JP5513948B2 - Inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention has a function of measuring a physical quantity such as a weight while conveying an inspection object, printing on the inspection object in accordance with the measurement result, and further reading the inspection object and comparing it with the measurement result. In addition, the present invention relates to an article inspection apparatus capable of not only measuring the weight of an object to be inspected but also checking a measurement result independently.

  As an apparatus for measuring a cylindrical workpiece such as a spray can or an aerosol can for various uses including medical use, an apparatus described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This device accepts a large number of articles continuously conveyed on a conveyor, conveys them further in a state spaced from each other, transports them to a weighing conveyor, and weighs them while conveying them In addition, since it is possible to smoothly carry articles into the weighing conveyor in a state where there is very little shaking and falling, the weighing can be performed with higher accuracy and higher speed than before.

Japanese Patent No. 2972967

  For example, aerosol cans for medical use measure the mass immediately after drug injection and after storage for a certain period for the purpose of thorough quality control, and compare both measured values. That is, by making such a comparison for each individual product, it is confirmed whether there is a change in content due to air leakage.

  In order to ensure such individual comparison, each product is printed with a serial number, for example, so that each product can be managed and identified individually, and the mass measured for each product. It is necessary to manage the value corresponding to the serial number of each product. Then, at the time of checking, the mass of each product is measured again, the mass value of the previous measurement corresponding to the serial number read for the product is read, and this may be compared with the current mass value.

  Alternatively, the measured mass value is printed directly on each of the products, and when checking, the mass of each product is measured again, and the mass value of the previous measurement and the current mass value read for the product are read. You may compare.

  However, since the weighing device described in Patent Document 1 described above has only a function of measuring the weight while conveying an object to be inspected, the above-described inspection cannot be executed alone. When this weighing device is used, at the time of the first measurement, it is necessary to provide at least a printing device in order to perform printing corresponding to the measurement result after the weighing device. It is necessary to provide at least a reading device in order to read the print in the subsequent stage.

  However, when the printing device and the reading device are installed separately from the weighing device in this way, it is necessary to provide a section for conveying the product from the weighing device to the printing device and the reading device installed in the subsequent stage. In particular, it is impossible to deny the possibility that the number of products will shift due to some cause including human factors in this section. As a result, the product related to the first measurement value may not match the product related to the second measurement value, and it may not be possible to perform an inspection that compares the two measurement values for each product. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an article inspection apparatus capable of reliably performing the first measurement and the second measurement check on each inspected object with a single apparatus. The purpose is to do.

The article inspection apparatus 1 according to claim 1 is:
Conveying means 10 for conveying the inspection object W at a predetermined interval;
A measuring unit 15 that measures a physical quantity of the inspection object W being conveyed to the conveying means 10;
A printing unit 16 which is provided in the next stage of the measurement unit 15 in the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit 10 and prints specific information corresponding to the physical quantity of the inspection object W measured by the measurement unit 15 on the inspection object W. When,
A reading unit 17 that is provided in a subsequent stage of the printing unit 16 in the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit 10 and that reads the specific information printed on the inspection object W by the printing unit 16;
The measurement unit 15 measures the physical quantity of the inspection object W, then prints specific information corresponding to the physical quantity on the inspection object W by the printing unit 16, and then the printing unit 16 performs the inspection. After reading the specific information printed on the object W by the reading unit 17, a measurement mode for collating the physical quantity measured by the measurement unit 15 and the physical quantity corresponding to the specific information read by the reading unit 17,
The physical quantity of the inspection object W that has already been processed in the measurement mode is measured by the measurement unit 15, and then the specific information printed on the inspection object W is read by the reading unit 17, From the check mode in which the physical quantity measured by the measurement unit 15 and the physical quantity corresponding to the specific information read by the reading unit 17 are collated,
An arbitrary mode can be selected and functioned.

The article inspection apparatus 1 according to claim 2 is the article inspection apparatus 1 according to claim 1,
The inspection object W is a substantially cylindrical workpiece that is conveyed in a mode in which the axis is substantially coincided with the vertical direction and the circular one end surface is a bottom surface.
The transport unit 10 includes a transport unit 10 that transports the inspection object W along the circumferential direction by arranging and rotating a holding unit 13 that holds the inspection object W at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. And guide members 11 and 12 that are circumferentially formed along the holding unit 13 of the transport unit 10 and guide the inspection object W that the transport unit 10 sends.
The printing unit 16 and the reading unit 17 print the specific information on the bottom surface of the inspection object W or read the specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W, respectively. Are respectively disposed below the transport unit 10.
The guide members 11 and 12 of the transport unit 10 are the inspection object W sent by the transport unit 10 of the transport unit 10 in a portion corresponding to at least one of the printing unit 16 and the reading unit 17. It has the non-contact part 32 formed so that it may not contact with.

The article inspection apparatus 1 according to claim 3 is the article inspection apparatus 1 according to claim 1 or 2,
The physical quantity is weight, and the measuring unit 15 is a weight measuring unit.

According to the article inspection apparatus recited in claim 1, the measurement unit, the printing unit, and the reading unit are sequentially arranged along the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit, and in the measurement mode, the measurement unit measures the physical quantity of the inspection object. Then, the printing unit prints specific information corresponding to this on the object to be inspected, and the reading unit reads this specific information, and the measured physical quantity can be collated with the physical quantity corresponding to the specific information. In the check mode, the measurement unit can measure the physical quantity of the inspection object again, the reading unit can read the specific information of the inspection object , and the measured physical quantity can be collated with the physical quantity corresponding to the specific information. As described above, according to the present invention, the measurement mode and the check mode can be properly used in one article inspection apparatus, so that the first measurement is performed in the measurement mode for each inspection object, and the second measurement is performed in the check mode. By performing a check including the above, it is possible to reliably detect a change in the measurement result of the inspection object.

  According to the article inspection apparatus described in claim 2, the following specific effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1. That is, the substantially cylindrical workpiece is stably held by the holding unit of the transfer unit with the axis lined up, and is conveyed in the circumferential direction by the rotation of the transfer unit while being in contact with and guided by the guide unit. Meanwhile, the printing unit and the reading unit print specific information on the bottom surface of the workpiece or read specific information printed on the bottom surface of the workpiece. Here, since the guide member has a structure that does not contact the object to be inspected in a portion corresponding to at least one of the printing unit and the reading unit, the object to be inspected that has been fed by the transport unit is printed or read. The gap is conveyed along the circumferential direction without rotating. Therefore, the printing by the printing unit does not lose its shape and the printing quality is maintained. Further, the reading of the print by the reading unit is performed in a normal state, and the measured physical quantity is appropriately acquired.

  According to the article inspection apparatus described in claim 3, in the effect of the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, the first weight measurement of the object to be inspected and the second time that is performed again after a period of time after the measurement. The check based on the weight measurement can be surely performed by one apparatus.

1 is an overall perspective view of an article inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the article inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged plan view of the article inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an arrow enlarged view in the arrow A of FIG. It is an arrow enlarged view in the arrow B of FIG. In the article inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is an enlarged plan view showing the state of an object to be inspected conveyed by a conveying means. In embodiment of this invention, it is a top view which expands and shows the state of the to-be-inspected object conveyed by a conveyance means just above the part by which an inkjet printer (IJP) is arrange | positioned.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, an article inspection apparatus 1 according to this embodiment has a main body of a housing 3 provided with a lid 2 that can be opened and closed on an upper surface. Conveying means for conveying the inspection object W is provided on the upper surface side of the casing 3, and the weight as a physical quantity is measured while the inspection object W is conveyed by the conveying means as will be described later. The specific information based on is printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W, and the specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W can be read.

  The object W to be inspected by the apparatus 1 is a substantially cylindrical workpiece, and a specific example is a medical aerosol can, etc. While being transported in a state where the end face is the bottom face and the axis line is substantially aligned with the vertical direction, each operation such as weight measurement, printing on the bottom face, and reading of the print is received according to the operation mode of the apparatus. Yes.

As shown in FIG. 2, in order to continuously convey the inspection object W in the housing 3 to the upper surface side of the housing 3 of the apparatus 1, each of the devices 1 is inspected in the direction of each arrow in FIG. Several types of conveying means for conveying the object W are provided.
First, a line conveyor 4 as a conveying means is provided horizontally through the front portion of the housing 3 of the apparatus 1. This line conveyor 4 is a belt conveyor of a linear conveyance path composed of a belt and a pulley, and carries the inspection object W from the left front process in FIG. 2, and toward the right next process in FIG. The processed inspection object W is carried out.

  Next, on the front side of the upper surface of the casing 3 of the apparatus 1, an interval setting conveyance unit 5 as a conveyance unit is installed on the carry-in side (the left side in FIG. 2) of the line conveyor 4. Although the details of the structure are not shown in FIG. 2, the interval setting and conveying section 5 is a rotating rod that is horizontally disposed at a predetermined position above the line conveyor 4 so as to be parallel to the line conveyor 4 and rotates. And a spiral groove having a width capable of holding the object W to be inspected is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotating rod. The inspection object W conveyed by the line conveyor 4 is not carried in a state of being individually identified as a workpiece, but is in a state in which a plurality are arranged without gaps at the entrance portion of the interval setting conveyance unit 5. However, the interval setting conveyance unit 5 takes inspected objects W on the line conveyor 4 one by one into the spiral groove while rotating the rotating rod, and sends them in the axial direction while arranging them in a line, Since the workpiece W is slid and conveyed on the line conveyor 4, each inspection object W is transported to the next conveying means in a state where the front and rear intervals are set to a predetermined dimension and delivered. .

  Next, a first guide transport unit 6 and a first guide guide member 7 are provided at the end of the interval setting transport unit 5 in the transport direction as transport means. The first guide conveyance unit 6 is a disk-shaped member, and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by a drive source (not shown). A plurality of notches 8 are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction as holding portions for holding the inspection object W at the outer peripheral edge portion of the first guide conveyance portion 6. On the other hand, the first guide guide member 7 starts from the end of the interval setting transport unit 5 and the first guide transport unit 6, extends along the outer peripheral edge of the first guide transport unit 6, and the first guide transport unit. 6 is arranged in a circumferential shape with a predetermined interval outside. Note that a plate-like stage 9 serving as a sliding surface when the workpiece W is conveyed is located below the first guiding and conveying unit 6 with respect to the housing 3 as shown in FIGS. The object to be inspected W, which is fixed horizontally and transported by the above-described interval setting transport unit 5, is placed thereon. According to the first guide conveyance unit 6, the interval setting conveyance unit 5 sequentially receives the inspection objects W conveyed one after another at a predetermined interval in the notch portion 8 and rotates them, so that the inspection object W is moved to this stage. 9 and can be conveyed in the circumferential direction along the first guide guide member 7.

  Next, another transport means is provided adjacent to the first guide transport unit 6. This transport means is composed of a disk-shaped rotary transport unit 10 having a larger diameter than the first guide transport unit 6 and guide members 11 and 12. The rotary conveyance unit 10 is a disk-like member, and is rotated clockwise in FIGS. 2 and 3 by a drive source (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral edge portion is arranged so as to be in contact with a part of the first guide conveyance unit 6 in plan view, but is arranged at a position lower than the first guide conveyance unit 6 in the height direction. They are not in contact with each other. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, cutout portions 13 are formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction as holding portions for holding the inspected object W at the outer peripheral edge portion of the rotary conveyance portion 10. The shape of the notch 13 is substantially U-shaped, and the size thereof is such that the object W can be stored without contacting. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rotary conveyance unit 10 is composed of a pair of disks arranged coaxially in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the height direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide member has an inner first guide member 11 and an outer second guide member 12. The inner first guide member 11 is arranged in a generally circumferential shape along a position corresponding to the innermost part of the cutout portion 13 of the rotary conveyance unit 10 starting from the terminal end of the first guide guide member 7. . The outer second guide member 12 starts from the vicinity of the first guide conveyance unit 6, extends along the outer peripheral edge of the rotary conveyance unit 10, and has a predetermined interval outside the outer peripheral edge of the rotary conveyance unit 10. In general, they are arranged circumferentially. The gap between the two guide members 11, 12, in other words, the distance between the two guide members 11, 12 in the rotational radius direction of the rotary conveyance unit 10, or the distance between the two guide members 11, 12 in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the object W to be inspected. The interval is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the inspected object W that is a cylindrical body, and the inspected object W accommodated in the cutout portion 13 of the rotating and conveying unit 10 that rotates is the guide member 11, Although it can move freely between 12 to some extent, it cannot be removed from the notch 13. For this reason, the order of the plurality of inspected objects W sequentially taken into the plurality of notches 13 of the rotary conveyance unit 10 does not change during the conveyance.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first and second guide members 11 and 12 described above are respectively provided above and below the rotary conveyance unit 10 constituted by a pair of disks. Accordingly, when the inspection object W held by the notch 13 is pushed by the rotation of the rotary conveyance unit 10 and slides on the stage 9, the inspection object W is in contact with the first and second guide members 11, 12. Therefore, it is possible to move stably without falling down.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a measuring unit which is a weight measuring unit as a measuring unit is provided below the conveying unit including the rotary conveying unit 10 and the guide members 11 and 12 from the upstream side in the conveying direction. 15, an inkjet printer 16 (also referred to as IJP 16 for short) as a printing unit, and a camera 17 as a reading unit are sequentially provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the measuring unit 15 is disposed at a substantially intermediate position of the circumferential rotation conveyance path by the rotation conveyance unit 10. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, the stage 9 at the intermediate position is formed with a rectangular through hole 18 whose longitudinal direction is the conveying direction, and the measuring portion 15 is disposed in the through hole 18. Yes. As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second guide members 12 are linear before and after the portion where the weighing unit 15 is disposed, so that the inspection object W can go straight during weighing. ing.

  The weighing unit 15 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 has a weighing conveyor 19 disposed in the through hole 18 at substantially the same height as the through hole 18 of the stage 9, and a weighing conveyor mounted therein and fixed in the housing 3. The weighing means 20 is provided. The object W to be inspected that has been transported on the stage 9 by the rotary transport unit 10 and the guide members 11 and 12 is transferred to the weighing conveyor 19 at the portion of the through hole 18 and is weighed by the weighing means 20 while being transported by the weighing conveyor 19. Mass is weighed. During weighing, the inspection object does not contact the guide members 11 and 12 and the rotary conveyance unit 10. Then, after weighing, it is transferred from the weighing conveyor 19 to the stage 9 again and conveyed further downstream by the rotary conveying unit 10. The weighing unit 15 is controlled by a control unit (not shown), and the mass of the workpiece W weighed by the weighing unit 15 is processed by the control unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the IJP 16 is disposed on the downstream side of the measuring unit 15 at a substantially intermediate position between the measuring unit 15 and the end of the transport path of the rotary transport unit 10. As shown in FIG. 3, a substantially circular through hole 21 smaller than the bottom surface of the inspection object W is formed in the stage 9 at the intermediate position, and the IJP 16 has an ink discharge port on the portion of the through hole. It is arranged toward. The size of the through hole 21 is such a size that the inspection object W does not pass through and drop. This IJP 16 prints on the bottom surface of the inspection object W specific information corresponding to the mass of the inspection object W weighed by the weighing unit 15 under the control of a control means (not shown). The identification information may be the mass value itself or a serial number that identifies the inspection object W. When printing a serial number, the mass value of the inspection object W is associated with the serial number and stored in a database in a storage unit such as a control unit so that it can be freely read, and the serial number is read later. In this case, it is necessary to read out the corresponding mass value so that it can be compared with the newly measured mass value. In addition, the printing mode of specific information is not specifically limited. A number representing a mass value or a serial number may be used, or a 2D code representing this may be used.

  As described above, the through hole 21 of the stage 9 provided with the IJP 16 is circular. However, since specific information is desired to be printed on the center of the bottom surface of the inspection object W as much as possible, the printing operation and the movement of the inspection object W In order to make it easier to adjust the timing, it may be oval with the transport direction as the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a camera 17 is disposed on the downstream side of the IJP 16 at a substantially intermediate position between the IJP 16 and the end portion of the conveyance path of the rotary conveyance unit 10. As shown in FIG. 3, an oval through hole 22 whose longitudinal direction is the transport direction is formed in the stage 9 at the intermediate position. The size of the through hole 22 is such a size that the inspection object W does not pass through and drop. The camera 17 is disposed upward in the through hole 22. The camera 17 reads specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W by the IJP 16 under the control of a control means (not shown).

  As described above, the through hole 22 of the stage 9 provided with the camera 17 has an oval shape, and a time margin for accurately reading the specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W by the camera 17 is obtained. However, depending on the performance of the camera 17 or the like, it may be a simple circle.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a second guide transport unit 23 and a second guide guide member 24 are provided as transport means at the terminal end in the transport direction of the rotary transport unit 10. The second guide transport unit 23 and the second guide guide member 24 have substantially the same configuration as the first guide transport unit 6 and the first guide guide member 7 described above. According to the second guiding and conveying unit 23, the inspection object W that has been subjected to the necessary processing by the weighing unit 15, the IJP 16 and the camera 17 while being conveyed by the rotary conveying unit 10 is received by the notch unit 25 in the processed order. The workpiece W can be guided and sent out from the stage 9 onto the line conveyor 4 in the above order. The inspection object W transferred onto the line conveyor 4 is carried out of the housing 3 by the operation of the line conveyor 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 1 is further provided with a display unit 26 for displaying the current status of the apparatus, measurement results, and the like, and an operation unit 27 for operating the apparatus.

  The above-described control means (not shown) is a means for comprehensively controlling the article inspection apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, and includes a measurement mode for measuring the mass of the inspected object W, and the object whose mass has been previously measured. Both modes of the check mode in which the mass of the inspection object W is measured again and compared with the previous measurement value can be arbitrarily selected and functioned.

  That is, in the measurement mode, the mass of the inspection object W is measured by the weighing unit 15 while the inspection object W is being transported by the transport means, and the specific information corresponding to the measured mass value is then inspected by the IJP 16. The specific information printed on the bottom surface of the object W and then printed on the inspection object W by the IJP 16 is read by the camera 17. Then, the mass value weighed by the weighing unit 15 and the mass value corresponding to the specific information read by the camera 17 are collated. As a result of the collation, if both values match, it is confirmed that normal mass measurement has been performed. If they do not match, appropriate measures are taken such as removing the inspection object W from the line and sending it to a re-inspection.

  In the check mode, while the inspection object W that has already been processed in the measurement mode is conveyed by the conveying means, the mass of the inspection object W is measured again by the measuring unit 15, and then the inspection object W After the specific information printed on the camera 17 is read by the camera 17, the mass value weighed by the weighing unit 15 and the mass value corresponding to the specific information read by the camera 17 are collated. That is, IJP 16 is not used in the check mode. If both values match, the previous measurement result and the current measurement result match, and it is confirmed that the mass of the inspection object W has not changed between the previous inspection and the current inspection. Is done. If they do not match, the mass of the inspection object W may have changed between the previous inspection and the current inspection. Therefore, take appropriate measures such as removing the inspection object W from the line and sending it to a re-inspection. Take.

  Next, other features of the present embodiment will be described. This feature is for further ensuring the appropriateness of the printing operation by the IJP 16 described above, and relates to the structure of the second guide member 12 of the conveying means.

  FIG. 6 shows the article inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, which is conveyed by the first and second guide members 11 and 12 and the rotary conveyance unit 10 at a position other than the portion where the weighing unit 15, IJP 16, and camera 17 are provided. It is a top view which expands and shows the state of the to-be-inspected object W. The inspection object W enters the notch 13 of the rotary conveyance unit 10 and moves on the stage 9 between the first and second guide members 11 and 12 in the circumferential direction as the rotary conveyance unit 10 rotates. Go. At this time, since the inspection object W is sent in the circumferential direction by the rotary conveyance unit 10 while being in contact with the second guide member 12 on the outside, there is a case where the inspection object W rotates with conveyance. If the inspected object W is rotated during the printing being carried right above the printing area by the IJP 16, there may be a problem in printing. That is, depending on various conditions such as the performance of the IJP 16, the transport speed of the transport means, the rotation state of the inspection object W, etc., even if ink is ejected from the IJP 16 so as to form a predetermined pattern, the inspection target to be printed Since the bottom surface of the object W is rotating, the ink does not adhere to the bottom surface in a predetermined pattern, the print pattern to be formed is deformed, and specific information is printed in a state where regular reading is possible. It may not be possible.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the article inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in which the through hole 21 and the transport unit of the stage 9 above the IJP 16 and the transport state of the inspection object W are overlapped and illustrated in FIGS. Unlike the structure of the embodiment shown and described in 3 etc., in this figure, the through hole 21 of the stage 9 corresponding to the IJP 16 is represented as an oval.

  As can be seen from this figure, the second guide member 12 on the outer side has a corner portion 30 projecting at a substantially right angle with a step toward the outside, above the printing area by the IJP 16, and is conveyed from the corner portion 30. It has a substantially triangular shape that gradually returns inward toward the downstream in the direction and smoothly continues to the original position at the junction 31. As described above, the second guide portion 12 is deformed outward between the corner portion 30 and the joining portion 31 in the conveyance direction or the circumferential direction, and the escape portion 32 as a non-contact portion where the contact with the non-inspection object W does not occur. Therefore, the object to be inspected W does not come into contact with the second guide portion 12 during conveyance, and does not rotate even if it is sent to the rotary conveyance portion 10. That is, the inspection object W moves only in the circumferential direction without rotating while passing over the through hole 21 that receives printing by the IJP 16. Therefore, the ink ejected from the IJP 16 so as to have a predetermined pattern adheres as it is to the bottom surface of the inspection object W to be printed, and a desired regular pattern can be formed. Therefore, regular reading is possible, and the control means can reliably acquire the specific information without error.

  In the present embodiment, the outward escape portion 32 of the second guide member 12 is formed only above the IJP 16, but a similar structure may be provided on the second guide portion 12 above the camera 17. In this way, when the camera 17 reads the specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object W, the inspection object W does not rotate, so that the reading is performed more reliably.

  Forming the outward escape portion 32 in the second guide member 12 above the IJP 16 and the camera 17 so as not to rotate the inspection object W is not essential for printing or reading, but is not necessary. Of course, it is not necessary to provide it if printing or reading is possible. Whether or not the inspected object W is rotated or the rotation state when rotating is a condition that can vary depending on the conveying speed by the conveying means, the size of the conveying means and the inspected object W, and the like. However, whether or not regular printing or reading is possible depends on the performance of the IJP 16 and the camera 17. Therefore, in order to stop unnecessary rotation of the inspection object W according to these various conditions, it is determined whether or not the escape portion 32 is formed in the second guide member 12 of the IJP 16 or camera 17 portion. Good. However, since reading by the camera 17 is generally faster than printing by the IJP 16, as described above, the relief portion 32 is provided in the second guide member 12 for the IJP 16, and the camera 17 is not provided. There are many cases.

  In the aerosol can targeted by the article inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, for the purpose of thorough quality control, the mass is measured immediately after drug injection and after storage for a certain period, and both measured values are compared to change the content. The presence or absence is confirmed. If such a quality inspection of an aerosol can is performed by separately preparing a measuring device and a printing device or reading device and connecting them with a transport device, manufacturing and maintenance costs are required for each device. As a result, not only the overall cost increases, but there is a possibility that the quantity of inspected items may be shifted due to the loss or removal of products in the intermediate transfer device that connects both devices. There is a problem that it becomes impossible to guarantee the quality of each individual product because the correspondence with other products cannot be achieved.

  The present apparatus 1 is useful for such an inspection purpose, and since the measurement mode and the check mode can be properly used in one article inspection apparatus 1, the measurement apparatus and the check apparatus are separately provided. There is no need to install, and the check by the first measurement and the second measurement can be surely performed for each inspection object W by one apparatus. In addition, weighing, printing, and reading are individually performed while specifying and transporting each product, and data is managed for each product. Therefore, if there is a change in the mass of each inspection object W in the inspection as described above, there is an effect that this can be reliably detected.

  In the embodiment described above, the inspection object is an aerosol can, and the physical quantity that is the measurement object is the mass of the aerosol can, but the inspection object and the physical quantity are not limited thereto. For example, a container such as a bottle filled with a liquid may be used as an inspection target, and the physical quantity as a measurement target may be the liquid level of the liquid in the bottle. Further, in the case where the object to be inspected is a substantially cylindrical workpiece, the structure has been described in which measurement, printing, and reading are performed on the rotary conveyance unit. If it is difficult, measurement, printing, and reading may be performed on a conveyance unit that conveys linearly. Further, printing and reading may be performed not on the bottom surface of the object to be inspected but on the side surface and the top surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Article inspection apparatus 4 ... Line conveyor as a conveyance means 6 ... 1st guide conveyance part as a conveyance means 7 ... 1st guide guide member as a conveyance means 8 ... Notch part as a holding part 9 ... Stage 10 ... Conveyance Rotating and conveying unit as means 11 ... First guide member as conveying means 12 ... Second guide member as conveying means 13 ... Notch portion as holding part 15 ... Weighing part 16 as weight measuring means as measuring part ... Inkjet printer (IJP) as printing section
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 ... Camera as a reading part 18 ... Through-hole for measurement part 19 ... Weighing conveyor which comprises a measurement part 20 ... Weighing means which comprises a measurement part 21 ... Through-hole for IJP 22 ... Through-hole for a camera 23 ... Second guiding / conveying section as conveying means 24 ... Second guiding guide member as conveying means 25 ... Notch section as holding section 32 ... Escape section as non-contacting section

Claims (3)

Conveying means (10) for conveying the object to be inspected (W) at a predetermined interval;
A measurement unit (15) for measuring a physical quantity of the object to be inspected which is being transported to the transport means;
A printing unit (16) that is provided in the next stage of the measurement unit in the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit and prints specific information corresponding to the physical quantity of the inspection object measured by the measurement unit;
A reading unit (17) that is provided in the next stage of the printing unit in the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit, and that reads the specific information printed on the inspection object by the printing unit;
The measurement unit measures the physical quantity of the object to be inspected, and then prints specific information corresponding to the physical quantity on the object to be inspected by the printing unit, and then prints on the object to be inspected by the printing unit. After reading the specific information by the reading unit, a measurement mode for collating a physical quantity measured by the measurement unit and a physical quantity corresponding to the specific information read by the reading unit;
The physical quantity of the inspection object that has already been processed in the measurement mode is measured by the measurement unit, and then the specific information printed on the inspection object is read by the reading unit and then measured by the measurement unit. From the check mode that collates the physical quantity corresponding to the physical quantity corresponding to the specific information read by the reading unit,
An article inspection apparatus (1) characterized in that an arbitrary mode can be selected and functioned. The object to be inspected (W) is a substantially cylindrical workpiece that is conveyed in a mode in which the axis is substantially coincided with the vertical direction and a circular one end surface is used as a bottom surface,
The conveyance means (10) is arranged with a holding portion (13) for holding the object to be inspected (W) at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and rotates to move the object to be inspected (W) along the circumference. And a guide member (11, 12) that guides the inspection object (W) that is formed in a circumferential shape along the holding portion of the transport unit and that is transported by the transport unit. Have
The printing unit (16) and the reading unit (17) respectively print the specific information on the bottom surface of the inspection object (W) or the specific information printed on the bottom surface of the inspection object (W). It is arranged below the transport part of the transport means so as to read,
The guide member of the transport unit is formed so as not to come into contact with the inspection object sent by the transport unit of the transport unit in a portion corresponding to at least one of the printing unit and the reading unit. The article inspection apparatus (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a contact portion (32). 3. The article inspection apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the physical quantity is a weight, and the measuring unit (15) is a weight measuring means.

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