JP2011117866A - Visual inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual inspection apparatus which can remove a bad article by precisely and economically inspecting the flaw of appearance regardless of the shape or color of a commodity such as a processed part or a drug. <P>SOLUTION: The visual inspection apparatus includes a supply part A for supplying an inspection target without discriminating the inside and outside thereof, an inside and outside determining and classifying part B for imaging the upper side surface of the supplied inspection target to determine the inside and outside of the inspection target and classifying the inspection target the upper side surface of which is inside and the inspection target the upper side surface of which is outside and an inspection part C constituted of a first feed lane for inspecting the inside of the inspection target first of all and reversing the inspection target to inspect the outside thereof and a second feed lane for inspecting the outside of the inspection target first of all and reversing the inspection target to inspect the inside thereof. A plurality of inspection cameras are installed on the respective feed lanes to detect various inside abnormalities and the inspection target determined to be the bad article by the image processing of taken image data is discharged from the feed lanes by a discharge means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus (appearance inspection apparatus) capable of accurately and economically inspecting appearance defects and removing defective products regardless of the shape and color of various products (processed parts, food, medicine, etc.). Is.

  Up to now, visual inspections before shipping products such as drugs and foods have been mainly performed visually, but recently, automatic inspection using cameras has been implemented to improve inspection efficiency and inspection accuracy. It has become to. As an apparatus for visual inspection capable of inspecting both front and back surfaces of an inspection object, for example, an upper conveying means for conveying an inspection object (tablet) as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, and an upper conveying means An imaging means (camera) for imaging one surface of the inspection object positioned above, a lower conveyance means for receiving the inspection object from the reversing part of the upper conveyance means, and conveying the inspection object upward; An image pickup means (camera) for imaging the other surface of the inspection object located above the lower transfer means, and a non-defective product in the sorting section based on the appearance inspection result after the lower transfer means is transferred And those that are classified as defective products.

  The inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is excellent in that it can continuously inspect the front surface and the back surface of an inspection object, but since only one camera for inspecting each surface is installed, a specific inspection device is provided. Only defects can be detected. In other words, there are various forms of abnormal appearance of actual inspection items. In addition to dirt and scratches on the surface and adhesion of foreign matter, there are cracks and cracks in the corners and printing defects on the surface printing part. If there is a defect that does not exist, it will not be rejected as a defective product and will pass the inspection as a non-defective product, so that it will not be possible to carry out a sufficiently accurate inspection.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-288061

It is an object of the present invention to provide an appearance inspection apparatus capable of accurately and economically inspecting appearance defects and removing defective products regardless of the shape and color of the inspection object.
As a result of various investigations, the present inventor has installed a plurality of inspection cameras so that all defects can be inspected on the transfer line in order to be able to adapt to various appearance abnormalities, and the inspection on both the front and back sides is efficiently performed. The above problem was solved by constructing a system that can be implemented.

The appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention capable of solving the above problems is
A supply unit A for supplying the inspection object without distinguishing between the front and the back;
The upper and lower surfaces of the inspection object supplied from the supply unit A are imaged, and the inspection object whose upper side is the front and the inspection object whose upper side is the back are sorted from the captured image data Judgment / sorting part B,
The first conveyance lane for performing surface abnormality inspection of the inspection object whose upper surface is determined to be the front by the front / back determination / sorting unit B, and the inspection object which is determined as the upper surface is the reverse and classified Inspection section C comprising a second transport lane for performing surface abnormality inspection
And
From a plurality of first inspection cameras capable of detecting an abnormality on an upper surface of the inspection object conveyed from the front / back sorting unit B in order toward the conveyance direction in each of the first conveyance lane and the second conveyance lane The first inspection means, the first discharge means for discharging defective products from the transport lane based on the abnormality information from the first inspection camera, and the front and back of the inspection object not discharged by the first discharge means are reversed. Based on the abnormality information from the second inspection camera, the second inspection means comprising a plurality of second inspection cameras capable of detecting the abnormality of the upper surface of the inspection object after being inverted by the front and back inversion means. And a second discharge means for discharging the defective product from the transfer lane.

Further, the present invention is the appearance inspection apparatus having the above-described features, wherein the first inspection unit and the second inspection unit are respectively
a) Image processing of color change and brightness change due to foreign matter, scratches, and dirt of the inspection object, and a foreign matter inspection camera capable of detecting the presence or absence of surface abnormality based on a preset discrimination criterion;
b) An unevenness inspection camera capable of performing image processing on a change in surface unevenness of the inspection object and detecting the presence / absence of surface abnormality based on a preset discrimination criterion. is there.

Further, according to the present invention, in the visual inspection apparatus having the above-described features, each of the first inspection unit and the second inspection unit further includes
c) A line drawing portion abnormality inspection camera capable of performing image processing on a line drawing portion provided on the surface of the inspection object and detecting the presence or absence of a line drawing defect based on a preset discrimination criterion is provided. It is also what you do.

  According to the present invention, in the appearance inspection apparatus having the above-described features, the side surface portion of the inspection object is further imaged downstream of the inspection portion C, and the side surface portion is detected based on a predetermined criterion. A side abnormality inspection camera capable of detecting an abnormality and a third discharging means for discharging defective products from the conveyance lane based on abnormality information from the side surface abnormality inspection camera are also provided.

  In the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, a wide variety of appearance abnormalities can be detected by a plurality of inspection cameras provided in each conveyance lane, and those determined as defective products are excluded each time. Therefore, the appearance inspection can be performed with high accuracy and efficiency.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the external appearance inspection apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the external appearance inspection apparatus of this invention which has the structure by which the side surface inspection camera was provided in the downstream of the 2nd inspection means in the inspection apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention accommodates an inspection object (workpiece) and can supply it without distinguishing between the front and back sides, and the above-described supply unit A. The upper and lower sides of the supplied inspection object are imaged, and from the imaged image data, the inspection object whose upper side is the front and the inspection object whose upper side is the back are identified and sorted. Supply in the present invention comprises a determination / sorting unit B and an inspection unit C composed of two conveyance lanes for performing surface abnormality inspection of the inspection object sorted by the above-described front / back determination / sorting unit B The part A is not particularly limited as long as it has a structure capable of supplying the inspection object.

The front / back determination / sorting unit B in the appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention discriminates the front / back of the inspection object before performing the appearance inspection, and the inspection object whose upper side is the front and the inspection whose upper side is the back A front / back determination camera (CCD camera) that images the upper surface of the inspection object is provided above the conveyance lane that conveys the inspection object supplied from the supply unit A. The image data captured by the front and back inspection camera and a preset discrimination criterion are compared and calculated by an image checker to determine the front and back of the inspection target, and based on the determination information, the inspection target is The first transfer lane is inspected first, or the second transfer lane is inspected first on the back side. In the apparatus of FIG. 1, the front / back determination / sorting unit B determines that the upper side is the front side and the sorted inspection object is sent to the first transport lane, and the upper side is determined to be the back side. The sorted inspection objects are sent to the second transport lane, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The reason why the front / back determination / sorting part B of the appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention is provided with the front / back determination camera is that there is no front / back determination camera when there is a difference between the front and back sides of the inspection object. This is because it is necessary to install both the inspection camera and the back surface inspection camera, and it is necessary to similarly install both the front surface inspection camera and the back surface inspection camera in the inverted transport lane. In other words, 4 systems of cameras are required on one transport lane, which is not economical in terms of money, and when the transport lane is increased to n rows to increase processing capacity, an inspection system (multiple inspection It is necessary to provide 4 × n inspection means configured by a camera.

  And in the 1st conveyance lane of the test | inspection part C in the external appearance inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, the abnormality of the upper surface (surface) of the test object conveyed from the front / back sorting part B can be detected in order toward the conveyance direction. First inspection means comprising a plurality of first surface inspection cameras (b11, b12, b13), first discharge means for discharging defective products from the first transport lane based on abnormality information from the respective first inspection cameras; A plurality of front and back reversing means having a mechanism for reversing the front and back of the inspection object that has not been discharged by one discharging means, and detecting a plurality of abnormalities on the upper surface (back surface) of the inspection object after being reversed by the front and back reversing means Second inspection means including second back inspection cameras (b21, b22, b23) and second discharge means for discharging defective products from the first transport lane based on abnormality information from the respective second inspection cameras are provided. Yes.

Further, in the second transport lane of the inspection unit C in the appearance inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, it is possible to detect an abnormality on the upper side surface (back surface) of the inspection object transported from the front / back sorting unit B in order in the transport direction. First inspection means comprising a plurality of first rear surface inspection cameras (b11 ′, b12 ′, b13 ′), a first discharge for discharging defective products from the second transport lane based on the abnormality information from each first inspection camera Detecting an abnormality on the upper surface (front surface) of the inspection object after being reversed by the front and back reversing means having a mechanism for reversing the front and back of the inspection object that has not been discharged by the first discharging means Second inspection means comprising a plurality of second surface inspection cameras (b21 ′, b22 ′, b23 ′), and a second product for discharging defective products from the second transport lane based on the abnormality information from each of the second surface inspection cameras. Two discharge means are provided. Note that a portion having a mechanism for storing only non-defective products that have passed the inspection exists on the downstream side of the second discharge means of each conveyance lane.
In the present invention, the inspection cameras (CCD cameras) constituting each inspection means may be set in advance so that different abnormal forms can be detected by each inspection camera, and the number of inspection cameras may be two or more. It is not limited to the number illustrated in the drawings.

  The first inspection means and the second inspection means in the first and second transport lanes of the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention respectively perform image processing on color change and brightness change due to foreign matter, scratches, and dirt on the inspection object, A foreign matter inspection camera capable of detecting the presence or absence of surface abnormalities based on preset discrimination criteria, and image processing of changes in surface irregularities of the inspection object, and the presence or absence of surface abnormalities based on preset discrimination criteria It is preferable to have a concavo-convex abnormality inspection camera that can be detected, and further, image processing is performed on the line drawing portion provided on the surface of the inspection object, and the presence or absence of line drawing loss is detected based on a preset discrimination criterion It is particularly preferable to include a possible line drawing section abnormality inspection camera.

In the appearance inspection apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, the surface inspection cameras b11 and b21 ′ for inspecting the surface side of the inspection object perform image processing on color change and brightness change such as foreign matter, scratches, and dirt, CCD camera with a function to judge and compare with non-defective products, and the surface inspection cameras b12 and b22 'are CCD cameras with a function to judge and compare with non-defective products by image processing of changes in surface irregularities etc. The surface inspection cameras b13 and b23 ′ are CCD cameras having a function of performing image processing of moles and chips of figures, characters, lines, dots, etc., and determining or comparing with non-defective products.
On the other hand, the backside inspection cameras b21 and b11 'for inspecting the backside of the object to be inspected change the color and brightness of foreign matter, scratches, dirt, etc. under different conditions from the surface inspection cameras b11 and b21' This is a CCD camera that has the function of image processing and judging and comparing with non-defective products, and the back inspection cameras b22 and b12 'image changes in surface unevenness etc. under different conditions from the front inspection cameras b12 and b22'. It is a CCD camera that has the function of processing and judging and comparing with non-defective products, and the back inspection cameras b23, b13 'are different from the front inspection cameras b13, b23', such as figures, characters, lines, dots, etc. This is a CCD camera having a function of performing image processing of moles and chips and determining or comparing with non-defective products.
However, in the present invention, the installation order of the inspection cameras is not limited to that illustrated in the drawings.
In the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention, the necessity to install a plurality of inspection cameras in each conveyance lane in this way can detect a wide variety of appearance abnormalities while the inspection object passes through one of the conveyance lanes once. This is to obtain the maximum inspection accuracy capability in the shortest time.

The reversing means in the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the suction force is applied after reversing the upper and lower sides while sucking and holding the inspection object in the suction hole of the conventionally known endless belt. A reversing mechanism or the like for releasing the inspection object and placing it on another endless belt can be used.
Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a side inspection camera is installed so that an abnormal appearance of the side surface of the inspection object passing through the first transport lane and the second transport lane can be inspected. A defective product may be discharged by the discharge unit (third discharge unit) based on the abnormality information of the inspection camera. In this case, an apparatus having higher inspection accuracy than the appearance inspection apparatus of FIG. Become. At this time, it is preferable that whether or not to perform the inspection by the side inspection camera can be arbitrarily selected according to the inspection accuracy and the shape of the inspection object. Even if it has the function of inspecting defects at the same time as inspection image processing on the front and back surfaces, or by capturing the side surface of the work with the side camera, individual cameras It may have a function of performing image processing and inspecting defects. In general, a CCD camera having a function of rotating a side surface of an inspection object, capturing an image of the entire peripheral surface with a camera, performing image processing on the captured image data, and inspecting a defect is installed.

In addition, the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention is provided with an illumination device (not shown) suitable for accurately detecting the appearance abnormality of the inspection object at the installation position of each inspection camera. It is preferable that one or a plurality of illuminating devices be installed in each inspection camera and checker, and each have a function that can be selected according to the inspection conditions. The ring type, the bar type, the direct type, the diffusion type, A composite type or the like is appropriately used.
In addition, it is desirable that the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention has a configuration capable of removing minute dust, moisture, and the like that may affect the non-defective product determination due to irregularly reflected light and shadows.

  As image processing software for image processing of image data captured by each inspection camera, software having functions corresponding to various, multi-shape and multi-color is used by combining limited software and multi-purpose software. It is also used for determining whether or not the product is a non-defective product and for comparison with a preset discrimination reference image. In particular, in the case of tablets with markings or secant lines, shadows can be produced when illuminated, but by capturing image information related to shadows due to stamping or secanting lines in advance, conventional inspection equipment misidentifies them as defective products. It becomes possible to cope with the case. Furthermore, it is desirable that this image processing software has the capability of enabling additional functions in order to cope with special elements of various inspection objects.

  In the present invention, the control of each part constituting the appearance inspection apparatus needs to be set for each item of the inspection object. However, when changing the item of the inspection object, it is not necessary to replace the components, and the operation touch panel. It is preferable that anyone can easily perform the inspection work by a system control function that allows the condition setting for each item to be set by simply touching the finger. In addition, the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention preferably has a data processing function for recording work results of each inspection process, and preferably has a function capable of performing validation management.

  The appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention can cope with the appearance inspection of various products such as machined parts, foods, drugs, and the like, and exhibits various appearance abnormalities regardless of the shape and color of the inspection object. It can be detected with high accuracy, and is very useful for performing visual inspection of various lots of products efficiently in a short time.

b11, b21 'Surface inspection camera (foreign matter inspection camera)
b12, b22 'Surface inspection camera (unevenness inspection camera)
b13, b23 'Surface inspection camera (line drawing part abnormality inspection camera)
b11 ', b21 Back side inspection camera (foreign matter inspection camera)
b12 ', b22 Back side inspection camera (Unevenness inspection camera)
b13 ', b23 Back side inspection camera (line drawing part abnormality inspection camera)

Claims (4)

A device for inspecting the appearance of an inspection object,
A supply unit A for supplying the inspection object without distinguishing between the front and the back;
The upper and lower surfaces of the inspection object supplied from the supply unit A are imaged, and the inspection object whose upper side is the front and the inspection object whose upper side is the back are sorted from the captured image data Judgment / sorting part B,
The first conveyance lane for performing surface abnormality inspection of the inspection object whose upper surface is determined to be the front by the front / back determination / sorting unit B, and the inspection object which is determined as the upper surface is the reverse and classified Inspection section C comprising a second transport lane for performing surface abnormality inspection
And
From a plurality of first inspection cameras capable of detecting an abnormality on the upper surface of the inspection object conveyed from the front / back sorting unit B in order toward the conveyance direction in each of the first conveyance lane and the second conveyance lane The first inspection means, the first discharge means for discharging defective products from the transport lane based on the abnormality information from the first inspection camera, and the front and back of the inspection object not discharged by the first discharge means are reversed. Based on the abnormality information from the second inspection camera, the second inspection means comprising a plurality of second inspection cameras capable of detecting an abnormality on the upper surface of the inspection object after being inverted by the front and back inversion means. And a second discharge means for discharging defective products from the transport lane. The first inspection means and the second inspection means are respectively
a) Image processing of color change and brightness change due to foreign matter, scratches, and dirt of the inspection object, and a foreign matter inspection camera capable of detecting the presence or absence of surface abnormality based on a preset discrimination criterion;
and b) an irregularity inspection camera capable of performing image processing on a change in surface irregularity of the inspection object and detecting the presence or absence of surface abnormality based on a preset discrimination criterion. 1. An appearance inspection apparatus according to 1. Each of the first inspection means and the second inspection means further includes
c) A line drawing portion abnormality inspection camera capable of performing image processing on a line drawing portion provided on the surface of the inspection object and detecting the presence or absence of a line drawing defect based on a preset discrimination criterion is provided. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 2. Further, on the downstream side of the inspection unit C, from the side surface abnormality inspection camera capable of capturing an image of the side surface portion of the inspection object and detecting the abnormality of the side surface portion based on a predetermined criterion, and the side surface abnormality inspection camera The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third discharge unit configured to discharge a defective product from the conveyance lane based on the abnormality information.

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