JP3515435B2 - Work inspection device and inspection method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work inspection device for inspecting an end face of a polyhedral work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional work inspection device, the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-315566 is known. This device is a device for inspecting the end face of a hexahedral work piece, and is arranged orthogonal to the first disc having a large number of first recesses for holding the work formed on the outer circumference. , A large number of second parts for receiving and gripping the work in the first recesses
A second disc having a recess formed on the outer periphery thereof. Further, a first end face inspection camera for inspecting the three faces of the work is provided outside the first disc, and a second end face inspection camera for inspecting the remaining three faces of the work on the outer side of the second disc. Is provided.

[0003]

In the work inspection apparatus described in the above publication, since the work is gripped and inspected on the circumference of the disk, the work is densely packed, and the place where the inspection camera and the like are arranged is small. The degree of freedom in designing was extremely limited with regard to selection, location, etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to increase the degree of freedom in designing a work inspection apparatus in terms of selection of parts, placement location, and the like.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a work inspection apparatus for inspecting an end face of a polyhedral work piece, which comprises an endless conveyance belt having a notch capable of inserting and conveying the work piece. In addition, an inspection section for inspecting the end surface of the work exposed from the conveyor belt is provided.

A guide plate for preventing the work piece from falling can be provided on one or both sides of the conveyor belt.

Further, in the present invention, in a work inspection method for inspecting an end face of a polyhedral work, a part of the endless conveyor belt has a notch, and the work is inserted and conveyed in the notch, and the conveyance is performed. The end surface of the work exposed from the belt was inspected.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a work inspection apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention. With this apparatus, four end faces (1c, 1c) of a work 1 (ceramic capacitor) as shown in FIG.
d, 1e, 1f). Work 1 is, for example, 1 mm
X 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm hexahedron, facing two faces 1a, 1
b is an electrode. The remaining four surfaces are imaged with a camera, and the dimensions of the electrode portion, the dimensions of the dielectric portion, and the presence or absence of scratches on the dielectric portion are inspected.

The work inspection apparatus 3 includes a work supply unit 100 for supplying the work 1, a first stage 200 for inspecting two end surfaces of the remaining four surfaces of the work 1, and the work 1
A second stage 300 for inspecting the other two end faces of the above, and an endless transport belt 400 for transporting the work 1 from the first stage 200 to the second stage 300.

A device called a ball feeder or a parts feeder is arranged in the work supply section 100. A large number of workpieces 1 put into the ball portion of this apparatus are fed one by one from the end while being aligned and transported by a spiral transport groove. As the work supply unit 100, for example, the one described in JP-A-5-286549 can be used.

The first stage 200 comprises a disc 201, a first inspection camera 203, and a second inspection camera 205, each of which is composed of a CCD camera or the like. A large number of recesses 207 are formed on the circumference of the disc 201, and suction holes 209 are formed at the bottom of the recesses 207 as shown in FIG. The works 1 supplied one by one from the work supply unit 100 are inserted into the recesses 207, and are adsorbed by the adsorption holes 209 and supported so as not to fall off. In the case of the work 1 shown in FIG. 2, the electrode 1a or the electrode 1
b is adsorbed to the bottom of the recess 207. Disk 20
1 rotates a predetermined angle clockwise and conveys the work 1.

The first inspection camera 203 takes an image of the end surface of the work 1 located at the uppermost position among the works 1 inserted in the disc 201, and the second inspection camera 205 detects the position of the first inspection camera 203 from the position of the first inspection camera 203. The end surface opposite to the end surface imaged by the first inspection camera 203 is imaged at the position advanced by 90 degrees. That is, in the first stage 200, the work 1
Of the two opposite end faces (eg, 1c and 1d of FIG. 2) are inspected.

The conveyor belt 400 is a steel belt and is hung between two sprockets 401, 401. The conveyor belt 400 has sprocket holes 400
a is formed, and the sprocket 40 is inserted in this sprocket hole.
No. 1 claw is engaged, and the conveyor belt 400 is engaged with the sprocket 40.
Proceeds by rotation of 1. A plurality of notches 400b are formed on the upper end of the conveyor belt 400.
The work 1 is inserted into b.

FIG. 3 is a view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, and is an enlarged view showing how the work 1 is transferred from the disc 201 to the conveyor belt 400. Conveyor belt 400
Moves with its upper end inserted in the recess 207 of the disc 201, but stops once when the notch 400b reaches the position of the recess 207. In this state, the disc 201 rotates, and the recess 207 in which the work 1 is inserted has a notch 400.
Upon entering b, the disc 201 stops (see FIG. 3). After that, the conveyor belt 400 is driven and the next notch 40
When 0b reaches the position of the concave portion 207, it stops. The same operation is repeated thereafter, and the work 1 is transferred from the disc 201 to the conveyor belt 400. As a result, until now the disc 20
The two work end surfaces (for example, 1e and 1f in FIG. 2) that are not exposed in the concave portion 207 of the conveyance belt 4
It is exposed from the notch 400b of 00.

As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor belt 400 after receiving the work 1 is provided with guide plates 403 and 405 on both sides (one side depending on the location), whereby the work 1 is cut out from the notch 400b. The side surface of the notch 400b is covered so as not to fall. Guide plates 403, 405
Is provided in a section between the disk 201 and a non-defective box 409 described later, that is, a section in which the work 1 is conveyed, and is not provided in other places.

The second stage 300 includes the third inspection camera 3
01 and a fourth inspection camera 303, and both cameras 30
1, 303, the remaining two end faces 1e of the work,
If is taken. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a state of photographing by the third inspection camera 301, and a work positioning suction nozzle 305 is arranged on the opposite side of the third inspection camera 301 with the conveyance belt 400 interposed therebetween. The workpiece positioning suction nozzle 305 includes a chamber 305a and a suction port 305b.
And a negative pressure in the chamber 305a to catch the timing at which the conveyor belt 400 stops, and the suction port 305
The work 1 is adsorbed and fixed by b. An opening 405a is formed in the guide plate 405, and the exposed end surface of the work 1 is photographed by the third inspection camera 301 through the opening 405a. By picking up the work 1 by suction and fixing it, a stable image can be obtained, and the inspection accuracy is improved. A work positioning suction nozzle 307 is also arranged at a position facing the fourth inspection camera 303, the work 1 is sucked and fixed in the same manner as described above, and the exposed end surface on the opposite side of the work 1 is photographed.

On the downstream side of the second stage 300, a defective product box 407 for collecting the work judged as defective in the first stage 200 or the second stage 300 and a good product box 40 for collecting the work judged as non-defective.
9 are arranged. An air blowing nozzle 41 is provided on the opposite side of the boxes 407 and 409 with the conveyor belt 400 interposed therebetween.
1, 413 are arranged respectively. First stage 2
00 and the inspection result in the second stage 300, when the work 1 comes to the positions of the boxes 407 and 409, the nozzles 411 and 413 are activated and air is blown out, and the work 1 becomes a good product and a defective product. It is sorted and collected. As another method, a defective product box may be arranged on the downstream side of the first stage 200 and the defective product may be collected for each stage.

Next, the operation of the work inspection device 3 will be described. First, basic operations of the transport belt 400 and the disc 201 will be described. The conveyor belt 400 is driven by the sprocket 401 in a stepwise manner such that the conveyor belt 400 advances by the distance between the notches 400b and then stops. Inspection cameras 301, 30 when the transport belt 400 is stopped
3 works. The upper end portion of the conveyor belt 400 is the disc 20
1 is inserted into the concave portion 207, but the conveyor belt 400
Notch 400b of the conveyor belt 400 when stopping
Are positioned so as to match the position of the concave portion 207 of the disc 201. The disc 201 is also driven stepwise such that it rotates by the distance between the concave portions 207 and then stops. Inspection cameras 203, 20 when the disc 201 stops
5 works.

Now, the work supply unit 100 has a disc 201
The work 1 is inserted into the concave portion 207 at the timing when is stopped, and the disc 201 is rotated clockwise after the insertion. Two end faces of the work are photographed on the first stage 200,
The workpieces 1 that have been photographed are sequentially inserted into the notches 400b of the transport belt 400 and passed to the transport belt 400.
The work 1 is transferred to the second stage 30 by the conveyor belt 400.
Then, the remaining two end faces are photographed, and if there is a defective product as a result, it is collected in the defective product box 407,
The non-defective product is collected in the non-defective product box 409, packaged, and carried out.

As described above, if the end surface of the work 1 is inspected while the work belt 1 is being conveyed by the conveyance belt 400, an appropriate space can be secured on the conveyance path of the work 1, and therefore the inspection equipment (camera, lighting, etc.) This will increase the degree of freedom in designing model selections and installation positions.

1 to 5, the intervals between the concave portions 207 and the intervals between the notches 400b are exaggerated for the sake of explanation, but the intervals are actually the same as those of the work 1. It is extremely small according to the size. On top of that, when the work is mounted on the circumference of the disk like the conventional device, the work will be in a dense state on the disk, and regarding the equipment for inspecting it, selection of model and installation position Was also very limited. On the other hand, according to the work inspection apparatus of the present invention, since the work 1 is conveyed by the conveyance belt 400, a space can be provided and the degree of freedom in design is increased. For example, it is possible to arrange two cameras side by side on the same side in order to photograph one end face of the work (in this case,
The work is transported in units of two and two images are taken. As a result, the work can be conveyed at a high speed and photographed, so that the processing capability of the work inspection apparatus is improved.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the disc 201 of FIG. 1 is replaced with a conveyor belt. The work inspection device 5 is a work 1
For supplying the work, a first stage 500 for inspecting the two end surfaces of the work 1, and another 2 for the work 1.
A second stage 600 for inspecting one end surface, a turning section 700 for turning the work 1 from the first stage 500 to the second stage 600, and a work 1 for the work supply section 100, the first stage 500, and turning. The endless conveyor belt 415 that sequentially conveys the part 700 and the work 1.
Is conveyed from the turning section 700 to the second stage 600. Conveyor belts 415, 4
Reference numeral 17 has the same structure as the conveyor belt 400 shown in FIG. 1 (notches are omitted in the drawing).

From the work supply unit 100, the works 1 are supplied one by one to the disc 101. The disc 101 has the same structure as the disc 201 in FIG. 1, and a guide plate 103 is attached to the upper half thereof as shown in FIG. Work 1
Is inserted into the concave portion of the disc 101, and the work 1 is
When it reaches the uppermost position, the air blowing nozzle 105 is activated to apply air to the work 1 to separate the work from the disc 101 and insert it into the notch 415a of the conveyor belt 415. The conveyor belt 415 is sandwiched between the guide plates 107 and 109, and the guide plate 109 is provided with a suction nozzle 111 having the same configuration as the work positioning suction nozzle 305 shown in FIG. 5, whereby the work 1 is sucked,
The carrier belt 415 is securely inserted into the notch 415a.

On the first stage 500, a first inspection camera 501 and a second inspection camera 503 are arranged, and these cameras 501 and 503 inspect two end surfaces of the work 1. Suction nozzles 505 and 507 having the same configuration as the workpiece positioning suction nozzle 305 of FIG. 5 are installed on the opposite side of each camera.

The turning portion 700 includes a disc 701 and air blowing nozzles 703 and 705, and the suction nozzle 111 of FIG. 7 is provided on the opposite side of the disc 701 with the conveyor belt 417 interposed therebetween.
A suction nozzle 707 similar to the above is arranged. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the turning portion 700, which is seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. The workpiece conveyed by the conveyor belt 415 is transferred to the air blowing nozzle 70 at the turning portion 700.
The air is blown from No. 3 to the disc 701, the disc 700 rotates 90 times, the air blow 705 is driven, and the work 1 is pushed by the air and moves to the conveyor belt 417.

On the second stage 600, a third inspection camera 601 and a fourth inspection camera 603 are arranged, and these cameras 601 and 603 separate the other two parts of the work 1.
The end faces are inspected. Suction nozzles 605 and 607 having the same configuration as the workpiece positioning suction nozzle 305 of FIG. 5 are installed on the opposite sides of the cameras, respectively.

On the downstream side of the second stage 600, a defective product box 609 for collecting defective products and a non-defective product box 611 for collecting non-defective products are arranged.
Air blowing nozzles 613 and 615 are arranged on the opposite sides of the first conveyor belt 417. Disk 7
Below 01, a defective product box 709 for collecting defective products found by the inspection in the first stage 500 is arranged.

With the above arrangement, since two conveyor belts are provided, more space can be provided and the degree of freedom in design is further improved as compared with the first example.

In the above description, the inspection unit for inspecting the work is to inspect the work end face by the CCD camera, but the inspection unit is not limited to the camera and inspects the end face of the work exposed from the conveyor belt. Any other inspection means (for example, means for measuring electric resistance, electric capacity, etc.) may be used as long as they are provided. Further, in the above example, the notch 400a is provided at the upper end of the conveyor belt 400, but the position of the notch is not limited to that, and may be formed at the position shown by the chain line 400c in FIG. 4, for example.

Furthermore, in the above example, the air blowing nozzle is used when transferring the work from the stage to the next stage or when collecting the work in the good / defective box, but instead of this, The work may be mechanically pushed out like a cylinder.

When inspecting the entire 6-sided surface of the work, it can be achieved by combining three conveyor belts, but if necessary, one disk, two conveyor belts, or two disks can be combined. It is also possible to select a combination of one conveyor belt.

[0032]

According to the present invention, since the work is inserted into the conveyor belt for inspection, a space is available more than the conventional inspection device using the disk, and the device design can be improved. The effect of increasing the degree of freedom is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a work to be inspected.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the transfer of a work from a disc to a conveyor belt.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a guide plate of the conveyor belt.

FIG. 5 is a plan view around the first inspection camera.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a work supply unit.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a turning portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 work 203 First inspection camera 205 second inspection camera 301 Third inspection camera 303 4th inspection camera 400 conveyor belt 400a cutout 403,405 Guide plate

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Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A work inspection device for inspecting a plurality of end faces of a polyhedral work, the work inspection device having a notch which is installed such that a flat surface is substantially vertical and which can insert and convey a work at an upper end thereof. workpiece inspection device, characterized in that it comprises a conveyor belt of an endless, an inspection unit for inspecting an end surface of the workpiece exposed from the conveyor belt. 2. The work inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a guide plate for preventing the work from falling is provided on one side or both sides of the conveyor belt. 3. A plurality of the notches are provided in the upper end portion.
The inspection device holds a plurality of workpieces on the circumference.
A disk having a recess is formed, and the disk is the conveyor bell.
It is arranged so that it intersects the longitudinal direction of the
With the upper end of the conveyor belt inserted in the recess,
It is possible to proceed, and the disk has the notch at the position of the recess.
It can be rotated while it is in the
The workpiece held in the concave portion is moved by the conveyor belt.
And is transferred to the conveyor belt by
The work inspection device according to claim 1. 4. A process for inspecting a plurality of end faces of a hexahedral work piece.
It is an inspection device that is installed so that the flat surface is substantially vertical and
Endless with a notch at the top that can be inserted and transported
Of the first and second conveyor belts and the end surface of the work exposed from the conveyor belt.
Inspection part and the work from the first transfer belt to the second transfer
A diverting portion that transfers to a belt, wherein the first conveyor belt has two opposite ends of the work.
The surface is exposed from the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt is exposed.
Two opposite ends where the feeding belt is different from the two end faces
And thereby exposing the surface of the second conveyor belt
Work inspection device. 5. A work inspection method for inspecting a plurality of end faces of a polyhedral work, wherein a notch is formed in an upper end portion of a conveyor belt of an endless device installed such that a flat surface is substantially vertical. A workpiece inspection method, comprising: inserting a workpiece into the notch to convey the workpiece, and inspecting an end surface of the workpiece exposed from the conveyor belt.