JP2006258502A - Device, system, method and program for inspection - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for inspection capable of enhancing the yield of moduli which constitute a product while suppressing the quality irregularity of the product, an inspection system, an inspection method and an inspection program. <P>SOLUTION: The characteristic data showing the characteristics of the module being a non-inspection target of a plurality of kinds of the moduli constituting a copier 10 are preliminarily stored in a memory part 46 while the characteristic date showing the characteristics of the module being the inspection target are measured by a characteristic calculation part 44 and the characteristic data showing the characteristics as a whole of the copier 10 are calculated on the basis of the characteristic data stored in the memory part 46 and the characteristic data measured by the characteristic calculation part 44 by a probability calculation part 50. The acceptability of the module being the inspection target is judged on the basis of the calculation result due to the characteristic calculation part 44 by an acceptability judge part 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus, an inspection system, an inspection method, and an inspection program for inspecting any one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection target.

  In recent years, in the manufacturing industry, in order to respond precisely to market demands and customer needs, the shift from small-quantity mass production to multi-variety small-quantity production has progressed, and the module production method has attracted attention as a production method that realizes high-mix low-volume production ing. The module referred to here is a group of separable parts constituting a product. For example, in the case of a copying machine, an image reading device such as a scanner that reads an image formed (recorded) on a document, An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording sheet with toner or ink can be regarded as a module.

  In the module production method, various modules such as an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus are separately produced in advance, and a single product (for example, a combination of appropriate modules from various modules according to specifications and functions required by customers) This is a production system that constitutes a copying machine.

  Therefore, in the module production system, the quality of the product depends on the quality of the various modules that make up the product. Therefore, the inspection standards for the various modules are individually determined according to the quality required for the product, Inspection is necessary.

  As a technique applicable to such an inspection, Patent Document 1 discloses that a sampling inspection is performed in each production process of an assembly production line of an engine, a defect history determined as a defect and an engine identification code are associated with each other in quality. A technique is disclosed in which an inspection item for a defect is further added to a normal inspection item for an engine stored in a history database and having a defect history.

In Patent Document 2, an image obtained by photographing an inspection object with a camera is inspected by predetermined image processing based on an inspection standard, and the inspection object is a normal product, a semi-normal product, a semi-abnormal product. The product is classified into products and abnormal products. Visual inspection by humans is performed on the inspected products that are judged as semi-normal products and semi-normal products. A technique for changing the above is disclosed.
JP 2003-228409 A JP 05-332754 A

  By the way, in the module production method, products are produced by combining various modules randomly selected from a plurality of modules of the same type, so even if the characteristics of the other modules to be combined are the worst value, In order to satisfy the quality required for the entire product, it was necessary to set high inspection standards for various modules.

  That is, for example, when the product is configured by combining the module A and the module B, and the weakest link model in which the entire product fails when either the module A or the module B fails, the product quality standards To a failure rate of 1% (reliability: 0.99), assuming that the reliability of module A is 0.999 ± 0.005 (standard deviation (σ) ± 3), the reliability of module A Since the worst value of the degree is 0.994 (= 0.999−0.005), the reliability target value of the module B needs to be 0.996 or more.

  In this way, in the conventional module production method, products are configured by combining multiple types of modules, so it is necessary to set a high inspection standard for each module. As a result, module yield during inspection (defect rate) However, there was a problem that it became lower than necessary. That is, in the above example, even if the module B has a reliability of 0.996 or less, the manufactured product may achieve the target value depending on the reliability of the module A to be combined, but the inspection is performed. Will be rejected.

  The technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can improve the quality of a product by adding a defective inspection item, but does not contribute to improving the module yield.

  Further, the technique of Patent Document 2 is a technique for improving the accuracy of an inspection standard by allowing a neural network to learn a result of visual inspection so that the same inspection as the inspection result by visual inspection is possible, and improving the module yield. Does not contribute.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an inspection apparatus, an inspection system, an inspection method, and an inspection program capable of improving the yield of modules constituting the product while suppressing variations in product quality. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an inspection apparatus according to claim 1 is an inspection apparatus that inspects any one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection object, and the characteristics of the module to be inspected Measuring means for measuring characteristic information indicating the characteristics, storage means for storing characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module that is not to be inspected, characteristic information stored in the storage means, and characteristics measured by the measuring means Calculation means for calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the entire predetermined product based on the information, and determination means for determining pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on a calculation result by the calculation means. ing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the characteristic information indicating the characteristic of the module that does not constitute the inspection target constituting the predetermined product is stored in the storage means in advance. The storage means includes a semiconductor memory such as a RAM and a flash memory, a portable memory such as a compact flash (registered trademark) and an xD picture card (registered trademark), and a fixed storage device such as a hard disk.

  In the present invention, the characteristic information indicating the characteristic of the module to be inspected is measured by the measuring unit, and the characteristic information stored in advance in the storage unit and the characteristic measured by the measuring unit are calculated by the calculating unit. Characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole is calculated based on the information, and the determination unit determines whether the module to be inspected is acceptable based on the calculation result of the calculation unit.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module that is not the inspection target constituting the predetermined product is stored in the storage unit in advance, and the characteristics of the module that is the inspection target are determined. Measuring characteristic information to be displayed, calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the characteristic information stored in the storage unit and the measured characteristic information, and based on the calculated calculation result Since the pass / fail of the module to be inspected is determined, the characteristics of other modules combined with this are considered in the inspection of the module to be inspected. As a result, while suppressing the variation in product quality The yield of modules constituting the product can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a distribution for calculating distribution information indicating a distribution state of characteristics of modules not to be inspected from the characteristic information stored in the storage unit, as in the invention according to claim 2. A calculating unit, wherein the calculating unit has a characteristic of the predetermined product as a whole within a predetermined reference range based on the distribution information calculated by the distribution calculating unit and the characteristic information measured by the measuring unit; May be calculated as the characteristic information, and the determination unit may determine whether the module to be inspected is acceptable by comparing the probability calculated by the calculation unit with a predetermined reference probability.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, as in the third aspect of the present invention, the determination means performs an inspection by comparing a characteristic value indicated by characteristic information measured by the measuring means with a predetermined reference value. A distribution calculating unit that determines whether the target module is acceptable or not, and further includes distribution calculation means for calculating distribution information indicating a distribution state of a characteristic of the module not to be inspected from the characteristic information stored in the storage unit; The means uses, as the characteristic information, a probability that the characteristic of the predetermined product as a whole falls within a predetermined reference range based on the distribution information calculated by the distribution calculating means and the characteristic information measured by the measuring means. The predetermined reference value may be changed according to the calculated probability.

  The invention according to claim 2 or claim 3 includes the date and time when the characteristic of the module not to be inspected is measured as characteristic information stored in the storage means, as in the invention according to claim 4. The distribution calculation means calculates the distribution information based on the characteristic information for a predetermined period including the date and time when the characteristic of the module not to be inspected that constitutes the predetermined product together with the module to be inspected is measured. It is preferable to do.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the determination means rejects, at least one of information relating to a target value or a characteristic adjustment method for adjusting the characteristic is presented. You may make it further provide a presentation means. In addition, the presentation (output) of the target value for adjusting the characteristic by the presentation means or the information on the characteristic adjustment method (output) is not only the display by the display device or the printing (printing) by the printer, but also a network such as LAN, Internet, intranet The presentation (output) to an external device via is included.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an inspection system according to claim 6 is an inspection system for inspecting any one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection target, and constitutes the predetermined product. A measuring device including a first measuring unit that measures characteristic information indicating a characteristic of the module that is not to be inspected, and a storage device including a storing unit that stores the characteristic information measured by the first measuring unit Second measuring means for measuring characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module to be inspected, characteristic information stored in the storage means of the storage device, and characteristic information measured by the second measuring means, Calculation means for calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the calculation result of the module to be inspected based on a calculation result by the calculation means Has judging means for judging whether a test apparatus having a, a.

  Therefore, since the invention described in claim 6 operates in the same manner as the invention described in claim 1, similarly to the invention described in claim 1, the yield of modules constituting the product is suppressed while suppressing variations in product quality. Can be improved.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, an inspection method according to claim 7 is an inspection method for inspecting any one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection object, and constitutes the predetermined product. Characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module not to be inspected is stored in the storage means in advance, the characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module to be inspected is measured, and the characteristic information stored in the storage means and the Based on the measured characteristic information, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole is calculated, and pass / fail of the module to be inspected is determined based on the calculated result.

  Therefore, since the invention described in claim 7 operates in the same manner as the invention described in claim 1, similarly to the invention described in claim 1, the yield of modules constituting the product is suppressed while suppressing variations in product quality. Can be improved.

  On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the inspection program according to claim 8 stores in advance characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module that is not to be inspected as any of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product. An inspection program for inspecting the module to be inspected and measuring the characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module to be inspected, and the characteristics stored in the storage means A calculation step for calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the information and characteristic information measured in the measurement step; and a module to be inspected based on a calculation result in the calculation step. And a determination step for determining pass / fail.

  Therefore, since the invention according to claim 8 can be operated on the computer in the same manner as the invention according to claim 1, the yield of modules constituting the product is improved while suppressing variation in product quality. Can be made.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module not to be inspected constituting the predetermined product is stored in the storage means in advance, and the characteristics of the module to be inspected are indicated. Measure characteristic information, calculate characteristic information indicating characteristics of the entire predetermined product based on the characteristic information stored in the storage means and the measured characteristic information, and based on the calculated calculation result, Since the pass / fail of the module to be inspected is determined, the characteristics of other modules combined with this are taken into account for the inspection of the module to be inspected. It has the outstanding effect that the yield of the module which comprises a product can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the case where the present invention is applied to an inspection when producing a copying machine will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a flow when the copying machine 10 is produced.

  The copying machine 10 according to the present embodiment is produced by assembling the image forming apparatus 20 produced at the image forming apparatus production base 12 and the scanner 40 produced at the scanner production base 14 at the assembly base 16. .

  The image forming apparatus production base 12 produces the image forming apparatus 20 by assembling various components constituting the image forming apparatus 20 such as a photoconductor, and is for inspecting the quality of the produced image forming apparatus 20. A main body inspection device 22 is provided.

  When the image forming apparatus 20 is produced at the image forming apparatus production base 12, the chart image is formed on the recording paper 24 by the produced image forming apparatus 20 using image data indicating a predetermined chart image for inspection, and recording is performed. The chart image formed on the paper 24 is read by the inspection image input device 26 connected to the main body inspection device 22 to inspect the characteristics of the image forming apparatus 20. For example, in addition to the reliability (failure rate), this characteristic records the resolution of the formed image, in-plane density variation (in-plane variation), graininess noise, color reproduction characteristics, dynamic range, and images. There are speed fluctuations (speed fluctuations), skew, and the like when forming on the paper 24. Note that when the recording paper 24 is read by the inspection image input device 26, the image data of the read image includes the characteristics of the inspection image input device 26, but the inspection image input according to the present embodiment is also included. In the device 26, each characteristic such as the resolving power is inspected in advance and correction data is registered. Based on the correction data, the image data in which the change in the characteristic by the inspection image input device 26 is corrected is the main body inspection. It is output to the device 22. The main body inspection device 22 includes an input device such as a keyboard (not shown), and when reading the recording paper 24, a device number (serial number) that identifies the image forming device 20 that has formed the chart image on the recording paper 24. Is input by the user.

  The main body inspection apparatus 22 includes a characteristic calculation unit 30 that calculates characteristic values indicating the above-described characteristics based on the state of the chart image indicated by the image data output from the inspection image input apparatus 26, and the calculated characteristic values. And a pass / fail determination unit 32 that determines pass / fail of the image forming apparatus 20, and a display unit 34 such as a liquid crystal display that displays a determination result by the pass / fail determination unit 32.

  The characteristic calculation unit 30 according to the present embodiment calculates each characteristic value based on the chart image indicated by the image data obtained by reading the recording paper 24. The characteristic calculation unit 30 stores the above-described predetermined inspection image data in advance. For example, the characteristic calculation unit 30 reads the recording paper 24 as the resolution of the chart image contrast indicated by the inspection image data. The contrast ratio of the chart image indicated by the image data obtained in this way is calculated.

  In addition, the pass / fail determination unit 32 according to the present embodiment stores predetermined acceptance criteria for determining a characteristic value calculated for each characteristic to be inspected, and in any one characteristic When the characteristic value does not satisfy the acceptance criterion, the image forming apparatus 20 is determined to be unacceptable, and when all the characteristics satisfy the acceptance criterion, it is determined to be acceptable.

  Furthermore, the pass / fail determination unit 32 of the main body inspection apparatus 22 according to the present embodiment is connected to a scanner inspection apparatus 42 (to be described later) disposed in the scanner production base 14 via a communication line such as a network (not shown), and is determined to be acceptable. The device number of the image forming apparatus 20, the characteristic value of each characteristic, and the date and time (hereinafter referred to as “inspection date and time”) at which each characteristic is measured and output are output to the scanner inspection device 42.

  On the other hand, the scanner production base 14 produces the scanner 40 by assembling various parts constituting the scanner 40 such as a line image sensor, and a scanner inspection device 42 for inspecting the quality of the produced scanner 40. I have.

  When the scanner 40 is produced at the scanner production base 14, the scanner 40 is connected to the scanner inspection device 42, and the recording paper 43 on which a predetermined chart image for inspection is formed is read by the scanner 40. We are inspecting. The characteristics include, for example, resolution, in-plane variation, noise, color reproduction characteristics, dynamic range, speed fluctuation (speed fluctuation) when the image is read by the scanner 40, skew, and the like in addition to reliability. .

  The scanner inspection apparatus 42 includes a characteristic calculation unit 44 that calculates characteristic values indicating the above-described characteristics based on the chart image indicated by the image data output from the scanner 40, and the image output from the main body inspection apparatus 22 described above. The storage unit 46 that stores the apparatus number, each characteristic value, and the inspection date and time of the forming apparatus 20 as characteristic data (characteristic information), and the distribution state of each characteristic of the image forming apparatus 20 from the characteristic data stored in the storage unit 46 And a characteristic distribution calculation unit 48 that calculates distribution data (distribution information) indicating.

  Further, the scanner inspection apparatus 42 includes a probability calculation unit 50 that calculates a probability that characteristics when the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 are configured as a copying machine are within a pass standard range in a quality inspection by a product inspection apparatus 60 described later. The pass / fail judgment unit 52 that compares the probability calculated by the probability calculation unit 50 with a predetermined acceptance criterion probability to judge pass / fail of the scanner 40 to be inspected, and the liquid crystal that displays the judgment result by the pass / fail judgment unit 52 And a display unit 54 such as a display.

  Note that the characteristic calculation unit 44 according to the present embodiment stores in advance image data for inspection corresponding to the chart image formed on the recording paper 43. For example, as the resolution, the characteristic calculation unit 44 uses the image data for inspection. The ratio of the contrast of the chart image indicated by the image data obtained by reading the recording paper 24 with respect to the contrast of the indicated chart image is calculated.

  The probability calculation unit 50 according to the present embodiment also uses the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner based on the characteristic value of the scanner 40 calculated by the characteristic calculation unit 44 and the distribution data calculated by the characteristic distribution calculation unit 48. When 40 is configured as a copying machine, the probability of being within the acceptance standard range is calculated.

  Further, in the scanner inspection apparatus 42 according to the present embodiment, when the determination result by the pass / fail determination unit 52 is rejected, the target value for adjusting the rejected characteristic in the scanner 40 and the characteristic adjustment are adjusted. The method is presented on the display unit 54.

  On the other hand, at the assembly site 16, the image forming device 20 produced at the image forming device production site 12 and passed the inspection by the main body inspection device 22 is produced at the scanner production site 14 and passed the inspection by the scanner inspection device 42. The scanner 40 is carried in.

  At the assembly site 16, the copying machine 10 is produced by assembling the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 that are carried in, and a final quality inspection is performed on the produced copying machine 10 by the product inspection device 60. Only the copy machine 10 is shipped.

  Next, the operation flow of the main body inspection device 22 and the scanner inspection device 42 when producing the copying machine 10 will be described.

  In the image forming apparatus production base 12, the image forming apparatus 20 is produced, and the recording paper 24 on which the chart image is formed is output from the image forming apparatus 20. Then, the main body inspection device 22 inspects each characteristic based on the image data read from the recording paper 24 by the inspection image input device 26, determines whether or not the inspection is successful, and displays the determination result on the display unit 34. . As a result, only the image forming apparatus 20 that has passed the inspection is shipped to the assembly site 16.

  At this time, the main body inspection apparatus 22 outputs the apparatus number of the image forming apparatus 20 that has passed the inspection, the calculated characteristic values, and the inspection date and time to the scanner inspection apparatus 42, and is stored in the storage unit 46 of the scanner inspection apparatus 42. Each characteristic value of each image forming apparatus 20 that has been produced and passed the inspection is registered. If the number of image forming apparatuses 20 produced at the image forming apparatus production base 12 is large and it is difficult to inspect each of the image forming apparatuses 20, sampling inspection is performed by selecting the image forming apparatus 20 at random. In the storage unit 46, the device number, each characteristic value, and the inspection date / time of only the selected image forming apparatus 20 are registered in the storage unit 46.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the data structure of characteristic data stored in the storage unit 46.

  As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the characteristic date indicating the inspection date and time and each characteristic are stored for each apparatus number as the characteristic data.

  On the other hand, the scanner production base 14 produces the scanner 40, causes the scanner 40 to read the recording paper 43 on which the chart image is formed, and will be described later based on the read image data by the scanner inspection device 42. Inspection by inspection processing is performed, and the scanner 40 that has passed the inspection is shipped to the assembly site 16.

  Next, the operation of the scanner inspection apparatus 42 when executing the above-described inspection process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the inspection process.

  In step 100 of the figure, each characteristic of the scanner 40 is measured by calculating each characteristic of the scanner 40 to be inspected based on the chart image indicated by the image data read by the scanner inspection device 42.

  For example, when measuring the resolving power, the ratio of the chart image indicated by the image data read from the scanner 40 to the contrast of the chart image indicated by the image data for inspection stored in advance is calculated by calculating the ratio of the contrast of the chart image indicated by the image data. To do.

  In the next step 102, the characteristics of the image forming apparatus 20 constituting the copying machine 10 together with the scanner 40 to be inspected are measured and the distribution state for each characteristic is determined based on the characteristic data for a predetermined period including the inspection date and time. The distribution data shown is calculated.

  Note that this distribution data calculation method is based on the difference in time (number of days) required for each of the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 to be inspected and passed from the inspection to the start of assembly as the copying machine 10. Different.

  For example, the scanner 40 is shipped after passing the inspection by the scanner inspection device 42 at the scanner production base 14 and is assembled as the copier 10 at the assembly base 16 one day after passing the inspection. The apparatus 20 is shipped after passing the inspection by the main body inspection apparatus 22 at the image forming apparatus production base 12 for the reason that it takes time to transport, and is assembled as the copying machine 10 at the assembly base 16 two days after the inspection is passed. When the inspection of the scanner 40 is performed, the inspection of the image forming apparatus 20 is finished, and the characteristics of the image forming apparatus 20 assembled in the same copying machine 10 are already stored in the storage unit 46. .

  Therefore, the probability calculation unit 50 is stored in the storage unit 46 based on the difference in period (here, one day) from the end of the inspection between the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 to the start of assembly as the copying machine 10. For a predetermined period (in this embodiment, the date when the image forming apparatus 20 is inspected) including the inspection date and time when the image forming apparatus 20 constituting the copier 10 is inspected together with the scanner 40. The distribution data indicating the distribution state of each characteristic is calculated on the basis of the characteristic data. The scanner inspection device 42 includes an input device such as a keyboard (not shown), and a user inputs a difference in period from the end of the inspection between the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 to the start of assembly as the copying machine 10. Input from the apparatus and registered in advance in the probability calculation unit 50.

  On the other hand, when the inspection of the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 assembled as the copying machine 10 proceeds almost simultaneously, the characteristic data of the image forming apparatus 20 is not registered in the storage unit 46 when the scanner 40 is inspected. There is.

  Therefore, the probability calculation unit 50 estimates the characteristic distribution from the currently registered characteristic data. In this distribution estimation method, the distribution of each characteristic is calculated using the characteristic data of the image forming apparatus 20 inspected within a predetermined period (for example, one day) going back to the past from the current date and time at the time of inspection. . Then, a goodness of fit indicating whether the calculated distribution best fits a plurality of predetermined standard distributions (here, normal distribution, Poisson distribution, lognormal distribution, Weibull distribution). Calculated by chi-square test, the distribution with the highest fitness is used as the distribution of the characteristic.

  In the next step 104, when the copying machine 10 is configured based on the characteristics obtained in step 100 and the distribution of the characteristics obtained in step 102, the probability that each characteristic is within a predetermined acceptance standard range is set. Calculate for each characteristic.

  For example, if the acceptable reference range of the resolution required in the copying machine 10 is 0.5 or more and the resolution of the scanner 40 to be inspected is 0.75, the image formation with the scanner 40 and the resolution of 0.67 or more is performed. By constructing the copier 10 with the apparatus 20, the produced copier 10 falls within the acceptance standard range. Therefore, by determining the ratio of the image forming apparatus 20 having the characteristic value of contrast of 0.67 or more to the whole from the contrast distribution determined in step 102, the characteristics when configured as the copying machine 10 are acceptable standard ranges. Calculate the probability of being inside.

  In the next step 106, the probability calculated in step 104 is compared with a predetermined acceptance criterion probability α to determine whether or not the calculated probability is equal to or higher than the acceptance criterion probability α. If the result is 108 and a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 110. The acceptance criterion probability α is a value obtained by computer simulation or the like based on the production plan of the copying machine 10, and can be registered by a user inputting from an input device (not shown).

  In step 108, information indicating acceptance as an inspection result is displayed on the display unit 54, and the inspection process is terminated.

  On the other hand, in step 110, a retouching instruction screen 150 for instructing reworking of the scanner 40 is displayed on the display unit 54 together with information indicating failure as the inspection result, and the present inspection process is terminated.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the display form of the manual instruction screen 150.

  As shown in the figure, the instruction screen 150 includes a target value display unit 152 for displaying a target position for satisfying the acceptance standard probability α of the rejected characteristic, and a measured characteristic of the rejected characteristic. A measurement result display unit 154 that displays a value, a difference display unit 156 that displays a difference between a target value and a characteristic value, a message display unit 158 that displays a message to the user, and an adjustment method display unit that displays an adjustment method 160.

  Note that the adjustment method display unit 160 displays a message that varies depending on the difference between the target value and the characteristic value (for example, a message that instructs adjustment of the lens position if the deviation from the target value of the resolution contrast is 0.1 or less). If the deviation is 0.1 or more and 0.2 or less, a message instructing adjustment of the position of the line image sensor is displayed. The user can appropriately correct the characteristics of the scanner 40 by making an adjustment based on the displayed adjustment method.

  Usually, the modules such as the scanner 40 and the image forming apparatus 20 have stable characteristics and the dispersion of the characteristic distribution becomes smaller as production continues, so that the characteristics of the copying machine 10 that is a product fall within a certain reference range. By inspecting the combination by inspecting the combination, it is possible to improve module production yield while suppressing variations in product quality.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the modules not to be inspected for a plurality of types of modules constituting the predetermined product (here, the copying machine 10) is stored in advance in the storage means (here, The measurement unit (here, the characteristic calculation unit 44) measures characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module to be inspected, and calculates the calculation unit (here, the probability calculation unit 50). Calculates characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the characteristic information stored in the storage means and the characteristic information measured by the measurement means, and determines the determination means (here, pass / fail determination) Since the unit 52) determines the pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on the calculation result by the calculating means, the other part combined with this for the inspection of the module to be inspected Since the characteristics of the Joule are considered, while suppressing variations in product quality, it is possible to improve the yield of the modules constituting the product.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the distribution calculating means (characteristic distribution calculating section 48) for calculating distribution information indicating the distribution state of the characteristics of the module not to be inspected from the characteristic information stored in the storage means. The calculation means further comprises a probability that the characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole are within a predetermined reference range based on the distribution information calculated by the distribution calculation means and the characteristic information measured by the measurement means. Is calculated as the characteristic information, and the determination means determines the pass / fail of the module to be inspected by comparing the probability calculated by the calculation means with a predetermined reference probability. The more stable the module characteristics, the better the yield of other types of modules. In addition, since distribution information indicating the distribution state of the characteristics of modules not subject to inspection is used, it is not necessary to measure the characteristics of all modules not subject to inspection, and modules that are not subject to inspection after sampling inspection Since the distribution state of the characteristic can be obtained by measuring the characteristic, it is possible to determine whether the pass / fail is appropriate.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the characteristic information stored in the storage means includes the date and time when the characteristic of the module not to be inspected is measured, and the distribution calculating means is used together with the module to be inspected. Since the distribution information is calculated based on the characteristic information of a predetermined period including the date and time when the characteristic of the module not to be inspected constituting the predetermined product is measured, various modules are combined as a product. It is possible to appropriately calculate the probability that the characteristic at the time is within the reference range. Therefore, even if the characteristics of any type of module suddenly deteriorate, the quality of the product is determined because it is determined whether other types of modules that keep the characteristics of the copying machine 10 within the standard range are acceptable. The variation of can be suppressed.

  In addition, when it is determined that the determination unit fails, a presentation unit (in this case, the display unit 54) that presents at least one of the target value at the time of adjusting the characteristic or information on the adjustment method of the characteristic is further provided. Therefore, the characteristics of the module can be appropriately corrected by adjusting the module determined to be unacceptable by the user.

  In the present embodiment, a case where pass / fail judgment is made by comparing the probability that the characteristics when the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 are configured as a copying machine is within the acceptance standard range and a predetermined acceptance standard probability. Although described above, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, calculating the probability of being outside the acceptance standard range, calculating the probability of being within the predetermined failure standard range, etc. It is good also as what determines pass / fail by comparing with the failure | failure reference | standard probability. Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the case where pass / fail judgment is made by comparing the probability that the characteristics when the pass / fail judgment unit 52 is configured as a copying machine is within the acceptance standard range with a predetermined acceptance standard probability has been described. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pass / fail determination unit 52 compares the characteristic value calculated by the characteristic calculation unit 44 with a predetermined reference value to determine pass / fail of the scanner 40. The probability calculation unit 50 configures the image forming apparatus 20 and the scanner 40 as the copier 10 based on the distribution data calculated by the characteristic distribution calculation unit 48 and the characteristics measured by the characteristic calculation unit 44. The probability that the characteristic falls within the acceptance standard range may be calculated, and the predetermined reference value of the pass / fail determination unit 52 may be changed according to the calculated probability. For example, when it is determined that the characteristic value exceeds a predetermined reference value, the module yield can be improved by lowering the reference value as the probability of being within the acceptance reference range is higher. In addition, modules having characteristics with the following reference values are rejected, and the worst values of the characteristics of modules that pass are determined, so that variations in quality when products are manufactured can be suppressed. Note that the predetermined reference value may be a pass reference value determined as a reference for determining pass, or may be a fail reference value determined as a reference for determining fail.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the characteristic data of the image forming apparatus 20 is stored in the storage unit 46 of the scanner inspection apparatus 42 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the main body inspection apparatus An information processing device such as a computer having a storage device such as a hard disk drive is provided separately from the scanner 22 and the scanner inspection device 42, and the information processing device is connected to the main body inspection device 22 and the scanner inspection device 42 through a communication line such as a network. The characteristic data of the image forming apparatus 20 measured by the main body inspection apparatus 22 and the characteristic data of the scanner 40 measured by the scanner inspection apparatus 42 may be stored together in the storage device of the information processing apparatus. In this way, by centrally managing the characteristic data by the information processing apparatus, for example, in the main body inspection apparatus 22 and the scanner inspection apparatus 42, the pass / fail determination is made based on the characteristic data of various modules configured as the copying machine 10. It is possible to improve the module yield. In this case, the main body inspection device corresponds to the measurement device of the present invention, and the characteristic calculation unit corresponds to the first measurement means. Also, the scanner inspection device corresponds to the inspection device.

  Further, the scanner inspection apparatus 42 according to the present embodiment realizes the functions shown in the characteristic calculation unit 44, the characteristic distribution calculation unit 48, the probability calculation unit 50, and the pass / fail determination unit 52 by software, and performs the above-described inspection processing. You may comprise as an inspection program. Also in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, the configurations (see FIG. 1) of the scanner inspection device 42 and the main body inspection device 22 described in the present embodiment are merely examples, and it is needless to say that the configuration can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. .

  Further, the flow of the inspection process described in the present embodiment (see FIG. 3) is also an example, and it is needless to say that it can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a schematic diagram showing a flow when producing a copying machine according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the characteristic data which concern on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the inspection process which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display form of the direct instruction | indication screen which concerns on this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Copier 20 Image forming apparatus 22 Main body inspection apparatus 30 Characteristic calculation part 40 Scanner 42 Scanner inspection apparatus 44 Characteristic calculation part 46 Memory | storage part 48 Characteristic distribution calculation part 50 Probability calculation part 52 Pass / fail judgment part 54 Display part

Claims (8)

An inspection apparatus that inspects one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection target,
Measuring means for measuring characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module to be inspected;
Storage means for storing in advance characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module not to be inspected;
Calculating means for calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on characteristic information stored in the storage means and characteristic information measured by the measuring means;
Determination means for determining pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on a calculation result by the calculation means;
Inspection device with A distribution calculating unit that calculates distribution information indicating a distribution state of a characteristic of the module not to be inspected from the characteristic information stored in the storage unit;
The calculating means determines the probability that the characteristic of the predetermined product as a whole falls within a predetermined reference range based on the distribution information calculated by the distribution calculating means and the characteristic information measured by the measuring means. Calculated as information,
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the module to be inspected is acceptable by comparing the probability calculated by the calculation unit with a predetermined reference probability. The determination unit is configured to determine the pass / fail of the module to be inspected by comparing the characteristic value indicated by the characteristic information measured by the measurement unit with a predetermined reference value,
A distribution calculating unit that calculates distribution information indicating a distribution state of a characteristic of the module not to be inspected from the characteristic information stored in the storage unit;
The calculating means determines the probability that the characteristic of the predetermined product as a whole falls within a predetermined reference range based on the distribution information calculated by the distribution calculating means and the characteristic information measured by the measuring means. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus calculates the information and changes the predetermined reference value according to the calculated probability. The characteristic information stored in the storage means includes the date and time when the characteristic of the module not to be inspected is measured,
The distribution calculation unit calculates the distribution information based on the characteristic information of a predetermined period including a date and time when a characteristic of the module not to be inspected that constitutes the predetermined product together with the module to be inspected is measured. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3. 5. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a presenting unit that presents at least one of a target value at the time of adjusting the characteristic or information on an adjustment method of the characteristic when the determination unit determines that the determination is unacceptable. The inspection apparatus according to item 1. An inspection system that inspects one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection target,
A measuring device comprising first measuring means for measuring characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module not to be inspected constituting the predetermined product;
A storage device comprising storage means for storing the characteristic information measured by the first measurement means;
Based on second measurement means for measuring characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module to be inspected, characteristic information stored in the storage means of the storage device, and characteristic information measured by the second measurement means. An inspection apparatus comprising: a calculation unit that calculates characteristic information indicating characteristics of the entire predetermined product; and a determination unit that determines pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on a calculation result by the calculation unit;
Having an inspection system. An inspection method for inspecting one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product as an inspection target,
Characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module not to be inspected constituting the predetermined product is stored in a storage unit in advance.
Measure characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module to be inspected,
Calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the characteristic information stored in the storage unit and the measured characteristic information;
Determining pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on the calculated result;
Inspection method. An inspection program for preliminarily storing in the storage means characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the module that is not subject to inspection as one of a plurality of types of modules constituting a predetermined product, and inspecting the module to be inspected Because
A measurement step for measuring characteristic information indicating characteristics of the module to be inspected;
A calculation step of calculating characteristic information indicating characteristics of the predetermined product as a whole based on the characteristic information stored in the storage unit and the characteristic information measured in the measurement step;
A determination step of determining pass / fail of the module to be inspected based on a calculation result of the calculation step;
Inspection program that causes a computer to execute.

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