JP2002365229A - System and method for inspecting container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection system and method of bottles that extend the life of LEDs and at the same time are not expensive. SOLUTION: The inspection system of containers comprising an LED 6 for illuminating a container 4 being carried to a transport means 1 nearly continuously, and a camera 8 for photographing the container 4 being illuminated by the LED 6. The inspection system additionally has a timing control means for synchronizing the timing for lighting the LED 6 with timing for capturing an image to be inspected by the camera 8, and lights the LED 6 only while the camera 8 is capturing the image to be inspected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container inspection system and an inspection method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an LED is used to irradiate a container which is continuously conveyed by a conveyor or the like with almost no gap with an LED, and the illuminated container is photographed by a camera. Inspection and inspection of the container for defects have been performed. At this time, the LED was inspected with the LED always on regardless of whether the camera was actually capturing an image of the container. In addition, only the shutter speed is changed so as to follow the transport speed of the container to be inspected and photographing is performed.

[0003]

However, if the LED is continuously turned on and the inspection is performed even when it is not necessary for the inspection itself as in the prior art, the LED consumes a large amount of power. In addition, if the LED is constantly turned on, the life of the LED is shortened due to the influence of the heat generated by the LED. In order to suppress the heat generated by the LED, a cooling device needs to be separately prepared, and the cost for the equipment is large.

[0004] In addition, at the time of photographing, even if the LED is lit at a constant brightness, if the transport speed of the container is increased, the shutter speed is made faster by following the transport speed as described above. As a result,
The amount of light captured by the camera decreased relatively regularly. For this reason, it has been difficult to perform image processing stably.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a container inspection system and a container inspection method that can extend the life of an LED and are inexpensive.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the conveying means (1) substantially continuously operates.
Alternatively, a container (4) having an LED (6) for irradiating a container (4) continuously conveyed with almost no gap, and a camera (8) for photographing the container (4) illuminated by the LED (6). In the inspection system, a container inspection system including a timing control unit that synchronizes a timing at which the LED (6) is turned on with a timing at which the camera (8) captures an image to be inspected is employed. In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the container (4) which is transported almost continuously or continuously with almost no gap is provided by an LED.
In the method of inspecting the container (4) by irradiating the container (4) with the camera (8) and irradiating the container (4) with the camera (8), while capturing the image of the inspection target with the camera (8), Only the container inspection method of turning on the LED (6) was adopted.

According to the present invention, since the LED (6) is turned on only during the time when an image required for the inspection is actually taken, the power consumed by the LED (6) can be reduced, and the inspection can be performed. Costs can be reduced. In addition, since the lighting time of the LED (6) with respect to the total inspection time is reduced,
The life of the LED (6) can be extended. In addition, since the apparent lightness is reduced, a worker who works near the inspection area is not dazzled and the working environment is improved. In addition, if the container (4) to be inspected is transported continuously so that a certain gap is formed between the containers (4), if the container (4) is transported continuously, there is no gap at all. In the case where the sheet is conveyed without being formed, it can be applied to any case.

Further, in the container inspection system according to the present invention, the container inspection system is characterized in that the timing control means turns on the LED (6) at predetermined time intervals. In the inspection method, a method in which the LED (6) is turned on every predetermined time is adopted.

[0009] The amount of the container (4) to be flown to the inspection line may vary from day to day or from lot to lot. For this reason, the transport speed of the transport unit (1) that transports the container (4) to be inspected differs depending on the amount of the container (4) to be inspected.

According to the present invention, it is possible to freely change the lighting timing of the LED (6) which is synchronized with the timing of photographing the inspection object. For this reason, the processing speed of the inspection can be flexibly changed according to the amount of the container (4) to be inspected.

According to the present invention, in the container inspection system, the timing control means may include the LED.
A lighting means for determining the lighting time of the LED and the lighting time of the LED according to a time required for the camera to capture an image of the storage container; And the brightness of the LED (6) based on the calculation result of the calculation means so that the timing control means can obtain a predetermined amount of light from the LED (6) based on the calculation result of the calculation means. 6) is turned on. Further, in the method for inspecting a container, an LED may be used.
The lighting time of (6) and its brightness are respectively changed such that a predetermined relationship is maintained between them according to the time required for the camera (8) to capture an image of the container (4), A method in which a predetermined amount of light is obtained by the LED (6) is employed.

According to the present invention, a constant amount of light can always be obtained when capturing an image to be inspected. For this reason,
A stable inspection can be performed regardless of the processing speed of the inspection, the type of the inspection object, and the like, and a minute defect or the like existing in the container (4) is reliably detected.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-described container inspection system, the container inspection system further includes a container rotation unit (3) for rotating the container (4) conveyed by the conveyance unit (1). A method of rotating the container (4) while transporting the container (4) is adopted.

According to the present invention, an image of the entire circumference of the container (4) can be captured. For this reason, it is possible to perform the inspection without omission for the inspection target.

According to the present invention, in the container inspection system and the container inspection method, the container (4)
Is a light transmissive glass bottle.

As for light-transmitting glass bottles such as beer bottles, it is common practice to collect and reuse glass bottles once on the market. In this case, the probability that the bottle has a defect such as a scratch is higher than that of a new bottle. For this reason, the process of inspecting the collected bottles is extremely important.

In the present invention, the quality and reliability of the light-transmitting glass bottle are ensured by applying the above-described container inspection system and the container inspection method to the light-transmitting glass bottle. The light-transmitting glass bottles to be inspected are not limited to those collected from the market, but can be applied to newly manufactured glass bottles.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a system for inspecting the mouths of bottles 4 # 4 as containers to be inspected. In the inspection system shown in this figure, the light-transmissive bottles 4 # 4 are continuously conveyed almost without gaps by the conveyor 1 as the conveying means, and conveyed to the inspection area A (the portion indicated by the two-dot chain line). This is a system that takes in an image of the mouth of the bottle and inspects for defects. The bottle 4 # 4 conveyed to the inspection area A is irradiated with light by the LED 6, the bottle 4 # 4 irradiated with light is photographed by the camera 8, and the photographed image is taken in to check whether there is a defect such as a pinhole. Has been inspected.

In FIG. 1, a transport conveyor 1 as a transport means includes a bottle 4 ‥ in an inspection area A from the left side of the inspection area A.
4 is transported to the right of the inspection area A. The devices provided on both sides of the conveyor 1 in the inspection area A are the rotation devices 3 for rotating the conveyed bottles 4 # 4.

The transport conveyor 1 is arranged such that the transport surface 1a is horizontal, and the bottom surfaces of the bottles 4 # 4 are
a. On the other hand, the rotation device 3
It is composed of two belt devices 2, 2 arranged on both sides of the conveyor 1, and the bottles 4 # 4 are rotated by sandwiching the body of the bottles 4 # 4 from both sides. The belts 2a, 2a provided in these belt devices 2, 2 are arranged such that the contact surfaces with the bottles 4 # 4 face each other in the inspection area A, and the belts 2a, 2a So that it rotates
Each is rotating at a different speed.

In the inspection area A, the bottle 4 to be conveyed is
The LED 6 is arranged on one side of the bottle 4 and irradiates the mouth of the bottle 4 # 4 with light. The LED 6 is arranged on the other side of the bottle 4 # 4 to be conveyed. Bottle 4
A camera 8 for capturing an image of # 4 is provided. LE
D6 and camera 8 are both bottles 4 ‥ 4
And are installed facing each other at the same position in the transport direction of the bottles 4 # 4. The LED 6 and the camera 8 are connected to a controller 12, respectively, and their operations are controlled.

With the inspection system having the above configuration,
The mouths of the bottles 4 # 4 conveyed are inspected for defects as follows.

The camera 8 moves the bottle 4 transported to the inspection area A.
The controller 12 sends a signal to the camera 8 so as to capture the image of the mouth of # 4 for a predetermined time. At the same time, the controller 12 transmits a lighting signal to the LED 6 in synchronization with the time required for the camera 8 to capture an image. In this way, while the bottle 4 # 4 passes through the inspection area A, the camera 8 captures a plurality of images of the mouth of the bottle 4 # 4 for a predetermined time. While the camera 8 is capturing images,
Since the bottles 4 # 4 to be inspected are rotating, images of the mouth thereof are taken at a plurality of locations by the camera 8. if,
If there is a defect in the mouth, the defect is captured in one of the images captured while passing through the inspection area A.

The timing at which the controller 12 captures an image into the camera 8 is appropriately controlled by the controller 12 according to the transport speed of the bottles 4 # 4 and the rotation speed of the bottles 4 # 4.

FIG. 3 shows the shutter opening / closing timing and L
It is a time chart which shows the timing of lighting / extinguishing of ED6. The horizontal axis in the figure represents the time axis, L1 shown in the upper part of the figure represents the timing of capturing an image, and L2 shown in the lower part represents the timing of turning on / off the LED 6.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the bottles 4 # 4 are conveyed at a constant speed and are rotated at a constant speed, and the time taken by the camera 8 to capture an image is always constant. Hatched portions 21 # 21 of the portions 20 # 20 recessed below L1 are portions representing a state where the camera 8 is capturing an image, and portions 25 # 25 projecting above L2 are shown. This is a portion indicating the lighting state of the LED 6. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the LED 6 is lit only while the camera 8 is capturing an image. Thus, the inspection of the mouth of the bottle is performed by the controller 12 synchronizing the timing of capturing the image of the camera 8 with the timing of turning on / off the LED 6.

The interval T at which the camera 8 captures an image
Is appropriately changed according to the transport speed of the bottles 4 and 4 and the speed of rotation. That is, when the transport speed is high and the rotation speed is high, the interval T for capturing images is narrowed, and when these speeds are low, the interval T for capturing images is set relatively wide. Thus, the inspection can be performed with constant reliability regardless of the transport speed and the rotation speed.

Further, in order to accurately inspect even a small defect, it is necessary to capture an image with an appropriate amount of light. For this reason, in the inspection system according to the present invention, the lighting time of the LED 6 and the brightness thereof are changed in accordance with the capturing time so that the required time for the camera 8 to capture the image and the required time for turning on the LED 6 have a predetermined relationship. Is controlled.

FIG. 4 shows that the lighting time of the LED 6 is changed according to the time when the camera 8 captures an image.
6 shows a time chart in which shooting is performed while changing brightness. The horizontal axis of the figure is the time axis, and L3 shown on the upper side indicates the timing at which the camera 8 captures an image.
L4 shown on the lower side indicates the lighting timing of the LED 6 and its brightness. Hatched portions 23, 24 of portions 22, 22, recessed downward in L3
Indicates the state in which an image is being captured, while the portions 26 and 27 protruding upward at L4 indicate the lighting state of the LED 6.

As is clear from FIG. 4, the hatched portion 24 of the portion 22 shown on the right side is narrower than the hatched portion 23 of the portion 22 shown on the left side of the drawing. The time during which the camera 8 captures an image is short. At the position of L4 corresponding to these portions, the width of the portions 26 and 27 projecting upward is the width of the right portion 2
7 is narrower and higher than the left portion 26. This is because when the time for capturing an image is short, the lighting time of the LED 6 is short,
The lightness of D6 indicates high.

As described above, in this inspection system, the lighting time of the LED 6 and the brightness thereof are changed so that the amount of light obtained from the LED 6 becomes constant in accordance with the image capturing time. That is, when the image capturing time is long, the lighting time of the LED is correspondingly increased, and the brightness is reduced. On the other hand, when the image capturing time is short, the lighting time of the LED is reduced, The brightness is increased and the controller 12 controls the light amount obtained from the LED to be constant. Geometrically speaking, in FIG.
7 has the same value. For this reason,
Inspection of defects and the like is performed on all the bottles 4 # 4 conveyed under the same conditions, without being affected by the conveyance situation of the bottles 4 # 4.

In the above, the case where the inspection part inspects the mouth of the bottle has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this.
The present invention can be applied to the case of inspecting the body and the bottle bottom. In addition, the inspection system and the inspection method can of course be applied to the case of inspecting other containers such as PET bottles as well as bottles. The conveying means is not limited to the belt conveyor, and other conveying means such as a chain conveyor may be adopted.

The present invention is not limited to the case where the containers are conveyed almost continuously, and the present invention is not limited to the case where the gap is filled between the containers and the containers are conveyed without any gap. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the sheet is conveyed in a state where a gap is formed between them.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the power consumption of the LED is reduced and the cooling device for the LED is not required, the cost required for the inspection can be reduced. Further, regardless of the time required for the camera to capture an image and the transport speed of the container to be inspected, the inspection can be performed under a constant light amount, and an error in the inspection can be eliminated. Further, since the LED is turned on only while the camera captures an image, the apparent brightness can be reduced, and the worker who works near the inspection area is not dazzled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an outline of an inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the inspection system of FIG. 1 as viewed from a direction II-II.

FIG. 3 shows a timing at which a camera captures an image, and LEDs.
4 is a time chart showing an example of the timing of turning on and off light.

FIG. 4 is a time chart according to another embodiment different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor (conveying means) 2 Belt device 3 Rotating device (conveying means) 4 Bottle (container) 6 LED 8 Camera 12 Controller

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A container inspection system comprising: an LED for illuminating a container almost continuously conveyed by a conveying unit; and a camera for photographing the container illuminated by the LED. A container inspection system, comprising: timing control means for synchronizing the timing of capturing an image of an inspection target with the camera. 2. A container inspection system comprising: an LED for irradiating a container which is continuously conveyed by a conveying means with almost no gap; and a camera for photographing the container illuminated by the LED, wherein the LED is turned on. A container inspection system comprising: a timing control unit that synchronizes a timing at which the inspection is performed with a timing at which an image to be inspected is captured by the camera. 3. The container inspection system according to claim 1, wherein in the container inspection system, the timing control unit turns on the LED at predetermined time intervals. 4. The LED control device according to claim 1, wherein
Calculating means for determining the lighting time of the LED and its brightness, and the calculating means has a predetermined relationship between the lighting time of the LED and its brightness in accordance with the time required for the camera to capture the image of the inspection target. 4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the timing is controlled so that the predetermined amount of light is obtained from the LED based on the calculation result of the calculating unit. Defect inspection system. 5. The container inspection system according to claim 4, further comprising container rotation means for rotating the container conveyed by said conveyance means. 6. The container inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the container is a light transmissive glass bottle. 7. A method of irradiating an almost continuously conveyed container with an LED, photographing the illuminated container with a camera, and inspecting the container, wherein the camera captures an image of an inspection object with the camera. A method for inspecting a container, comprising: 8. A method of irradiating a container which is continuously conveyed with almost no gap with an LED, and photographing the illuminated container with a camera to inspect the container. A method for inspecting a container, characterized in that the LED is turned on only while the container is in operation. 9. The container inspection method according to claim 7, wherein the LED is turned on at predetermined time intervals. 10. The lighting time of the LED and the brightness thereof are changed in accordance with the time required for the camera to capture the image of the inspection object so that a predetermined relationship is maintained between the lighting time and the brightness of the LED. The method for inspecting a container according to claim 9, wherein a predetermined light amount is obtained. 11. The container inspection method according to claim 10, wherein the container is rotated while being transported. 12. The container inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the container is a light transmissive glass bottle.