JP2007033284A - Method and apparatus for inspecting cylindrical article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an inspecting process more rational, and to improve an inspecting apparatus in reliability. <P>SOLUTION: An inspecting method is provided with an inspecting apparatus having a self-diagnostic function. A condition is prepared, wherein a small number of limiting models 5 having known judgement results which are previously obtained by separate inspections and represent qualities for respective inspection items, are mixed intentionally in a large number of battery cases 1 required to be inspected. The inspecting apparatus having the self-diagnostic function is supplied with the battery cases 1 mixed with the limiting models 5 and inspect them. The inspecting apparatus is judged to be normal when its inspection results of respective limiting models 5 are completely identical to their previous judgement results, and it is judged that an abnormality occurs therein when one or more limiting models 5 having different results exist therein. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cylindrical article inspection method and inspection apparatus for performing inspections such as scratches, dents, cracks, stains, peeling of plating, pinholes, etc., or selection of pass / fail based on inspection results. It is.

  A battery case called a DI can is used for cylindrical articles such as alkaline manganese dry batteries and lithium batteries, which are usually cylindrical, but using a press machine and a mold, drawing into a thin nickel-plated steel plate, Produced with subsequent ironing. At that time, the surface of the battery case may be caused by various causes, such as foreign matter adhering to the surface of the nickel-plated steel plate, which is the material for the battery case, Scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, plating peeling, pinholes, etc. may occur. While efforts are constantly made to reduce these defects, it is difficult to eradicate defective products completely. Furthermore, deformation, etc. of the battery case in which the degree of dents, dirt, and dents in the process of transporting the battery case has frequently occurred.

  When these defective battery cases are supplied to the battery production process, the conveyor may be clogged due to cracking or deformation of the battery case. Not only can productivity be reduced, but the possibility that batteries using battery cases with defects such as scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, peeling of plating, and pinholes will be shipped and sold on the market can be completely denied. Disappear. In such a case, the battery case may be damaged while the battery is in use, or an accident such as leakage of the electrolyte may occur. In order to cause a large loss, a highly reliable inspection and an advanced quality assurance system are required.

  In addition, abnormalities such as scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, plating peeling, pinholes, etc. on the surface of the battery case do not occur only on the side surface of the battery case, but can also occur in the entire area including the bottom surface of the battery case However, the description here is limited to the inspection of abnormalities occurring on the side surface of the cylindrical article including the battery case.

  Conventionally, the most common inspection method for scratches, cracks, etc. on the surface of a cylindrical article is the limit sample of defective products for each inspection item, for example, each item such as the width, length and depth of the scratch. Show the limit sample of defective products to the inspection worker in advance, memorize the pass / fail judgment criteria for each defective item, place the inspection worker along the conveyor, convey the uninspected cylindrical article to the conveyor In this method, the cylindrical article is inspected by visual inspection from the upstream side to the inspection worker, and defective products are sorted out and supplied to the next process.

  This method has a small capital cost investment and has the advantage of being able to respond to inspections of various types of parts in a short period of time, but it is low in productivity and has slightly different judgment criteria for each inspection operator. Variations in quality are inevitable. Furthermore, when many parts are repeatedly inspected, it is difficult for the inspection operator to maintain concentration for a long time due to fatigue or other causes, which includes causes of large quality variations such as overlooking defective products. In addition, it is difficult to reduce costs and improve quality one step further from the current situation.

In a general inspection method that uses image processing technology for the side surface of a cylindrical article, the entire side surface cannot be photographed simultaneously with a camera, so the side surface is an elongated surface parallel to the axis of the cylindrical article. In the length direction of the cylindrical article, the entire length is simultaneously divided into a large number of small pieces in the side direction, and only a part of the elongated side portion that faces the front of the camera is finely divided by the camera. Shooting in time, shooting the entire side area while sequentially moving the shooting position in the circumferential direction.

  When taking a picture of the side part of the cylindrical article with the camera, the camera is fixed and continuously rotated while illuminating the side part of the cylindrical article with the LED, so that the photographing position is adjusted along with the rotation of the cylindrical article. Shooting is repeated many times while moving. Then, when the cylindrical article rotates once, information on the entire side surface portion of the cylindrical article is recorded. In this way, the image of the side surface portion of the cylindrical article photographed by the camera has each pixel having a minute area divided by about 1000 in the axial direction and about 800 in the side surface direction of the cylindrical article. Recorded as luminance information of pixels.

At this time, if the side part of the cylindrical article is clean and the side part is smooth, almost uniform incident light enters the camera from all parts of the side part, and it is determined that there is no abnormality. If there is, the angle of reflection from the side part and the reflectance will change from that of the other parts depending on the condition of the abnormality, so the luminance information stored in the pixel will be different, and scratches and other abnormalities Be recognized. As described above, an inspection method using template matching is disclosed as an inspection method that corrects pattern matching, which is a general inspection method. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
Also, in the inspection of the side surface portion of the cylindrical article, a method is used in which the surface portion is divided into long and narrow portions while the side surface portion of the cylindrical article is continuously rotated around the axis, and the image is sequentially captured by a camera. While the infrared rays emitted from the LEDs are evenly applied to the side surface of the cylindrical article in front of the camera that shoots the camera, it is rotationally driven in a state where it is chucked and positioned by a holder fixed to the tip of the shaft that rotates regularly. When the cylindrical article rotates once in front of the camera, the entire side surface portion of the cylindrical article can be photographed, so that the surface abnormality can be inspected by applying the image processing technique. In a method for inspecting a side surface portion of a cylindrical article, a side surface inspection method that can be detected at low cost, in a short time, with stable accuracy by image processing using a line sensor is disclosed. (For example, see Patent Document 2)
In addition, when the cylindrical article is a case or a pipe shape, a method of chucking the inner diameter can also be considered, but if the inner diameter chuck is not inserted deeply into the hole, the surface runout becomes larger at the part farther than the chucked part, Camera photography tends to be unstable. When the inner diameter chuck is inserted deeply, the time required for inserting and extracting the chuck becomes longer, which is not preferable in the case of a battery case that requires high-speed processing.

  In addition, when the inspection is mechanized, there is generally less variation than human visual inspection, and the quality tends to be stable and improved. However, even in the automatic inspection of the side part of the cylindrical article, the variation is reduced and the quality is improved. It is not easy to stabilize. Inspection is affected by various factors such as deterioration due to image processing equipment, camera lens dirt, improper device adjustment, vibration, temperature change, change in rotational speed of cylindrical article, minute change in side face of cylindrical article, etc. Subtle variations in the judgment results are considered inevitable.

Therefore, various attempts have been made in the past to stabilize the determination data based on the measurement data and data of the inspection device and the sorting device, and to improve the reliability of the inspection device.
JP 2000-105199 A JP 2003-156453 A

However, the above-described prior art in the patent document is not preferable in the case of a battery case as a cylindrical article requiring high-speed processing, and it is not easy to stabilize the quality. Moreover, it is considered that it is inevitable that the result of the inspection varies due to various factors. It is very difficult for the quality determination criteria once set to remain constant until the next setting change without being affected by changes in the environment or deterioration of the inspection apparatus due to long-time operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and performs inspection while utilizing the self-diagnosis function of the inspection condition for inspecting the quality of the cylindrical article and confirming that the inspection is performed in a normal operating state. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the inspection method for a cylindrical article of the present invention is an inspection method for inspecting a cylindrical article by image processing, inspecting the quality of the cylindrical article and in a normal operating state. It is characterized by performing inspection while utilizing the self-diagnosis function of the inspection condition to confirm that it is inspecting.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an inspection method for inspecting a cylindrical article by image processing, which inspects the quality of the cylindrical article and has a self-diagnosis function of an inspection condition for confirming that the inspection is performed in a normal operating state. By inspecting while utilizing, it is possible to check whether the inspection is in a normal operating state or whether an abnormality has occurred in the inspection unit.

  By adopting a method that utilizes the self-diagnosis function in this way, there is no possibility of operating for a long time without noticing the abnormality even though an abnormality has occurred in the inspection unit, requiring re-inspection. The number of cylindrical articles is drastically reduced, and the inspection process can be rationalized.

  In the first invention of the present invention, by inspecting the cylindrical article by image processing while inspecting while utilizing the self-diagnosis function of the inspection conditions to confirm that it is inspected in a normal operating state, It is possible to check the normal operation of the inspection at a high frequency, and the reliability of the inspection or sorting function can be greatly improved.

  In the second invention of the present invention, as a self-diagnosis function, a limit sample is mixed into an uninspected cylindrical article, and the inspection determination of the limit sample matches the information of the limit sample while inspecting the uninspected cylindrical article. It is possible to perform highly reliable inspection by confirming that the inspection has been performed and diagnosing the inspection conditions.

  In the third invention of the present invention, the reliability of the inspection can be improved by using two types of limit samples, the good product limit sample and the defective product limit sample, and the quality can be stably maintained, and the excess quality can be maintained. Cost increase can be avoided.

  In the fourth aspect of the present invention, a monitoring system with a self-diagnosis function is provided by using a plurality of critical defect defective sample limit samples, medium defect defective product limit samples, and light defect defective product limit samples as defective product limit samples. Can be strengthened, and when an abnormality occurs, prompt discovery is possible.

  In the fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of limit samples are inspected in a state where they are mixed in an uninspected cylindrical article, and at least one of the limit samples matches the limit sample information. By providing a self-diagnosis function that confirms that no inspection has been performed, it is possible to automatically stop the inspection and issue an abnormality alarm, and to continue the inspection for a long time with unstable pass / fail judgment criteria. Disappears.

In the sixth invention of the present invention, despite the cylindrical article whose inspection has been completed by confirming that at least one inspection judgment of the limit samples does not match the information of the limit samples, All the lots of cylindrical articles can be inspected again, and the quality of the cylindrical articles supplied to the next process can be stabilized.

  In the seventh invention of the present invention, inspection is normally performed frequently by inspecting scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, peeling of plating, pinholes, and pinholes in parallel, and inspecting limit samples in parallel. By inspecting the cylindrical article while confirming that it has been performed, it is possible to prevent accidents such as breakage of the cylindrical article shipped and sold in the market and leakage of the electrolyte.

  In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the limit sample is different from the cylindrical article in the shape, size, color, and entry of letters, numbers, and symbols, or is provided with a magnetic recording, bar code, IC tag by a sensor. By storing readable information and allowing the limit sample and the cylindrical article to be visually or electrically identified, it is possible to circulate the limit sample and prevent the limit sample from being carried out to the next process. It becomes possible.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, a means for holding the cylindrical article, a means for conveying the cylindrical article, a means for rotating the cylindrical article, and an inspection section in the middle of the conveyance are arranged, and a limit sample of quality is determined. By having a self-diagnosis function in the inspection unit that confirms that the inspection is performed in a normal operating state, it is possible to continuously and automatically inspect highly reliable inspections.

  In the tenth aspect of the present invention, the image processing inspection means for inspecting the entire side surface portion of the cylindrical article as the inspection section, the image processing inspection means for inspecting the bottom surface portion of the cylindrical article, and the limits of non-defective products and defective products Each image processing inspection means has an inspection means that inspects the specimen and automatically judges that the inspection judgment matches the information of the limit specimen, while checking the operating state of the inspection section. By performing the inspection, the self-diagnosis of the operating state of the inspection unit can be automatically performed, and a high-performance inspection can be performed, and a highly reliable continuous inspection can be performed.

  In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a plurality of limit samples are inspected as an inspection unit in a state where they are mixed in an uninspected cylindrical article, and at least one of the limit samples is determined as information on limit samples. It is equipped with a means to stop the inspection by confirming that it does not match, and a means to display the occurrence of an abnormality or issue an alarm, and the inspection continues to operate for a long time with the pass / fail judgment criteria unstable. This can be eliminated.

  In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical article lot in which limit samples are mixed by confirming that at least one inspection judgment of the limit samples does not match the information of limit samples as an inspection unit. Equipped with a discharging means for discharging everything and a means for re-inspecting, it is possible to continuously and automatically inspect highly reliable inspections, and stabilize the quality of cylindrical articles supplied to the next process It becomes possible to make it.

  In the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, after the non-defective product and defective product limit samples are used for the inspection judgment of the inspection section, a means for returning to the inspection section without being carried out to the next process is ensured, thereby ensuring high quality inspection. At the same time, it is unnecessary to increase the number of limit samples, and the cost can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a layout diagram of an embodiment showing an outline of a configuration of an inspection apparatus having a self-diagnosis function according to the present invention. For the total number of thin cylindrical battery cases 1 as cylindrical articles as shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical surface appearance inspection and the bottom and inner surface inspection are performed at a high speed of about 250 pieces / minute. The inspection method of the present invention can be applied to an inspection apparatus for selecting pass / fail according to inspection items such as scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, plating peeling, pinholes, etc. of the battery case 1 based on the appearance inspection result. The case where the concept is introduced is shown as an example.

  In FIG. 3, a battery case 1 is shown as a general cylindrical article having an outer shape d of 18.3 mm, a height h of 67.3 mm, and a wall thickness t of 0.12 mm.

  An outline of the configuration and functions will be described. In FIG. 1, both the battery case 1 and the limit sample 5 of the battery case 1 are conveyed in an upright posture by a conveyor attached to the inspection apparatus or a conveyance unit of the inspection apparatus. Both external shapes are circular, and the movement path of the axis is simplified by a slightly thick one-dot chain line.

  In the limit sample 5, as a severe defect limit sample corresponding to damage or leakage of the battery case 1, a medium defect limit sample corresponding to plating peeling or dents and a light defect limit sample corresponding to discoloration including discoloration, etc. It is mixed in an uninspected battery case 1 which is an inspection object. Further, not only the limit sample of defective products but also the limit sample of non-defective products that are close to defective products are used together, so that the quality level is stabilized and it is possible to prevent an increase in cost due to excessive quality.

  The side surface inspection board 15 and the bottom surface inspection board 16 shown in the center of FIG. 1 are both equally divided into eight, and on both inspection boards 15 and 16 that rotate intermittently by 1/8 rotation, a battery case that is an object to be inspected. 1 is held and transported at an equal interval by a posture and support tool suitable for each inspection, a rotary drive head, or the like. In the side surface inspection unit 9 of the side surface inspection panel 15 that performs an appearance inspection of the side surface by applying image processing technology, the battery case 1 is rotated around its axis in front of the camera 30 as shown in FIG. Then, the entire side surface is photographed while irradiating with the LED 31.

  In addition, two inspection units are installed on the bottom surface inspection panel 16 in charge of visual inspection from the outside and the inside using the image processing technique and the change in the amount of light received by the optical sensor. In the bottom surface outside inspection part 10 of the bottom surface inspection panel 16, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom surface of the battery case 1 held by the permanent magnet 23 is provided on the side surface of the bottom surface inspection panel 16 so that the battery case 1 can be fitted. Then, the image is taken by the camera 33 while being illuminated by the LED 31.

  Moreover, in the bottom face inside inspection part 11 of the bottom face inspection board 16, the bottom face from the inside is inspected by the camera 34 while irradiating the LED 31 from the opening part of the battery case 1 as shown in FIG. Inspection of the bottom surface inside the battery case 1 finds scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, peeling of plating, pinholes on the bottom surface, and prevents contact failure by anti-corrosion measures and dirt detection. It is also possible. Furthermore, a short circuit inside the battery can be prevented in advance by discovering the contamination of the metal. In the inspections by these inspection units 9, 10, and 11, the LED can be omitted depending on the sensitivity of the camera, and the bottom surface inspection panel 16 as a mechanism for holding the battery case 1 can be used even by vacuum suction.

  In addition, the bottom surface outside inspection unit 10 and the bottom surface inside inspection unit 11 share the inspection process between the two inspection units because the measurement equipment for inspection is different depending on the respective inspection items. It is also possible to inspect by the inspection units 9, 10, and 11.

  During the slight stop time at the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 of both inspection panels 15, 16, the surface of the battery case 1 was photographed and measured by the cameras 30, 33, 34, etc., and recorded by inspection. The data is appropriately processed in each arithmetic processing unit to determine whether the battery case 1 is good or bad, store the result, and transmit the result to each device provided downstream based on the determination result. 1 transport destination is instructed.

When the inspection units 9, 10 and 11 automatically inspect all the unexamined battery cases 1 or select pass / fail, the determination result is confirmed by a strict inspection separately performed in advance for each inspection item. Supplying a small number of limit samples 5 of both defective and non-defective products to the inspection device in a state where it is intentionally mixed at a predetermined ratio with respect to a large number of uninspected battery cases 1, the inspection device is operated. As a result of inspection or selection, if it is confirmed that all of the limit samples 5 mixed for each inspection item match the previous determination result, it is diagnosed that the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 are functioning normally. it can.

  Therefore, the inspection apparatus is continuously operated. However, if even one of the plurality of limit samples 5 produces an inspection result different from the previous determination result, an abnormality occurs in the determination criteria set by the inspection units 9, 10, and 11. At the same time, the operation of the inspection device is immediately stopped, and at the same time, the inspection operator is notified of the occurrence of a trouble using a buzzer or a display device.

  In addition, although it is the frequency which confirms the normal operation | movement of the test | inspection part 9,10,11, in principle, there is a little margin time in the time required for the battery case 1 to be inspected to pass the test | inspection part 9,10,11. The self-diagnosis is performed once every two minutes for the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 in the inspection method of the present invention. In rough calculation, it is possible to make a diagnosis with a high frequency of once every 3 to 5 minutes. It is possible to check the normal operation of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 with a high frequency. Can greatly improve the reliability.

  In addition, the limit sample 5 that is a criterion for accepting or rejecting is composed of at least two kinds of limit samples 5 of a good sample limit sample 5 that is very close to a defective product and a defective sample limit sample 5 that is very close to a non-defective product for each inspection item. Even if the inspection result is determined to be a non-defective product that is as close as possible to a defective product, or even if it is determined to be a non-defective product that is as close as possible to a non-defective product, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred, thereby maintaining stable quality and avoiding cost increases Preferably, the method is configured.

  Also, the inspection items include medium defects such as plating peeling and dents, discoloration, etc. from inspection items related to severe defects such as scratches, cracks, pinholes, etc. that may lead to rupture or leakage of the battery case 1. There are various inspection items for light defects such as dirt, but it is necessary to reinforce the monitoring system of the self-diagnosis function for those related to heavy defects and to be able to find them quickly when an abnormality occurs. In addition, if the inspection standard is severe and moves to the safe side, it is not preferable, but it is not considered to be a serious problem.

  Therefore, the mixing ratio of the limit sample 5 mixed into the uninspected battery case 1 for each inspection item is 1 to 3% for each inspection item when inspecting the battery case. In the inspection items related to heavy defects that need to detect abnormalities, increase the mixing ratio by increasing the number of heavy defect limit samples 5 and then increase the mixing ratio in the order of medium defect limit sample 5 and light defect limit sample 5. decide. In the inspection items related to minor defects, the amount of minor defect limit sample 5 is mixed in a small amount, and the same quantity as that of non-defective limit sample 5 is used to ensure quality and prevent costs from increasing in inspection items. is necessary.

  In addition, since the limit sample 5 of the same inspection item continuously flows through the inspection process, the self-diagnosis function of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 is deteriorated. It is desirable to mix various limit samples 5. Further, the limit sample 5 is a portion different from the inspection location of the battery case 1 and is a portion that does not obstruct transportation, etc., and is clearly not visually confirmed by entering shapes, dimensions, colors, letters, numbers, and symbols. The difference from the inspection battery case 1 should be understood.

  By doing so, it is easy to confirm that the self-diagnosis function of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 is functioning normally. In addition, the limit sample 5 is provided with a magnetic recording, bar code, IC tag, etc. that can be read by a commercially available sensor or the like, and can be loaded with information. , Fill in the test result data, pass / fail, etc.

  Thus, when the limit sample 5 is supplied to each of the inspection units 9, 10, 11 instead of the uninspected battery case 1, the inspection result obtained in the same manner as the inspection of the battery case 1 The limit sample 5 itself is compared with the previous inspection result, and it is determined whether or not the functions of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 are operating normally. By determining that the inspection result of the limit sample 5 is always the same as the inspection result of the previous limit sample 5, it is determined that the functions of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 are operating normally. 10 and 11 self-diagnosis.

  If it is normal, the operation of the inspection apparatus is continued, and if it is abnormal, the operation is immediately stopped to notify the inspection operator of the abnormality. In addition, as a result of inspection immediately before it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, there is a possibility that an abnormality has already occurred in the inspection units 9, 10, 11 even when the battery case 1 is determined to be non-defective. In the case of a certain battery case 1, a measure is taken to reinspect by switching the transport path.

  Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of another embodiment which is an inspection apparatus having a self-diagnosis function of the present invention. When the transfer path switching device 8 shown at the left end of FIG. 2 is connected to the left conveyor 7-1 as indicated by the solid line, a large amount of uninspected battery cases 1 transferred from the upstream process are conveyed. 7-1 is transported to the inspection apparatus of the present invention, and sequentially passes through each of the three inspection units 9, 10, 11 in the same manner as described in FIG. 1 while traveling along the transport path indicated by the one-dot chain line. However, a predetermined inspection is received during that time, and pass / fail screening is performed based on the inspection result.

  Also, when the transfer path switching device 8 is switched and connected to the conveyor 7-2 on the right side only for a short time with a set timer or the like according to the set mixing ratio of the limit sample 5 with respect to the uninspected battery case 1, inspection is performed. A limit sample 5 consisting of both a non-defective limit sample 5 and a defective limit sample 5 prepared by prior inspection for each item is waiting for a turn at the standby position, and is sent to the inspection apparatus of the present invention. In the same manner as the battery case 1 for inspection, the above-described three inspection sections 9, 10, and 11 perform inspection.

  In the case of the limit sample 5, by comparing the inspection result with the previous inspection result that the limit sample 5 itself has mounted as a magnetic recording, barcode, IC tag, etc., the inspection units 9, 10, 11 themselves Determine whether is functioning normally and whether an error has occurred. That is, self-diagnosis is performed by the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 themselves. The limit sample 5 is collected at the first standby position and again waits until the turn.

  Further, according to the mixing ratio of the limit sample 5, not only simply setting the ratio of the connection time of the transport path switching device 8 to the conveyors 7-1 and 7-2 but also switching the transport path switching device 8 frequently. In order to enhance the self-diagnosis function, it is important to mix the limit sample 5 uniformly into the untested battery case 1. Similarly, it is desirable to avoid the limit sample 5 of the same inspection item being continuously sent to the inspection units 9, 10, and 11.

  The limit sample 5 is very close to the defective sample limit sample that is very close to the non-defective product for each inspection item such as scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, plating peeling, pinholes, etc. Select a small number, including both non-defective samples, select appropriate parts that deviate from the parts to be inspected, add simple processing to them, and check the dimensions, shape, color, etc. The case 1 is clearly changed, and characters, numbers, and symbols can be entered, and the limit sample 5 can be easily confirmed visually. Several examples of the shape are shown in FIG. Of course, a good product and a defective product for each inspection item can be easily distinguished visually.

  The limit sample 5 is equipped with information such as limit sample number, distinction between good and bad, and defective items that have been found in advance inspection, as magnetic records, barcodes, IC tags, etc. that can be easily read by commercially available sensors. Make it possible. The information is read, and the pass / fail judgment of the limit sample 5 is performed as the data of the inspection item of the limit sample 5. Further, it is an iron rule that the limit sample 5 does not flow to the next process. In the present invention, the limit sample 5 and the battery case 1 are automatically identified, and the transport path is switched by the limit sample collection device 28, so that the transport path 7-2, the process returns to the transport path switching device 8, and again waits until the turn at the first standby position.

  When all of the limit samples 5 sent to the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 of the present invention receive the same determination as the determination result in the prior inspection, the present invention is performed until the time when the inspection is performed. It is determined that the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 functioned normally.

  The battery case 1 stores the determination of pass / fail in each of the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 of the both inspection panels 15 and 16, and when the determination result is determined to be a defective product, the defective product is provided downstream. It is discharged by the device 29. When the defective product carry-out device 29 operates continuously for a predetermined quantity, the operation of the inspection device is stopped and the inspection operator is notified by a warning indicator 36 such as a buzzer or a patrol light. As a result, the inspection operator can grasp the cause of the continuous failure of the battery case 1 at an early stage, and there is an effect that productivity can be improved and cost can be reduced by early response.

  In addition, if even one of the limit samples 5 produces an inspection result different from the previous determination result, an abnormality has occurred in the inspection units 9, 10, and 11 of the present invention, and it is determined that it is not functioning normally and is immediately activated. Is stopped, and the occurrence of an abnormality is transmitted to the inspection worker by a warning display 36 such as a buzzer or a patrol light. The mixing ratio of the limit sample 5 is about 1 to 3% in the case of the battery case 1 including the limit sample 5 for each inspection item. For inspection items related to serious defects such as scratches, cracks, pinholes, etc. that may need to be detected at an early stage, the quantity of heavy defect limit sample 5 is increased to increase the mixture ratio, plating peeling, dents, etc. The mixing ratio of the medium defect limit sample 5 is set lower than the mixing ratio of the heavy defect limit sample 5, and the mixing ratio is determined in the order of the light defect limit sample 5 such as dirt.

  In addition, the light defect limit sample 5 corresponding to the inspection items related to light defects is mixed in lower than the mixing ratio of the medium defect limit sample 5, and the same quantity as the good product limit sample 5 is mixed. Needless to say, it is necessary to work to prevent the cost increase in Japan, and it is necessary to study the optimum mixing ratio in terms of both quality and cost. In addition, in the battery case 1 on the transport path 7-4 that has been determined to be a non-defective product in the battery case 1 inspected by the inspection units 9, 10, and 11, the battery case 1 belonging to the same lot is being inspected. In addition, when it is considered that there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the inspection units 9, 10, 11, the battery case 1 that flows at the head of the battery case 1 of the same lot is still necessarily transferred from the transport path dividing device 17. Also, the conveyance path dividing device 17 is arranged so as to remain on the upstream side, and is separated from the non-defective product by the conveyance path dividing device 17 provided on the most downstream side of the inspection apparatus, and is separated from the non-defective product as the temporary good battery case 35 Sent to -5. By switching the transfer switching device 8, it is transferred to the transfer path 7-3 of the uninspected battery case 1 via the star wheel 12 and sent for reinspection.

  However, the number of battery cases 1 that require re-inspection is 2 to 3000 re-inspections if an abnormality occurs in a general inspection apparatus from the prior art, and the abnormality of the inspection apparatus is discovered. The later the delay, the greater the number of inspections at that time, which may reach hundreds of thousands. In this regard, the present invention has an effect of minimizing the quantity to be re-inspected and reducing the number to be re-inspected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the limit sample 5 has a shape different from the normal battery case 1, or the shape of the opening, etc., or a different size or size. Can be easily sorted and collected from ordinary battery cases 1 that occupy a large number, and can be used repeatedly many times.

  In the inspection apparatus, since the battery cases 1 are intermittently conveyed one by one, the battery case 1 and the limit sample 5 can be more easily separated and selected. For reference, an example of the limit sample 5 for the battery case 1 to be inspected is described. The outer shape d is 18.3 mm, the height h is 67.3 mm, ha is 2.5 mm, and hb is 0.13 mm. .

  A method for rotationally driving the battery case 1 by the side surface inspection unit 9 of the side surface inspection panel 15 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, in order to show the rotation driving method in an easy-to-understand manner, it is assumed that the battery case 1 is a transparent body, the outer shape is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the portion that is obstructed by the battery case 1 and is not originally visible. Is also illustrated. Then, the rotational drive head 32 shown in FIG. Two rotation driving rollers 21 slightly larger than the outer diameter of the battery case 1 are provided on each of the two rotation driving roller shafts 20 provided in parallel, and an interval corresponding to the length of the side surface of the battery case 1 is set. It is fixed apart.

  Then, with the side surface of the battery case 1 in contact with the four rotation driving rollers 21, the rotation driving roller shaft 20 is forcibly rotated to continuously rotate the battery case 1.

  At this time, the angle between the line connecting the axis of the battery case 1 and the axis of the two rotation driving roller shafts 20 increases the force to rotate the battery case 1 when the angle is increased. Since the deformation of this becomes large, it is set to about 90 ° at present. Further, the two rotation driving roller shafts 20 may be forcibly driven or only one may be driven as shown in FIG. Although the camera is not shown in the drawing, since the camera is on the front side of the paper, a part of the side surface is not blocked by the driving roller 21 and cannot be photographed.

In addition, from the aspect of inspection processing capability required by the inspection apparatus, it is necessary to raise the battery case 1 to a steady rotation of about 300 rpm within a short time, and between the side surface of the battery case 1 and the rotation driving roller 21. In order to increase the rotational driving force by strengthening the frictional force acting on the O-ring 22, an O-ring 22 is fixed to the outer diameter portion of the rotational driving roller 21 that contacts the side surface of the battery case 1, and two roller shafts A force that attracts the battery case 1 made of a ferromagnetic material by attaching the permanent magnet 23 so as to approach the side surface of the battery case 1 at an intermediate position of 20 is used for strengthening the frictional force. Further, using the attractive force of the permanent magnet 23 with respect to the battery case 1 has an effect of being released from the restriction of the posture of the inspection part of the battery case 1.
The cylindrical article inspection method and inspection apparatus of the present invention can inspect not only a battery case but also a cylindrical battery and a rectangular tube battery.

  According to the present invention, the inspection unit is inspected for quality by image processing, and the inspection unit is inspected by utilizing the self-diagnosis function of the inspection condition to confirm that the inspection is performed in a normal operating state. If it occurs, it can immediately judge and stop the operation of the equipment, notify the inspection operator of the occurrence of the abnormality, and can check the normal operation of the inspection frequently, and the reliability of the inspection or sorting function The sex can be improved dramatically.

1 is a layout diagram of an embodiment showing a configuration of an inspection apparatus having a self-diagnosis function according to the present invention. Layout diagram of another embodiment showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus having a self-diagnosis function of the present invention The perspective view of the side inspection part in the same Example The perspective view of the bottom face outside inspection part in the embodiment The perspective view of the bottom side inside inspection part in the embodiment The perspective view of the rotational drive structure of the cylindrical battery case in the same Example The perspective view of the cylindrical battery case in the same Example (A), (b), (c) is a perspective view of a limit sample in the same embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 Uninspected battery case (tubular article)
2 Battery case determined to be non-defective by inspection 3 Temporary non-defective battery case determined to be non-defective by inspection 4 Battery case determined to be defective 5 Limit sample 6 Battery case under inspection 7-1 Conveyor 7-2 Transport conveyor 7-3 Transport path of uninspected battery case 7-4 Transport path of inspected battery case 7-5 Battery case transport path when inspection apparatus malfunctions 8 Transport path switching device 9 Side surface inspection unit 10 Bottom surface outside inspection unit 11 Inner bottom surface inspection unit 12 Star wheel 13 Rolling disk 14 Discharge disk 15 Side surface inspection panel 16 Bottom surface inspection panel 17 Transport path dividing device 18 Pulley 19 Rotation driving belt 20 Rotation driving roller shaft 21 Rotation driving roller 22 O-ring 23 Permanent Magnet 24 Stopper 25 Part extended from the battery case of the limit sample 26 Notch 27 provided in the opening of the limit sample 27 Limit A portion 28 bent inside the opening of the sample 28 Limit sample collection device 29 Defective product separation device 30 Camera 31 LED
32 Rotating drive head 33 Camera 34 Camera 35 Battery case 36 determined to be re-inspected 36 Warning indicator

Claims (13)

  An inspection method for inspecting a cylindrical article by image processing, inspecting the quality of the cylindrical article and performing an inspection while utilizing a self-diagnosis function of an inspection condition to confirm that the inspection is performed in a normal operating state. A method for inspecting a cylindrical article, comprising:   As a self-diagnosis function, a limit sample is mixed into an uninspected cylindrical article, and the inspection judgment of the limit sample is confirmed to match the information of the limit sample while inspecting the uninspected cylindrical article. The inspection method of the cylindrical article according to claim 1 characterized by things.   The method for inspecting a cylindrical article according to claim 2, wherein two types of limit sample, a good product limit sample and a defective product limit sample, are used.   The method for inspecting a cylindrical article according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of heavy defect defective product limit samples, medium defect defective product limit samples, and light defect defective product limit samples are used as defective product limit samples.   A self-diagnosis function that inspects a plurality of limit samples in an uninspected cylindrical article and confirms that at least one of the limit samples does not match the limit sample information. The inspection method for a cylindrical article according to claim 1, wherein the inspection operation is stopped, and the occurrence of an abnormality is displayed or an alarm is issued.   A plurality of limit samples are inspected in a state where they are mixed in an uninspected tubular article, and the limit sample is confirmed by confirming that at least one of the limit samples does not match the information of the limit sample. The method for inspecting a cylindrical article according to claim 1, wherein all the lots of the cylindrical article mixed with a sample are inspected again.   The method for inspecting a cylindrical article according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical article is inspected as an inspection and limit sample for scratches, dents, cracks, dirt, plating peeling, and pinholes.   The limit sample mixed in the uninspected cylindrical article is different from the cylindrical article in the shape, size, color, and writing of letters, numbers and symbols, or a sensor provided with magnetic recording, barcode, IC tag 3. The method for inspecting a cylindrical article according to claim 2, wherein information that can be read by the method is stored so that the limit sample and the cylindrical article can be identified.   A means for holding the cylindrical article, a means for conveying the cylindrical article, a means for rotating the cylindrical article, and an inspection section in the middle of the conveyance, and normal operation is performed by inspecting the limit sample of quality An inspection apparatus for a cylindrical article, wherein the inspection section for confirming that the inspection is performed in a state has a self-diagnosis function.   As the inspection section, the image processing inspection means for inspecting the entire side surface portion of the cylindrical article, the image processing inspection means for inspecting the bottom face portion of the cylindrical article, and the inspection determination by inspecting the limit samples of good and defective products The cylindrical article inspection apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a determination unit that automatically determines whether the information matches the limit sample information.   Means for stopping the inspection by confirming that at least one inspection judgment of the limit sample does not match the information of the limit sample, and means for displaying the occurrence of an abnormality or issuing an alarm as the inspection unit The cylindrical article inspection apparatus according to claim 9, comprising: The inspection unit inspects a plurality of limit samples in a state where they are mixed in an uninspected cylindrical article, and confirms that at least one of the limit samples does not match the limit sample information. The cylindrical article inspection apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a discharge unit that discharges all the lots of the cylindrical article mixed with the limit sample, and a unit that reinspects the lot. The cylindrical article inspection apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for returning the non-defective product and the defective product limit sample to the inspection unit without being carried out to the next process after being used for the inspection determination of the inspection unit.

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