JP4374051B2 - Article visual inspection apparatus and surface inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an appearance inspection apparatus and a surface inspection apparatus for an article, and more particularly, to an appearance inspection apparatus that can inspect an upper surface and a side surface of an article with high accuracy.

    2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an appearance inspection for inspecting whether an article such as a tablet, candy, chocolate, or the like has a foreign substance attached or dirty, a deformation such as a chip or a crack, or a defect such as defective printing has been performed.

As an inspection apparatus used for visual inspection of an article, reflected light from an article to be inspected obtained by irradiating light to an article to be inspected is reflected by a reflecting means such as a prism and incident on an imaging means. There is an inspection apparatus that inspects the appearance by processing an image signal obtained by processing the obtained video signal.
As such an inspection apparatus, for example, a reflection mechanism that reflects reflected light from the side surface of the article to be inspected, an illumination mechanism that irradiates the side surface of the article to be inspected, an imaging mechanism that images light from the reflection mechanism, And a processing mechanism that processes a video signal from the imaging mechanism, and an inspection apparatus including a hollow cone-shaped reflector provided so that the reflection mechanism surrounds the article to be inspected (for example, Patent Document 1) See).

Other inspection apparatuses used for visual inspection of articles include, for example, a light beam generator, an annular prism that irradiates an object to be inspected, and receives the reflected light, and the prism. A surface inspection apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 2) including a photographing means on which the emitted light is incident, a reflection means for reflecting light emitted from the side surface of the inspected article to the front side of the inspected article, Surface inspection apparatus for articles comprising a two-dimensional imaging device for imaging light emitted from the front of the inspection article and reflection means, and an image processing device for processing video signals from the two-dimensional imaging apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 3) )and so on.
Japanese Patent No. 3388714 Japanese Patent No. 3536166 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-87744

However, when the conventional surface inspection apparatus shown in the patent document is used, the intensity of light that irradiates the upper surface of the inspected article is insufficient, so that the upper surface of the inspected article cannot be inspected with high accuracy. It was. In particular, there is a problem that the inspection accuracy is low when an intentional depression such as an inscription on the upper surface of the article to be inspected is formed.
In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to arrange illumination means for irradiating the upper surface between the article to be inspected and the imaging means. However, in this case, since the distance between the article to be inspected and the imaging unit becomes long, the accuracy of the light incident on the imaging unit is poor, and the resolution of the video signal sent from the imaging unit to the processing unit is low, which is sufficient High inspection accuracy could not be obtained.
Further, in order to inspect the upper surface of the inspected article with high accuracy, it is conceivable to separately inspect and inspect the upper surface and the side surface of the inspected article. However, in this case, the appearance inspection cannot be performed efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. The upper surface and the side surface of the inspected article can be simultaneously imaged, and the upper surface of the inspected article can be obtained without increasing the distance between the inspected article and the imaging means. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article appearance inspection apparatus and a surface inspection apparatus provided with an appearance inspection apparatus capable of sufficiently obtaining the intensity of light for irradiating and inspecting the upper surface of the article to be inspected with high accuracy.

An article appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a reflecting means for reflecting light reflected from a side surface of an article to be inspected, an illuminating means for irradiating the article to be inspected, and one piece disposed on the upper surface of the article to be inspected. An imaging means for simultaneously imaging light emitted from the reflecting means toward the imaging means and reflected light from the upper surface of the article to be inspected, and processing for processing a video signal from the imaging means and means, said reflecting means, said are those wherein comprising a plurality of reflectors which are disposed so as to surround the inspection article when viewed from the top side of the article to be inspected, the object of said reflector The surface on the inspection article side is composed of a plurality of flat surfaces, and the reflector is disposed outside the intrinsic reflection region and the intrinsic reflection region that reflects the reflected light that is not reflected by another reflector among the reflected light, Another reflector next to it Also have a overlap reflection region for reflecting the light reflected, from said light emitted from the reflecting means, the image signal divided into the number of sides of the inspection item corresponding to the number of the reflector The reflected light from the divided part of the article to be inspected in the divided video signal is reflected by the overlap reflection region, and the illuminating means is located between the adjacent reflectors. A top illumination means for illuminating at least the top surface of the article to be inspected, and a side illumination means for illuminating the side of the article to be inspected, the side illumination means being closer to the article to be inspected than the reflecting means And a ring-shaped member arranged so as to surround the article to be inspected when viewed from the upper surface side of the article to be inspected.

  Further, in the appearance inspection apparatus for an article according to the present invention, the plurality of reflectors are arranged on a locus having a shape similar to the outer shape of the article to be inspected when viewed from the upper surface side of the article to be inspected. can do.

In the appearance inspection apparatus for an article according to the present invention, the image of the inspected article obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means includes an image of the upper surface of the article to be inspected and a periphery of the image of the upper surface. And the images of the side surfaces of the article to be inspected arranged in a ring shape in a number corresponding to the number of the reflectors, and each of the images of the side surfaces is obtained based on the light reflected on the intrinsic reflection region. Each of the images of the side faces formed and an overlap image obtained based on the light reflected on the overlap reflection area, wherein the overlap image is an adjacent side face of the unique image. The image may be composed of an image of the same part as the side surface of the article to be inspected shown in the overlap image of the images of the adjacent side surfaces .

  Moreover, in the external appearance inspection apparatus of the article | item of this invention, the said reflector shall be arrange | positioned above the upper surface of the said to-be-inspected article.

  The surface inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a first inspection drum that conveys the article to be inspected by rotating while holding any surface in the thickness direction of the article to be inspected on the outer peripheral surface, The outer peripheral surface is rotatably installed in a state where the outer peripheral surface is close to the lower side, receives the inspection object from the first inspection drum, and reverses the inspection object from the transport state of the first inspection drum. A second inspection drum that rotates while being held on the surface, a first appearance inspection device that inspects the appearance of the inspected article held on the outer peripheral surface of the first inspection drum, and an outer peripheral surface of the second inspection drum. A second appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of the held article to be inspected is provided, and the first appearance inspection device and the second appearance inspection device are any one of claims 1 to 6. The appearance inspection device is equipped with And said that you are.

  According to the article appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention, the reflecting means for reflecting the reflected light from the side surface of the inspected article, the illuminating means for irradiating the inspected article, the light emitted from the reflecting means and the inspected article An imaging means for imaging reflected light from the upper surface and a processing means for processing a video signal from the imaging means, the reflecting means surrounds the inspected article when viewed from the upper surface side of the inspected article. A plurality of reflectors arranged, and the illumination means includes upper surface illumination means for irradiating at least the upper surface of the article to be inspected from between the adjacent reflectors. The upper surface and the side surface can be imaged and inspected at the same time, the intensity of light irradiating the upper surface of the inspected article can be sufficiently obtained, and the upper surface of the inspected article can be inspected with high accuracy.

Further, in the appearance inspection apparatus for an article according to the present invention, when the surface on the inspected article side of the reflector is composed of a plurality of planes, the arrangement of the reflector is changed corresponding to the outer shape of the inspected article. Thereby, it can be set as the reflection means which can reflect the reflected light reflected from the perimeter of the side surface of the article to be inspected. Therefore, it can be set as the external appearance inspection apparatus without a blind spot which is an area | region which is not inspected even if an external appearance inspection is performed, and the side surface of the inspected article can be inspected with high accuracy. Therefore, even if the outer shape of the inspected article is any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, an ellipse, or a polygon when viewed from the upper surface side of the inspected article, Therefore, the upper surface and the side surface of the inspected article can be inspected with high accuracy.
Further, in the appearance inspection apparatus for an article according to the present invention, when the surface on the inspected article side of the reflector is composed of a plurality of planes, the surface on the inspected article side of the reflector corresponds to the shape of the inspected article. Compared to the case of a curved surface, the inspection sensitivity with respect to the edge portion which is the boundary portion between the upper surface and the side surface of the inspected article is higher.

  Moreover, since the surface inspection apparatus of the present invention includes the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention as the first appearance inspection apparatus and the second appearance inspection apparatus, the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface of the article to be inspected can be easily obtained. Can be inspected with high accuracy. Further, according to the surface inspection apparatus of the present invention, the side surface of the inspected article is inspected twice by the first appearance inspection apparatus and the second appearance inspection apparatus. Can be inspected.

Next, an appearance inspection apparatus and a surface inspection apparatus for articles according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a surface inspection apparatus according to the present invention provided with an appearance inspection apparatus for articles according to the present invention. 1 includes a surface inspection drum 5 and a back surface inspection drum 6 that are horizontally supported by a wall portion 2 erected on a stage 1 and arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and tablets and candy on the surface inspection drum 5. , A supply device 7 for supplying an inspected article such as chocolate, a first appearance inspection device 8 disposed on the side of the surface inspection drum 5, and a first disposed on the side of the back surface inspection drum 6. 2 Appearance inspection device 9, discharge conveyor 10 for discharging the non-defective product after inspection from the back surface inspection drum 6, receiving part 11 for collecting defective products after inspection from the back surface inspection drum 6, and the back surface It is mainly composed of a defectively discharged product receiving portion 12 for receiving an inspected article that has been discharged from the inspection drum 6.

  The surface inspection drum 5 (first inspection drum) conveys the article to be inspected by rotating while holding the article to be inspected and supported on the outer peripheral surface with the upper surface of the article to be inspected facing outward. It is. As shown in FIG. 1, a back surface inspection drum 6 (second inspection drum) is rotatably installed below the surface inspection drum 5 with the outer peripheral surface being close to the surface inspection drum 5. The back surface inspection drum 6 receives the inspected article from the front surface inspection drum 5 and rotates while holding the inspected article by adsorbing and supporting the outer peripheral surface with the lower surface of the inspected article facing outward.

A conveying device 7 connected to the hopper 50 and for supplying an object to be inspected accommodated in the hopper 50 to the upper side of the surface inspection drum 5 is incorporated in the upper left side of the surface inspection drum 5 shown in FIG. Then, an article to be inspected is supplied to the surface inspection drum 5 by an inclined chute 52 provided in the transport device 7.
Further, an inverted V-shaped conveyance path 60 is installed on the lower side of the center of the back surface inspection drum 6 shown in FIG. A passage switching valve 61 is incorporated in a branch portion of the conveyance path 60, and a receiving portion 12 for receiving a defective discharge product is connected to the branch path 62 on the left side of the conveyance path 60. A conveyor device 10 for carrying out non-defective products is connected to the 63 side.

  On the right side of the surface inspection drum 5 shown in FIG. 1, a first appearance inspection device 8 is supported by a frame 53 and installed. The first appearance inspection device 8 is for inspecting the appearance of the article to be inspected held on the outer peripheral surface of the surface inspection drum 5. A second appearance inspection device 9 is supported by a frame 54 on the left side of the back surface inspection drum 6. The second appearance inspection device 9 is for inspecting the appearance of the article to be inspected held on the outer peripheral surface of the back surface inspection drum 6.

  The surface inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes the appearance inspection apparatus for articles shown in FIG. 2 as the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 and the second appearance inspection apparatus 9. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an article appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the description of the lighting device is omitted to make the drawing easier to see. 3 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the reflecting means and the illuminating means constituting the appearance inspection apparatus for an article shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 (a) shows the article to be inspected from the upper surface side. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the positional relationship among the reflecting means, the illuminating means, and the article to be inspected when viewed, and FIG. 3B shows the reflecting means, the illuminating means, and the inspected article when the inspected article is viewed from the side surface side. FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing only one of the reflectors constituting the appearance inspection apparatus for articles shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, an appearance inspection apparatus that performs an appearance inspection when the shape of the article S to be inspected is circular when viewed from the upper surface S1 side will be described.

The article appearance inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 2 includes a reflection means 20, an illumination means (not shown in FIG. 2), an imaging means 30, and a processing means (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 2, the image pickup means 30 picks up the emitted light 2 d emitted from the reflection means 20 and the reflected light 2 e from the upper surface S <b> 1 of the article S to be inspected. As the imaging means 30, what consists of an imaging lens and an area sensor etc. can be used.
The processing means processes a video signal from the image pickup means 30 and is electrically connected to the image pickup means 30 by a connection means (not shown). As the processing means, for example, a PC (personal computer) or the like can be used. The function as the processing means is realized by loading a program for realizing the function as the processing means into a memory provided in the PC and executing it by a CPU (central processing unit). A PC equipped with a monitor can be used. As the monitor, a display device including a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a liquid crystal display, or the like can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reflecting means 20 reflects the reflected light 2a from the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected. As shown in FIG. 3, the reflecting means 20 includes six reflectors 22, a U-shaped support member 23 that supports the upper part of the reflector 22, and a fixing plate 21 to which the support member 23 is attached. The six reflectors 22 are fixed at predetermined positions by the support member 23 and the fixing plate 21. The fixing plate 21 has a ring shape and blocks the emitted light 2d emitted from the reflector 22 toward the imaging means 30 and the reflected light 2e from the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected. There is no such thing.

  Each reflector 22 is a prism made of glass or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflectors 22 are all disposed above the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected. As shown in FIG. 3A, the six reflectors 22 are arranged in an annular shape so as to surround the inspected article S when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the inspected article S, and are circular. It arrange | positions at equal intervals on the locus | trajectory similar to the external shape of a certain to-be-inspected article S. FIG. Further, in the reflecting means 20 shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIGS. 3 (a), 3 (b) and 4, the surface of the reflector 22 on the inspected article S side consists of three planes 22a. As shown to 3 (a), each plane 22a of each reflector 22 is arrange | positioned so that each side of a hexagon may be followed. Therefore, in the reflecting means 20 shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3A, the angle θ formed between the extending directions of the planes 22a and 22a of the two adjacent reflectors 22 and 22 is 120 °. Yes.

  Moreover, as shown to Fig.3 (a) and FIG. 4, each reflector 22 is a plate-shaped thing which has fixed thickness. As shown in FIG. 4, a first plane 22c is provided at a position closest to the inspected article S among the three planes 22a constituting the surface of the reflector 22 on the inspected article S side. A third plane 22e is provided at a position far from the inspection article S, and a second plane 22d is provided between the first plane 22c and the third plane 22e. As shown in FIG. 4, the first plane 22 c is inclined toward the article S to be inspected. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the third plane 22e is parallel to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected, but may be inclined toward the article S to be inspected. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the second plane 22d is inclined toward the inspected article S, but the extending direction of the second plane 22d is the side surface S2 of the inspected article S rather than the first plane 22c. It is supposed to be close to the extending direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the three planes 22 a have intrinsic reflection areas 24 that reflect the reflected light 2 a that is not reflected by another reflector 22 among the reflected light 2 a from the side surface S 2 of the article S to be inspected. An overlap reflection area 25 is provided that reflects the reflected light 2 a that is disposed outside the intrinsic reflection area 24 and is also reflected by another adjacent reflector 22.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer surface 22 f that is the surface of the reflector 22 on the side opposite to the inspected article S is composed of one plane and is parallel to the side surface S <b> 2 of the inspected article S. However, it may be inclined toward the article S to be inspected. Further, the top surface 22g of the reflector 22 is composed of one plane and may extend in a direction orthogonal to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected. However, as shown in FIG. It may be inclined toward 30. When the angle of the top surface 22g is tilted toward the imaging means 30 from the direction orthogonal to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected, the emitted light 2d emitted from the reflecting means 20 is collected at a position near the center of the imaging means 30. Therefore, the resolution of the imaging means 30 can be used effectively, and the inspection accuracy can be further improved.

  In the reflector 22 constituting the reflecting means 20 shown in FIG. 2, the reflected light 2a from the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected enters the reflector 22 from the first plane 22c as shown in FIG. 4, and the outer surface 22f. Reflected by. The reflected light 2b reflected by the outer surface 22f is reflected by the second plane 22d. Then, the reflected light 2c reflected by the second plane 22d is emitted as emitted light 2d toward the imaging means 30 through the top surface 22g, as shown in FIGS.

In the reflection means 20 shown in FIG. 3, the case where the shape of the article S to be inspected is circular when viewed from the upper surface S1 side and the number of the reflectors 22 is six is described as an example. The number of the reflectors 22 should just be plural, and the number of the reflectors 22 is not limited to six. The number of the reflectors 22 is preferably in the range of 4 to 12, and more preferably in the range of 6 to 8.
When the number of the reflectors 22 is in the range of 4 to 12, as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4, the surface of the reflector 22 on the inspected article S side has a plurality of flat surfaces 22a. The reflection means 20 that can easily reflect the reflected light 2a that is reflected from the entire circumference of the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be used, and there is no blind spot that is an area that is not inspected even when an appearance inspection is performed. It can be set as an appearance inspection apparatus. Further, when the number of the reflectors 22 is in the range of 6 to 8, the reflectors 22 are arranged at an angle close to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the article S to be inspected. The ratio of the flat surface 22a increases, and the accuracy of appearance inspection of the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be improved.

  Further, when the shape of the article S to be inspected is circular when viewed from the upper surface S1 side, if the number of the reflectors 22 exceeds 12, it is difficult to secure a sufficient space for arranging the upper surface illumination means 41. Therefore, it is not preferable. Further, the video signal obtained from the light emitted from the reflecting means 20 is obtained by dividing the side surface S2 of the inspected article S into a number corresponding to the number of the reflectors 22. For this reason, when the number of the reflectors 22 exceeds 12, the number of divisions of the video signal obtained from the light emitted from the reflecting means 20 becomes too large, for example, there are a plurality of defects on the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected. In some cases, such as the divided video signal, it becomes difficult to confirm the shape of the chipped portion, and the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected may be lowered.

The illuminating means 40 constituting the reflecting means 20 shown in FIG. 2 irradiates the article S to be inspected, and includes a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) and the like. The illumination means 40 includes a top illumination means 41 and a side illumination means 42 as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b).
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper surface illumination unit 41 irradiates the upper surface S <b> 1 of the inspected article S from between the adjacent reflectors 22. It consists of six illuminating devices 41b having two LEDs 41a and 41a arranged in the thickness direction of the inspected article S at an angle inclined with respect to S1 and the side surface S2. The upper surface illumination means 41 may be one in which the number of LEDs, the illumination intensity, and the illumination direction are changed so that not only the upper surface S1 but also the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be illuminated.
The side illumination means 42 illuminates the side surface of the article S to be inspected, and is arranged at a position closer to the article S to be inspected than the reflecting means 20 as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the side illumination means 42 is a ring-shaped member disposed so as to surround the inspected article S when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the inspected article S. A plurality of LEDs 42a are annularly arranged.

Next, the operation and method for inspecting the appearance of the article S to be inspected using the front surface inspection drum 5 and the back surface inspection drum 6 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
First, the surface inspection drum 5 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the back surface inspection drum 6 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, so that the articles S to be inspected are sequentially supplied from the chute 52 to the surface inspection drum 5. The supplied article S to be inspected is adsorbed and supported on the outer peripheral surface of the surface inspection drum 5 with the upper surface S1 facing outward. Then, the article S to be inspected held on the outer peripheral surface by the rotation of the surface inspection drum 5 is transported to a position facing the first appearance inspection device 8, and the upper surface S1 and the side surface are examined by the appearance inspection device for articles shown in FIG. The appearance of S2 is inspected.

  In the appearance inspection of the inspected article S here, the top surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the inspected article S are brightly illuminated by the top surface illumination means 41 and the side surface illumination means 42 of the illumination means 40 shown in FIG. . Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflected light 2a reflected by the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected enters the reflector 22 of the reflector 20 and is reflected twice in the reflector 22, and then the imaging means. 30 is emitted as outgoing light 2d. Subsequently, the imaging unit 30 images the outgoing light 2d emitted from the reflecting unit 20 and the reflected light 2e from the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected. Thereafter, the video signal from the imaging means is processed by the processing means, so that the top surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the inspected article S have defects such as adhesion of foreign matter, dirt, deformation such as chipping and cracking, or defective printing. It is checked whether it has occurred.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inspected article S whose appearance has been inspected by the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 is lowered by the rotation of the surface inspection drum 5, and at the position close to the back surface inspection drum 6, the outer periphery of the back surface inspection drum 6. It is sucked and supported in a state of being turned upside down (a state in which the lower surface on the outer peripheral surface of the surface inspection drum 5 faces outward), and rotates and moves counterclockwise by the rotation of the back surface inspection drum 6. Then, when the inspected article S in an inverted state is conveyed to a position facing the second appearance inspection device 9 by the rotation of the back surface inspection drum 6, it is separate from the first appearance inspection device 8 and has the same configuration as FIG. As in the appearance inspection by the first appearance inspection apparatus 8, the appearance of the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the inspected article S in the inverted state is inspected by the article appearance inspection device shown in FIG.

  In the second appearance inspection apparatus 9, the side surface of the inspected article S arranged in the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 at a position orthogonal to the plane 22a constituting the surface of the reflector 22 on the inspected article S side. It is preferable that the relative position of the reflector 22 of the reflecting means 20 with respect to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected is different so that S2 is not perpendicular to the flat surface 22a. Specifically, in the first appearance inspection apparatus 8, the diameter direction of the side surface S2 of the inspected article S arranged at a position orthogonal to the plane 22a constituting the surface of the reflector 22 on the inspected article S side is the first. In the 2 visual inspection apparatus 9, it is preferable to be located between the adjacent reflectors 22. In this way, in the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 and the second appearance inspection apparatus 9, when the relative position of the reflector 22 of the reflecting means 20 with respect to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected is different, each reflector Since the emitted light 2d emitted from 22 corresponds to different areas on the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected in the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 and the second appearance inspection apparatus 9, the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 Defects that are not detected in step 2 are likely to be detected in the second appearance inspection apparatus 9. Therefore, when the relative position of the reflector 22 of the reflecting means 20 with respect to the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected is different between the first appearance inspection device 8 and the second appearance inspection device 9, the above-described relative position. Compared with the case where it does not change, the inspection accuracy of the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the article S to be inspected by the second appearance inspection device 9 is lowered by the rotation of the back surface inspection drum 6, and the appearance by the first appearance inspection device 8 and the second appearance inspection device 9 is lowered. The inspected article S that has been inferior in the inspection is collected in the receiving unit 11, and the inspected article S that has been made a non-defective product is collected through the conveyance path 60 to the conveyor 10 side or the receiving unit 12 side.

  The appearance inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a reflection unit 20 that reflects the reflected light 2a from the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected, an illumination unit 40 that irradiates the article S to be inspected, and an outgoing light emitted from the reflection unit S. 2d and imaging means 30 for imaging the reflected light 2e from the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected, and processing means for processing a video signal from the imaging means 30. The reflecting means 20 is provided on the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected. A plurality of reflectors 22 are arranged so as to surround the article to be inspected S when viewed from the side, and the illuminating means 40 has an upper surface S1 of the article to be inspected S between the adjacent reflectors 22. Since the upper surface illumination means 41 for irradiating is provided, the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be imaged and inspected at the same time, and the intensity of light irradiating the upper surface of the article to be inspected can be obtained sufficiently. Inspection of the upper surface of the article with high accuracy Kill.

  Further, in the appearance inspection apparatus for articles according to the present embodiment, the reflector 22 reflects the reflected light 2a that is not reflected by another reflector 22 out of the reflected light 2a from the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected. Since it has the area | region 24 and the overlap reflection area | region 25 which is arrange | positioned on the outer side of the intrinsic | native reflection area | region 24, and reflects the reflected light 2a reflected also by another adjacent reflector 22, as shown below The upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be inspected with higher accuracy.

  That is, the video signal obtained from the outgoing light 2d emitted from the reflecting means 20 is obtained by dividing the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected into a number corresponding to the number of the reflectors 22. When the reflector 22 has the intrinsic reflection area 24 and the overlap reflection area 25, the article S to be inspected is divided by the overlap reflection areas 23 respectively provided in the two adjacent reflectors 22. Since the reflected light 2a from the reflected part is reflected, the divided part of the article S to be inspected is double-inspected from angles in two directions. Therefore, the inspection accuracy of the divided part of the inspected article S becomes high, and the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the inspected article S can be inspected with higher accuracy.

  In the article appearance inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the plurality of reflectors 22 are equally spaced on a locus having a shape similar to the outer shape of the article S to be inspected when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the article S to be inspected. Therefore, the correlation between the video signal obtained from the emitted light 2d emitted from the reflecting means 20 and the outer shape of the article S to be inspected can be easily confirmed, and the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected. The inspection accuracy can be further increased.

  In the article appearance inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the illumination unit 40 includes the side illumination unit 42 that irradiates the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected, and the side illumination unit 42 is more covered than the reflection unit 20. Since it is a ring-shaped object that is arranged at a position close to the inspection article S and that surrounds the inspection article S when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the inspection article S, the side surface of the inspection article S The intensity of the light irradiated with S2 is sufficiently high, and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be inspected with higher accuracy.

Further, in the appearance inspection apparatus for an article according to the present embodiment, the reflector 22 is disposed above the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected, so that the reflector 22 prevents the article S from being conveyed. There is no. Therefore, the position of each reflector 22 when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the inspected article S can be arranged close to the inspected article S. As a result, the distance between the reflector 22 and the article S to be inspected is reduced, and the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected can be imaged with high resolution, and inspection can be performed with higher accuracy.
On the other hand, when the reflector 22 is disposed below the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected, a space for transporting the article S to be inspected between the adjacent reflectors 22 is required. . For this reason, the position of each reflector 22 when viewed from the upper surface S1 side of the article S to be inspected is compared with the case where the reflector 22 is arranged above the upper surface S1 of the article S to be inspected. It must be separated from the inspection article S, the distance between the reflector 22 and the article S to be inspected is increased, and the resolution is lowered.

  Moreover, since the surface inspection apparatus of this embodiment is provided with the appearance inspection apparatus of this embodiment as the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 and the second appearance inspection apparatus 9, the upper surface S1 and the lower surface of the article S to be inspected. The side surface S2 can be easily inspected with high accuracy. Moreover, according to the surface inspection apparatus of the present embodiment, the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected is inspected twice by the first appearance inspection apparatus 8 and the second appearance inspection apparatus 9, and therefore the side surface of the article S to be inspected. S2 can be inspected with higher accuracy.

The appearance inspection apparatus and the surface inspection apparatus for articles according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the number, shape, and arrangement of the reflectors are not limited to the above-described embodiment.
Further, the outer shape of the article to be inspected is not limited to a circular shape when viewed from the upper surface side of the article to be inspected. Any shape such as a square may be used.

"Experimental example"
Examples of the present invention and comparative examples will be described below.
"Example"
Using the article appearance inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 2 provided with the reflection means shown in FIG. 5 as the reflection means, the appearance inspection of the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the inspected article S of the example was performed. The result is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a result of the appearance inspection of the inspected article of the example, and is an image obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means. The photograph of the reflecting means shown in FIG. 5 was taken with the reflecting means installed upside down.

"Comparative example"
The appearance inspection of the upper surface S1 and the side surface S2 of the article S to be inspected was the same as in the example using the same appearance inspection apparatus as that in the example except that the upper surface illumination means 41 was not provided. The result is shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a result of the appearance inspection of the article to be inspected of the comparative example, and is an image obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means.

  6 and 7, in FIG. 6, which is an example of the present invention, the image of the upper surface of the inspected article is brighter and clearer than in the comparative example of FIG. 7, and the upper surface of the inspected article is highly accurate. It became clear that it could be inspected.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a surface inspection apparatus according to the present invention including an appearance inspection apparatus for articles according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an article appearance inspection apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the arrangement relationship between the reflecting means and the illuminating means constituting the article appearance inspection apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing only one of the reflectors constituting the article appearance inspection apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a photograph of the reflecting means constituting the article appearance inspection apparatus used in the examples. FIG. 6 is a result of the appearance inspection of the inspected article of the example, and is an image obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means. FIG. 7 is a result of the appearance inspection of the article to be inspected of the comparative example, and is an image obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means.

Explanation of symbols

2a ... reflected light, 2b ... reflected light, 2c ... reflected light, 2d ... outgoing light, 2e ... reflected light, 5 ... front surface (first) inspection drum, 6 ... back surface (second) inspection drum, 8 ... first appearance Inspection device, 9 ... second appearance inspection device, 20 ... reflecting means, 22 ... reflector, 22a ... flat surface, 22f ... outer surface, 22g ... top surface, 24 ... specific reflection region, 25 ... overlapping reflection region, 30 ... imaging Means 40... Illumination means 41. Upper surface illumination means 42. Side illumination means S S. Inspected article S 1.

Claims (5)

A reflecting means for reflecting reflected light from the side surface of the article to be inspected, an illuminating means for irradiating the article to be inspected, and an imaging means arranged on the upper surface of the article to be inspected, comprising imaging means for simultaneously imaging the light reflected from the upper surface of the light and the inspection article which is emitted from the reflecting means towards, and processing means for processing the video signal from the imaging means,
The reflecting means includes a plurality of reflectors arranged so as to surround the inspected article when viewed from the upper surface side of the inspected article, and the surface of the reflector on the inspected article side Consists of multiple planes,
The reflection body is a reflection area that reflects reflected light that is not reflected by another reflection body of the reflection light, and a reflection that is disposed outside the reflection area and reflected by another adjacent reflection body. have a overlap reflection region for reflecting the light from the light emitted from said reflecting means, said one side surface of the article to be inspected is an image signal divided into a number corresponding to the number of the reflector is obtained Yes, reflected light from the divided portion of the inspected article in the divided video signal is reflected by the overlap reflection region,
The illumination means includes upper surface illumination means for illuminating at least the upper surface of the article to be inspected from between the adjacent reflectors, and side illumination means for illuminating the side surface of the article to be inspected. It is arranged in a position closer to the inspected article than the reflecting means, and is a ring-shaped one arranged so as to surround the inspected article when viewed from the upper surface side of the inspected article. Appearance inspection device for articles. The appearance of the article according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reflectors are arranged on a locus having a shape similar to the outer shape of the article to be inspected when viewed from the upper surface side of the article to be inspected. Inspection device. 3. The article appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is disposed above an upper surface of the article to be inspected. An image of the inspected article obtained from the imaging signal processed by the processing means is annularly formed with an image of the upper surface of the inspected article and a number corresponding to the number of the reflectors around the image of the upper surface. An image of a side surface of the article to be inspected,
Each of the side images was obtained based on an image specific to each of the side images obtained based on the light reflected on the intrinsic reflection area and on the light reflected on the overlap reflection area. The overlap image is arranged on the image side of the adjacent side surface of the unique image, and is the same as the side surface of the article to be inspected shown in the overlap image of the image of the adjacent side surface. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a partial image. A first inspection drum that conveys the article to be inspected by rotating while holding any surface in the thickness direction of the article to be inspected on the outer peripheral surface;
The first inspection drum is rotatably installed with an outer peripheral surface in proximity to the lower side of the first inspection drum, the inspection article is received from the first inspection drum, and the inspection article is transported by the first inspection drum. A second inspection drum that rotates while being held on the outer peripheral surface in an inverted state;
A first appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of the article to be inspected held on the outer peripheral surface of the first inspection drum, and a first inspecting the appearance of the inspected article held on the outer peripheral surface of the second inspection drum. 2 visual inspection equipment,
The surface inspection apparatus characterized by appearance inspection apparatus is provided according to any of claims 1 to 4 as a first visual inspection apparatus and said second visual inspection apparatus.

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