CN111434592A

CN111434592A - Conveyance management system and conveyance device

Info

Publication number: CN111434592A
Application number: CN202010024515.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佐佐木贵大; 吉田朋彦; 伊藤荣
Original assignee: Huaxin Innovation Research Co ltd; DAISHIN CO LTD
Current assignee: Huaxin Innovation Research Co ltd; DAISHIN CO LTD
Priority date: 2019-01-15
Filing date: 2020-01-10
Publication date: 2020-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 2040-01-10
Also published as: KR102633645B1; CN111434592B; TW202030135A; JP2020111451A; TWI802780B; JP7244823B2; KR20200088761A

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying management system and a conveying device, which can facilitate the adjustment operation of the conveying form of the conveyed object and can exert high performance; the present invention relates to a conveyance management system for adjusting the conveyance form of a conveyance object conveyed in a conveyance path provided in a conveyance body; the system is provided with: an imaging unit that repeatedly images the conveyance object at a predetermined position on the conveyance path; and a conveyance behavior detection unit that detects a behavior of the conveyance object in a direction separating from the conveyance path or in a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path, the conveyance object being separated from the conveyance path or moving along the width direction of the conveyance path on the conveyance path, based on image data of the conveyance object arranged in a predetermined detection area in the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

Description

Conveyance management system and conveyance device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a conveyance management system and a conveying apparatus, and more particularly to an adjustment technique suitable for use in a vibration type conveying apparatus and for optimizing a conveyance mode of a conveyed article moving in a conveyance path provided on a conveyance body.

Background

In general, in a transport apparatus, there are cases where: the conveying posture or the quality of the conveyed article is judged by checking the appearance of the conveyed article during conveyance, and various processes such as sorting (elimination), posture change (inversion), and course change (distribution) of the conveyed article are performed on the conveyed article by a mechanical unit, an air compressing unit, or the like based on the judgment result. In a conveying apparatus, particularly a vibration type conveying apparatus such as a feeder, in order to convey conveyed objects supplied in an unordered manner in a conveying direction along a conveying path by vibrating a conveying body, the conveyed objects are moved in the conveying direction while moving up and down in the conveying path. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the various processes described above on the transported object that becomes unstable as it moves up and down.

In the above-described conveying apparatus, it is proposed to adopt a conveyed article discrimination control system as disclosed in the following patent documents 1 and 2: the determination processing is performed by performing image processing on a plurality of camera images repeatedly captured in a short time, and various processing is executed according to the determination result.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2016-130674

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-121995

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the conveyed object discrimination control systems described in

patent documents

1 and 2, the behavior of the conveyed object when the conveyed object is moved in a direction separating from the conveyance path by the various processes described above becomes unstable, or the conveyance object on the conveyance path is moved up and down in the conveyance path by the vibration in the vibrating conveyor, and the behavior of the conveyed object becomes unstable, and therefore, there are cases where the sorting, posture change, forward path change, or conveyance speed or conveyance density of the conveyed object cannot be appropriately performed.

In particular, when electronic components are handled as a transported object, in recent years, surface-mount electronic components have been rapidly miniaturized and high-speed and high-density supply is required, and therefore, it is necessary to set a transport condition optimal for the transported object or control a precise processing operation for the transported object. Further, this also has the following problems: each time the article to be conveyed is changed, a complicated adjustment operation of the conveying device is required, and if the person who performs the adjustment operation is not a skilled person, the capability of the conveying device cannot be fully utilized.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport apparatus that can easily adjust a transport mode of a transport object and can exhibit high performance by configuring a transport management system that can easily optimize the transport mode for various processes of the transport object.

In view of the above, a conveyance management system according to the present invention is a system for managing a conveyance mode of a conveyance object conveyed on a conveyance path provided on a conveyance body. The system is characterized by comprising: an imaging unit that repeatedly images the conveyance object on the conveyance path; and a conveyance behavior detection unit that detects a behavior of the conveyance object in a direction separating from the conveyance path or in a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path, the conveyance object being separated from the conveyance path or moving along the width direction of the conveyance path on the conveyance path, based on image data of the conveyance object arranged in a detection area in the captured image captured by the imaging unit. In this case, it is preferable to further include a conveyance form adjustment unit that adjusts a conveyance form of the conveyed object based on the behavior detected by the conveyance behavior detection unit. Here, the behavior is preferably a position of the conveyance object in a direction away from the conveyance path or in a direction along a width direction of the conveyance path, or an angular posture of the conveyance object with respect to a conveyance surface of the conveyance path.

In the present invention, it is preferable that: a conveyed article discrimination unit that discriminates the conveyed article (for example, determines whether the conveyed article is good or bad or posture) from an image of the conveyed article in a first measurement area on the conveyance path; and a conveyed object processing unit that processes the conveyed object on the basis of the discrimination result of the conveyed object discrimination unit in a processing area on the conveyance path provided at a position corresponding to the first measurement area; the conveyance form adjustment unit controls a processing form of the conveyance object by the conveyance object processing unit so as to adjust the conveyance form. In this case, the processing method is at least a part of the processing elements such as the magnitude of the processing force (for example, air pressure) applied to the transport material and the timing of applying the processing force (for example, timing of applying air pressure) when the transport material is processed. Preferably, the transport processing control unit is further provided, based on the discrimination result, to switch between a non-processing state in which the transport object is not processed when passing through a processing area on the transport path and a processing state in which the transport object is processed when passing through the processing area on the transport path.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveying body moves the conveyed material along the conveying path by vibration generated by an excitation mechanism, and the conveying form adjusting means controls an excitation method of the excitation mechanism so as to adjust the conveying form. In this case, the excitation method is at least a part of excitation factors such as an excitation frequency, an amplitude, an excitation direction, or an excitation power of the excitation mechanism that excites the transport body. In addition, when a plurality of excitation portions for exciting the transport body are provided, the excitation method may include relative conditions such as the difference, the size, and the ratio of the excitation elements between the plurality of excitation portions.

In the present invention, the conveying mode is preferredThe adjusting means derives a statistical value from the plurality of behaviors (the positions or the angular postures) detected by the conveyance behavior detecting means, and adjusts the conveyance mode of the conveyance body based on the statistical value. In this case, the statistical value is preferably a value indicating a degree of deviation of a plurality of behaviors. For example, it is preferable that the standard deviation σ or the variance σ of the position or the angular orientation is²Or a correlation value indicating a correlation substantially equivalent to the above with respect to the degree of deviation. Preferably, the statistical value is a representative value representing an overall tendency of a plurality of the behaviors. Such as the average, median, etc.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the imaging unit is configured to continuously image the transported object at predetermined imaging intervals. In this case, it is preferable that the detection area is set so as to always include all the objects passing through the conveyance path based on a plurality of captured images captured at the imaging interval and on a relationship between a conveyance speed of the objects on the conveyance path and the imaging interval. In this case, it is more preferable that the detection area is set so that all the transported objects passing through the transport path are included in the plurality of captured images. Preferably, the detection zone is in a range that is capable of containing the entire cargo within the detection zone. In particular, the range of the detection area in the transport direction is preferably a range exceeding the dimension of the transported object in the transport direction, and more preferably a range of 1.5 times or more and 2.5 times or less the dimension of the transported object in the transport direction. Preferably, a range of the detection area in a direction away from the conveyance path or a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path is in a range of 2 times or more and 5 times or less a dimension of the conveyance object in the direction away from the conveyance path or the direction along the width direction of the conveyance path.

In the present invention, it is preferable that, when the article identification means and the article processing means are further provided, the first measurement area is set in advance so as to always include all the articles passing through the conveyance path, based on a plurality of captured images captured at the imaging interval and on a relationship between a conveyance speed of the articles on the conveyance path and the imaging interval. In this case, it is further preferable that the first measurement area is set so that all the transported objects passing through the transport path are included in the plurality of captured images.

In the present invention, it is preferable that when a range of the detection area in a transport direction along the transport path is L D, a length of one of the transported objects in the transport direction is L DS, the imaging period is Ts, and the transport speed is Vs, n is a natural number of 1 to 10, the following equation is satisfied.

LD≥LDS+n×α＝LDS+n×Ts×Vs

In this way, the conveyance behavior (the position or the angular position) is detected by the conveyance behavior detection means in a state in which all the conveyed articles are always disposed in the detection area in any image data, and the conveyance form is adjusted by the conveyance form adjustment means, so that the control of the conveyance state corresponding to the conveyed articles can be reliably performed. Here, n is more preferably in the range of 3 to 7.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance form adjustment means adjusts the conveyance form in accordance with the behavior (the position or the angular posture) of the conveyance object separated by a predetermined distance or more in the direction from a contact position on the conveyance path (the position of the conveyance object when contacting the conveyance path). In this case, it is preferable that the conveyance behavior detection means detects the behavior (the position or the angular posture) with respect to the conveyance object separated by a predetermined distance or more from the contact position on the conveyance path. In particular, it is more preferable that the range of the detection area (the position of the boundary line described later) is set so that only the transported object separated from the contact position by the predetermined distance or more is a detection target.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the transport form adjustment means adjusts the transport form according to the behavior (the position or the angular orientation) of the transport object to be processed when passing through the processing area on the transport path, except for the transport object that is not processed when passing through the processing area on the transport path, when the transport object identification means and the transport object processing means are further provided. In this case, it is preferable that the conveyance behavior detection means detects the position or the angular posture only with respect to the conveyance object to be processed when the conveyance object passes through the processing area. In particular, it is preferable that the detection area is set so that only the transported material that is processed when passing through the processing area is a detection target.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance object processing means includes a structure for selectively blowing an air flow toward a direction separating from the conveyance path or a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path to the conveyance object, the conveyance behavior detection means detects a position of the conveyance object in the direction separating from the conveyance path or the direction along the width direction of the conveyance path, and the conveyance form adjustment means adjusts the conveyance form by controlling the intensity of the air flow based on the behavior (the position or the angular posture) detected by the conveyance behavior detection means. In this case, it is preferable that, when the detection area is set so that all the transported objects passing through the transport path are included in the plurality of captured images, the intensity of the airflow be controlled based on a difference between the plurality of behaviors (the positions or the angular orientations) of the respective transported objects. In particular, it is preferred that the behavior is the position. In this case, it is preferable that the conveyance form adjustment means does not adjust the processing method of the conveyed object processing means when the distance between the position of the conveyed object detected by the conveyance behavior detection means and the contact position is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Further, when a statistical value of a plurality of the positions is used, it is preferable that the statistical value is not added to the position of the transported object where the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance object processing means has a structure for selectively blowing the conveyance object with an air flow in a direction away from the conveyance path or in a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path, and the conveyance form adjustment means controls the timing of blowing the air flow so as to adjust the conveyance form, based on the behavior (the position or the angular orientation) detected by the conveyance behavior detection means. In particular, it is preferable that the blowing timing is a blowing start timing of the air stream. Preferably, the behavior is the angular posture. In this case, it is preferable that the transport mode adjustment means controls the transport object processing means so as to delay the timing of starting the air flow blowing when the direction of the angular position corresponds to an inclined position in which the front side of the transport object in the transport direction is farther from the transport path than the rear side of the transport direction, and so as to advance the timing of starting the air flow blowing when the direction of the angular position corresponds to an inclined position in which the rear side of the transport object in the transport direction is farther from the transport path than the front side of the transport direction. Further, it is preferable that the transport form adjusting means does not adjust the processing method of the transported object processing means when the angle of intersection between the angular posture and the transport direction is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Further, when a plurality of statistics of the angular postures are used, it is preferable that the angular posture of the transported object in which the angle of intersection of the angular postures with respect to the transport direction is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value is not added to the statistics.

A conveyance management system according to another example of the present invention includes: an imaging unit that continuously images the conveyed object at predetermined imaging intervals on the conveyance path; a conveyance object processing unit configured to be capable of switching between a non-processing state in which the conveyance object passes through a processing area on the conveyance path without being processed and a processing state in which the conveyance object is processed in the processing area on the conveyance path; a conveyed article determination unit that performs a conveyed article determination process including a conveyed article determination stage and a conveyed article determination stage, wherein the conveyed article determination stage detects that the conveyed article is disposed in a first measurement area by performing an image measurement process on image data in the first measurement area, the first measurement area is disposed adjacent to an upstream side of the processing area in a range that is set in advance to always include all of the conveyed articles passing through the conveyance path in accordance with a relationship between a conveyance speed of the conveyed article on the conveyance path and the imaging interval in any one of a plurality of imaging images captured by the imaging unit at the imaging interval, and the conveyed article determination stage detects that the conveyed article is disposed in the first measurement area by the conveyed article determination stage, judging the transported object based on an image of at least a judgment target portion of the transported object; a conveyance processing control unit that switches the non-processing state and the processing state of the conveyance object processing unit according to a result of discrimination of the conveyance object by the conveyance object discrimination unit; and a conveyance behavior detection unit that detects a behavior of the conveyance object separated from the conveyance path or moving on the conveyance path in a direction of separation from the conveyance path or in a direction of width of the conveyance path, based on image data of the conveyance object arranged in a detection area including the processing area in the captured image captured by the imaging unit. Preferably, the conveyance mode adjusting device further includes a conveyance mode adjusting unit that adjusts a processing mode of the conveyed object processing unit based on the behavior detected by the conveyance behavior detecting unit.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a transported object passage detection unit that detects that the transported object has passed through the processing area and separated downstream from the processing area by performing image measurement processing on the basis of image data of the transported object in a second measurement area in any one of a plurality of captured images captured by the imaging unit at the imaging interval; the second measurement area is provided with a range which is preset to always include at least a part of an image of all the objects passing through the conveyance path according to a relationship between the conveyance speed of the objects on the conveyance path and the imaging interval, and is disposed adjacent to a downstream side of the processing area, and the conveyance processing control unit switches the object processing unit from the non-processing state to the processing state when the object passage detection unit detects that the previous object has passed through the processing area and deviated to the downstream side when the discrimination result of the previous object corresponds to the non-processing state and the discrimination result of the next object corresponds to the processing state.

In this case, it is preferable that the transport processing control unit sets the transport processing unit to the non-processing state to pass the transport when the discrimination result of the transport discrimination unit is a predetermined discrimination form, returns the transport processing unit to the processing state when the transport passage detection unit detects that the transport preceding to the predetermined discrimination form obtained as the discrimination result has passed through the processing area and deviated to the lower right side, and does not obtain the discrimination result that the transport following is the predetermined discrimination form, and maintains the transport processing unit in the processing state at other times.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the transported object discrimination unit does not perform the transported object determination step on the determination target portion of the transported object when the transported object is not detected to be disposed in the first measurement area by the transported object determination step.

In the present invention, it is preferable that when the length of the first measurement area in the transport direction along the transport path is L D1, the length of one of the transported objects in the transport direction is L DS, the imaging period is Ts, and the transport speed is Vs, n is a natural number of 1 to 10, the following equation is satisfied.

LD1≥LDS+n×α＝LDS+n×Ts×Vs

In this case, the length L D2 of the second measurement area in the conveyance direction along the conveyance path is preferably equal to or greater than the length L DS of one conveyed material in the conveyance direction.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include: a data holding unit that holds image data in at least the detection area among the plurality of captured images; and a data display unit that reads out and displays the past image data held by the data holding unit; the conveyance behavior detection unit is configured to: the image measurement processing may be performed on the past image data stored in the data storage unit, and the behavior of the transported object may be detected from the image data in the detection area.

In the present invention, it is preferable to further include: a data holding unit that holds image data in at least the first measurement area among the plurality of captured images; and a data display unit that reads out and displays the past image data held by the data holding unit; the transported object discrimination unit is configured to: the image measurement processing may be performed on the past image data stored in the data storage unit, and the transported object may be determined from an image of at least the determination target portion in the first measurement area.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance path conveys the conveyance object by vibrating in a reciprocating manner in a direction along a conveyance direction of the conveyance object, and that, when the imaging unit is stationary, a position of the first measurement area (or the first measurement area and the second measurement area) or the detection area in the captured image is corrected so as to eliminate a positional variation in the captured image with respect to the conveyance path caused by the vibration of the conveyance path at the time of imaging.

Next, the transport apparatus according to the present invention preferably includes any one of the transport management systems described above and the transport body including the transport path. In particular, it is preferable that the conveying device is a vibration type conveying device further including an excitation mechanism that excites the conveying body.

(effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, since the behavior of the transport object separated from the transport path or moving along the width direction of the transport path on the transport path in the direction separating from the transport path or in the direction along the width direction of the transport path is detected by processing the captured image of the transport object, the transport mode can be adjusted based on the behavior in consideration of the instability of the transport object from another point of view different from the moving mode of the transport direction of the transport object, and therefore, the adjustment work of the transport mode of the transport object can be facilitated, and the excellent effect of high performance of the transport apparatus can be exhibited.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an overall configuration common to the respective embodiments of the conveyance management system and the conveyance device according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an explanatory view showing an appearance of the conveyed objects in the conveyance path and an example of an arrangement form of the conveyed objects.

Fig. 3 (a) - (c) are explanatory views for explaining a discrimination method for discriminating a conveyed material by image processing.

Fig. 4 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing examples of image data in the detection area in the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing positional differences of the transported object due to the magnitude of the blowing pressure (processing force) in the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing examples of image data in the detection area in the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing examples of calculation of the distance between the positions of the transported materials in the example of the image data in the detection area in the third embodiment.

Fig. 8 (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams showing a relationship between an example of image data in a detection area and a processing start timing in the fourth embodiment, (d) is an explanatory diagram showing a main axis angle of an angular posture of a conveyed article detected in the fourth embodiment, and (e) to (g) are timing charts showing an adjustment example of the processing start timing.

Fig. 9 (a) to (f) are explanatory views showing an example of image data in the detection area and whether or not to add a statistic value in the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 10 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are explanatory diagrams showing an example of image data in the detection area and a relationship between processing start timings in the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 11 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing examples of image data in the detection area in the seventh embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a schematic flowchart showing a configuration example of an operation program used in each embodiment.

(symbol description)

10 conveyor, 11 feeder, 110 conveyor, 111 conveyor, 12 linear feeder, 120 conveyor, 121 conveyor, OPS eliminating air jet, OPR reversing air jet, CA to CA conveyor, CM camera, C11, C12 controller, DTU inspection processing unit, DP display, GP image processing device, GM image processing memory, GPX captured image, GPY image area, GWA to GWB determination area, MPU operation processing device, MM main memory device, ME first measurement area, ME second measurement area, MEs, MER processing area, SAE, search area, SP operation input device, RAM operation processing memory, MED, MRD, MFD detection area, MRDa, MFDa boundary, PCA position, θ main shaft angle (angle posture)

Detailed Description

General constitution

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the general overall structure of each embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration of a drive control system of the transport apparatus 10 and a transport management system of the transport apparatus 10.

The conveyor device 10 is a vibration type conveyor device including a feeder 11 and a linear feeder 12, wherein the feeder 11 includes a bowl-shaped conveyor body 110 having a spiral conveyor path 111, the linear feeder 12 includes a conveyor body 120 having a linear conveyor path 121, and the linear conveyor path 121 includes an inlet configured to receive a conveyed article from an outlet of the conveyor path 111 of the feeder 11. In the conveyance management system according to each embodiment, the conveyance object CA in the conveyance path 121 of the conveyance body 120 of the linear feeder 12 is inspected and determined based on the captured image GPX. In the present invention, the configuration of the vibrating conveyor is not limited to the one used for various types of conveyors for conveying the conveyed object CA along the conveying path. The vibrating type conveying device is not limited to the combination of the feeder 11 and the linear feeder 12, and may be used in other types of conveying devices such as a circulating type feeder. Further, even in the above combination, the inspection of the conveyed objects CA in the conveyance path 111 of the feeder 11 is not limited to the inspection of the conveyed objects CA in the conveyance path 121 of the linear feeder 12.

The feeder 11 is driven and controlled by a controller C L11, the linear feeder 12 is driven and controlled by a controller C L12, the controllers C L11 and C L12 alternately drive the vibration mechanism (including an electromagnetic drive, a piezoelectric drive, or the like) of the feeder 11 or the linear feeder 12, and vibrate the conveying

bodies

110 and 120 so as to move the conveying objects CA in the conveying paths 111 and 121 in a predetermined conveying direction F, and the controllers C L11 and C L12 are connected to an inspection processing unit DTU having an image processing function as a main body of a conveyance management system via an input/output circuit (I/O).

The controllers C L11 and C L12 stop the driving of the transport apparatus 10 in accordance with an operation program when a predetermined operation input (debug operation) is made to an operation processing apparatus MPU, which will be described later, that executes the operation program, via an operation input device SP1, SP2, which will be described later, such as a mouse, and at this time, for example, the image measurement processing in the inspection processing unit DTU is also stopped in accordance with the operation program.

The inspection processing unit DTU is configured with an arithmetic processing unit MPU (microprocessor) such as a personal computer as a core, and in the illustrated example, the arithmetic processing unit MPU is configured with a central processing unit CPU1, a CPU2, a cache memory CCM, a memory controller MC L, a chip set CHS, and the like, and the inspection processing unit DTU is provided with image processing circuits GP1 and GP2, and the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are connected to cameras CM1 and CM2 as imaging means, respectively, and perform image processing, the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are connected to image processing memories GM1 and GM2, respectively, and outputs of the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are also connected to the arithmetic processing unit MPU, and the image data of the captured image GPX obtained from the cameras CM1 and CM2 is processed, and when the operation program of the inspection processing unit MPU is stored in advance, the operation program of the management system is transferred to the arithmetic processing unit MPU, and the image processing unit MPU is read out the image data as the operation data after the inspection processing unit is started, and the image processing unit MM is executed by the image processing unit MM.

The inspection processing unit DTU is connected to display devices DP1 and DP2 such as a liquid crystal monitor or operation input devices SP1 and SP2 via an input/output circuit (I/O). The display devices DP1 and DP2 display the image data of the captured image GPX or the image area GPY processed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU, the result of the image measurement processing, that is, the result of the conveyance behavior detection processing or the conveyance object discrimination processing, and the like in a predetermined display form. The display function is not limited to the function that is performed when the transport object is actually transported, and the display function is also performed when past data is read and reproduced as described later. Further, by operating the operation input devices SP1 and SP2 while viewing the screens of the display devices DP1 and DP2, it is possible to input processing conditions such as various operation commands and setting values to the arithmetic processing unit MPU.

Next, an example of a basic method of identifying the transport object CA in the transport device 10 using the transport management system in each embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the shape of the conveyance object CA and the conveyance posture in the conveyance path 121 in each example. In the illustrated example, the carrier CA is an electronic component (e.g., a chip resistor, a chip inductor, a chip capacitor, etc.) having a substantially cubic shape (e.g., a shape in which eight corners of a cube are rounded). The conveyance object CA is conveyed in a conveyance path 121 having conveyance surfaces 121a and 121b orthogonal to each other in a posture in which a longitudinal axis (main axis) is oriented in the conveyance direction F. Metal terminal portions CAa are exposed at both front and rear ends of the carrier CA, and a white surface CAb made of an insulating material and a black surface CAc as a direction recognition mark are exposed at a side surface portion between the terminal portions CAa. The normal conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA is a posture in which the front end face CAt5 faces the conveyance destination (downstream side, right side in the figure), the rear end face CAt6 faces the conveyance source (upstream side, left side in the figure), the conveyance destination side of the four side faces CAs1 to CAs4 faces the white face CAb, the side face CAs1 of the conveyance source side of the black face CAc faces upward, and the side face CAs2 of the white face CAb faces the side of the open side of the conveyance path 121 as a whole.

Fig. 2 and 3 show images taken while the conveyance surface 121a of the conveyance path 121 is a relatively steep surface, the conveyance surface 121b is a relatively gentle surface, and the cameras CM1 and CM2 are tilted from the lower front side in the figure (i.e., the upper front side of the conveyance surface 121 b). Therefore, in the conveyed article CA, the side surface of the conveyance path 121 disposed on the upper side in the figure (the side surface disposed on the conveyance surface 121a side) is a surface facing upward (hereinafter, simply referred to as "upper side surface"), and the side surface disposed on the lower side in the figure (the side surface disposed on the conveyance surface 121b side) is a surface facing lateral (hereinafter, simply referred to as "lateral side surface"). The conveyed article CA at the right end position in fig. 2 has an upper side surface as a side surface CAs1 and a side surface as a side surface CAs 2.

In fig. 3, (a) to (c) are explanatory views explaining setting examples of measurement areas for determining whether or not the conveyance posture of the conveyance object CA shown in fig. 2 is the normal conveyance posture, captured images GPX captured by the cameras CM1 and CM2 are appropriately processed by the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2, and as shown in (a) in fig. 3, only image data included in an image width GPW, which is a necessary range in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F on the conveyance path 121, is acquired, and as shown in (a) in fig. 3, image data may be acquired in a range limited to the image length GP L with respect to the range along the conveyance direction F in the captured image GPX.

In each embodiment, the transported object CA is detected and determined by the image measurement processing performed by the discrimination processing means embedded in the operation program. This image measurement processing is performed not on the entire image area GPY shown in fig. 3 (a), but on only an area limited to a part of the image area GPY. In each embodiment, the search area SAE or SAR is set in the image area GPY. The search areas SAE, SAR contain processing areas MES, MRS for sorting the transport CA. In the illustrated example, the processing areas MES and MRS are areas for sorting the transport products CA, and are areas in which the transport products CA are sorted by passing the transport products CA through the transport path 121 or by excluding the transport products CA from the transport path 121, and only desired transport products CA are output downstream. In the sorting process of the transported object CA, only the image data in the search areas SAE and SAR are targeted for the image measurement process.

As shown in FIG. 3 (b), search areas SAE, SAR further include first measurement areas ME1, MR1 adjacent to the upstream side of the processing areas MES, MRS and second measurement areas ME2, MR2 adjacent to the downstream side of the processing areas MES, MRS, where processing area MES is an area on conveying path 121 where conveying object CA can be excluded through an exclusion port OPS formed at a central position C L N, first measurement area ME1 is an area inside the search area SAE where conveying object CA conveyed from the upstream side cannot be excluded through the exclusion port OPS, further, second measurement area ME2 is an area inside the search area ME, where conveying object CA cannot be excluded through the exclusion port OPS when passing through the processing area MES and exiting to the downstream side, where conveying object CA cannot be excluded through the exclusion port OPS, and where the exclusion port OPS is an area where conveying object CA cannot be excluded through the exclusion port OPS is an area on conveying surface 121b on one side (e.g. lower side of the side of conveying area OPS) of conveying object CA, where conveying object CA cannot pass through the inversion port OPR 121, and the inversion area where conveying object CA is an opening C where conveying object CA is preferably located on the side of the same conveying area where conveying object CA and the side is located, where conveying object CA, MRS is located on the side where conveying area where conveying object CA, MRS is located, where conveying area where conveying object CA, where conveying object CA is located on the side opening 677 b is located, where conveying area where conveying object CA, where it is located on the side opening on the side of MRS is located, where it is located, and where it is located, and where.

In the search areas SAE and SAR, the image measurement process searches whether or not an image (hereinafter, simply referred to as "detection image") having an outer edge shape corresponding to an image of the transport object CA (hereinafter, simply referred to as "reference image") registered in advance exists. When the detection image is present, the position of the area occupied by the detection image is determined as the conveyance object determination area WDS. This is the transport determination stage in the transport discrimination process. In the transport object specifying stage, it is only necessary to specify the presence and position of the transport object CA without distinguishing the posture or defect of the transport object CA, and therefore, the degree of coincidence between the shape of the outer shape of the transport object CA or the like, the average brightness inside the outer shape, or the like is obtained and compared with a predetermined threshold value to determine the presence or absence of the detection image. At the time of this specification, the positions of the pattern shapes in the search areas SAE and SAR are calculated, and the article-to-be-transported determination area WDS is specified as described above. In the transport object specifying stage, only the degree of coincidence of the pattern shapes such as the outer shape may be used as the determination element, but as described above, the degree of coincidence of the average brightness or the like inside the outer shape may be used as the determination element, thereby improving the accuracy of discrimination of the transport object CA. For example, when the brightness of the transport object CA is entirely darkened due to the relationship between the illumination direction and the posture of the component, detection omission of the transport object is likely to occur because it is difficult to distinguish the brightness from the background of the image.

In the transport determination stage, when the transport determination region WDS is located in the first measurement zones ME1 and MR1, the transport determination stage described below is performed. When the transport determination region WDS is located in the processing regions MES, MRS and second measurement regions ME2, MR2, the measurement is directly performed, and the transport passage detection processing that outputs the transport passage detection signal is performed at the time when the transport determination region WDS in the processing regions MES, MRS and second measurement regions ME2, MR2 disappears. As described later, when a state in which any one of the transport objects CA is disposed in the first measurement area ME1 or MR1 is captured in the plurality of captured images GPX, the transport object specifying phase may be performed and the transport object specifying area WDS may be derived every time.

In the search area SAE, the transport determination phase is performed as follows. First, with the conveyance object specifying area WDS specified as described above as a reference, the first determination area GWA and the second determination area GWB are positioned as shown in fig. 3 (c), and whether or not the areas correspond to the side surfaces CAs1 to CAs4 is detected from the brightness thereof. For example, the first determination area GWA is disposed on the upper side surface of the conveyance object CA, and the second determination area GWB is disposed on the side surface of the conveyance object CA. In each embodiment, when the upper side surface is the side surface CAs1 and the side surface is the side surface CAs2, the conveyance object CA is set to be conveyed in a normal posture. At this time, the first determination area GWA has an elongated determination support area GWA1 extending in the conveyance direction F, a determination support area GWA2 disposed on the upstream side, and a determination support area GWA3 disposed on the downstream side, in order to detect the side surface CAs 1. The judgment support area GWA1 detects the boundary between the white surface CAb and the black surface CAc of the side surface CAs1 by edge detection processing in the transport direction F, and corrects the positions of the judgment support areas GWA2 and GWA3 using the detected boundary as a boundary position. Then, by comparing the luminances of the determination support areas GWA2 and GWA3 after the position correction with a predetermined threshold value, it is determined whether or not the respective luminances match the conveyance object CA in the normal posture. In the illustrated example, when the determination support area GWA2 detects the black surface CAc and the determination support area GWA3 detects the white surface CAb, the conveyance object CA is determined to be a good product in a normal posture. The manner of determining the transport object CA (quality determination) is not limited to the posture, and may be the shape, size, or the like.

The second determination region GWB determines whether or not the side surface is the side surface CAs2 (the side surface is the white surface CAb in its entirety). In this case, the determination may be made when the luminance of the second determination area GWB is higher than the predetermined threshold value. Further, by determining both the first determination area GWA and the second determination area GWB, it is possible to provide redundancy to the acquired information obtained from the image data to be determined, and therefore, it is possible to avoid erroneous determination due to variations in brightness or the like of the image, and it is possible to improve the determination accuracy.

On the other hand, in the image area GPY, another search area SAR for determining whether or not to perform the reversing process for reversing the transport object CA and another first measurement area MR1 are provided at a position different from the search area SAE (in the example, at a position on the upstream side of the search area SAE), and a first determination area GV1 and a second determination area GV2 for performing the transport object determination stage corresponding to the transport object determination area WDS determined in the transport object determination stage are provided in the first measurement area MR 1. The first determining section GV1 and the second determining section GV2 are disposed at positions where the upper side surface of the transported object CA passes. The first determination region GV1 outputs the determination result NG when the upper side surface of the conveyed article CA is not the side surface CAs1 including the black surface CAc, that is, when the upper side surface of the conveyed article CA is the side surfaces CAs2 to CAs4 whose entire white surfaces CAb are bright (for example, when the side surfaces are brighter than a predetermined threshold), and outputs the determination result PASS when the terminal portion CAa or the side surface CAs1 is included (for example, when the side surface CAs is darker than a predetermined threshold). The second determination region GV2 is a region narrower than the first determination region GV1 in the conveyance direction F. When the edge is detected by scanning in the conveying direction F in the second determination region GV2, the boundary between the conveyed objects CA immediately before and after the conveyance is considered to be arranged, and the determination result is made PASS. Only when the determination result is NG, the air flow is ejected from the inverting air ejection port OPR provided in the processing region MRS, and the upper side surface of the conveyance object CA is inverted to the other side surface. In this way, the posture of the conveyance object CA can be changed only when the upper side surface is disposed in the first determination region GV1 and the upper side surfaces are the side surfaces CAs2 to CAs 4. The reversing air outlet OPR is opened in a conveying surface 121b on one side (for example, a lower side in the drawing) of the conveying path 121.

< example of general construction 1 >

In each embodiment, the cameras CM1 and CM2 continuously perform imaging in a predetermined imaging cycle set in advance, and transmit the image data in the captured image GPX or the image area GPY to the arithmetic processing unit MPU via the image processing units GP1 and GP2 in the imaging cycle. The arithmetic processing unit MPU performs detection and determination by processing the image data in the search areas SAE and SAR in the transmitted image data using the memory RAM for arithmetic processing as described above. However, in each embodiment, instead of providing a separate trigger sensor or searching for a predetermined shape pattern of the conveyed object CA from the image data of the conveyed object CA in a predetermined area and generating an internal trigger when the shape pattern is detected, the image capturing is continuously performed in a predetermined image capturing period by introducing an external trigger indicating a predetermined image capturing period or by outputting a trigger signal of a predetermined period from the arithmetic processing unit MPU to the cameras CM1 and CM 2. Therefore, in order to detect at least the portions to be detected (corresponding to the surface portions of the side surfaces CAs1 to CAs4 other than the terminal portions CAa in the embodiments, but may be the entire appearance of the conveyance object CA) of all the conveyance objects CA conveyed through the conveyance path 121 and to perform the determination without omission, it is necessary to include the portions to be detected of all the conveyance objects CA in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 in any of the captured images GPX and the image areas GPY.

In each of the embodiments, as a part of the conveyed article discrimination processing, the conveyed article specifying phase is performed in the search areas SAE and SAR to specify the conveyed article specifying area WDS, but in this conveyed article specifying phase, the whole of the conveyed article CA is detected in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 when the conveyed article CA is included in the area. Therefore, in order to detect the position of the transport object CA in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1, it is necessary to set the entire transport object CA in a state where the entire transport object CA is included in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 in any one image data.

Therefore, when the imaging cycle is Ts [ sec ], the length of the transport object CA in the transport direction F is L DS [ mm ], and the transport speed of the transport object CA is Vs [ mm/sec ], the range L D1 in the transport direction F of the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 is set to the following expression (1) so that the images of all the transport objects CA are always included in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 of any one image data.

LD1≥LDS+α＝LDS+Ts×Vs…(1)

For example, when the length L DS in the conveyance direction F of the conveyance object CA is 0.6[ mm ], the conveyance speed Vs is 50[ mm/sec ], and the imaging period Ts is 1[ msec ], L DS 0.6[ mm ], α 0.05[ mm ], and L D1 ≧ 0.65[ mm ], and when the imaging period Ts is 0.5[ msec ], L DS 0.6[ mm ], α ≧ 0.025[ mm ], and L D1 ≧ 0.625[ mm ].

In the case of the illustrated example, the range L D1 in the transport direction F of the first measurement region MR1 may be set to the following expression (2) in consideration of the transport target portion.

LD1≥LDR+α＝LDR+Ts×Vs…(2)

In fact, since the transport speed of the transported object CA varies depending on the location or the passage of time, it is preferable to set the whole or a part of the transported object CA to be captured twice or more, preferably three times or more, in the image data, and in general, L D1 is set so that the following expressions (3) and (4) are satisfied in order to capture n (n is a natural number) times or more in the image data.

LD1≥LDS+n×α＝LDS+n×Ts×Vs…(3)

LD1≥LDR+n×α＝LDR+n×Ts×Vs…(4)

In each embodiment, n is set to be in the range of 3 to 7. This is because, when n is small, the possibility of occurrence of missing of the image of the transport object CA due to the variation of the transport speed becomes high, and conversely, when n is large, the load of the image processing becomes large. In general, the natural number n is preferably in the range of 1 to 10. In each embodiment, the image processing time is usually about 150 μ sec to 300 μ sec. The imaging interval Ts is about 500[ mu sec ] to 840[ mu sec ]. Generally, the number of times of shooting by the shooting unit is preferably 1000 to 2000 times/second.

In the case of each embodiment, as described above, the trigger signal for detecting the arrival of the transported object CA at the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 is not used, and therefore, there is a possibility that the transported object CA or the determination target portions CAs1 to CAs4 thereof are not arranged at all in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 of a certain captured image GPX or image area GPY. Therefore, in the image measurement process in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 for performing the transport object discrimination process, the transport object specifying step is performed to detect the transport object CA and determine whether or not the images of at least the target portions CAs1 to CAs4 are included in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR 1. In the transported object determining step, when the transported object is detected and determined under predetermined conditions, that is, in the above example, when the whole of the transported object CA is included in the first measuring areas ME1 and MR1, the transported object determining step is performed, otherwise, the transported object determining step is not performed. In the case where the same transport object CA is detected a plurality of times in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1, the transport object determination stage may be performed only once (for example, the first time), and the transport object determination stage may be omitted in the other times.

On the other hand, in the transport passage detection processing performed in the second measurement areas ME2 and MR2, the transport determination step similar to the transport discrimination processing is performed without performing the transport determination step, and when the transport determination area WDS is determined in the transport determination step, the transport passage detection step is performed, and when the transport CA is not detected after the transport CA is detected in the second measurement areas ME2 and MR2, it is considered that the transport CA is detected to pass through the processing areas MEs and MRs and to be separated to the downstream side, and the transport passage detection signal is output, further, the length in the transport direction of the second measurement areas ME2 and MR2 may be the same as the length L DS of the transport CA, but when the length is set to be equal to or longer than this length, for example, the length of L + n ×α (n ═ 1), the transport passage detection signal may be output when the transport CA is detected in the second measurement areas ME2 and MR2 as a whole, and when the transport passage detection value of the transport CA in the transport passage detection area MEs is measured before the transport passage detection area MEs 6326 and MRs 638, the transport passage detection area 21 and MRs 638, and MR 638 are set to be the transport passage detection area before the transport area MR 638.

< example of general construction 2 >

The processing operation of the transport object discrimination processing in each processing area MES, MRS described above is performed by the transport object processing unit constituted by the air pressure mechanism not shown in the drawings in each embodiment. The air compression mechanism includes an air compression passage connected to the purge air port OPS and the inversion air port OPR, an air pressure source connected to the air compression passage via a valve, and a controller for controlling the valve. In the transport object discrimination process, first, the first transport object CA1 enters the search areas SAE, SAR (first measurement areas ME1, MR1), and then, when the entire transport object CA1 enters the search areas SAE, SAR (first measurement areas ME1, MR1), the position of the transport object determination area WDS is determined by the transport object determination stage of the above-described transport object discrimination process. Then, a conveyance object determination stage using the determination areas is performed with reference to the position of the identified conveyance object determination area WDS. If the conveyed article CA1 is determined to be a good article in the conveyed article determination stage, the blowing of the air flow from the discharge air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR of the processing areas MES, MRS is stopped as long as the previous defective article is not disposed in the processing areas MES, MRS.

In each embodiment, the article processing means is controlled so that the article processing means stops the air flow when a determination result (good article in the example of the figure) that the processing operation in the processing areas MES and MRS is unnecessary in the article determination section is output with a state where the processing operation for the article CA in the processing areas MES and MRS is performed (a state where the air flow is blown from the removal air port OPS or the inversion air port OPR) being set as a normal state. However, the transport object processing unit may be controlled so that the air flow is not generated when the determination result of the processing operation in the unnecessary processing areas MES and MRS (good product in the example of the figure) is output in the transport object determination step, and the air flow is started to be blown when the determination result of the processing operation in the necessary processing areas MES and MRS (bad product in the example of the figure) is output.

In each embodiment, if the conveyance object CA1 is determined to be defective in the conveyance object determination step, the air flow continues to be blown from the removal air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR, or if the air flow is stopped, the air flow is generated at a predetermined timing such as when the conveyance object CA1 enters the processing areas MES, MRS, or the like. At this time, the air flow blown from the eliminating air jet ports OPS functions to eliminate the conveyance object CA1 from the conveyance path 121, and the air flow blown from the reversing air jet ports OPR functions to once float and rotate the conveyance object CA1 from the conveyance path 121, and then to again contact the conveyance path 121. In any of the air flows, the conveyance object CA1 moves in a direction away from the conveyance path 121 or in a direction along the width of the conveyance path 121, and moves upward in the image data as shown in the detection areas MED and MRD in fig. 2 and 3.

Then, every time an image is captured, transport determination area WDS of transport CA1 moves slowly in search areas SAE and SAR, and moves from first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 to processing areas MEs and MRs. At this time, when the transport object CA1 is a good product, the air flow from the purge air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR to the transport object CA1 is stopped before the transport object CA1 (transport object specifying area WDS) is transferred from the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 to the processing areas MEs and MRs. When the conveyance object CA1 is a good product, it passes through the processing areas MES and MRS as it is, and when the conveyance object CA1 is a defective product, it is removed from the conveyance path 121 by receiving the air flow as described above, or it is turned upside down above the conveyance path 121. Then, the conveyance object CA1 or the reversed conveyance object CA1 (conveyance object specifying area WDS) as a good product is transferred from the processing areas MES and MRS to the second measurement areas ME2 and MR 2. Here, the air flow may be automatically resumed after transport CA1 (transport determination area WDS) is transferred from processing areas MES, MRS to second measurement areas ME2, MR2, or may be resumed when next transport CA2 is determined to be defective.

During the above period, when the next conveyance object CA2 enters search areas SAE and SAR (first measurement areas ME1 and MR1), in the same manner as conveyance object CA1, conveyance object CA2 is detected in the conveyance object determination phase when the entire conveyance object CA2 enters search areas SAE and SAR (first measurement areas ME1 and MR1), and the position of the conveyance object determination area WDS is determined. Then, the transported object determining step is followed by a transported object determining step in the same manner as described above. If the determination result is a defective product, the air flow from the removal air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR is continued or restarted, and if the transport object CA2 enters the processing areas MES and MRS as it is, the transport object CA2 is removed or reversed from the transport path 121 by the air flow.

When a plurality of conveyance objects CA are conveyed in a high-density arrangement (that is, in close contact with each other or with a small interval of less than half the length L DS), the conveyance object CA1 enters the search area SAE or SAR (first measurement area ME1 or MR1), and then, when the entire conveyance object CA1 enters the search area SAE or SAR (first measurement area ME1 or MR1), the position of the conveyance object specifying area WDS is specified by the conveyance object specifying step.

In this case, before a transport CA1 enters a processing area MES, MRS, a next transport CA2 enters a first measurement area ME1, mr1. at this time, if a range L D1 of the first measurement area ME1, MR1 is smaller than 2 times the length L DS of the transport, it is necessary that, after a transport CA1 enters the processing area MES, MRS, the entire next transport CA2 enters the first measurement area ME1, MR1 and the transport determination area WDS is detected by the transport determination stage, and the position thereof is determined, therefore, when the next transport CA2 is detected and the determination result is output, the previous transport CA1 is already located in the processing area MES, MRS, and therefore, the air flow from the removal air port OPS or the reversing air ports OPR is in a stopped state, when the determination result of the next transport CA2 is a defective product, the previous transport CA1 is not yet removed from the processing area MES, MRS, and therefore, the air flow is not yet restored from the transport area MES, the transport detection area MES, when the transport path of the next transport CA1 is returned to the transport detection area, and when the transport is returned to the transport detection of the transport of the next transport CA 2.

Further, when the next conveyance object CA3 enters the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 and the position of the conveyance object specifying area WDS is specified in the same manner as described above, the conveyance object determination stage is performed in the same manner as described above. At this time, if the transport CA3 is good, the air flow is stopped before the transport CA3 enters the processing areas MES and MRS. Here, the air flow continues to be generated as long as the determination result in the transport object determination stage is not a good product, but in a state where the air flow is generated, the air flow is stopped before the transport object as the target, that is, the transport object CA whose determination result is a good product enters the processing areas MES, MRS. Therefore, the air flow may be stopped when the first measurement section ME1 or MR1 confirms that the transport object CA is a good product by the transport object discrimination processing. In contrast, the air flow must be recovered from the state where the air flow is stopped after the conveyance object that is the cause of the air flow stop, that is, the conveyance object CA that is determined to be a good product, is separated from the processing areas MES and MRS. The timing at which the transport object CA is separated from the processing areas MES, MRS is known by the transport object passage detection processing (transport object passage detection signal), and therefore, the timing may be set so as to recover the air flow in accordance with the detection or signal.

< example of general constitution 3 >

In the image display devices DP1, DP2, and the like shown in fig. 1, it is possible to display the image data in the image area GPY in appropriately formed image display columns, and to display the areas or regions of the search area SAE, SAR, or the first measurement area ME1, MR1, second measurement area ME2, MR2, processing region MEs, MRs, and the like by using frame lines and the like. In addition to the above, or separately from the above, at least one of the conveyance object specifying area WDS at the conveyance object specifying stage of the conveyance object discrimination process, the judgment areas GWA and GWB used at the conveyance object judgment stage, and the judgment areas GV1 and GV2 used at the conveyance object judgment stage for controlling the inverting air outlet OPR may be displayed by a frame line or the like. In these cases, the determination result may be configured to be recognizable in a display form in which the display color, line type, and the like of each frame line and the like can be distinguished. For example, when the conveyed article determination stage is OK determination (determination mode is good), the frame line is set to the first display mode (for example, green display). In addition, when the conveyed article determination stage is NG determination (determination mode is defective), the frame line or the like is set to the second display mode (for example, red display). The display forms are not limited to the colors of the above examples, and may be linear forms such as solid lines, dotted lines, broken lines, and one-dot chain lines, and thick forms as long as they are distinguishable from each other.

In each embodiment, since the object CA to be conveyed by the vibrating conveyor 10 on the vibrating conveyor path 121 is the object of inspection, and the cameras CM1 and CM2 are provided on the non-vibrating portion (on the base), the conveyor path 121 vibrating with a predetermined amplitude in a reciprocating manner back and forth in the conveying direction F in the image data of the captured image GPX or the image area GPY is disposed at a position displaced in accordance with a change in the vibration phase at the time of capturing the image data. Therefore, in order to detect and determine the appearance of the transport object CA at a fixed position with respect to the transport path 121, the positions of the search areas SAE and SAR and the measurement areas ME1, MR1, ME2, and MR2 in the image need to be moved at the same amplitude in synchronization with the vibration of the transport body 120 in accordance with the imaging timing. For example, the carrier 120 is vibrated at an amplitude of 0.1mm and a vibration frequency of 300 Hz.

Therefore, in each embodiment, in order to match the position of the search area SAE or SAR or the measurement areas ME1, MR1, ME2, and MR2 with the vibration position of the transport body 120 at the time of capturing the captured image GPX or the image area GPY, correction may be performed with reference to the position correction marks 122a and 122b set on the transport body 120. The position correction marks 122a and 122b are not particularly limited as long as they are marks whose position can be easily and reliably detected, but by providing them as marks of a single color (same gradation) which can be reliably recognized as a blob (blob) in an image and whose center of gravity position can be stably detected, the accuracy of detecting the position can be improved. Note that the position correction mark is not particularly provided, but may be a part which is originally present on the conveying device and can be detected by image processing, for example, a ridge, a corner, a bolt head, an air ejection port, or the like formed on the conveying body 120. However, it is preferably located at a position not shielded by the transported object CA.

In each embodiment, for the above position correction, the position of the search area SAE, SAR or each of the measurement areas ME1, MR1, ME2, MR2 with respect to the conveyance path 121 is always at the same position with respect to the conveyance path 121, regardless of the phase timing of the vibration at the time of imaging. Therefore, for example, the measurement areas ME1, MR1, ME2, and MR2 are set to have a constant positional relationship with the position where the removal air for removing the defective posture of the transport object CA is blown from the removal air jet OPS or the position where the inversion air for correcting the posture of the defective posture of the transport object CA is blown from the inversion air jet OPR, and therefore, when the processing force for the transport object CA, that is, the removal force or the inversion force is exerted according to the result of the transport object determination processing, the processing force can be exerted at a constant timing.

< general construction of embodiment >

In each embodiment, the search areas SAE and SAR have detection areas MED and MRD including the processing areas MES and MRS set therein, and the position of the transported object CA in the direction separating from the transport path 121 or in the direction along the width direction of the transport path 121 and the angular position of the transported object CA are detected based on the image data of the detection areas MED and MRD by adjusting the transport mode executed according to the operation program, and further, in each embodiment, the detection areas are set to include the processing areas MES and MRS, but in the present invention, the detection areas may be set to any position as long as the transported object CA passes through the area on the transport path 121, for example, the detection areas of the seventh embodiment described later are set to a position not including the processing areas MES and MRS, and here, the range of the detection areas MED and MRD is not particularly limited as long as the position and the angular position of the transported object CA in the direction can be detected, but, in order to obtain the index indicating the direction of the transported object CA with high accuracy and high speed, the range of the detection areas MED and MRD is preferably set to a range of the length of the transport area included in the transport direction of the transport area 3.5 times, preferably 0.5, 3.5 times as long as the transport direction, and as long as the transport area, and as long as the transport area, preferably, and as long as the range of the transport direction, and as long as the transport area, and as long as the transport direction, and as long as the range of the transport direction, preferably, and as long as the range of the transport direction, and as the range of the transport direction, preferably.

In each of the embodiments according to the present invention, in the conveyance form adjustment processing constituting the conveyance form adjustment means, the conveyance form determination region WDS in which the conveyance object CA is determined is detected in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1, and when the detected conveyance object determination region WDS transitions into the detection areas MED and MRD, the position of the conveyance object determination region WDS in the direction away from the conveyance path 121 or in the direction along the width direction of the conveyance path 121 and the angular posture of the conveyance object determination region WDS are determined. The position and the angular posture are indexes indicating behaviors of the conveyance object CA in directions other than the conveyance direction when the conveyance object CA floats and separates from the conveyance path 121 or moves in the width direction on the conveyance path 121. Normally, as described above, the behavior of the conveyance object CA when moving in the conveyance direction F on the conveyance path 121 is detected, and the conveyance object discrimination processing and the conveyance object passage detection processing are executed based on the behavior in the conveyance direction F. However, in each embodiment, the behavior in the direction other than the conveying direction F is detected, and the conveying mode is adjusted based on the detection result. By adjusting the conveyance form in this way based on the behavior that has not been detected in the past, it is possible to improve the processing accuracy of the conveyed object processing unit (air pressure processing) with respect to the conveyed object CA, or to improve the conveyance speed or the conveyance density by expecting optimization of the conveyance form of the conveyed object CA.

In each embodiment, various data for detecting and determining the transport article CA, such as various set values of the type, size, good product posture, reference image data, the threshold value of the brightness in the transport behavior detection process, and various set values of the threshold value of the brightness in the transport article determination process, are stored in the main memory MM and are appropriately read and used in each process. The same processing is performed for setting values for specifying the imaging timing of the cameras CM1 and CM2, setting values for image acquisition conditions when acquiring the imaged image GPX or the image area GPY, setting values for specifying the method of position correction of each setting area based on the vibration of the conveyance path 121, setting values for specifying the form of various setting screens or display screens, and setting values for controlling the inversion position or the sorting position, for example, the timing of blowing the air flow or the pressure value.

In each embodiment, an image file in which past captured images GPX or image areas GPY stored in the main memory MM are stored in time series can be selected, read, and displayed. Also, a unit for performing various operation processes on the selected image file is also prepared. In each embodiment, the shooting directions and shooting ranges of the cameras (shooting means) CM1 and CM2 are set so as to be able to detect the above-described behavior. However, the imaging angle and the like are preferably set to have a certain degree of freedom, and the form of the conveyance behavior detection process, the conveyance object discrimination process, and the like can be appropriately handled.

The image file stored in the main memory MM is a file in which image data of a plurality of captured images GPX or image areas GPY obtained in the operation mode is automatically recorded by the arithmetic processing unit MPU. This image file storage can be performed for all image data when there is free space in the main storage MM, but it is preferable that the latest predetermined period (for example, 1 hour) or the latest predetermined number of image files (for example, 1000) are always stored even when there is no free space in the main storage MM.

In a state where the captured image GPX or the image area GPY recorded in the past is displayed as described above, the image measurement processing including the conveyed object discrimination processing and the conveyance behavior detection processing can be executed again on the image data by an appropriate operation. As one of the control functions of the display mode, a plurality of captured images GPX or image areas GPY stored in the same file can be switched to another image data captured before and after one by an appropriate operation. In addition, it is also possible to continuously display a plurality of captured images GPX or image areas GPY within the same image file and simultaneously execute image measurement processing for the displayed image data.

< first embodiment >

Next, the configuration of the first embodiment according to the present invention will be explained. Fig. 4 (a) to (g) are explanatory views showing the states of the conveyance behavior detection processing and the conveyance form adjustment processing in the conveyance management system and the conveyance device 10 including the conveyance management system according to the first embodiment. Here, the detailed appearance of the conveyance object CA is omitted in fig. 4. In addition, the present embodiment shows an example of the transport mode adjustment processing performed based on the image data in the detection region MRD set in the search region SAR of fig. 3. Fig. 4 (a) shows a case where the time point of the conveyance object determination region WDS is determined when the conveyance object CA1 is disposed in the first measurement region MR 1. Then, immediately after that, as shown in fig. 4 (b), the transported substance CA1 enters the detection area MRD, and further, immediately after that, as shown in fig. 4 (c), the whole transported substance CA1 is disposed in the detection area MRD. In addition, in the present embodiment, between (a) to (b) and between (b) to (c) in fig. 4, a plurality of captured images GPX (image areas GPY) are obtained, respectively, but their illustration is omitted.

Next, (c) to (g) in fig. 4 respectively indicate image data corresponding to all the acquired captured images GPX (image areas GPY). That is, fig. 4 (c) shows image data obtained in a state where the entire conveyance object CA1 is disposed in the detection area MRD. Then, at this time, the air flow is already blown from the inverting air jet port OPR to the conveyance object CA1 by the air pressure of the conveyance object processing unit, whereby the conveyance object CA1 starts to separate from the conveyance path 121, and slightly floats upward in the drawing. The transport CA1 has now started to rotate slightly about the axis of the transport direction F. In the next image data, as shown in fig. 4 (d), the conveyance object CA1 floats further upward in the figure and further rotates. Then, when (e) in fig. 4 is entered, the conveyance object CA1 further rotates, and its height reaches the highest. Further, when the flow proceeds to (f) in fig. 4, the conveyed article CA1 continues to rotate, but its height decreases. Further, in fig. 4 (g), the conveyance object CA1 further rotates, and the height thereof is reduced to a size again contacting the conveyance path 121.

In the transport behavior detection process, specific position information such as the center of gravity and the center of the transport object specifying area WDS is calculated from the image data in the detection area MRD shown in fig. 4, and the height position on the image based on the position information is obtained as the index, that is, the position PCA in the direction away from the transport path 121. More specifically, for example, the image data in the detection area MRD is binarized, and the image data portion of the transport object CA1 is extracted in the form of a spot to specify the transport object specifying area WDS, and the position information such as the center of gravity and the center of the transport object specifying area WDS is obtained. Then, the vertical distance between the surface of the conveyance path 121 and the position information is derived as the position PCA in the direction away from the conveyance path 121. In the illustrated example, the positions PCA are calculated in (c) to (g) of fig. 4, respectively. Although the position in the direction away from the conveyance path 121 is obtained in the illustrated example, the position in the direction along the width of the conveyance path 121 is preferably obtained at a place where processing excluded from the conveyance path 121 is performed, a place where processing is distributed from the conveyance path 121 to another conveyance path, or the like.

Fig. 5 (a) to (g) show examples of image data in the detection region MRD at the imaging timings shown in fig. 4 (a) to (g), respectively, when the blowing pressure of the airflow blown from the inverting air nozzle OPR is increased or decreased. As can be seen from fig. 5, when the blowing pressure is low, the maximum value of the position PCA is low, and the rotation speed of the conveyance object CA1 is slow, but as the blowing pressure is high, the maximum value and the rotation speed of the position PCA gradually increase. Therefore, when the air supply pressure is lower than the appropriate range, the conveyed article CA1 may not be turned sufficiently, and the conveyed article CA1 may be rotated excessively, and the conveyed article CA1 may not be turned well.

Therefore, each embodiment of the present invention is configured such that: as the conveyance form adjusting means, the processing force for the conveyance object CA, that is, the intensity of the airflow blown from the inverting air nozzle OPR to the conveyance object CA can be adjusted by controlling the blowing pressure of the air pressure mechanism. The air blowing pressure is controlled by the conveyance mode adjustment processing performed by executing the operation program based on the value of the position PCA of the conveyance object CA detected as described above. In the present embodiment, as the conveyance mode adjustment processing, values of the positions PCA are obtained from image data in the detection areas MED and MRD included in the image areas GPY of the plurality of sequentially captured images GPX, and a statistical value indicating the degree of deviation of the values is calculated from the values of the positions PCA. The statistical value is not particularly limited as long as it is a statistical value representing a deviation, but is preferably, for example, a standard deviation σ or a variance σ²Or deviation σ or variance σ from the norm²A value having a correlation substantially equivalent to the degree of deviation.

As described above, since the value of the position PCA increases or decreases in the plurality of image data according to the behavior in the direction for each of the transported objects CA, the adjustment result of the transport mode differs depending on which value of the position PCA is used. In the present embodiment, by using the fact that a plurality of image data in the detection areas MED, MRD are assigned to each transport CA, the statistical values of a plurality of positions PCA obtained from the plurality of image data are obtained, and the magnitude of the behavior in the above-described direction of each transport CA can be objectively grasped. In particular, by obtaining the statistical value of the position PCA for a plurality of the transported objects CA, the number of the position PCA used for the statistics can be further increased, and therefore, when the transported objects CA have physical forms substantially equal to each other, the processing force applied to the transported objects CA by the transported object processing means can be grasped more accurately.

Although the above description has been made with respect to the detection area MRD corresponding to the processing area MRS, the detection area MED corresponding to the processing area MES is different in the form of the image data of the transported object CA, but the detection area MED may be configured substantially similarly as the transport form adjustment means and processed. However, in the detection area MED, the conveyance object CA determined to be defective is excluded from the conveyance path 121 in the processing area MES, and hence the exclusion is not preferable only when the processing force is insufficient. However, when the processing power is excessive, the conveyance object CA can be removed from the conveyance path 121, but the removed conveyance object CA may be damaged by excessive air pressure, and therefore, when the statistical value is increased, adjustment to decrease the statistical value is required.

In the transport mode adjustment process, the calculation period and the calculation frequency of the statistical value can be set as appropriate. In each embodiment, the calculation of the statistical value and the adjustment process of the conveyance mode corresponding to the statistical value are performed periodically, automatically, or by a predetermined operation by the operation program using a method described later. In practice, the transport object CA shown in fig. 2 and 3 is transported at a transport speed of 1000/min by the transport device 10, and the positions PCA are respectively obtained in the detection area MRD in 2044 times of the captured images GPX. In this case, when the air blowing pressure is low, the statistical value (standard deviation σ) is 3.834, and the article CA is often rotated insufficiently, resulting in poor turnover. When the air-sending pressure is high, the statistical value (standard deviation σ) is 8.154, and the article CA is often rotated excessively, and therefore, the article CA is not turned over. Therefore, by controlling the blowing pressure so that the above-described statistical value is in the range of 4.5 or more and 6.0 or less, the blowing pressure can be adjusted so as not to cause the roll-over failure. In this case, as confirmed by the adjusted measurement, the statistical value is 5.628.

< second embodiment >

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 6. In the second embodiment, the shapes other than the detection areas MED, MRD are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore, the description of the same parts will be omitted.

The detection areas MED, MRD of the second embodiment are configured to: the first embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the boundary line MRDa on the contact surface (bottom surface) side (lower side in the drawing) of the conveyance object CA disposed on the conveyance path 121 is located on the opposite side (upper side in the drawing) from the same side edge portion of the conveyance object CA. As described above, when the position PCA in the above-described direction of the conveyance object CA corresponding to the conveyance object specification area WDS is obtained only when the entire conveyance object specification area WDS is included in the detection areas MED and MRD, as in the first embodiment, the value of the position PCA of the conveyance object CA in a state of contact with the conveyance object 121 can be excluded from the conveyance behavior detection processing and the conveyance form adjustment processing, and therefore, only the behavior of the conveyance object CA processed by the conveyance object processing means is detected, and the conveyance form (processing form) is adjusted accordingly.

Here, in order to exclude not only the conveyance objects CA in contact with the conveyance path 121 from the processing objects of the conveyance object adjustment processing, but also all the conveyance objects CA that have not received the processing force of the conveyance object processing unit, that is, the conveyance objects CA that have slightly floated from the conveyance path 121 due to the vibration of the conveyance device 10, from the processing objects of the conveyance object adjustment processing, it is preferable to appropriately set the position of the boundary line MRDa to a position above the position shown in the drawing. The position of the boundary line MRDa may be manually set while observing the plurality of captured images GPX and the image area GPY, or may be automatically set by a processing program based on a distribution of positions in the direction when the transported object CA determined to be a good object in the transported object determination stage of the transported object determination process passes through the detection areas MED and MRD. In the present embodiment, the conveyance object CA in the detection area MRD shown in fig. 6 (g) immediately before coming into contact with the conveyance path 121 is excluded from the objects of the conveyance form adjustment processing. In this way, since the position PCA of the transport CA determined as a good product can be not obtained, the correlation with the air blowing pressure of the statistical value can be improved, and therefore, it is effective in accurately grasping only the behavior of the transport CA processed by the transport processing means.

< third embodiment >

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 7. In the third embodiment, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment or the second embodiment can be employed except that the statistical value is not substantially used, and therefore, description of the similarly configurable portions is omitted. Fig. 7 illustrates the range of the detection area MRD as in the second embodiment.

The third embodiment is the same as the first or second embodiment in that the position PCA is obtained from each of the plurality of image data in the detection areas MED, MRD, but is different from the first or second embodiment in that the statistical value is not obtained from the position PCA, but a specific detection value is obtained for each of the transported objects CA. That is, in the present embodiment, as the detection values, the difference Δ v1 between the position PCA of a certain conveyance object CA (the position of the center of gravity G1 in the example of the drawing) obtained from the image data (fig. 7 (c)) in which the conveyance object specification region WDS is first specified in the detection regions MED and MRD and the position PCA of the conveyance object CA (the position of the center of gravity G2 in the example of the drawing) obtained from the image data (fig. 7 (d)) next to the same conveyance object CA is calculated. By using the detection value Δ v1, the outline of the behavior of the transport object CA in the above-described direction can be grasped, and by obtaining a representative value such as an average value or a median value of the detection values Δ v1 of the plurality of transport objects CA as another statistical value, the behavior of the transport object CA in the above-described direction can be grasped more accurately.

The detection value is not limited to Δ v1, and for example, a difference Δ v2 between the maximum value of the position PCA of a certain transport CA (the center of gravity Gp shown in fig. 7 (e)) and the position PCA of the transport CA (the position of the center of gravity G1 in the example of the figure) obtained from the first image data of the same transport CA (fig. 7 (c)) may be used. In this way, by setting the difference between the positions PCA of the transport objects CA as a detection value according to a certain rule, it is possible to obtain a result more corresponding to the behavior of the transport object CA in the above-described direction.

As shown in fig. 7 (g), unlike the above-described embodiments, a value corresponding to the maximum value (the position of the center of gravity Gp) among the plurality of positions PCA, and a difference Δ v3 between the position of the center of gravity Gp and the position of the boundary line MRDa of the detection area MRD in the example of the figure may be used as the detection value for each of the transported objects CA. Further, the statistical values shown in the first embodiment may be obtained for each of the transported objects CA, and a representative value such as an average value or a median value of the statistical values of the transported objects CA may be obtained from the statistical values of the transported objects CA and used as a detection value.

< fourth embodiment >

Next, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 8. In the fourth embodiment, as shown in fig. 8 (a) to (c), since the behavior of the conveyance object CA at the time of processing by the conveyance object processing means may take various states, the angular posture of the conveyance object CA with respect to the conveyance surfaces 121a and 121b is determined from the conveyance object specifying area WDS (spot) detected in the detection areas MED and MRD in addition to or instead of the position PCA. This angular posture is represented by a main axis angle θ of the conveyance object specifying area WDS shown in fig. 8 (d). Here, the main axis angle θ is derived from the major axis direction of an ellipse circumscribing the conveyance object specifying area WDS.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first to third embodiments, the transport processing unit (air pressure mechanism) is controlled such that no air flow is generated when the result of determination of the processing operation in the unnecessary processing areas MES and MRS (good product in the example of the figure) is output in the transport determination stage, and the air flow is started when the result of determination of the processing operation in the necessary processing areas MES and MRS (bad product in the example of the figure) is output. At this time, the processing operation by the conveyed article processing unit (air-pressure mechanism) may be started with reference to the output time of the determination result at the conveyed article determination stage, or the time at which the conveyed article identification area WDS (conveyed article CA) enters the processing areas MEs and MRs in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 (the time at which the conveyed article identification area WDS leaves the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1) may be used as reference. That is, the processing operation of the conveyed article processing unit (air-pressure mechanism) is started with reference to the timing at which the conveyed article CA enters the processing areas MES and MRS after the output timing of the determination result (the determination timing at which the processing operation is necessary). In addition, the present embodiment may be configured in the same manner as the first to third embodiments.

In the present embodiment, if the timing of starting the blowing of the air flow from the purge air nozzle OPS or the inversion air nozzle OPR to the conveyance object CA is too early with respect to the angular posture of the conveyance object CA with respect to the conveyance surfaces 121a and 121b of the conveyance path 121, the conveyance object CA is inclined such that the front portion in the conveyance direction of the conveyance object CA is arranged above the drawing and the rear portion in the conveyance direction is arranged below the drawing, as shown in fig. 8 (a). The main axis angle θ at this time is a positive value. On the other hand, if the timing of starting the blowing of the air flow from the purge air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR to the carrier CA is too late, the carrier CA takes a posture in which the front part in the conveying direction of the carrier CA is arranged below the drawing and the rear part in the conveying direction is arranged above the drawing as shown in fig. 8 (c). The main axis angle θ at this time is a negative value. When the timing of starting the blowing of the air flow from the purge air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR to the carrier CA is appropriate, the carrier CA is disposed substantially horizontally on the conveyance path 121 as shown in fig. 8 (b), and the main axis angle θ also has a small value. If the inclined posture is increased, the article to be conveyed is affected, easily damaged, or turned over.

In the present embodiment, the drive signal DS to the valve (e.g., solenoid valve) of the air compressing mechanism (not shown) is adjusted as shown in fig. 8 (e) to (g) in accordance with the magnitude of the main shaft angle θ indicating the angular position of the conveyed object CA by the conveyance mode adjustment processing. For example, when the blowing start timing of the air flow is too early as shown in fig. 8 (a), the timing of the drive signal for opening the valve is advanced by a predetermined time Δ ta corresponding to the magnitude of the main shaft angle θ as shown in fig. 8 (e) compared to the timing of the normal drive signal shown by the two-dot chain line. In addition, when the blow start timing of the air stream is too late as shown in (c) of fig. 8, the timing of the drive signal DS for opening the valve is delayed from the timing of the normal drive signal shown by the two-dot chain line by a predetermined time Δ tb corresponding to the magnitude of the main shaft angle θ as shown in (g) of fig. 8. Further, in the case where the blow start timing of the air stream is appropriate as shown in (b) of fig. 8, the timing of the drive signal DS for opening the valve is maintained as shown in (f) of fig. 8. In order to advance the timing of the drive signal DS as shown in fig. 8 (e), it is necessary to delay the start timing of the processing operation of the standard conveyed object processing unit by a predetermined time Δ t from the determination timing of whether or not the processing operation of the conveyed object processing unit is necessary, and to set the positional relationship between the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 and the processing areas MEs and MRs in advance so as to prevent an obstacle from being generated when the processing operation is delayed by the delay time Δ t. That is, in the present embodiment, the delay time Δ t is set in advance between the determination time of whether or not the processing operation is necessary and the start time of the processing operation, and the start time is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the delay time Δ t. This makes it possible to advance the timing of the drive signal DS within the range Δ ta ≦ Δ t.

In the present embodiment, since the angular posture of the transport object CA is hardly changed even when there are a plurality of pieces of image data for each transport object CA, the plurality of main axis angles θ are set as detection values, and a representative value such as an average value or a median of the detection values is obtained as a statistical value, and the value is compared with a predetermined threshold value, for example, a positive threshold value and a negative threshold value in the case of the main axis angle θ, and the processing start timing may be adjusted when there is an absolute value larger than each threshold value. Here, in the case of the angular posture, a statistical value indicating the degree of deviation is not obtained as in the first embodiment, but a representative value, which is a statistical value indicating the tendency of the angular posture, is obtained.

Actually, the conveyance operation detection processing is performed 2044 times in the conveyor 10, and the average value of the main axis angle θ is obtained for the case where the blowing start timing is too early in the detection region MRD, and the result is 14.971 degrees. When the blow start timing is too late, the same number of times of processing as described above is performed, and the average value of the main axis angle θ is-7.381 degrees. Therefore, it is appropriate to set the average value of the main axis angle θ to be 7 degrees or less and-4 degrees or more, set the positive threshold value of the main axis angle θ to be 7 degrees and the negative threshold value to be-4 degrees, and adjust the blowing start timing based on the difference between the value of the main axis angle θ and the threshold value when the positive threshold value is exceeded or when the negative threshold value is fallen below. This suppresses the tilting of the conveyed object, and eliminates various problems. After the blow start timing was appropriately adjusted in this way, the average value of the main axis angle θ was obtained by the same number of times of processing as described above, and the result was 4.193 degrees.

< fifth embodiment >

Next, a fifth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 9. In the fifth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, the angular position of the conveyance object CA relative to the conveyance surfaces 121a and 121b is detected from the image data in the detection areas MED and MRD. However, the present invention is different from the fourth embodiment in that the main axis angle θ is not obtained or the value of the main axis angle θ is not added to the statistical value. In the present embodiment, the point that the representative value of the main axis angle θ is obtained as the statistical value of the angular orientation is the same as in the fourth embodiment, but here, the statistical value is calculated excluding the transported object that is not processed by the transported object processing means. Therefore, as in the second embodiment, the boundary MRDa between the detection areas MED and MRD is set, and the conveyance object CA in contact with the conveyance path 121 and the conveyance object CA having a height floating from the conveyance path 121 equal to or less than a predetermined value are not determined as the conveyance object determination area WDS in the detection areas MED and MRD.

< sixth embodiment >

Next, a sixth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 10. In the sixth embodiment, a method of adjusting the blowing timing of the conveyance mode adjustment processing by the conveyance mode adjustment means is different from the fourth and fifth embodiments, and other configurations can be configured in the same manner as the fourth and fifth embodiments, and therefore, descriptions of portions that can be configured in the same manner are omitted.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first to fourth embodiments, the transport processing unit (air pressure mechanism) is controlled such that no air flow is generated when the result of determination of the processing operation in the unnecessary processing areas MES and MRS (good product in the example of the figure) is output in the transport determination stage, and the air flow is started when the result of determination of the processing operation in the necessary processing areas MES and MRS (bad product in the example of the figure) is output. In this case, the processing operation by the conveyed article processing unit (air-pressure mechanism) may be started with reference to the time of necessity/unnecessity of the processing operation at which the determination result at the conveyed article determination stage is output, or the time of entry of the conveyed article identification area WDS (conveyed article CA) into the processing areas MEs and MRs in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 (the time of departure from the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1) after the determination time may be used as reference. That is, the processing operation of the conveyed object processing unit (air pressure mechanism) is started with reference to the timing at which the judgment result is output, the timing at which the conveyed object CA enters the processing areas MES and MRS, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the start time of the processing operation of the conveyed object processing means (air pressure mechanism) is not changed by the time adjustment of the drive signal as in the fifth embodiment, but the start time is finally changed by changing the measurement area itself of the conveyed object discrimination processing. For example, when the start time and the determination time are linked, the determination time can be relatively changed by moving the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 forward and backward in the conveyance direction F with respect to the purge air port OPS or the reversing air port OPR. Therefore, when the determination time is changed by the movement of the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1, the start time associated therewith can be changed.

For example, when the processing operation is too early as shown in fig. 10 (a), the determination time is delayed by a time corresponding to Δ L because the position on the image data of the transport determination area WDS is detected to move Δ L in the transport direction F with respect to the detection areas MED, MRD as shown in fig. 10 (b), and therefore the determination time is delayed by a time corresponding to Δ L, and therefore the blow start time can be appropriately adjusted, and when the processing operation is too late as shown in fig. 10 (c), the position on the image data of the transport determination area WDS is detected to move Δ L in the opposite direction to the transport direction F with respect to mrmed, d as shown in fig. 10 (d), and therefore the determination time is advanced by Δ L corresponding to the start time, and therefore the blow start time can be appropriately adjusted.

On the other hand, when the start time is the time when a part of the conveyance object specifying area WDS specified in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 enters the processing areas MEs and MRs, the boundary positions between the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 and the processing areas MEs and MRs may be moved relative to the front and back of the removal air ports OPS or the inversion air ports OPR in the conveyance direction F. Here, the boundary position may be moved by moving the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 back and forth in the transport direction F in the original range. In this case, the start timing can be relatively advanced or retarded by the movement of the boundary position.

< seventh embodiment >

Next, a seventh embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 11. The present embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that the detection area MFD is set in an area (normal conveyance area) where the conveyance object processing unit does not perform the processing operation, unlike the detection areas MED and MRD including the processing areas MES and MRS including the air outlets OPS and OPR of the conveyance object processing unit. The detection region MFD is configured as in the detection regions MED, MRD of the second embodiment: the boundary MFDa on the contact surface (bottom surface) side (lower side in the drawing) of the conveyance object CA disposed on the conveyance path 121 is positioned on the opposite side (upper side in the drawing) from the same side edge of the conveyance object CA. This structure is also configured as follows: the conveyance object CA contacting the conveyance path 121 is not detected in the detection region MFD, and only the conveyance object CA floating from the conveyance path 121 due to the vibration of the conveyance body 120 generated by the excitation mechanism can be detected.

Here, it is preferable that the position (height) of the boundary line MFDa is set to an appropriate value in consideration of the standard floating amount of the transport object CA during transport caused by vibration of the transport object 120 as a detection target in the present embodiment, and in addition, the behavior of the transport object CA in the direction away from the transport path 121 or in the direction along the width direction of the transport path 121 due to the vibration is grasped. For example, the position (height) of the boundary MFDa, that is, the distance between the boundary MFDa and the contact surface of the conveyance object CA with the conveyance path 121 is preferably set to a range of 1/5 to 2/3, more preferably 1/4 to 1/2, of the size of the conveyance object CA in the direction away from the conveyance path 121 or in the direction along the width direction of the conveyance path 121, based on the relationship with the standard float amount.

In the present embodiment, the conveyance behavior detection means obtains the position PCA in the direction away from the conveyance path 121 or the direction along the width direction of the conveyance path 121 and the angular posture (main axis angle θ) of the conveyance surfaces 121a and 121b with respect to the conveyance object CA detected by the conveyance behavior detection processing, with respect to the conveyance path 121 floating and disposed in the detection region MFD as a whole. By obtaining the position PCA and the main axis angle θ, the conveyance state of the conveyance object CA can be grasped. If the position PCA is too large, the vertical movement is too large, which causes problems such as a decrease in conveying efficiency and a tendency to damage the conveyed article CA. If the above-mentioned position PCA is too small, it is considered that the conveying speed is lowered. Further, if the main axis angle θ is too large, the conveyance posture is greatly disturbed, and therefore, the conveyance efficiency is poor, or the alignment is likely to be poor due to the posture change. In order to grasp such a tendency of the conveyance state, for example, a statistical value for grasping the magnitude of numerical values such as a representative value or a statistical value for grasping the magnitude of deviation such as a standard deviation or a variance may be obtained. For example, a large deviation of the position PCA or the main axis angle θ means that the behavior of the transport object CA in a direction other than the transport direction is large or the transport object CA is not transported uniformly, and therefore, it is considered that either of them indicates an inefficient transport state.

By grasping the behavior of the transport object CA in the above-described direction, it is expected that the transport mode will be optimized based on the transport state of the transport object CA on the transport path 121. For example, when the vertical movement or inclination of the transport object CA is excessively large or variation occurs, the transport state can be optimized by changing the driving frequency or amplitude of the excitation mechanism, changing the excitation direction (angle), the excitation energy (voltage), and the like.

< construction of action program >

Fig. 12 is a schematic flow chart of processing executed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU of the inspection processing unit DTU in accordance with the operation program, when the operation program is started, the image pickup and image measurement processing is started, and the driving of the transport device 10 (feeder 11 and linear feeder 12) is started by the controllers C L11 and C L12, and then, when the final determination result of the transport object discrimination processing is OK determination, the image measurement processing of the next picked-up image GPX or image area GPY is directly executed as long as the debug operation is not performed, and when the final determination result of the transport object determination processing is OK determination, the image measurement processing of the next picked-up image GPX or image area GPY is executed, for example, when the final determination result of the transport object determination processing is OK determination, the air flow from the reject air port OPS is always stopped, and when all the good product is blown out through the air flow through the reject air port OPS is always stopped, and the transport good product is always returned to the transport port inversion processing area as the transport area MES, and the good product transport air flow is always stopped at the transport port no longer detected as the transport defect air flow from the air flow through the air flow from the reject air flow through the transport port for the transport air flow detection area MES, and the transport air flow is always stopped at the transport air flow for the transport air flow of the transport path for the transport carrier area, and the transport defect detection area, and the transport air flow for the transport carrier, and the transport carrier area may be returned to the transport carrier area as the transport area for the transport good product transport area for the transport carrier area, or the transport area for the transport object.

In this way, the conveyance object CA is discriminated on the conveyance path 121, and processing is performed based on the discrimination result, whereby only good products are supplied to the downstream side in an aligned state. In this case, the determination of the next captured image GPX or image area GPY can be directly performed as long as the debugging operation is not performed thereafter. Further, when the conveyance behavior detection process for the conveyance object CA is performed in parallel with the discrimination or process, and the conveyance form needs to be adjusted based on the detection result, for example, when the value of the position or the angular orientation, or a statistical value of a plurality of the positions or the angular orientations exceeds a predetermined threshold value or the like, at least a part of the exciting member of the exciting mechanism or at least a part of the processing member of the conveyance object processing means is controlled or changed based on the value or the statistical value, and finally the conveyance form of the conveyance object by the conveyance body is adjusted.

When the debugging operation is performed halfway and the debugging setting is turned ON, the program (routine) is removed, the driving of the transport apparatus 10 is stopped, and the image measurement processing is also stopped. Then, when an appropriate operation is performed in this state, the image file can be selected as described above. At this time, the image file selected for display is an image file including a plurality of captured images GPX or image areas GPY recorded in the previous operation mode. If the image file is directly selected and an appropriate operation is performed, the mode is shifted to a re-execution mode. In this mode, the display of the image or the discrimination, the detection of the behavior, and the adjustment of the conveyance mode can be executed again based on the discrimination and the processing operation that have been executed as described above or the image file in which the behavior is recorded. That is, when a problem occurs in the control of the transported object CA by the transport apparatus 10, in order to eliminate the problem, the image measurement process is first executed again based on the past image data, and a problem portion of the image measurement process is searched for. When the problem part is found, the setting contents (set values) of the discrimination processing, behavior detection processing, and adjustment processing are changed and adjusted accordingly, and the image measurement processing is re-executed again on the past image data to confirm the result of the adjustment and improvement work. Then, when an appropriate recovery operation is performed, the debug setting is recovered to OFF, the image measurement processing is started again, and the driving of the conveyance device 10 is started again. Further, the screen of the display device is returned to the display screen of the operation mode.

In the embodiments described above, when the cameras CM1 and CM2 continuously take images at predetermined imaging intervals and image measurement processing is performed on the image data in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1, and the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 have ranges L D1 that always include all the objects CA passing through the conveyance path 121, in accordance with the relationship between the conveyance speed Vs and the imaging interval Ts of the objects, the objects CA disposed in the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 can be detected in any one of the captured images, and therefore, it is not necessary to generate trigger signals for detecting the positions of the respective objects as in the conventional technique, and it is not necessary to process the image data of the determination target portions CAs1 to CAs4 included in the image, and information on the determination target portions can be reliably extracted, and therefore, it is possible to perform only a high-speed image measurement processing for determining that the conveyance direction of the object CA is formed at a high speed, and thus, it is possible to perform only a high-speed image measurement processing for detecting the image data of the conveyance direction forming a high-capturing image data of the conveyance direction forming system, and the detection of the detection target portions of the object CA, and the detection of the detection target portions of the detection of the.

Further, by disposing the first measurement areas ME1 and MR1 adjacent to the upstream side of the processing areas MEs and MRs and performing image measurement processing on the image data of the second measurement areas ME2 and MR2 disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the processing areas MEs and MRs by the transport passage detection means, it is possible to detect that the transport CA has passed through the processing areas MEs and MRs and has deviated to the downstream side. Therefore, when the conveyed article discrimination unit determines that the conveyed article control unit is in the passing state based on the predetermined discrimination form (for example, good article) of the conveyed article CA in the first measurement area ME1 or MR1 and a determination result that the next conveyed article is in the same predetermined discrimination form (for example, good article) is not obtained by the conveyed article discrimination unit, the conveyed article processing unit can be switched from the non-processing state to the processing state by the conveyed processing control unit when the conveyed article passage detection unit detects that the conveyed article in the same predetermined discrimination form (for example, good article) has passed through the processing area and has deviated to the downstream side. Thus, even when the object is conveyed at high speed and high density, the conveyed object can be processed (sorted) reliably at high speed.

Further, when the transport object CA having the determination result of the predetermined determination form (for example, good product) obtained only by the transport object determination means can pass through the processing areas MES and MRS, and the other transport objects CA are processed (excluded, reversed, distributed, etc.) in the processing areas MES and MRS, the transport object CA is not limited to the case where the transport object CA is determined to be a different determination form (for example, defective) from the above, and even when detection omission or a determination error occurs, the transport objects CA other than the predetermined determination form (for example, good product) are processed in the processing areas MES and MRS, and therefore, it is possible to reliably avoid a situation where the transport object CA having the different determination form (for example, defective) is supplied as it is.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the above-described behavior (the above-described position or angular orientation) of the transport object CA is detected, and the transport mode is adjusted based on the detected value, whereby the transport mode of the transport object CA can be easily optimized, and the adjustment of the transport mode can be performed automatically during transport as described above, or at least partially manually.

The conveyance management apparatus and the conveyance apparatus according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described examples, and it is needless to say that various modifications may be added without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the conveyance object CA is excluded from the conveyance path 121 by the blowing air flow as the sorting method at the sorting position, but the method for sorting the conveyance object CA is representative, and the contents of the respective processes and the range of the respective measurement areas are not particularly limited, and various known techniques for detection and determination, for example, a mechanical exclusion means or the like can be employed. The mode of processing the transported object may be various modes such as inversion and distribution (change of the transport direction), as well as exclusion.

Claims

1. A conveyance management system for managing a conveyance mode of a conveyance object conveyed on a conveyance path provided in a conveyance body, the conveyance management system comprising:

an imaging unit that repeatedly images the conveyance object on the conveyance path; and

and a conveyance behavior detection unit that detects a behavior of the conveyance object in a direction separating from the conveyance path or in a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path, the conveyance object being separated from the conveyance path or moving along the width direction of the conveyance path on the conveyance path, based on image data of the conveyance object arranged in a detection area in the captured image captured by the imaging unit.

2. The conveyance management system according to claim 1,

the conveyance device further includes a conveyance form adjustment unit that adjusts a conveyance form of the conveyance object based on the behavior detected by the conveyance behavior detection unit.

3. The conveyance management system according to claim 1 or 2,

the behavior is a position of the conveyance object in a direction away from the conveyance path or in a direction along a width direction of the conveyance path, or an angular posture of the conveyance object with respect to a conveyance surface of the conveyance path.

4. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

a conveyed article discrimination unit that discriminates the conveyed article from an image of the conveyed article in a first measurement area on the conveyance path; and

a conveyed object processing unit that processes the conveyed object on the basis of the discrimination result of the conveyed object discrimination unit in a processing area on the conveyance path provided at a position corresponding to the first measurement area;

the detection zone contains the treatment region.

5. The conveyance management system according to claim 2, further comprising:

the conveyance form adjustment means controls the manner of processing the conveyance object by the conveyance object processing means so as to adjust the conveyance form.

6. The conveyance management system according to claim 5,

the processing mode is at least one of the magnitude of the processing force applied to the transported object and the timing of applying the processing force when the transported object is processed.

7. The conveyance management system according to claim 2,

the conveying body moves the conveyed object along the conveying path by using vibration generated by an excitation mechanism,

the conveying mode adjusting means controls the excitation mode of the excitation mechanism so as to adjust the conveying mode.

8. The conveyance management system according to claim 7,

the excitation mode is at least one of an excitation frequency, an amplitude, an excitation direction, or an excitation power of the excitation mechanism.

9. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 2, 5 to 8,

the conveying form adjusting unit derives a statistical value from the plurality of behaviors detected by the conveying behavior detecting unit, and adjusts the conveying form of the conveying body according to the statistical value.

10. The conveyance management system according to claim 9,

the statistical value is a value indicating a degree of deviation of a plurality of the behaviors.

11. The conveyance management system according to claim 9,

the statistical value is a representative value representing an overall tendency of the plurality of behaviors.

12. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the imaging unit is configured to continuously image the transported object at predetermined imaging intervals.

13. The conveyance management system of claim 12,

the detection area is set to always include all the objects passing through the conveyance path based on a plurality of captured images captured at the imaging interval and on a relationship between a conveyance speed of the objects on the conveyance path and the imaging interval.

14. The conveyance management system of claim 13,

the detection regions are set so that all of the transported material passing through the transport path is included in each of the plurality of captured images.

15. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 2, 5 to 11,

the conveyance form adjustment means adjusts the conveyance form in accordance with the behavior of the conveyance object separated by a predetermined distance or more from a contact position on the conveyance path in a direction away from the conveyance path or in a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path.

16. The conveyance management system according to claim 5 or 6,

the conveyance form adjustment means adjusts the conveyance form in accordance with the behavior of the conveyance object processed by the conveyance object processing means, except for the conveyance object that is not processed by the conveyance object processing means.

17. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 5, 6, or 16,

the conveyance object processing unit has a structure for selectively blowing an air flow toward a direction separating from the conveyance path or a direction along the width direction of the conveyance path to the conveyance object,

the conveyance form adjustment unit controls the intensity of the air flow according to the behavior detected by the conveyance behavior detection unit so as to adjust the conveyance form.

18. The conveyance management system according to any one of claims 5, 6, 16, or 17,

the conveyance form adjustment unit controls the blowing timing of the air flow according to the behavior detected by the conveyance behavior detection unit so as to adjust the conveyance form.

19. A conveyor device is characterized by comprising:

the delivery management system of any one of claims 1 to 18; and

the conveying body is provided with the conveying path.

20. The delivery device of claim 19,

the conveying device is a vibration type conveying device further comprising an excitation mechanism for exciting the conveying body.