavior, and then provide a uniform scanning field as a true image. By comparing the image with the determining image that reproduces the desired condition, the quality of the shaping of the tested bristles can be compared qualitatively and quantitatively. However, instead of comparing the images, any other optoelectronic transmission and its evaluation can be used. With colored bristle ends, the quality is simultaneously visualized.

The bristles whose ends deviate from the ideal contour or which do not lie fully within the standard plane are represented as interference areas in the raster image. For the frequency of interfering surfaces, certain tolerances can be established, above which the bristles or brushes are generally thrown away.

With the method according to the invention, the surface area of the bristles satisfying the quality requirements and the number of bristles per surface area can also be determined in the context of quality testing, and also to a certain extent that the tolerances can be checked.

Advantageously, this quality testing is carried out prior to the manufacture of bristle articles by setting the bristles after being cut to an endless monofilament or multi-core monofilament strand in a parallel position, further aligning their ends to a common flat wrapping surface. Thereafter, the bristle ends are mechanically shaped, for example by grinding or the like, especially rounded. The quality testing can then be carried out in the same position, but also after moving to another plane.

However, the method according to the invention can also be carried out on the finished brush if the ends of the bristles are generally flush. In this case, the bristles can be assembled into bundles or fixed individually to the brush body.

Optoelectronic methods that can be used in connection with the invention are known. By way of example only, reference is made to DE 197 24 421, which describes a method of optoelectronic measurement of a coating on teeth.

In order to achieve reflectance of the bristle ends relative to the remaining bristle, the bristle ends may be colored in a contrasting manner prior to the test. For example, a contrasting color can be applied to the bristle ends by application or dipping.

According to a further embodiment of the method, it is proposed that the shaped ends of the bristles be refined or polished after coloring and before the quality test.

If the reflectance is achieved by structuring, it is advantageously suggested that the bristle ends be preformed by mechanical grinding while structuring on the surface and subsequently tested. In this case, the structured ends are finely ground or polished only after the image has been evaluated.

Instead, it is also proposed that the bristles be made of plastic filled with - possibly reversibly - color reactive pigments, and that only the bristle ends are treated before and / or during the test to achieve · · · · ··· color gradient. For this purpose, pigments are used which react to the thermal or radiation energy by a color transition. If the color reactivity of the pigments is reversible, the individual bristles have the same appearance before and after the quality test. If, on the other hand, it is a permanent color, it remains on the bristle and thus on the finished brush, and can serve primarily as a guarantee to the consumer that the bristles or brush have been qualitatively tested.

Another variant is that the bristles are used with a dye arranged in their interior, and the dye is distributed on the rounded surface when shaping the ends. The bristle ends tinted in this manner can also be optoelectronically controlled in the manner described above.

If the paint is applied only after the end-forming, this can be done, for example, by unworking, in a parallel position with respect to one another and its ends in one flat surface of the bristle, by means of an abrasive surface parallel to the surface acting on each end. they are preformed and structured to be subsequently tested. Instead, while maintaining the bristle position, the bristle ends may be acted upon by a disc parallel to the wrapping surface by which the ink is transferred.

In this way, it is guaranteed that the coloring is carried out under the same geometric and kinematic conditions as the shaping of the bristle ends. In addition, this process can be easily integrated into the respective production processes.

The structured bristles may, after the test, the colored bristles in front of it, in turn be sanded or polished by means of a disk parallel to the envelope.

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The method according to the invention can be further modified so much that, when bristles with color reactive pigments are used, the heat or radiation energy affects the ends lying in a flat envelope.

One further advantageous variant of the method is characterized in that, after the test, the bristles are displaced relatively axially relative to each other so that their ends are fed to a predetermined contoured packaging surface and subsequently processed into bristle articles while maintaining their relative position.

In this way, a quality test can also be carried out after the bristles have been formed with their ends in a contoured surface, which may be curved or stepped, after which the bristles admit a clear statement of the quality of the shaping, the surface area and number of bristles.

The advantage of this method variant is particularly evident if the bristles deviate at a predetermined angle during movement so that the bristles are fastened in the more or less extended position on the finished bristle article. Here again, all the bristles are evenly colored at their ends.

If the bristle ends according to the method of the invention are colored permanently on the surface or with embedded color reactive pigments, the colored ends remain preserved after the quality test. It does not disturb the brush when used as intended. The invention even opens the possibility of visualizing the degree of use or wear of the bristles. When used according to the method of use, the bristles wear mainly on their sheath near their end, conically to the tip, due to material removal. With this removal of the sheath, the color is removed simultaneously. The respective color shade, in which the entire surface of the brush is reflected, can then serve as an indication of wear.

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444 444444 • 4,444 · β4 · 4 ·

The invention further relates to bristle articles, in particular toothbrushes, with bristles whose ends are shaped, in particular rounded, and characterized in that the shaped bristle ends are colored contrastingly to the bristle skin for visualizing the quality of the shaping.

With relatively good and even shaping of the bristle ends, the bristle field with the contrasting bristles appears optically as a uniform raster surface so that the shaping quality is visualized to the user.

In one exemplary embodiment, the paint may be coated on the bristle ends. Instead, it is also possible for the bristles to contain color-reactive pigments that react to the thermal or radiant energy by a color transition, and that the bristle ends are processed to the color transition by the thermal or radiant energy.

Overview of the drawings

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a bristle filler; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a paint application device; 1 is a plan view of the drive disk used in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 4 shows a test apparatus operating in accordance with the method of the invention; FIG. 5 shows one longitudinal section through a plurality of pre-prepared bristles with different ends; FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the bristle; FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a bristle with a rounded end in an unused and worn state; FIG. 9 is a plan view of the bristle ends of FIG. 8.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Giant. 1 shows a processing device, in particular for rounding the bristle ends. It has a disc 6 with an abrasive lining 2, which is driven by the eccentric 3, and two eccentrics 4, 5, is mounted, see FIG. 3, wherein the direction of movement is indicated by arrows.

The individual bristles 6 are assembled together in bundles 7 in a dense parallel layer. The ends 8 of the bristles 6 of all bundles 7 lie in a flat wrapping surface. By means of the support 9 which adjusts the position of the bristles 6, the bristles 6 are aligned so that the covering surface of the bristle ends 8 lies in a position parallel to the abrasive liner 2. The support 9 can also be a brush body on which the bristles 6, or the bundles 7 are fastened. Due to the relative displacement according to the direction arrow 10, the abrasive liner 2 comes into contact with the ends 8 of the bristles 6, and they are evenly rounded by the movement of the disc 8 at their ends 8.

After processing, the carrier 9 with the bundles 7 is transferred to the station according to FIG. 2, on which a disk 11 with the same drive as the disk 8 according to FIG.

The disc 11 has a carrier layer 12 for receiving a color layer 43.

The disc 11 and the carrier 9 move relative to each other according to the direction arrow 44 until the color layer 13 contacts the ends 8 of the bristles 6, and the ink is transferred to the ends 8 of the bristles 6.

Subsequently, the beam carrier 9 is brought into the test station according to FIG.

In this test station, the bristles 6 or bundles 7 are aligned parallel to the optical axis of the optoelectronic device 15. The light incident in the direction of the bristles

6, as indicated by directional arrows, is reflected at the shaped ends 8 of the bristles 6. The uniformly shaped, in particular rounded bristles 6 form a uniform raster field in the image processing device 16, which, after compensation in the reference device 17, can be evaluated by means of a screen 18 or a printer 9.

Figure 5 shows two bristles 20 which are perfectly rounded at their ends. The color layer obtained by the apparatus of FIG. 2 or also by dipping is uniformly distributed over the rounded end 21. The image 23 of the ends 21 of the two bristles 20 captured by the apparatus of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 6. shades of gray. Further, FIG. 5 shows a bristle 24 which has been left untreated, for example having an inclined cutting surface 25 with a cutting edge 26 formed by cutting. This untreated bristle 24 is also colored with the apparatus of FIG. Its surface image 27, see FIG. 6, is deformed and enlarged compared to the circular shape. Similarly, the bristle 28 in FIG. 5, which has a conical shape at its end 29 when grinding, so that the colored layer 30 is shown accordingly. Such an end 29 of the bristle 24 reproduces Figure 31 of Figure 6. Finally, Figure 5 also shows a practically untreated bristle 32 with an inclined cutting surface 33 which is provided with a color layer only in the deposition depth region. Its photographic representation 34 is shown in FIG. 6.

In quality testing, the raster surfaces 23 of FIG. 6 meet the required quality standard, while all other surfaces 27, 31 and 34 fall out of this standard and appear as interference areas in the optoelectronic evaluation. By determining appropriate tolerances, a sorting criterion can be provided which is critical to the deformation of the bristles or brush.

Areas of qualitatively sufficient ends or the number of bristles can also be determined.

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Instead of the coloring of FIG. 2, the bristle ends 8 in the station of FIG. 1 can also be roughened to obtain their final shape but have a patterned surface structure which exhibits a strongly different reflective behavior from the bristle sheath that can be used. for photooptical evaluation. After the quality test of FIG. 3, the brush ends are ground or polished.

Giant. 7 shows a bristle 35 with a different end treatment. The bristle 35 is conically ground at a portion 36 of its length, and rounded at its end 37 to a rounded apex. The rounded end 37 is colored as previously described. It is provided with a color layer 38. Prior to that, the entire conical region 36 can be colored with another color or structured. Photoelectronic evaluation provides an area image 39. Brushes of this kind are used in toothbrushes mainly to clean slime cracks on the tooth surface.

The bristles tinted according to the invention provide a further possibility in the use of such a brush. This is discussed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, which illustrate a bristle 40 with an impeccably rounded end 41. The bristle 40 has a colored layer 42 at its rounded end, which in this case is formed as a sticky bond. The use of a brush equipped with such bristles wears the bristle sheath towards the bristle ends, with the result that the color layers 42 gradually decrease and a tip 43 is formed to provide an indication of consumption or wear indicating to the consumer the state of use of the brush. to replace the brush.

Claims (21)

PATENT CLAIMS Method for testing the quality of bristles (6) intended for bristle goods, in particular for brushes, wherein the bristles are shaped at their ends (8) on the side of their use, in particular rounded to a spherical round apex, the juxtaposed ends (8) ) a plurality of bristles (6) are scanned by an image recognition device (15), and the image evaluation determines the degree of shaping of the bristle ends (8), characterized in that the bristles (6) align with their sheath in a parallel position side by side and with their ends (8) in a flat wrapping surface, before or after they are surface-structured or colored at the ends (8) to reflect the bristle sheath (6) and subsequently a structural or surface pattern formed by the ends (8) in the wrapping surface, it is scanned by the image recognition device (15) and thus the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are tested for reflectivity. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are sensed by an optoelectronic camera (15) which is aligned with its optical axis perpendicular to the packaging surface and parallel to the bristles (6). Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bristles (6) are tested before being processed into bristle articles. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a contrasting color is applied to the shaped ends (8) of the bristles (6) by application or immersion. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the shaped ends (8) of the bristles (6) are finely ground or polished after being colored to smooth the colored layer. • to · ················································ · ·· ·· ·· ··· Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are pre-formed by mechanical grinding while being surface-structured and subsequently tested. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the shaped and structured ends (8) of the bristles (6) are finely ground or polished after testing. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bristles (6) are made of plastic filled with - possibly reversibly - color-reactive pigments, and only the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are before and / or during testing. process to achieve a contrasting color gradient. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the bristles (6) are filled with pigments reacting with thermal or radiation energy by color transition. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bristles (6) are used with a dye arranged in their interior, and the dye is distributed over the shaped surface when shaping the ends (8). Method according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the rough bristles (6) lying in a parallel position with respect to each other and with their ends in a flat envelope are applied by means of an abrasive surface parallel to the envelope and acting on the ends (8). ), pre-shape and structure. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the rough bristles (6) lying in a parallel position with respect to each other and with their ends (8) in the flat surface of the bristle (6) are applied by means of an abrasive surface parallel to the surface. the ends (8) are shaped and then the ends (8) are contrast-colored while maintaining the position of the bristles (6). Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the shaped ends (8) are treated with a disk (11) parallel to the wrapping surface by means of which the ink is transferred to the ends (8) of the bristles (6). Method according to claim 12, characterized in that when using bristles (6) with color-reactive pigments, heat or radiation energy is applied to the ends (8) lying in a flat packaging surface. Method according to one of Claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are machined by finely grinding or polishing discs parallel to their envelope. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, after the quality test, the bristles (6) are displaced relative to each other in order to bring their ends into a predetermined contoured packaging surface and subsequently to process them while maintaining their relative position for goods with bristles. Method according to claim 16, characterized in that the bristles (6) deviate from a parallel position when axially displaced at predetermined angles. Use of bristles, the quality of which has been tested by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, for the manufacture of bristle articles in which at least the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are subject to wear. 22), manifested when the ends (8) of the bristles (6) wear during use of the bristle goods, are used as a wear indicator. ································· Goods with bristles whose ends are rounded, characterized in that the rounded ends (8) of the bristles (6) are contrastingly colored with respect to the bristle skin (6) for visualizing the quality of the rounding. A bristle article according to claim 19, characterized in that the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are surface-coated with paint (22). A bristle article according to claim 19, characterized in that the bristles (6) comprise color-reactive pigments that react to thermal energy or radiant energy by color transition, and that the ends (8) of the bristles (6) are thermal or radiant energy. processed to the color gradient.