JP2007303929A - Inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce inspection errors caused by existence of bubbles. <P>SOLUTION: This inspection device 100 inspects an article 10 formed by filling a vessel with foaming liquid. The inspection device 100 includes the first detection part 52 for detecting a liquid level position of a liquid part of the foaming liquid, the second detection part 54 for detecting the width in the height direction of a foamed part existing on the liquid part, and a determination part 54 for determining whether the whole amount of the foaming liquid satisfies a prescribed standard or not, based on a detection result by the first detection part 52 and a detection result by the second detection part 54. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus, and more particularly to an inspection apparatus for inspecting an article in which a foamable liquid is filled in a container.

In order to inspect the quality of articles filled with foamable liquid, inspect the leak of foamable liquid from the container by increasing the pressure in the container by foaming the foamable liquid in the container There is a device. If the container has a broken portion or a capping defect, the foaming liquid may leak from the container due to an increase in the pressure in the container. The leakage of effervescent liquid can be made by sensing the amount of effervescent liquid in the container. Therefore, the inspection of the taste (filling amount of foamable liquid into the container) can be performed together with the inspection of the breakage of the container and the capping defect.
JP-A-10-90109

  However, when the foamable liquid filled in the container is vibrated and foamed, bubbles are generated on the liquid portion. Since the foam is composed of the foamable liquid and the gas, the liquid level of the liquid portion is lowered by the generation of the foam. Therefore, in the inspection device that detects the taste (total amount) of the foamable liquid according to the liquid level position, if the reference level for eliminating the taste defects is set strictly, the foam is not normal, although it is a normal article. Depending on the occurrence, it may be determined as a bad taste. For articles determined to have poor taste, it is necessary to inspect the taste again after the bubbles disappear.

  The present invention has been made with the above problem recognition as an opportunity, and an object thereof is, for example, to reduce inspection errors due to the presence of bubbles.

  The inspection apparatus of the present invention is configured as an inspection apparatus for inspecting an article in which a container is filled with a foamable liquid. The inspection apparatus includes a first detection unit that detects a liquid surface position of a liquid part of the foamable liquid, a second detection unit that detects a width in a height direction of a bubble part existing on the liquid part, A determination unit that determines whether or not the total amount of the foamable liquid satisfies a predetermined criterion based on a detection result by the first detection unit and a detection result by the second detection unit.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit may include a conversion unit that converts the width in the height direction of the bubble portion detected by the second detection unit into the net amount of the foamable liquid.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection apparatus may further include a camera that images a portion including at least the liquid surface of the foamable liquid. The first detection unit and the second detection unit respectively determine the liquid surface position of the liquid portion and the width in the height direction of the bubble portion based on a luminance curve along a vertical direction of an image provided from the camera. It can be detected.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection apparatus may further include a rejecting unit that rejects an article that is determined not to satisfy the predetermined criterion by the determination unit.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection device may further include a foaming device for foaming the foamable liquid in the container.

  According to the present invention, for example, inspection errors due to the presence of bubbles can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inspection apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The inspection apparatus 100 is configured as an apparatus for inspecting an article 10 in which a foamable liquid is filled in a container. The effervescent liquid is, for example, a carbonated beverage such as beer, sparkling liquor, or carbonated soft drink. The container is, for example, a glass container or a resin container.

  The inspection apparatus 100 is configured to inspect the article 10 being conveyed in the conveyance direction D by the conveyor 20, and may include a camera 40 and a controller 50, for example. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an image captured by the camera 40. The camera 40 can be arranged to take an image of a part including at least the liquid level LS of the foamable liquid of the article 10 in which the foamable liquid is filled in the container C.

  On the upstream side of the camera 40 in the transport direction D, a foaming device 30 that foams the foamable liquid in the container of the article 10 can be disposed. The foaming device 30 can also be regarded as a part of the inspection device 100. The foaming device 30 can be configured to include a tank 32 and an ultrasonic transducer 34 as a vibration source. The tank 32 is filled with a liquid such as water, and ultrasonic waves can be provided to the article 10 through the liquid. The conveyor 20 may be configured so that the articles 10 being conveyed thereby are conveyed while being immersed in the liquid in the tank 32.

  In a state where the foamable liquid is foamed by the foaming device 30, the foamable liquid in the container C can include a liquid portion L and a bubble portion B existing on the liquid portion L. On the bubble portion B, an empty space portion S can exist.

  The controller 50 has a first detection unit 52 for detecting the position of the liquid level LS of the liquid part L of the foamable liquid, and the liquid part L on the article 10 in which the container is filled with the foamable liquid. The total amount of the foamable liquid is determined based on the second detection unit 54 that detects the width of the bubble portion B in the height direction, the detection result by the first detection unit 52, and the detection result by the second detection unit 54. And a determination unit 56 that determines whether or not the condition is satisfied.

  The first detection unit 52 and the second detection unit 54 are, for example, the position of the liquid level LS of the liquid part L and the height direction of the bubble part B based on the luminance curve along the vertical direction of the image provided from the camera 40. The width of each can be detected. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a luminance curve along the vertical direction (the axial direction of the container) Y of the image provided from the camera 40.

  The position of the liquid level LS, that is, the boundary position between the liquid part L and the bubble part B corresponds to the position of the first edge E1 of the luminance curve P. The first detector 52 detects the position of the liquid level LS based on the position of the first edge E1. The width W in the height direction of the bubble portion B corresponds to the interval between the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 of the luminance curve P. The 2nd detection part 54 detects the width W of the height direction of the bubble part B based on the space | interval of the 1st edge E1 and the 2nd edge E2. The blocks that detect the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 can be shared by the second detection unit 52 and the second detection unit 54.

  The luminance curve P can be generated from pixel signals of a plurality of columns that run in parallel in the vertical direction Y, for example. For example, when the luminance curve P is generated from the pixel signals of n columns, the n pixel signals belonging to the row running in parallel with the horizontal direction X are processed (for example, the average value is calculated) to represent the representative value of the row. It can be. In this way, the luminance curve P can be obtained by obtaining the representative values of the respective rows and arranging them in the order of the rows. Alternatively, the luminance curve P may be obtained by extracting a low frequency component along the vertical direction Y from one or a plurality of columns of pixel signals.

  A luminance curve P is obtained, and a first edge E1 indicating the boundary between the liquid portion L and the bubble portion B above it and a second edge E2 indicating the boundary between the bubble portion B and the empty space portion S thereon are extracted. According to the method, the position of the liquid level LS and the width W in the height direction of the bubble portion B can be obtained at high speed without performing complicated calculations.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the determination unit 56. The determination unit 56 can include, for example, a conversion unit 502, a conversion unit 504, an addition unit 506, and a comparison unit 508.

  The conversion unit 502 converts the detection result provided from the first detection unit 52 into another quantity (value) having a correlation with the volume of the liquid portion L of the foamable liquid. For example, the first detection unit 52 outputs the position of the liquid level LS as a coordinate or pixel position in the Y direction, and the conversion unit 502 outputs the volume information of the liquid part L or the height information of the liquid level LS (for example, , A difference with respect to a reference value).

  The conversion unit 504 correlates the detection result provided from the second detection unit 54 with the volume of the net amount of the foamable liquid (the net amount of the foamable liquid constituting the foam portion). Convert to For example, the second detection unit 54 outputs the width W in the height direction of the bubble portion B as the distance in the Y direction or the number of pixels, and the conversion unit 503 outputs the volume or the net amount (the amount of bubbles) It is converted into the width in the height direction (with no).

  The adding unit 506 calculates the total amount (filling) of the foamable liquid in the container C by adding the quantity provided from the conversion unit 502 and the quantity provided from the conversion unit.

  The comparison unit 508 compares the total amount of the foamable liquid (contained) in the container C provided from the addition unit 506 with a preset determination criterion to determine whether the total amount satisfies the determination criterion. judge. Here, an article satisfying the determination criterion is an acceptable product with proper taste, and an article not satisfying the determination criterion is an unacceptable product with inappropriate taste. The rejected product may include an article in which the filling amount by the filling machine is inappropriate, and an article in which the foamable liquid has leaked from the container after filling due to damage to the container or capping failure.

  The inspection apparatus 100 may include a rejection apparatus 60 that rejects an article that has been determined to be a rejected product by the determination unit 56 of the controller 50. The rejecting device 60 can be configured to reject rejected products on the rejecting conveyor 24, for example. The evacuation apparatus 60 can be controlled by an evacuation controller 58 provided in the controller 50. The reject control unit 58 rejects the reject signal so that the articles determined to be rejected by the determination unit 56 reach the reject area of the conveyor 20 and are discharged to the reject conveyor 24 by the reject device 60. Send to device 60.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the inspection apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image imaged with a camera typically. It is a figure which illustrates the brightness | luminance curve along the perpendicular direction (axial direction of a container) Y of the image provided from a camera. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a determination part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Article 20 Conveyor 30 Foaming device 32 Tank 34 Ultrasonic vibrator 40 Camera 50 Controller 52 1st detection part 54 2nd detection part 56 Judgment part 58 Exclusion control part 60 Exclusion apparatus

Claims (5)

An inspection device for inspecting an article in which a container is filled with a foamable liquid,
A first detector for detecting a liquid surface position of the liquid portion of the foamable liquid;
A second detection unit for detecting the width in the height direction of the bubble part existing on the liquid part;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the total amount of the foamable liquid satisfies a predetermined criterion based on a detection result by the first detection unit and a detection result by the second detection unit;
The inspection apparatus characterized by including.   2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit includes a conversion unit that converts a width in a height direction of the bubble portion detected by the second detection unit into a net amount of the foamable liquid. . A camera for imaging a portion including at least the liquid level of the foamable liquid;
The first detection unit and the second detection unit respectively set the liquid surface position of the liquid portion and the width in the height direction of the bubble portion based on a luminance curve along a vertical direction of an image provided from the camera. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus is detected.   The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a rejecting unit that rejects an article that is determined not to satisfy the predetermined criterion by the determining unit.   The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a foaming device for foaming the foamable liquid in the container.

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