CN117460610A

CN117460610A - Mold monitoring device and mold monitoring method

Info

Publication number: CN117460610A
Application number: CN202280029453.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小森谷辉夫; 酒井隆司; 松本英树; 饭田正彦
Original assignee: Eto Electric Co ltd; Niuwei Lighting Co ltd
Current assignee: Eto Electric Co ltd; Niuwei Lighting Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-22
Filing date: 2022-02-16
Publication date: 2024-01-26
Also published as: WO2022224563A1; JP2022167220A; KR20240014465A

Abstract

Provided are a practical mold monitoring device and a mold monitoring method which deal with the enlargement of a mold. Each image captured by a plurality of cameras (11-14) facing the inner side of a set of molds (91, 92) is sent to the device main body (2), and the normal abnormality of the molding condition is determined by comparing the image with a reference image. Each of the cameras (11-14) is mounted so as to take four separate areas, respectively, or so as to take a common area with any two cameras superimposed. A mode for acquiring images from the cameras (11-14) is selected on a mode setting screen displayed on a display (22) of a device body (2), and the selected mode is recorded in a setting information file (35).

Description

Mold monitoring device and mold monitoring method

Technical Field

The invention of this application relates to a mold monitoring device and a mold monitoring method for monitoring a mold in a molding device for molding various articles.

Background

Conventionally, a molding apparatus having a mold is used for molding various articles. For example, in an injection molding machine, which is one of molding apparatuses, a thermoplastic resin is heated and softened, and after being filled into a mold, the thermoplastic resin is cooled to mold an article of a desired shape. As the mold, one or a set of a plurality of molds is used. For example, a pair of molds composed of a fixed mold and a movable mold is used. Hereinafter, the molding process performed by filling the mold with the material in this manner is referred to as a molding cycle.

In such a molding apparatus, monitoring of the mold is necessary in many cases. Therefore, a mold monitoring device is used. The mold monitoring device includes a camera for photographing the inner side of the mold and a judging unit for judging the normal abnormality of the molding condition by processing the image photographed by the camera. There are many cases where a camera is provided at a position where the inside of the movable mold is imaged.

The monitoring of the mold by the camera is generally for two reasons. One reason is to monitor the molding condition after molding in a state where the article is held in the mold. This monitoring is referred to as one-time monitoring. In one monitoring, the shape of the article on the mold is checked to determine whether it is formed correctly. If it is determined that there is a notch or the like in the article and the shape is incorrect, the result of the abnormality in the one-time monitoring is output from the mold monitoring device.

The output of the mold monitoring device is input to a main control unit of the molding device, and if the output is monitored for an abnormality once, the main control unit performs control to stop the operation of the molding device. Then, the operator investigates the cause of the incorrect shaping.

Another purpose of mold monitoring is mainly to perform the next molding, and is monitoring for confirming whether or not the mold is opened after the molding and the article is reliably taken out. This monitoring is referred to as secondary monitoring. In the secondary monitoring, it is judged from the image of the inner surface of the mold whether the article is not taken out correctly and remains therein, or whether the material partially remains. If the article is not released or the material remains partially, a secondary monitoring abnormality is output, and control for stopping the operation of the molding apparatus is similarly performed.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6584472

Patent document 2: japanese patent No. 6798794

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In various molding apparatuses using a mold monitoring apparatus, there is a tendency for the mold to be enlarged. The enlargement of the mold is sometimes due to the enlargement of the molded article, but there is also a reason why it is desired to increase the number of articles molded at one time and to improve productivity.

In the conventional mold monitoring device, one camera is used for monitoring, but in the background of the large-scale mold, the necessity of using a plurality of cameras arises. In the case of a large mold, if a camera with a wide angle is used while a long shooting distance is obtained, even one camera may be able to cope with the large mold. However, there are cases where the image quality of the image is lowered to affect the monitoring operation. Therefore, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the inside of the mold is divided into a plurality of areas, and cameras having the number of areas are provided and photographed individually.

As described above, when a plurality of cameras are used, other imaging methods may be required, in addition to the case of imaging each region separately. For example, one camera may be used to photograph the entire inner side of the mold, and the other camera may be used to photograph only a specific area that needs to be specially monitored.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a practical mold monitoring device and a mold monitoring method that are suitable for the enlargement of a mold.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problem, the mold monitoring device of the invention disclosed in this specification monitors the inside of a mold opened after molding in a mold in a state where a set of at least one movable mold is closed, and then opens the mold and takes out the article.

The mold monitoring device is provided with: four or more cameras facing the inside of the opened mold; and a judging unit for judging the normal abnormality of the molding state according to the image of the inner side of the mold captured by the camera. Each camera is mounted so as to capture a single region obtained by dividing the region inside the mold into four or more regions, and the judgment unit compares the image transmitted from each camera with the reference image set separately to judge that the molding state is normal or abnormal.

In order to solve the above problem, the mold monitoring device may have a structure in which at least one of the four cameras is mounted so as to capture a portion that is blocked from view by another camera on the inner side of the mold.

In order to solve the above-described problem, another invention disclosed in this specification is a molding apparatus in which a set of molds, at least one of which is a movable mold, is closed, and then the molds are opened after molding an article in the molds, and the article is taken out, wherein the inside of the opened molds after molding is monitored.

The mold monitoring device is provided with: a plurality of cameras capable of photographing the inside of the opened mold; a judging unit for judging the normal abnormality of the molding state according to the image of the inner side of the mold shot by the camera; a storage unit; and a mode setting unit configured to set an acquisition mode of an image captured by each camera. The mode setting unit is the following setting unit: for each camera, a category regarding the nature of the captured image is set in addition to whether the captured image is a category of an image for judging normal abnormality of the molding state.

In order to solve the above problem, in the mold monitoring device, the type of the property of the captured image may be a type of a still image or a type of a moving image.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the mold monitoring device may be configured such that the type of the property of the captured image is a type of an image captured by visible light or a type of a thermal imaging image captured by infrared light.

In order to solve the above-described problems, another method of monitoring a mold disclosed in this specification is a method of monitoring the inside of a mold opened after molding in a molding apparatus in which an article is molded in the mold in a state where a set of molds, at least one of which is a movable mold, is closed, and then the mold is opened and the article is taken out.

The mold monitoring method includes: a photographing step of photographing the inside of the mold in an opened state using a camera; and a judging step of judging a normal abnormality of the molding state based on the image captured by the at least one camera in the capturing step.

The photographing step is a step in which two cameras superimpose a common region inside the photographing mold, and is a step in which photographing in which the properties of photographed images are different from each other is performed by the two cameras.

In order to solve the above problem, in the mold monitoring method, the photographing step may be a step of photographing a still image by one of the two cameras and photographing a moving image by the other camera.

In order to solve the above-described problem, in the mold monitoring method, the imaging step may be a step of imaging one of the two cameras with visible light and imaging the other with infrared thermal imaging.

Effects of the invention

As described below, according to the mold monitoring device of the disclosed invention, since four or more cameras are used and each camera monitors an area inside a mold divided into four or more individual areas, a sufficiently clear monitoring image can be obtained even for a larger mold. Therefore, the present invention can be preferably used for monitoring the mold of a molding apparatus which is being enlarged.

In addition, in a structure in which at least one of four or more cameras is attached to capture a portion that is blocked from view by another camera, the present invention is suitable for a case in which an article having a complicated structure is molded and the inner surface of a mold has a complicated shape. In particular, since four or more cameras are used, the inside of the mold can be imaged from the vertical and horizontal oblique directions, and all exposed portions of the inside of the mold can be imaged without having a complicated structure.

Further, according to the mold monitoring device of the disclosed another invention, since the image acquisition mode can be set for each camera and the image corresponding to the purpose of setting the camera can be acquired, the acquired image can be used for each monitoring in accordance with the setting of the mode setting unit and stored in the storage unit as a reference. Therefore, the use range of a plurality of cameras is widened, and the use can be optimized.

In addition, according to the mold monitoring method of the other disclosed invention, since the two cameras capture (capture in a superimposed manner) the common region inside the mold, the properties of the images captured by the two cameras are different from each other, and thus the monitoring can be optimized according to the contents of the mold and the molding process.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a mold monitoring device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a first example of the installation position of each camera.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a second example of the installation position of each camera.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mode setting screen.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a folder structure provided in a storage unit for storing an image file.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of the monitoring sequence program.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a monitoring sequence routine of the second example.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the invention of the application will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a mold monitoring device according to an embodiment.

The mold monitoring device shown in fig. 1 includes a plurality of cameras 11 to 14 and a device body 2 to which the cameras 11 to 14 are connected. The molding apparatus 9 includes a movable mold 91, a fixed mold 92, a moving mechanism 93 for moving the movable mold 91, a material injection system 94 for injecting a material into the closed molds 91 and 92, a main control unit 90 for controlling the respective units, and the like. Further, although not shown, an ejection mechanism or the like for performing an ejection operation for taking out an article after molding is also provided.

In this embodiment, at most four cameras may be connected to the apparatus main body 2 to acquire images. Fig. 2 and 3 are perspective schematic views showing examples of installation positions of the respective cameras. Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a first example of the installation position, and fig. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a second example of the installation position. In fig. 2 and 3, the state immediately after the molds 91, 92 are opened is depicted, and the state in which the molded article P is held on the movable mold 91 is depicted.

The first example shown in fig. 2 is an installation example in the case of using four cameras 11 to 14. The second example shown in fig. 3 is an arrangement example in the case of using three cameras 11 to 13. In any of the embodiments, each of the cameras 11 to 14 is mounted on the fixed mold 92.

First, an example of the arrangement in the case of using four cameras 11 to 14 will be described, and in fig. 2, the four cameras 11 to 14 are mounted so as to capture each area (hereinafter, referred to as a single area) in which the area inside the molds 91 and 92 is divided into the number of cameras. In this example, the inner sides of the molds 91 and 92 are square as a whole, and are divided into four separate areas by dividing the molds vertically and horizontally. The cameras are adjusted in set positions, attitudes so as to capture individual areas.

The cameras 11 to 14 face the movable mold 91 and capture the inner surface of the movable mold 91. In a state immediately after the molds 91, 92 are opened after the completion of the molding, the article P is held by the movable mold 91. Thus, the cameras 11 to 14 also capture the exposed surface of the molded article P. The "exposed surface" is a surface that is not in contact with the inner surface of the movable mold 91.

As can be seen from fig. 2, in this example, the left two cameras 11 and 12 are mounted so as to capture a portion that is blocked from capturing when viewed from the right two cameras 13 and 14. In contrast, the two cameras 13 and 14 on the right side are mounted to capture images of a portion that is blocked from being captured when viewed from the two cameras 11 and 12 on the left side. The "blocked portion" may be a specific portion on the exposed surface of the article P or a specific portion on the inner surface of the movable mold 91.

In this embodiment, the apparatus main body 2 is a portable computer apparatus including a processor 21, a display 22, an input/output interface 23, and the like. Specifically, for example, a tablet PC having a display of about 10 to 12 inches may be used as the apparatus main body 2. The cameras 11 to 14 are connected to the input/output interface 23 of the apparatus main body 2 by dedicated cables. The input/output interface 23 has ports (four ports) to which the cameras 11 to 14 are connected, and the cameras 11 to 14 are connected to the ports.

The cameras 11 to 14 may be connected to the apparatus main body 2 by wireless communication such as NFC.

The apparatus main body 2 includes a mode setting unit that sets an acquisition mode of the images transmitted from the cameras 11 to 14, a determination unit that determines a normal abnormality of the molding state from the acquired images, and the like.

The apparatus main body 2 includes a storage unit 3 such as an SSD or HDD. The storage unit 3 stores a setting information file 35 in which the acquisition modes set for the cameras 11 to 14 are recorded, a monitoring sequence program 31 for controlling the sequence of the entire mold monitoring, monitoring programs 331 and 332 for performing primary monitoring and secondary monitoring based on the images acquired by monitoring, reference image files 32 to which the monitoring programs 331 and 332 refer, and the like. Thus, in this embodiment, the mode setting unit is constituted by the storage unit 3 and the setting information file 35 stored in the storage unit 3. The determination unit is composed of the device main body 2 and the monitor programs 331 and 332 installed in the device main body 2.

In addition to the above, an imaging control program, not shown, is installed in the apparatus main body 2, which outputs control signals to the cameras 11 to 14 to capture still images and starts and ends capturing moving images. The photographing control program is called up and executed by the monitoring sequence program 31. The apparatus main body 2 is provided with a memory, not shown, for temporarily storing image data of still images, etc., in addition to the storage unit 3.

The display 22 also functions as a touch panel and also serves as an input unit for various setting information, and a setting information registration program 36 is installed in the apparatus main body 2. The setting information registration program 36 is a program for displaying an input screen of various setting information on the display 22 and recording the input setting information in the setting information file 35.

The mold monitoring device is connected to the main control unit 90 of the molding device 9, and outputs the result to the main control unit 90 via the input/output interface 23 when an abnormality is determined in the primary monitoring and the secondary monitoring. The connection to the main control unit 90 may be performed by wireless communication such as NFC.

Next, an acquisition mode when acquiring images from the cameras 11 to 14 will be described.

The acquisition mode is to acquire what image from each of the cameras 11 to 14, and to set the image in advance and record the image in the setting information file 35. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mode setting screen displayed on the display by the mode setting module as an element of the setting program.

In this embodiment, four modes, i.e., a still image monitoring mode, a moving image reference mode, and a thermal imaging mode, can be set as the acquisition mode. The still image monitoring mode is a mode in which a still image is acquired from a camera for primary monitoring and secondary monitoring. The moving image monitoring mode is a mode in which a camera is made to capture and acquire moving images, and primary monitoring and secondary monitoring are performed using images (still images) at predetermined timings. The moving image reference mode is a mode for capturing a moving image by a camera, but is not used for primary monitoring and secondary monitoring, and is used as a reference. The thermal imaging mode is a fetch mode set in the case where the camera is a thermal imaging camera.

As shown in fig. 4, in this embodiment, in the mode setting screen, acquisition mode input fields 41 to 44 are provided for the four cameras 11 to 14, respectively. In this example, the acquisition mode input fields 41 to 44 are radio buttons for selecting any one, but may be other types such as a drop-down list.

The setting information registration program 36 includes a pattern recording module that records the values input in the acquisition pattern input fields 41 to 44 in the setting information file 35. When the confirm button 45 provided on the mode setting screen shown in fig. 4 is pressed, the mode recording module is executed to cause the mode information to be recorded in the setting information file 35.

The storage unit 3 is provided with a folder 30 for data storage, and folders (hereinafter referred to as camera data folders) 51, 61, 71, 81 for storing the image files 34 from the respective cameras 11 to 14 are provided below (as lower-level directories). In this example, still image folders 52, 62, 72, 82, moving image folders 53, 63, 73, 83, and thermal imaging folders 54, 64, 74, 84 are provided below the respective camera data folders 51, 61, 71, 81. The primary monitoring folders 521, 621, 721, 821 and the secondary monitoring folders 522, 622, 722, 822 are provided below the still image folders 52, 62, 72, 82.

In this embodiment, the image file (still image or moving image) 34 of the image captured by each of the cameras 11 to 14 is a file having the capturing time as the file name. Whether or not the image file is based on a certain camera can be identified by the identification number set for each camera 11 to 14 or the port number at the input-output interface 23. For example, if the still image is a still image at the time of primary monitoring from the first camera 11, the monitoring sequence program 31 stores the primary monitoring folder 521 below the camera data folder 51 for the first camera 11 as needed, and if the still image is a still image at the time of secondary monitoring, the monitoring sequence program 31 stores the secondary monitoring folder 522 as needed. If the first camera 11 is a thermal imaging camera, the image file 34 is stored in the thermal imaging folder 54 below the camera data folder 51 for the first camera 11, if the first camera 11 is a thermal imaging camera, if the first camera is a moving image, the moving image folder 53 is stored in the camera data folder 51 for the first camera 11, if necessary. The same applies to the second to fourth cameras 12 to 14.

The monitor sequence program 31 is a program for performing a sequence corresponding to the acquisition mode of each camera 11 to 14 set in this manner. This will be explained below.

First, an example of the monitoring sequence program 31 in the case where all of the four cameras 11 to 14 are in the still image monitoring mode will be described. Hereinafter, this example will be referred to as a first example. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of the monitoring sequence program.

The monitoring sequence 31 is executed during the operation of the molding device 9, and is in a standby state in which an operation state signal is input from the molding device 9. The time from the start of the molding to the timing of one monitoring is provided as a constant to the monitoring sequence program 31. This time is slightly longer than the time from the closing of the molds 91 and 92 until the opening of the molds 91 and 92, that is, the time until the closing of the molds 91 and 92 and the injection of the material to complete the curing. Hereinafter, this time will be referred to as the molding time.

When the monitor program 31 receives a signal indicating that the molds 91 and 92 have been closed (hereinafter referred to as a molding start signal) at a certain time, it starts counting by a timer. Then, when the count of the timer reaches the molding time, the count of the timer is stopped and reset to zero. Then, the cameras 11 to 14 are allowed to capture still images at that time by the capture control program, and each still image is acquired. Then, the cameras 11 to 14 are monitored once.

That is, the monitoring sequence program 31 acquires a reference image for primary monitoring for the first camera 11 from the storage unit 3, transfers the reference image to the primary monitoring program 331 as an argument together with a still image acquired from the first camera 11, and executes the primary monitoring program 331. The primary monitor program 331 determines whether or not the difference between the acquired still image and the reference image is within a predetermined range, and if so, outputs a normal return value. If the value exceeds the predetermined range, an abnormal return value is outputted. These return values are stored temporarily in the variables.

Similarly, the reference image for the second camera 12 is acquired from the storage unit 3, transferred to the primary monitoring program 331 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the second camera 12, and the primary monitoring program 331 is executed, and the return value thereof is stored in another argument. The processing of one-time monitoring is similarly performed for the still image from the third camera 13 and the still image from the fourth camera 14, and the return values of the one-time monitoring program 331 are stored in different variables.

Then, if any of the return values is abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 outputs the one-time monitoring abnormality to the main control section 90 of the forming apparatus 9. At this time, information for determining which camera is abnormal is also output.

When the one-time monitoring abnormality is output, the operation of the molding device 9 is stopped, and therefore the one-time monitoring program 331 is also interrupted, and the system returns to the standby state (the state of waiting for reception of the molding start signal). In the case where monitoring is normal at a time (return values for all four cameras are normal), as shown in fig. 6, the monitoring sequence program 31 causes the counting of the timer to start again.

In addition, when the execution result of the primary monitoring program 331 is abnormal, the image file 34 of the still image is stored in the primary monitoring folder below the camera data folder of the camera that captured the abnormal still image.

On the other hand, the time from the timing of the primary monitoring to the timing of the secondary monitoring is supplied as a constant to the monitoring sequence program 31. This time includes the time required for the ejection action. Hereinafter, this time will be referred to as ejection time.

As shown in fig. 6, if one monitoring is a normal result, the monitoring sequence 31 starts the timer again. Then, when the count of the timer reaches the ejection time, the monitor program 31 causes the cameras 11 to 14 to capture still images at that time, and acquires each still image. Then, the cameras 11 to 14 are monitored twice.

That is, the monitoring sequence program 31 acquires a reference image for secondary monitoring for the first camera 11 from the storage unit 3, transfers the reference image to the secondary monitoring program 332 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the first camera 11, and executes the secondary monitoring program 332. Its return value is then stored temporarily in the variable. The return value of the secondary monitor 332 is also normal or abnormal. If the difference between the acquired still image and the reference image is within a predetermined range, the value of the effect of the secondary monitoring is returned, and if the difference exceeds the predetermined range, the value of the effect of the secondary monitoring abnormality is returned.

Similarly, the reference image for the second camera 12 is acquired from the storage unit 3, and is transferred to the secondary monitoring program 332 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the second camera 12, and the secondary monitoring program 332 is executed, and the return value thereof is stored in another argument. The processing of the secondary monitoring is similarly performed for the still image from the third camera 13 and the still image from the fourth camera 14, and the return values of the secondary monitoring program 332 are stored in different variables.

If any of the return values is abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 outputs a secondary monitoring abnormality to the main control section 90 of the forming apparatus 9. At this time, information for determining which camera is abnormal is also output. The monitoring sequence program 31 also stores the image file 34 of the still image of the secondary monitoring abnormality in a secondary monitoring folder below the camera data folder for the camera.

In addition, the count of the timer is stopped at the stage when the ejection time is reached, and reset to zero. In both cases where the secondary monitoring is normal and abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 is in a state of waiting for receiving the next forming start signal.

Next, an example of a monitoring sequence program in the case where two of the four cameras are in the still image monitoring mode and one is in the moving image reference mode will be described. Hereinafter, the second example will be referred to as this example. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a monitoring sequence program 31 according to a second example.

The installation positions of the cameras 11 to 14 in this configuration correspond to an example shown in fig. 3. As an example, the first and second cameras 11 and 12 in fig. 3 are set to be in a still image monitoring mode, and the third camera 13 is set to be in a moving image reference mode. For the fourth camera 14, "stop" is selected on the mode setting screen and recorded in the setting information file 35.

In addition, in the example shown in fig. 3, the first camera 11 is provided to capture an area of the left half of the movable mold 91, and the second camera 12 is provided to capture an area of the right half of the movable mold 91. The third camera movable mold 91 is provided to take a moving image of the whole. That is, the orientation is adjusted and the zoom is performed so that the movable mold 91 in the closed position and the movable mold 92 in the open position are brought into the field of view.

In this embodiment, one moving image capturing (that is, one moving image file is generated) is performed for one molding cycle. Thus, in one molding cycle, the monitoring sequence program 31 transmits a control signal for starting moving image capturing and a control signal for ending moving image capturing to the third camera 13. In this case, in order to make moving image reference more efficient and to avoid the capacity for moving image storage from becoming excessively large, the timing of starting moving image capturing and the timing of ending moving image capturing are set with reference to the timing of monitoring (timing of judging normal or abnormal molding conditions).

In this embodiment, the timing before the predetermined time from the timing of the primary monitoring is set as the start of moving image capturing, and the timing after the predetermined time from the timing of the secondary monitoring is set as the end of moving image capturing. Hereinafter, a time period in which the timing to be monitored once is advanced is referred to as an advance time, and a time period in which the timing to be monitored twice is delayed is referred to as a delay time.

As shown in fig. 7, in this example, when the molding start signal is received, the monitor sequence program 31 starts counting of the timer. Then, if the value of the forming time-advance time is reached, a moving image shooting start signal is transmitted to the third camera 13.

Thereafter, if the count of the timer reaches the forming time, the count of the timer is stopped and reset to zero. Then, as in the previous example, a control signal for still image capturing is transmitted to the first and second cameras 11 and 12. In addition, a reference image for primary monitoring for the first camera 11 is acquired from the storage unit 3, and is transferred to the primary monitoring program 331 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the first camera 11, and the primary monitoring program 331 is executed, and the return value thereof is stored in a variable. The reference image for the second camera 12 is acquired from the storage unit 3, and is transferred to the primary monitoring program 331 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the second camera 12, and the primary monitoring program 331 is executed, and the return value thereof is stored in another variable.

If any of the return values is abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 outputs a monitoring abnormality to the main control unit 90 of the forming apparatus 9. In addition, the image file 34 of the still image captured by the abnormal camera is stored in the one-time monitoring folder below the camera data folder for the camera. Then, the state is returned to the state of waiting for receiving a new forming start signal.

If any of the return values is normal, the monitor sequence program 31 starts counting by the timer again. Then, if the count of the timer reaches the ejection time, a control signal for capturing a still image is transmitted to the first and second cameras 11 and 12, and secondary monitoring is performed. That is, the reference image for secondary monitoring for the first camera 11 is acquired from the storage unit 3, transferred to the secondary monitoring program 332 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the first camera 11, and the secondary monitoring program 332 is executed, and the return value thereof is stored in a variable. The reference image for secondary monitoring for the second camera 12 is acquired from the storage unit 3, and is transferred to the secondary monitoring program 332 as an argument together with the still image acquired from the second camera 12, and the secondary monitoring program 332 is executed to store the return value thereof in a variable.

If any of the return values is abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 outputs a secondary monitoring abnormality to the main control section 90 of the forming apparatus 9. In addition, the image file 34 of the still image captured by the abnormal camera is stored in the secondary monitoring folder below the camera data folder for the camera.

After that, if the count of the timer reaches the ejection time+the delay time, the monitor sequence program 31 stops the count of the timer and resets to zero, and sends a control signal for the end of moving image capturing to the third camera 13. Then, a state is set in which a new forming start signal is waiting for reception. At this time, in the molding cycle, if the result of the primary monitoring is abnormal or the result of the secondary monitoring is abnormal, the monitoring sequence program 31 saves the image file 34 of the captured moving image in the moving image folder 73 below the camera data folder 71 for the third camera 13.

In the monitoring sequence program 31 of the second example, when the one-time monitoring is an abnormal result, a control signal for ending the shooting may be output to the third camera 13 at this time and the shooting may be ended. In addition, the second monitoring may end the moving image capturing at a timing when the result is abnormal, but the second monitoring may continue to be good with a predetermined delay time. For example, there are cases where the ejection operation of the molded article is not smooth, and the molded article is caught by the mold at the time of the secondary monitoring, but naturally drops down soon after that. In this case, if the operator goes to the mold, the cause of the secondary monitoring abnormality cannot be well understood since the article is being ejected normally. Such irregular operation is preferable because it can be confirmed by moving images if moving image capturing is continued.

The overall operation of the mold monitoring device according to this embodiment and the overall operation of the molding device 9 will be described below. In the following description, the case where the cameras 11 to 14 are provided as shown in fig. 2 and all the cameras 11 to 14 are in the still image monitoring mode will be described.

In a production line for articles to be molded by using the molding device 9, an operator sets a mold monitoring device. That is, the cameras 11 to 14 are provided at necessary places with respect to the molds 91 and 92 to be monitored, and are oriented in desired directions. Then, the respective cameras 11 to 14 are set in a zoom state (magnification) or the like. Then, after the cameras 11 to 14 are connected to the apparatus main body 2 by dedicated cables, setting information of the cameras 11 to 14 is input. That is, a mode setting screen is displayed on the display, the still image monitoring mode is selected for all the cameras 11 to 14, and the confirm button 45 is pressed, and setting information is recorded in the setting information file 35. In addition, setting of the molding time and the ejection time is also performed. The mold monitoring device is then operated, and molding is performed by the molding device 9.

The forming device 9 injects the material into the molds 91, 92 in a state where the set of molds 91, 92 is closed. At this time, a molding start signal is transmitted to the mold monitoring device. The monitoring sequence 31, which receives the molding start signal and is executed on the apparatus main body 2, starts counting by a timer.

The molding device 9 moves the movable mold 91 until the set molding time to open the molds 91 and 92. When the molding time is reached, the monitoring sequence program 31 transmits a control signal to each of the cameras 11 to 14, captures a still image at that time, and executes the monitoring program 331 once.

If it is determined that the still image from any one of the cameras is abnormal as a result of one monitoring, the one monitoring abnormality is sent from the apparatus main body 2 to the main control unit 90 of the forming apparatus 9. Thus, the main control unit 90 operates to interrupt the molding cycle. If no monitoring abnormality is output, the molding device 9 performs ejection operation. Thereby, the article is ejected out of the molds 91, 92.

On the other hand, when the timer of the mold monitoring device reaches the molding time, the timer is reset to 0 and restarted. When the count of the timer reaches the ejection time, the mold monitoring device stops the count of the timer and resets to 0, and performs secondary monitoring. If an abnormality is returned to the still image from any one of the cameras, the monitoring sequence program 31 outputs a secondary monitoring abnormality to the main control unit 90 of the forming apparatus 9.

The main control unit 90 of the molding apparatus 9 that receives the output of the secondary monitoring abnormality stops the next molding cycle, and sets the molds 91 and 92 to be kept open. In the case of a secondary monitoring being normal, the forming device 9 closes the moulds 91, 92 again, injects material and proceeds to the next forming cycle. The mold monitoring device receives a molding start signal, and the monitoring sequence program 31 starts counting a timer. Thereafter, the same process is repeated.

According to the mold monitoring device of the embodiment of the above operation, since the regions inside the molds 91 and 92 divided into four separate regions are monitored by the respective cameras 11 to 14 using the four cameras 11 to 14, a sufficiently clear monitoring image can be obtained even for a larger mold. Therefore, the present invention can be preferably used for mold monitoring of a molding apparatus which is being enlarged.

At this time, at least one of the four cameras 11 to 14 is attached to capture a portion that is blocked from view by the other camera, and thus is particularly suitable for a case where an article of a complicated structure is molded and the inside of a mold is of a complicated shape. In addition, this is closely related to the use of four cameras 11 to 14. That is, when four cameras 11 to 14 are used, as shown in fig. 2, the inside of the mold can be imaged from the vertical and horizontal oblique directions, and all exposed portions of the inside of the mold can be imaged without having a too complicated structure. The effect is further improved by using five or more cameras, but almost all of the molds can be handled by a minimum of four cameras.

In the mold monitoring device according to the embodiment, the image acquisition mode can be set for each of the cameras 11 to 14, and an image corresponding to the purpose of installation of the camera can be acquired. The acquired image can be used for each monitoring and stored in the storage unit 3 as a reference according to the setting of the mode setting unit. Therefore, the use range of a plurality of cameras is widened, and the use can be optimized.

Next, an embodiment of the invention of the mold monitoring method will be described in addition.

The mold monitoring method of the embodiment is a method in which two cameras superimpose and photograph a common area inside a mold. Thus, as an example, in the mold monitoring device according to the above embodiment, when three cameras 11 to 13 are provided as shown in fig. 3, the setting of the mold setting unit corresponds to the case where images of different properties are captured by the first camera 11 or the second camera 12 and the third camera 13. For example, as described above, the first and second cameras 11 and 12 are in the still image monitoring mode, and the third camera 13 is in the moving image reference mode.

In addition to the above, the first and second cameras 11 and 12 may be in a moving image monitoring mode, and the third camera 13 may be in a still image monitoring mode. The first and second cameras 11 and 12 may be in a still image monitoring mode, and the third camera 13 may be in a thermal imaging mode.

As an explanation of the mold monitoring method, the operation of the mold monitoring apparatus described above corresponds to the case where the monitoring sequence program 31 is of the second embodiment. After the operator sets the first to third cameras 11 to 13 as shown in fig. 3, the still image monitoring mode is selected for the first and second cameras 11 and 12 and the moving image reference mode is selected for the third camera 13 on the mode setting screen. A stop is selected for the fourth camera 14. Then, the confirm button 45 is pressed, and these setting information are recorded in the setting information file 35.

When a molding start signal is transmitted from the main control unit 90 of the molding apparatus 9, the monitor sequence program 31 starts a timer, and starts moving image capturing by the third camera 13 at the timing of the molding time-advance time. When the molding time is reached, the monitoring sequence program 31 resets the timer to zero, and transmits a control signal for capturing still images to the first and second cameras 11 and 12 to acquire each still image, thereby executing the monitoring program 331 once. Then, if any return value is a one-time monitoring abnormality, the one-time monitoring abnormality is output to the main control unit of the molding apparatus. At this time, the image file 34 of the abnormal still image is stored in the still image folder for the camera.

If the monitoring is normal once, the monitoring sequence 31 starts the timer again. When the ejection time is reached, a control signal for capturing still images is transmitted to the first and second cameras 11 and 12, and each still image is acquired, and the secondary monitoring program 332 is executed. If any of the return values is a secondary monitoring abnormality, the secondary monitoring abnormality is output to the main control section 90 of the forming apparatus 9. At this time, the image file 34 of the abnormal still image is stored in the still image folder for the camera.

After that, when the count of the timer reaches the ejection time+the delay time, the monitor sequence program 31 resets the timer to zero, and outputs a control signal for ending the shooting to the third camera, and the third camera 13 ends the moving image shooting. When the first monitoring or the second monitoring is an abnormal result, the monitoring sequence program 31 saves the image file 34 of the moving image in the moving image folder 73 below the camera data folder 71 for the third camera 13.

According to this mold monitoring method, since the two cameras capture (capture in a superimposed manner) the common region inside the molds 91 and 92, the properties of the images captured by the two cameras are different from each other, and thus the monitoring can be optimized according to the contents of the molds and the molding process. That is, by dividing the areas, acquiring a still image for each individual area, performing primary monitoring and secondary monitoring, and recording the operation status of the entire molds 91 and 92 as a moving image, it is possible to perform monitoring based on the moving image. For example, in the case where the primary monitoring and the secondary monitoring based on the still image are abnormal results, the situation at this time is checked by the moving image, and the occurrence situation of the abnormality can be analyzed.

The above example is an example in which the still image-based imaging region is a limited region and the moving image-based imaging is a wide region including the limited region, but the opposite may be true. For example, there are cases where a still image of the entire mold is acquired by one camera, the area is monitored once and monitored twice, and only a specific limited area is photographed with another camera and referred to. In addition, there are cases where the area is divided into two areas, each still image is acquired by the first and second cameras, the first and second monitoring is performed, and a moving image of a specific portion in each individual area is captured by the third and fourth cameras and referred to.

In addition, there are cases where a still image is extracted from image data of a moving image and is subjected to primary monitoring and secondary monitoring, and there are cases where a still image is used as a reference. For example, a moving image may be captured in an area of the entire mold, normal abnormality may be determined by a still image at a timing of primary monitoring and a still image at a timing of secondary monitoring, and a still image of a specific area at a specific timing may be captured as a reference. For example, if a still image after zooming in at a certain timing at a certain specific portion is useful for analysis of a molding condition, such shooting may be performed with a different camera from that for moving image shooting superimposed thereon.

In addition, if the thermal imaging is supplemented, in the embodiment of the mold monitoring device described above, the thermal imaging mode is a mode in which the thermal imaging for reference as a moving image is performed. For example, when the first and second cameras 11 and 12 are in a single-area still image capturing (still image monitoring mode) and the third camera 13 is in a moving image reference mode for capturing a moving image of the whole, an infrared camera may be provided as the fourth camera 14 and a thermal imaging mode may be set to capture a thermal imaging moving image of the whole mold. The temperature state and the temperature distribution of the mold are checked as necessary with reference to the thermal imaging dynamic image captured by the fourth camera 14.

The thermal imaging may be performed for the purpose of the determination unit determining a normal abnormality of the molding condition and outputting the abnormal state to the main control unit 90 of the molding device 9. For example, when the temperature of the mold surface rises to a certain temperature or higher, control to stop the molding device 9 is performed as an abnormality. In this case, a mold temperature monitoring program for judging normal abnormality of the molding condition based on the state of the surface temperature of the mold is installed in the apparatus main body 2. Further, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a thermal imaging image of a still image is captured by a thermal imaging camera at the timing of one monitoring, and a mold temperature monitoring program analyzes it and judges a normal abnormality. For example, it is determined from the thermal imaging image whether or not a specific portion has not reached a high temperature higher than a limit, and it is determined whether or not the average temperature of the entire mold has not reached a limit.

Further, the cameras 11 to 14 may photograph the inner sides of the molds 91 and 92 while illuminating them. In this case, although the wavelength of the light used for illumination is sometimes in the visible region, as disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2007-21797 and japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2003-305548, there is also a case where the light from the long wavelength side of the visible region to the infrared region is used for illumination and the cameras 11 to 14 are used for photographing while avoiding interference.

In these cases, according to the mold monitoring method of the embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously perform overlapping imaging of different properties, that is, primary monitoring and secondary monitoring of still images based on visible light, or to perform imaging of moving images of visible light and reference, and it is possible to more effectively use a plurality of cameras and optimize mold monitoring.

In the above embodiments, the injection molding device using the thermoplastic resin as the material was described as an example of the molding device 9, but the application of the mold monitoring device of the invention of the present application is not limited to this. The mold monitoring device of the present invention can be used for mold monitoring in various molding apparatuses such as an injection molding apparatus using other materials, a molding apparatus for press molding, a molding apparatus for forging or casting, and the like.

The device main body 2 is a portable computer device similar to a tablet PC, but may be a computer device similar to a desktop PC. The present invention may be a computer device mounted in the main control unit 90 of the molding device 9. However, if the apparatus main body 2 is portable, it is preferable that an operator can see a still image or a moving image at any place in the factory.

Description of the reference numerals

11-14 camera

2. Device main body

21. Processor and method for controlling the same

22. Display device

23. Input/output interface

3. Storage unit

31. Monitoring sequence program

32. Reference image file

331. One-time monitoring program

332. Secondary monitoring program

34. Image file

35. Setting information file

36. Setting information registration program

9. Forming device

90. Main control part

91. Movable mould

92. Fixed die

Claims

1. A mold monitoring device for monitoring an inner side of a mold opened after molding, with respect to a molding device for opening the mold and taking out an article after molding the article in the mold in a state where a set of molds, at least one of which is a movable mold, is closed, characterized by comprising:

four or more cameras facing the inside of the opened mold; and

A judging part for judging the normal abnormality of the molding state according to the image of the inner side of the mold shot by each camera,

each camera is installed to shoot a separate area obtained by dividing the area inside the mold into the areas with the number of cameras,

the judging unit compares the images transmitted from the cameras with the reference images set for each camera, and judges that the molding state is normal or abnormal.

2. The mold monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

at least one of the four or more cameras is mounted so as to capture a portion that is blocked from view by another camera inside the mold.

3. A mold monitoring device for monitoring an inner side of a mold opened after molding, with respect to a molding device for opening the mold and taking out an article after molding the article in the mold in a state where a set of molds, at least one of which is a movable mold, is closed, characterized by comprising:

a plurality of cameras capable of photographing the inside of the opened mold;

a judging unit for judging normal abnormality of the molding state according to the image of the inner side of the mold captured by the camera;

a storage unit; and

a mode setting for setting an acquisition mode of an image captured by each camera,

The mode setting unit is the following setting unit: for each camera, a category regarding the nature of the captured image is set in addition to whether the captured image is a category of an image for judging normal abnormality of the molding state.

4. The mold monitoring apparatus of claim 3, wherein,

the category regarding the nature of the captured image is a category of still image or moving image.

5. The mold monitoring apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein,

the category of the property of the photographed image is a category of an image photographed with visible light or a thermal imaging image photographed with infrared rays.

6. A mold monitoring method for monitoring an inner side of a mold opened after molding, with respect to a molding apparatus for opening the mold and taking out an article after molding the article in the mold in a state where a set of molds, at least one of which is a movable mold, is closed, the mold monitoring method comprising:

a photographing step of photographing the inside of the mold in an opened state using a camera; and

a judging step of judging a normal abnormality of the molding state based on the image captured by the at least one camera in the capturing step,

7. The method of mold monitoring according to claim 6, wherein,

the imaging step is a step of causing one of the two cameras to take a still image and the other to take a moving image.

8. The method of mold monitoring according to claim 6, wherein,

the imaging step is a step of causing one of the two cameras to perform imaging by visible light and the other to perform thermal imaging by infrared rays.