JP7037155B2 - Container damage inspection equipment and container damage inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method suitable for inspecting the condition of a container, particularly suitable for inspecting damage such as holes that may occur in the container.

The containers that are packed with cargo and used for logistics are mainly used by storing the items owned by the shipping company in the container terminal and renting them out to the shipper. Here, if the rented container is damaged such as a pinhole, it may cause rainwater or the like to enter the container and damage the packed luggage. For this reason, the rented container is subjected to a damage check at the container terminal to confirm the presence or absence of damage such as pinholes.

Conventionally, in the damage confirmation work of a container, an inspector enters the inside of the container and checks the presence or absence of light leaking from the damaged portion to identify the presence or absence of damage and the location of damage. However, when inspecting by such a method, at least an inspector who enters the inside of the container and a worker who opens and closes the container from the outside are required, resulting in a large loss of labor and time.

In view of these circumstances, the applicant of the present application has proposed a container damage detection device as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The container damage detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a self-propelled trolley provided with a photographing means capable of photographing a range of 180 degrees including a ceiling surface. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a dolly having such a configuration is placed in a closed container, and the image is taken while traveling from the door side to the back side, and the photographed data is confirmed. , Checking for damage such as pinholes.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-220543

According to the container damage inspection using the container damage detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1, only one worker is required to set the trolley, and the number of workers can be reduced. In addition, since it is not necessary for the worker to enter the container, the labor can be significantly reduced.

On the other hand, in the container damage inspection using the trolley having the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to drive in an uneven container and take a picture in a dark container. In such a situation, in order to obtain an image with a desired resolution, there is a problem that the traveling speed of the dolly cannot be increased and the inspection takes time.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a container damage inspection device and a container damage inspection method capable of reducing manpower and labor and shortening the time required for inspection.

In the container damage inspection device according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the main body that can be installed on the bottom surface or the side surface of the container and the ceiling surface of the container with the main body installed are contained within the angle of view. A state in which the inside of the container is illuminated by the light projecting means in a state where the container is closed, and a state in which the light projecting means illuminates the inside of the container. It is characterized in that the image is taken by the above-mentioned photographing means in both the state where there is no light projection .

Further, in the container damage inspection device having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is preferable that the main body is provided with a fixing means that can be installed on the door portion of the container. By having such a feature, the main body can be installed on the door portion of the container, and by arranging the photographing means toward the back side of the container, it is possible to photograph the entire inside of the container.

Further, in the container damage inspection device having the above-mentioned characteristics, a display means for visually displaying an image taken by the shooting means, an operation means for designating shooting conditions by the shooting means, and shooting or operation. And control means for performing various controls for carrying out the display may be provided. By having such a feature, it is possible to confirm the captured image data, set and control the imaging conditions, and the like.

Further, in the container damage inspection device having the above-mentioned characteristics, the main body may be provided with a communication means, and the display means and the operation means may be provided in a terminal provided with the communication means. .. With such a feature, it is possible to take a picture of the inside of the container by remote control after closing the container. In addition, the operator can confirm the position of the pinhole from the outside of the container while maintaining the shooting state.

Further, the container damage inspection method according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a step of fixing the photographing means to the bottom surface or the side surface of the container, closing the container, and illuminating the inside of the container by the light projecting means. Based on the step of photographing the inside of the container in a state of being in a state of being photographed, the process of photographing the inside of the container in a state of closing the container and not projecting light by the light projecting means, and the light and darkness in the photographed image. It is characterized by having a step of determining the presence or absence of a pinhole in the container.

Further, in the container damage inspection method having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is preferable that the photographing means is fixed to the door portion of the container. If the photographing means is fixed to the door, the operator does not have to enter the container at all. Further, when the photographing means is arranged toward the back side of the container, the entire inside of the container can be photographed.

Further, in the container damage inspection method having the above-mentioned characteristics, the determination of the presence or absence of a pinhole based on the lightness and darkness in the image is performed by binarizing the image with a predetermined brightness as a threshold value and then whitening the image after binarization. It is preferable to make it based on whether or not there is a portion indicating the gradation of. By binarizing the captured image, it becomes easy to determine the lightness and darkness. Therefore, it becomes easy to determine the presence or absence of a pinhole.

According to the container damage inspection device and method having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is possible to reduce manpower and labor, and also to shorten the time required for inspection.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the container damage inspection apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side sectional view which shows the state which the container damage inspection apparatus is installed in the door part in a container. It is a flow diagram which shows the process at the time of performing the pinhole inspection by the container damage inspection apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the image data photographed by the photographing means. It is a figure which shows the example of the image data after binarizing the image data shown in FIG. 4. It is a side view which shows the example of the case where the position, angle, and distance of a pinhole are projected on a virtual container. It is a top view which shows the example of the case where the position, angle, and distance of a pinhole are projected on a virtual container. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the container damage inspection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the container damage inspection apparatus and the container damage inspection method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments shown below are only a part of suitable embodiments for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, as long as it is effective, even if a part of the configuration is changed, it can be regarded as a part of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, the container damage inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the drawing, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the container damage inspection device is installed on the door portion in the container. Further, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the container damage inspection device according to the first embodiment. The shaded area in FIG. 2 is the shooting range by the shooting means.

The container damage inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment may be configured to include at least an imaging means 12, a main body 14, and preferably a display means 16, an operation means 18, and a control means 20.

The photographing means 12 is an element for photographing the inside of the container 50 to be inspected. The photographing means 12 may be provided with a wide-angle lens capable of accommodating at least the ceiling surface 50a of the container 50 within the angle of view in a state where the main body 14 described in detail later is installed on the bottom surface or the side surface of the container 50. , So-called spherical camera is desirable.

The main body 14 is a housing that houses the above-mentioned photographing means 12, the arbitrarily mounted display means 16, the operating means 18, the control means 20, and the like. In the present embodiment, the main body 14 is configured to be able to be installed and fixed on the bottom surface 50b or the side surface 50c in the container 50. Therefore, the bottom surface of the main body 14 is provided with a magnet as the fixing means 22. Since the container 50 is made of a magnetic metal such as steel, by using a magnet as the fixing means 22, it is possible to stably install and fix the container 50 even on the side surface 50c such as a wall portion or a door portion. Become.

The display means 16 is an element for visually displaying an image taken by the shooting means 12, a setting for shooting, and the like. Specifically, it may be a liquid crystal panel or the like. Further, when the liquid crystal panel is provided with the touch operation function, the function as the operation means 18 whose details will be described later can be integrated.

Here, it is desirable that the photographing means 12 is arranged so that the lens is provided on the upper part of the main body 14. When the main body 14 is installed on the door portion of the container 50 by the fixing means 22 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 14, the lens of the photographing means 12 faces the back side surface of the container 50. Therefore, it is possible to easily take a picture of the entire area inside the container 50.

The operation means 18 is an element for performing operations such as setting for performing shooting by the shooting means 12 and switching the display of the shot image. Specific setting items include shooting settings such as the size of the container 50, the installation position of the container damage inspection device 10 in the container 50, the orientation of the shooting means 12, and the shutter speed described later. The operation means 18 may be arranged separately from the display means 16 as an operation button or the like, but as described above, the display means 16 may be provided with a touch operation function and integrated.

The control means 20 is an element for performing information processing for shooting by the shooting means 12, the display means 16, the operation means 18, etc. described above, and for the operation for shooting, the display, or the operation for display. In addition to the above elements, the main body 14 in the present embodiment is provided with a memory 24 for storing an image captured by the photographing means 12, a battery 26 for supplying electric power to various elements, and the like.

[Inspection method]
Next, a container damage inspection method using the container damage inspection device having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the setting for carrying out the photographing by the container damage inspection apparatus 10 is made. The shooting settings include resolution, focal length, ISO, F value, shutter speed, timer, and the like. These settings depend on the shooting conditions and the desired image resolution, but ISO is set as low as 100 to 200, and the F value is set to about 5 to 10, so that high-resolution images can be taken. And the depth of field can be increased. By increasing the depth of field, even a container 50 with depth and height can capture the light caused by the pinhole 52 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) without being out of focus over a wide range. Is possible. Here, the shutter speed may be set to an appropriate value based on the ISO, the F value, the brightness in the container 50, and the like. Further, the timer may be set as a standby time from the installation of the container damage inspection device 10 in the container 50 to the closing of the container 50 for shooting (shooting preparation setting step: step 10).

Next, the door portion of the container 50 to be inspected is opened, and the container damage inspection device 10 is installed and fixed inside. Here, the container damage inspection device 10 may be installed and fixed on the floor surface which is the bottom surface 50b of the container 50, or the wall portion or the door portion which is the side surface 50c. In the present embodiment, the container damage inspection device 10 is installed and fixed to the door portion (see FIG. 2). Since the main body 14 constituting the container damage inspection device 10 is provided with a magnet as the fixing means 22, the container damage inspection device 10 can be stably installed and fixed even at the door portion (installation). Fixing step: step 20).

After installing and fixing the container damage inspection device 10, the door portion of the container 50 is closed to close the container 50. After the timer setting time set in step 10 (shooting preparation setting step) has elapsed, the inside of the container 50 is photographed. The shooting inside the container 50 ends when the shutter speed setting time elapses after the timer setting time elapses (shooting step: step 30).

After the completion of step 30 (shooting step), the container damage inspection device 10 is taken out from the inside of the container 50, and the captured image data is analyzed. The analysis of the image data is performed by the control means 20 or the like. Here, when the captured image data is as shown in FIG. 4, the captured image data is subjected to binarization processing. This is because damage to the pinhole 52 or the like can be detected based on the brightness of the light. Here, as the threshold value in the binarization process, for example, when there are 256 gradations from 0 (black) to 255 (white), and when the gradation is 125 or less, the gradation is "black" 126 or more. In the case of, it may be converted as "white". By binarizing the image data, as shown in FIG. 5, the locus and the projected portion of the light caused by the pinhole 52 are eliminated, and the position of the pinhole 52 can be easily specified (image processing step: step). 40).

After binarizing the captured image data, the presence or absence of the pinhole 52 in the container 50 is confirmed based on the difference in brightness in the converted image. The determination of the presence or absence of the pinhole 52 may be configured so that if there is a pixel with a white gradation in the binarized image data, this is recognized as the pinhole 52 (determination step: step). 50).

[Action effect]
According to the inspection by the above-mentioned process using the container damage inspection device 10 having the above-mentioned configuration, only one inspection worker is required. Also, there is no need for the worker to enter the container 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce manpower and labor for damage inspection. Further, since the container damage inspection device 10 is fixed to the container 50 for shooting, the shooting can be completed in a shorter time than when the device moves in the container 50.

[Application form]
In the determination step in the above embodiment, it is determined simply whether or not the container 50 has the pinhole 52. However, the position of the pinhole 52 in the container 50 may be specified when it is determined that "there is a pinhole" by analyzing the binarized image with a dedicated analysis software.

Specifically, the direction of the pinhole 52 with the container damage inspection device 10 as the base point based on the installation and fixing position of the container damage inspection device 10, the size of the container 50 to be inspected, the angle of view of the photographing means 12, and the like. And angles θ1, θ2, and distances L1 and L2. The position and angle of the specified pinhole 52 may be projected onto the side surface or the ceiling surface of the virtual container as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the pinhole 52 may be specified in the container 50.

When such a process is added, when it is determined that the pinhole 52 is present, it becomes easy to specify the position of the pinhole 52 and to confirm whether or not it is actually the pinhole 52.
Further, as a simpler determination method, before and after shooting in step 30 (shooting step), a light projecting means (not shown) is separately attached to the container damage inspection device 10, and then the container 50 is mounted by the light projecting means. You may try to illuminate the inside and shoot. In this method, the image data whose internal structure (side surface, ceiling surface, etc.) can be confirmed by the light projecting means and the image data of only the white spots caused by the pinhole 52 are from the same position, at the same angle, and at the same angle of view. It will be photographed. Therefore, the inspector can roughly grasp the position of the pinhole 52 by comparing these two image data.

Further, in the image data photographed by the light projecting means, the positional relationship between the side surface or the ceiling surface in the container 50 and the photographing means 12 becomes clear. Therefore, the installation and fixing position of the container damage inspection device 10 can be specified by analyzing the image data taken by the light projecting means with the control means 20. Further, it is possible to omit the input of the installation fixed position to the operating means 18.

Further, in the present embodiment, a magnet is taken as an example of the fixing means 22, but an adhesive material, a sandwiching material, a tensioning material, or the like may be used in addition to an adsorbent including a suction cup or the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the container damage inspection device 10a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The element of the container damage inspection device 10a according to the present embodiment as a whole is similar to that of the container damage inspection device 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings where the functions are the same, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The container damage inspection device 10a according to the present embodiment includes a terminal 30 having a function as a display means 16 and a function as an operation means 18 in addition to the main body 14 provided with the photographing means 12, and the main body is provided by the terminal 30. The feature is that 14 is configured to be remotely controllable.

In addition to the photographing means 12, the main body 14 may be equipped with a communication means 28, a control means 20, a memory 24, a battery 26, and the like. The communication means 28 is an element for transmitting / receiving information to / from the terminal 30 whose details will be described later. Further, the control means 20 according to the present embodiment controls the photographing means 12 based on the control signal received via the communication means 28, or converts the image captured by the photographing means 12 into a transmission signal to the communication means 28. Responsible for output processing.

The terminal 30 may be provided with a function as a display means and an operation means, as well as a communication means, a control means (not shown), a memory, and the like. , It may be configured by installing application software for operating the main unit. It should be noted that the information communication by the communication means may be any short-range wireless communication. This is because communication can be performed without the need for a large-scale antenna or the like.

According to the container damage inspection device 10a having such a feature, the main body 14 can be remotely operated to take a picture by the taking picture means 12. Therefore, after the main body 14 is arranged in the container 50 and the container 50 is closed, it is possible to instruct the shooting to be performed from the outside of the container 50. Therefore, when it is determined that the pinhole 52 exists, it is possible to confirm the position of the pinhole 52 from the outside while maintaining the shooting state.

10 ………… Container damage inspection device, 12 ………… Shooting means, 14 ………… Main body, 16 ………… Display means, 18 ………… Operating means, 20 ………… Control means, 22 ………… Fixing means, 24 ……… Memory, 26 ……… Battery, 28 ……… Communication means, 30 ……… Terminal, 50 ……… Container, 50a ……… Ceiling surface, 50b ……… Bottom surface, 50c ……… Side surface, 52 ……… Pinhole.

Claims (7)

With the main body that can be installed on the bottom or side of the container,
An imaging means that enables the ceiling surface of the container to be within the angle of view with the main body installed.
It is equipped with a light projecting means that illuminates the inside of the container .
It is characterized in that shooting is performed by the photographing means in both a state in which the inside of the container is illuminated by the light projecting means and a state in which the light is not projected by the light projecting means in a state where the container is closed. Container damage inspection equipment. The container damage inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the main body includes a fixing means that can be installed on the door portion of the container. A display means for visually displaying an image taken by the shooting means, and a display means.
An operating means for designating shooting conditions by the shooting means, and
The container damage inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a control means for performing various controls for performing photography, operation, and display. The main body is provided with a communication means.
The container damage inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the display means and the operation means are provided in a terminal provided with a communication means. The process of fixing the shooting means to the bottom or side of the container,
A process of closing the container and illuminating the inside of the container with a light projecting means, and taking a picture of the inside of the container.
A process of closing the container and photographing the inside of the container without projecting light by the light projecting means .
A container damage inspection method comprising a step of determining the presence or absence of a pinhole in the container based on the lightness and darkness of the captured image. The container damage inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the photographing means is fixed to the door portion of the container. The presence or absence of a pinhole in the image is determined based on whether or not there is a portion showing a white gradation in the binarized image after binarizing with a predetermined brightness as a threshold value. The container damage inspection method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the method is performed.

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