JP2011185685A - Inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection device capable of correctly distinguishing articles carried in at random and correctly determining the quality of the articles. <P>SOLUTION: In a quality inspection device 110 of the inspection device 100, a plurality of species of articles are conveyed at random, and the articles of different species are inspected by a weighing conveyor 612. The articles with bar codes are conveyed by a conveyor 610 and the bar codes on the articles are read by a bar code reader 400. A quality inspection condition of an article is altered based on the read bar code by a control part 301, and the number of times read by the bar code reader 400 is added by one to a value of an internal counter 340. The control part 301 determines to be abnormal when the value of the internal counter 340 is two or more. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for inspecting the quality of an article.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various studies and developments have been made on a multi-product weight sorting / sorting apparatus that continuously conveys a variety of products in random order and sorts and sorts the products. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-product weight sorting / sorting apparatus that can simultaneously perform weight sorting and product sort of various articles having different weights and shapes.

  In the multi-product weight sorting and classification apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of types of items are transferred from a carry-in conveyor to a measuring instrument equipped with a weighing conveyor, and the weight of the item is measured by the measuring instrument. A multi-product weight sorting / sorting device that sorts products by type by sorting products using a multi-stage sorter according to a preset reference weight value, and a type that detects the type of product carried in by a carry-in conveyor A detector, a reference time detector that detects that an article has passed the reference position near the tip of the weighing conveyor, a quasi-weight, a measurement delay time from the reference time to the weight measurement time of the weighing device, and a reference time Storage unit that stores the sorting and classification delay time from the time of sorting to the time of sorting and classification in a multistage sorting machine according to the type of product, and the weight value signal output from the measuring instrument when the measurement delay time elapses from the reference time The weight measurement means for detecting the weight and the reference weight value stored in the storage unit corresponding to the type detected by the type detector is read and compared with the detected weight value to determine whether the weight of the product is light or excessive. And a multi-stage sorter based on the classification signal output from the judgment signal output from the calculation unit and the product detector when the sorting classification delay time has elapsed from the reference time, and for each type of product And a drive circuit for sorting and classifying the goods according to the weight of the goods.

No. 02-036631

  As described above, according to the multi-product weight sorting and classification apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the weighing conditions can be handled according to each item.

  In addition, when the multi-product weight sorting / sorting device described in Patent Document 1 is used at an actual manufacturing site, the position where a barcode or the like is attached may be provided near the rear end of the article, such as a barcode reader or the like. The detector cannot be placed in the vicinity of the weighing unit for weighing. Therefore, the distance between the detector such as a barcode reader and the weighing unit must be set to a predetermined distance or more according to the length of the longest article.

  On the other hand, in the weighing unit, the weighing conditions are changed as needed based on detection information such as barcode data read by a detector such as a barcode, and setting is performed.

  Therefore, when a plurality of articles are transferred between the weighing unit and a detector such as a barcode within a predetermined distance, articles different from the weighing conditions originally set in the weighing unit are conveyed, which is a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus that can accurately identify an article that is randomly carried in and accurately determine the quality of the article.

(1)
An inspection apparatus according to one aspect is an inspection apparatus in which a plurality of types of articles are randomly conveyed and inspects the different types of articles in an inspection area, and a conveyance unit that conveys an article with an identifier; A reading unit that reads an identifier attached to an article, an inspection condition changing unit that changes an inspection condition for the quality of the article based on the identifier read by the reading unit, and a number addition that adds the number of times read by the reading unit , A number recording unit for recording the result by the number adding unit, and an abnormality determining unit for determining that an abnormality occurs when the number of times by the number recording unit is 2 or more.

  In the inspection apparatus, plural types of articles are conveyed at random, and inspection of the different types of articles is performed in the inspection area. The article with the identifier attached is conveyed by the conveyance unit, and the identifier attached to the article is read by the reading unit. When read by the reading unit by the inspection condition changing unit, the inspection condition of the quality of the article is changed based on the identifier, and the number of times read by the reading unit is added by the number adding unit. The result of the number adding unit is recorded by the number recording unit. If the result of the number of times by the number recording unit is 2 or more by the abnormality determination unit, it is determined as abnormal.

  In this case, even if a plurality of articles are transferred between the weighing unit and a detector such as a barcode within a predetermined distance, the result of the number of times by the number recording unit is 2 or more, Can be determined.

(2)
The inspection apparatus includes a first detection unit disposed downstream of the reading unit that detects the article and upstream of the inspection region, and a number subtraction unit that subtracts the number of times detected by the first detection unit from the number recording unit. The abnormality determination unit may determine that the abnormality is detected when the result of the number of times by the number recording unit is 0 according to the signal from the first detection unit.

  When the result of the number of times recorded by the number recording unit is 0 when the article is conveyed, it is possible to determine that the reading error of the reading unit is abnormal.

(3)
The inspection apparatus may further include a second detection unit disposed upstream of the reading unit that detects the article.

  In this case, the second detection unit can recognize the carry-in of the article and performs reading while the second detection unit detects the article. If the article is not detected, reading of the reading unit is stopped. Therefore, useless reading mistakes can be prevented.

(4)
The inspection apparatus further includes a sorting device that sorts articles using the sorting unit in either one of the first transport path and the second transport path based on the result of the comparison determination in the abnormality determination unit.

  In this case, the inspection apparatus can sort the articles using the sorting unit in one of the first transport path and the second transport path based on the result of the comparison determination in the abnormality determination unit. For example, an article that has been determined to be normal by the abnormality determination unit is conveyed to the first conveyance path, and an article that has been determined to be abnormal by the abnormality determination unit is conveyed to the second conveyance path. Therefore, when an error occurs, all articles existing in the inspection process can be transported to the second transport path. As a result, there is no need to stop the transport device in the inspection apparatus.

(5)
It is preferable to stop the operation of the transport unit based on the result of the comparison determination that the abnormality determination unit is abnormal.

  In this case, since the operation of the transport unit can be stopped based on the result determined to be abnormal in the abnormality determination unit, when the abnormality determination unit determines that there is an abnormality, the abnormal article is transferred to the next process. It is possible to reliably prevent the transfer. Further, by stopping the operation of the conveyance unit, it is possible to improve the installation location of the reading unit or the conveyance interval of the articles.

  The inspection apparatus preferably includes at least one of a weight inspection apparatus, a metal detector, an X-ray detector, and a seal inspection apparatus.

  In this case, when the inspection apparatus includes a weight inspection apparatus, it is possible to inspect whether or not the weight of the article is within the specified weight range for each article. Moreover, when an inspection apparatus contains a metal detector, it can test | inspect whether the metal beyond the predetermined threshold value is contained in the said goods according to every goods. Furthermore, when the inspection apparatus includes an X-ray detection apparatus, it is possible to inspect whether or not foreign substances having a predetermined threshold value or more are mixed in the article according to each article. Next, when the inspection apparatus includes a seal inspection apparatus, it is possible to inspect whether or not the seal (sealing) of the article is reliable according to each article. For example, in the seal inspection, the inspection is performed by pressure or bag height (displacement).

  According to the inspection apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to accurately identify an article that is randomly carried in and accurately determine the quality of the article.

It is a typical front view showing an example of the appearance of the inspection device concerning this embodiment. It is a typical top view of the inspection apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the inspection apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a flowchart of a control part. It is a flowchart of a control part.

  Hereinafter, an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of the appearance of the inspection apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the inspection apparatus 100 of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inspection device 100 includes a quality inspection device 110 and a sorting device 210. Moreover, in this Embodiment, the quality inspection apparatus 110 demonstrates as what performs a weight inspection.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the quality inspection apparatus 110 includes a transport apparatus 610 provided substantially horizontally on a pedestal 500. The conveying device 610 includes an upstream conveying device 611 and a downstream weighing conveyor 612. The upstream transport device 611 is provided with a barcode reader 400 and a sensor 350. The sensor 350 outputs a signal when an article is loaded into the upstream conveying device 611 and conveyed in the direction of the arrow L1 (see FIG. 2). The barcode reader 400 receives the barcode of the article conveyed in the direction of the arrow L1 by the upstream conveying device 611 based on an instruction from the control unit 301 (see FIG. 3) that has received a signal from the sensor 350. To detect.

  On the other hand, the downstream side weighing conveyor 612 incorporates a photoelectric tube 360 and a weighing unit 330 including a load cell for detecting weight. The weighing unit 330 can detect the weight of the article transferred by the downstream weighing conveyor 612.

  In addition, a display unit 305 is provided in the upper part of the pedestal 500 so that the operator can be notified of the inspection state of the article.

  Next, in the sorting apparatus 210, a non-defective product transport path 230 and a defective product transport path 240 are provided on the pedestal 510. The non-defective product conveyance path 230 is provided with a motor 211 and a sorting member 212.

  As will be described later, the sorting device 210 rotates the motor 211 in the direction of arrow R (see FIG. 2) to transfer the defective product when the quality inspection device 110 determines that the quality inspection of the article is a defective product. The article is conveyed in the direction of the path 240 (the direction of the arrow L2).

  On the other hand, when the quality inspection apparatus 110 determines that the quality inspection of the article is a non-defective product, the motor 211 is rotated in the direction of the arrow -R, and the article is placed in the direction of the good product conveyance path 230 (the direction of the arrow L1). Transport.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inspection apparatus 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inspection device 100 includes a quality inspection device 110 and a sorting device 210.
The quality inspection apparatus 110 includes a control unit 301 including a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as a ROM) 302 that stores a basic program, and a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as a ROM) that is a work area for arithmetic processing. RAM 303), transport motor 304, display unit 305 including a display (including a touch panel), input unit 306 including a keyboard, a recording device 310 that records quality information 311 and various program data, and an interface (hereinafter, referred to as a RAM). 320, a weighing unit 330 having a load cell, an internal counter 340, a sensor 350, a phototube 360, and a barcode reader 400.

  3 includes a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a transport motor 304, a display unit 305, an input unit 306, a recording device 310, an I / F 320, a measuring unit 330, an internal counter 340, a sensor 350, a photoelectric tube 360, and a barcode reader. 400, and a control unit 301 causes a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a transport motor 304, a display unit 305, an input unit 306, a recording device 310, an I / F 320, a weighing unit 330, an internal counter 340, a sensor 350, a phototube 360, Each bar code reader 400 is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the I / F 320 of the quality inspection device 110 is connected to the sorting device 210, and the drive operation (rotation) of the motor 211 of the sorting device 210 is controlled by the control unit 301. .

(Processing program of control unit 301)
Next, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are flowcharts showing an example of processing of the control unit 301.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 301 resets the barcode counter (step S1). Specifically, the control unit 301 sets the value of the internal counter 340 to “0”.
Next, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the sensor 350 has detected an article (step S2). Here, when it is determined that the sensor 350 has not detected the article, the control unit 301 waits until the sensor 350 detects the article.
On the other hand, when the sensor 350 detects an article, the control unit 301 causes the barcode reader 400 to perform barcode reading (step S3). When it is determined that the barcode data is not received for barcode reading, the control unit 301 repeatedly performs the process of step S3.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the barcode data has been received, the control unit 301 determines from the analysis result of the barcode data one quality information 311 out of the quality information 311 recorded in the recording device 310 (this embodiment). In the form, the weighing conditions including the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the weight of the product are extracted. Then, the control unit 301 causes the weighing unit 330 to change the weighing condition (step S4).

  Subsequently, the control unit 301 adds 1 to the value of the barcode counter of the internal counter 340 (step S5). Subsequently, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the value of the bar code counter in the internal counter 340 is 2 or more (step S6). Here, when it is determined that the value of the bird counter is 2 or more, the process of step S12 described later is performed.

  When the value of the bird counter is 2 or more, it means that an article is removed between the barcode reader 400 and the photoelectric tube 360, or a state in which the article intervals of a plurality of articles are clogged. To do. In this case, the value of the bar code counter indicates a value of 2 or more, and the weighing unit 330 has changed the weighing condition from the weighing condition of the first article to the weighing condition of the other article. , Can not accurately measure. As a result, the control unit 301 conveys the one article and the other article to the defective article conveyance path 240 in the downstream sorting apparatus 210.

  Next, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the phototube 360 is shielded from light (step S7). Here, when it is determined that the phototube 360 is shielded from light, it indicates a state in which the light projection from the phototube 360 does not reach the light receiving side. This is because the article is put into the downstream weighing conveyor 612 and the downstream weighing is performed. This means that the article has passed in the vicinity of the photoelectric tube 360 provided on the conveyor 612.

  Next, when it is determined that the photoelectric tube 360 is shielded from light, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the barcode counter is 0 (step S8). Here, when the bar code counter is 0, processing in step S12 described later is performed, and the article is conveyed to the defective article conveyance path 240.

  That is, the case where the bar code counter is 0 means that the bar code data is not read by the bar code reader 400. Specifically, the bar code reading error, the bar code data itself is in the article. There are a state where it is not written or a state where another article is placed after the barcode reader 400 reads.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the barcode counter is not 0 (1), the control unit 301 subtracts one barcode counter of the internal counter 340 (step S9). Subsequently, the control unit 301 causes the weighing unit 330 to perform a weighing operation (step S10). Here, the control unit 301 receives the weighing data from the weighing unit 330, and the weighing data is determined after a time calculated from the length of the article and the conveyance speed.

  On the other hand, when receiving the weighing data from the weighing unit 330, the control unit 301 compares the weighing data with the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the weight of the product in the quality information 311 and determines suitability (Step S11). ).

  Here, the control unit 301 determines whether the measurement data does not exceed the upper limit value of the product weight in the quality information 311 and whether the measurement data is less than the lower limit value of the product weight in the quality information 311. To do. That is, the control unit 301 determines that the product is non-defective when the measurement data exists within the range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the product weight in the quality information 311, and determines the upper limit of the product weight in the quality information 311. When the measurement data does not exist within the range of the value and the lower limit value, it is determined that the product is defective.

  When the control unit 301 determines that the product is non-defective, the control unit 301 transmits a non-defective signal to the sorting device 210 and causes the non-defective product conveyance path 230 to convey the article.

  On the other hand, when determining that the product is a defective product, the control unit 301 transmits a signal indicating a defective product to the sorting apparatus 210 (step S12), and causes the defective product transport path 240 to transport the article.

  Finally, the control unit 301 determines whether or not the quality inspection device 110 has finished operating (step S13). If the quality inspection device 110 determines that the operation has not ended, the process is repeated from step S1.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the quality inspection device 110 has ended the operation, for example, when the operation end signal is transmitted from either the display unit 305 or the input unit 306, the control unit 301 performs the quality inspection device 110. The ROM 302, RAM 303, display unit 305, input unit 306, recording device 310, I / F 320, weighing unit 330, bar code reader 400, sensor 350, and phototube 360 are individually instructed to end the operation. Do.

  As described above, in the inspection apparatus 100 according to the present invention, even if a plurality of articles are transferred between the weighing unit 330 and the barcode reader 400, the non-defective product is based on the count result by the internal counter 340. Alternatively, the suitability of defective products can be determined. As a result, an accurately inspected article can be recognized.

  Further, based on the light shielding of the photoelectric tube 360 and the value of the internal counter 340, the control unit 301 can recognize a barcode reading error. Further, the distribution device 210 can distribute the articles to the non-defective product transport path 230 and the defective product transport path 240.

  As a result, there is no need to stop the conveying device 610 in the inspection apparatus 100, and even if a defective article (mismatch signal) is generated, some articles are not stopped without stopping all lines of the inspection apparatus. The quality inspection of other articles can be carried out simply by sending it to the re-inspection.

  Further, when the quality inspection device 110 is a metal detector, the inspection device 100 can set a metal component content threshold value by reading the barcode data of the product, and each of the various products. The determination can be made based on the corresponding metal component content.

  In the case where the quality inspection apparatus 110 is an X-ray detector, the threshold value of the foreign substance content can be set by reading the barcode data of the article, and the foreign substance corresponding to each of the various articles. A determination can be made based on the content.

  Further, when the quality inspection device 110 includes a seal inspection device, it is inspected whether the seal (sealing) pressure value of the article is equal to or less than a reference value and whether the bag height (displacement) is within a specified range. be able to.

<Correspondence between each component of claims and each part of the embodiment>
In the above embodiment, the inspection device 100 and the quality inspection device 110 correspond to the inspection device, the barcode data corresponds to the identifier, the barcode reader corresponds to the reading unit, the conveyance device 610 corresponds to the conveyance unit, The control unit 301 corresponds to the inspection condition changing unit and the abnormality determining unit, the process of step S4 corresponds to changing the inspection condition of the quality of the article, and the internal counter 340 is added to the number adding unit, the number subtracting unit, and the number recording unit. The phototube 360 corresponds to the first detection unit, the sensor 350 corresponds to the second detection unit, the non-defective conveyance path 230 corresponds to the first conveyance path, and the defective conveyance path 240 corresponds to the second conveyance path. The sorting device 210 corresponds to the sorting device.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, the sorting member 212 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R by rotating the motor 211 of the sorting device 210. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The conveyance path 240 may be provided at the top and bottom, and the conveyance surface may be inclined to distribute the non-defective product and the defective product. The good product conveyance path 230 and the defective product conveyance path 240 are arranged in parallel, and the conveyance surface is an accordion type. A structure in which the articles are formed and distributed may be used, or the articles may be distributed by any other method.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, two paths, a good article conveyance path 230 and a defective article conveyance path 240, are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary number of paths such as a three-path, a four-path, or a five-path is provided. It is good also as providing.

  In the present embodiment, the article is distributed to the non-defective product transport path 230 and the defective product transport path 240 in step S12. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transport of the transport device 610 may be stopped. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the abnormal article that has been compared and determined to be abnormal by the control unit 301 from being transferred to the next process. Further, by completely stopping the operation of the conveying device 610, the installation location of the barcode reader 400 or the conveyance interval of the articles can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the barcode data is read by the sensor 350 and the barcode reader 400. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sensor 350 may not be present and the barcode reader 400 may be included. In addition, the barcode data may be recognized based on the image data captured by the two-dimensional camera, and an identifier such as barcode data (including a QR code) may be recognized by any other method.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the counting unit is counted by the internal counter 340, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a buffer in the control unit 301 or another counter may be used.

  Further, when a plurality of barcode data are transmitted while one article is detected by the sensor 350, that is, a state in which the barcode of the same article is read a plurality of times (chattering) is recognized, and the chattering has occurred. In such a case, the article may be transported to the defective product transport path 240 by the sorting device 210.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an article determined as a defective product is conveyed to the defective product conveyance path 240. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveyance motor 304 may be controlled to stop.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although it is supposed that the control part 301 consists of one, it is not limited to this, You may provide the control part 301 which has a vertical relationship. For example, a control unit and a recording unit for conveyance, a control unit and a recording unit in the weighing unit, and the like may be provided to communicate with the control unit 301.

  Furthermore, although preferable embodiment of this invention is as above-mentioned, this invention is not restrict | limited only to it. It will be understood that various other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the effect | action and effect by the structure of this invention are described, these effect | actions and effects are examples and do not limit this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Inspection apparatus 110 Quality inspection apparatus 210 Distribution apparatus 211 Motor 212 Distribution member 230 Good article conveyance path 240 Defective article conveyance path 301 Control part 304 Conveyance motor 305 Display part 306 Input part 310 Recording apparatus 311 Quality information 330 Measurement part 340 Internal counter 360 Photoelectric tube 400 Bar code reader 610 Conveying device

Claims (5)

An inspection apparatus in which a plurality of types of articles are conveyed at random, and inspecting different types of articles in an inspection area,
A transport unit for transporting the article with the identifier;
A reading unit for reading an identifier attached to the article;
An inspection condition changing unit that changes an inspection condition of the quality of the article based on the identifier read by the reading unit;
A number addition unit for adding the number of times read by the reading unit;
A frequency recording unit for recording the result of the frequency addition unit;
An inspection apparatus comprising: an abnormality determination unit that determines that an abnormality is detected when the number of times obtained by the number recording unit is 2 or more. A first detection unit disposed downstream of the reading unit for detecting the article and upstream of the inspection region;
A number subtraction unit that subtracts the number of times detected by the first detection unit from the number recording unit;
2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality determination unit determines that the abnormality is present when a result of the number of times by the number recording unit is 0 in accordance with a signal from the first detection unit.   The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second detection unit disposed upstream of the reading unit that detects the article.   The apparatus further includes a sorting device that sorts the articles using a sorting unit in either one of the first transport path and the second transport path based on the result of the comparison determination in the abnormality determination unit. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation of the transport unit is stopped based on a result of comparison and determination as being abnormal in the abnormality determination unit.