JP2002122549A - Bottle inspection machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bottle inspection machine in accordance with requests for saving space capable of performing high-speed inspections. SOLUTION: The bottle inspection machine is provided with visual inspection parts 104, 203, 205, and 304 for picking the images of a bottle 1 by cameras and inspecting the visual shape of a bolt on the basis of the picked-up images, a leakage inspection part 204 for inspecting the presence or absence of leakage on the basis of pressure changes inside the bottle, and a turntable 201 for transferring the bottle 1 over a transferring path connecting the visual inspection parts 104, 203, 205, and 304 to the leakage inspection part 204.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bottle inspection machine used in an inspection process of a bottle production line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, PET bottles filled with drinks such as drinking water and juice have been widely available. In the inspection process of a bottle production line, a bottle inspection machine is used to ensure thorough quality control. Is used.

[0003] In a conventional bottle inspection machine, an appearance inspection unit that images a bottle with a camera and inspects the appearance of the bottle based on the imaged image, and injects compressed air into the bottle to detect a change in pressure inside the bottle. And a leak inspection unit for inspecting the presence or absence of leakage was provided in a separate body. Alternatively, there has been one in which the above-mentioned respective airframes are simply arranged as an integrated type.

[0004]

However, it goes without saying that not only the case where both the inspection units are provided on separate bodies but also that the respective bodies are simply arranged, a conveyor for carrying in, inspecting, and unloading bottles can be used. Since a different transport path is required for each machine, the size of the inspection machine is increased, and the requirement for space saving is not met.

[0005] In addition, many conventional bottle inspection machines simply support the bottle being conveyed, so that it is difficult to change the orientation of the bottle, especially when the side surface of the main body of the square bottle is to be inspected. And the inspection speed was generally slow. Therefore, in order to inspect a large number of bottles at high speed, conventionally, it has been necessary to simultaneously operate a plurality of inspection machines.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bottle inspection machine capable of performing a high-speed inspection in accordance with a demand for space saving.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A visual inspection unit that images the bottle with a camera and inspects the external shape of the bottle based on the captured image, and a leakage inspection unit that injects compressed air into the bottle and inspects for leakage based on pressure changes in the bottle. In a bottle inspection machine with
A transport unit for transporting the bottle on a transport path communicating between the appearance inspection unit and the leak inspection unit is provided.

[0010] According to this configuration, the bottle is imaged by the camera by the appearance inspection unit on the same transport path, the appearance of the bottle is inspected based on the captured image, and compressed air is injected into the bottle by the leakage inspection unit. Since the presence or absence of leakage is inspected based on the pressure change in the bottle, the inspection machine is more compact and space-saving than when both inspection units are provided on separate units equipped with transport paths. Is achieved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, if the transport path is formed by a circular orbit having a predetermined radius and the transport section is provided with a revolving mechanism for driving the transport path to revolve, the linear transport is performed. Inspection machines are more compact than roads, and further space savings are achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, if the transport unit includes a holding mechanism for holding the bottle transported on the transport path by an upper and lower holding member interlocking with the circling operation of the transport path, Bottle transport is assured.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the transport section rotates the transport path between a first timing and a second timing after a lapse of a predetermined time in the transport path round operation. If a rotation mechanism for rotating the held bottle around the axis in synchronization with the above is provided, it is possible to inspect the appearance of the side surface of the bottle without moving the appearance inspection unit, especially when inspecting the appearance of the side surface of the main body of the square bottle. Is speeded up.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the rotating mechanism comprises a ball screw for rotating a rotating shaft vertically provided below the lower holding member of the bottle by a lifting / lowering operation of a ball nut screwed to the rotating shaft. If the mechanism is constituted by a mechanism and a cam mechanism which raises and lowers the ball nut by the orbiting operation of the transport path, the rotation operation of the bottle is performed with a simple configuration, and the visual inspection of the side surface of the bottle is accelerated. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the transport unit performs the circulating operation of the transport path between a third timing in the circulating operation of the transport path and a fourth timing after a lapse of a predetermined time. If a sealing mechanism for sealing the opening of the held bottle is provided in synchronization with the above, the leak inspection can be performed while the bottle is being transported, and the leak inspection of the bottle can be speeded up.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the sealing mechanism comprises a cam mechanism for raising and lowering an elevating shaft erected on the upper holding member of the bottle by orbiting the transport path. If this is the case, the sealing operation of the bottle is performed with a simple configuration, and the inspection of the leakage of the bottle is accelerated.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, if the transfer section has an air injection mechanism for injecting compressed air into the sealed bottle at the third timing, leakage during the transfer of the bottle is achieved. Inspection becomes possible, and the speed of bottle leakage inspection is increased.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, if the appearance inspection section is provided with an appearance determining means for comparing a captured image of the bottle with a reference image, the quality of the external shape of the bottle is objectively and reliably determined. Is done.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the leak inspection section includes a detecting means for detecting the pressure in the bottle and a leak determining means for comparing a change in the detected pressure value with a set value. Thus, the presence or absence of a bottle leak is objectively and reliably determined.

A marking unit for marking the result of the determination on the surface of the bottle determined to be defective by the appearance determining means and / or the surface of the bottle determined to be leaked by the leak determining means. Is provided, even if each inspection is performed on the same transport path, the inspection result is clarified, so that the cause of the defect can be easily identified.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, if the marking is a laser marking, the marking is performed at a high speed and hardly peeled off without applying a physical force at the time of the marking.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, if the conveying path is provided with a separating section for separating a marked bottle and a non-marked bottle, the bottle having a defective appearance or a leak can be separated. Since it is eliminated after being removed, only good products can be reliably obtained.

[0021]

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outer shape of a bottle. As shown in the figure, the bottle 1 to be inspected is
It has a main body 2 made of synthetic resin, and this main body 2 has a structure in which a cap (not shown) is detachably mounted. Body 2
In the present embodiment, a rectangular long or short rectangular shape having a square shape in plan view is employed, and a rectangular cylinder 21 and a cone extending upward from the upper end of the rectangular cylinder 21 are used. It is composed of a cylindrical portion 22.

As a material of the main body 2, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is used, and is formed by a so-called blow molding method. For example, PE in the molten state
After extruding T with an extruder to form a preform and adjusting the temperature, the preform is put into a mold and compressed air is blown into the main body 2 so as to be stretch-formed.

At the upper end of the conical cylindrical portion 22, there is formed a base 23 having a male screw 23a for mounting the cap. The male screw 23a and the conical cylindrical portion 2 are formed.
A flange 23b projecting radially outward is formed over the entire periphery at the boundary between the flange 23b.

The appearance and leak inspection of the bottle 1 having the above configuration are performed as a final step in the manufacturing process. Here, the visual inspection is performed on the height of the main body 2 of the bottle 1,
Whether the height and the opening size of the base 23 are within allowable values, whether there is a flaw or uneven thickness on the top, side, or bottom of the main body 2, or the external thread 23a or the flange of the base 23 The leakage inspection relates to the presence / absence of leakage of the bottle 1 such as whether or not there is a chip or crack in the 23b.

Hereinafter, a bottle inspection machine according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a top view showing the overall configuration of a bottle inspection machine according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a turntable of the inspection unit and a peripheral portion thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this inspection machine
A loading unit 100 for loading the bottle 1 to be inspected, an inspection unit 200 for inspecting the appearance and leakage of the bottle 1 loaded by the loading unit 100 on the same transport path, and unloading the bottle 1 inspected by the inspection unit 200. And an unloading section 300.

The loading section 100 includes the in-feed conveyor 1
01, an in-feed screw 102, an in-feed star wheel 103, and a first appearance inspection unit 104. The in-feed conveyor 101 places a plurality of bottles 1 produced in the upstream process in an upright state and sequentially places the bottles 1 on the in-feed star wheel 103. It is what you send.

The infeed screw 102 is disposed in two rows on the near side and the back side in FIG.
Is a long one, the bottles are aligned at a predetermined pitch by contacting the top and bottom of both sides.
If the bottle 1 is short, only the lower infeed screw 102 contacts the bottle 1.

The in-feed star wheel 103 is used to rotate the bottle 1 fed by the in-feed conveyor 101 and aligned by the in-feed screw 102 with a predetermined radius to smoothly transfer the bottle 1 to the inspection section 200. Therefore, a notch 1031 corresponding to the shape of the bottle is provided on the outer periphery of the disk-shaped rotating portion of the infeed star wheel 103, and a guide 1032 and the like are provided on a non-rotating portion facing the notched portion 1031. ing. Then, the bottle 1 that has been sent is sandwiched between the notch 1031 and the guide 1032 or the like, and is rotated.
It is configured to be transferred to the inspection unit 200 at a predetermined timing. The first appearance inspection unit 104 is for inspecting the appearance of the main body 2 of the bottle 1 and the upper surface of the mouthpiece 23, and is disposed immediately before the transfer position. The detailed configuration will be described later.

The inspection unit 200 includes a turntable 201,
It comprises a chuck mechanism 202, a second appearance inspection unit 203, a leakage inspection unit 204, and a third appearance inspection unit 205. The turntable 201 circulates the bottle 1 transferred from the infeed star wheel 103 of the loading unit 100 at a predetermined radius. It constitutes a transport section for sequentially transporting the above-described transport path.

The turntable 201 includes a ceiling plate 2011 and a base plate 2012, both of which are disc-shaped, and both of them are provided with columns 2013 arranged at appropriate positions in the circumferential direction.
It has a cylindrical shape as a whole by being supported by.
Bearings 2014 and 2015 are provided at the centers of the ceiling plate 2011 and the base plate 2012, respectively.
The main rotation shaft 2016 is rotatably supported by the bearings 2014 and 2015.

A disc-shaped turntable plate 2018, 2019, 2020 is disposed in the axial direction of the main rotation shaft 2016.
Are arranged at predetermined intervals, and the respective center portions of these turntable plates are fixed to the main rotation shaft 2016. A gear 2017 rotatably driven by a motor (not shown) is fixed below the main rotation shaft 2016. That is, the turntable 2018, 2019, 2020 is
17 and a main rotation shaft 2016, and are driven by a motor. A motor, a gear 2017, and a main rotation shaft 2016 (not shown) constitute a rotation mechanism.

The chuck mechanism 202 comprises, for example, 40 pairs of an upper holding mechanism 202A and a lower holding mechanism 202B which hold and hold the bottle 1 from above and below.
0 pairs of mechanisms are turntable plates 2018 and 201
9, 2020 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The chuck mechanism 202 includes a turntable plate 201
8, 2019, and 2020, each of the forty bottles 1 is sandwiched from above and below by an upper holding mechanism 202A and a lower holding mechanism 202B and rotated at a predetermined timing, or the bottle 1 is sealed and compressed air is discharged. This is a configuration in which blowing is performed, and as a result, as many as 600 bottles 1 can be continuously processed in one minute. The chuck mechanism 202 constitutes a holding mechanism, a rotation mechanism, a sealing mechanism, and an air injection mechanism.

The second visual inspection section 203 is a main body 2 of the bottle 1.
Inspection of the outer appearance of the side surface of the infeed star wheel 103 is provided immediately after the bottle transfer position.

The third appearance inspection section 205 is for inspecting the appearance of the side surface of the base 23 of the bottle 1 and is provided immediately before the transfer position to the outfeed star wheel 303. The leak inspection unit 204 is for inspecting the presence or absence of a leak based on a pressure change in the bottle 1 into which the compressed air has been injected, and is disposed between the second and third appearance inspection units. Chuck mechanism 202, second visual inspection section 203, third
The detailed configurations of the appearance inspection unit 205 and the leakage inspection unit 204 will be described later.

The unloading section 300 includes an outfeed conveyor 301, an outfeed screw 302, an outfeed star wheel 303, a fourth appearance inspection section 304, a marking section 305, and a defective product removing section 306. The outfeed star wheel 303 is connected to the inspection unit 20.
At 0, the bottle 1 whose appearance and leakage have been inspected is rotated around a predetermined radius and smoothly transferred from the inspection unit 200, and has the same configuration as the in-feed star wheel 103.

The out-feed conveyor 301 sequentially sends out the bottles 1 transferred from the out-feed star wheel 303 to the outside, and has the same configuration as the in-feed conveyor 101 described above.

The outfeed screw 302 contacts the upper and lower sides of the bottle 1 fed by the outfeed conveyor 301 to align the bottles at a predetermined pitch, and has the same configuration as the infeed screw 102. . The fourth appearance inspection unit 304 inspects the appearance of the bottom of the main body 2 of the bottle 1. The marking unit 305 performs laser marking on the bottle 1 whose inspection result is defective. The defective product removing unit 306 removes the marked bottle 1 from the transport path by blowing it off with compressed air. The detailed configurations of the fourth appearance inspection unit 304 and the marking unit 305 will be described later.

As described above, each of the appearance inspection units 104 and 20
Each of 3, 205, 304 and the leak inspection unit 204 is disposed along the turntable 201, and can be said to be provided on the same transport path provided by the turntable 201.

Hereinafter, the chuck mechanism, each inspection section, and the marking section, which are main parts of the present invention, will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a lower holding mechanism of the chuck mechanism, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view showing an upper holding mechanism of the chuck mechanism.

Lower holding mechanism 202 of chuck mechanism 202
B denotes a first holding member (lower holding member) 2021 for holding the main body 2 of the bottle 1 from the bottom, and the first holding member 202
1 and a turntable plate 2020, and a cam mechanism and a ball screw mechanism for rotating the bottle 1 around the axis of the bottle 1.

The first holding member 2021 is formed in a disk shape having a size on which the bottom of the bottle 1 can be placed, and a spindle 2023 as a rotating shaft is integrated with the first holding member 2021 below. Extending vertically downward. Immediately below the first holding member 2021 of the spindle 2023 is a bearing 202 fixed to the turntable plate 2020.
5, the vertical movement of the spindle 2023 is restricted, but the rotation is free. Spindle 202
3 has a thread groove 2 at a position lower than the place where the bearing 2025 is inserted.
No. 023a is cut, and the lowermost part is a lifting member 202.
7 is inserted into a stepped through-hole 2027a formed at the upper part of the upper part 7 so as not to interfere with the elevating operation of the elevating member 2027.

The stepped through hole 2027 of the elevating member 2027
a above the screw groove 202 of the spindle 2023.
The lower part of the ball nut 2028 having a thread groove (see FIG. 7) corresponding to 3a cut into its inner surface is inserted. As a result, the lifting member 2027 and the ball nut 2028 are integrated, and can be moved up and down along the vertical guide rod 2022 fixed to the turntable plate 2020 (the solid line in the drawing indicates the ball nut 2028). The lower limit position and the two-dot chain line indicate the upper limit position, respectively). This ball nut 2028 and spindle 2023
The above constitutes the ball screw mechanism.

FIG. 7 shows a ball screw mechanism.
(A) is a sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and (b) is an operation principle diagram. A plurality of balls 2028b are built in the housing 2028a of the ball nut 2028. When the spindle 2023 is screwed into the ball nut 2028, the balls 2028b are separated by the screw groove 2023a of the spindle 2023 and the housing 2028a of the ball nut 2028. Endless ball passage 2028 formed
Rolling becomes possible within c.

As described above, since the spindle 2023 is supported by the bearing 2025 so as to be rotatable and not to move up and down, when the ball nut 2028 is moved downward, for example, in the figure, the pressing force P is applied to the ball 2028b. The reaction force N acts in the direction perpendicular to the thread slope of the ball nut 2028, and the frictional force μN acts in the slope direction of the slope.
Works. As a result, F = P · sin along the slope
A force of θ-μN acts, and an axis perpendicular component F · co of this force F
The spindle 2023 rotates clockwise in top view due to sθ. Conversely, when the ball nut 2028 is moved upward, the spindle 2023 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above. Here, μ is the rolling friction coefficient, and θ is the inclination angle of the screw. In addition, if the inclination of the screw is set in the opposite direction, the reverse operation can be performed.

The horizontal shaft 20 extending radially outward from the turntable plate 2020 from the lowermost part of the elevating member 2027
29, a roller-shaped cam follower 2030 is supported rotatably in the circumferential direction of the turntable plate 2020. The cam follower 2030 is formed in the circumferential direction of the turntable plate 2020, and the base plate 2
The cam follower 2030 is movably fitted in a cam groove 2031 a of a cam 2031 fixed to the cam follower 2030.
Can be moved in the cam groove 2031a by rotating. These cam 2031 and cam follower 2030
The above constitutes the cam mechanism (see FIG. 8).

The upper holding mechanism 202 of the chuck mechanism 202
A shows a second holding member (upper holding member) 2051 that holds the upper part of the mouthpiece 23 as an opening of the bottle 1, the second holding member 2051 circulates with the turntable plate 2020, and a sealing operation of the bottle 1. And a cam mechanism for performing the following.

The second holding member 2051 is a rod-shaped member having an air hole 2051a penetrating in the axial direction, and the lower part thereof is formed in a tapered shape with which the base 23 of the bottle 1 can be engaged. The upper portion of the second holding member 2051 is expanded to form a cylinder having an opening 2051b on a side surface,
The piston 2054 is fitted therein so as to be able to move up and down via a spring 2051c. An air hole 2054a opened downward is formed in the piston 2054 so that compressed air is supplied from an air tube 2055 suspended from above. Therefore, piston 2
When 054 is rising, the second holding member 2051 is pushed down against the piston 2054 by the urging force of the spring 2051c, and they are separated from each other, but the piston 2054 is pressed by the urging force of the spring 2051c. When they come down against each other, they come into contact with each other (the upper limit position of the second holding member 2051 is indicated by a solid line in the figure, and the lower limit position is indicated by a two-dot chain line).

The infeed star wheel 103
Of the base 23 of the bottle 1 transferred from the second holding member 20 when the piston 2054 is raised.
The base 23 of the bottle 1 transferred from the in-feed star wheel 103 is adjusted in advance so as to contact the tapered lower part of the second holding member 205.
The first tapered lower portion is pushed up and engaged. When the bottle 1 is transferred to the outfeed star wheel 303, the cap 23 of the bottle 1 pushes up the tapered lower portion of the second holding member 2051 to release the engagement, contrary to the above. Has become.

The air tube 2055 is made of a flexible material such as rubber and can be bent in accordance with the elevation of the piston 2054. This air tube 2055 is
Both are connected to an external air supply source through unillustrated manifold valves and cross joints through the turntable plates 2018 and 2019. When the chuck mechanism 202 comes to a position immediately after the second visual inspection by rotation of the turntable 201, the manifold valve supplies compressed air from the air tube 2055 to the chuck mechanism 202, and then the chuck mechanism 202 This is for stopping supply for a certain period of time until immediately before the third visual inspection.

A lower part of a spindle 2058 as an elevating shaft is inserted into and integrated with an upper part of the piston 2054. The spindle 2058 includes bearings 205 fixed to the turntable plates 2018 and 2019, respectively.
6, 2057 so as to be rotatable. Further, the spindle 2058 has a turntable plate 201
8, 2019, a bracket 2060 that moves up and down along a guide 2059 whose both ends are fixed is connected. Accordingly, the bracket 2060 rotates while rotating around the turntable plates 2018 and 2019,
It can be moved up and down together with the spindle 2058.

An upper and lower stopper 2060 for regulating the range of elevation of the bracket 2060 is provided below the bracket 2060.
a, 2060b, and a spring 2060c disposed between the lower stopper 2060b and the bracket 2060 to urge the bracket 2060 upward. Also,
The upper end of the spring 2060c is fixed to the lower part of the bracket 2060, and the lower end is fixed to a contact member 2060d through which the spindle 2058 is inserted. With the lowering of the bracket 2060, the contact member 2060d elastically moves to the lower stopper 2060b. (The solid line in the figure indicates the upper limit position of the bracket 2060, and the two-dot chain line indicates the lower limit position.)

The bracket 2060 extends radially outward of the turntable plates 2018 and 2019, and has a shaft-shaped tip. A roller-like cam follower 2061 is provided at the tip of the turntable plate 2018, 2019.
Are supported rotatably in the circumferential direction. Cam Follower 2
061 is a turntable plate 2018, 2019.
Is movably fitted in a cam groove 2062a of a cam 2062 formed in the circumferential direction of the cam 2062 and fixed to the base plate 2012, and is movable in the cam groove 2062a by rotating the cam follower 2061. The cam follower 2061 and the cam 2062 constitute the cam mechanism (see FIG. 8).

FIG. 8 is a cam developed view showing the operation of the cam mechanism. The actual cam shape is disposed on the upper and lower portions of the turntable 201, and is formed in the circumferential direction, and has a cylindrical shape. However, here, for convenience of explanation, the above cam shape is developed and corresponding to each inspection. It is shown attached. In addition, each cam may be configured such that the end cam and the auxiliary cam are locked in place to form an integral cam.

In the illustrated example, the cam groove 2031 of the cam 2031 is shown.
a and the cam groove 2026a of the cam 2062 have different shapes. As described above, the bottle 1 to be inspected is transferred from the in-feed star wheel 103, and the first holding member 2021 on which the transferred bottle 1 is mounted is placed on the first holding member 2021 immediately after the mounting (first timing). 2
The cam follower 2030 is pushed up until it passes the appearance inspection unit 203 (second timing), and the ball nut 2028 is pushed up in conjunction with the movement of the cam follower 2030. Then, since the spindle 2023 is restricted by the bearing 2025 and does not rise,
The spindle 2023 rotates in the ball nut 2028. By the rotation of the spindle 2023, the bottle 1 placed on the first holding member 2021 rotates around its axis (rotation).
Will be performed.

At this time, the cam follower 2061 of the second holding member 2051 moves horizontally, and the bracket 2060 and the spindle 2058 do not move up and down.
4 and the upper part of the second holding member 2051 are separated from each other, and air is not supplied to the bottle 1.

The first holding member 2021 is the second appearance inspection unit 2
Immediately after passing through the third visual inspection unit 03 (third timing) and before passing through the third appearance inspection unit 205 (fourth timing), the cam follower 2030 moves horizontally, and is linked to the movement of the cam follower 2030. As a result, the ball nut 2028 also moves horizontally. Then
The rotation of the spindle 2023 in the ball nut 2028 stops, and the bottle 1 stops rotating.

At this time, the cam follower 2061 of the second holding member 2051 is pushed down. The bracket 2060 is pushed down in conjunction with the movement of the cam follower 2061, and the spindle 2058 is also pushed down against the urging force of the spring 2060c, so that the lower end of the piston 2054 contacts the air hole 2051a of the second holding member 2051. Then, compressed air is applied to the piston 2054 and the air holes 2054a and 2051a of the second holding member 2051.
, And is supplied into the bottle 1 to be in the confined state for the above-mentioned fixed time. The pressure fluctuation of the compressed air during that time will be monitored in detail by a pressure sensor 2062 as detecting means provided at a substantially central portion in the axial direction of the piston 2054, as will be described later.

The first holding member 2021 is used as the third appearance inspection unit 2
05 and immediately after passing through the fourth visual inspection section 304, the cam followers 2030 and 2061
Since both of them move horizontally, the bottle 1 does not rotate in conjunction with the movement of the cam followers 2030 and 2061, and the bracket 2060 and the spindle 2058 do not move up and down, so that the lower end of the piston 2054 holds the air of the second holding member 2051 It becomes a state separated from the hole 2051a,
The compressed air trapped in the bottle 1 is supplied to the second holding member 2
Opening 2051 provided at the top of the cylinder 052
a is released to the outside.

The first holding member 2021 is the fourth appearance inspection unit 3
The cam follower 2030 returns to the initial position this time immediately after passing through the area 04 and before returning to the first appearance inspection unit 104. In conjunction with the movement of the cam follower 2030, the first holding member 2021 rotates in the opposite direction to the above. At this time, since the cam follower 2061 of the second holding member 2051 moves horizontally, the air supply is not performed.

Next, the first to fourth appearance inspection units will be described.

Each appearance inspection unit 104, 203, 205, 3
04, for example, a CCD camera and a lamp for transmitted illumination are installed at each of the above positions of the turntable 201 with the bottle 1 interposed therebetween, and an image captured by this camera is guided to a processing device to perform predetermined processing such as binarization and normalization. After performing the above image processing, the quality of the appearance is determined using a well-known pattern matching method or the like.

In the second appearance inspection section 203, since the appearance inspection of the side surface of the main body of the bottle 1 is performed, four cameras are directed toward the bottle 1 (collectively denoted by 5212 in FIG. 9).
Are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions so as to simultaneously capture the transmitted light from the side of the main body 2 of the bottle 1 which rotates at a constant speed. In the present embodiment, since the square bottle is targeted, the image may be taken by rotating by 270 degrees during the inspection.

Since the third appearance inspection unit 205 performs an appearance inspection of the mouthpiece 23 of the bottle 1, the mouthpiece 23 of the bottle 1 is inspected.
Two cameras (collectively numbered 5213 in FIG. 9) are arranged at predetermined intervals on the left and right so as to simultaneously image the relevant portions of the main body 2 of the orbiting bottle 1. It has become. The first visual inspection unit 104 performs visual inspection of the upper surface of the main body 2 of the bottle 1 and the fourth visual inspection unit 3
At 04, since the appearance of the bottom of the bottle 1 is inspected, one camera (5211 and 5214 in FIG. 9 respectively) is used.
It is numbered. ) Are arranged to take an image of the relevant portion of the main body 2 of the bottle 1 that goes around.

Next, the leakage inspection unit will be described.

As described above, the leak inspection unit 204 injects the compressed air into the bottle 1, keeps the compressed air for a certain period of time, and detects the pressure change by the pressure sensor 20.
In the case of monitoring at 62, if a hole is formed in the main body 2 of the bottle 1, the pressure of the confined compressed air decreases. Is determined to be open. As the pressure sensor 2062, any type such as a diaphragm type, a bellows type, and a piezoelectric element can be used.

Next, the marking section will be described.

The marking section 305 is for forming characters and the like on the surface of the bottle 1 by laser, and is disposed immediately after the bottle transfer position from the outfeed star wheel 303 of the unloading section 300, and includes, for example, a YAG laser. ing.
The reason for using laser marking in this way is to prevent a physical force from being applied to the bottle 1 in the conventional ink jet method or the like, and to realize high-speed marking that is difficult to peel off. This is also because the instant processing has a small thermal effect on the bottle 1. In the present embodiment, “AA”, “B”
Two characters such as "B" are marked. These two characters can indicate the content of the defect or the inspection date. An excimer laser or the like may be used instead of the YAG laser.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram functionally showing the control system of this embodiment. Hereinafter, the control system of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in the figure, in the present inspection machine, the loading unit 1
00 is driven via a driver 2511, and the motor 5102 of the inspection unit 200 is
, And the motor 5103 of the unloading section 300 is driven via a driver 5113.

The first to fourth appearance inspection units 103 and 20
3,205,304 lamps 5201,5302,5
203, 5204, and each camera 5
The captured images from 211, 5212, 5213, and 5214 are taken into the control system 5000 as, for example, 8-bit image data.

The control unit 5000 includes an image processing unit 5220 that performs predetermined image processing on the fetched image data.
A reference image memory 5225 for storing in advance reference image data of a bottle having a good external shape, an image memory 5230 for storing the image data subjected to the image processing,
The bottle 1 is read by reading the reference image data from the reference image memory 5225, reading the image data of the captured image from the image memory 5230, and comparing the two image data.
And an appearance determining means 5240 for determining whether or not the external shape is good.

The pressure sensor 2 of the leak inspection mechanism 204
A / D converter 5311 for A / D converting the pressure data from 062, a set pressure value memory 5320 in which a set pressure value is stored in advance, and a pressure sensor 2
A leak determining means 5330 for determining that there is a leak when the value of the pressure data taken from 062 becomes small.

On the other hand, the laser 540 of the marking unit 305
1 is driven via a driver 5411. The control unit 5000 stores various marks (such as “AA”) for the laser marking in advance and stores the marks in the mark memory 5420 and the respective determinations. Means 5240, 533
And a marking control unit 5430 for controlling a mark indicating a determination result based on 0 to be used for marking.

The air mechanism 5 of the defective product removing unit 306
501 is driven via a driver 5511 and includes a defective product removal air control unit 5530 for separating defective products and controlling the timing of air blowing.

The above elements are connected to the CPU 5001 and are controlled collectively. The CPU 5001 includes an input unit 5002 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a CR
An output unit 5003 such as T, a RAM 5004 for temporarily storing data, and a ROM for storing various programs
5005 is connected.

In the present embodiment, the image memory 523
The RAM 5004 is used as 0, the reference image data stored in the reference image memory 5225 in advance, the set pressure value stored in the set pressure value memory 5320 in advance, and the mark stored in the mark memory 5420 in advance. Can be obtained from a CD-ROM or the like (not shown)
The reference image data and the like may be initialized or changed using the input unit 5002.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the bottle inspection machine of the present embodiment. The present inspection machine performs, for example, the following operation.

First, the motors 5101 and 510 of the loading unit 100, the inspection unit 200 and the unloading unit 300 are turned on by turning on the power.
2, 5103 and the like are activated, and the bottle 1 supplied from the outside is continuously fed by the in-feed conveyor 101. At this time, each bottle 1 is aligned at a predetermined pitch by the infeed screw 102 (step S1). Each aligned bottle 1 has an infeed star wheel 10
3 and is circulated here (step S2).

Then, the infeed star wheel 10
Immediately before the transfer to the turntable 201, the transmitted light of the light emitted from the lamp 5201 of the first visual inspection unit 104 to the upper surface of the main body 2 of the bottle 1 and the base unit 23 is transmitted to the camera 52.
An image is taken at 11. The image data of the captured image is subjected to the predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 5220, and is then loaded into the image memory 5230. The processed image data is read from the image memory 5230, and the appearance determination means 5240 reads the reference image data from the reference image memory 5225 and compares them to determine whether the appearance of the upper surface of the main body of the bottle 1 is good (step S3). ).

Next, the bottle 1 is transferred to the turntable 201 of the inspection unit 200, held from above and below by the chuck mechanism 202, and orbits together with the turntable 201 (step S4). Immediately after the transfer, the bottle 1 rotates around its axis by the action of the cam mechanism and the ball screw mechanism. During this rotation, light is emitted from the lamp 5202 of the second visual inspection unit 203 to the side surface of the main body 2 of the bottle 1, and the transmitted light is imaged by the camera 5212. By performing the same processing as in step S3 on the captured image, the quality of the appearance of the side surface of the main body of the bottle 1 is determined (step S5).

Next, the second visual inspection section 2 of the bottle 1
03, and heads toward the third appearance inspection unit 305, but until just before passing through the third appearance inspection unit 305, the rotation of the bottle 1 is stopped by the operation of the cam mechanism and the ball screw mechanism.

Then, compressed air is blown into the bottle 1 by the leak inspection unit 204 and is confined for a certain period of time.
The change in pressure of the compressed air at this time is detected by the pressure sensor 2062, and the detection signal is A / D converted by the A / D converter 5311. By comparing the pressure data, which is the converted value, with the set pressure value read from the set pressure value storage memory 5320 by the leak determination means 5330, it is determined whether or not the bottle 1 has leaked (step S6).

Next, the lamp 5 of the third appearance inspection unit 205
Light is emitted from 203 to the side surface of the base 23 of the bottle 1, and the transmitted light is imaged by the camera 5213. By performing the same processing as in step S3 on the captured image, the quality of the appearance of the side surface of the base of the bottle 1 is determined (step S7).

Next, the bottle 1 is transferred from the turntable 201 to the outfeed star wheel 303, and circulates there (step S8). Immediately after the transfer to the outfeed star wheel 303, light is emitted from the lamp 5204 of the fourth appearance inspection unit 304 to the bottom of the main body 2 of the bottle 1, and the transmitted light is imaged by the camera 5214. This captured image is stored in step S
By performing the same processing as in step 3, the quality of the appearance of the bottom of the main body of the bottle 1 is determined (step S9).

Next, the bottle 1 is transferred to the outfeed conveyor 301 (step S10). At this time, the bottle 1 is aligned at a predetermined pitch by the outfeed screw 302. Of each bottle 1 arranged,
Laser marking is performed by the laser 5401 under the control of the marking control unit 5430 of the marking unit 305 for those determined to be defective by the determination units 5240 and 5330 (step S11).

Then, the defective product is separated under the control of the defective product removal air control unit 5530 of the defective product removal unit 306, and the defective product is blown off by the air from the air mechanism 5501 (step S12). From the marking result of the blown-out defective product, the cause of the defect and the time of occurrence can be easily known.

As described above, in the present embodiment, each of the visual inspection sections 104, 203, 205, 30 on the same transport path.
4, the bottles 1 become cameras 5211 and 521, respectively.
2, 5213, and 5214, the external shape of the bottle 1 is inspected based on the captured image, and compressed air is injected into the bottle 1 by the leak inspection unit 204, based on the pressure change in the bottle 1. Since the presence / absence of leakage is inspected, the inspection machine becomes compact and space saving is possible as compared with the case where both inspection parts are provided in separate bodies.

In the above embodiment, the second bottle 1
Although the leakage inspection is performed after the appearance inspection and before the third appearance inspection, the inspection order is not limited to this. For example, after the third appearance inspection is performed, the leakage inspection may be performed before the second appearance inspection, or the leakage inspection may be performed before or after the second and third appearance inspections are collectively performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the inspection unit 200 performs the second and third appearance inspections and the leakage inspection of the bottle 1, while the first appearance inspection is performed by the loading unit 100 and the unloading unit 300
Is performing the fourth appearance inspection, but all inspections are performed by the inspection unit 2
00 may be collectively performed.

In the above embodiment, the appearance inspection and the leakage inspection of the bottle 1 are performed. However, only one of them can be performed. In addition, for example, an inspection for the presence or absence of foreign matter is additionally provided. You can do it too.

In the above embodiment, the square bottle is an object to be inspected, but a round bottle can also be inspected. Also, regarding the contents of the appearance inspection, it is also possible to inspect only each of the dimensions of the main body 2 and the base 23 of the bottle 1, the side surface, the top surface and the bottom surface of the main body 2, and a part of the side surface of the base 23. Alternatively, inspection of other parts of the bottle 1 can be added.

In the above embodiment, the transmitted light of the bottle 1 is used. However, instead of the transmitted light, reflected light may be used.

In the above embodiment, only the PET bottle is described as the bottle 1 itself. However, a bottle made of another synthetic resin material that transmits or reflects light such as PP (polypropylene), and a glass bottle And so on.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the method of the leak inspection using the compressed air has been described. However, for example, a discharge type pinhole inspection may be performed. In this case, even small holes that cannot be detected by the compressed air method can be detected.

In the above-described embodiment, the appearance of the side surface of the main body is inspected while rotating the bottle 1 by the cam mechanism and the ball nut mechanism, and the opening of the bottle 1 is sealed by the cam mechanism. Similar operations may be performed using a motor or the like.

In the above embodiment, defective products are separated and removed by compressed air. Instead of removing the defective products or together with the removal of the defective products, the occurrence of the defective product is notified to the operator by an alarm or the like. Alternatively, the machine may be automatically stopped, in which case the occurrence of defective products can be prevented.

[0098]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the inspection machine becomes compact and space can be saved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the bottle can be transported reliably.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the appearance inspection of the side surface of the bottle can be speeded up without moving the appearance inspection unit, particularly during the appearance inspection of the side surface of the main body of the square bottle.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the bottle can be rotated with a simple configuration, and the appearance inspection of the side surface of the bottle can be speeded up.

According to the invention of claim 6, the inspection can be performed while holding the bottle, and the leak inspection of the bottle can be speeded up.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the bottle can be hermetically sealed with a simple structure, and the leak inspection of the bottle can be speeded up.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the inspection can be performed while holding the bottle, and the leakage inspection of the bottle can be speeded up.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is easy to determine whether the external shape of the bottle is good.

According to the tenth aspect, it is easy to determine whether or not the bottle has leaked.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, even if each inspection is performed on the same transport path, the cause of the defect can be easily identified.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform marking at high speed and with little peeling without applying a physical force at the time of marking.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, defective products can be reliably eliminated, and quality control becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a bottle inspection machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the bottle inspection machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing, in an enlarged manner, a turntable and a peripheral portion of an inspection section of the bottle inspection machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of a bottle to be inspected.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side sectional view showing an upper holding mechanism of the chuck mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a lower holding mechanism of the chuck mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing a ball screw mechanism, wherein FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to an axis, and FIG.

FIG. 8 is a developed cam view showing the operation of the cam mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram functionally showing a control system of the bottle inspection machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the bottle inspection machine according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottle 2 Main body 23 Base part 100 Load-in part 101 In-feed conveyor 102 In-feed screw 103 In-feed star wheel 104 1st visual inspection part 200 Inspection part 201 Turntable (conveyance part, conveyance path, rotation mechanism) 202 Chuck mechanism (holding) Mechanism, rotation mechanism, sealing mechanism, air injection mechanism, cam mechanism, ball screw mechanism) 203 second appearance inspection unit (external inspection unit, appearance judgment unit) 204 leak inspection unit (leak inspection unit, leakage judgment unit) 205 third appearance Inspection unit (appearance inspection unit, appearance judgment means) 300 Unloading unit 301 Outfeed conveyor 302 Outfeed screw 303 Outfeed star wheel 304 Fourth appearance inspection unit 305 Marking unit 306 Defective product removal unit (sorting unit)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G01N 21/84 G01N 21/84 C G06T 1/00 300 G06T 1/00 300 // B67C 3/00 B67C 3 / 00K F-term (reference) 2G051 AA12 AB20 AC21 CA04 CB01 CB02 DA02 DA13 DA15 EA12 EA14 EB01 EB02 2G067 AA45 BB02 BB04 BB30 CC04 DD02 3E056 AA12 DA01 EA05 FA03 FH14 GA01 GA04 3E011 FF03 BA03 DD03

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An appearance inspection unit for taking an image of a bottle with a camera and inspecting the appearance of the bottle based on the taken image, and injecting compressed air into the bottle to check for a leak based on a pressure change in the bottle. What is claimed is: 1. A bottle inspection machine comprising: a leak inspection unit for inspecting; and a transport unit for transporting a bottle on a transport path communicating between the appearance inspection unit and the leakage inspection unit. 2. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 1, wherein the transport path is formed by a circular orbit having a predetermined radius, and the transport unit includes a rotating mechanism that drives the transport path to rotate. 3. The transport unit according to claim 2, wherein the transport unit includes a holding mechanism that holds the bottle transported on the transport path by an upper and lower holding member that interlocks with the circling operation of the transport path. Bottle inspection machine. 4. The transport unit is held in synchronization with the circulating operation of the transport path during a period from a first timing in the circulating operation of the transport path to a second timing after a lapse of a predetermined time. 4. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 3, further comprising a rotation mechanism for rotating the bottle around an axis. 5. The ball screw mechanism comprising: a ball screw mechanism configured to rotate a rotation shaft vertically provided below a lower holding member of the bottle by a ball nut screwed onto the rotation shaft; 5. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 4, further comprising: a cam mechanism that moves up and down by a circling operation of the conveyance path. 6. The transport section is held in synchronization with the circulating operation of the transport path during a period from a third timing in the circulating operation of the transport path to a fourth timing after a lapse of a predetermined time. 6. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 4, further comprising a sealing mechanism for sealing an opening of the bottle. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the sealing mechanism comprises a cam mechanism for raising and lowering an elevating shaft erected above the upper holding member of the bottle by orbiting the transport path. Bottle inspection machine. 8. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 6, wherein the transport unit includes an air injection mechanism for injecting compressed air into the sealed bottle at the third timing. 9. The bottle inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the appearance inspection unit includes an appearance determination unit that compares a captured image of the bottle with a reference image. 10. The leak inspection unit according to claim 9, further comprising: detection means for detecting pressure in the bottle; and leak determination means for comparing a change in the detected pressure value with a set value. Bottle inspection machine. 11. A marking portion for marking the determination result on the surface of the bottle determined to be defective by the appearance determining means and / or the surface of the bottle determined to be leaked by the leak determining means. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 10. 12. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 11, wherein the marking is a laser marking. 13. The bottle inspection machine according to claim 11, further comprising a sorting unit for separating a marked bottle and a non-marked bottle in the transport path.