JP7620594B2 - Product Inspection System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item inspection system, and in particular to an item inspection system that has both an item inspection device that sequentially inspects items on an item conveying path and a sorting device that can remove defective items from the item conveying path.

In an item inspection system that inspects products sold in units of net quantity (number or mass), an item inspection device is often used that performs a specified method of item inspection while transporting multiple relatively small items that make up the contents of the product in bulk or at a specified small transport pitch.

In that case, even if defects occur frequently enough that multiple defective products (which may be items whose size, mass, or other quality conditions, which are classified into multiple grades, fall outside the range of a particular grade) occur within a narrow conveying section, it is necessary to reliably prevent the defective products from flowing downstream.

Therefore, conventionally, there is an item inspection system that combines an item inspection device that performs item inspection in minimum area units corresponding to the inspection area on the product conveying path surface, and a sorting device that can discharge inspected items within a specified conveying section from the product conveying path to the outside of the system at every fixed conveying distance (hereinafter also referred to as a specified conveying section) corresponding to a predetermined number of minimum areas depending on the inspection results, for example the presence or absence of defective items (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

There is also a known system that obtains position information of foreign objects based on image data detected by an X-ray inspection machine, and is equipped with a sorting device that has a cutting means that can cut out and partially remove foreign object-containing portions from raw materials such as raw meat or hydrated grain flour, thereby increasing product yield (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2005-103451 A JP 2011-183272 A Patent No. 5524598

However, in the conventional product inspection system described above, when discharging products according to the inspection results for each specified transport section, it was necessary to discharge some of the non-defective products from the system when discharging defective products, resulting in a decrease in product yield.

On the other hand, when using a sorting device that can pinpoint and remove (remove) only the foreign body portion, it is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in product yield. However, if multiple defective products are generated within a small inspection area, there is a concern that there will not be enough time to individually remove them, or that a sorting error will occur for some reason, causing the defective products to pass through to the side where good products can pass.

The present invention aims to solve such previously unsolved problems, and to provide an item inspection system that can effectively suppress a decline in product yield while reliably preventing defective products from being sent to the side where good products pass.

To achieve the above object, the article inspection system according to the present invention includes: (1) an article inspection device that sequentially inspects articles conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction on a conveying path; a first sorting device that pinpoints and removes articles inspected by the article inspection device within a predetermined conveying section according to the results of the inspection by the article inspection device, provided that a first sorting condition set in advance is satisfied; a second sorting device that is disposed downstream of the first sorting device in the predetermined conveying direction and removes articles inspected by the article inspection device in units of a sorting section of a predetermined conveying distance according to the results of the inspection by the article inspection device and the satisfaction of a second sorting condition set in advance; and a sorting condition determination means that determines whether the first sorting condition is satisfied according to the results of the inspection by the article inspection device and the conveying state of the inspected articles, and determines whether the second sorting condition is satisfied according to whether the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether the pinpoint removal by the first sorting device is successful.

With this configuration, in the present invention, the first sorting device that locally rejects, i.e., pinpoint rejects, items inspected by the item inspection device within a specified conveying section in accordance with the inspection results, and the second sorting device that rejects inspected items downstream of the first sorting device in units of a specified conveying distance in accordance with the inspection results and the establishment of the second sorting condition, are operated in accordance with the judgment results of the sorting condition judgment means that judges whether the first sorting condition is satisfied depending on the inspection results and the conveying state of the inspected items, and judges whether the second sorting condition is satisfied depending on whether the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether the first sorting device has succeeded in pinpoint rejection within the specified conveying section. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent defective items from flowing out to the side where good items pass while effectively suppressing a decrease in the yield of products including the inspected items.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (2) the sorting condition determination means can be configured to determine that the second sorting condition is met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the first sorting device is unsuccessful in pinpoint removal.

In this case, by mainly operating the first sorting device, it is possible to effectively prevent non-defective products from being discharged from the system along with defective products, and to improve the yield of products including the inspected items. In addition, in this case, the sorting condition determination means may establish the second sorting condition and operate the second sorting device when the first sorting condition is not established, or when the first sorting device fails to pinpoint the items or is unsure of success within a predetermined time. Furthermore, when the size of the items or the conveying interval is relatively large and the second sorting device is mainly used because the first sorting condition is not established, the sorting condition determination means may determine that the second sorting condition is not established for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition is established (for example, the product is loose or damaged). Of course, it may be variably set whether the first sorting device or the second sorting device is mainly used.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (3) the first sorting device is preferably configured to include a pinpoint exclusion means for excluding from the conveying path specific items among the inspected items whose inspection results deviate from the specified quality conditions. In this case, defective items that deviate from the specified quality conditions can be accurately excluded from the system, ensuring the required yield of products that include the inspected items.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (4) the pinpoint rejection means can be configured to have a rejection head that moves at least in a direction perpendicular to the specified conveying direction in response to the result of the inspection by the item inspection device when the result of the inspection deviates from the specified quality condition. In this case, moving the rejection head along the shortest path in response to the item conveying speed and the spacing and position of the items that deviate from the specified quality condition enables efficient pinpoint rejection operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (5) the sorting condition determination means can be configured to determine that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items whose inspection results by the item inspection device deviate from the specified quality condition is contained within a number determination area of a specified area or more. In this case, the number determination area of a specified area can be set within a range where items that do not meet the specified quality condition can be reliably removed regardless of the variation in the location where they are generated, and when the number of items exceeds the set number that makes it uncertain, reliable removal can be performed by the second sorting device.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (6) the number determination area may be set within a predetermined radius from the center located on one side of the width direction of the conveying path. In this case, a robot arm or the like can be effectively used for the first sorting device. In this case, the number determination area is set at predetermined time intervals and may overlap partially with the number determination area set immediately before and in which pinpoint removal has been completed, and the number of items for which pinpoint removal has been completed can be reduced.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (7) the sorting condition determination means can be configured to determine that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items whose results of inspection by the item inspection device deviate from the specified quality condition is contained in any one of a plurality of number determination areas divided in the specified conveying direction to have a specified area equal to or less than the sorting section, equal to or more than a set number. In this case, a number determination area equally divided in the conveying direction can be easily set, and the shape of the sorting area for the pinpoint rejection operation is contained in the sorting section for the specified conveying distance, effectively ensuring the required yield of products including the items to be inspected.

The present invention provides an item inspection system that can effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of products that include inspected items while reliably preventing defective items from being sent to the side where good items pass.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an object inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an explanatory diagram including a partial cross section of a main portion of a pinpoint exclusion device in an object inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of a pinpoint rejection device on a conveyor of an object inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the state when a first sorting condition is met. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of the pinpoint exclusion device on the conveyor of the object inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing an example when the first sorting condition is not met. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of the pinpoint exclusion device on the conveyor of the object inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing another example when the first sorting condition is not satisfied. FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of an object inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of an object inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
1 to 6 show an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

First, let me explain the configuration.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in the article inspection system 1 according to this embodiment, articles P being transported on an article transport path 11 such as a conveyor arranged in an article manufacturing line (not shown) are inspected sequentially by an article inspection device 10, while articles P determined to be defective by the article inspection device 10 are removed from the transport path 11d downstream of the article inspection device 10 by a first sorting device 30 or a second sorting device 40. Note that the articles P are manufactured as products that are ingested by humans or animals, such as food (fresh foods or processed foods) or medicine, or that are worn or touched by humans or animals, but are not limited to specific articles.

The item inspection system 1 includes an X-ray inspection machine, for example an X-ray foreign object detector, as an item inspection device 10, and is capable of inspecting the quality condition of each item P passing through a predetermined inspection section Z1 on the item conveying path 11 using a predetermined inspection method, and determining whether the item is, for example, an OK item (i.e., a non-defective item) or an NG item (i.e., a defective item) based on preset judgment conditions.

Depending on the content of the inspection, the item inspection device 10 may not only determine whether the item is good or not, but may also determine whether the item P is of a particular rank, for example, when the quality condition of the item P is ranked into multiple stages. The item inspection device 10 may also be a weighing device that measures the mass of the item P, a foreign object detection device that detects foreign objects that have been mixed in, or an appearance inspection device that detects defects in the product shape or the sealed portion of the packaging bag.

In the article inspection system 1, the inspection control unit 15 (see FIG. 2) built into the article inspection device 10, the controller of the first sorting device 30, and the drive control unit (described later) of the second sorting device 40 are connected to a control unit 20 consisting of a management PC, a PLC, etc. via a LAN using a specified communication method. The LAN referred to here is, for example, composed of an Ethernet-based field bus, and enables digital communication between controllers (exchange of control information at lower layers, communication by upper layers to monitor the operating status of lower layers and events in each device, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2, the item inspection device 10 specifically irradiates X-rays from an X-ray irradiation unit 12 to each item P to be inspected that is being transported along an item transport path 11, detects the amount of transmitted X-rays at each predetermined time interval using an X-ray line sensor 13, and sequentially stores the detected values in an image memory 14 while the item P passes through the inspection area, thereby enabling the inspection control unit 15 to acquire X-ray inspection image data that shows the distribution of the amount of transmitted X-rays through the item P.

The inspection control unit 15 has a processor and memory, and also has various built-in control programs that can use these to perform specified functions. It is composed of an image processing unit 16 that performs an image processing function based on the X-ray inspection image data from the image memory 14, a quality judgment unit 17 that performs a judgment function for the quality state of the item P based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, and an operation display unit 19 such as a touch panel that can display the judgment results of the quality judgment unit 17 and input operations.

In addition, for example, when an item P being conveyed onto the item conveying path 11 is detected by an item detection sensor (not shown), the inspection control unit 15 sets the item P as an item to be inspected based on the detection signal, and operates the X-ray irradiation unit 12 while the entire area of the item P in the conveying direction passes through a specific position (detection position of the line sensor 13) within the inspection section Z1.

The quality judgment unit 17 can judge, for example, the quality condition of the item P for each predetermined inspection unit area (each of multiple inspection areas equally divided in any direction within a predetermined conveying distance section equal to or greater than the conveying direction length of the item P) based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, and can judge, for example, whether or not a foreign object is present in each inspection unit area. Thus, while multiple items P may be present within the area that is the unit of inspection judgment depending on the size of the item P and the conveying interval, there may also be only a single item P present within that area.

The control unit 20 is composed of a management PC and a PLC (programmable logic controller), and has various built-in control programs that can be used to perform specific functions. The control unit 20 may also include a tablet-type information terminal that works in conjunction with the management PC as a programming tool for the PLC and a setting input switch.

The control unit 20 also monitors the status of the item inspection system 1, manages the inspection results of the item inspection device 10 associated with the production plan, and controls the operation of the first sorting device 30 and the second sorting device 40.

The conveyor that constitutes the item conveying path 11 is provided with a rotary encoder (not shown), and the control unit 20 acquires encoder pulses at regular intervals along the item conveying path 11 to calculate the position in the conveying direction of the item P to be inspected, the period during which the item enters a predetermined conveying section Z2 (e.g., a number determination area E described below or a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a therein) where pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 30 is possible, and the conveying position during that period. The pinpoint removal operation referred to here is a localized removal operation of multiple or spread items P that have entered a predetermined conveying section Z2 on the item conveying path 11, and is, for example, an operation of removing a single item (individual) or a small number of items that are part of the multiple items, or a portion of the items P that are spread along the item conveying path 11, from the item conveying path 11 to the outside.

The control unit 20 also acquires the inspection judgment results and position information of each inspected item P at the quality judgment unit 17 from the inspection control unit 15 of the item inspection device 10, and acquires the X-ray inspection image data together with its coordinate reference data. Then, for a specific conveying section in which the inspected item P is conveyed between the inspection section Z1 by the item inspection device 10 and the specified conveying section Z2 which is the pinpoint removal operation area by the first sorting device 30, the control unit 20 links the coordinates of the item P judged as defective or the inspection unit area in the X-ray inspection image data with the change in position accompanying the conveying, and executes control to synchronize the operations of the item inspection device 10 and the first sorting device 30 so that the pinpoint removal operation position of the item judged as defective by the first sorting device 30 coincides with the coordinates of the NG judgment area in the quality judgment unit 17 of the item inspection device 10.

The first sorting device 30 pinpoints and rejects items P that have been inspected by the item inspection device 10 in accordance with the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10, provided that a preset first sorting condition is met. For example, an ejector-type vacuum head 31 can be moved by an articulated robot arm 32 at least in the conveying path width direction perpendicular to the item conveying direction (the longitudinal direction of the line sensor 13), here in both the item conveying direction and the conveying path width direction, and can discharge the items into a defective item receptacle 34 outside the item conveying path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system).

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ejector type vacuum head 31 includes a lift-up type vacuum nozzle 31a having, for example, a downward opening at the lower end and a sideways opening at the upper end, a head body 35 that supports the vacuum nozzle 31a so that it can be lifted and lowered via a lift-up drive shaft 35a, a suction duct 33 connected to the vacuum nozzle 31a, a driving fluid injection unit 37 having an ejector function that injects high-pressure driving fluid (here, compressed air) from around the outlet of the suction duct 33 toward the downstream side to generate negative pressure in the suction duct 33, and a discharge duct 36 connected to the outlet side of the suction duct 33 and the driving fluid injection unit 37 and forms a diffuser passage whose internal passage cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the defective product receptacle 34. The vacuum head 31 is capable of sucking defective items P from the vacuum nozzle 31a into the suction duct 33 and discharging them from the discharge duct 36 into the defective item receiver 34. Here, the suction duct 33 and the discharge duct 36 are inclined and curved so that the drive fluid ejection section 37 side is at the upper end.

When a defective article P is sucked into the vacuum nozzle 31a and passes through its entrance, the article P is detected by a small passage detection sensor 31s, such as a reflective laser sensor, attached to the upstream end of the vacuum nozzle 31a or the suction duct 33. When a defective article P is sucked into the suction duct 33 and passes through to the discharge side, the article P is detected by a passage detection sensor 36s attached to the downstream end of the suction duct 33 or near the driving fluid injection unit 37. The driving fluid injection unit 37 is connected to the compressed air supply source via a solenoid valve and a filter regulator (not shown).

The vacuum nozzle 31a can be raised and lowered between the raised position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and the lowered position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3 via the lift drive shaft 35a by the lift drive mechanism 32f supported integrally with the second arm 32e together with the head body 35, and the height of the lowered position is set for each type of item P so that defective items can be pinpointed and removed from the item conveying path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system) at the lowered position.

The robot arm 32 has, for example, a first arm 32a supported at its base end on a support stand 32b so that it can be rotated via a geared motor 32c, and a second arm 32e supported at the tip of the first arm 32a so that it can be rotated via a joint having a geared motor 32d. The second arm 32e also supports the vacuum head 31 as an integral part, and the robot controller 39 controls the geared motors 32c and 32d to control their respective drive angle positions to target values by servo control, so that the vacuum nozzle 31a can be moved to any coordinate position within the movable range.

The second sorting device 40 is disposed downstream of the first sorting device 30 in the predetermined conveying direction, and is configured to remove the items P after inspection by the item inspection device 10 in units of sorting sections Z3 of a predetermined conveying distance, according to the results of inspection by the item inspection device 10 and the second sorting conditions that have been preset.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second sorting device 40 has an up-down oscillating conveyor 41 having a sorting section Z3 in the conveying direction that is shorter than the predetermined conveying section Z2, which is the pinpoint removal section by the first sorting device 30, an up-down drive actuator 42 such as an air cylinder that raises the conveyor 41 at one end of the conveying direction, for example the upstream end 41a, and a defective product receiver 43. The up-down drive actuator 42 is connected to an air supply source via a directional control valve, an air supply control valve, and a filter regulator (not shown), and the air supply/exhaust control direction to the up-down drive actuator 42 is switched by switching the directional control valve, so that the operating direction as an up-down sorter is switched and controlled.

When the conveyor 41 is tilted so as to rise at the upstream end 41a, this second sorting device 40 allows the item P that has passed through a predetermined conveying section Z2 of the item conveying path 11 to fall and be discharged into a defective item receptacle 43 outside the item conveying path 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 20 has a number of functional units that are realized by a predetermined control program using a management PC or a PLC, including an inspection information acquisition unit 21, a selection condition determination unit 22, and a selection request output unit 23.

The inspection information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the judgment results from the image processing unit 16 and the quality judgment unit 17 of the item inspection device 10, the coordinates and coordinate reference information of the item P or the inspection unit area, and the sensor information from the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has failed. The sensor information indicating that the pinpoint removal operation has failed here indicates that at least one of the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s does not detect the passage of the defective item P within a predetermined time from the sorting command (output of the pinpoint removal request Ra) to the first sorting device 30, and the pinpoint removal operation by suction has failed, or indicates that the elapsed time from the detection of the passage of the item P by the passage detection sensor 31s attached to the vacuum nozzle 31a to the detection by the passage detection sensor 36s attached to the downstream end of the suction duct 33 exceeds a preset allowable suction time.

The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not a first sorting condition is satisfied depending on the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 and the transport state of the inspected item P based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, and also determines whether or not a second sorting condition is satisfied depending on whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether or not pinpoint exclusion by the first sorting device 30 was successful (whether or not it was successful).

The sorting condition determination unit 22 is also configured to determine that the second sorting condition is satisfied if the first sorting condition is not satisfied or if the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful. The first sorting condition is a condition under which all items P (defective items) that do not meet the specified quality conditions within the specified conveying section Z2 can be removed within a specified sorting period by the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30, and in this case, the number of defective items P within the number determination area E as shown in FIG. 4 does not reach a preset upper limit number.

If it becomes uncertain whether the removal operation of all defective items in the number determination area E will be completed due to variations in the position or posture of the defective items P in the number determination area E, failure of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint removal operation due to clogging of items in the vacuum nozzle 31a, etc., it is possible to determine that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has been unsuccessful, and to have the second sorting device 40 carry out reliable removal.

When the first sorting device 30 is primarily used, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can establish the second sorting condition and operate the second sorting device 40 when the first sorting condition is not established, or when the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 fails or is unconfirmed as to whether it will be successful within a specified time.

In addition, when the pinpoint rejection operation occurs infrequently and the second sorting device 40 is mainly used, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can be set to determine that the second sorting condition is not satisfied for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition is satisfied and/or the pinpoint rejection operation by the first sorting device 30 is successful. For example, the sorting condition determination unit 22 may determine that the second sorting condition is not satisfied for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition is satisfied due to items P falling off due to loosening from the product, etc.

Of course, whether the first sorting device 30 or the second sorting device 40 is primarily used may be variably set manually or by automatic mode setting according to the type of item P.

The ejector-type vacuum head 31 in the first sorting device 30 is a pinpoint removal means that sucks in specific items, such as defective items, among the inspected items P whose inspection results deviate from the specified quality conditions, and removes them from the item conveying path 11. In addition, this vacuum head 31 is supported by the robot arm 32, and when the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality conditions, it operates as a removal head that moves in at least a direction perpendicular to the specified conveying direction, in this case in both the conveying direction v of the item conveying path 11 and the width direction w perpendicular to this, depending on the inspection results.

The sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the number of items P (NG items) whose results of inspection by the item inspection device 10 at a predetermined determination period deviate from the predetermined quality conditions is contained within a number determination area E of a predetermined area, for example as shown in Figure 4, at a predetermined determination period, and determines that the second sorting condition is met if the number of items P is equal to or greater than the set number.

The number determination area E shown in FIG. 4 is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center O1 located on one side in the width direction w of the item conveying path 11, since a robot arm 32 is used for the first sorting device 30.

This number determination area E is set as a range in which a set number of items P (defective items) that do not meet the specified quality conditions can be removed within a specified time period set as a pinpoint removal period. However, if it becomes uncertain whether the removal operation of all defective items within the number determination area E will be completed due to variations in the transport position or posture of the items P, failure of the removal operation, delays due to clogging, etc., the second sorting device 40 can be used to ensure removal.

Furthermore, the predetermined radius R1 is set to be larger than the width of the road surface of the item conveying path 11, so that at each time point when the sorting conditions are judged by the sorting condition judgment unit 22, the sorting judgment section Z2a of the conveying path 11d downstream of the item inspection device 10 for a predetermined conveying distance (corresponding to the sorting section Z3 of the second sorting device 40) is always completely included within the number judgment area E for a predetermined number of items.

Then, on condition that a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a of a predetermined conveying distance are established within the number judgment area E, the control unit 20 executes control to pinpoint and eliminate, using the first sorting device 30, the items P (NG items) judged as defective that are in a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a within the number judgment area E, and further the NG items that are in the subsequent area Z2a'' within the number judgment area E, so that no items P (NG items) judged as defective remain in the preceding area Z2a' that has partially or completely exited downstream from the number judgment area E.

The number determination area E may also overlap partially with the preceding area that was set as the number determination area during the previous determination and that has been pinpoint-removed, and the number count of items P that have been pinpoint-removed can be reduced for the following number determination area. Therefore, if defective items that were in the subsequent area Z2a" following a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a in the number determination area E are removed, the number count of defective items can be reduced when that subsequent area Z2a" changes to the sorting determination section Z2a.

More specifically, the control unit 20 sets the number and order of pinpoint rejection based on the coordinates in the X-ray inspection image of the defective items P (NG items) that are in a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a in the number judgment area E and the change in their position due to conveyance. The number of items to be pinpoint rejected here is less than a set number (e.g., 5 items), and if the number of defective items P (NG items) or more is included within the range of the multiple number judgment areas Z2a shown as a pair in FIG. 4, the control unit 20 determines that the second sorting condition is met based on that condition.

The sorting judgment section Z2a may be set even narrower so as to have an area smaller than that of the sorting section Z3. In other words, the sorting condition judgment unit 22 may judge that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items P for which the results of inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality conditions is included in a set number or more of multiple number judgment areas divided in a specified conveying direction to have a specified area equal to or smaller than the sorting section Z3.

Next, we will explain how it works.

In the present embodiment configured as described above, in a manufacturing line for a product containing multiple items P, the item inspection device 10 sequentially performs item inspection using a predetermined inspection method on the items P on the item conveying path 11, and the inspected items P are pinpoint-rejected by the first sorting device 30 according to the inspection results, or are rejected from the system in sorting section units of a predetermined conveying distance by the second sorting device 40 downstream of the first sorting device 30 according to the inspection results and second sorting conditions.

At this time, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the first sorting condition is met depending on the inspection result and the transport state of the inspected item P, and determines whether the second sorting condition is met depending on whether the first sorting condition is met and whether the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is successful. Depending on the determination result, either an exclusion request Ra by pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 30 or an out-of-system discharge request Rb by up-out discharge for a specified transport distance by the second sorting device 40 is output, and the sorting conditions are switched.

Therefore, by performing pinpoint removal operations by the first sorting device 30 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of removal operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably remove defective products but also remove some good products along with the defective products. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P, while reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side through which good products pass.

Incidentally, FIG. 4 shows a case where the number of defective items P in a predetermined number of number determination areas Z2a in the number determination area E does not reach a preset upper limit number (set number), so that the first sorting condition is met and the first sorting device 30 executes a pinpoint removal operation. The numbers (1, 2, 3) attached to the defective items in the number determination area E exemplify the order of removal.

In contrast, Figure 5 shows a case in which the number of defective items P contained within a predetermined number of quantity determination areas Z2a within the quantity determination area E reaches a preset number, for example five, resulting in an excess of defective items , so that the first sorting condition is not met and the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is not performed.

On the other hand, Figure 6 shows a case where the number of defective items P in the predetermined number of number determination areas Z2a in the number determination area E does not reach a preset number, for example 5 items, but defective items P remain in the preceding area Z2a' where pinpoint removal has been performed once, i.e., the time for determining the next sorting conditions has come with the defective items remaining.

In this case, the first sorting condition is not met because defective items P remain in the leading area Z2a', causing the distance between defective items in the number determination area E to exceed a certain value, and the second sorting condition is met. However, as shown in the figure, the number of items is small, and there is only one defective item P in the number determination area Z2a in the number determination area E adjacent to the leading area Z2a' (hatched area) in the number determination area E. Therefore, it is possible to perform a pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 under this condition.

If it becomes uncertain whether the removal operation of all defective items in the number determination area E will be completed due to variations in the position or posture of defective items P in the number determination area E, failure of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint removal operation due to clogging of items in the vacuum nozzle 31a, etc., it is possible to determine that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has been unsuccessful and to have the second sorting device 40 perform reliable removal.

In addition, in this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful. Therefore, by mainly operating the first sorting device 30, it is possible to effectively reduce the frequency of sorting in which non-defective products are discharged from the system along with defective products, and to improve the yield of products made up of the items P to be inspected.

Furthermore, when the sorting condition determination unit 22 establishes the second sorting condition on the condition that the success of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 within a specified time is uncertain, it is possible to perform accurate sorting condition determination while quickly executing the sorting condition determination process.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first sorting device 30 is configured to include a vacuum head 31 (pinpoint removal means) that sucks in specific items P among the inspected items P whose inspection results deviate from the specified quality conditions and removes them from the conveying path 11. This makes it possible to accurately remove defective items that do not meet the specified quality conditions from the system while ensuring the required yield of products made up of multiple items P.

In addition, in this embodiment, the vacuum head 31 constitutes a removal head that moves at least in the conveying path width direction w in response to the inspection results when the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality conditions. Therefore, by moving the vacuum head 31 along the shortest path in response to the item conveying speed and the spacing and position of the items P that deviate from the specified quality conditions, efficient pinpoint removal operation is possible.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items P whose inspection results by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality condition is contained within a number equal to or greater than a set number within a number-of-items determination area of a specified area. Therefore, the number-of-items determination area E of a specified area can be set within a range in which items P that do not meet the specified quality condition can be reliably removed regardless of variations in the location of the items, and when the number exceeds the set number that makes it uncertain, the second sorting device can be caused to reliably remove the items.

In addition, in this embodiment, the number determination area E is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center located on one side of the conveying path width direction w. In this case, a robot arm 32 or the like can be effectively used in the first sorting device 30. In this case, the number determination area E is set at predetermined time intervals and may overlap partially with the number determination area set immediately before and in which pinpoint removal has been completed, and the number of items for which pinpoint removal has been completed can be counted down.

In this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 further determines that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items P whose results of inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality condition is contained in any one of a set number or more of a plurality of number determination areas Z2a divided in a specified conveying direction v to have a specified area equal to or less than the sorting section Z3. Therefore, the number determination area Z2a divided equally in the conveying direction can be easily set, and the sorting area shape of the pinpoint removal operation is contained in the sorting section Z3 for the specified conveying distance, effectively ensuring the required yield of products including the items to be inspected.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an item inspection system that can effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of products made up of the items P to be inspected, while reliably preventing defective items from being sent to the side where good items pass.

Second Embodiment
7 to 9 show an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the following description, components similar to those in the previously described embodiments will be designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 7 to 9, in the item inspection system 2 of this embodiment, multiple items P are fed in parallel onto multiple rows of alignment conveyors 52 via a feeding device 51 from a upstream manufacturing device (not shown), and a weighing conveyor 53, which is a scale, is provided downstream of each of the multiple rows of alignment conveyors 52, and an item detection sensor 54 is installed to detect the entry of an item P onto each weighing conveyor 53.

Each item P fed from the feeding device 51 has its widthwise position (width direction) determined within a predetermined range by the guard 52a on the alignment conveyor 52, and then its timing of entry is detected by the item detection sensor 54 at the entrance of each weighing conveyor 53.

In addition, downstream of the multiple rows of weighing conveyors 53, there are provided a first sorting device 60, which is a pinpoint rejection device, a second sorting device 40, which performs sorting for discharge outside the system in units of a sorting section Z3 of a specified conveying distance, and a conveyor 80 for conveying to a downstream boxing device, etc.

In this embodiment, the first sorting device 60, which is a pinpoint rejection device, has a robot hand 61 for gripping an item supported on the tip side of a robot arm 62, and pinpoint rejection is possible by identifying the coordinates of each item P on the pinpoint rejection conveyor 63. The robot arm 62 has, for example, a base end of a first arm 62a rotatably supported on a support base 62b, and is rotatably driven via a geared motor (not shown), and a second arm 62c rotatably supported via a joint having a geared motor at the tip of the first arm 62a. In addition, the robot hand 61 is attached to the tip side of the second arm 62c. Such a robot for gripping a workpiece is well known, so a detailed description will be omitted here, but the robot controller 69 controls the drive position by servo control of the above-mentioned geared motor and controls the workpiece gripping of the robot hand 61, so that a pinpoint rejection operation can be performed for an item P at any coordinate position within the movable range.

Each weighing conveyor 53 has a load sensor unit 53c that detects the weight from the conveyor unit 53a with a weighing platform 53b, and the load sensor unit 53c sequentially outputs a load detection signal depending on the number of items P passing on the weighing conveyor 53 and the passing state.

In addition, the sequential load detection signals output from the load sensor unit 53c for each row of the multiple rows of weighing conveyors 53 are input to the weighing unit 55, and a weighing signal corresponding to the sequential detected load, for example, the load detection signal of the load sensor unit 53c in the nth row minus the tare load, is output from the weighing unit 55.

Then, based on the weighing signal output from each weighing conveyor 53, the quality judgment unit 56 checks whether the mass of the item P on that conveyor is within the allowable range, judges the quality condition of the item P (good or bad), and displays the judgment result (for example, the quality judgment result Jn output from the nth weighing conveyor 53 and its output timing Tn) on the operation display unit 19 at a predetermined timing.

In addition, the judgment result information (Jn, Tn) from the quality judgment unit 56 is input into the inspection information acquisition unit 21, and the judgment result, for example, the pass/fail judgment result Jn output from the nth row of the weighing conveyor 53 and its output timing Tn are grasped as the judgment result and the coordinate information of the corresponding item P.

The inspection information acquisition unit 21 is also capable of acquiring feedback information from the robot controller 69 indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 has failed.

The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not a first sorting condition is satisfied depending on the results of the inspection by the weighing conveyor 53 and the transport state of the inspected item P based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, and also determines whether or not a second sorting condition is satisfied depending on whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether or not the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful.

The first sorting condition is the same as in the first embodiment, and is a condition under which all items P (defective items) that do not meet the specified quality conditions within the specified conveying section Z2 can be removed within a specified sorting period by the first sorting device 60. In this case, the number of defective items P within the number determination area of the sorting section Z3 that can be discharged outside the system by the second sorting device 40 within the specified conveying section Z2 as shown in Figure 8 does not reach a preset upper limit number.

The second sorting condition is determined to be met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is unsuccessful.

In this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 also determines whether the first sorting condition is met based on the inspection results by weighing and the transport state of the inspected item P, and determines whether the second sorting condition is met based on whether the first sorting condition is met and whether the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful. Depending on the result of this determination, either an exclusion request Ra by pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 60 or an out-of-system discharge request Rb by up-out discharge for a specified transport distance by the second sorting device 40 is output, and the sorting conditions are switched.

Therefore, by performing pinpoint removal operations by the first sorting device 60 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of removal operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably remove defective products but also remove some good products along with the defective products. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P, while reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side through which good products pass.

Third Embodiment
10 to 12 show an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in the item inspection system 3 of this embodiment, multiple items P are input from a upstream manufacturing device (not shown) via an input conveyor 71 onto an inspection conveyor 72. A camera 73 for monitoring the transport state is disposed above the inspection conveyor 72, and a magnetization means 74 using a magnet is provided on the upstream end of the inspection conveyor 72.

The items P to be inspected are foods that use aluminum foil as packaging, such as retort foods and confectioneries, and the item inspection system 3 is a so-called DC metal detection system that forcibly magnetizes (magnetizes) metallic foreign matter that may be mixed into such foods during the manufacturing process using a magnetization means 74, and detects the magnetized foreign matter using a magnetic sensor 75 such as a pickup coil installed in the inspection conveyor 72.

In this embodiment, the coordinates of each item P on the pinpoint rejection conveyor 63 are identified based on two-dimensional image data acquired by the camera 73, enabling the first sorting device 60 to perform pinpoint rejection operations.

Although details are not shown, in this embodiment, the inspection information acquisition unit 21 is also capable of acquiring feedback information from the robot controller 69 indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 has failed.

The position of the item P on the conveyor is identified based on the sensor signals from each magnetic sensor 75, the coordinate information of each item P identified by the camera image processing unit 76, and the encoder information according to the conveyor transport speed. The quality judgment unit 56 checks whether the quality of the item P is within the acceptable range, i.e., whether it is a non-defective item with no detected foreign matter or a defective item with the presence of a contaminated foreign matter, and the judgment result is displayed on the operation display unit 19 at a specified timing.

In addition, the judgment result information from the quality judgment unit 56 and the coordinate information of each item P identified by the camera image processing unit 76 are input into the inspection information acquisition unit 21.

The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not a first sorting condition is satisfied based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, depending on the results of the inspection by the inspection conveyor 72 and the transport state of the inspected item P, and also determines whether or not a second sorting condition is satisfied based on whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether or not the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful.

In this embodiment, too, by performing pinpoint removal operations by the first sorting device 60 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of sorting operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably remove defective products but also remove some good products along with the defective products. As a result, as in the first and second embodiments described above, it is possible to effectively prevent a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P, while reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side through which good products pass.

In the above-described embodiments, the first sorting device 30 uses a vacuum head 31 capable of sucking and removing the item P to perform the pinpoint removal operation, and the first sorting device 60 uses a robot hand 61 capable of grasping and moving the item P to perform the pinpoint removal operation, but the method may be such that the item P is sucked or partially cut off, and is not limited to a specific pinpoint removal method. In addition, the second sorting device 40, which discharges the item P within the sorting section Z3 for a predetermined conveying distance out of the system depending on the inspection result, is an up-out discharge method, but other methods, such as a drop-down type, a shuttle type, or a chute type, may also be used.

As described above, the object inspection system of the present invention has the effect of effectively suppressing a decrease in the yield of products that include the object to be inspected, while reliably preventing defective items from flowing to the side where good items pass. The present invention is useful for object inspection systems that have both an object inspection device and a sorting device, and in particular for object inspection systems in general that are capable of pinpoint rejection operations.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 2, 3 Article inspection system 10 Article inspection device 11 Article conveying path 11d Conveying path downstream of inspection section 12 X-ray irradiation unit 13 X-ray line sensor 14 Image memory 15 Inspection control unit 16 Image processing unit 17 Quality judgment unit 19 Operation display unit 20 Control unit 21 Inspection information acquisition unit 22 Sorting condition judgment unit (sorting condition judgment means)
23 Sorting request output unit 30, 60 First sorting device 31 Vacuum head (pinpoint removal means, removal head)
31a Vacuum nozzle 31s, 36s Passage detection sensor 32 Robot arm 32a First arm 32b Support table 32c, 32d Geared motor 32e Second arm 32f Lifting drive mechanism 33 Suction duct 35 Head body 36 Discharge duct 37 Drive fluid ejection section 38 Diffuser 39 Robot controller 40 Second sorting device 41 Conveyor 41a Upstream end 42 Up-out drive actuator 51 Inserting device 52 Alignment conveyor 52a Guard 53 Weighing conveyor 53a Conveyor unit 53b Weighing table 53c Load sensor section 54 Article detection sensor 55 Weighing section 56 Quality judgment section 60 First sorting device 61 Robot hand 62 Robot arm 62a First arm 62b Support table 62c Second arm 63 Pinpoint rejection conveyor 69 Robot controller 71 Input conveyor 72 Inspection conveyor 73 Camera 74 Magnetization means 75 Magnetic sensor 76 Camera image processing unit 80 Conveyor E Number determination area Jn Good/bad determination result O1 Center R1 Predetermined radius Tn Output timing Z1 Inspection section Z2 Predetermined transport section (pinpoint rejection operation area)
Z2a Sorting judgment section (number judgment area)
Z2a': preceding section Z2a": succeeding area Z3: selection section

Claims (7)

An article inspection device (10) for sequentially inspecting articles (P) conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction on a conveying path (11);
a first sorting device (30) that is driven and controlled on the condition that a preset first sorting condition is satisfied, and that pinpoints and removes , from the conveying path, a specific item among a plurality of items that have been inspected by the item inspection device, according to the result of the inspection by the item inspection device, within a predetermined conveying section (Z2);
a second sorting device (40) that is disposed downstream of the first sorting device in the predetermined conveying direction and is driven and controlled in response to the establishment of a second sorting condition that is set in advance , and that removes the articles that have been inspected by the article inspection device in units of a sorting section (Z3) of a predetermined conveying distance in response to the result of the inspection by the article inspection device and the establishment of the second sorting condition;
a sorting condition determination means (22) for determining whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied according to a result of the inspection by the article inspection device and a transport state of the inspected article, and for determining whether or not the second sorting condition is satisfied according to whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied and whether or not pinpoint removal by the first sorting device is successful ,
The sorting condition determination means (22) determines that the first sorting condition is met when the number of the specific items in a number determination area (E, Z2a) of a specified area in the specified conveying section is less than a set number, and operates the first sorting device, while determining that the first sorting condition is not met and the second sorting condition is met when the number of the specific items in the number determination area is equal to or greater than the set number, thereby operating the second sorting device.This is an item inspection system characterized by the above . The item inspection system described in claim 1 , characterized in that the sorting condition determination means (22) determines that the second sorting condition is met and operates the second sorting device when success of pinpoint removal by the first sorting device is not confirmed within a predetermined time . The item inspection system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first sorting device (30) is configured to include a pinpoint exclusion means (31) that pinpoints and excludes as the specific item, from among the inspected items, items whose inspection results deviate from specified quality conditions. The pinpoint removal means (31) is a vacuum head that sucks up specific objects and removes them pinpoint , and has a vacuum nozzle (31a) that moves in at least a direction perpendicular to the specified conveying direction depending on the results of the inspection , and can be raised and lowered between an elevated position and a lowered position, as described in claim 3. The item inspection system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sorting condition determination means (22) outputs either a rejection request (Ra) to operate the first sorting device or a system removal request (Rb) to operate the second sorting device . 2. The object inspection system according to claim 1 , wherein the number determination area (E , Z2a ) is set within a predetermined radius (R1) from a center located on one side in a width direction of the conveying path. 3. The object inspection system according to claim 1 , wherein the number determination area (Z2a, Z2a', Z2a'') is divided into a plurality of areas in the specified conveying direction so as to have a specified area equal to or smaller than the sorting section (Z3).

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