JP4883510B2 - Conveyor reversing device and inspection device using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyor reversing device for use in an inspection process of a molded product or a cutting process that requires an image inspection of foreign matter adhesion such as appearance shape and dust while simultaneously carrying up and down and upside down workpiece conveyance The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus using the same.

  Conventionally, this type of work transport method transports a work placed on a belt conveyor by step feed and reverses it up and down with a robot arm in a stop cycle, or an index table equipped with a suction nozzle that fixes the work by vacuum suction, In general, the workpiece is transferred while being delivered by a robot arm having a suction nozzle for fixing by vacuum suction, or is transported by combining the index table and the robot arm transport mechanism.

  Therefore, a suction nozzle that matches the dimensions and shape of each workpiece is required, and when the workpiece is changed when the production volume is changed, it is necessary to replace the suction nozzle. It was not always suitable. In addition, since the index table method and the transfer method using a robot arm are complicated and have many components, the price of the device is expensive.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional conveyor reversing device that flips the workpiece upside down only by the conveyor. In FIG. 8, 27 is a workpiece, 28 is a primary side belt conveyor, 29 is a secondary side belt conveyor, 30 is a cover guide, and 31 is a pop-out prevention plate. In this example, a cover guide 30 is provided at the end of the primary belt conveyor 28 using two belt conveyors, and the work 27 slides down the gap between the cover guide 30 and the primary belt conveyor 28. The top and bottom of the work 27 are inverted.

  However, in the transport system having this structure, the work 27 is temporarily reversed, but the meandering of the row of the work 27 and the variation in the interval occur due to the disorder of the posture after the reversal. Furthermore, the work 27 being caught in the cover guide 30 causes damage to the work 27, and induces a large amount of the work 27 to fall due to the clogging of the work 27.

  In addition, since it is necessary to reduce the gap between the conveyors, the work that can be handled is limited to a thin shape, and the secondary conveyor 29 is not folded back, and must be arranged in the direction in which the upper part is opened, that is, in the direction in which the total length becomes longer. was there. Two drive systems are inevitably necessary, and mutual speed adjustment is also required.

  In the method of reversing with such a cover guide 30, the reversal itself is due to natural fall, and the position after reversal is inevitably unstable as described above. As a solution to this, even if an alignment mechanism for the workpieces 27 is added to the secondary conveyor 29, it is necessary to provide a buffer, which further increases the length of the conveyor and makes it a complicated and expensive device. Further, when the center of gravity of the work 27 is high, the seating becomes unstable and there is a fatal defect that the conveyance itself is impossible.

  Next, an index table type reversing mechanism requires mechanical work delivery, and requires adjustment and management of vacuum and air pressure such as suction operation and vacuum breakage with a vacuum suction nozzle. However, in order to guarantee a reliable operation in vacuum suction corresponding to the workpiece material and surface treatment state, it is necessary to secure a suction operation time using a vacuum differential pressure detection sensor. In order to cope with different types, it is necessary to replace the nozzle, adjust the position and height, and deviate from the scope of simple changeover.

  Furthermore, in the conveyance reversal method using the belt conveyor and the robot arm, the robot itself is expensive, and there is a problem that it is too expensive to apply the robot to a simple reversal operation. Even if tact-up is attempted, it is necessary to stop the conveyor during the reversing operation, and the amount of the stop is a complete loss time. In addition, regarding the handling of thin workpieces, there is a fatal defect that cannot be grasped by a robot hand.

  As a technique for coping with such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for reversing a workpiece by sandwiching the workpiece in a gap formed between two conveyor belts. However, in the apparatus disclosed herein, it is necessary to form a groove corresponding to the workpiece shape on the surface of the conveyor belt. Therefore, the conveyor belt to be used needs to have a certain thickness or more, and lacks versatility from the viewpoint of application to various types.

  For inspection of a workpiece, a method of processing a workpiece image taken by a CCD camera or the like with a computer is generally used. In this case, light reflection is an obstacle. In other words, there is no problem with ordinary molded products, but workpieces that cause defects due to the inclusion of dust and minute foreign substances are often handled in a state of being wrapped with a transparent film of polymer material immediately after completion. This is because the imaging of the workpiece is hindered by the reflection of light on the film surface.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a conveyor reversing device and an inspection device using the same developed by the present applicant for the purpose of solving the above problems. This device has the advantage that the work can be reliably reversed with a simple structure, but in order to cope with workpieces of different shapes, the entire drum must be replaced. There is room for improvement in that the work takes a relatively long time, such as changing the endless belt.

  JP 2001-327929 A   JP 2009-208963 A

Problems to be solved by the invention

  Therefore, the subject of this invention is improving the correspondence to the shape of a workpiece | work in the conveyor inversion apparatus currently disclosed by the said patent document 2. FIG.

Means for solving the problem

  The present invention has been made as a result of reconsidering the structure of a drum used for reversing a workpiece in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.

That is, the present invention comprises a first groove provided at a substantially central portion in the width direction on the outer peripheral surface and a ring fitted into the first groove, and is divided into a plurality of parts in the width direction on the outer peripheral surface . A second groove is formed in the substantially central portion, and protrusions are intermittently formed in the circumferential direction at both end portions in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface, and the ring is formed by fitting into the first groove. A drum divided body to be formed , a drive drum having a substantially horizontal rotation shaft, an outer peripheral portion of the drive drum, and an outer peripheral portion of at least four first guide drums disposed at positions surrounding the drive drum; The first endless belt that is stretched to contact and driven by the driving drum, the second groove, and the driving drum are disposed at positions opposite to the surface that contacts the first endless belt. , At least one second The guide drum periphery to be Harimawasa so as to be in contact, and a conveyor reversing apparatus having a second endless belt which is driven by the drive drum, the work of the first endless belt or the second endless belt The drive drum is operated in a state of being placed on one of the two, and the work is sandwiched between the first endless belt and the second endless belt and is carried on the second groove portion. In this state, when the work passes through a portion where the first endless belt is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the drive drum and the second endless belt is in contact with the second groove, the work is turned upside down. It is a conveyor inversion apparatus characterized by having the function to perform and the function to convey the said workpiece | work.

Further, the present invention includes a first groove thus provided in a substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface, made by dividing the ring which fits into the first groove to a plurality, in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface A second groove is formed in the substantially central portion, and protrusions are intermittently formed in the circumferential direction at both end portions in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface, and the ring is formed by fitting into the first groove. The drum divided body to be formed, the drive drum having a substantially horizontal rotation shaft, the outer periphery of the drive drum, and the outer periphery of at least four guide drums arranged at positions surrounding the drive drum is Harimawasa, a conveyor reversing apparatus having a first endless belt which is driven by the drive drum, while being supported workpiece between the second groove and the endless belt, the first endless bell There a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the drive drum, by passing through the workpiece, a conveyor reversing apparatus characterized by having a function of transporting the function and the work to reverse the top and bottom of the workpiece.

  The present invention also includes a feeder for supplying a workpiece and at least one image recognition camera, and means for separating the workpiece based on a result of image inspection of the workpiece before and after the workpiece is turned upside down. An inspection apparatus using the conveyor reversing device described above.

  Further, in the present invention, the first endless belt is made of a transparent material, and a lamp is installed on the opposite side of the surface on which the work is transferred, and the side facing the lamp. Further, the inspection apparatus is characterized in that at least one image recognition camera for a transmission image is installed.

The invention's effect

  In the conveyor reversing device of the present invention, since the driving drum is composed of the drum base and the drum divided body, the exchange of the drum divided body can cope with the difference in the target workpiece, and the endless belt is not required to be replaced. Contributes to the reduction of man-hours required for replacement. In addition, it is not necessary to manufacture the entire drive drum in order to cope with the difference in workpieces, which contributes to a reduction in manufacturing cost.

  Moreover, in the conveyor reversing device of the present invention, since the structure as described above is given to the drive drum, by using a linear feeder or the like, the work drum is directly placed on the drive drum, so that the endless belt The number can be reduced to one, and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

  Further, in the conveyor reversing device of the present invention, the conveying direction of the belt conveyor can be folded back in the height direction, the camera can be efficiently arranged in the open space, and the workpiece can be turned upside down. Image inspection is performed by imaging the entire circumferential side of the workpiece and imaging in the end face direction. As a result, the workpiece determined to be defective can be changed by changing the conveyance direction of the workpiece with a switching transfer mechanism provided in the middle of the belt conveyor. Defective products can be collected. Also, non-defective workpieces that have been inspected are naturally dropped from the end of the belt conveyor and collected. By configuring the apparatus with the simple mechanism as described above, it is possible to provide an inexpensive image inspection apparatus using a conveyor reversing apparatus.

  Further, in the inspection apparatus of the present invention, the belt of the belt conveyor is made of a transparent material, and it is possible to irradiate light from below on the part through which the workpiece passes, and use the image of the workpiece by transmitted light for inspection. Even a workpiece wrapped with a transparent film made of a polymer material can be inspected without being affected by reflected light.

  The figure which showed typically the example of the fundamental structure of the conveyor inversion apparatus which concerns on this invention, and an inspection apparatus using the same.   The figure which showed typically the structure of the drive drum which comprised the drum base and the some drum division body.   The figure which shows the detail of a drum division body.   The figure which shows typically the operation state of a drive drum at the time of using two endless belts.   The figure which shows typically the operating state of a drive drum at the time of using one endless belt.   The figure which shows the state with which the workpiece | work was hold | maintained between the drive drum and the endless belt.   The figure which shows typically the example which test | inspects using transmitted light.   The figure which shows an example of the conventional conveyor inversion apparatus.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a basic configuration of a conveyor reversing device and an inspection device using the same according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a drive drum, 2 is a groove, 3 is a first endless belt, 4 is a second endless belt, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a and 6b are guide drums, 7 is a work, Air blow nozzles 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, and 9e are image recognition cameras, and 10 is a work collection tray. The guide drums 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d constitute a first guide drum set that sets the operating position of the first endless belt 3, and the guide drums 6a and 6b set the operating position of the second endless belt 4. The second guide drum set to be set is configured.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a driving drum having a drum base and a plurality of drum divided bodies according to the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is a drum divided body, and FIG. FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the drum base in a state where the drum divided body is assembled. In FIG. 2, 11 is a drum base, 12 is a drum divided body, 13 is a bolt for assembling the drum divided body 12 to the drum base 11, 14 is a through hole for inserting the bolt 13, and 15 is screwed into the bolt 13. It is a female screw to do.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the drum divided body 12 is made up of five pieces, and a female screw 15 is provided on the side in contact with the drum base 11, and is individually assembled to the drum base 11. ing. Therefore, when exchanging the drum divided body 12 according to the shape of the target workpiece, the drum at a portion where the first endless belt 3 in FIG. 1 and the second endless belt 4 in FIG. Since the divided bodies 12 need only be sequentially replaced, it is not necessary to replace the endless belt every time the drum divided body 12 is replaced.

  3A and 3B are diagrams showing details of the drum divided body 12, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view, FIG. 3B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a bottom view. In FIG. 3, 16 is a protrusion and 17 is a groove.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the operating state of the drive drum when two endless belts are used. In FIG. 4, 18a is a drive drum, 19a is a workpiece, 20a is a first endless belt, and 21a is a second endless belt.

  The workpieces 19a are placed one by one on the first endless belt 20a by a linear feeder using vibration and enter the groove 17 portion by the operation of the drive drum 18a. The endless belt 20a and the second endless belt 21a are sandwiched between the endless belt 20a and the second endless belt 21a.

  Here, since the protrusion 16 is formed intermittently, a portion without the protrusion 16 forms a pocket-shaped space, and the work 19a is conveyed in a form of falling into the pocket. Accordingly, the work 19a is placed and conveyed on the second endless belt 21a while being inverted upside down while maintaining a substantially constant distance from each other.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the operating state of the drive drum when one endless belt is used. In FIG. 5, 18b is a drive drum, 19b is a work, 20b is a first endless belt, and 22 is a linear feeder. In this case, the workpieces 19b are directly placed one by one on the drive drum 18b by the linear feeder 22, and are conveyed while being sandwiched between the groove 17 and the first endless belt 20b. Here again, the work 19b is transported in such a manner that it falls into the pocket portion as in the case of using two endless belts. FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the work 19b is held between the drive drum 18b and the first endless belt 20b, and shows a case where there is one endless belt.

  A sequence in which the supplied workpieces 19a and 19b have arrived at the inspection position is detected by an optical sensor, and an image is captured by an image recognition camera that performs image inspection of the workpieces 19a and 19b installed at the required positions. Configure. Since the image is taken even after the workpieces 19a and 19b are turned upside down, the entire periphery of the workpieces 19a and 19b can be inspected.

  The workpieces 19a and 19b determined to be defective as a result of the image inspection are transported and collected in the rear direction in FIG. 1 by the air jetted from the air blow nozzle 8 in FIG. Also, the workpieces 19a and 19b that are determined to be non-defective are transported and stored as they are.

  As described above, the conveyor reversing device of the present invention continuously reverses and conveys the work to be conveyed, so there is no need to stop the conveyor for reversing the work up and down, and there is a time loss. Does not occur at all. In addition, since it is composed of one drive drum, several guide drums, one or two belts, and only one motor is required as a drive source, a simple work conveying device can be provided. By using it, an extremely compact image inspection apparatus can be provided.

  In addition, even when changing the product type, it is possible to cope with the problem by simply replacing the drum divided body 12, which can contribute to reduction in maintenance costs and reduction in process time.

  Next, an example in which inspection is performed using transmitted light will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example in which inspection is performed using transmitted light. In FIG. 7, 9f is an image recognition camera, 23 is a work, 24 is a packaging film, 25 is a transparent belt, and 26 is a lamp. The transparent belt 25 shown here may be applied to any of the first endless belt 3 and the second endless belt 4 in FIG. 1, and may be appropriately set depending on conditions such as the shape of the workpiece and the handling of the apparatus. it can.

  As the lamp 26 used here, a lamp having a small size and high luminance is desirable, such as a halogen lamp. The material of the transparent belt 25 is not particularly limited as long as it is a polymer material that is flexible and can be transparent. For example, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and the like can be mentioned, but here nylon 6 was used.

  By setting it as such a structure, even when external illumination light is reflected by the packaging film 24, the outline of the workpiece | work 23 can be reliably caught as a signal by imaging of the workpiece | work 23 by transmitted light. This makes it possible to inspect workpieces and sort defective products.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention. For example, even when the workpiece is supplied to the second endless belt side, it can be handled by reversing the rotation direction of the drive drum, and the motor serving as the drive source due to the handling of the entire apparatus. Can also be attached to a guide drum other than the drive drum. That is, it is a matter of course that various modifications and corrections that can be conceived by those having ordinary knowledge in this technical field are included.

1, 18a, 18b Driving drum 2, 17 Groove 3, 20a, 20b First endless belt 4, 21a Second endless belt 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b Guide drums 7, 19a, 19b, 23, 27 Work 8 Air blow nozzle 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f Image recognition camera 10 Work collection tray 11 Drum base 12 Drum divided body 13 Bolt 14 Through hole 15 Female screw 16 Protrusion 22 Linear feeder 24 Packaging film 25 Transparent belt 26 Lamp 28 Primary side belt conveyor 29 Secondary side belt conveyor 30 Cover guide 31 Jump-out prevention plate

Claims (4)

A first groove thus provided for the substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface, made by dividing the ring which fits into the first groove to a plurality, in the substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface and the A plurality of grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum in which the protrusions are intermittently formed in the circumferential direction , and the ring is formed by fitting into the first groove. A driving drum having a substantially horizontal rotation shaft, and an outer peripheral portion of the driving drum and a peripheral portion of at least four first guide drums arranged at positions surrounding the driving drum. At least one first endless belt driven by the driving drum, the second groove, and the driving drum disposed at a position opposite to the surface in contact with the first endless belt. Second guide drum Is Harimawasa in contact with the outer periphery, said a conveyor reversing apparatus having a second endless belt which is driven by the drive drum, the workpiece first endless belt or the second endless belt either while placed above, is operated the driving drum, the work in the state of being supported on said second groove portion sandwiched between said second endless belt and the first endless belt, wherein The first endless belt is in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the drive drum, and the work passes through a portion where the second endless belt is in contact with the second groove, so that the work is turned upside down; and A conveyor reversing device having a function of conveying a workpiece. A first groove thus provided for the substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface, made by dividing the ring which fits into the first groove to a plurality, in the substantially central portion in the width direction of the outer peripheral surface and the A plurality of grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum in which the protrusions are intermittently formed in the circumferential direction , and the ring is formed by fitting into the first groove. a drive drum having a substantially horizontal rotation shaft, the outer peripheral portion of the drive drum, and is Harimawasa in contact with the outer peripheral portion of at least 4箇guide drum arranged in position surrounding the drive drum, the a conveyor reversing apparatus having a first endless belt which is driven by the drive drum, while being supported workpiece between the second groove and the endless belt, the first endless belt the driving Dora Of the portion in contact with the outer peripheral portion, by passing through the workpiece, a conveyor reversing apparatus characterized by having a function of transporting the function and the work to reverse the top and bottom of the workpiece.   A feeder for supplying a work, and at least one image recognition camera, comprising means for separating the work based on a result of image inspection of the work before and after the work is turned upside down. An inspection apparatus using the conveyor reversing device according to claim 1 or 2.   The first endless belt is made of a transparent material, and a lamp is installed on the opposite side of the surface on which the workpiece is transferred, and at least one unit is provided on the side facing the lamp. The inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an image recognition camera for a transmission image is installed.

Images