JP3943072B2 - X-ray inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention exposes an X-ray to an object whose contents are accommodated in a container such as a tray or a container, and inspects the object based on an X-ray transmission amount associated with the X-ray exposure. In particular, the present invention relates to an X-ray inspection apparatus that can accurately detect defects in the contents of an inspection object.

  The X-ray foreign object detection apparatus irradiates X-rays to inspection products of various varieties (for example, raw meat, fish, processed foods, medicines, etc.) that are sequentially transported on the product line, and It is a device that detects whether or not foreign matter such as metal, glass, stone, bone, etc. is mixed in the object to be inspected from the amount of transmission.

  By the way, in this type of X-ray foreign object detection device, for example, in the case of an inspected object whose contents are stored in a container such as a tray or a box, at the stage of pre-processing for determining whether or not foreign objects are mixed in the inspected object. The presence / absence of contents in the container is detected to determine a missing item (defective product).

  In this missing item determination process, a missing item detection mask area, which is a missing item inspection area for performing a missing item inspection of the contents, is set in advance on the coordinate axis position assuming the accommodation position of the contents in the container. Detecting missing items by overlaying the contents developed on the basis of X-ray transmission data at the time of radiation exposure (X-ray detection amount detected by the detector with respect to the object to be inspected) and the mask area for missing item detection If the contents are present in the mask area, the inspection object is determined to be normal. If the contents are not present in the shortage detection mask area, the inspection object is determined to be missing (defective). ing.

  However, in the above-described conventional shortage determination process, if the contents do not completely overlap within the shortage detection mask area, it is determined that the object to be inspected is a shortage. In some cases, the contents were misjudged as missing parts even if the contents were present in the container.

Therefore, in order to cope with the above problem, the applicant of the present application has already proposed the X foreign object detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the X-ray foreign matter detection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a missing part detection mask region is set with reference to the tip position of a container in which contents are stored as an inspection object, and the set missing part detection is performed. The presence / absence of a missing item is determined based on the ratio of the area of the contents in the mask area.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-228761

  According to the X-ray foreign object detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, if the package or tray as the container has a certain degree of rigidity, the tip position of the container does not change. Can be detected with high accuracy. However, if there is variation in the tip of the container relative to the conveyance direction of the object to be inspected, the missing part detection mask area will be displaced as a whole depending on the position of the tip of the container to be detected. There was a risk of misjudgment.

  Further, when the missing item inspection is performed by using the X-ray foreign matter detecting device, the missing item detection mask area is set based on the position of the leading end of the container. As a result, the ratio of the area of the content occupied in the missing part detection mask area may change and the wrong missing part may be inspected. .

  This X-ray inspection apparatus is capable of inspecting products stored in a predetermined place such as a tray, but for an area where contents are not originally present (hereinafter referred to as a non-existing area), for example, shochu and dumplings. Even if the contents, fragments, or foreign matter existed in the contents, it could not be detected as a defective product.

  In addition, in the case of containers containing gelled or liquid contents such as mayonnaise or sauce, the contents outlet is generally protected by a lid made of metal or plastic, for example. A non-transparent cap is attached. In this type of container, if the lid is incompletely bonded, or if the cap is closed with part of the lid peeled off, the contents may leak into the cap. Hard to stick. Thus, when the contents are leaking in the cap, the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus cannot determine the inspection object as a defective product.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is a first object to provide an X-ray inspection apparatus capable of performing defect inspection by detecting the presence or absence of an object present in a non-existing region. Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray inspection apparatus capable of simultaneously performing a defect inspection and a foreign substance inspection simultaneously with a defect inspection.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1 exposes the X-ray to the inspection object W in which the content Wa is accommodated in the container, and the X-ray transmission amount associated with the X-ray irradiation is based on the X-ray transmission amount. In the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 for inspecting an inspection object,
A foreign matter discriminating means 19c for discriminating the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspected object according to whether or not there is a portion where the level of the X-ray transmission amount of the inspected object is different from others
Based on the X-ray transmission amount, the content area extracting means 18 for extracting the content area of the object to be inspected, and a predetermined area other than the area extracted by the content area extracting means is set as the nonexistent area Nb. comprising a non-existing region setting unit 15b, and a defect judging device 19b for determining the presence or absence of a defect to determine whether waste material is present in the absence region setting means sets from the said absence area,
And whether to characterized in that simultaneously tested on the basis the the presence or absence of a defect of the presence and the object to be inspected for contamination of foreign matter in the object to be inspected, both in the X-ray transmission amount of the object to be inspected, both The inspection is performed simultaneously based on the X-ray transmission amount of the inspection object .

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 2 is the X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The defect discriminating means 19b has an X-ray transmission amount lower than that of the container, and there is an object having an area smaller than a predetermined area of the content Wa. When there is an object having an X-ray transmission higher than that of an object, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present and the presence or absence of a defect is determined.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 3 is the X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1 ,
A missing part inspection area (a missing part inspection area setting means 15a for setting M) to a size substantially equal to the contents for performing the missing part inspection of the contents Wa;
A shortage determination unit 19a for determining the presence or absence of the content shortage by superimposing the content region obtained from the X-ray transmission amount of the inspection object and the shortage inspection region ; Features.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 4 is the X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 3 ,
A reversal area for the missing part inspection area, which is obtained by expanding the missing part inspection area by the allowable movement range of the contents from the size of the contents in the missing part inspection area M set by the missing part inspection area setting means 15a. Inspection region reversing processing means 21 for setting
The inversion area set in the inspection area inversion processing means is defined as the nonexistence area Nb, and the presence or absence of a defect is determined based on whether or not an unnecessary object exists in the nonexistence area .

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 5 is the X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 4,
The X-ray transmission amount of the contents Wa of the inspection object W is compared with a reference position detection limit value set in advance according to the arrangement of the contents of the inspection object, and first the reference position detection limit value The inspection region reference position for determining the position of the X-ray transmission amount of the contents showing a smaller value as the approximate tip position P of the contents located at the head of the container and calculating the approximate tip position as a reference position A calculating means 20 ;
The missing item inspection area setting means 15a sets the missing item inspection area M with reference to the reference position calculated by the inspection area reference position calculating means .

  According to the present invention, when there is an unnecessary object (for example, a foreign object such as metal, glass, stone, bone, or a fragment of the contents) in an area other than the contents, that is, an area where the original object should not exist. However, it can be reliably detected as a defective product, and the reliability with respect to the inspection accuracy of the inspection object is improved.

  Using the shortage inspection area used for the shortage inspection, the inversion area with respect to the shortage inspection area, which has been expanded from the size of the content in this shortage inspection area by the allowable movement range of the content, is the absence area. If the configuration is such that the defect inspection is performed, it is possible to reliably perform the shortage inspection and the defect inspection while distinguishing between the existing region and the non-existing region. In addition, if the configuration is such that the nonexistence area is set, the user can freely set the nonexistence area according to the size, shape, and arrangement of the contents, and a partial defect inspection becomes possible. The degree of freedom increases.

  Hereinafter, an X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view of an inspection object in which contents to be inspected by the X-ray inspection apparatus are wrapped by a package, FIG. 2B is a schematic plan view of an object to be inspected accommodated in a tray that is a detection target of the X-ray inspection apparatus, and FIG. 2C is a liquid content that is a detection target of the X-ray inspection apparatus. 3 is a schematic plan view of the inspection object, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the first form of the X-ray inspection apparatus, and FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of a product area in the inspection object, FIG. 4 (b) is a view showing an example of a non-existing region in the inspection object, FIG. 4 (c) is a view showing an example of a defect state of the inspection object, and FIG. 5 is an electric diagram of the second form of the X-ray inspection apparatus. FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing a general configuration, FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a state in which the object to be inspected is normally accommodated in the container, and FIG. FIG. 6 (c) is a diagram showing the detected state of the detected object according to the area ratio of the object to be inspected, and FIG. 7 (a) is a shortage inspection area set at the product position of the inspected object. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of a non-existing region using the shortage inspection region of FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7C is an example of a defect state of the inspection object. FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the third embodiment of the X-ray inspection apparatus, FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing an example in which a non-existing area of the inspection object is set, and FIG. 9 (b) It is a figure which shows an example of the defect state of a to-be-inspected object.

  The X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this example is provided in a part of the product line conveyance path, and inspects the inspection object W that is sequentially conveyed at a predetermined interval (presence / absence of defects in the inspection object W), A missing item inspection (presence / absence of missing contents) and a foreign matter contamination inspection of the inspection target W (presence / absence of foreign matter contamination in the inspection target W) are performed.

  In particular, the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this example is suitable for a case where the defect inspection is stably performed when the content Wa is accommodated in the container as the inspection object W, and the area where the content Wa originally does not exist. The presence / absence of a defect is inspected based on whether or not there is a waste in the (absent area). Here, the following two types can be considered as unnecessary items in this example. First, there is an object (for example, a foreign object such as metal, glass, stone, bone, or a piece of contents) having an X-ray transmission lower than that of the container and smaller than a predetermined area of the contents. This is the case in the non-existing area. In this case, it is possible to detect a foreign object existing in addition to the contents. The other is a case where an object (for example, a fragment of the content) having a lower X-ray transmission amount than the container and higher than the X-ray transmission amount of the content is present in the absence region. In this case, it is possible to detect a fragment of the content without particularly setting the area of the content.

  In this example, the inspection object W to be subjected to defect inspection is one in which the contents are accommodated in a container. Specifically, the content Wa is packaged by the package S as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (a), and the content Wa is as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (b). There are those accommodated in the tray T and packaged by the package S, and those to be inspected W as shown in FIG.

  In this example, only the package S or the package S containing the tray T is referred to as a container. Moreover, in the example of FIG. 2 (a), (b), the thing in which six contents Wa were accommodated in the package S as the to-be-inspected object W is illustrated, but the number and size of the contents Wa are as follows. It changes according to the contents to be accommodated.

  In the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, a conveyance unit 2 and a foreign matter detection unit 3 are provided in the apparatus main body 4, and a display 5 is provided in the upper front portion of the apparatus main body 4.

  The transport unit 2 sequentially transports the same type of inspection object W in which the contents Wa are stored in a container (the package S or a combination of the package S and the tray T) at predetermined intervals. This conveyance part 2 can be comprised with the belt conveyor arrange | positioned horizontally with respect to the apparatus main body 4, for example. The conveyance unit 2 directs the inspection object W carried in from the carry-in port 7 at a predetermined conveyance speed set in advance by driving of the drive motor 6 shown in FIG. 1 toward the carry-out port 8 (carrying direction X in FIG. 1). To transport.

  The detection unit 3 emits X-rays to the inspection object W that is sequentially conveyed, and detects X-rays that pass through the inspection object W as the X-rays are exposed. An X-ray generator 9 provided at a predetermined height above the unit 2 and an X-ray detector 10 provided opposite to the X-ray generator 9 in the transport unit 2 are configured.

  The X-ray generator 9 has a configuration in which a cylindrical X-ray tube 12 provided in a metal box 11 is immersed in insulating oil (not shown), and an electron beam from the cathode of the X-ray tube 12 is an anode target. X-rays are generated by irradiation. The X-ray tube 12 is provided in the transport width direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction X of the inspection object W. The X-rays generated by the X-ray tube 12 are exposed to the lower X-ray detector 10 in the form of a substantially triangular screen by a slit (not shown) along the longitudinal direction.

  The X-ray detector 10 detects X-rays transmitted through the inspection object W when the X-rays are exposed to the inspection object W accommodated in the container S, and the detected X-rays are detected. An electrical signal corresponding to the transmission amount of the line is output. The X-ray detector 10 is provided along a conveyance width direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X of the inspection object W conveyed on the conveyance unit 2. The X-ray detector 10 uses an array line sensor including a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a line and a scintillator provided on the photodiode.

  Next, the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the to-be-inspected object W used as a defect inspection object is what the content Wa was accommodated in the container. Specifically, the content Wa is packaged by the package S as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (a), and the content Wa is as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (b). There are those accommodated in the tray T and packaged by the package S, and those to be inspected W as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, position detection means 13 for detecting the passage of the inspection object W is provided on the carry-in entrance 7 side of the transport unit 2. This position detection means 13 is comprised by the photo sensor which consists of a pair of light projector / receiver provided in the entrance side of the belt conveyor as the conveyance part 2, for example. With this configuration, an ON signal is input from the position detection unit 13 to the signal processing unit 14 as a timing signal while the inspection object W passes in front of the photosensor.

  In the X-ray detector 10 having such a configuration, X-rays are exposed from the X-ray generator 9 to the inspection object W transported on the transport unit 2. Then, the X-ray transmitted through the inspection object W with the X-ray exposure to the inspection object W is received by the scintillator and converted into light. The light converted by the scintillator is received by a photodiode disposed under the scintillator. Each photodiode converts the received light into an electrical signal and outputs it. The X-ray detector 10 outputs an electric signal having a level corresponding to the intensity of the received X-ray to the signal processing means 14.

  In FIG. 3, the signal processing unit 14 includes a CPU, a memory, and the like, and an on signal when the position detection unit 13 detects the inspection object W is used as a timing signal, and the position detection unit 13 outputs an on signal. It is determined that the length of the inspection period is the length of the inspection object W (packaging body S), and an electric signal (signal corresponding to the amount of X-ray transmission) from the X-ray detector 10 is taken in to perform various signal processing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the signal processing unit 14 includes a setting input unit 15, a storage unit (data memory) 16, and an image processing unit 17.

  The setting input means 15 is operated by a user for giving various settings relating to defect / missing item inspection and foreign matter mixing inspection of the contents Wa contained in the package S as the inspection object W, various settings relating to display, and various instructions. It consists of multiple keys and switches.

  Specifically, the setting input unit 15 sets a detection limit value serving as a reference for determining the presence / absence of a defect and an area (including an allowable range) of the content Wa. In addition, contents such as a content detection limit value used as a reference for discriminating the quantity, area ratio, and contents of contents used for setting the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 2 and determining the presence or absence of a missing item. It is possible to set information, a foreign matter detection limit value that is a reference for determining whether foreign matter is mixed in the inspection object W, or the like.

  The area ratio and each detection limit value depend on the ratio of the area occupied by the contents Wa in the package S, the type of the package S, the type of the inspection object W, the type of foreign matter to be detected, and the like. It can be set as appropriate.

  The storage means 16 stores X-ray transmission data for each inspection object W (data of X-ray detection amount detected by the X-ray detector 10 in accordance with the X-ray exposure to the inspection object W). The This X-ray transmission data is obtained by A / D converting an electric signal from the X-ray detector 10 by an A / D converter (not shown). To explain further, for example, 640 pieces of X-ray transmission data per line (Y direction in FIG. 1) of the X-ray detector 10 are stored in the storage means 16 every time one inspection object W is inspected. A predetermined number of lines (480 lines) corresponding to at least the length in the conveyance direction X of the inspection object W to be conveyed (corresponding to a detection period from the front end to the rear end) is stored.

  The image processing unit 17 performs various types of image processing based on the X-ray transmission data of one inspection object W stored in the storage unit 16. Specifically, the image processing means 17 performs signal processing on the X-ray transmission data, and displays on the display 5 grayscale image data in which foreign matter is emphasized by this signal processing. At this time, the display density of the foreign matter portion in the inspection object W is displayed so as to be different from the background and other portions, or is displayed in a color different from that other than the foreign matter portion. Thereby, the state of the outer shape of the inspection object W in which the contents Wa are accommodated in the package S as viewed in a plane, and the transmission of X-rays in the inspection object W are displayed on the display screen of the display 5. It is possible to confirm the position of the foreign object, and the position where the foreign substance is mixed can be grasped. Further, the image processing means 17 displays and outputs on the display 5 the results of OK / NG judgment results and the inspection results such as the total number of inspections, the number of non-defective products, and the total number of NG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing unit 17 includes a content area extracting unit 18 and a determining unit 19. The content area extraction means 18 extracts the area of the content Wa of the inspection object W shown in FIG. 4A from the X-ray transmission data of one inspection object W stored in the storage means 16. When extracting the area of the contents Wa, a detection limit value is set in advance by the setting input means 15 in the vicinity of a substantially intermediate level between the X-ray transmission amounts of the container S and the contents Wa. In general, the content Wa is lower in X-ray transmission than the container S. Therefore, the content area extracting unit 18 compares the X-ray transmission data stored in the storage unit 16 with the detection limit value, and sets the X-ray transmission data lower than the detection limit value as the X-ray transmission data of the content. The region of the X-ray transmission data lower than the value is extracted as the region of the content Wa.

  The determination means 19 includes a shortage determination means 19a, a defect determination means 19b, a foreign matter determination means 19c, and a pass / fail determination means 19d.

  The out-of-stock determination means 19a is the content information (quantity of contents) for each inspection object W in which the X-ray transmission data of the area of the content Wa extracted by the content area extraction means 18 is input to the setting input means 15. Or whether the contents are normally accommodated (whether there is a missing item) or not. The out-of-stock determination means 19a determines “OK” if the X-ray transmission data of the content Wa area satisfies the content information, and satisfies the content information by confirming an abnormality such as a small number of content. Otherwise, it is determined as “NG (out of stock)”. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (OK signal or NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d.

  In the defect discriminating means 19b, the area of the content Wa extracted by the content area extracting means 18 is recognized as an existing area Na, and an area other than the existing area Na is set as a nonexistent area Nb in which the original object should not exist. It has recognized. This non-existing area Nb can be recognized, for example, by inverting the extracted content area in the inspection object W. Then, when recognizing the nonexisting area Nb, the defect determining means 19b determines the presence / absence of a defect depending on whether or not an unnecessary object is present in the nonexisting area Nb. As an example in which an unnecessary object exists in the non-existing area Nb, for example, a state in which the contents are popping out or a part of the contents is scattered in the container is conceivable.

  The defect discriminating means 19b has the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb lower than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S, and the area by the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb is the contents If the area is smaller than the predetermined area of Wa, it is determined that there is an unnecessary object in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”. Further, when there is no setting input of the predetermined area of the content Wa from the setting input means 15, the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb is larger than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S. If it is low and higher than the X-ray transmission amount of the content Wa, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”. For example, in FIG. 4 (c), in the non-existing area Nb (the hatched portion rising to the right in FIGS. 4 (b) and (c)) In FIG. 4C, there are two places indicated by black circles). Therefore, the above determination condition is applied, and it is determined that there is an unnecessary object in the non-existing area Nb, and “NG (defect)” is determined. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d.

  On the other hand, the defect discriminating means 19b discriminates “OK” when the above-mentioned judgment conditions are not satisfied and there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb. For example, in FIG. 4B, since there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb, it is determined that the above judgment condition does not apply, and there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb, and “OK” is determined. . The determination result at this time is output as a determination signal (OK signal) to the pass / fail determination means 19d.

  The foreign matter discriminating means 19c judges a portion where the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data is different from the other in the effective content area (the area where the content may be present) of the inspection object W. More specifically, the foreign matter determination unit 19c compares the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data of the inspection object W stored in the storage unit 16 with the foreign matter detection limit value set in advance by the setting input unit 15. When the X-ray transmission amount is lower than the foreign matter detection limit value, it is determined that foreign matter is mixed in the inspection object W. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (OK signal or NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d. The foreign object detection limit value can be set from the setting input unit 15 as appropriate for each inspection object W.

  The quality determination means 19d is based on the determination signal from the shortage determination means 19a, the determination signal from the defect determination means 19b, and the determination signal from the foreign matter determination means 19c. It is determined whether the product is a non-defective product, and a selection signal indicating normality or failure is output to the outside as the determination result.

  That is, in this pass / fail determination means 19d, when a determination signal (OK signal) indicating normality is input from each of the missing item determination means 19a, the defect determination means 19b, and the foreign matter determination means 19c, the inspection object W is inspected for defects. It is determined that there is no missing item or foreign matter, and a sorting signal indicating normality is output externally. On the other hand, a determination signal (NG signal) indicating a shortage is input from the shortage determination means 19a, a determination signal (NG signal) indicating a defect is input from the defect determination means 19b, or a foreign matter determination means 19c. When a determination signal (NG signal) indicating contamination of foreign matter is input from, it is determined that the inspection object W is defective, missing or foreign matter is mixed, and a selection signal indicating failure is externally output.

  On the display screen of the display device 5, an X-ray transmission image obtained by planarly viewing the inspection object W based on the determination result of the determination means 19 (the X-ray transmission data is signal-processed so that a foreign object is highlighted) , “OK” and “NG” pass / fail judgment results, inspection results such as the total number of inspections, the number of non-defective products, and the total number of NG are displayed based on predetermined key operations from the setting input means 15.

  When performing various inspections of the inspection object W accommodated in the package S using the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 having the above configuration, the following processing is executed in the signal processing means 14. First, an optimum detection limit value is input in advance from the setting input means 15 according to the contents of the inspection object W to be inspected.

  When X-rays are exposed to the inspection object W transported on the transport unit 2, X-ray transmission data associated with the X-ray exposure is stored in the storage unit 16. Next, the content extraction means 18 extracts the area | region of only the content Wa of the to-be-inspected object W from the whole X-ray transmission data.

  Thereafter, the shortage determination unit 19a reads the preset content information of the inspection object W from the setting input unit 15, and determines whether or not the X-ray transmission data in the region of the content Wa satisfies the content information. Determine. That is, the shortage determination unit 19a determines the presence or absence of a shortage depending on whether or not the content Wa is normally accommodated in the area of the content Wa. Further, the defect discriminating means 19b recognizes an area other than the area of the content Wa extracted by the content area extracting means 18 as a non-existing area Nb, and whether or not there is an unnecessary object in the non-existing area Nb. The presence or absence of a defect is discriminated by this.

  By the way, in the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this example, in addition to the above-described defect / missing part inspection of the inspection object W, the X-ray transmission amount when the inspection object W is irradiated with the X-rays is determined based on the X-ray transmission amount. An inspection for the presence of foreign matter is also performed.

  When inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspected object W, the X-ray transmission data stored in the storage unit 16 is compared with the foreign matter detection limit value preset by the setting input unit 15. When the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data is smaller than the foreign object detection limit value, it is determined that the foreign object is mixed in the inspection object W.

  Thus, in the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment described above, the content area is extracted from the X-ray transmission data of the inspection object W, and the area other than the content area is recognized as the nonexistence area Nb. The defect inspection of the inspection object W is performed depending on whether or not an unnecessary object is present in the non-existing area Nb. Simultaneously with this defect inspection, a shortage inspection and a foreign matter contamination inspection are performed.

  Next, an X-ray inspection apparatus according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the block configuration diagram of FIG. 5, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the inspected object W to be inspected for shortage is one in which the contents are stored in the container, and the contents are set in advance in the container in the normal state. It is assumed that there is no movement beyond the allowable movement range set from Specifically, the content Wa is arranged on the tray T and packaged by the package S as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2B, and the inspection object as shown in FIG. As the item W, there is one in which the content Wb is in a liquid state and is accommodated in the package S.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of the second form, in addition to the configuration requirements of the first form, the setting input means 15 further includes a missing part inspection area setting means 15a, and the image processing means 17 is further provided. The inspection area reference position calculating means 20 and the inspection area reversing processing means 21 are provided.

  When the shortage inspection of the content Wa contained in the package S as the inspection object W is performed, the shortage inspection area setting unit 15a performs inspection according to the size, shape, and arrangement of the content Wa in the container. A shortage inspection area M that matches the contents Wa of the inspection object W to be inspected is selected and set from a plurality of types of shortage inspection areas M stored in advance for each inspection object W. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, the shortage inspection area M is set with coordinate axis positions x and y and ranges xL and yL based on the approximate tip position P of the first content Wa. Thus, the area other than the missing part inspection area M becomes the non-inspection area M1 for the missing part inspection. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the shortage inspection area M is based on the reference position, the coordinate axis positions x and y are located approximately at the center of the corresponding contents Wa of the inspection object W, and the range xL, yL is set to a size substantially equal to the content Wa (in the example of FIG. 6A, a size slightly larger than the content Wa). Note that the non-inspection area M1 for the missing part inspection is an area where the portion is covered and the signal processing of the X-ray transmission data is not performed. On the other hand, the shortage inspection area M is an area where signal processing of X-ray transmission data is performed without covering the portion.

  The coordinate axis positions x and y and the ranges xL and yL of the setting items can be set by actually transporting the object W to be inspected by the transport unit 2 at the initial setting before performing the inspection, for example. For example, a plurality of inspected objects W stored without missing items in the container are prepared as samples, and the above setting items are changed while being transported by the transport unit 2 to confirm whether or not “OK” is determined. At this time, the coordinate axis positions x and y are moved to various places in the container, and the ranges xL and yL are changed to check whether or not “OK” is determined for all samples. In addition to the above setting items, the value when the area ratio B is varied and becomes “OK” in all samples is set as the best setting. Note that when performing the above setting, it is confirmed whether or not all samples in a state where no contents are stored in the container are determined to be “NG”.

  The inspection area reference position calculation means 20 responds to the X-ray transmission amount of the contents Wa of the inspection object W obtained when the inspection object W is exposed to X-rays and the arrangement of the contents Wa of the inspection object W. The reference position detection limit value set in advance is compared, and the position of the X-ray transmission amount of the content Wa showing a value smaller than the reference position detection limit value is contained in the container (including the package S or the tray T). It is determined that the content Wa is located at the front end of the package S), and the approximate front end position is calculated as the reference position.

  More specifically, when the X-ray transmission data of the region of only the content Wa of the inspection object W extracted by the content region extraction unit 18 is input to the inspection region reference position calculation unit 20, the X-ray transmission is performed. The X-ray transmission amount for each line of data (the conveyance width direction Y orthogonal to the conveyance direction X) is compared with the reference position detection limit value set in advance by the setting input means 15. And the position which shows the value smaller than the reference position detection limit value first among the X-ray transmission amounts for each line is determined as the leading position of the content Wa, and the position is calculated as the reference position.

  The inspection area reversal processing means 21 expands the missing part inspection area M from the size of the contents Wa by the allowable movement range of the contents Wa with respect to the missing part inspection area M set by the missing part inspection area setting means 15a. An inversion area with respect to the missing part inspection area M that is inverted in the inspection object W is defined as a nonexistence area Nb (defect inspection area). When the shortage inspection area M is reversed by the inspection area reversal processing means 21, a non-inspection for a defect inspection in which the area widened by the movement allowable range of the content Wa from the size of the content Wa is covered and not signal-processed. An area M2 is formed, and an area (defect inspection area Mb) other than the covered non-inspection area M2 becomes a non-existing area Nb. Note that the non-inspection area M2 for defect inspection is an area where the portion is covered and X-ray transmission data signal processing is not performed. On the other hand, the defect inspection area Mb (non-existence area Nb) is an area where the signal processing of the X-ray transmission data is performed without covering the portion.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the missing item discriminating means 19a determines whether or not the inspected object W is missing depending on whether or not the content Wa exists in the missing item inspection area M set by the missing item inspection area setting means 15a. The presence or absence of goods is determined.

  For example, FIG. 6A shows a state where the shortage inspection area M and the area of the contents Wa are overlapped. In the example of FIG. 6 (a), since the shortage inspection area M includes the entire area of the content Wa, it is determined that the content Wa is normally accommodated in the package S, and “OK” is displayed. Determine. The determination result at this time is output as a determination signal (OK signal) to the pass / fail determination means 19d.

  In the example of FIG. 6B, in the state where the shortage inspection area M and the content Wa area are overlapped, the shortage inspection area M does not include the content Wa area. It is determined that the content Wa is not normally stored, and “NG (out of stock)” is determined. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d.

  In the example of FIG. 6C, in the state where the shortage inspection area M and the content Wa area are overlapped, the majority of the content Wa area (approximately 90% in the illustrated example) is the shortage inspection area M. And is not included in the entire shortage inspection area M. In this case, if 80% is set as the area ratio B by the setting input unit 15, the shortage determination unit 19a determines that the content Wa is normally accommodated in the package S, and “OK”. Is determined. The determination result at this time is output as a determination signal (OK signal) to the pass / fail determination means 19d.

  The defect discriminating means 19b discriminates whether or not there is a defect in the inspection object W depending on whether or not an unnecessary object exists in the nonexistent area Nb (defect inspection area Mb) after the reversal processing by the inspection area reversing processing means 21. . The defect discriminating means 19b has the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb lower than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S, and the area by the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb is the contents If the area is smaller than the predetermined area of Wa, it is determined that there is an unnecessary object in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”. Further, when there is no setting input of the predetermined area of the content Wa from the setting input means 15, the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb is larger than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S. If it is low and higher than the X-ray transmission amount of the content Wa, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”. For example, in FIG. 7C, in the non-existing area Nb after the reversing process by the inspection area reversing processing means 21, there are unnecessary objects (for example, foreign matters or fragments of the content Wa, etc.) in addition to the contents Wa. Therefore, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present in the non-existing area Nb, and “NG (defect)” is determined. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d.

  On the other hand, the defect discriminating means 19b discriminates “OK” when the above-mentioned judgment conditions are not satisfied and there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb. For example, in FIG. 7B, only the contents Wa are present in the nonexistent area Nb after the reversal processing by the inspection area reversal processing means 21, so that the above judgment condition does not apply, and the reversal by the inspection area reversal processing means 21 is performed. It is determined that there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb after processing, and “OK” is determined. The determination result at this time is output as a determination signal (OK signal) to the pass / fail determination means 19d.

  By the way, in the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this example, in addition to the above-described defect / missing part inspection of the inspection object W, the X-ray transmission amount when the inspection object W is irradiated with the X-rays is determined based on the X-ray transmission amount. An inspection for the presence of foreign matter is also performed.

  When inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspection object W, the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data stored in the storage means 16 and the foreign substance detection limit value preset by the setting input means 15 are obtained. Compare. When the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data is smaller than the foreign object detection limit value, it is determined that the foreign object is mixed in the inspection object W.

  As described above, in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the second embodiment described above, the shortage inspection area M is widened by the allowable movement range of the content Wa from the size of the content Wa in the shortage inspection area M. The inversion area (the area that is not covered) with respect to the shortage inspection area M that is inverted is defined as a non-existence area Nb, and whether there is a defect in the inspection object W depending on whether or not an unnecessary object exists in the non-existence area Nb. Inspect. Simultaneously with this defect inspection, a shortage inspection and a foreign matter contamination inspection are performed.

  Next, an X-ray inspection apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the block configuration diagram of FIG. 8, the same components as those in the first or second embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the third embodiment, the inspected object W to be inspected for shortage is one in which the content Wa is accommodated in a container. Specifically, the content Wa is packaged by the package S as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (a), and the content Wa is as the inspection object W as shown in FIG. 2 (b). There are those accommodated in the tray T and packaged by the package S, and those to be inspected W as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the third form, the configuration of the inspection area inversion processing means 21 provided in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the second form is omitted, and the setting input means 15 is further set to the nonexistence area setting means. 15b.

  The nonexistence area setting means 15b arbitrarily sets the nonexistence area Nb for detecting the presence / absence of an unnecessary object in the area where the content Wa should not exist by using the X-ray transmission data of the inspection object W. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the inspection object W is provided with a partition on the tray T so that the contents do not move beyond a movement allowable range set in advance from the setting input means 15. As shown in FIG. 9A, the user sets a non-existence area Nb at a position where the contents of the inspection object W do not exist, that is, a position where the contents should not originally exist. The presence / absence of a defect in the inspection object W is determined based on whether or not an unnecessary object is present in the set non-existence area Nb. That is, the defect discriminating means 19b has the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb lower than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S and the area by the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb. If the area is smaller than a predetermined area of the content Wa, it is determined that an unnecessary object exists in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”. Further, when there is no setting input of the predetermined area of the content Wa from the setting input means 15, the X-ray transmission amount of the X-ray transmission data in the non-existing region Nb is larger than the X-ray transmission amount of the package S. If it is low and higher than the X-ray transmission amount of the content Wa, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present in the non-existing region Nb, and it is determined that there is a defect “NG (defect)”.

  On the other hand, the defect discriminating means 19b discriminates “OK” when the above-mentioned judgment conditions are not satisfied and there is no waste in the non-existing area Nb. The discrimination result at this time is output as a discrimination signal (OK signal or NG signal) to the pass / fail discrimination means 19d. At the same time as the defect inspection, a missing item inspection of the inspection object W and an inspection for the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspection object W are also performed.

  As described above, in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the third embodiment described above, in the X-ray transmission data of the entire inspection object W stored in the storage unit 16, there is no problem with respect to the area where the contents should not originally exist. The nonexistence area Nb is set by the existence area setting means 15b, and the presence / absence of a defect in the inspection object W is inspected based on whether or not an unnecessary object exists in the nonexistence area Nb. Simultaneously with this defect inspection, a shortage inspection and a foreign matter contamination inspection are performed.

  As described above, the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the first to third embodiments of the present example determines whether or not there is a defect in the inspection object W depending on whether or not there is an unnecessary object in the non-existing region Nb. Yes. This makes it possible to reliably detect a defective product even when there is an unnecessary object (such as a foreign object or a fragment of the content) in a region other than the content, that is, a region where the original product should not exist. Reliability for inspection accuracy of the inspection object is improved.

  In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment, since the region other than the content region is recognized as the non-existing region Nb, it is not necessary to set the region specially, the setting can be facilitated, and the content can be accurately performed. It is possible to detect an object defect. Thereby, a high quality product can be provided to consumers.

  In addition, in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the second embodiment, if the content movement allowable range and the shortage inspection area are set, the shortage inspection is performed only for the content movement allowable range from the size of the content in the shortage inspection area. Since the defect inspection can be performed with the inversion area for the shortage inspection area expanded as an absence area, it is possible to reliably distinguish between the existence area Na where the object originally exists and the absence area Nb where the object should not exist. it can. Thereby, inspection accuracy improves and the reliability of goods improves.

  Furthermore, in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the third form, the user can freely set the nonexistence area Nb according to the size and shape of the contents, and also the arrangement, and a partial defect inspection can be performed. The degree of freedom increases.

  By the way, in this example, for convenience of explanation, the storage means 16 is used to determine the area of the content Wa, determine whether there is a missing part of the content Wa, determine whether there is a defect in the inspection object W, and determine whether foreign matter is mixed. The X-ray transmission amount stored in the X-ray transmission data is compared with the detection limit value input from the setting input means 15, but from the X-ray detector 10 to the storage means 16 in order to emphasize foreign matter and the like. Density data obtained by signal processing the X-ray transmission data stored in the image data and converting it to a density level may be used instead of the X-ray transmission data. In this case, the vertical comparison with the detection limit value is opposite to the X-ray transmission data.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) It is a schematic plan view of the to-be-inspected object W accommodated in the tray T used as the detection target of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (B) It is a schematic plan view of the to-be-inspected object W whose content used as the detection target of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention is a liquid form. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the 1st form of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows an example of the product area | region in the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. (B) It is a figure which shows an example of the non-existence area | region Nb in the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. (C) It is a figure which shows an example of the defect state of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the 2nd form of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows the state by which the to-be-inspected object W was accommodated normally in the container. (B) It is a figure in which the to-be-inspected object W is a missing item state. (C) It is a figure which shows the detection state of the detected object of the content by the area ratio of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. (A) It is a figure which shows an example which set the shortage inspection area | region in the product position of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. (B) It is a figure which shows an example of the non-existence area | region using the missing part inspection area | region of (a). (C) It is a figure which shows an example of the defect state of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the 3rd form of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows an example which set the nonexistence area | region Nb of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG. (B) It is a figure which shows an example of the defect state of the to-be-inspected object W. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 X-ray inspection apparatus 15a Missing article inspection area setting means 15b Absent area setting means 19a Missing article discrimination means 19b Defect discrimination means 19c Foreign substance discrimination means Na Existence area Nb Absence area W Inspection object Wa Contents M Missing article inspection area Mb Defect inspection area M1 Non-inspection area for missing parts inspection M2 Non-inspection area for defect inspection

Claims (5)

X-rays are irradiated to the inspection object (W) in which the contents (Wa) are stored in the container, and the inspection object is inspected based on the X-ray transmission amount accompanying the X-ray exposure. In the line inspection device (1),
A foreign matter discriminating means (19c) for discriminating the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspected object according to whether or not there is a part where the X-ray transmission amount level of the inspected object is different from others ;
Content area extraction means (18) for extracting the content area of the object to be inspected based on the X-ray transmission amount, and a predetermined area other than the area extracted by the content area extraction means as non-existence areas (Nb the absence region setting means (15b) to be set as), the defect determination for determining presence or absence of a defect to determine whether waste material is present in the absence region setting means sets from the said absence region and means (19b),
An X-ray inspection apparatus characterized by simultaneously inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the inspection object and the presence or absence of a defect of the inspection object based on the X-ray transmission amount of the inspection object. The defect discriminating means (19b) has an X-ray transmission amount lower than that of the container, and there is an object having an area smaller than a predetermined area of the contents (Wa). 2. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when there is an object having a low X-ray transmission amount than the contents, it is determined that an unnecessary object is present and the presence or absence of a defect is determined. A shortage inspection area setting means (15a) for setting a shortage inspection area (M) in a size substantially equal to the contents for performing a shortage inspection of the contents (Wa);
A missing item determining means (19a) for determining the presence or absence of a missing item of the content by superimposing the missing item inspection region and the content region obtained from the X-ray transmission amount of the inspection object; The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1. The missing item inspection in which the missing item inspection area is expanded by the allowable movement range of the contents from the size of the contents in the missing item inspection area (M) set by the missing item inspection area setting means (15a). An inspection area inversion processing means (21) for setting an inversion area with respect to the area;
Claim 3, wherein the the test area inversion processing means the absence region inversion region set in (Nb), to determine the presence or absence of a defect based on whether waste material is present in the absence region The X-ray inspection apparatus described. The X-ray transmission amount of the contents (Wa) of the inspection object (W) is compared with a reference position detection limit value set in advance according to the arrangement of the contents of the inspection object, and the reference The position of the X-ray transmission amount of the content showing a value smaller than the position detection limit value is determined as the approximate tip position (P) of the content located at the head of the container, and the substantially tip position is used as a reference position. An inspection area reference position calculating means (20) for calculating,
The X of claim 4, wherein the missing part inspection area setting means (15a) sets the missing part inspection area (M) with reference to the reference position calculated by the inspection area reference position calculating means. Line inspection device.

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