CN114261698A

CN114261698A - Conveying control system and conveying device

Info

Publication number: CN114261698A
Application number: CN202111080082.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 神户祐二; 米仓毅
Original assignee: DAISHIN CO LTD
Current assignee: DAISHIN CO LTD; Tokyo Weld Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-01
Filing date: 2021-09-15
Publication date: 2022-04-01
Also published as: JP2022059301A; TW202214512A; KR20220044403A; JP7398709B2

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying control system capable of avoiding poor conveying and poor detection of overlapping of front and rear conveyed objects and a conveying device using the conveying control system; the conveyance control system includes: an image acquisition unit that repeatedly acquires images of a measurement area on a conveyance path on which the conveyed object is conveyed by photographing by the photographing unit; a conveying object occupying range determining unit that detects a continuous occupying range in the measuring area, and determines the size of the continuous occupying range with reference to a unit occupying range corresponding to one conveying object, the continuous occupying range being a range in which occupied areas of the conveying objects on the conveying path are connected together or a range in which the occupied areas are adjacent at intervals smaller than a predetermined value; and a conveyed article control unit that controls a conveyance state of at least one of the conveyed articles disposed within the continuous occupation range when the continuous occupation range satisfies a condition of misjudgment with reference to the unit occupation range.

Description

Conveying control system and conveying device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a conveyance control system and a conveyance device, and more particularly, to a conveyance control technique which is particularly suitable for use in a vibration type conveyance device and is particularly effective when conveying an article moving on a conveyance path to various supply destinations.

Background

Generally, a conveying device for conveying a fine conveyance object such as a surface-mounted electronic component is configured to: a rotary vibrating conveyor having a spiral conveying path, which is called a bowl feeder, raises fine conveyed objects along a track, and finally, a linear vibrating conveyor having a linear conveying path, which is called a linear feeder, supplies the conveyed objects to a component inspection device, a component mounting device, a transfer robot, and the like, which are supply destinations, while keeping the postures of the conveyed objects uniform.

In the above-described transport apparatus, in recent years, the transported material has become finer, and it has been required to supply a large number of electronic parts having a size of sand grains. Further, the above-mentioned fine electronic components include extremely thin components of about several tens of micrometers, and there is a problem that it is difficult to align the components and to efficiently convey the components because the components are easily overlapped with each other when a large amount of such thin conveyed materials are conveyed. As a conventional conveying system corresponding to a relatively large thin conveyed article, conveying systems shown in

patent documents

1 and 2 below are known.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 8-113350

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-158524

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the devices described in the above-mentioned

conventional patent documents

1 and 2, since the transported material is relatively large and has a thickness larger than that of the transported material in recent years, the devices use a mechanical overlap prevention device or match the position and shape of the air ejection port with the thickness of the transported material. However, in recent years, when the size of the transported object is reduced as described above, there is a problem that the transported object is clogged or the overlapped state of the transported object is difficult to detect by a sensor because it is difficult to cope with the mechanical processing.

In addition, in the related art, a cover is provided on the conveyance path at the end portion of the conveyance object that is to be delivered to the supply destination, and an underdrain structure having a passage cross section that matches the shape of the conveyance object is formed, thereby preventing the conveyance object from overlapping or supplying the conveyance object in different postures. However, even in such a case, there is a problem in that: since the size and thickness of the transported material are reduced, the transported material is easily clogged in the underdrain structure, and it is difficult to maintain a stable transported state.

In particular, in the case of a vibrating conveyor, since the conveyed material is moved by vibration while moving up and down in the conveying path, it is actually difficult to prevent the conveyance material from being clogged on the conveying path or to detect overlapping.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance control system capable of avoiding conveyance failure such as jamming of a conveyed material and detection failure of a state in which the conveyed materials overlap each other before and after the conveyance control system, and a conveyance device using the conveyance control system.

In view of the above circumstances, a conveyance control system according to the present invention includes: an image acquisition unit (MPU, DTU, RAM) for repeatedly acquiring an image of a measurement area (ME) on a conveying path (121) for conveying the conveyed object (CA) by means of imaging by an imaging unit (130 CM); a conveying object occupation range identification unit (MPU, RAM) which detects a continuous occupation range (121CT) in the measurement area (ME), and determines the size of the continuous occupation range (121CT) by taking a unit occupation range (121U) corresponding to one conveying object (CA) as a reference, wherein the continuous occupation range (121CT) is a range in which occupation areas of the conveying objects (CA) on the conveying path (121) are connected into a whole or a range in which the occupation areas are connected at intervals smaller than a predetermined value; and a conveyance object control unit (OP) that controls a conveyance state of at least one conveyance object (CA) disposed within the continuous occupancy range (121CT) when the continuous occupancy range (121CT) satisfies a condition for misjudgment with the unit occupancy range (121U) as a reference.

According to the present invention, the size of the continuous occupation range of the transported objects on the transport path is determined based on the unit occupation range, and for example, when the size of the continuous occupation range exceeds the unit occupation range, there is a high possibility that two or more transported objects overlap each other on the transport path, and when the size of the whole exceeds the unit occupation range, there is a high possibility that the transported objects before and after overlap each other after each other, the plurality of occupation regions having a distance smaller than a predetermined value are included in the continuous occupation range. Therefore, when the possibility that the transport objects are overlapped is high or the probability of overlapping is high, by controlling at least one transport object arranged in the continuous occupation range, the overlapped transport objects or the transport objects with high probability of overlapping can be removed from the transport path. Further, since the transport object occupation range determination means is only required to determine the size of the continuous occupation range of the transport objects on the transport path based on the unit occupation range, there is no need to detect the overlapping of the transport objects as in the conventional technique, and therefore, the possibility or probability of overlapping of the transport objects can be easily and reliably determined regardless of the fine transport object or the thin transport object. In particular, in the case of the vibrating conveyor, the conveyed material is conveyed while moving up and down on the conveyance path, but since the area occupied by the conveyed material on the conveyance path itself is not easily affected by the up and down movement, it is possible to avoid a decrease in detection accuracy due to vibration of the conveyed material.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance object occupation range determination means (MPU, RAM) determines an occupation range when viewed from a specific direction in which two or more of the conveyance objects (CA) are more likely to overlap on the conveyance path (121) than in other directions. This makes it possible to more easily and reliably detect the overlapping of the objects on the conveyance path. In this case, it is preferable that the image capturing direction of the image capturing unit (MPU, DTU, RAM) is the specific direction. Thereby, image processing for determining the occupation range becomes easy, and the discrimination accuracy can be improved. The specific direction may be, for example, a height direction in which a height dimension of a vertical, horizontal, and height of the object to be conveyed on the conveying surface of the conveying path has a minimum value.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyed article control means (MPU, RAM) applies the removal force to a portion located rearward in the conveying direction than the unit occupation range (121U) when the unit occupation range (121U) is assumed to be located in a portion located forward in the conveying direction within the continuous occupation range (121 CT). In this way, the overlapped conveyed articles or the conveyed articles close to each other are conveyed continuously, and the removing force is applied to the conveyed article located at the rear portion, so that the conveyed articles overlapped with each other are easily separated from each other by the conveying direction, and thus the overlapped state can be easily and reliably released.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the measurement area (ME) is set at an end portion (121e) of the conveyance path (121). In this way, the overlapped state or the approaching state of the transported objects can be detected at the most downstream end portion of the transport path, and the state can be released, so that the state in which the transported objects are aligned toward the supply destination can be ensured, and the transfer location toward the supply destination can be prevented from being clogged. In this case, it is preferable that the image acquisition means (MPU, DTU, RAM) further includes a conveyed article reception availability detection means (MPU, RAM) that acquires an image obtained by imaging a range including the measurement area (ME) and a receiving unit (21a) of a supply destination (20) to which the Conveyed Article (CA) is supplied from the terminal unit (121e) by the imaging means (130CM), and processes the image to detect whether or not the receiving unit (21a) can receive the Conveyed Article (CA). In this way, it is possible to detect whether or not the receiving unit of the supply destination can receive the transported object from the image including the terminal portion, and therefore, it is possible to cope with the control of the supply destination, the supply stop with respect to the supply destination, or the like without using a separate imaging unit.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the transported object occupation region identification unit (MPU, RAM) includes a detection region (Ls) in the measurement area (ME), the detection region (Ls) being fixed in the transport direction (F) and being set so that the continuous occupation region (121CT) satisfying the condition of misjudgment always occupies the detection region (Ls). Thus, the conveyed article occupation range determination means performs the improper determination when the continuous occupation range occupies (entirely includes) the detection area fixed in the conveyance direction in the measurement area, and thereby fixes the detection position in the measurement area at the time of the improper determination in the conveyance direction.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the image acquisition unit (MPU, DTU, RAM) continuously performs imaging at a predetermined imaging interval (Ts) by the imaging unit (130CM), and the measurement area (ME) has a range which is set in advance so as to always include all the transported objects (CA) passing through the transport path (121) according to a relationship between a transport speed (Vs) of the transported objects (CA) and the imaging interval (Ts). Thus, even when the arrival time of the transported object does not coincide with the imaging time, all the transported objects are always arranged in the measurement area of any one image, and therefore, all the transported objects can be detected by detecting the transported object by processing each image in the measurement area. In this way, since it is not necessary to generate a trigger signal for detecting the position of each transported object as in the conventional technique, a sensor for detecting the transported object is not necessary, and the detection unit can be configured simply. Therefore, when objects are conveyed in succession, it is not necessary to consider the detection omission of each object, and therefore, it is not necessary to form a gap between objects in advance, and the like. Further, since only image data in a predetermined measurement area among a plurality of continuously captured images is processed, image measurement processing for determining the transport object CA can be performed at high speed and with high accuracy. This configuration may be performed by general video shooting as long as the above conditions are satisfied.

In the above case, it is preferable that when n is a natural number of 1 to 10 and β is Ts · Vs, a length LD of the measurement area (ME) in the conveyance direction (F) along the conveyance path (121) has a value satisfying the following equation, where L is a length of one of the conveyed objects in the conveyance direction (F), Ts is the imaging period, and Vs is the conveyance speed.

LD≥L+n·β＝L+n·Ts·Vs

In this way, the continuous occupation range is detected in a state where all the objects are always arranged in the area in the transport direction in any one image data, and it is determined whether or not the unit occupation range is exceeded. Here, n is more preferably in the range of 3 to 7.

In this case, it is further preferable that, in a case where the continuous occupation range (121CT) satisfying the condition of improper judgment is always occupied and a detection region (Ls) fixed in the conveyance direction (F) is provided in the measurement area (ME), the photographing interval (Ts) is set so that all of the continuous occupation ranges (121CT) satisfying the condition of improper judgment are always photographed when occupying the detection region (Ls) in accordance with the conveyance speed (Vs). Specifically, when the continuous occupation range (121CT) of the length (Lct) in the transport direction (F) is improperly determined in the detection region with reference to the unit occupation range of the same length (L), if the same length (Ls) of the detection region is used and the length (Lct) in the transport direction (F) of the continuous occupation range (121CT) is set to Ls + Δ Lt (Δ Lt > 0), an image in which the continuous occupation range is arranged in the region can be obtained without fail as long as Δ Lt ≧ β ≧ Ts · Vs is established, and therefore, the continuous occupation range of all the objects can be detected using any captured image.

In the present invention, it is preferable that: a light-transmitting region (121c) formed on the conveying surfaces (121a, 121b) of the conveying path (121) in the measurement area (ME), and a back-side illumination unit (140BL) that irradiates light from the back side of the conveying surfaces (121a, 121b) to the side of the imaging unit (130CM) through the light-transmitting region (121 c); the conveyance object occupation range discrimination unit (MPU, RAM) detects the size of the continuous occupation range (121CT) in the measurement area (ME) using information indicating the range of a light-shielding portion or a non-light-shielding portion of the light-transmitting region (121c) that is shielded by the conveyance object (CA) with respect to the image data in the measurement area (ME). In this way, in the image data of the measurement area obtained by the image obtaining unit, the information indicating the range of the light-shielding portion or the non-light-shielding portion blocked by the transported object in the light-transmitting area is extracted by the light-transmitting area for irradiating light to the imaging unit side by the back side illuminating unit, and the size of the continuous occupation range in the measurement area is detected by the information, so that the processing of the image becomes easy and reliable, and therefore, the speed and the high accuracy of the process of identifying the occupation range of the transported object can be realized. That is, the continuous occupation range having a size equal to or smaller than the unit occupation range does not occupy the entire detection area, and the continuous occupation range satisfying the condition of the improper determination occupies the entire detection area, and therefore, the determination is made based on whether or not the continuous occupation range is the size occupying the entire detection area.

In this case, the light-transmitting region (121c) is preferably configured to have a width smaller than the width of the conveyance object (CA) on the conveyance path (121). According to the present invention, in the image data of the measurement area obtained by the image obtaining unit, the light transmitting region through which the light is transmitted to the imaging unit side by the back side illumination unit is limited to a width narrower than the width of the transported object, and the amount of light of the back side illumination is suppressed. In addition, when the width of the transport object varies depending on the posture of the transport object on the transport path, the light-transmitting region may be formed to be narrower than the maximum width. However, the light-transmitting region is preferably configured to have a width smaller than all the widths corresponding to the postures that the transported object can take on the transport path.

In the present invention, the light-transmitting region (121c) may be configured in a slit shape having a shape longer than the length of the transported object (CA) in the transport direction. In this case, the position range of the transported object can be determined more easily and reliably by covering a part of the slit-shaped light-transmitting region extending in the transport direction with the transported object, based on the range of the light-shielding portion or the non-light-shielding portion of the light-transmitting region covered with the transported object. In this case, the light-transmitting region (121c) is preferably formed over the entire range of the measurement region (ME) in the transport direction. Thus, since the light-shielding portion or the non-light-shielding portion can be grasped at any position in the conveyance direction of the measurement area, the presence or absence of the conveyed object and the position range can be determined more easily.

Further, the light-transmitting region (121c) may be formed of a group of a plurality of light-transmitting region sections (121g to 121i) arranged in the measurement region (ME). In this case, by observing whether any one of the plurality of light-transmitting area portions is blocked by the transport object, the position range of the transport object (CA) can be easily and reliably determined. In particular, the light-transmitting regions are preferably arranged in the transport direction, may be arranged in the width direction, or may be arranged in both directions. In this case, the light-transmitting region is preferably arranged over the entire range of the measurement area (ME) in the transport direction. Thus, since the light-shielding portion or the non-light-shielding portion can be grasped at any position in the conveyance direction of the measurement area, the presence or absence of the conveyed object and the position range can be determined more easily. In these cases, the light-transmitting area sections (121g to 121i) are preferably shorter than the length of the conveyance object (CA) in the conveyance direction. Since the light-transmitting area is further limited by arranging the plurality of light-transmitting area portions smaller than the transported object in the transport direction, the image information of the surface captured by the imaging unit can be more easily extracted.

In this case, the plurality of light-transmitting region portions (121g to 121i) of the light-transmitting region (121c) preferably include: a first light-transmitting area (121h) and a second light-transmitting area (121i) which are included in the length range of the unit occupying range in the conveying direction, and a third light-transmitting area (121g) which has a portion that is not covered when the first light-transmitting area (121h) and the second light-transmitting area (121i) are covered by the unit occupying range (121U). Thus, it is possible to determine whether or not the continuous occupation range exceeds the unit occupation range, based on whether or not the portion (or at least a portion thereof) of the third light-transmitting region that is not covered when both the first light-transmitting region and the second light-transmitting region are covered. At this time, it may be determined whether the continuous occupation range exceeds the discrimination accuracy of the unit occupation range, based on the size of the non-light-shielding portion (or at least a part thereof) of the third light-transmitting region portion or the detection accuracy of the non-light-shielding portion.

In the present invention, it is preferable that, when the conveyance path (121) conveys the conveyance object (CA) by vibrating in a reciprocating manner in a direction along a conveyance direction (F) of the conveyance object (CA) and the imaging unit (130CM) is stationary, the position of the measurement area (ME) in the captured image (GPX) is corrected so as to eliminate positional variation in the captured image (GPX) with respect to the conveyance path (121) caused by vibration of the conveyance path (121) at the time of imaging. Thus, since the positional deviation of the captured image with respect to the conveyance path in the image processing area due to the vibration of the conveyance body can be eliminated, the positional deviation of the image processing position due to the positional deviation can be prevented, and the conveyance object occupation range determination process can be performed at a certain position on the conveyance path. Therefore, it is possible to avoid improper control of the transported object due to the positional deviation, and the like, and to perform control of the transported object in a reliable and accurate manner.

In this case, it is preferable that the transported object occupation range determination means (MPU, RAM) detects the position of a specific portion (121y) on the transport path (121) captured in the captured image (GPX, GPY) by image measurement processing, and corrects the position of the measurement area (ME) based on the position. The position deviation amount of the measurement area in the captured image with respect to the conveyance path in each area due to the vibration of the conveyance path may be calculated for each imaging using the values of the vibration amplitude and the vibration cycle of the conveyance path set in advance, and the position of the measurement area in the captured image may be corrected based on the position deviation amount. As the specific portion on the transport path, various portions (position display marks displayed on the transport path) captured in the image can be used.

Next, the transport apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by including the transport control system (CM1, CM2, DTU, DP1, DP2, SP1, SP2) and a transport mechanism (12, CL12) having the transport path (121).

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveying mechanism (12, CL12) includes an excitation unit (125) that vibrates the conveying path (121), and an excitation control unit (CL12) that controls a driving method of the excitation unit (125). The driving method of the control target of the excitation control means includes stopping the driving of the excitation means, changing the driving frequency and driving voltage of the excitation means, and the like. This enables adjustment of the conveyance system (conveyance speed, stability of conveyance posture, and the like) of the conveyed object.

(effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, the following excellent effects can be achieved: by processing the captured image of the conveyed object and determining the size of the continuous occupation range of the conveyed object based on the unit occupation range, conveyance defects such as jamming of the conveyed object and detection defects in the overlapping state of the conveyed objects in front and rear of the conveyed object can be avoided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a conveying apparatus (vibration type conveying apparatus) including a conveyance control system according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 (a) is an enlarged perspective view showing the end portion of the conveyance path and the vicinity around the end portion, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the end portion of the conveyance path in a further enlarged manner.

Fig. 5 (a) is a side view of the terminal portion of the conveyance path according to the present embodiment, and (B) is an enlarged side view showing an area B in the side view (a) in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 6(a) is a plan view showing the configurations of the terminal end portion of the conveyance path and the receiving portion of the index table of the inspection device at the supply destination according to the present embodiment, and fig. 6(b) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configurations of the terminal end portion of the conveyance path and the receiving portion of the index table of the inspection device at the supply destination.

Fig. 7 (a) is an explanatory view showing a state of the first embodiment when the end portion of the conveyance path and the receiving portion of the index table of the inspection device of the supply destination correspond to individual conveyed articles in the present embodiment, and (b) is an explanatory view showing a state of the first embodiment when the conveyed articles in the overlapped state correspond to each other.

Fig. 8 (a) is an explanatory view showing a state of the second embodiment when the end portion of the conveyance path and the receiving portion of the index table of the inspection device of the supply destination correspond to individual conveyed articles in the present embodiment, and (b) is an explanatory view showing a state of the second embodiment when the conveyed articles in the overlapped state correspond to each other.

Fig. 9 (a) to (e) are explanatory views showing the conveyance state and the processing method of the overlapped conveyed articles in the end portion of the conveyance path and the receiving portion of the index table of the inspection device of the supply destination according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration block diagram showing the entire configuration of the present embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart showing a schematic control procedure of the entire operation program of the present embodiment.

(symbol description)

10 … conveying device; 11 … feeder; 110 … conveyance; 111 … conveying path; 12 … linear feeder; 120 … conveyance; 121 … conveying path; 121a, 121b … conveying surface; 121c … light transmitting area; 121e … (of the conveyance path); 121g to 121j … light transmission region parts; 122 … recovery path; 122a … receiving a face; 122b … peripheral edge portions; 122c … confluence; 121CT … continuously occupies range; 121U … units occupy the range; length of L … conveyance (unit footprint); ls … detects the length in the conveying direction of the area; lct … the length in the conveying direction of the continuous occupation range; width of W … conveyance; 130CM (CM1, CM2) … camera device; 140BL … back side lighting device; OP … air vent (for overlap removal); SP … gas jet (for supply stop); CA. CA 1-CA 3 … deliveries; CL11, CL12 … controllers; DTU … checks the processing unit; DP1, DP2 … display devices; GP1, GP2 … image processing devices; GM1, GM2 … image processing memory; GPX … takes images; GPY … image area; an MPU … arithmetic processing device; MM … primary storage; ME … measurement area; SP1, SP2 … operation input means; RAM … arithmetic processing memory; 20 … (supply destination) inspection device; 20a … support; 20a1 … upper plate; 20a2 … window portion; 20a3 … lower plate; 21 … indexing table; 21a … receiving part; 21d … storage part; 21f … light transmission area

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of a conveyance control system and a conveyance device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a basic configuration of an embodiment of a transport apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a drive control system of the transport apparatus 10 and a configuration of a transport control 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 as a conveying mechanism, wherein the feeder 11 includes a bowl-shaped conveyor body 110 having a spiral conveying path 111, the linear feeder 12 includes a conveyor body 120 having a linear conveying path 121, and the linear conveying path 121 includes an inlet configured to receive a conveyed article from an outlet of the conveying path 111 of the feeder 11. In the conveyance control system according to the present embodiment, the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 121 of the conveyance body 120 of the linear feeder 12 is detected based on the captured image GPX, and the detected image portion is used as a target to be inspected and determined. Here, the conveyance control system according to the present embodiment includes not only the corresponding parts of the conveyance control system having the configuration according to the present invention, but also various inspection units, discrimination units, sorting units, inverting units, and the like for discriminating the posture of the conveyed object and aligning the object in addition to the corresponding parts. In the present invention, the configuration not limited to the vibrating conveyor may be applied to various 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, in the above combination, the inspection, the discrimination, the sorting, the inversion, and the like of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 121 of the feeder 12 are not limited to the inspection, the discrimination, the sorting, the inversion, and the like of the conveyance object CA on the conveyance path 111 of the feeder 11.

The feeder 11 is driven and controlled by a controller CL 11. The linear feeder 12 is driven and controlled by the controller CL 12. The controllers CL11 and CL12 drive excitation means (including an electromagnetic drive body, a piezoelectric drive body, or the like) of the feeder 11 or the linear feeder 12 in an alternating current manner, and vibrate the conveying

bodies

110 and 120 so as to move the conveyed objects CA in the conveying

paths

111 and 121 in the predetermined conveying direction F. The controllers CL11 and CL12 are connected to an inspection processing unit DTU having an image processing function as a main body of the conveyance control system via an input/output circuit (I/O).

The controllers CL11 and CL12 stop driving of the transport apparatus 10 in accordance with an operation program when a predetermined operation input (debug operation) is performed to an arithmetic processing unit MPU (hereinafter described) that executes the operation program described below via an operation input device SP1, SP2, or the like, which will be described later, such as a mouse. At this time, for example, the image measurement process in the inspection processing unit DTU is also stopped according to the above operation program. The debugging operation and the operation of each part corresponding to the debugging operation will be described in detail later.

The inspection processing unit DTU is configured with an arithmetic processing unit MPU (microprocessor) of a personal computer or the like 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 MCL, a chip set CHS, and the like. In addition, the inspection processing unit DTU is provided with image processing circuits GP1, GP2 for performing image processing, and the image processing circuits GP1, GP2 are connected to cameras CM1, CM2 as imaging units, respectively. The image processing circuits GP1, GP2 are connected to image processing memories GM1, GM2, respectively. The outputs of the image processing circuits GP1 and GP2 are also connected to the arithmetic processing unit MPU, and process image data of the captured image GPX obtained from the cameras CM1 and CM2, and transmit an appropriate processed image (for example, image data in an image area GPY described later) to the arithmetic processing unit MPU. The main memory MM stores an operation program of the conveyance control system in advance. When the inspection processing unit DTU is started, the operation program is read out and executed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU. In addition, the main memory MM stores image data of a captured image GPX or an image area GPY to be subjected to image measurement processing described later by the arithmetic processing unit MPU.

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 and the result of the image measurement processing in a predetermined display mode, that is, the result of the transport object detection processing and the transport object discrimination processing in each part and the like in a predetermined display mode in addition to the transport object occupancy determination processing described later. The display function is not limited to the case of actually conveying the conveyed material, and functions also when reading and reproducing the past data as described later. Further, by operating the operation input devices SP1 and SP2 while viewing the screens of the display devices DP1 and DP2, processing conditions such as various operation commands and setting values can be input to the arithmetic processing unit MPU.

In the present embodiment, as schematically shown in fig. 10, two cameras CM1, CM2, two image processing circuits GP1, GP2, two image processing memories GM1, GM2, two display devices DP1, DP2, two operation input devices SP1, SP2, and the like are provided, but this is merely an example, and each configuration may be provided singly, or three or more configurations may be provided. In the present embodiment, a specific camera device 130CM is provided as a device that is additionally provided in addition to the cameras CM1 and CM 2. Hereinafter, only the transported object occupation range determination processing based on the image processing of the image captured by the camera device 130CM will be described.

Fig. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing an example of the conveyance mechanism of the present embodiment shown in fig. 10 in detail. The present embodiment is configured to: in a state where the tip end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 of the linear feeder 12 is supported by the support portion 20a of the inspection device 20 to which the conveyance object CA is supplied, the conveyance object CA is supplied toward the receiving portion 21a formed by a part of the index table 21 configured to be rotatable in a stepwise manner. As shown in fig. 4, the index table 21 includes a plurality of storage portions 21d arranged along the outer periphery thereof. The plurality of storage portions 21d are configured to be concave so as to be able to store a single conveyance object CA. Each storage unit 21d constitutes a receiving unit 21a for the conveyed object CA in the inspection apparatus 20 when disposed at a position corresponding to the end of the terminal portion 121e of the conveying path 121. Although not shown, each storage section 21d is provided with a vacuum suction path for sucking and storing and holding the conveyed article CA. Further, the inspection apparatus 20 repeats the stepping operation of: when the conveyed article CA is supplied from the tip end portion 121e to the receiving portion 21a, the index table 21 rotates to move the next receiving portion 21d to a position to become the receiving portion 21a, and waits for the next conveyed article CA to be operated. Note that the inspection device 20 as an example of the supply destination is not shown except for the portion related to the receiving unit 21 a. As the supply destination, various apparatuses such as a substrate mounting apparatus, a pick-and-place unit for transferring the substrate to another place, and the like are conceivable in addition to the inspection apparatus 20.

The transport mechanism of the present embodiment includes a support base 131 fixed to a base constituted by a vibration-proof table or the like, a support arm 132 fixed to the support base 131, and a camera mounting portion 133 supported by the support arm 132, and the camera device 130CM is mounted on the camera mounting portion 133 in a posture in which the imaging direction is directed downward. The camera device 130CM includes an imaging range capable of simultaneously imaging the terminal portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 and the receiving portion 21a of the inspection device 20 disposed therebelow. The camera device 130CM is fixed via a vibration-proof table or the like so as not to be directly affected by the vibration of the conveying mechanism. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 2, a support base 141 fixed to a base constituted by a vibration-proof table or the like, a support arm 142 fixed to the support base 141, and an illumination mounting portion 143 supported by the support arm 142 are provided at positions below the tip end portion 121e and the receiving portion 21a, and the back-side illumination device 140BL is mounted on the illumination mounting portion 143. The back side illumination device 140BL includes an illumination range capable of illuminating the end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 and the receiving portion 21a of the inspection device 20 at the same time. The back-side illumination device 140BL is also fixed via a vibration-proof table or the like so as not to be directly affected by the vibration of the conveying mechanism. The arrangement of the camera device 130CM and the back-side illumination device 140BL is not particularly limited, and they may be arranged upside down, for example.

Fig. 4 (a) is an enlarged perspective view showing a delivery area of the transported object CA formed by the end portion 121e of the transport path 121 and the receiving portion 21a of the inspection apparatus 20, and (b) is a perspective view showing a further enlarged portion thereof. In fig. 5, (a) is a side view showing a state where the tip end portion 121e of the linear feeder 12 is viewed from the supply destination side, and (B) is an enlarged side view in which the central region B thereof is enlarged. The end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 is constituted by a bottom block 121X constituting the conveyance surface 121b and a side block 121Y constituting the conveyance surface 121 a. In this case, since there is no cover block attached to the end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 in many cases, the end portion 121e does not have an underdrain structure. This is because, if the conveyance path 121 is formed in the underdrain structure, the conveyance object CA at the end portion is likely to be clogged in the case of a fine conveyance object or a thin conveyance object, and clogging is often caused particularly in the case of a vibration type conveyance mechanism as in the present embodiment. The absence of the cover block and the underdrain structure is also preferable when photographing the distal end portion 121e or performing back lighting.

The conveyance path 121 includes a conveyance surface 121a and a conveyance surface 121b, the conveyance surface 121a has a steep inclination angle, and the conveyance surface 121b is substantially orthogonal to the conveyance surface 121a and has a gentle inclination angle. As shown in fig. 4 (b) and 5 (b), the conveyance object CA has a fine and thin structure. Examples of such transports CA (CA0, CA1, CA2) include surface-mount electronic components. The dimensions include a thickness t of about 60 μm, a length L of about 1.0mm, and a width W of about 0.5 mm. The thin conveyance object CA is conveyed in a posture in which the thickness direction is along the vertical direction in the figure and the bottom surface faces the conveyance surface 121 b. In the illustrated example, the width of the conveyance surface 121b is slightly smaller than the width W of the conveyance object CA, and an edge portion of the conveyance surface 121b on the opposite side of the conveyance surface 121a is configured to be adjacent to the gap G. The edge of the conveyance surface 121b is disposed opposite to the edge (receiving surface portion 122a) of the collection block 122X via a gap G, and the collection block 122X constitutes a collection path 122 for conveying the conveyance object CA in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction and returning the conveyance object CA to the upstream portion of the

conveyance paths

111 and 121. The bottom surface block 121X and the side surface block 121Y constituting the conveyance path 121 are different from the recovery block 122X constituting the recovery path 122 in the direction and phase of vibration, and therefore must be separated from each other, and therefore the gap G is provided. However, in the present embodiment, the gap G constitutes one light-transmitting region 121G of a plurality of light-transmitting region portions that constitute the light-transmitting region 121c through which the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL is transmitted to the camera device 130 CM. As shown in fig. 5 (b), the conveyance surface 121b of the conveyance path 121 is inclined toward the conveyance surface 121a at a slight angle α with respect to the horizontal plane, and the conveyance object CA is held in the conveyance path 121. As shown in fig. 4, the recovery path 122 includes: a receiving surface portion 122a adjacent to the gap G and having substantially the same height as the conveying surface 121b, a peripheral edge portion 122b adjacent to the receiving surface portion 122a with a step therebetween and inclined toward the collection direction of the collection path 122, and a joining portion 122c adjacent to the peripheral edge portion 122b in the further collection direction and extending to a portion juxtaposed to the upstream side of the conveying path 121. The conveyance object CA collected at the merging portion 122c is returned to the feeder 11 or the upstream portion of the conveyance path 121 of the linear feeder 12 through the collection path 122.

An ejection port OP for overlap removal for ejecting the conveyed article CA toward the receiving surface portion 122a of the recovery path 122 via the gap G is formed at the end portion 121e on the conveying surface 121 a. The air ejection port OP is connected to an air flow source such as a compressor or a compression pump via an air flow passage penetrating the side block 121Y and an on-off valve such as an electromagnetic valve not shown. Further, a supply stop air port SP for preventing the conveyance object CA from being supplied to the supply destination is formed at the end side closer to the supply destination than the air port OP. The gas ejection port SP is also connected to a gas flow source via a gas flow path and an opening/closing valve separately from the gas ejection port OP. The opening edges on the distal ends of the air ports OP and SP are provided with deformed corners OPa and SPa, which are chamfered and rounded to prevent the conveyance object CA from being caught. Further, a notch-shaped mark 121Y is formed on the side edge of the distal end side of the side block 121Y. The marker 121y is a mark for detecting a position in the conveying direction F based on the vibration of the conveying path 121 in an image captured by the camera device 130CM, as will be described later.

Fig. 6(a) and 6(b) are a plan view and a longitudinal sectional view showing the distal end portion 121e and the receiving portion 21a in an enlarged manner. The support portion 20a includes an upper plate 20a1 and a lower plate 20a3, the upper plate 20a1 covers the upper side of the index table 21 rotatably formed inside the support portion 20a, and the lower plate 20a3 is disposed below the index table 21. A window portion 20a2 is formed in the upper plate 20a1 at a portion corresponding to the receiving portion 21a, and the receiving portion 21a is configured to be able to capture an image from the camera device 130CM side. The lower plate 20a3 has a light-transmitting region 21f formed therein, and is configured to be able to capture the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL through the light-transmitting region 21f by the camera device 130 CM. Here, the captured image GPX or the image area GPY is an image illustrated in a plan view shown in fig. 6 (a).

At the end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121 of the linear feeder 12, the conveyance path 121 is configured by a conveyance surface 121a and a conveyance surface 121b, and the conveyance surface 121b is adjacent to the receiving surface portion 122a of the collection path 122 with the gap G therebetween. The gap G constitutes a light-transmitting region 121G, and is configured to be, in the same manner as the light-transmitting region 21 f: the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL can be transmitted thereby, and the illumination light BLa can be captured by the camera device 130 CM. The conveyance surface 121b is formed with a plurality of light-transmitting regions 121h and 121i from the end toward the upstream side. These light-transmitting regions 121h and 121i are also configured as follows: the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL can be transmitted thereby, and the illumination light BLa can be captured by the camera device 130 CM.

Next, an example of a basic conveyance object occupation range determination process of the conveyance object CA in the conveyance device 10 using the conveyance control system in the present embodiment will be described. In the image shown in the plan view of fig. 6 a, a measurement area ME including the conveyance path 121 (the end portion 121e) is set, and a light-transmitting area 121c including the light-transmitting

area portions

21f, 121g, 121h, and 121i is provided in the measurement area ME. In the measurement area ME, the presence or absence of the conveyance object CA (or its occupation range) in the tip end portion 121e and the receiving portion 21f can be detected by image processing the image portions 21fy, 121gy, 121gz, 121gv, 121hy, 121iy corresponding to the light-transmitting

area portions

21f, 121g, 121h, 121 i.

As a premise for configuring the embodiment, the processing contents of the inspection processing unit DTU and the setting of the measurement area ME shown in fig. 6(a) will be described. In the present embodiment, since it is necessary to perform the transport object occupation range determination process by the image processing in the measurement area ME with respect to the captured image GPX or the image area GPY obtained as described above, it is necessary to detect the occupation state of the transport object CA on the transport path from the image data in the measurement area ME. Therefore, all the transported objects CA passing through the transport path 121 must be captured in the measurement area ME of either the captured image GPX or the image area GPY. Thus, the measurement area ME must satisfy at least the following conditions as constraints on the conveyance speed Vs and the shooting interval Ts of the conveyed object CA.

In the present embodiment, the camera device 130CM continuously performs shooting in a predetermined shooting cycle, and transmits the shot image GPX or the image data in the image area GPY to the arithmetic processing device MPU via the image processing devices GP1 and GP2 in each shooting cycle, similarly to the images of the cameras CM1 and CM 2. The arithmetic processing unit MPU performs the transported object occupation region determination process by processing the image data in the measurement area ME among the transmitted image data as described above using the memory RAM for arithmetic processing. However, in the present embodiment, 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 camera device 130CM, instead of separately providing a trigger sensor or searching for a predetermined shape pattern of the transport object CA from the image data of the transport object CA in a predetermined area and generating an internal trigger when the shape pattern is detected. Therefore, in order to identify all the objects CA conveyed on the conveyance path 121 without omission, it is necessary to include all the objects CA in the measurement area ME in any one of the captured image GPX and the image area GPY.

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

LD≥L+β＝L+Ts·Vs…(1)

For example, when the length L of the conveyance object CA in the conveyance direction F is 0.6[ mm ], the conveyance speed Vs is 50[ mm/sec ], and the imaging period Ts is 1[ msec ], L is 0.6[ mm ], β is 0.05[ mm ], and LD is 0.65[ mm ]. When the imaging period Ts is set to 0.5[ msec ], L is 0.6[ mm ], β is 0.025, and LD is equal to or greater than 0.625[ mm ].

In fact, since the transport speed of the transport object CA varies from one location to another or with the passage of time, it is preferable to set the entire or a part of the transport object CA to be captured in the image data twice or more, preferably three times or more. In general, in order to capture n (n is a natural number) or more times in image data, LD is set so that the following expression (2) holds.

LD≥L+n·β＝L+n·Ts·Vs…(2)

In the present embodiment, n is set to be in the range of 3 to 7. This is because, when n is small, the possibility that the conveyance object CA is missed due to the variation in the conveyance speed is high, and conversely, when n is large, the load of the image processing is increased. In general, the natural number n is preferably in the range of 1 to 10. In the present embodiment, the image processing time is generally about 150 μ sec to 300 μ sec. The imaging interval Ts is about 500[ mu sec ] to 840[ mu sec ].

In the case of the present embodiment, as described above, the trigger signal for detecting the arrival of the conveyance object CA in the measurement area ME is not used, and therefore, there is a possibility that the conveyance object CA is not arranged in the measurement area ME of any captured image GPX or image area GPY at all. Therefore, when the image measurement processing in the measurement area ME is performed, it is detected whether or not the image of the conveyance object CA is included in the measurement area ME. In the transport object detection process, when the transport object is detected under a predetermined condition, that is, when the transport object CA is entirely contained in the measurement area ME, the transport object occupation range determination process may be performed, or the transport object occupation range determination process may not be performed. However, in the present embodiment, since the image measurement processing is performed at the end portion 121e of the conveyance path 121, the conveyance object CA is often conveyed at a high density, and thus the above-described operation may not be performed. When the same conveyance object CA is detected a plurality of times in the measurement area ME, the conveyance object occupation range determination process may be performed only once (for example, for the first time), and the conveyance object occupation range determination process may be omitted several times. However, in each embodiment described later, the detection of the continuous occupation region 121CT is performed only in a region further limited within the measurement area ME, that is, the detection region in which the light-transmitting region 121c is arranged, and therefore, even when the continuous occupation region 121CT is captured in the measurement area ME of a plurality of images, the number of times of the transported object occupation region identification processing is limited.

In the present embodiment, two examples will be described below as specific contents to be executed in the above-described transported object occupation region identification processing. In the first embodiment, the above-described image portions 21fy, 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, 121iy within the measurement area ME are taken as objects of image processing, and the ways of discrimination thereof are shown in fig. 7 (a) and (b). In this case, if all of the image portions 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, and 121iy corresponding to the four light-transmitting area portions are simultaneously covered by the conveyance object CA, it is determined that the plurality of conveyance objects CA are overlapped with each other or conveyed in close contact with each other. This is because, in correspondence with the length L in the conveying direction F and the width W in the width direction of the conveyed article CA, the light-transmitting area portions corresponding to the three image portions 121gy, 121hy, 121iy are formed within the unit occupying range 121U which is simultaneously covered by the single conveyed article CA, and the light-transmitting area portion corresponding to the other image portion 121gz protrudes rearward from the unit occupying range 121U, and therefore, as shown in fig. 7 (a), when the single conveyed article CA passes, all of the four image portions 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, 121iy corresponding to the light-transmitting area portions are not simultaneously covered. That is, in the case of the illustrated example, the four light-transmitting area portions are arranged in the entire detection area having a length Ls in the conveyance direction F, and the length Ls is longer than the length L of the conveyance object CA in the conveyance direction F, that is, the length L of the unit occupying range 121U. On the other hand, if two or more objects CA are conveyed in a superimposed or closely adhered state, all of the four image portions 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, and 121iy corresponding to the light-transmitting area portion are simultaneously blocked as shown in fig. 7 (b). This is because the length Lct in the conveyance direction F of the continuous occupation range 121CT of the conveyance objects CA1 and CA2 overlapped with each other is longer than the length Ls of the detection region. Thus, in this example, the configuration is: whether the size of the continuous occupation range 121CT of the transport object CA exceeds the unit occupation range 121U can be detected based on whether all of the four image portions 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, and 121iy corresponding to the light-transmitting area portions are simultaneously covered. If the size of the continuous occupation range 121CT exceeds the unit occupation range 121U, an improper judgment is made.

In the first embodiment, only when it is confirmed by image processing that all of the four image portions 121gy, 121gz, 121hy, and 121iy corresponding to the light-transmitting area are blocked, it is detected that at least two of the conveyance objects CA are overlapped or at least two of the conveyance objects CA are closely conveyed, and an improper determination is made. Therefore, it is necessary to capture a state in which all of the four image portions are blocked in any one of the images obtained by the inspection processing unit DTU corresponding to the image acquisition unit. In other words, the image must be captured while the continuous occupation region 121CT, which should be judged improperly, occupies and blocks the detection region of the length Ls formed by the four light transmission region portions. Therefore, when the range of the entire image portion corresponding to the four light-transmitting region portions in the conveying direction F is Ls + L (Δ L > 0), Δ Lt ≧ β must be established in the length Lct in the conveying direction F of the continuous occupation range 121CT determined to be inappropriate, Ls + Δ Lt (Δ Lt > 0).

Next, in the second embodiment, only the image portion 121gv set in the single light-transmitting region portion 121g is checked as the measurement area ME, and it is detected whether or not the continuous occupation range 121CT of the conveying object CA exceeds the unit occupation range 121U based on whether or not the entire image portion 121gv is simultaneously covered with the conveying object CA. The image portion 121gv is set to a range in which the length Ls along the transport direction F of the light-transmitting region 121G including the gap G is L + Δ L. In this case, as described above, in the length Lct in the transport direction F of the continuous occupation region 121CT being Ls + Δ Lt, Δ Lt ≧ β is Ts · Vs.

In either of the first and second embodiments described above, the length Ls of the detection region and the length L in the conveying direction F of the unit occupying range 121U must satisfy the relationship of Ls > L in order to obtain a normal judgment based on the light transmission of a part of the length Ls in the conveying direction F of the detection region in which the light transmission region portions are arranged. On the other hand, when a certain continuous occupation range 121CT that should be determined as inappropriate is provided, it is necessary to satisfy a shooting interval Ts of Δ Lt ≧ β ≧ Ts · Vs by a value of Δ Lt ≧ Lct-Ls in accordance with the predetermined conveyance speed Vs in order to reliably detect that the continuous occupation range 121CT should be determined as inappropriate. Conversely, when the shooting interval Ts is set with respect to the predetermined transport speed Vs, if the continuous occupancy range 121CT in which Δ Lt ≧ β ≧ Ts · Vs holds, it is possible to reliably make an improper determination. Therefore, the arrangement is as follows.

A. Range in which normal determination can be reliably made: lct < Ls

B. Range in which an improper judgment can be reliably made: lct Ls + beta

C. A range that becomes any one of the normal determination and the improper determination: ls is less than or equal to Lct and is less than Ls plus beta

From the above results, the determination accuracy (resolution) is β ═ Ts · Vs. In the region C, as will be described later, an image component (surface morphology of the transport CA) based on reflected light obtained by front side illumination (including ambient illumination) may be subjected to image processing to be determined.

In any of the above embodiments, since whether or not the size of the entire continuous occupation range 121CT (the length in the conveying direction F in the example of the drawing) exceeds the unit occupation range 121U is taken as a criterion for the determination, the improper determination is made not only when the plurality of conveyance objects CA are overlapped with each other but also when the plurality of conveyance objects CA are conveyed in close contact therewith. This is because, even if a plurality of conveyance objects CA are not overlapped with each other, if the conveyance objects CA are conveyed in close contact with each other, the possibility that the conveyance objects CA are overlapped with each other in the morning and the evening becomes high. This means that the above-described misjudgment can be performed not only when the plurality of conveyance objects CA are in close contact but also when the gap between the plurality of conveyance objects CA in the conveyance direction F is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. This is only necessary if the entire occupation area including the occupation areas of the plurality of conveyance objects CA arranged in this way is determined as the continuous occupation area 121CT not only when the occupation areas of the conveyance objects are a continuous area but also when the occupation areas are arranged at intervals smaller than a predetermined value. In contrast, by excluding the case where the range corresponding to the natural number multiple of the unit occupation range 121U is included in the entire continuous occupation range 121CT from the improper judgment, the judgment may be made improper only when the objects CA are overlapped, and the judgment may be made improper when the objects CA are merely closely conveyed.

The carrier CA in the present embodiment is an electronic component (for example, a chip resistor, a chip inductor, a chip capacitor, and the like) having a substantially cubic shape (for example, a shape in which eight corners of a cube are rounded), but is not particularly limited. However, in the present embodiment, since the cover block or the underdrain structure is not used as described above, it is effective particularly for the fine and thin transported object CA. In the present embodiment, the occupation range of the transport objects CA on the transport path 121 is obtained by image processing, the sizes of the entire occupation range, i.e., the continuous occupation range 121CT, are compared with each other with reference to the unit occupation range 121U, which is the occupation range of one transport object CA, and when the size of the continuous occupation range 121CT exceeds the unit occupation range 121U, an improper determination is made that some kind of treatment needs to be performed.

Further, according to the detection method of the continuous occupation range 121CT in each of the above embodiments, the range in the transport direction F of the measurement area ME must necessarily include the detection region of the length Ls. Here, the detection area may be considered to be a substantial measurement area ME. In addition, it is also conceivable to use only a light-transmitting region portion that requires image processing in the measurement region ME as the detection region. Therefore, the length LD in the conveying direction F of the measurement area ME is larger than the length Ls in the conveying direction F of the above-described detection area. On the other hand, the range in the transport direction F of the measurement area ME includes the continuous occupation range 121CT (the same size as the unit occupation range 121U) that should be determined to be normal when disposed in the detection area, but as shown in fig. 6, it is not necessary to include all of the continuous occupation range 121CT (the size exceeding the unit occupation range 121U) that should be determined to be inappropriate. The size of the continuous occupation range 121CT may be determined based on the unit occupation range 121U. In the above embodiment, since the image processing is not performed on the entire measurement area ME, but only the image portion corresponding to the light transmission area portion in the detection area is processed, the burden of the image processing is reduced, and the processing speed can be increased. Further, since the detection area is fixed, the detection position of the transport CA when the transport occupancy determination process is performed is also substantially constant, and even when various controls are performed based on the determination result, the timing of the detection can be easily made uniform.

Next, a case where the determination is made when the conveyance control is performed according to any of the above-described embodiments and a control method for the conveyance object CA will be described. Fig. 9 (a) to (e) are explanatory views of steps for explaining a mode of control and processing performed on two conveyance objects CA1 and CA2 conveyed in a predetermined form and overlapped with each other based on a captured image GPX captured by the camera device 130CM or image data in an image area GPY obtained thereby. Note that, even when the front and rear conveyance objects CA are conveyed in close contact with each other, the processing is performed in the same manner as in the illustrated case. In addition, even when the sheet is continuously conveyed at intervals smaller than the predetermined value, basically, the same processing as in the illustrated case can be performed. As shown in fig. 9 (a), in the example shown in the figure, the conveyance path 121 conveys the conveyance object CA2 in a superimposed state in which the front portion of the conveyance object CA1 is overlapped with the rear portion of the conveyance object CA. In the illustrated example, the conveyance object CA1 is located in the measurement area ME, and the leading end thereof reaches a part of the detection area, and a part of the light-transmitting area 121g extending in the conveyance direction F is blocked. At this time, the conveyance object CA0 supplied before is placed on the receiving portion 21a, and the light-transmitting area 21f is blocked. Then, as shown in fig. 9 (b), the conveyance objects CA1 and CA2 further advance on the conveyance path 121, the light-transmitting area 121i is blocked, and the blocked partial area of the light-transmitting area 121g also moves forward in the conveyance direction F, and the light-blocking range thereof also increases. At this point in time, the conveyance object CA0 continues to exist in the receiving unit 21a, but the index table 21 starts moving by rotating the index table in steps at a predetermined cycle. Therefore, as shown in fig. 9 (c), before the conveyed articles CA1 and CA2 approach the ends, the receiving portion 21a becomes empty and the light-transmitting area 21f is in a non-light-blocking state. This detects that the receiving unit 21a is in a state capable of receiving the conveyed article. At this point in time, if the conveyance object CA0 remains disposed on the receiving portion 21a, the conveyance objects CA1 and CA2 are discharged from the conveyance path 121 onto the receiving surface portion 122a of the collection path 122 by blowing the air flow from the air ejection port SP. This exclusion state by the air ejection port SP continues until the receiving portion 21a is changed to a receivable state (a state in which the light-transmitting region portion 21f is not in a light-shielding state).

Then, at the position shown in fig. 9 (d), the conveyed articles CA1 and CA2 were judged by the methods shown in the above-described embodiments. In the illustrated example, the continuous occupancy range 121CT is determined to be inappropriate because the size thereof exceeds the unit occupancy range 121U. Thereby, as shown in fig. 9 (e), the conveyance object CA2 located in the rear portion within the continuous occupancy range 121CT is excluded from the conveyance path 121 to the recovery path 122 by the airflow blown from the air nozzles OP. At this time, since the air jet port OP opens at a position directly behind the conveyed article CA1 and blows out the airflow straight, it is preferable to set the blowing timing so as to apply the removal force to the front portion or the central portion of the conveyed article CA 2. Thus, as shown in the drawing, the conveyance object CA2 moves in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F in a state where the front part is separated from the conveyance path 121 before the rear part, or in a state where the first conveyance posture is maintained. Therefore, the posture as indicated by the dotted line is not excluded. At this time, since the transport object CA1 continues to move in the transport direction F on the transport path 121 and the transport object CA2 that has received the air flow moves in the width direction, the transport object CA1 is separated from the transport object CA2 at the time point shown in fig. 9 (e), and therefore, the possibility of being involved in the movement of the transport object CA2 is reduced. On the other hand, if conveyance object CA2 is excluded in a posture as indicated by the broken line, the possibility of collision with conveyance object CA1 increases, and there is a possibility that supply of conveyance object CA1 to receiving unit 21a is hindered.

In the transported object occupation range discrimination processing according to the present invention, the determination of the occupation range of the transported object CA is not limited to the case where the occupation range of the transported object CA is determined by detecting whether or not the light-transmitting area 121c is blocked by the occupation of the transported object CA based on the image data in the measurement area ME as described above, and the occupation range of the transported object CA may be determined by processing only an image captured based on reflected light on the transport path 121, for example. For example, the position range of the transport object CA in the image may be detected by patterning or the like, and the occupation range may be determined based on the detected position range.

In the present embodiment, the transport object CA transported on the vibrating transport path 121 by the vibrating transport device 10 is the inspection target, while the camera device 130CM (CM1, CM2) is provided in a non-vibrating portion (on the base 100), and therefore, in the image data of the captured image GPX or the image area GPY, the transport path 121 vibrating with a predetermined amplitude in a reciprocating manner back and forth in the transport direction F is disposed at a position displaced in accordance with a change in the vibration phase at the time of capturing the image data. Therefore, when the appearance of the transport object CA is detected and determined at a fixed position with respect to the transport path 121, the position of the measurement area ME in the image needs to be moved with the same amplitude in synchronization with the vibration of the transport body 120 in accordance with the imaging time. For example, the carrier 120 is vibrated at an amplitude of 0.1mm and a vibration frequency of 300 Hz.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position of the measurement area ME can be corrected so as to match the vibration position of the transport body 120 at the imaging time point of the imaging image GPX or the imaging area GPY with reference to the position correction mark set on the transport body 120. The position correction mark is not particularly limited as long as it is a mark whose position can be easily and reliably detected, but a mark 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 can be used, thereby improving the accuracy of detecting the position. The position correction mark may not be provided intentionally, but may be a part that is originally present on the conveying device and can be detected by image processing, such as 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 the illustrated example, the mark for position correction is the mark 121 y. The mark portion 121y is formed by a concave portion formed on an end edge of the end side of the conveying body 120, but is not limited to the end edge, and may be any recognizable structure such as a hole portion, a protrusion, or the like. In the present embodiment, since the outline shape of the marker 121y is clearly reflected on the image by the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL, the position correction can be easily and reliably performed in accordance with the position of the marker 121 y.

In the present embodiment, for the above-described position correction, the position of the measurement area ME 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, since the measurement area ME is set so as to always have a fixed positional relationship with the position where the excluded air for excluding the transport object CA2 of the transport objects CA1 and CA2 determined to be inappropriate is blown out from the excluding air jet ports OP and the position where the air for stopping the supply of the transport object CA in the improper state of the supply destination is blown out from the excluding air jet ports SP, the operation can always be performed at an approximate timing when the excluding force is applied to the transport object CA based on the determination result of the transport object occupation region determination processing and the result of whether or not the receiving unit 21a can receive the air.

It is preferable that the timing of blowing the air flow from the air outlet OP is set so that the timing starts after a predetermined time has elapsed with reference to the time of capturing the image when it is determined that the specific image is inappropriate. In this case, generally, the timer setting is only required to set the blowing time with reference to the determination time or the acquisition time of the determined image. However, it is preferable to automatically correct the blowing timing based on the position of the conveyance object CA1 in the conveyance direction F in the measurement area ME in the image (the position after the position correction). In this way, it can be easily and reliably set that the airflow from the air outlet OP acts only on the transport object CA2 without acting on the transport object CA 1. Further, it is preferable that the blowing start timing of the air flow blown out from the air jet ports SP is also automatically corrected in accordance with the position of the transport object CA1 in the transport direction F (the position after the position correction) in the same manner as described above.

In the present embodiment, the camera device 130CM obtains an image of the transport object CA on the transport surface 121b, and the size of the continuous occupation range 121CT of the transport object CA is determined based on the unit occupation range 121U by processing in the measurement area ME of the image. At this time, since the objects CA are conveyed on the conveying surface 121b in a posture that easily overlaps with each other in the direction orthogonal to the conveying surface 121b, the overlapping state of the objects CA can be easily determined from the occupation range in the image. In particular, by matching the imaging direction of the camera device 130CM with the direction in which the overlapping is easy, the image processing becomes easier, and the discrimination accuracy can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the image processing of the image portion 21fy of the light-transmitting area 21f of the receiving unit 21a can detect whether or not the receiving destination can receive the object, and thus the supply stop of the transport object CA can be accurately determined. In particular, since the detection can be performed based on the same image as the image used in the transported object occupation region identification processing, the imaging means can be configured simply, and the image processing can be performed quickly in parallel. Further, when the reception of the reception portion 21a is determined, the effect of back side illumination can be obtained similarly to the light-transmitting region in the measurement area ME.

In the present embodiment, since the light-shielded state of the light-transmitting

region portions

21f, 121g, 121h, and 121i can be clearly detected by the illumination light BLa of the back side illumination device 140BL, the measurement area ME is less susceptible to the influence of a decrease in contrast or the like, and the image processing load can be reduced and the detection accuracy can be improved. However, the image captured by the camera device 130CM is not limited to the back-side illumination (transmitted light), and may be front-side illumination (reflected light), or may be a combination of both the back-side illumination (transmitted light) and the front-side illumination (reflected light). In this case, it is preferable to limit the range of the light-transmitting region 121c (light-transmitting region portion), so that not only the line (contour information) of the imaging range but also the surface morphology can be easily extracted by image processing. For example, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to recognize the outer shape of the conveyance object CA in the width direction, by forming the light-transmitting region 121c to be narrower than the width of the conveyance object CA, the area of the light-transmitting region 121c can be limited without degrading the effect. In particular, from the viewpoint of determining the position of the transported object CA in the transport direction F, it is preferable that the light-transmitting region 121g is formed in a slit shape extending in the transport direction F. In this case, by extracting the surface shape captured in the image, it is possible to further distinguish the overlapping state of the objects CA and change the method of applying the removing force in detail when it is determined that the object CA is not in the overlapping state, or to avoid the improper determination when it is determined that the object CA is not in the overlapping state. The light-transmitting region is preferably defined by arranging a plurality of dispersed light-transmitting region portions in the light-transmitting region 121c, such as the light-transmitting

region portions

121g, 121h, and 121i described above.

In the present embodiment, various data used for the identification processing of the transport CA, for example, various setting values such as the type, size, misjudgment condition, reference image data of the transport CA, recognition condition of the continuous occupation range, numerical value of the unit occupation range, and luminance threshold value at the time of binarization in the image processing are stored in the main memory MM and the like, and are appropriately read and used at the time of each processing. The same processing is performed for setting values for specifying the imaging time of the camera device 130CM (CM1, CM2), setting values for image acquisition conditions when the captured image GPX or the image area GPY is acquired, setting values for specifying the method of position correction of each measurement area by the vibration of the conveyance path 121, setting values for specifying the forms of various setting screens and display screens, and control methods for screening or supplying the air flow for stopping, for example, setting values for the blowing time of the air flow, the pressure value, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the image files stored in the main memory MM and storing the past captured images GPX or image areas GPY in time series can be selected, read out, and displayed. Also, a device for performing various operation processes on the selected image file is prepared.

The image file stored in the main memory MM is obtained by automatically recording image data of a plurality of captured images GPX or image areas GPY obtained in the run mode by the arithmetic processing unit MPU. Although the storage of the image files may be performed for all the image data when the free capacity exists in the main memory MM, it is preferable that the image files within the latest predetermined period (for example, 1 hour) or the latest predetermined number of pieces (for example, 1000 pieces) of image files are always stored even when the free capacity does not exist in the main memory 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 conveyance object detection processing and the conveyance object discrimination processing (generally, the conveyance processing) may 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 in the same image file and simultaneously execute image measurement processing with respect to the displayed image data in parallel.

Next, the flow of the overall operation program of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart of processing executed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU of the inspection processing unit DTU in accordance with an operation program. When the operation program is started, the image capturing and image measuring processes are started, and the driving of the transport device 10 (the feeder 11 and the linear feeder 12) is started by the controllers CL11 and CL 12. Then, when the debug setting corresponding to the debug operation is OFF, the image measurement process is performed on the captured image GPX or the image area GPY, and when the final determination result is OK determination, the image measurement process of the next captured image GPX or the image area GPY is directly performed as long as the debug operation is not performed. For example, at the sorting position based on the determination of the defective products and the good products of the transport products CA, the sorting position or the reversing position based on the determination of the improper posture and the standard posture, the transport products CA determined as defective products or the transport products CA determined as improper posture from the images captured by the cameras CM1, CM2, and the like are excluded from the transport path 121 or the postures thereof are reversed by the air flow control of the air jet ports. In the screening position (measurement area ME) based on the determination of the occupation range of the transported object CA in the terminal part 121e, the exclusion force is applied to the continuous occupation range 121CT determined as described above based on the image obtained by the camera device 130 CM.

In this way, by controlling the conveyance objects CA on the conveyance path 121, only the conveyance objects with good quality and good posture are supplied to the downstream side in an aligned state. Then, the terminal part 121e can determine the overlapping state of the conveying objects CA and the probability thereof, and supply the conveying objects CA to the receiving part 21a so that the supply error does not occur finally. 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.

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 selected and displayed image file is an image file containing a plurality of shot images GPX or image areas GPY recorded in the previous operation mode. If the image file is directly selected and appropriate operation is performed, the mode is switched to a re-execution mode. In this mode, the display, detection, and determination of the image can be performed again from the image file in which the control operation that has been performed is recorded as described above. That is, when a trouble occurs in the control of the transported object CA of the transport apparatus 10, in order to eliminate the trouble, the image measurement process is first executed again based on the past image data, and the trouble of the image measurement process is detected. If the problem is found, the setting content (set value) of the detection or determination can be changed or adjusted accordingly, and the result of the adjustment or improvement work can be confirmed by re-executing the image measurement process on the past image data again. Then, when an appropriate recovery operation is performed, the debug setting is recovered to OFF, the image measurement processing is restarted, and the driving of the conveyance device 10 is restarted. In addition, the screen of the display device is restored to the display screen of the operation mode.

In the present embodiment described above, in addition to the various effects described above, since the camera device 130CM continuously performs imaging at predetermined imaging intervals and performs image measurement processing on image data in the measurement area ME, the transport object CA disposed in the measurement area ME can be detected and determined in any one of the captured images, and therefore, it is not necessary to generate a trigger signal for detecting the position of each transport object as in the prior art, and the range LD in the transport direction F of the measurement area ME is set in advance so as to always include all the transport objects CA passing through the transport path 121 in accordance with the relationship between the transport speed Vs of the transport object and the imaging interval Ts. Further, by determining the continuous occupation range 121CT, which is the occupation range of the transport items CA included in the image, based on the unit occupation range 121U, it is possible to reliably extract information on the overlapping state of the transport items CA and the probability thereof. Therefore, even if the conveyance object is conveyed at high speed or conveyed at high density, improper supply to the supply destination of the conveyance object CA can be prevented, and the conveyance object CA can be supplied efficiently. Further, since it is only necessary to detect the continuous occupation range of the transport object CA on the transport path 121 and compare it with the unit occupation range, it is possible to perform the image measurement process for determining the overlapping state of the transport objects CA and the probability thereof at high speed and with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the light-transmitting region 121c shown in fig. 6 is provided on the conveyance surface 121b constituting the conveyance path 121. The light-transmitting region 121c is formed of a through hole or a gap G that penetrates the conveyance surface 121b and opens on the rear surface side. The rear side illumination device 140BL faces the rear side of the through hole or the gap G. The through holes or the gaps and the back side illumination device 140BL constitute the back side illumination unit. Further, as the back side illumination unit, it is sufficient if there is transmitted light that passes through the light transmitting region 121c and is directed toward the imaging unit, and it is sufficient if ambient illumination of direct or indirect illumination is secured by indoor illumination or the like, even if it is not a dedicated illumination device as illustrated in the drawing.

In the illustrated example, the back side illumination means is constituted by the through hole or the gap G, but the back side illumination means may be formed on the same plane as the conveyance surface 121b by disposing a material having light transmittance, for example, glass, quartz, sapphire, acrylic resin, or the like along the conveyance surface 121 b. Thus, the conveyance surface 121a does not have a stepped portion formed by the through hole 121d, and therefore conveyance of the conveyance object CA is not hindered. Further, as shown in fig. 6(a) and 6(b), since the above-described air ejection ports OP and SP are provided with the chamfered or rounded deformed corners OPa and SPa at the edge portions on the front side in the conveying direction F of the opening, the conveyed article CA can be prevented from being stuck to the opening edges of the air ejection ports OP and SP to be retained or from being disturbed in posture.

Although the transmitted light of the back side illumination device 140BL is emitted from the light-transmitting region 121c toward the camera device 130CM (CM1, CM2), since the range of the light-transmitting region 121c is limited, when the camera device 130CM images the transport object CA on the transport path 121, the transport surfaces 121a and 121b and the surface of the transport object CA appear in the captured image by the ambient illumination (sunlight, factory indoor illumination light, etc.) behind the camera device 130 CM. In this case, a front side illumination device for illuminating the conveyance path 121 and the conveyance object CA from behind the camera device 130CM may be provided. When a sufficient lighting effect can be obtained by the ambient lighting as described above, the front side lighting device need not be particularly provided. The front side illumination device may be configured to illuminate from various directions.

The conveyance control system and the conveyance device 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 embodiment, the occupation range of the transport CA is detected by processing the image portion of the light-transmitting region 121c obtained by back-side illumination (transmitted light), but the occupation range of the transport may be detected by processing the image obtained by normal front-side illumination (reflected light).

In the above embodiment, the length in the conveying direction F of the continuous occupying range 121CT and the length in the conveying direction F of the unit occupying range 121U are compared to make an improper determination, but in the present invention, the width of the continuous occupying range 121CT may be compared with the width of the unit occupying range 121U, or the area of the continuous occupying range 121CT may be compared with the area of the unit occupying range 121U.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as the basic configuration of the inspection processing unit DTU, imaging is performed at the predetermined time interval Ts regardless of the arrival timing of the conveyed object CA, but the camera device 130CM (CM1, CM2) may be operated to capture an image by a trigger signal based on a signal for detecting the arrival of the conveyed object CA.

In the above embodiment, when the size of the continuous occupation range 121CT is determined based on the unit occupation range 121U, the length Lct in the transport direction F is compared with the length L, Ls in the transport direction F. However, since the overlapped state and the close contact state of the objects CA may occur not only in the length in the conveying direction F occupying the range but also in the width direction, the width of each range may be compared, and both the length and the width or the area of each range may be compared.

Claims

1. A conveyance control system is characterized by comprising:

an image acquisition unit (MPU, DTU, RAM) for repeatedly acquiring an image of a measurement area (ME) on a conveying path (121) for conveying the conveyed object (CA) by means of imaging by an imaging unit (130 CM);

a conveying object occupation range identification unit (MPU, RAM) which detects a continuous occupation range (121CT) in the measurement area (ME), and determines the size of the continuous occupation range (121CT) by taking a unit occupation range (121U) corresponding to one conveying object (CA) as a reference, wherein the continuous occupation range (121CT) is a range in which occupation areas of the conveying objects (CA) on the conveying path (121) are connected into a whole or a range in which the occupation areas are connected at intervals smaller than a predetermined value; and

and a conveyance object control unit (OP) that controls the conveyance state of at least one conveyance object (CA) disposed within the continuous occupancy range (121CT) when the continuous occupancy range (121CT) satisfies a condition for misjudgment based on the unit occupancy range (121U).

2. The conveyance control system of claim 1,

the conveyance object occupation range determination means (MPU, RAM) determines an occupation range when viewed from a specific direction in which two or more conveyance objects (CA) are more likely to overlap on the conveyance path (121) than in other directions.

3. The conveyance control system of claim 2,

the shooting direction of the image acquisition unit (MPU, DTU, RAM) is the specific direction.

4. The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the conveyance object control unit (OP) applies an exclusion force to a portion located rearward in the conveyance direction than the unit occupation range (121U) when the unit occupation range (121U) is assumed to be located forward in the conveyance direction within the continuous occupation range (121 CT).

5. The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the measurement area (ME) is set at the end portion (121e) of the conveyance path (121).

6. The conveyance control system of claim 5,

the image acquisition means (MPU, DTU, RAM) further comprises a transported object reception availability detection means (MPU, RAM) for acquiring an image obtained by imaging a range including the measurement area (ME) and a receiving unit (21a) of a supply destination (20) for supplying the transported object (CA) from the terminal unit (121e) by the imaging means (130CM), and processing the image to detect whether or not the receiving unit (21a) can receive the transported object (CA).

7. The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the conveyed object occupying range discriminating unit (MPU, RAM) has a detection region (Ls) in the measurement region (ME), the detection region (Ls) being fixed in the conveying direction (F) and being set so that the continuous occupying range (121CT) satisfying the condition of improper judgment always occupies the detection region (Ls).

8. The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the image acquisition units (MPU, DTU, RAM) continuously take images at a predetermined interval (Ts) by the image taking unit (130CM), and,

the measurement area (ME) is set in advance to include all the objects (CA) passing through the conveyance path (121) in a range in which the objects (CA) are always included, based on the relationship between the conveyance speed (Vs) and the imaging interval (Ts) of the objects (CA).

9. The conveyance control system of claim 8,

a detection region (Ls) which is always occupied by the continuous occupation range (121CT) satisfying the condition of improper judgment and is fixed along the conveying direction (F) is arranged in the measurement region (ME);

setting the photographing interval (Ts) according to the transport speed (Vs) so that all of the continuous occupying ranges (121CT) satisfying the condition of the misjudgment are always photographed while occupying the detection region (Ls).

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

a light-transmitting region (121c) formed on the conveying surfaces (121a, 121b) of the conveying path (121) in the measurement region (ME); and

a back side illumination unit (140BL) that irradiates the imaging unit (130CM) side with light from the back side of the conveyance surfaces (121a, 121b) through the light-transmitting region (121 c);

the conveyance object occupation range discrimination unit (MPU, RAM) detects the size of the continuous occupation range (121CT) in the measurement area (ME) using information indicating the range of a light-shielding portion or a non-light-shielding portion of the light-transmitting region (121c) that is shielded by the conveyance object (CA) with respect to the image data in the measurement area (ME).

11. The conveyance control system of claim 10,

the light-transmitting region (121c) is configured in a slit shape having a shape longer than the length of the transported object (CA) in the transport direction (F).

12. The conveyance control system of claim 10,

the light-transmitting region (121c) is composed of a group of a plurality of light-transmitting region sections (121g to 121i) arranged in the measurement region (ME).

13. The conveyance control system of claim 12,

the plurality of light-transmitting region sections (121 g-121 i) of the light-transmitting region (121c) include: a first light-transmitting area (121h) and a second light-transmitting area (121i) which are included in the length range of the unit occupying range in the conveying direction, and a third light-transmitting area (121g) which has a portion that is not covered when the first light-transmitting area (121h) and the second light-transmitting area (121i) are covered by the unit occupying range (121U).

14. The conveyance control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the conveying path (121) conveys the conveyance object (CA) by vibrating in a reciprocating manner in a direction along a conveying direction (F) of the conveyance object (CA);

the photographing unit (130CM) is stationary;

the position of the measurement area (ME) in the captured image (GPX) is corrected to eliminate positional variation in the captured image (GPX) with respect to the conveyance path (121) caused by vibration of the conveyance path (121) during capturing.

15. The conveyance control system of claim 14,

the transported object occupation range determination means (MPU, RAM) detects the position of a specific part (121y) on the transport path (121) captured in the captured image (GPX) by image measurement processing, and corrects the position of the measurement area (ME) based on the position.

16. A conveyor device is characterized by comprising:

the transport control system (CM1, CM2, DTU, DP1, DP2, SP1, SP2) of any one of claims 1 to 3; and

and a conveying mechanism (12, CL12) provided with the conveying path (121).

17. The delivery device of claim 16,

the conveying mechanism (12, CL12) is provided with an excitation unit (125) for vibrating the conveying path (121) and an excitation control unit (CL12) for controlling the driving mode of the excitation unit (125).