JP2013252927A - Apparatus and method for inspecting steel product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for inspecting steel products, which enable a delivery check to be performed by making a camera read end surfaces of the one or more bound steel products and detecting the different types of steel products.SOLUTION: A traveling member includes a photographing means 22 of a dustproof structure, which includes a gap on one side of an upstream side of a conveyance means 11, which measures a position of one end surface 14 of a laterally-placed steel product 13 and which has a CCD camera with a field depth of at least 100 mm, and an illuminating means which has a stroboscope arranged on the front-side periphery of the CCD camera. The traveling member is moved to a position at a photographing distance of the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13; a passage sensor 38 detects that the steel product 13 is conveyed to an imaging position of the CCD camera; the CCD camera takes an image of the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13; an identification code 19 in the image of the CCD camera is detected and compared with criterial data so that suitability of the steel product 13 can be determined; and an alarm signal is issued when the identification code 19 does not match the criterial data.

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and method for steel products (for example, steel bars, etc.), and in particular, one or more pieces are conveyed in a bundle, and each end has a product length, diameter, steel type. Detecting dissimilar materials based on the identification code when shipping or warehousing a steel product with an identification code with QR code (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter) attached to it. The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and an inspection method used in the case where the inspection is performed.

Conventionally, at least one steel product of the same steel type at the same shipping destination is shipped by bundling with a binding machine, and each steel product has a QR code label attached to one end surface. ing. Since the end faces of steel products to which this QR code is affixed are uneven and difficult to read at the same time with a camera, the operator has conventionally observed the QR code of each steel product being transported and mixed different steel products. It was confirmed whether or not.
Of course, the QR code is well known, and as described in Patent Document 1, it is generally performed that the QR code provided in each product or the like is imaged with a camera and the captured data is read by a reading device. .

JP 2007-268683 A

However, steel products that are transported on the transport table are not transported at a predetermined position in the width direction of the transport table, have a step of about 100 mm in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport table, and the entire transport table Therefore, the QR code provided at the end of all steel products has not been read by a machine (for example, a camera) arranged at a specific position. Furthermore, when trying to identify the QR code with a CCD camera, illumination means such as a flash is necessary, and it is necessary to consider the generation of shadows by the illumination means and halation due to reflected light.

The present invention was made in view of such circumstances, and by photographing with a camera, the end face of one or a plurality of steel products bound together is read clearly, and compared with information serving as a reference that is input in advance to a computer, It is an object of the present invention to provide a steel product inspection apparatus and method for detecting a steel product having different specifications and performing a shipping check.

The inspection apparatus for steel products according to the first aspect of the present invention is an inspection apparatus for one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
1) A distance meter that is provided on one side of the conveying means and that measures the position of one end face of the steel product that is horizontally placed with an identification code displayed thereon;
2) Imaging means having a CCD camera capable of collectively imaging the identification codes displayed on the steel product;
3) a passing sensor for detecting that the steel product passes in front of the CCD camera;
4) Based on the signal of the passage sensor, the identification code displayed on one end surface of the steel product is read from the camera control means for operating the CCD camera and the image captured by the CCD camera, and becomes a reference And a control unit having determination means for determining the suitability of the steel product as compared with the data.

Moreover, the inspection apparatus for steel products according to the second aspect of the present invention is an inspection apparatus for one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
1) A distance meter that is provided on one side upstream of the conveying means and that measures the position of one end surface of the steel product on which an identification code is displayed and placed horizontally;
2) A traveling member that moves perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the conveying means on one side of the conveying means downstream of the distance meter;
3) Imaging means having a CCD camera mounted on the traveling member and capable of collectively imaging the identification code displayed on the steel product;
4) Illumination means arranged around the front side of the photographing means;
5) a passage sensor for detecting that the steel product passes in front of the CCD camera;
6) Based on the signal of the passage sensor, the traveling member position control means for moving the one end surface of the steel product to the imaging range of the CCD camera by moving the traveling member back and forth based on the measurement data of the distance meter The CCD camera and the camera control means for operating the illumination means, and the identification code displayed on one end surface of the steel product is read from the image captured by the CCD camera and compared with the reference data. And a control unit having determination means for determining the suitability of the steel product.

In the steel product inspection apparatus according to the first and second inventions, one or a plurality of steel products are conveyed horizontally from the upstream side to the downstream side via the conveying means, The identification code is preferably displayed, but the end shape of the steel product may be simply inspected (the same applies to the following steel product inspection method).

In the steel product inspection apparatus according to the first and second inventions, the photographing means includes a transparent glass window inclined to the front of the CCD camera, and an internal circulation cooler for cooling the CCD camera. It is also possible to have a dustproof structure including a sealed chamber that covers the CCD camera.

In the steel product inspection apparatus according to the second invention, the traveling member is provided with a collision prevention mechanism for preventing the traveling member or the CCD camera from colliding with one end of the steel product. preferable.

In the inspection apparatus for steel products according to the first and second inventions, the passing sensor is provided with two reflection type laser sensors, and signals are sent to the camera control means when they are operated simultaneously or one of them. Is preferably sent.

In the steel product inspection apparatus according to the first and second inventions, the CCD camera may have a depth of field of at least 100 mm. Further, in the steel product inspection apparatus according to the second invention, a calibration member for detecting the photographing condition of the CCD camera can be attached to and removed from the traveling member at the photographing position of the CCD camera when necessary. Is preferred. This makes it possible to check the focus of the CCD camera, adjust the aperture, shutter speed, CCD sensitivity, and the like when necessary.

The inspection method of the steel product according to the third invention that meets the above object is an inspection method of one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
A first step of measuring the position of one end face of the steel product placed horizontally, with a distance meter provided with a gap on one side upstream of the conveying means;
An imaging distance of one end surface of the steel product, in which an imaging means having a CCD camera having a depth of field of at least 100 mm inside and a traveling member equipped with an illumination means having a strobe disposed around the front side of the CCD camera are mounted A second step of moving to
A third step of detecting by the passage sensor that the steel product has been transported to the imaging position of the CCD camera, and imaging the one end surface of the steel product with the CCD camera;
An identification code in the image of the CCD camera is detected, compared with reference data, and the suitability of the steel product is judged. If the identification code does not match the reference data, an alarm signal is issued. 4 steps.

Here, the depth of field refers to a range in which an identification code provided at one end of a steel product can be recognized while being distinguished by a digital camera. Generally, the depth of field becomes longer as the aperture of the lens is smaller. The shorter the focal length of the lens, the larger.

The present invention provides a distance meter for measuring the position of one end surface of a steel product placed on one side of a conveying means and displayed with an identification code, and an image of the identification code displayed on the steel product collectively. An imaging means having a possible CCD camera, a passage sensor for detecting that a steel product passes in front of the CCD camera, a camera control means for operating the CCD camera based on the signal of the passage sensor, and an image captured by the CCD camera A control unit having a determination unit that reads the identification code displayed on one end surface of the steel product from the image and compares it with the reference data to determine the suitability of the steel product. The type of steel product placed on can be easily identified.
Further, when the traveling means and the illuminating means are provided, the photographing means and the illuminating means mounted on the traveling member are integrated to photograph the end face of the bundle of steel products to which an identification code (for example, QR code) is attached. Since the camera moves to the position, the positional relationship among the camera, the illumination, and the identification code is constant for any object to be imaged, and the identification code can be detected and read stably from the captured image.
As a result, only when an abnormality occurs in comparison with the reference data (that is, when the data does not match) is confirmed by the operator, it is possible to prevent the mixing of different materials and at the same time save labor. .

1 is a schematic plan view of an inspection apparatus for steel products according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view around the imaging | photography means of the inspection apparatus of the steel product. It is a top view around the imaging | photography means of the inspection apparatus of the steel product. It is a front view around the imaging | photography means of the inspection apparatus of the steel product. It is explanatory drawing of the photograph data of the inspection apparatus of the steel product.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the inspection apparatus 10 of the steel product which concerns on one embodiment of this invention is an example of a conveyance means, for example, the upstream of the conveyance table 11 which consists of a chain conveyor, and one side Has a laser displacement meter (an example of a distance meter) 12 provided with a gap. This laser displacement meter 12 measures the average position of one end face 14 of a plurality of steel products (for example, steel bars) 13 at the lowermost stage where the conveying table 11 is bundled and conveyed in a horizontally placed state from the upstream side to the downstream side. I am doing so. The laser displacement meter 12 can measure the position of the end surface of the steel product 13 in the range of 250 to 1000 mm from the front of the laser displacement meter 12.

In this case, the laser displacement meter 12 is fixedly arranged, the distance to one end surface 14 of each steel product 13 passing through the same height position (for example, the lowermost part) is measured, and the average value may be the measurement distance a. And the laser beam of the laser displacement meter 12 is scanned, the distance to the one end surface 14 of all the steel products 13 is measured, and the average value is good also as the measurement distance a. In this case, for example, when the end face of one or more steel products 13 protrudes or retracts and there is a large difference (for example, 120 mm or more) in the measurement distance of the end face of the steel product 13, an alarm (for example, Patlite “trade name” It is preferable to issue an alarm at "). When there is a large difference in the position of the end face of the steel product 13, an obstacle occurs in the sharpness of the image of the CCD camera 23 described later. Therefore, if possible, the out-of-position steel product 13 is corrected to an appropriate position, or only the steel product 13 is visually checked.

This steel product 13 is normally bound by a bundling machine 15 on the upstream side of the laser displacement meter 12 in a bundle of a plurality of rods, and is transported in a horizontal state on the transport table 11 as it is. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 17 and 18 denote scaffolds arranged across the binding machine 15 and the transport table 11. Moreover, the seal which described QR code 19 which is an example of an identification code is previously affixed on the one end surface 14 of this steel product 13 in the manufacture stage. Hereinafter, the QR code 19 written on the sticker is simply referred to as a QR code 19.

A slide stage 20 is provided on one side of the transfer table 11 on the downstream side of the laser displacement meter 12 (for example, at a position of 3 to 5 m), and a slide table (an example of a traveling member, for example, a carriage) 21 is movably provided thereon. It has been. The slide table 21 moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying table 11, that is, in the direction of the steel product 13, and the QR code 19 attached to the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13 by the mounted photographing means 22 is attached. It can be visually recognized.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the photographing means 22 has a CCD camera 23 fixedly attached to the mounting table 22 a and a casing 24 surrounding the CCD camera 23, and illumination means is provided around the front side of the casing 24. Strobes (flash lights) 25 to 28, which are an example of the above, are provided. The CCD camera 23 is provided so as to be able to swing left and right and up and down within a range of ± 10 degrees with respect to the mounting table 22 a in the casing 24.

A window frame 30 is provided in front of the casing 24 and has a transparent glass plate 31 (that is, a transparent glass window). The transparent glass plate 31 is erect in this embodiment, but can be inclined. The window frame 30 has a rectangular shape that is equal to or wider than the maximum width of the bundled steel product 13, and the CCD camera 23 can image the entire end of the steel product 13 in the bundle. ing. The casing 24 in which the CCD camera 23 is housed has a dustproof structure. An internal circulation type cooler 33 is provided on the back of the casing 24, and the periphery of the CCD camera 23 is constantly controlled to be cooled to 15 to 35 ° C.

In this embodiment, the transparent glass plate 31 and the window frame 30 for mounting the transparent glass plate 31 are provided on the front side of the casing 24. However, since the volume of the casing 24 is large, a cooler having a large capacity is required for cooling. . Therefore, a transparent glass window is arranged at an intermediate position of the casing 24 (in front of the CCD camera 23) with its outer surface facing obliquely downward (that is, an inclination angle of 20 to 40 degrees with respect to the vertical surface), and above and below it. It is also possible to form a plate-shaped partition member, partition the casing 24, and provide a small capacity room (that is, a sealed room) in which the CCD camera 23 is accommodated. In this case, the transparent glass plate 31 on the front side can be omitted. In addition, when not providing the room containing such an inclined glass, the casing 24 becomes a sealed room.

A casing 24 is placed on the slide table 21, and a CCD camera 23 is disposed at a position of an axis 35 in the center of the casing 24 in a plan view, and the lowermost stage placed on the transport table 11 formed of a chain conveyor. The installation height is determined so that the height of the steel product 13 is positioned below the image of the CCD camera 23 (see FIG. 5). 2 to 4, reference numeral 36 denotes a mount on which the slide stage 20 is mounted. A driving means 37 for the slide table 21 is provided at the rear of the gantry 36.

The slide table 21 is provided with a collision prevention sensor (not shown) in front of the photographing means 22, and the driving means 37 is stopped so that the photographing means 22 and the slide table 21 do not collide with the steel product 13 and the transport table 11. The slide table 21 can be moved backward. The collision prevention mechanism is formed by including the collision prevention sensor, the driving means 37 and the control means.
Strobes 25 to 28 provided on the front side of the casing 24 via a support member irradiate light on the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13 in a bundle from an oblique direction. That is, the optical axes of the strobes 25 to 28 are in a range in which the tilt angles of the upper and lower strobes 25 and 26 with respect to the axis 35 are 30 to 40 degrees and the tilt angles of the left and right strobes 27 and 28 are 40 to 50 degrees. It has become. The horizontal distance between each strobe 25 to 28 and one end of the transport table 11 is 500 to 700 mm. The angles and positions of the strobes 25 to 28 are provided so as to be adjustable.

With this structure, the direct reflected light from the irradiated QR code 19 label does not enter the CCD camera 23, and the QR code 19 is moved by the flashes 25 to 28 that simultaneously emit light simultaneously. The image has no blur and subject shake. Each of the strobes 25 to 28 has a panel-like diffuse illumination, and has an effect of suppressing reflection of the label of the QR code 19.

A passage sensor 38 for confirming the presence of the steel product 13 using a laser beam is provided in front of the slide table 21 on the downstream side with respect to the axis 35. In this embodiment, the passage sensor 38 is composed of a reflection type laser sensor arranged in the upper and lower tandems (that is, two), and the end surface 14 of the lowermost steel product 13 placed on the transport table 11 may be attached in some cases. Detects not only the lowest steel product 13 but also one end surface 14 of the second steel product 13 and detects the passage of the center of the bundled steel product 13 in front of the CCD camera 23. . This passing sensor 38 detects the tip position of the steel product 13 in the length direction, and the strobes 25 to 28 and the CCD camera 23 are simultaneously operated by a trigger signal generated by the passing sensor 38, and a photograph of the entire end surface of the steel product 13. Can be stored in one image. These operations are performed by camera control means provided in the control unit 40. Further, when the reflective laser sensor is activated at the same time or when one of them is activated, the passage sensor 38 may send a signal to the camera control means.

The slide table 21 is moved back and forth via the drive means 37 by the traveling member position control means provided in the control unit 40, and the distance between the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13 and the casing 24 is an appropriate value ( For example, in this embodiment, the laser provided on the upstream side of the transport table 11 is adjusted so that the end surface 14 of the steel product 13 is within the imaging range of the CCD camera 23). The displacement meter 12 measures the distance of each steel product 13 located at the lowest position to the reference point (for example, the front end position of the casing 24), and the average value of the measured data matches the focal position of the CCD camera 23. I am doing so. Here, since the CCD camera 23 has a focal length = 105 mm, an aperture F = 11, and approximately 16 million pixels, it has a depth of field of 100 mm or more and has a photographing resolution on the subject side. Is about 0.1 mm. Thereby, the label of the QR code 19 stuck on the one end surface 14 of the steel product 13 can be visually recognized.

An image of each QR code 19 having a positional deviation in the front-rear direction is captured by the CCD camera 23, and each QR code 19 is searched from the captured image and identified by existing software. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the one end surface 14 of each steel product 13 is usually within a range of 100 mm, it is sufficient that the CCD camera 23 has a depth of field of 100 mm.

Through the above operation, as shown in FIG. 5, the QR code 19 attached to one end surface 14 of each steel product 13 is collectively photographed by the CCD camera 23 to obtain one piece of image data. Therefore, well-known image processing is performed on the image data, the contents of each QR code 19 are read, compared with reference data that is set in advance and sent from the host computer 41, and the suitability of all the QR codes 19 is determined. Is determined by determination means provided in the control unit 40. When the QR code 19 of each steel product 13 is detected, if a different material is included and the determination is abnormal, a signal is sent to an alarm device 42 (buzzer, Patlite (trade name), etc.) to generate an alarm signal.

This determination means has a monitor screen, and when the operator is informed by the alarm that a different material has been mixed, the operator confirms the actual object with information, presses the abnormality confirmation end button, and stops the alarm device 42.
In addition, since the identification data of the QR code may be generated due to the dirt or breakage of the QR code, an alarm is also issued in this case, and the operator confirms it.

Moreover, in this steel product inspection apparatus, it is preferable that a calibration member (not shown) that calibrates the photographing condition of the CCD camera is attached to the traveling member so as to be removable. The calibration member includes a calibration panel disposed at the photographing position of the CCD camera, that is, at the center of the depth of field, and a front portion connected to the calibration panel, and a base portion rotated about 90 to 120 degrees relative to the traveling member. The calibration panel is removed from the front surface of the CCD camera by tilting the arm to the front side.

By providing this calibration member, it is possible to check the operation status of the CCD camera such as exposure, sensitivity, aperture, focus, etc., and adjust the CCD camera to an appropriate value. It is also possible to write a QR code provided at the end of the steel product on the calibration panel and perform a reading test with a CCD camera.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the configuration thereof can be changed without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a fixed focal point lens is used as the lens of the CCD camera. However, a zoom lens can also be used. It can be changed to a pixel that can be identified.

10: Steel product inspection device, 11: Transfer table, 12: Laser displacement meter, 13: Steel product, 14: One end surface, 15: Binding machine, 17, 18: Scaffolding, 19: QR code, 20: Slide stage, 21: slide table, 22: photographing means, 22a: mounting table, 23: CCD camera, 24: casing, 25-28: strobe, 30: window frame, 31: transparent glass plate, 33: internal circulation type cooler, 35: Axis, 36: frame, 37: drive means, 38: passage sensor, 40: control unit, 41: computer, 42: alarm

Claims (8)

An inspection device for one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
1) A distance meter that is provided on one side of the conveying means and that measures the position of one end face of the steel product that is horizontally placed with an identification code displayed thereon;
2) Imaging means having a CCD camera capable of collectively imaging the identification codes displayed on the steel product;
3) a passing sensor for detecting that the steel product passes in front of the CCD camera;
4) Based on the signal of the passage sensor, the identification code displayed on one end surface of the steel product is read from the camera control means for operating the CCD camera and the image captured by the CCD camera, and becomes a reference A steel product inspection apparatus comprising: a control unit having a determination unit that determines whether or not the steel product is appropriate as compared with data. An inspection device for one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
1) A distance meter that is provided on one side upstream of the conveying means and that measures the position of one end surface of the steel product on which an identification code is displayed and placed horizontally;
2) A traveling member that moves perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the conveying means on one side of the conveying means downstream of the distance meter;
3) Imaging means having a CCD camera mounted on the traveling member and capable of collectively imaging the identification code displayed on the steel product;
4) Illumination means arranged around the front side of the photographing means;
5) a passage sensor for detecting that the steel product passes in front of the CCD camera;
6) Based on the signal of the passage sensor, the traveling member position control means for moving the one end surface of the steel product to the imaging range of the CCD camera by moving the traveling member back and forth based on the measurement data of the distance meter The CCD camera and the camera control means for operating the illumination means, and the identification code displayed on one end surface of the steel product is read from the image captured by the CCD camera and compared with the reference data. And an inspection device for steel products, comprising: a control unit having determination means for determining the suitability of the steel product. 3. The steel product inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the traveling member is provided with a collision prevention mechanism for preventing the traveling member or the CCD camera from colliding with one end of the steel product. Steel product inspection equipment. 4. The steel product inspection apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a calibration member for detecting a photographing condition of the CCD camera is attached to the traveling member at a photographing position of the CCD camera and can be removed when necessary. Inspection equipment for steel products. The steel product inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the photographing means includes a transparent glass window arranged in an upright or inclined manner in front of the CCD camera, and an interior for cooling the CCD camera. An inspection apparatus for steel products, comprising a dustproof structure including a closed chamber that covers the CCD camera and includes a circulation type cooler. The steel product inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the passing sensor is provided with two reflection type laser sensors, and when these are operated simultaneously or when one of them is operated, the camera control means. Inspection equipment for steel products, characterized by sending a signal to The steel product inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the CCD camera has a depth of field of at least 100 mm. A method for inspecting one or a plurality of bundled steel products,
A first step of measuring the position of one end face of the steel product placed horizontally, with a distance meter provided with a gap on one side upstream of the conveying means;
An imaging distance of one end surface of the steel product, in which an imaging means having a CCD camera having a depth of field of at least 100 mm inside and a traveling member equipped with an illumination means having a strobe disposed around the front side of the CCD camera are mounted A second step of moving to
A third step of detecting by the passage sensor that the steel product has been transported to the imaging position of the CCD camera, and imaging the one end surface of the steel product with the CCD camera;
An identification code in the image of the CCD camera is detected, compared with reference data, and the suitability of the steel product is judged. If the identification code does not match the reference data, an alarm signal is issued. A method for inspecting steel products comprising four steps.

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