JP4877445B2 - Counting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a counting device that counts the number of measurement target articles based on a series of displacement data strings obtained while relatively moving a displacement sensor and a measurement target article string.

  An apparatus for counting the number of measurement target articles based on the obtained displacement data string while relatively moving the sensor head of the displacement sensor and the measurement target string is conventionally known. Here, as the displacement sensor, various types such as optical type (laser beam, visible light, infrared ray, etc.), magnetic type, microwave type, ultrasonic type and the like can be adopted. Further, as a method for relatively moving the sensor head of the displacement sensor and the measurement target article row, the displacement sensor is fixed at a specific position on the conveyance path to which the measurement target article row is sent and flows. Known are those that detect the height of the measurement target article, and those that keep the measurement target article row stationary and move the displacement sensor along this line to manipulate the height thereof.

  By the way, in a system in which a packing station is provided on a conveyance path for continuously flowing products, and a fixed number of products are packed in this packing station, a predetermined number of products have been transferred to such a packing station. It is necessary to confirm that.

A displacement sensor is installed in front of the packing station on the conveyance path where the plate product flows, and the number of plate products is counted by counting pulses obtained by differentiating a series of displacement data obtained from this displacement sensor. A technique is conventionally known (see Patent Document 1).
JP 7-271945 A

  However, the following problems have been pointed out in the above-described conventional technique (see Patent Document 1). FIG. 42 shows an illustration of the prior art and its problems.

First, there is a problem of erroneous counting due to unevenness of the product surface, vibration during transportation, and the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 42 (a), when the product surface is uneven or there is vibration during transportation, positive noise a and negative noise b appear on the displacement waveform. Then, on the differential waveform, a negative pulse c, a negative pulse d, and the like corresponding to the falling of the positive noise a and the negative noise b appear. For this reason, if the count pulse is generated by comparing the level of the negative pulse on the differential waveform with a predetermined threshold value, a count pulse is also generated in the negative pulses c and d, resulting in erroneous counting.

  Second, it is quite difficult to set the parameters for differentiation optimally. In addition, even if the parameters are set optimally, the differential value is also affected when the transport speed changes, which also causes erroneous counts. Is to occur. That is, as shown in FIG. 42 (b), when the differential time is Δt and the amount of change within the differential time is Δh, the differential value is Δh / Δt. Change. In addition, since the displacement waveform changes as the conveyance speed increases or decreases, the height of the differential pulse is also affected, resulting in an erroneous count in relation to the threshold value.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such conventional problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a counting device in which erroneous counting does not occur due to unevenness of the product surface, vibration during transportation, or the like. There is to do.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a counting device that is less prone to erroneous counting due to unevenness of the surface of the product, vibration during transportation, and the like, and that is unlikely to cause erroneous counting even when the transportation speed changes. is there.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a counting device that can easily set parameters necessary for counting in addition to the above.

  Other objects and operational effects of the present invention should be easily understood by those skilled in the art with reference to the description of the following specification.

Counting apparatus of this invention, when moved relatively to a series of count object and the displacement sensor, counting the count number of objects based on the displacement waveform consisting of a series of displacement data obtained from the displacement sensor Is a basic premise. The counting device includes a top / valley search means for sequentially searching a top (crest) and a valley (valley) on the displacement waveform by alternately repeating the operation of the top search mode and the operation of the valley search mode. And counting means for generating count information by counting the tops and / or valleys searched by the top / valley searching means . Here, the operation of the top search mode in the top valley search means is based on the current value of the displacement data sequentially obtained from the displacement sensor, while updating the maximum value of the displacement data after the start of the operation of the mode, Based on the fact that the deviation between the maximum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for top search, it is determined that the top search has been completed and the operation of the mode is terminated. The operation of the valley search mode in the top valley search means is based on the current value of the displacement data sequentially obtained from the displacement sensor, while updating the minimum value of the displacement data after the start of the operation of the mode. Based on the fact that the deviation between the value and the current value has exceeded the detection level for the valley search, it is determined that the completion of the valley search is determined and the operation of the mode is terminated. According to such a configuration, there is an advantage that erroneous counting due to unevenness on the surface of the product, vibration during transportation, and the like is less likely to occur, and that erroneous counting is less likely to occur even when the transportation speed changes.

In embodiments of the present invention, the determination of the top search completed, that the maximum value at the time the deviation of the maximum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for the top search is within the normal displacement range is performed as a condition, and the judgment of the valley search is completed, that said minimum value at the time the deviation of the minimum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for the valley search is within the normal displacement range It may be performed as a condition . According to such a configuration, by properly teaching the normal displacement range in advance, it is possible to prevent erroneous counting based on pseudo tops and valleys caused by things other than the counting object.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a displacement detection value abnormality monitoring unit that emits a corresponding output when the value of the displacement data obtained from the displacement sensor is abnormal may be provided. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous counting based on the top and the valley caused by the displacement signal output in a state in which the displacement sensor cannot be detected.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the interval between the tops that are searched for in the operation of the top search mode and / or the interval of the valleys that are searched for in the operation of the valley search mode are measured. When there is an abnormality, an interval abnormality monitoring means for emitting a corresponding output may be provided. According to such a configuration, not only the number of objects to be counted but also an abnormality in the arrangement interval can be monitored simultaneously.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the distribution of the number of tops or the number of valleys obtained for each detection level is obtained while scanning the detection level , and the top search is performed corresponding to the center of the flat area of the distribution thus obtained . Detection level automatic setting means for automatically setting the detection level and / or detection level for valley search may be provided. According to such a configuration, a complicated detection level setting operation is not required, and the counting device can be immediately introduced into the production line.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a change tendency of the number of tops or the number of valleys obtained for each detection level while scanning the set detection level within a predetermined range is obtained, and based on the magnitude of the change tendency thus obtained , Countability diagnosis means for diagnosing countability at the set detection level may be provided. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily check whether the currently set detection level for top search or valley search is appropriate.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, there may be provided display means for simultaneously displaying the displacement waveform and the top or valley recognition timing with the time axis aligned. According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the counting object is properly counted by comparing the displacement waveform with the top or valley recognition timing.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, display means for displaying the displacement waveform and the detection level for top search or valley search in an overlapping manner may be provided. According to such a configuration, it is possible to visually check whether or not the detection level for top search or valley search is appropriately set.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, there may be provided display means for displaying individual waves included in the displacement waveform with the prescribed values aligned. According to such a configuration, it becomes easy to relatively and visually confirm the height of each wave included in the displacement waveform.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the detection level for top search and the detection level for valley search may be set individually. According to such a configuration, even if each wave included in the displacement waveform is asymmetrical, it is possible to appropriately search for a top or valley included in the wave.

According to the counting device of the present invention, when the series of objects to be counted and the displacement sensor are relatively moved, the number of objects to be counted is counted based on a displacement waveform made up of a series of displacement data obtained from the displacement sensor. The basic premise is to do this. The counting device includes a top / valley search means for sequentially searching a top (crest) and a valley (valley) on the displacement waveform by alternately repeating the operation of the top search mode and the operation of the valley search mode. And counting means for generating count information by counting the tops and / or valleys searched by the top / valley searching means . Further, the operation of the top search mode in the top valley search means is based on the current value of the displacement data sequentially obtained from the displacement sensor, while updating the maximum value of the displacement data after the start of the operation of the mode. Based on the fact that the deviation between the value and the current value exceeds the detection level for top search, it is determined that the top search has been completed and the operation of the mode is terminated. The operation of the valley search mode in the top valley search means is based on the current value of the displacement data sequentially obtained from the displacement sensor, while updating the minimum value of the displacement data after the start of the operation of the mode. Based on the fact that the deviation between the value and the current value has exceeded the detection level for the valley search, it is determined that the completion of the valley search is determined and the operation of the mode is terminated. For this reason , there is an advantage that erroneous counting due to unevenness on the surface of the product, vibration during transportation, and the like is less likely to occur, and that erroneous counting is less likely to occur even when the transportation speed changes.

  In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the adjacent coupling state of the expansion unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 constituting the counting device of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the extension unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 are connected in a row in an adjacently coupled state via a DIN rail 3 in this example.

  In this example, the case 4 of the extension unit 1 and the case 5 of the amplifier unit 2 have the same standard. The cases 4 and 5 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is slightly elongated in a direction orthogonal to the DIN rail 3. That is, the case 4 of the extension unit 1 has a front face 4a, a rear face 4b, a left face 4c, a right face 4d, an upper face 4e, and a bottom face 4f, and has a hexahedral box shape.

  Similarly, the case 5 of the amplifier unit 2 is provided with a front surface 5a, a rear surface 5b, a left side surface 5c, a right side surface 5d, an upper surface 5e, and a bottom surface 5f, and has a hexahedral shape.

  A first electric cord 6 is drawn out from the front surface 5 a of the amplifier unit 2. The first electric cord 6 includes an external input line, an external output line, a power supply line, and the like. The external input line is for giving various commands to the amplifier unit 2 from the PLC, for example, and the external output line is a switching output or an analog output generated inside the amplifier unit 2, for example. The power supply line is for supplying power to the internal circuit of the amplifier unit 2.

  The second electric cord 7 drawn from the rear surface 5b of the amplifier unit 2 includes various signal lines for exchanging signals with a sensor head unit 9 (see FIG. 2) described later. These signal lines include a received light amount signal generated in the sensor head unit 9. A round connector 8 is attached to the tip of the second electric cord 7. The circular connector 8 is coupled to a similar circular connector 13 attached to the tip of an electric cord 12 drawn from a sensor head 9 (not shown).

  A perspective view of a sensor head unit for a displacement sensor is shown in FIG. The sensor head unit 9 shown in the figure has a rectangular parallelepiped case 10. A light emitting / receiving window 11 is provided on the front side of the case 10, an electric cord 12 is drawn out from the rear side, and a round connector 13 is attached to the tip thereof. Then, this round connector 13 and the round connector 8 are joined. As described above, in the amplifier-separated photoelectric sensor, the amplifier unit 2 and the sensor head unit 9 can be separated as needed by attaching and detaching the round connector 13 and the round connector 8. As is well known to those skilled in the art, in the sensor head unit 9, as shown in FIG. 3, a light source 9a, a light projecting optical system 9b, a light receiving optical system 9c, a position detecting element 9d, Built-in light emitting and light receiving circuits. Then, an input signal to the light projecting circuit, an output signal from the light receiving circuit, and the like flow through the electric cord 12. The displacement sensor can measure the distance (L1, L2) to the surface (S1, S2) of the measurement object based on the principle of the light cutting method.

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, the third electrical cord 14 is drawn out from the rear surface 4b of the expansion unit 1, and the RS-232C connector connected to the corresponding connector on the personal computer side is connected to the tip of the third electrical cord 14. 15 is attached. The third electric cord 14 includes a communication line for exchanging data between the expansion unit 1 and the personal computer PC.

  A fourth electric cord 16 is drawn from the front surface 4 a of the expansion unit 1. The fourth electric cord 16 includes an external input line, an external output line, a power supply line, and the like. The external input line gives various commands to the expansion unit 1 from an external PLC or the like, and the external output line sends various signals (details will be described later) generated inside the expansion unit to the external PLC. The power supply line is for supplying power to the internal circuit of the expansion unit 1. As is apparent from the figure, the size of the case 4 of the expansion unit 1 is designed to be sufficiently small as is apparent from the size of the RS-232C connector 15.

  A transparent cover 4g that can be opened and closed is provided on the upper surface of the expansion unit 1. An operation display unit 23 for performing various command operations and operation displays in the expansion unit 1 is provided under the transparent cover 4g.

  A transparent cover 5 g that can be opened and closed is also provided on the upper surface of the amplifier unit 2. An operation display unit 25 for performing various command operations and operation displays in the amplifier unit 2 is provided under the transparent cover 5g.

  As is apparent with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the case 4 of the expansion unit 1 is configured to be relatively small, but the upper surface 4 e that faces the user in the DIN rail mounting state is effectively utilized. The operation display unit 23 is disposed here. The operation display unit 23 can be arranged in such a manner that the RS-232C connector 15 is pulled out from the case 4 without forcibly incorporating the RS-232C connector 15 into the case 4. It is because it is attached to the tip. When such a configuration is adopted, even if an excessive force is applied to the RS-232C connector 15, such a force is interfered by the third electric cord 14, so that the main body case 4 is not damaged. . On the other hand, if the RS-232C connector 15 is fixedly attached to the case 4 of the expansion unit 1, an excessive force is applied to the case 4 side when the connector is disconnected, and the case may be damaged. There is a risk of poor connection.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a slide lid 17 and a slide lid 18 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the case 4 of the extension unit 1 and the case 5 of the amplifier unit 2. When these slide lids 17 and 18 are opened, a connector window 19 faces inside, and the adjacent coupling connector 20 is exposed in the window. Accordingly, the expansion unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 are electrically and mechanically coupled by engaging the adjacent coupling connectors 20 and 22 exposed on the opposite side surfaces. Needless to say, the entire units 1 and 2 are fixed via the DIN rail 3 as shown in FIG. Further, the adjacent coupling connectors 20 and 22 include both a first transmission line (BB) and a second transmission line (BS0, BS1) described later.

  FIG. 4 shows a plan view showing the adjacent coupling state between the extension unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2. As shown in the figure, when these units 1, 2,... 2 are adjacently coupled, the third electrical cord 14 drawn from the rear surface 4b of the expansion unit 1 and the rear surface 5b of the amplifier unit 2 are drawn. As a result, the second electric cord 7 is drawn in the same direction. On the other hand, the first electric cord 6 drawn out from the front surface 5a of the amplifier unit 2 and the fourth electric cord 16 drawn out from the front surface 4a of the extension unit 1 are electrically corded in the direction orthogonal to the DIN rail 3. As a result, it extends in the direction opposite to 6. Therefore, even when these units 1 and 2 are attached to the surface of the control panel via the DIN rail 3, the electric cords 6, 7, 14, and 16 are drawn out by function, so that the handling is easy. In the case where a large number of units are arranged in parallel, the bundling work becomes easy. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 6, reference numeral 21 denotes a DIN rail fitting groove for coupling with the DIN rail 3.

  A configuration diagram illustrating an example of the operation display unit 23 of the extension unit 1 is illustrated in FIG. 7. As shown in the figure, the operation display unit 23 includes a first 7-segment display 23a, a second 7-segment display 23b, a left-direction key 23c and an up-direction key 23d that constitute a four-direction shift key. , Right direction key 23e, down direction key 23f, and one push button key 23g. By appropriately operating these keys 23c to 23g and displaying various data on the first and second 7-segment displays 23a and 23b, selection of count processing, selection of setting data, which will be described later, and various types of data are displayed. Operation commands can be given.

  The structures of the extension unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 are merely examples of the present invention. In particular, the structure described above is based on the assumption that a personal computer is connected to the expansion unit via communication. The configuration of the present invention does not necessarily require a personal computer. In that case, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the RS-232C connector 15 and the third electrical cord 14 do not exist.

  Next, an electrical hardware configuration of the extension unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 12. FIG. 10 shows a hardware configuration diagram of the entire sensor system. As shown in the figure, this sensor system includes, for example, a notebook personal computer 26, one expansion unit 1, and two amplifier units 2, 2,... Sequentially connected to the expansion unit 1. It is included.

  As described above, the personal computer 26 and the extension unit 1 are coupled via the connector 15 and the electric cord 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

  The extension unit 1 includes a driver IC 101 and a CPU 102. The driver IC 101 supports RS-232C communication. Although not shown, the CPU 102 includes a program memory that stores firmware that defines the function of the expansion unit 1 and a microprocessor that executes the firmware in the program memory. In addition, the CPU 102 includes a data storage memory 102a. As will be described later in detail, the memory 102a accumulates and stores measurement data sent from the amplifier unit according to a predetermined procedure.

  A circuit block diagram showing a more detailed internal configuration of the extension unit 1 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the expansion unit 1, the CPU 102, the amplifier unit side circuit board 103, the RS-232C driver 101 for realizing communication with the personal computer, and the operation constituting the operation display unit 23 are shown. The part 23-1 and the display part 23-2 are included. The circuit board 103 on the amplifier side includes a connector (right side) 22 for connection with the amplifier and a current inflow prevention circuit (when the power is not turned on) 104. The external input circuit 105 is used to input various commands coming from the PLC or the like to the CPU 102 via an external input / output line. The analog output circuit 106 is for outputting various analog outputs generated in the expansion unit 1 to the outside via an external input / output line. The external output circuit 107 is for outputting various signals generated by the expansion unit to an external input / output line that communicates with a PLC or the like.

  Next, returning to FIG. 10, the internal configuration of the amplifier unit 2 will be described. Each amplifier unit 2 includes a CPU 201 that includes a program memory that stores firmware that defines the function of the amplifier unit, and a microprocessor that executes the firmware in the program memory. The CPU 201 in each amplifier unit 2 is connected to the expansion unit 1 via two serial bus lines BS0 and BS1 having different transmission directions. In addition, the CPU 102 in the extension unit 1 and the CPU 201 in the amplifier unit 2 are also connected in order by a serial transmission line BB that serially transfers data by the bucket relay method.

  The serial bus lines BS0 and BS1 are mainly used for transmission / reception of commands and program data, while the transmission line BB for transmitting data by the bucket relay method transmits measurement data generated in the amplifier unit to each amplifier unit 2. Is used to spill out from the expansion unit 1 to the expansion unit 1. Note that handshake processing is used in combination with data transfer using the transmission line BB.

  A more detailed configuration of the internal circuit of the amplifier unit 2 is shown in the block diagram of FIG. As shown in the figure, an amplifier unit 2 includes a CPU 201, a current inflow prevention circuit (when power is not turned on) 202, a connector (downstream side) 203 connected to the amplifier, and a current inflow prevention. A circuit (when power is not turned on) 204, a connector (upstream side) 205 connected to an amplifier, a power reset circuit 206, an EEPROM 207, an external input circuit 208, an analog output circuit 209, and an external output circuit 210. include.

  As described above, although not shown, the CPU 201 includes a program memory that stores firmware that defines the function of the amplifier unit, and a microprocessor that executes the firmware in the program memory. The analog output circuit 209 is for outputting various analog outputs generated in the amplifier unit 2 to the outside via an external input / output line. The external output circuit 210 outputs determination outputs such as HIGH, PASS, and LOW generated by the amplifier unit to an external input / output line. The external input circuit 208 is used to input various commands coming through the external input / output line to the CPU 201.

  Next, software configurations of the extension unit 1 and the amplifier unit 2 will be described.

Flowchart illustrating a process of the amplifier unit schematically is shown in FIG 3. The process of the amplifier unit includes a normal process shown in FIG. 5A and an SH reception interrupt process shown in FIG.

  In the normal process, the connection process is executed immediately after the power is turned on as shown in FIG. This connection process is well known to those skilled in the art in this type of continuous sensor unit, that is, in order from the amplifier unit located at the end of the series of amplifier units arranged adjacent to each other. By assigning an address, a unique address is assigned to each of the amplifier units constituting the amplifier unit row, and at the same time, a synchronization reference point for measurement timing is acquired, and cyclic pulse lighting processing is automatically started. That is, in this type of continuous displacement sensor system, light is projected and received sequentially with a time difference in order to prevent interference between adjacent sensors. This light projection / reception is performed cyclically with a phase difference between adjacent amplifier units.

  When the connection process is completed in this way, the key input reception process (step 1302) and the external input reception process (step 1303) are subsequently executed. In the key input acceptance process (step 1302), it is determined whether or not any key input operation has been performed on the operation unit 25-1 by checking a signal from the operation unit 25-1 shown in FIG. In the external input reception process (step 1303), a signal from the external input circuit 208 is checked to determine whether any command has arrived via the external input line.

  In the subsequent input corresponding process (step 1304), various processes are executed based on the key input or external input accepted in the above steps. The details of the input handling process will be described with reference to detailed flowcharts when various functions to be described later are described.

  Next, in the SH reception interrupt process, as shown in FIG. 5B, execution is started in the interrupt process by SH (shake hand signal) reception from the upstream side (amplifier unit), and first the delay process ( Step 1311) is executed to ensure a difference in light projection time with adjacent sensors. Subsequently, a light projecting process (step 1312) and a light receiving process (step 1313) are executed to irradiate the detection target object with pulsed light, and then a measurement process (step 1314) is executed. In this measurement process (step 1314), measurement data corresponding to the distance to the detection target object (corresponding to L1 and L2 in FIG. 3) is acquired according to the unique algorithm of the displacement sensor.

In the subsequent measurement data transfer process (step 1315), S is H transmitted measurement data group received from the obtained measurement data and the upstream side of the amplifier unit in the above process to the downstream side of the amplifier unit or expansion unit.

  In the subsequent determination process (step 1316), one or more determination reference values are applied to the measurement data obtained in the measurement process (step 1314) to perform a predetermined determination process, and the industrial product that is the measurement target object Judgment of product quality such as This determination is performed, for example, as LOW (too low or too small), PASS (good), HIGH (too high or too large), or the like.

  In the subsequent output process (step 1317), the determination result obtained in the determination process (step 1316) is given to the external output circuit 210, so that the determination output is sent out from the external output line.

  Next, a flowchart schematically showing the processing of the expansion unit is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the entire process of the expansion unit is shown in the normal process shown in FIG. 11A, the higher level interrupt process shown in FIG. SH reception interrupt processing.

  First, in the normal process, as shown in FIG. 5A, the process is started by turning on the power, and the same connection process as before is executed (step 1401).

  Subsequently, in the same manner as in the case of the amplifier unit, after performing the key input reception process (step 1402) and the external input reception process (step 1403), the input corresponding process (step 1404) and the routine process (step 1405) are performed. Execute. These two processes (steps 1404 and 1405) execute various processes according to key input and external input, and details thereof will be described later together with various functional descriptions.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the higher-order interrupt process is started by interruption upon receiving a command from the higher-order (PC), and executes various processes according to commands from the personal computer, for example. This processing includes application program download processing, as will be described in detail later.

  The SH reception interrupt processing is started by interruption upon receipt of the SH signal from the amplifier unit as shown in FIG. 5C, and details thereof will be described later with various functional descriptions. Assumed to be performed.

  Next, an embodiment of the counting device of the present invention realized by the above-described continuous displacement sensor system will be described. As shown in an explanatory diagram showing an example of use of the counting device of the present invention in FIG. 21, the counting device in this embodiment includes a sensor head 9, an amplifier unit 5, an expansion unit 4, and a personal computer 26. In this example, the sensor head 9 can detect the distance to the counting object 27, that is, the height of the counting object 27 by using the laser beam and the principle of the light cutting method. In this example, a plate-like article (for example, paper, printed matter, mail, confectionery such as rice crackers or cookies, sliced fish fillets (sashimi, etc.)) is assumed as the count object 27. Yes. The configurations of the amplifier unit 5 and the expansion unit 4 are as described above with reference to FIGS. The personal computer 26 is configured as a notebook personal computer, and its display unit 26a has a waveform display area 26b for displaying the displacement waveform display 29A and the count display 30A, and a count target value for digitally displaying the count target value. A display area 26c and a count current value display area 26d for digitally displaying the count current value are provided. Here, the count mark 30 is displayed in an impulse form, and the position of the count mark 30 corresponds to the count position on the displacement waveform 29. The configuration of the display unit 26a described above will be described in detail later along with related functions.

  A general flowchart showing the entire software configuration of the counting device of the present invention is shown in FIG. The process shown in the general flowchart is executed in the SH interrupt process (step 1421) shown in FIG. 14C in the process of the extension unit described above with reference to FIG. Returning to FIG. 15, the software configuration of the counting device of the present invention is the count start process (step 1501), the top or valley search process (steps 1504 and 1507), and the top or valley count-up determination process (step 1506). , 1509) and output processing (step 1511). These processes will be described in order below.

First, details of the count start process (step 1501) will be described with reference to FIG . When the process is started in the figure, in step 1601, a data reception process is executed, and acquired data (acquired displacement data) is stored as a current value at that time. Subsequently, in step 1602, a maximum value / minimum value update process is executed, and the maximum value and the minimum value are updated by the current value stored in step 1601. Subsequently, in step 1603, the current value and the maximum value are compared, and only when the current value is larger than the maximum value (step 1603 YES), the maximum value is updated with the current value (step 1604). In subsequent step 1605 is similarly performed the comparison between the current value and the minimum value, only if the current value is less than the minimum value (step 1605YES), minimum value is updated by the current value (Step 1606 ). In step 1607, the current value and comparison between (minimum value + TH) is performed only if the current value is greater than (the minimum value + TH) (step 1607YES), subsequent search target top ( " Meaning "mountain") (step 1609). Here, TH is a detection level. In contrast, in step 1607, the magnitude of the current value is determined to be smaller than (the minimum value + TH) (step 1607NO), at the next step 1608, the current value (maximum value -TH) comparison is made, the current value only if less than (maximum value -TH) (step 1608YES), the search target is set to valley (the meaning of "valleys") (step 1610). On the other hand, the current value is (minimum value + TH) smaller than (step 1607NO), and if it is determined the current value and than (maximum value -TH) large (step 1608NO), in subsequent step 1611, the data reception The process is performed again, and the current value is updated with the acquired displacement data (hereinafter referred to as “acquired data”). The acquired data received in the series of processes is sent to the serial bus BB in the measurement data transfer process (step 1315) in the SH reception interrupt process shown in FIG. Is received from the amplifier unit in the SH reception interrupt process shown in FIG.

  Next, taking a specific example of a series of acquired data strings, the operation when the count start process shown in FIG. 16 is applied thereto will be described with reference to the count start process shown in FIG. I will explain. In the figure, at time t00, the acquired data at that time is stored as a minimum value and a maximum value (step 1602). Thereafter, the minimum value and the maximum value are updated in the direction indicated by the arrow A01 (steps 1604 and 1606). In this example, at time t02, the minimum value is the value of acquired data at time t01. Therefore, at time t02, the current value becomes larger than (minimum value + TH) (step 1607 YES), and the search target is set to the top (step 1609). Therefore, the processing after step 1502 in FIG. 15 is started in the direction indicated by the arrow A02 with the search target as the top.

  Returning to FIG. 15, in step 1502, data reception processing is performed, and the acquired data at that time is stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a and the display data storage memory 102b shown in FIG. At that time, all the acquired data is stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a as shown in FIG. 17A, whereas the display data storage memory 102b is shown in FIG. 17B. As shown, the acquired data is selectively stored at a rate of 1 in N (1 in 8 in the figure). That is, in FIG. 17, D (0000) is the 0000th measurement data, D (0001) is the 0001th measurement data, and D (n) is the nth measurement data. (T) is a top flag for storing that the measurement data at that time corresponds to the top, and (V) is a valley flag for storing that the measurement data at that time corresponds to the valley. In this way, in the measurement data storage memory 102a, all the acquired measurement data is stored together with the flag for storing whether it is the top or the valley, and once in 8 times in the display data storage memory. Similarly, the measurement data sampled at the rate of is stored together with a flag indicating the top or valley. A series of measurement data in the measurement data storage memory 102a is used for various data processing described later, and a series of data stored in the display data storage memory 102b is mainly used for display in the personal computer 26. Is done. In particular, when a relatively small amount of measurement data sufficient for display is stored in advance in the display data storage memory 102b and a data acquisition command arrives from the personal computer 26 side, a series of data in the display data storage memory 102b is stored. This data is sent back to the personal computer 26 side, so it is excellent in noise resistance in the factory. On the other hand, the personal computer 26 side displays good responsiveness while using a relatively low speed RS-232C compared to USB. The action can be performed. At the same time, in step 1502, the acquired data is stored as a current value.

  In the subsequent step 1503, it is determined whether the search target is “top” or “valley”. For this determination, the search target flag previously set in step 1609 or 1610 is referred to in the count start processing of FIG. Here, if the search target is determined to be “top”, the process proceeds to step 1504 and the top search process is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined to be “valley”, the process proceeds to step 1507 and the valley search is performed. Processing is performed.

A detailed flowchart of the top / valley search process is shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows the top search process, and FIG. 4B shows the valley search process. When the top search process shown in FIG. 18A is started, in step 1801, the current value is stored as the maximum value. Subsequently, in step 1802, data reception processing is performed, and the acquired data is stored as a current value. In the subsequent step 1803, the current value and the maximum value are compared, and only when the current value is larger than the maximum value (step 1803 YES), the maximum value is updated with the current value (step 1804). In the subsequent step 1805, the current value is compared with (maximum value-TH). If the current value is larger than (maximum value-TH), the processing in steps 1802-1804 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current value is smaller than (maximum value−TH) (YES in step 1805), the process ends as a result of successful top search. On the other hand, when the valley search process shown in FIG. 18B is started, first, in step 1811, the current value is stored as the minimum value. In subsequent step 1812, data reception processing is performed, and the acquired data is stored as a current value. In the following step 1813, the current value and the minimum value are compared, and only when the current value is smaller than the minimum value (YES in step 1813), the minimum value is updated with the current value (step 1814). In subsequent step 1815, the current value is compared with (minimum value + TH). If the current value is smaller than (minimum value + TH), steps 1812 to 1814 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the current value is greater than (minimum value + TH) (YES in step 1815), the process ends as a result of the valley search being successful.

  Returning to FIG. 15, when the top search succeeds in the top search process (step 1504), the top detection process is executed in the subsequent step 1505, the maximum value at that time is stored as the top value, and the search target is “top To “valley”, and then the top count-up determination process (step 1506) is executed. On the other hand, if the valley search is successful in the valley search process (step 1507), in the subsequent step 1508, the process at the time of detecting the valley is executed, and the minimum value at that time is stored as the valley value. Switching from “valley” to “top” is followed by a valley count-up determination process (step 1509). The “top value” stored in step 1505 and the “valley value” stored in step 1508 are written in the top flag (T) and the valley flag (V) in the measurement data storage memory and the display data storage memory. Is also remembered. The series of measurement data and the top / valley flag stored in the measurement data storage memory and the display data storage memory in this way are used to display the displacement waveform and the count mark in association with each other when displayed on the personal computer 26 described later. Is done.

  Details of the top / valley count-up determination process are shown in the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5A is the top count-up determination process, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 5B is the valley count-up determination process. When the top count-up determination process shown in FIG. 19A is started, first, in step 1901, the value of the top counter T · CNT is incremented by +1. In the subsequent step 1902, the top counter T · CNT output process is executed, and the contents of the top counter T · CNT at that time are displayed on the display unit 23 b shown in FIG. At the same time, the count target value at that time is displayed on the display unit 23a. Furthermore, these count target value and count current value are sent to the personal computer side as a response to the command through the high-order interrupt process (step 1411) shown in FIG. 14, and as shown in FIG. It is also displayed on the count target value display area 26c and the count current value display area 26d of the display unit 26a of the personal computer 26. In the subsequent step 1903, the value of the top counter T · CNT is compared with the count target value, and only when the value of the top counter matches the count target value (YES in step 1903), the top count up flag F (T ) Is set to “1” (step 1904), and the process ends. On the other hand, when the valley / count-up determination process shown in FIG. 19B is started, the value of the valley counter V · CNT is incremented by +1. In the following step 1912, the valley counter output process is executed, and the value of the valley counter V · CNT at that time is displayed on the display unit 23b shown in FIG. The valley count target value at is displayed. Further, in the high-order interrupt process (step 1411) shown in FIG. 14B, it is sent to the personal computer 26 as a response to the command from the personal computer, whereby the count target value display area 26c of the personal computer 26 and the current count are displayed. The display corresponding to the value display area 26d is performed.

  In the subsequent step 1913, the value of the valley counter V · CNT is compared with the count target value, and only when the value of the valley counter and the valley count target value match (step 1913 YES), the valley count up flag F ( V) is set to “1” and the process ends.

  Returning to FIG. 15, when either the top count-up determination process (step 1506) or the valley count-up determination process (step 1509) ends, in the subsequent step 1510, the count end is determined. This counting is terminated by, for example, detecting that the counting object 27 has all passed on the conveyance path or detecting that the counting target period has ended by a predetermined self-analysis process. Thereafter, until the end of the count is determined (NO in step 1510), the above processing (steps 1502 to 1509) is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, when the count end is determined (step 1510 YES), the output process (step 1511) is subsequently executed.

  A flowchart showing details of the output processing is shown in FIG. When the processing is started in the figure, step 2001 is executed to determine whether the count target set in advance by the user is “top” or “valley”. If it is determined that the count target is “top” (step 2001 “top”), the value of the top count-up flag F (T) is referred to in the subsequent step 2002. In subsequent step 2003, it is determined whether or not the top count-up flag F (T) is “1”. If it is determined to be “1” (YES in step 2003), the control output ON process is executed. On the other hand (step 2004), if it is determined to be “0” (NO in step 2003), a control output OFF process is executed (step 2005). On the other hand, if it is determined that the count-up target is “valley” (step 2001 “valley”), then step 2006 is executed and the content of the valley count-up flag F (V) is referred to. The In the following step 2007, it is determined whether or not the valley / count-up flag F (V) is “1”. If it is determined to be “1” (YES in step 2007), the control output ON process (step 2008). On the other hand, if it is determined to be “0” (NO in step 2007), a control output OFF process (step 2009) is executed. Here, when the control output ON process (steps 2004 and 2008) is executed, a predetermined control output line included in the electric cord 16 drawn from the expansion unit 1 is turned on, whereas the control output is controlled. When the OFF process (steps 2005 and 2009) is executed, a predetermined control output line included in the electric cord 16 is turned off. The control output outputted from the electric cord 16 to the outside in this way is sent to, for example, a PLC or the like, and it is recognized that the count object has reached a predetermined count target value.

  Next, taking a specific displacement waveform (acquired data string) as an example, the operation when the processing of steps 1502 to 1510 in FIG. 15 is applied to this will be described, and an explanatory diagram of the top / valley search algorithm shown in FIG. Details will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the search target is set to “top” and the maximum value is updated (step 1804) and the time t0 is reached after the time t0. Then, at time t1, it is determined that the current value is smaller than (maximum value−TH) (YES in step 1805), the top search process is terminated, and the top detection process (step 1805) is executed. The maximum value of the search is changed to “top value”, and the search target is switched from “top” to “valley”. Thereafter, top count-up determination processing (step 1506), count end processing (step 1510 NO), search target determination processing Through steps (step 1503 “valley”) in order, the valley search process (step 1507) is started. Thereafter, as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. 23, the minimum value is updated (step 1814), and the time t2 is reached through the time t2. Then, it is determined that the current value is larger than (minimum value + TH) (YES in step 1815), the valley search process is terminated, and then the process at the time of detecting the valley (step 1508) is executed, and the minimum value at that time is It is stored as “valley value” and the search target is simultaneously switched from “valley” to “top”. Thereafter, the top search process is performed again through the valley / count-up determination process (step 1509), the count end determination process (NO in step 1510), the data reception process (step 1502), and the search target determination process (step 1503 “top”). It is executed (step 1504). Then, as indicated by an arrow A2 in FIG. 23, while updating the maximum value, the time t4 is passed and the time t5 is reached. Then, it is determined that the current value is smaller than (maximum value−TH) (YES in step 1805), and the top detection time process (step 1505) is executed. As a result, the maximum value is stored as “top value”, and at the same time, the search target is switched from “top” to “valley”. Thus, as shown in FIG. 23, after the top / valley search is started, the top search is performed until the time t1 is reached, the valley search is performed from the time t1 to the time t3, and the top search is performed from the time t3 to the time t5. As described above, the search target is alternately searched for “top” and “valley”, and the top and valley are searched alternately. The top and valley searched in this way are individually counted in the top count-up determination process (step 1506) and the valley count-up determination process (step 1509), and further counted up according to a predetermined algorithm.

  An explanatory diagram of the detection level (TH) applied to the above processing is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11A, in the case of top detection, the detection level TH (t) is not the rise time indicated by the arrow 2501, but the maximum value until that time when the drop is indicated by the arrow 2502. Used to discriminate the difference from the current value. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the case of valley detection, the detection level TH (v) is not at the time of lowering indicated by the arrow 2503 but at the time of rising indicated by the arrow 2504. It is used to discriminate the difference between the previous minimum value and the current value. In these figures, 29 is a displacement waveform.

  FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing comparison between the valley detection and the top detection. As shown in FIG. 5A, when detecting a ballet (in the case of counting the object), the sensor head unit 9 is fixed above the transport path on which the object 27 is transported and transported. A series of heights of the target object 27 is measured. Reference numeral 35 denotes a groove between adjacent objects 27. As is clear from the drawing on the right, in the displacement waveform 29 obtained in such a state, a valley portion surrounded by a circle in the figure corresponds to the object 27. This is because the output of the sensor head 9 corresponds to the distance from the sensor head 9 to the object 27, so that the physical contour waveform of the object 27 and the displacement waveform 29 are reversed upside down. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when detecting the top (in the case of counting the groove), the relationship between the object 27 and the sensor head 9 is the same, but in the figure on the right side. As shown, the top portion surrounded by a circle on the displacement waveform 29 corresponds to the groove 35. This is also for the same reason as described above. As described above, in the counting device of the present invention, it is possible to select whether to count the object 27 or the groove 35 depending on whether to count the valley on the displacement waveform 29 or to count the top.

  As described above, in the counting device of the present invention, the top / valley search algorithm shown in FIG. 23 is used, so that the detection level TH (more specifically, the detection level TH (t) for top search and As long as the detection level TH (v) for valley search is set appropriately according to the displacement waveform of the counting object 27, the surface of the object 27 has fine irregularities, or the object 27 is being transported. Even if the oscillates or the conveyance speed changes, there is no hindrance to the detection of the top and the valley, so that an error-free count is performed regardless of the properties of the object 27 and various disturbances. be able to. In addition, since the value of the detection level TH hardly fluctuates regardless of the conveyance speed and the surface property of the object 27, there is also an advantage that the work for setting the parameters such as the detection level TH is easy prior to the counting process. Have.

  An explanatory view showing an example of use of the counting device of the present invention is shown in FIG. When using the counting device of the present invention, first, the detection target (top or valley) is selected in accordance with the shape of the object, the detection level is set from the level difference of the top (or valley) to be detected, and the quantity is reached. Then, set the count-up target value to turn on the count-up output. Thereafter, if the apparatus is activated, the count start process (step 1501), the details of which are shown in FIG. 16, is executed to automatically set whether the target to be initially searched is the top or the valley. In the flowchart, the processes between steps 1502 to 1510 are repeatedly executed. As a result, various displays useful for counting work are displayed on the display unit 26a of the personal computer 26 connected to the expansion unit 4 via the RS-232C cable. . That is, the displacement waveform display 29a and the count display 30a are performed in the waveform display area 26b of the display unit 26a. In particular, since the displacement waveform 29 and the count mark (valley) 30 are displayed side by side along the time axis, the detection level (TH) is set appropriately by observing these displays 29a and 30a. It is possible to confirm whether or not the position to be correctly counted. Moreover, since the count target value is displayed in the count target value display area 26c of the display unit 26a and the count current value is displayed in the count current value display area 26d, the count current value is displayed while observing these displays. You can also check the progress in real time. In addition, communication between the personal computer 26 and the expansion unit 4 is performed via an RS-232C cable having good resistance to noise, and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 17, the measurement data storage memory 102 a While accumulating all the measurement data, the display data accumulation memory 102b accumulates an appropriate amount of measurement data that does not hinder the communication speed of the RS-232C cable, and this is stored in the upper interrupt processing of FIG. Since the response to the command is sent back to the personal computer 26 in (Step 1411), there is also an advantage that the displacement waveform display 29a and the count display 30a can be confirmed almost in real time via the display unit 26a of the personal computer 26.

  Next, detection of an abnormal count state by using the combination of the burley processing data and the displacement data will be described. FIG. 26 shows an explanatory diagram of detection of the abnormal count state. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the count objects 27 are accommodated in the tray 28 in an aligned state and the height of the peripheral edge of the tray 28 is high, on the displacement waveform 29, A pseudo valley is generated corresponding to the peripheral edge of the tray 28. For this reason, an erroneous count occurs when the pseudo valleys are counted excessively. In the valley mark display shown in FIG. 5A, in addition to the normal impulse-shaped valley mark 30, an incorrect valley mark 30 a is generated, and this valley mark (error) 30 a is formed on the peripheral edge of the tray 28. Corresponds to the height.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a displacement threshold value THa is newly provided in order to discriminate between a normal valley corresponding to the counting object 27 and an incorrect valley corresponding to the peripheral edge of the tray 28. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 27, in the general flowchart showing the entire software configuration of the counting device of the present invention, the current value displacement amount is normal between the top search process (step 1504) and the top detection time process (step 1505). A determination process (step 2701) for determining whether or not the current displacement amount is within the range is provided, and whether the current displacement amount is within the normal range between the valley search process (step 1507) and the valley detection time process (step 1508). A determination process (step 2702) for determining whether or not is provided is provided. Here, as to whether or not the current value displacement amount is within the normal range, it is determined in the process of FIG. 26B that each valley on the displacement waveform 29 does not exceed the displacement amount threshold value THa. Can be performed.

  According to the counting device having such a count abnormality detection function, as shown in FIG. 26 (b), a pseudo valley appears on the displacement waveform 29 corresponding to the height of the peripheral edge of the tray 28. Even if it occurs, since this valley is excluded by the displacement amount threshold value (THa), erroneous counting of the counting object can be prevented. Note that, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 26B, the count pulse corresponding to the valley mark (error) 30a is excluded from the count target. As a result, in the state where no abnormality detection countermeasures are taken as shown in FIG. 26 (a), the count result is erroneously 11 while when using the displacement data shown in FIG. The count result is 10, which is a normal value.

  Next, a countermeasure when the sensor light quantity is abnormal will be described. FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of measures taken when the sensor light intensity is abnormal. In the case where the light quantity abnormality detection output shown in FIG. 6A does not exist, for example, when the abnormal reflection region indicated by reference numeral 31 exists at the upper limit of the detection object 27, the conventional sensor amplifier unit 2 outputs the measurement amount output. As a result, the count mark 30 is missing corresponding to the abnormal reflection region 31. Therefore, if the count mark 30 obtained in this way is counted, the count result of the count object 27 becomes erroneous. At this time, since there is no light amount abnormality detection output in the past, it is not possible to determine that a count error has occurred due to the presence of the abnormal reflection region 31 only by looking at the count result. That is, although there are a normal number of count objects 27, the count result that is the result of counting the count marks 30 is reduced by one, and therefore the count object is recognized as one less. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, a sensor light amount abnormal state determination process (step 2901) is provided between the data reception process (step 1502) and the search target determination process (step 1503). . In the SH reception interrupt processing shown in FIG. 14C, this processing is performed as sensor light quantity abnormal state data when the level of measurement data received from the amplifier unit is stuck to the maximum value. In this case, the sensor light quantity abnormality detection output signal 32 is output (step 2902). The light quantity abnormality detection output waveform 32 output in this way is shown in FIG. As is apparent from FIG. 6, in the light quantity abnormality detection output waveform 32, “H” is output in the displacement waveform 29 during the period of sticking to the maximum value corresponding to the abnormal reflection region 31. Therefore, the user of this counting device monitors the light quantity abnormality detection output obtained in this way, and even if one count object is reduced by the count-up output, the light quantity abnormality detection output waveform 32 is “ If it is H ″, the possibility of the abnormal reflection region 31 can be recognized. The light quantity abnormality detection output may be output to a predetermined control output line in the electric cord 16 drawn from the extension unit 1.

  Next, FIG. 30 shows an explanatory diagram of countermeasures when the counting object alignment is abnormal. As shown in FIG. 5A, when an abnormal gap 31 exists in a series of count objects 27 to be conveyed, the count device of the present invention has a count number as far as seen from the count result alone. As long as the count target value is reached, no abnormality is determined. However, if there is an automatic label sticking device or other automatic processing device at the end of the conveyance path, it is a cause of trouble if it is assumed that the conveyance is performed at equal intervals. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 31, between the top search process (step 1504) and the top detection time process (step 1505), the top detection time acquisition process (step 3101) and the top detection time. A process for determining whether or not the width is normal (step 3102) is provided, and similarly, a valley detection time acquisition process is also performed between the valley search process (step 1507) and the process at the time of detecting the valley (step 1508). (Step 3103) and processing (Step 3104) for determining whether or not the valley detection time width is normal are provided. In these determination processes (steps 3102 and 3104), if it is determined that the time width is abnormal, the process proceeds to step 3105, where the workpiece alignment state abnormality display and control output are issued.

  According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 30 (b), due to the presence of the gap 31 in the middle of the counting object 27, a portion sticking to the maximum displacement amount occurs in the displacement amount waveform 29. When the count mark 30 is missing at that portion and the time width between the count marks 30 becomes abnormal, the display unit 23a, 23b of the extension unit 1 displays that fact and is pulled out of the extension unit 1. An “H” signal is output to a predetermined control output line in the electric cord 16, and even in a programmable controller (PLC) or the like that has received this, it can recognize that there is an interval abnormality in the count object 27. . When the interval abnormality is detected in this way, it is possible to perform appropriate processing such as stopping the conveyance device or manually correcting the interval in subsequent processing by processing from the PLC.

  Next, explanatory diagrams of the detection level automatic setting process are shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. FIG. In the description of the operation so far, it has been assumed that the detection level TH is set manually, but in this embodiment, the setting of the detection level TH can be automated. That is, as shown in FIG. 32, a small amplitude pulse wave caused by noise and a large amplitude pulse wave caused by the presence or absence of an object exist on the displacement waveform 29. Assuming that the former peak-to-peak level is the noise level Ln and the latter peak-to-peak level is the top-to-valley displacement Ltv, the noise level Ln and the top-to-valley displacement Ltv generally do not vary much. is there. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 33, when two-dimensional coordinates are defined with the detection level TH on the horizontal axis and the number of valleys (or the top number) on the vertical axis, the detection level TH (L ) To the detection level TH (H), it can be seen that there is a stable region of the number of valleys (or the number of tops). Therefore, in this embodiment, TH (M) between the two detection levels TH (L) and TH (H) is selected as a set value that enables stable detection, and this is set as the set value. It is what.

  A detailed flowchart of the detection level automatic setting processing for realizing such processing is shown in FIG. This automatic detection level setting process may be incorporated in the expansion unit 1 or in the personal computer 26.

  When the processing is started in FIG. 34, in step 3401, data reception processing is performed, and measurement data arriving from the amplifier unit 2 is received by the extension unit 1 side. In the subsequent step 3402, data storage processing is executed, and the received measurement data is stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a shown in FIG. 11 in the manner shown in FIG. 17B. In the subsequent step 3403, it is determined whether or not a predetermined amount of data has been accumulated. Until the accumulation of the predetermined amount of data is completed (NO in step 3403), data reception and data accumulation are repeated (step 3401). , 3402).

On the other hand, when the accumulation of the predetermined data is completed (YES in step 3403), the process proceeds to step 3404, the detection level initialization process is executed, and the minimum detection level at that time is stored as the detection level. In the subsequent step 3405, a top or valley detection process is executed within the range of the accumulated data. In the following step 3406, the number of tops or valleys at the current detection level is stored (step 3406). In the subsequent step 3407, a fixed pitch amount is added to the detection level (step 3407). In the subsequent step 3408, the detection level is compared with the maximum detection level value. If the detection level is smaller than the maximum detection level value (NO in step 3408), the processes in steps 3405 to 3407 described above are repeated. On the other hand, when the detection level becomes larger than the maximum detection level (YES in step 3408), the process proceeds to step 3409 to search for the longest section without the top or valley number change. In the following step 3410, the intermediate value of the section is set to the detection level. The results above processing is performed, as described with reference to FIG. 33 earlier, the value of the detection level (TH) is less longest interval of the change in the top or valley number limit TH (L) and an upper limit TH It is automatically set as a center value TH (M) with (H). Thereafter, as described above, the search for the top or valley is performed based on the detection level TH (M) thus automatically set.

  According to this embodiment, since the detection level for searching for the top or valley is automatically set based on the actual displacement waveform, the reliability of the detection level TH (M) obtained in this way is high. No stable counting process can be performed. As described above, since the detection level automatic setting process shown in FIG. 34 can be performed also on the personal computer 26 side, the detection level TH (M) thus set on the personal computer side is transferred to the expansion unit 1 side. By transmitting and setting, stable count operation can be realized in the expansion unit 1.

  Next, an explanatory diagram of the count availability diagnosis is shown in FIG. As described in the previous automatic detection level setting process, when the count is possible as shown in FIG. 35A, the flat portion width ΔL is large, and when the count is impossible as shown in FIG. The width ΔL of the flat portion is small. Therefore, by observing the width ΔL of the flat part, it is possible to diagnose whether the count is possible.

FIG. 36 shows a detailed flowchart of the count availability diagnosis process for performing the count availability diagnosis based on such a principle. When the process is started in the figure, a data reception process is performed in step 3601, and the acquired data sent from the amplifier unit 2 to the serial bus BB is received on the extension unit 1 side. In the subsequent step 3602, data storage processing of the received acquired data is performed, and the received measurement data is stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a. In the subsequent step 3603, it is determined whether or not the predetermined amount of data has been stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a. Until the data storage is completed (NO in step 3603), the steps 3601 and 3602 described above are performed. The process is repeated. If it is determined that a predetermined amount of data has been accumulated during that time (step 3603 YES), in the subsequent step 3604, detection level initialization processing is performed, and the detection level is initialized to the minimum detection level. In the subsequent step 3605, a top or valley detection process is executed on the accumulated data. In the following step 3606, the number of tops or valleys at the current detection level is saved. In the following step 3607, a certain pitch amount is added to the detection level. In the following step 3608, the detection level is compared with the maximum detection level value. If the detection level is smaller than the maximum detection level value (NO in step 3608), the processes in steps 3605 to 3607 described above are repeated. . Meanwhile, when the detected level is greater than the detection level maximum value (step 3608YES), it proceeds to step 3609, search of longest interval no change of the top or valley number is performed. In the subsequent step 3610, a comparison is made between the longest interval thus obtained and a preset threshold value. When the interval is greater than a predetermined threshold value, a countable display is performed (step 31). On the other hand, if the interval is smaller than the threshold value (NO in step 3610), a count impossible display is performed (step 3612). The countable display (step 3611) and the non-countable display (step 3612) may be performed on the display units 23a and 23b of the expansion unit 1, or sent back to the personal computer 26 as a response to the command from the personal computer 26. You may make it perform in a display part.

  According to such an embodiment, when there is a manually set detection level TH, it is possible to count whether or not the detection level TH is appropriate by starting the count availability diagnosis process. It can be easily confirmed based on the contents of the possible display.

  Next, a detailed flowchart of the display waveform shaping process executed on the personal computer side is shown in FIG. The main purpose of this display waveform shaping process is to manually set the detection level, or to check whether the detection level TH that has already been set is appropriate while checking against the displacement waveform 29 It is to do.

  As is clear from the waveform before shaping shown in FIG. 38 (a), when the heights of the counting objects 27 vary or are inclined, the original waveform 37 obtained in such a situation is Since the waveform is unstable and fluctuates up and down, even if a horizontal straight line of the detection level TH corresponding to the threshold value is superimposed on this, the relative relationship with the amplitude of the pulse wave corresponding to the counting object can be grasped. Is difficult. Therefore, in this embodiment, as is clear from the waveform after shaping shown in FIG. 5B, the amplitudes of the individual waves can be easily compared by aligning the base lines of the original waveform 37. By superimposing the detection level TH, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the detection level TH set in advance or to be set is appropriate compared with the amplitude of the pulse wave associated with the presence or absence of the object 27. Is.

  A detailed flowchart of the display waveform shaping process executed on the personal computer side is shown in FIG. The process shown in this flowchart is incorporated in the personal computer 26, and the target displacement waveform is taken from the display data storage memory 102b in the expansion unit 2. That is, when the processing is started in FIG. 37, a waveform / bottom position acquisition command is issued from the personal computer 26 to the extension unit 2, so that the extension unit 2 generates a corresponding response and sends it to the personal computer 26 side. Send back (step 3701). In the subsequent step 3702, the waveform / bottom position as a response from the expansion unit 2 is acquired. In the subsequent step 3703, linear interpolation is performed between the bottoms on the original waveform 37 as shown in FIG. The interpolation straight line 33 generated in this way is indicated by a dotted line in the waveform display area 26b of FIG. In the subsequent step 3704, the amplitude of each wave is obtained by subtracting the value of the straight line from the original waveform 37 shown in FIG. 37A (step 3704). In the following step 3705, the individual waveforms included in the original waveform 37 obtained in this way are arranged in time series so that the shaped waveform 34 is displayed in the waveform display area 26b of the personal computer 26 as shown in FIG. Draw. In the subsequent step 3706, the upper horizontal line LL1 and the lower horizontal line LL2 are drawn on the shaped waveform 34 thus obtained with an interval of the detection level TH, thereby drawing a band-like area corresponding to the detection area TH. When such processing is completed, as shown in FIG. 38 (b), each waveform is drawn in time series in the waveform display area 26b of the personal computer 26 with the bases aligned. And the upper horizontal line LL1 can be easily confirmed whether or not the detection level TH set at that time or to be set in the future is appropriate. Thereafter, the detection level TH thus confirmed is sent from the personal computer 26 to the expansion unit 1 together with a predetermined detection level setting command, and the expansion unit 1 receives this and executes detection level setting processing. A detection level is set as a threshold for top search or valley search. At this time, as the detection level TH, the detection level TH (t) for top search and the detection level TH (v) for valley search can be set individually.

  Next, FIG. 39 shows an image explanatory diagram of the count simulation process. As described above, in the counting device of this embodiment, the target device is realized by the system configuration including the sensor head unit 9, the amplifier unit 5, the expansion unit 6, and the personal computer 26. . By the way, it is not easy to appropriately set the value of the detection level TH set in the expansion unit 1. This is because even if it is initially set appropriately, it cannot be confirmed whether or not the target top or valley is correctly searched in the operation in the actual expansion unit 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the detection level LV for searching for the top or valley is set in the operation unit of the personal computer 26, it is sent to the expansion unit 1 side via a predetermined command, and this is sent simultaneously. By actually performing a search process of the top or valley using the detection level LH, and as a result, a series of measurement data stored in the display data storage memory 102b in the expansion unit is immediately returned to the personal computer side to set It is possible to determine in real time whether the detection level TH is appropriate by immediately feeding back the count result obtained by the actual top or bottom search process based on the detection level LV that has been or will be set. It is what.

  That is, in FIG. 39, the operator temporarily sets the detection level TH in the detection level display area 26e on the screen of the personal computer, and operates the write button 26f to send a command from the personal computer 26 to the expansion unit 1 side. Send the detection level. On the side of the extension unit 1 receiving this, as described above, the top or valley search process is performed based on the detection level LH, and the top mark or valley mark obtained in this way is counted, thereby counting processing. The processing result is immediately returned to the personal computer 26 side, the returned result is displayed in the count current value display area 26d, and the displacement waveform 29 is simultaneously displayed in the waveform display area 26b. At this time, as described above, if the display waveform shaping process shown in FIG. 38 is executed and the shaped waveform 34 and the detection level TH are displayed in an overlapping manner as shown in FIG. It becomes possible to confirm in real time whether or not the detection level is appropriate.

  Next, FIG. 40 shows a screen explanatory diagram in the count position display process. As described above, in the above embodiment, the measurement data acquired in the amplifier unit 5 is always sent to the extension unit 6 via the serial bus BB, and the extension unit 6 receives the measurement data. The data is stored in the measurement data storage memory 102a and the display data storage memory 102b shown in FIG. 11 in the manner shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b). When a predetermined transfer command is sent from the personal computer 26 to the expansion unit 6, the expansion unit 6 side sends a series of data in the display data storage memory 102b to the personal computer 26 through the RS-232C cable as a response. The personal computer 26 receives this, and generates and draws the displacement waveform display 29A and the count mark display 30A in the waveform display area 26b of the screen as shown in FIG. The count mark display 30 </ b> A is composed of count marks 30 each having an impulse shape, and the upper extension line of the count mark 30 is aligned so as to correspond to the count position in the displacement waveform 29. Therefore, by comparing the count mark 30 and the displacement waveform 29, it is possible to easily confirm whether the target valley or top is accurately counted.

  Next, FIG. 41 shows an explanatory diagram of the detection level top and valley individual settings. As shown in FIG. 41 (a), assuming that the count object 27 is a fish fillet (sashimi) or sliced cheese stacked in a shogi-like shape, when this is operated with the sensor head unit 9, The obtained displacement waveform 29 draws a unique trajectory. That is, as shown in FIG. 41 (a), even if the rising slope is steep, the subsequent falling slope is gentle, and this is repeated repeatedly. In such a situation, if the top and valley detection levels TH are the same, the counting process may be hindered. In this example, the threshold value TH (v) for valley detection = 2 and the detection level TH (t) = 2 for top detection are set. Then, the count result should be three, but the count result is one, which is an error. This can also be confirmed from the lack of the count mark 30. In this example, the count detection of the individual object 27 is performed by separately generating the count mark 30v for detecting the valley and the count mark 30t for detecting the top separately and performing AND processing thereof.

  In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the detection level TH (v) for detecting the valley and the detection level TH (t) for detecting the top can be individually set. As shown in FIG. 41 (b), for example, when the detection level TH (v) = 2 for detecting the valley and the detection level TH (t) = 1 for detecting the top are varied, the specific displacement waveform 29 Even so, it is possible to obtain an error-free count result by normally detecting the top and valley included therein and taking the AND of the two. In the example of FIG. 41B, the count result is three, and it is confirmed that the value is a normal value.

  In the above embodiment, the sensor head unit 9 uses a laser beam to measure the distance to the counting object 27, that is, the height of the counting object 27 based on the principle of the optical cutting method. This is merely an example of the sensor head unit 9, and the detection medium of the optical sensor head unit may be visible light or infrared light. Also, as the method of the sensor head unit 9, various configurations such as a magnetic type, an ultrasonic type, a microwave type, and a contact probe type can be adopted. In short, the count object 27 and the sensor head unit 9 are relatively moved. It is only necessary that a series of height data can be acquired by moving the target.

It is a perspective view which shows the adjacent coupling | bonding state of an expansion unit (with an external input / output line and RS232C cable) and an amplifier unit. It is a perspective view of a sensor head unit for a displacement sensor. It is explanatory drawing of the measurement principle of a displacement sensor. It is a top view which shows the adjacent coupling | bonding state of an expansion unit (with an external input / output line and RS232C cable) and an amplifier unit. It is a perspective view which shows the isolation | separation state of an expansion unit (with an external input / output line) and amplifier. It is explanatory drawing of an expansion unit. It is a block diagram of the operation / display part of an expansion unit. It is a perspective view which shows the adjacent connection state of an expansion unit (with an external input / output line) and an amplifier unit. It is a top view which shows the adjacent connection state of an expansion unit (with an external input / output line) and an amplifier unit. It is a hardware block diagram of the whole sensor system. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an expansion unit. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an amplifier unit. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the process of an amplifier unit. It is a flowchart which shows the process of an expansion unit roughly. It is a general flowchart which shows the whole software structure of this invention count device. It is a detailed flowchart of a count start time process. It is a typical memory map of a measurement and display data storage memory. It is a detailed flowchart of a top / valley search process. It is a detailed flowchart of a top / valley count-up determination process. It is a detailed flowchart of an output process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the usage example of this invention count apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the process at the time of a count start. It is explanatory drawing of a top / valley search algorithm. It is explanatory drawing which compares and shows a valley detection and a top detection. It is explanatory drawing of a detection level (TH). It is explanatory drawing of the count abnormal state detection by combined use of valley processing data and displacement data. It is the general flowchart (with a count abnormality detection function) which shows the whole software structure of this invention count device. It is explanatory drawing of the countermeasure at the time of sensor light quantity abnormality. It is the general flowchart (with a light quantity abnormality detection function) which shows the whole software structure of this invention count apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the countermeasure at the time of counting target object alignment abnormality. It is a general flowchart (with a sequence abnormality detection function) which shows the whole software structure of this invention count apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of a detection level automatic setting. It is explanatory drawing of a detection level automatic setting. It is a detailed flowchart of a detection level automatic setting process. It is explanatory drawing of a count availability diagnosis. It is a detailed flowchart of a count availability diagnosis process. It is a detailed flowchart of the display waveform shaping process performed by the personal computer side. It is screen explanatory drawing of a display waveform shaping process. It is screen explanatory drawing of a count simulation process. It is screen explanatory drawing in a count position display process. It is explanatory drawing of the top and valley individual setting of a detection level. It is explanatory drawing of a prior art and its problem.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Expansion unit 2 Amplifier unit 3 DIN rail 4 Expansion unit case 4a Expansion unit case front surface 4b Expansion unit case rear surface 4c Expansion unit case left side surface 4d Expansion unit case right side surface 4e Expansion unit case top surface 4f Expansion unit case top surface 4f Case bottom 4g Transparent cover of expansion unit case 5 Amplifier unit case 5a Amplifier unit case front 5b Amplifier unit case rear surface 5c Amplifier unit case left side 5d Amplifier unit case right side 5e Amplifier unit case upper surface 5f Amplifier unit 5g Transparent cover of the amplifier unit case 6 First electrical cord 7 Second electrical cord 8 Round connector 9 Sensor head unit 10 Sensor head unit case 11 Sensor Light emitting / receiving window of head unit 12 Electrical cord 13 Round connector 14 Third electrical cord 15 RS-232C connector 16 Fourth electrical cord 17 Slide lid 18 Slide lid 19 Connector window 20 Adjacent coupling connector 21 DIN rail fitting groove 22 Adjacent coupling connector 23 Operation display section of expansion unit 23a First 7-segment display 23b Second 7-segment display 23c to 23g Operation key 23-1 Operation section 23-2 Display section 24 Electric cord mounting clamper 25 Amplifier unit Operation display unit 25-1 Operation unit 25-2 Display unit 26 Personal computer (PC)
26a Display section 26b Waveform display area 26c Count target value display area 26d Count current value display area 27 Count object 28 Tray 29 Displacement waveform 29A Displacement waveform display 30 Count mark (valley)
30A count display 30a Valley mark (error)
30t Count mark corresponding to the top 30v Count mark corresponding to the valley 31 Abnormal reflection region 32 Light amount abnormality detection output waveform 33 Interpolation line 34 Shaping waveform 35 Groove 36 Gap 37 Original waveform 101 Driver IC (RS232C driver)
102 CPU
102a Measurement data storage memory 102b Display data storage memory 103 Amplifier unit side circuit board 104 Current inflow prevention circuit 105 External input circuit 106 Analog output circuit 107 External output circuit 201 CPU
202 Current inflow prevention circuit 203 Connector left side connected to amplifier 204 Current inflow prevention circuit 205 Right side connector connected to amplifier 206 Power reset circuit 207 EEPROM1
208 External input circuit 209 Analog output circuit 210 External output circuit 2501 Up arrow 2502 Down arrow 2503 Down arrow 2504 Up arrow a Positive noise b Negative noise c Negative pulse d Negative pulse Ln Noise level Ltv Top-to-valley displacement TH (T) Detection level for top search TH (v) Detection level for valley search TH (L) Detection level corresponding to the flat area lower limit value TH (H) Detection level corresponding to the flat area upper limit value TH (M) Detection level equivalent to the middle

Claims (9)

A counting device that counts the number of counting objects based on a displacement waveform consisting of a series of displacement data obtained from a displacement sensor when a series of counting objects and a displacement sensor are relatively moved,
A top-valley search means for sequentially searching the top (mountain) and valley (valley) on the displacement waveform by alternately repeating the operation of the top search mode and the operation of the valley search mode;
Counting means for generating count information by counting the tops and / or valleys searched by the top valley search means;
The operation of the top search mode in the top valley search means is as follows:
Based on the current value of the displacement data obtained sequentially from the displacement sensor, while updating the maximum value of the displacement data after the start of the operation in the mode, the deviation between the maximum value and the current value is the detection level for top search. Based on what has been exceeded, it is determined that the top exploration is completed and the operation of the mode is terminated.
The operation of the valley search mode in the top valley search means is as follows.
Based on the current value of the displacement data sequentially obtained from the displacement sensor, the deviation between the minimum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for valley search while updating the minimum value of the displacement data after the start of operation of the mode. Based on that, it is designed to determine the completion of the valley exploration and end the operation of the mode,
The determination of the completion of the top search is performed on the condition that the maximum value at the time when the deviation between the maximum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for top search is within the normal displacement range, and The determination of the completion of the valley search is performed on the condition that the minimum value is within the normal displacement range when the deviation between the minimum value and the current value exceeds the detection level for the valley search. A counting device.   2. The counting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement detection value abnormality monitoring unit that emits a corresponding output when a value of displacement data obtained from the displacement sensor is abnormal.   Measure the interval between successive tops searched in the operation in the top search mode and / or the interval between successive valleys searched in the operation in the valley search mode, and if it is abnormal, the corresponding output The counting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an interval abnormality monitoring unit that generates   The distribution of the number of tops or the number of valleys is obtained for each detection level while scanning the detection level, and the detection level for the top search and / or for the valley search is made corresponding to the center of the flat area of the distribution thus obtained. 2. The counting device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection level automatic setting means for automatically setting the detection level. Scanning while changing the set detection level within a predetermined range, obtaining the number of tops or valleys for each detection level, and then searching for the longest section without any change in the number of tops or valleys. 2. The counting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a count availability diagnosis unit that diagnoses the count availability by comparing the maximum length of the top number or the number of valleys with a predetermined threshold value.   2. The counting device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for simultaneously displaying the displacement waveform and the top or valley recognition timing with the time axis aligned.   2. The counting device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the displacement waveform and the detection level for top search or valley search in an overlapping manner. 2. The counting device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying individual waves included in the displacement waveform with the base lines aligned.   2. The counting device according to claim 1, wherein a detection level for top search and a detection level for valley search can be individually set.

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