JP5016195B2 - X-ray liquid level inspection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an X-ray liquid for inspecting the liquid level in a container filled with a “liquid” or liquid material (hereinafter simply referred to as “liquid”) such as beer or juice and irradiating the container with X-rays. Regarding surface inspection equipment, in particular, elucidation of failure reasons for failed containers, inspection monitoring, analysis of filling status of specific valves of filling machines with multiple valves, and production of liquid container products using these results The present invention relates to an X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus suitable for improving line productivity.

  The production of products filled with beer, juice, etc. containers such as cans, bottles, etc., is usually performed by injecting the liquid into the containers with filler valves, sealing with lids with seams, and placing these containers on the conveyor. After sterilization, sterilization and labeling (labeling and printing on the surface of the container) are performed, and inspection is performed with an X-ray liquid level inspection device. In this X-ray liquid level inspection device, it is inspected whether the liquid level in the container is within the allowable range, and those that are within the allowable range (accepted products) are transferred to the next process and packed. Items other than those (failed products) are rejected from the production line by the rejecting device.

An X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus used in such a production line is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 irradiates a container to be inspected with X-rays, images X-rays transmitted through the container with an imaging means including an X-ray visualization panel and a CCD camera, An image processing device processes image data from the imaging means to detect the liquid level in the inspected container, determines whether the detected liquid level is within a reference range, and displays the result on the display device To do.

  Further, it has a function of displaying in real time on the display the filling characteristics (hereinafter referred to as valve filling characteristics) of a filler valve (hereinafter referred to as a valve) in which a container to be inspected is filled with liquid.

The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus configured as described above can detect a container having a bad taste amount (injection liquid amount) even when the liquid level detection becomes unstable, and has a filling characteristic of the valve. It can also be monitored.
Japanese Patent No. 3420895

  However, the in-container liquid level inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can display the result of the liquid level and the valve filling characteristics in real time, but the information about the variation in the taste is only related to the valve. There was room for improvement in the following points.

(1) It takes time to pursue the cause of the failure.
The product is completed through the manufacturing process and inspection process.However, as with the above-described conventional technology, the amount of flavor (injection) into the container can be determined at any of these processes using only the liquid level results and valve filling characteristics information. It took a lot of time to pursue the cause of the failure due to the excess or deficiency in the liquid volume).
In other words, the pursuit of the cause described above requires checking each part of the manufacturing process and inspection process manually, which requires a lot of time and is one of the factors that hinder productivity improvement. .

(2) It takes time to pursue the cause of the variation in the amount of taste over time.
One of the causes of the variation in the filling amount from the filling machine that fills the container with liquid is the variation of the liquid injection amount from the filler liquid injection valve with time.
Further, the fluctuation of the liquid injection amount with time also occurs due to fluctuations in the processing speed of the winding machine (seamer) in the subsequent stage of the filling machine.
Due to these factors, can containers and the like generally have a small amount of taste immediately after the start of filling. In the production line, unsuccessful items caused by the characteristics of the filling machine and the winding machine are unconditionally processed offline (forced removal) before being transferred to the X-ray liquid level inspection device that inspects the taste level. However, since this is done manually, the rejection of the rejected product may be missed. Therefore, if the forced excretion is not performed accurately, it will be excreted by an X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus that inspects the subsequent taste level.

If the variation in the amount of taste caused by such a time factor of the amount of taste is left as it is, the variation becomes larger with the lapse of time, leading to an increase in rejected products and possibly causing a decrease in productivity. .
Such variation in the amount of taste due to the fluctuation may not be pursued only by the liquid level level result and the valve filling characteristic information according to the prior art.
For this reason, as in the case of (1), it is necessary to pursue the cause manually, and it takes a lot of time.

(3) It takes time to specify the liquid injection valve to be maintained.
There are a plurality of filling valves in the filling machine, but an excess or deficiency of the amount of taste occurs depending on the state of the valves. By identifying a valve that has caused an excess or deficiency in the amount of taste and appropriately adjusting the amount of liquid injected from the identified valve, the number of rejected products can be reduced, and productivity can be improved. However, there is a possibility that it cannot be pursued only by the result of the liquid level level and the information of the valve filling characteristic according to the above prior art.
For this reason, all the valves must be checked manually, and it takes a lot of time to investigate the cause.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus for reducing the number of unacceptable tastes in a container to be inspected and improving product productivity.

The above object is achieved by the following means.
(1) The X-ray irradiation means irradiates the inspection container filled with the liquid with X-rays. The X-ray detector is disposed opposite to the X-ray irradiation means with the inspection container interposed therebetween, and detects transmitted X-rays of the inspection container. The determination means determines whether or not the liquid level of the inspected container is within a predetermined range from the detection data detected by the X-ray detector. The display means displays the result determined by the determination means. The information input means inputs from the (operator) process information regarding manufacturing (including valve information) and inspection (including inspection results) from filling of the container to be inspected to inspection of the liquid level. . The display control unit associates the process information input from the information input unit with the result determined by the determination unit, and controls display on the display unit.

  The manufacturing process information and the inspection process information are input from an operating device, and the correspondence between the determination result and the manufacturing and inspection information is a signal that filling is started with a filler valve, and an interval at which each container is filled with a liquid at regular intervals. Signal (1 pitch signal), using the position detection signal to detect that the container to be inspected is transferred by the transfer device and entering the inspection area of the X-ray liquid level inspection device, and the counter signal of the control device that controls the entire device Do.

  The manufacturing process information includes information that can identify a valve that is filled with liquid in the container to be inspected, and a manufacturing history of the container to be inspected that is filled with liquid, and the inspection information includes an inspection history that also considers inspection conditions.

  In this way, since the X-ray fluoroscopic image of the container to be inspected, the manufacturing information and the inspection information are displayed on the same screen of the display means, the relationship between the liquid level, the manufacturing history, and the inspection history can be understood. Thus, various investigations can be performed efficiently.

(2) a failure selection mode for selecting a container to be inspected in which the liquid level of the liquid filled in the container to be inspected, a sampling monitoring mode for periodically monitoring a liquid level inspection, A specific valve selection mode for specifying a valve for filling a liquid into the container to be inspected and means for selecting each mode are provided, and a liquid level image of the container to be inspected and the manufacturing and inspection information corresponding to the selected mode Are displayed on the same screen of the display means.

(3) The reject selection mode includes means for classifying the insufficient and excessive filling amounts of the filled liquid for each valve for filling the liquid to be inspected, from among the classified insufficient and excessive filling amounts. A valve is specified, and an X-ray fluoroscopic image of the container to be inspected filled from the valve and manufacturing and inspection information are displayed on the display means.
As a result, it is possible to greatly reduce the time required to pursue the cause of the failure.

(4) The sampling monitoring mode includes means for creating the relationship between the elapsed time within an arbitrary time during which the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus is operating and the number of manufactured or inspected lines and the liquid level of the container to be inspected. Designate an arbitrary time or production number or inspection number from the relationship between the created time lapse and the number of productions or inspections and the liquid level of the container to be inspected. X-ray fluoroscopic images and manufacturing and inspection information are displayed on the display means.
As a result, it is possible to efficiently pursue the cause of variation in the amount of taste accompanying the passage of time and the number of manufactured or inspected products.

(5) The specific valve selection mode includes the time lapse within an arbitrary time during which the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus is operating, the number of manufactured or inspected lines, and the liquid level of the inspected container filled from the specified valve. Means for creating a relationship between the time and the number of manufactured or inspected and the relationship between the level of the liquid level of the container to be inspected and an arbitrary time and the number of inspected or inspected. X-ray fluoroscopic images and production and inspection information at the time and the number of productions or the number of examinations are displayed on the display means.
Thereby, the liquid injection valve to be maintained can be easily specified.

(6) Liquid level level guidelines for the container to be inspected, an acceptable reference line for the liquid level of the container to be inspected, an upper limit line and a lower limit line for the acceptable range of the liquid level, and X of the inspected container Since the display of the fluoroscopic image is controlled on the same screen of the display means, the liquid level can be easily identified.
Furthermore, since the acceptable reference line of the liquid level of the container to be inspected and the upper limit line and the lower limit line of the acceptable range of the liquid level are made variable, the liquid level of the container having a different acceptable reference value and acceptable line The inspection can be easily handled.

(7) It further comprises means for storing the serial number assigned to the container to be inspected in association with the inspection time of the container to be inspected, and the display control means stores the information on the serial number and the inspection time. Display control with the image.
As a result, when the parts used in the equipment have reached the end of their service life or have failed, when the liquid level inspection is not performed normally, the containers on the conveyor flow closely. Even if production conditions such as water droplets are present, it is possible to deal with missing containers that have failed.

(8) An X-ray detection signal acquisition start position detector for detecting a detection start position of detection data detected by the X-ray detector, and a liquid level determination start position for detecting a liquid level determination start position at the liquid level A detector, and liquid level determination range setting means for setting a determination range of the liquid level of the container to be inspected between the positions detected by these position detectors, and the display control means includes the liquid level The liquid level determination start position set by the determination range setting means, the liquid level at this position, the liquid level determination end position and the liquid level at this position, and the result determined by the determination means are displayed on the liquid level image. Display control on the screen.
The liquid level determination start position and the liquid level at this position, and the liquid level determination end position and the liquid level at this position are displayed as a bar graph on the screen of the liquid level image.

Moreover, the difference with the said acceptance | permission reference line determined by the said determination means is displayed on the screen of the said liquid level image with a numerical value, and the said pass and rejection of the said numerical value are displayed with a different color.
Further, the maximum value detected by the X-ray detector, that is, the position detected by the X-ray detection signal acquisition start position detector and the X-ray detection signal acquisition end position are irradiated from the X-ray irradiation means. The detected value that does not block the X-rays to be inspected by the inspected container is displayed on the screen of the liquid level image.
In this case, display control is performed with different colors for normal and abnormal maximum values detected by the X-ray detector.

  An abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the production line including the liquid level inspection means is further provided, and the occurrence of abnormality detected by the abnormality detection means is displayed as a bar graph on the screen of the liquid level image.

  And the said liquid level image and its incidental information of all the to-be-inspected containers are preserve | saved at a preservation | save means.

In this way, the liquid level judgment result, the liquid level judgment range (displayed in a bar graph), the liquid level position, the X-ray sensor output value, and the presence or absence of minor obstacles such as abnormal X-ray output are the most important as the inspection result. Since the image is displayed on the image, the inspection details of all the containers to be inspected can be confirmed only by the liquid level image, and the traceability is further improved.
In addition, since the above liquid level image and its associated data are stored for all the containers to be inspected, the cause investigation in the case where an abnormality occurs in the liquid level judgment by reading and browsing as necessary is possible. It becomes easy.

The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to the present invention provides the following effects.
(1) Since the X-ray fluoroscopic image of the inspected container and the manufacturing information, inspection information, and valve number of the inspected container are displayed on the same screen of the display means, the pursuit time for the cause of failure can be greatly reduced. , Productivity can be improved.

(2) Since the liquid level inspection can be periodically monitored, the time for pursuing the cause of the variation in the amount of taste due to the passage of time and the number of products manufactured or the number of inspections is greatly reduced, and preventive maintenance is further performed. This also makes it possible to improve productivity.

(3) By identifying the liquid injection valve to be maintained and analyzing the filling characteristics including the passage of time from this valve and the number of manufactured or inspected pipes, preventive maintenance of the valve is possible and productivity is improved. It contributes to the improvement.

(4) Liquid level level guidelines of the inspected container, liquid level acceptable reference line of the inspected container, upper limit line and lower limit line of the acceptable range of the liquid level, and X-ray of the inspected container Since the fluoroscopic image is controlled to be displayed on the same screen of the display means, the liquid level can be easily identified, and the above-described cause pursuit and analysis can be performed efficiently. In addition, since the acceptance standard line of the liquid level of the container to be inspected and the upper limit line and the lower limit line of the acceptance range of the liquid level are made variable, the acceptance level and the liquid level of a container having a different acceptance line Since the inspection can be easily handled, the effect of contributing to the expansion of the application range of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of the present invention can also be obtained.

(5) By storing all data of the container to be inspected and a predetermined time or a predetermined encoder rotational speed together with a predetermined time or a predetermined encoder rotational speed so that it can be confirmed whether or not the liquid level inspection has been performed normally. It is possible to analyze the cause such as whether the failure container has flowed to the conveyor of the acceptable container due to poor position detection or a change in the conveyor speed.
The predetermined time or the predetermined encoder rotation speed is: container position detection timing, container position detection light shielding time, container rotation speed detection speed, liquid level determination timing, production line sensor container detection timing, production line Shading time of sensor, encoder rotation speed when container is detected by production line sensor, ejector drive signal output timing, encoder rotation speed when ejector drive signal is generated, container detection timing of discharge port discharge confirmation sensor, It is the container light blocking time of the discharge port discharge confirmation sensor.
An example of the storage procedure is temporarily stored in a buffer or the like, and when a certain value is reached, it is stored in a large-capacity memory such as a memory card or a hard disk.

(6) Liquid level judgment result, liquid level judgment range, liquid level position, X-ray sensor output value and presence or absence of minor obstacles such as abnormal X-ray output are displayed on the liquid level image as the most important inspection result. Therefore, the inspection details of all the containers to be inspected can be confirmed only by the liquid level image, and the traceability is further improved.
In addition, since the above liquid level image and its associated data are stored for all the containers to be inspected, the cause investigation in the case where an abnormality occurs in the liquid level judgment by reading and browsing as necessary is possible. It becomes easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1] Configuration of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of the present invention FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a production line of a liquid container product using the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to the present invention. This is an example.
In FIG. 1, a liquid is injected from a filler valve 4 of a filler (filling machine) 3 into an empty can container 2 sent by a can conveyance device 1.
The filler valve 4 includes a plurality of valves, and continuously injects liquid into each can container transported by the can transport device 1 from the plurality of valves.
A can lid 7 is tightened by a seamer (winding machine) 6 on a can container 5 which is fed with a filler 3 and sent. The seamer 6 includes a plurality of heads (not shown), and each can container is continuously wound and sealed. After injecting the liquid, the liquid level of the container 9 to be inspected sent by the can conveyance device 1 (can container injection liquid amount) is inspected by the X-ray liquid level inspection device 8, and the passed can container 10 is packed, The failed can container 11 is transported to the discharge line and discharged.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus 8 of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, a container position detection device 14 comprising a projector 12 and a light receiver 13 detects that a can container, which is an inspected container 9 transported by the can transport apparatus 1, has been carried into the inspection region, and this detection signal Is sent to the control device 15. The control device 15 irradiates the container 9 to be inspected with X-rays having the X-ray bundle 18 from the X-ray irradiation device 17 based on the container position detection signal and the operation signal input from the operation device 16. The transmitted X-ray dose is detected by the X-ray detector 19. The X-ray detector 19 converts the X-ray incident on the X-ray detector into an electric signal, and the electric signal obtained by amplifying the X-ray detector is taken into the image processing apparatus 20. The X-ray detector 19 includes an X-ray line sensor, a visualization panel (image intensifier), and the like. Here, an X-ray line sensor that is advantageous for downsizing the apparatus is used.

Although not shown, this X-ray line sensor is arranged with a plurality of X-ray detection elements composed of scintillators and photodiodes arranged in a straight line in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the container 9 to be inspected. An X-ray transmission signal is obtained.
In addition to the operation command, the operation device 16 inputs various types of information related to the inspection, such as the types of products and manufacturing processes described later, and the pass / fail range and inspection date set during the liquid level inspection. For example, a keyboard (not shown) is used. Various information relating to operation signals, manufacturing, and inspections input from the keyboard are stored in the control device 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing device 20 converts the X-ray detection signal (analog value) output from the X-ray detector 19 into a digital value by an A / D converter 20a, and this is a correction arithmetic unit. In 20b, various correction calculation processes are performed to generate image density data. The image density data is stored in the image memory 20c and also in the storage device 21 in FIG. The image grayscale data stored in the image memory 20c is converted into an analog value by a D / A converter 20d and stored as an X-ray fluoroscopic image in the frame memory 20e. The X-ray fluoroscopic image is stored in the TV monitor of FIG. Displayed at 23. Further, the image grayscale data stored in the storage device 21 is also read out as appropriate and subjected to D / A conversion processing, and an X-ray fluoroscopic image is displayed on the television monitor 23.

The X-ray fluoroscopic image is created as follows. The X-ray detector 19 in FIG. 2 is arranged with a plurality of X-ray detection elements composed of scintillators and photodiodes arranged in a straight line in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the container 9 to be inspected, as described above. An N-channel X-ray transmission signal is obtained. Since the has arranged photodiode N-channel linearly, by moving the inspection container 9 in container transport device 1, X-ray strong weak distribution obtaining step vessel 9 is obtained. The X-ray intensity distribution for these N channels is stored in the storage device 21, the line data for the N channels is converted into a TV signal, and sequentially displayed. The line data is expanded into surface data, and one X-ray fluoroscopic image is obtained.

  The storage device 21 has a storage capacity capable of storing a plurality of fluoroscopic images. If the container height and upper and lower limit heights that pass the inspection standard are known in advance, add processing such as changing the data output of the X, Y, and Z channels corresponding to that height, or change the TV signal. When creating, by changing the display color of the horizontal scanning lines of X ′, Y ′, and Z ′ in the X-ray fluoroscopic image, it is possible to add a guideline for a taste amount (liquid level) to the X-ray fluoroscopic image.

  The image density data generated by the image processing device 20 having the above configuration and stored in the storage device 21 is sent from the storage device 21 to the determination device 22 at the time of liquid level determination. The determination device 22 includes a programmable controller, and an operator inputs from the operating device 16 and the acceptable range of the liquid level of the container 9 to be inspected, which is taken into the control device 15, and the image density from the storage device 21. The level of the liquid level detected in the inspected container 9 obtained from the data is compared, and pass / fail judgment is performed. There are various methods for determining pass or failure, but when using the X-ray line sensor of the present embodiment, the method disclosed in JP-A-2002-236048 may be used, Since this determination method is not the object of the present invention, its details are omitted here.

  Corresponding to the X-ray fluoroscopic image are the results determined by the determination device 22 and the manufacturing information, inspection information, and filler valve information to be described later input from the operation device 16 and stored in the control device 15 And displayed on the same screen of the TV monitor 23.

The inspection results and various types of information are associated with the X-ray fluoroscopic images as follows.
As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 15 in FIG. 2 includes the liquid level inspection result signal s4 determined by the filler of the production line, the seamer mechanism A, and the determination device 22, and the manufacturing inspection stored in the control device 15 and I / O circuit 15a that receives these signals, including inspection information, programmable controller 15b that performs various control processes using signals from this I / O circuit 15a, and instructions to this programmable controller 15b TV monitor 23 (details will be described later for a monitor with a touch switch) and an I / O circuit 15c for drive signal output of an evacuator (not shown) that display the control result of the programmable controller 15b ing.

  The control device 15 includes means for associating the container 9 to be inspected with a valve number, manufacturing information, and inspection information. The correspondence between the container to be inspected and the valve No., manufacturing information, and inspection information is such that each of the can containers that have finished liquid injection and are sent by the can transport device 1 correspond to the No of the liquid injection valve, and the control device 15 This is performed based on the manufacturing information and inspection information of the can stored in the programmable controller 15a.

In FIG. 4, s1 is a filler valve No. 1 signal, and the can container filled with the No. 1 valve of filler 1 is a filler, and the conveyor of the X-ray liquid level inspection device from the seamer mechanism A (can conveyance in FIG. 1). Output from the filler and seamer mechanism when it is transferred to a part of the apparatus 1).
S2 is a 1-pitch signal, and when the can container is transferred from the filler / seamer mechanism A to the conveyor, it is output from the filler / seamer mechanism A. The can container is associated with the filler valve No. 1 based on the position signal s3 detected by the position detector 14 that detects that it has entered and the signal of the counter (not shown) provided in the programmable controller 15b. .

Thereafter, each time the can container is transferred to the conveyor, a 1 pitch signal s2 is output from the filler and seamer mechanism A, and the control device 15 applies to the subsequent can containers in the same manner as in the association of the filler valve No. 1. Corresponding to filler valve No.2, filler valve No.3, ... filler valve No.m.
When the association of the filler valve No. m is performed, the can container to be transferred next is newly associated with the filler valve No. 1, and the same is repeated thereafter. As described above, the filler valve No. is associated with each can container, but each can container has 1 bit signal s2 and a position signal s3 from the container position detector 14 during transfer on the conveyor of the can transport device 1. The position is grasped and managed by a signal from the counter of the programmable controller.

  And the liquid level inspection result signal s4 determined by the determination device 22 and the manufacturing information stored by inputting from the operation device 16 and the correspondence with the liquid injection valve No including the inspection information s5 are programmable controller 15b. Then, the image data stored in the storage device 21 is converted into an X-ray fluoroscopic image, and this image and the corresponding valve number, manufacturing information, inspection information, and inspection result are displayed on the screen of the television monitor 23.

  The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of the present invention configured as described above has a function for pursuing the cause of the non-acceptance of the liquid level in the can container outside the acceptable range and (Traceability), a function to monitor the inspection status of cans at predetermined time intervals (sampling traceability) to grasp the state of the production line, and to identify the liquid injection state from this valve by specifying a specific valve Functions (traceability of a specific valve), and these are configured to be selected by the television monitor 23 having the operation unit 16 and the soft switch of FIG.

The following information is displayed on the TV monitor 23 in association with the X-ray fluoroscopic image so that each traceability can be handled quickly.
(a) Manufacturing information Information such as date and time of production, production factory, raw materials used, manufacturing method, and the number of products manufactured, etc. can be used to understand the manufacturing history.
(b) Inspection information Information such as the inspection date and time, inspection standard values such as the set acceptance level acceptance range and the inclusion reference level, the inclusion level determination result, and the number of rejected products, etc., can be used to determine the inspection history.
(c) Information on the valve information container such as the valve number filled with the liquid, past valve maintenance history, past valve filling amount transition data, and the like can be used to grasp the degree of valve quality.

(2) Operation of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of the present invention FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing for displaying the above information (a), (b), and (c) together with an X-ray fluoroscopic image and performing each traceability. Show.

In the following, description will be made sequentially according to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus 8 is turned on, manufacturing information and inspection information (including inspection conditions) are input from the keyboard of the operation unit 16, and stored in the control device 15. (Step 302)
After memorizing this information, self-diagnosis such as X-ray preliminary exposure and I / O check of each device is performed to check whether the device is normal and to carry the inspection container, and to detect the X-ray. Set the timing. (Step 303)
A TV monitor 23 equipped with a soft switch displays an operation monitor screen to be described later.When a level checker operation switch on this screen is pressed (this operation switch may be provided on the operation device 16), a taste check is started. 2 is transported by the container transport device.
When the container position detection device 14 including the projector 12 and the light receiver 13 detects the inspected container 9, the X-ray irradiation device 17 irradiates the inspected container 9 with X-rays, and the X-rays transmitted through the container 9 are X-rays. The detected amount is detected by the line detector 19, and the taste amount is determined by the determination device 22 via the image processing device 20 and the storage device 21.

The determination device 22 determines the liquid level of the container to be inspected from the detected X-ray intensity, and compares the liquid level with the determination criterion, thereby classifying the filling amount of each container into appropriate, excessive, and low ( Step 304).
The operation device 16 is provided with a traceability mode selection switch that can select each mode of selection of rejection / acceptance, periodic sampling selection, and specific valve selection, and the operator selects the traceability mode by the selection switch (step 305). ).
The traceability mode selection switch may be provided in the television monitor 23 having a soft switch.
Furthermore, it is not necessary that each mode of selection for rejecting taste, selection for periodic sampling, and selection for specific valve need be 3, and it may be possible to select from at least two of these modes.

(1) When the unacceptable traceability mode is selected When the operator selects the unacceptable traceability mode, the unacceptable product is traced according to the procedure from step 306 onward.

Correspondence between the container to be inspected and the valve No. is taken in step 304 by the means for associating the container to be inspected with the valve No., and the corresponding manufacturing history is stored (step 309) and the inspection history is stored (step 310). ), Storage of valve information (step 311), and storage of an X-ray fluoroscopic image (step 312).
The manufacturing history, inspection history, valve information, and X-ray fluoroscopic image are associated with each other and stored in the storage device 21.

  The stored X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information is read as appropriate (step 313) and displayed on the television monitor 23 of FIG. 2 (step 315).

  A display example of each piece of information is shown in FIGS. FIG. 6 shows an operation monitor screen having various switches such as level checker operation, liquid level confirmation, image display, and the like, and a taste check is started by the level checker operation switch. Then, when the image display switch is pressed, a sub-window as shown in Fig. 7 is opened, and the X-ray fluoroscopic image, the upper and lower guidelines of the X-ray line sensor that is the inspection condition, the reference guideline and the container type, the data storage period, the storage The hour counter, liquid level judgment result, pass range, valve number, total number of inspections, number of defects, etc. are displayed.

There is a read switch for data recorded in the storage device 21 in the approximate center of the subwindow. In this readout switch, the currently displayed can inspection result (latest), the previous can inspection result (2 containers before), the previous 2 can inspection results (3 containers before), Test result of 3 previous cans (4 containers before), Test result of 4 previous cans (5 before containers), Test result of 5 previous cans (6 containers before), Test results of 6 previous cans (7 containers before) can be read and displayed, thereby displaying the inspection result of any of the cans 7 containers before the current can and performing traceability of rejected cans.
In addition, there are setting switches related to the guideline display of the above-mentioned reference standard height and upper and lower limit heights in the upper right of the sub window, the guideline display can be turned ON / OFF and the line can be moved up and down (step 319). Even if the guidelines overlap, you can check the level of taste. Further, a switch for saving to various memories is provided at the lower right of the subwindow, and various data can be transmitted to an external memory or the like. Each information may be a single information or a combination of a plurality of information.

  In this way, during the taste inspection, the taste determination failure or intentionally saving various data is performed, and the manufacturing, inspection, and valve information data are stored in correspondence with the X-ray fluoroscopic images, Traceability can be improved by appropriately reading out and displaying the data and image on a monitor and using this to pursue the cause of failure of rejected products.

In addition, the number of valves filled with the contents of containers judged to be unacceptable / past valve maintenance history / past valve filling volume transition data etc. are stored at the same time as X-ray fluoroscopic images, and the data for lack of filling / overdose judgment are tabulated. (Step 316), for example, as shown in FIG. 8, by ranking and displaying in order of insufficient filling amount and excess (Step 319), prevention of defects such as valves that should be maintained and valves that should be maintained soon You can take action.
Furthermore, for example, when the overfilled valve No. 28 in FIG. 8 is clicked with a pointing device such as a mouse, a fluoroscopic image corresponding to this valve, manufacturing information, inspection information, etc. are displayed as shown in FIG. Using these images and data, the maintenance of the No. 28 valve can be performed accurately.

Since the control device 15 outputs in accordance with standards such as Net10 and RS-232C, the above result is transmitted to an external device such as a printer or a device managing the entire production system (step 314, step 320).
The rejected can is discharged to the discharge line (step 317).
In the above example, as the manufacturing information, the type of container, the manufacturing date and time (data storage time), and the manufacturing number (counter at the time of storage) indicating the number of products manufactured are displayed, but in addition to these information, Information relating to the production factory, production of used raw materials and the like can be displayed as appropriate. The same applies to the inspection information.

As described above, at the time of occurrence of unsuccessful entry, manufacturing history data, inspection history data, filling machine valve data, X-ray fluoroscopic images are simultaneously saved, read out and displayed appropriately, and rejected from the production line. The traceability of the container or the container that has failed to enter the container stopped at an arbitrary place can be efficiently performed.
Also, by analyzing the above-mentioned inspection history data, the excess and deficiency of the filling amount of each filling valve is totaled, the excellent valve and defective valve, the valve number that needs maintenance soon, and the best filling valve ranking, worst filling It is possible to classify valve ranks, valve ranks that require maintenance that are likely to enter the worst ranks, etc., and by accurately feeding them back to the production line, contributing to the reduction in the number of rejected containers and improving productivity Can be achieved.

(2) When the periodic sampling mode is selected When the operator selects the periodic sampling selection mode, according to the procedure of step 307, the state of the inspecting inspection is periodically monitored to perform traceability of the production line.

By the means for associating the container to be inspected with the valve No., the correspondence between the container to be inspected and the valve No. is taken in step 304, and using this, the manufacturing history is stored at regular intervals (step 321), and the inspection history is recorded. (Step 322), valve information storage (step 323), and X-ray fluoroscopic image storage (step 324).
These manufacturing history, inspection history, valve information, and fluoroscopic image are stored in the storage device 19.

  The stored X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information is read as appropriate (step 325), and as shown in FIG. 10, the relationship between the time on the horizontal axis and the liquid level on the vertical axis is created. (Step 326) By displaying this on the television monitor 23 (Step 328), it is possible to monitor the passage time of the filling amount. Further, if the production number or the inspection number is used instead of the above time, it is possible to monitor the progress of the production number or inspection number of the filling amount.

Since the X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information corresponding to an arbitrary time in the graph of FIG. 10 is stored in the storage device 21, touch the taste level at an arbitrary time on the graph. Accordingly, a corresponding X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information and the like are displayed in the sub-window as shown in FIG.
A storage switch for various memories is provided at the lower right of the subwindow of FIG. 11, and various data can be transmitted to an external memory or the like (step 329). In addition, about each said information, it is also possible to display individually or in combination of several information.

  In this way, by monitoring the filling condition of the filling machine that fills the container with liquid in time series, the filling level of the container filled with the X-ray liquid level inspection device as well as the conventional one can be inspected. Traceability with respect to the variation in taste can be performed in time series. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently investigate the time factor causing the variation in the amount of taste in the filling machine.

Since the control device 15 outputs in accordance with standards such as Net10 and RS-232C, the above result can be transmitted to an external device such as a printer or a device that manages the entire production system (step 329).
The cans that have failed during the monitoring are flowed to the discharge line and discharged (step 330).

  In the above example, as in the case of selecting the traceability mode that does not pass, the production number indicating the type of the container, the production date and time (data storage time), and the number of the product that has been manufactured (the storage number at the time of storage) In addition to these pieces of information, information related to production factories, production of used raw materials, and the like can be displayed as appropriate. The same applies to the inspection information. Also in this periodic sampling mode, the operation monitor screen of FIG. 6 is displayed. By operating the displayed various switches, an X-ray fluoroscopic image, the upper and lower sensor lines of the X-ray line sensor as the inspection condition, the reference Sensor line and container type, data storage period, storage counter, liquid level judgment result, acceptable range, valve number, total number of inspections, number of defects, etc. display, inspection of the container six times before the container currently being inspected The result can be selected and displayed.

  In this way, during cyclic sampling, the state of taste is monitored, and various operations are intentionally performed to store various data, and the manufacturing, inspection, and valve information data are stored in correspondence with X-ray fluoroscopic images. Then, it is read out as appropriate and the data and the image are displayed on the monitor, thereby enabling traceability of the filling amount.

(3) When the specific valve selection mode is selected When the operator selects the specific valve selection mode, the traceability of the can filled with the specific valve is performed according to the procedure of step 308.
Processing for storing the manufacturing history of the selected specific valve (step 331), processing for storing the inspection history (step 332), and processing for storing the fluoroscopic image (step 333) are performed.
Read the stored fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / specific valve information (step 334), and create the relationship between the time on the horizontal axis and the liquid level on the vertical axis as shown in FIG. 12 ( By displaying this on the TV monitor 23 (step 336), it becomes possible to monitor the filling amount of the specific valve.

Since the X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information corresponding to an arbitrary time in the graph of FIG. 12 is stored in the storage device 21, by touching the taste level at an arbitrary time on the graph The X-ray fluoroscopic image / manufacturing history / inspection history / valve information and the like at the touched time are displayed in the sub-window as shown in FIG.
A storage switch for various memories is provided at the lower right of the subwindow of FIG. 13, and various data can be transmitted to an external memory or the like (step 337). In addition, about each said information, it is also possible to display individually or in combination of several information.
In this way, by tracking how the filling amount from the specific valve changes, it is possible to efficiently investigate the time factor causing the variation in the amount of taste in the specific valve.

Since the control device 15 outputs in accordance with standards such as Net10 and RS-232C, the above result can be transmitted to an external device, for example, a printer or a device managing the entire production system (step 337).
The cans that are rejected during the monitoring are sent to the evacuation line and evacuated (step 338).

  In the above example, as in the case of selecting the traceability mode that does not pass, the production number indicating the type of the container, the production date and time (data storage time), and the number of the product that has been manufactured (the storage number at the time of storage) In addition to these pieces of information, information related to production factories, production of used raw materials, and the like can be displayed as appropriate. The same applies to the inspection information. Even in this specific valve selection mode, the operation monitor screen of FIG. 6 is displayed. By operating the displayed various switches, an X-ray fluoroscopic image, the upper and lower guidelines for the X-ray line sensor as the inspection conditions, the reference Guideline and container type, data storage period, storage counter, liquid level judgment result, acceptance range, valve number, total number of inspections, number of defects, etc. display, inspection result of the container 6 previous from the container currently being inspected Can be selected and displayed.

  Further, when selecting a specific valve, it is possible to grasp a more effective filling amount by using the defective valve (worst 10) of FIG. 8 and past maintenance data together. In this way, the valve is specified, manufacturing, inspection, specific valve information data and X-ray fluoroscopic images are stored in correspondence with each other, and the data and images are read and displayed on the monitor. Traceability of the filling amount of the valve can be performed.

  As mentioned above, although the example which used the can container for the container filled with the liquid was explained, the X-ray liquid level inspection device of the present invention is not limited to the can container, other than the can container such as a bottle, a plastic bottle, paper, etc. Of course, it is effective when applied to the inspection of the liquid level of the container.

Next, still another preferred embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14 and subsequent drawings.
First, the operation during operation of the liquid level inspection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
It is assumed that the container 9 to be inspected is sent by the container conveying device (conveyor) 1 to the measuring unit of the liquid level inspection device (level checker). When the inspected container 9 comes in front of the level checker main body, it is detected by the light emitter and the light receiver, and the X-ray irradiation device 17 starts to irradiate X-rays. When the inspection container flows to the liquid level inspection position of the level checker, the X-ray detector 19 detects the inspection container. In FIG. 14, the timing when the position detection signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state is recorded as the serial number of the position detector. An example of how to assign a serial number is day, hour, minute, and second. In this method, there are some 50 conveyor lines that flow within one second, so records are made in units of 1 / 1,000th of a second. The recorded serial number is temporarily stored in a memory such as a buffer. Before the buffer memory overflows, the serial number is transferred and recorded on a memory card or hard disk having a larger memory capacity.

  The inspected container 9 is subjected to liquid level determination by the determination device 22. When the liquid level determination is completed, the container 9 to be inspected outputs a liquid level determination completion signal. In the buffer, the serial number and the light shielding time of the inspected container (the light from the projector 12 is blocked by the inspected container) are recorded as the liquid level determination completion timing at this time.

  The recorded shading time is due to chattering caused by the state of contact between the containers to be inspected (the X-ray detector flutters immediately after the X-ray detection and the inspection container are switched, and the signal turns ON / OFF. This means that we have acquired data for analyzing the presence or absence of repetitive phenomena.

Next, the operation when the liquid level inspection apparatus is discharged will be described with reference to FIG.
The liquid level inspection result of the container to be inspected is compared with a predetermined pass determination condition to determine whether or not the liquid level is acceptable. In case of failure, the evacuator is driven to evacuate the inspected container. At this time, the serial number is temporarily recorded in a buffer or the like as the rejection drive timing. When the observer analyzes later, it can be confirmed whether or not the timing at which the ejector is actually driven is appropriate.
When the rejected container is discharged, the container is detected by a discharge port discharge confirmation sensor (not shown), and the output signal of the discharge port discharge confirmation sensor changes from the OFF state to the ON state. At this time, the serial number is temporarily recorded in a buffer or the like as the timing when the container is detected by the discharge port discharge confirmation sensor.
Further, the light shielding time of the container is also temporarily recorded in a buffer or the like as s1, s2, s3, s4. The shading time may cause chattering due to the discarded container, or two or three of them may be discarded, and may be shorter or too long compared to the shading time for detecting one container. By analyzing the serial number of the cuvette, it is possible to analyze whether the excised cuvette has been successfully evacuated.

If the liquid level judgment result is acceptable, the container is detected by the production line rejection confirmation sensor, and the output signal turns from OFF to ON. At this time, the serial number is temporarily recorded in a buffer or the like as the timing at which the container is detected by the discharge port evacuation confirmation sensor, and the light shielding time of the container is also temporarily recorded in the buffer or the like. By observing the recorded data, the observer can confirm that the container that has been determined to have passed normally flows into the production line.
The rate of change in the speed of the conveyor is attached to the rotating shaft of the conveyor, and the rotating speed of the conveyor shaft within a predetermined time is temporarily recorded in a buffer by an encoder.

  Examples of analyzing the recorded data are shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. FIG. 16 shows an example of normal operation, and FIG. 17 shows an example of chattering. When the conveyor speed is constant, the recorded timings are arranged on a secondary line having an inclination corresponding to the conveyor speed as shown in FIG. When chattering (due to the effects of splashing water, diffuse reflection of light, etc.) occurs in the output signals of the position detector, discharge port discharge confirmation sensor, and production line discharge confirmation sensor, the recorded data should be analyzed with a graph as shown in Fig. 17. Therefore, the liquid level cannot be judged due to the chattering, and it can be verified whether the rejected container has flowed to the production line.

FIG. 18 shows an example of data analysis when the relationship between the liquid level determination result and the serial number is graphed. If the liquid level is determined normally, the liquid level determination result can be recorded with the serial number and set at the time of liquid level determination.
FIG. 19 shows an example in which the liquid level determination result cannot be recorded due to chattering or the like.
If the liquid level cannot be determined, the liquid level determination result for the serial number at the time of liquid level determination cannot be recorded.
By creating a graph of the relationship between the liquid level determination result and the serial number, it can be confirmed whether or not the liquid level has been determined due to the influence of chattering.

  FIG. 20 shows an example of analyzing the position detection time and serial number. Since the container position detection time is almost constant when the conveyor speed is constant, the same light shielding time is obtained. However, when chattering occurs, the light shielding time varies as shown in FIG. The presence or absence of chattering can be confirmed from the graph shown in FIG. The presence / absence of chattering can also be confirmed by summarizing the relationship between the shading time of the discharge port discharge confirmation sensor and the production line sensor and the serial number in the same manner.

  FIG. 22 shows an analysis example of the rotation speed and serial number of the encoder. When the conveyor speed is constant, the number of rotations at a constant interval (in this example, 30 ms) is constant, but when the conveyor speed fluctuates for some reason, the liquid level determination and the discharge timing are affected by the fluctuation. Therefore, the control device records the rotation speed of the encoder at the position detection timing and the rotation speed of the encoder at the time of driving the ejector as data in the storage device 21, so whether or not the cause of the failure container flow is the conveyor speed. Can be verified. FIG. 23 shows the case where the conveyor speed is reduced and the rotation speed of the encoder is approximately halved. This example makes it possible to verify whether or not the cause of the failure container flowing is the conveyor speed.

Next, an operation example of the program according to another embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
(Step 2401)
The control device causes the position detector to detect the inspected container.
(Step 2402)
The control device obtains the serial number of the inspected container at the time of position detection (I), obtains the light shielding time for the serial number (II), and obtains the rotation speed of the conveyor encoder with respect to the serial number. (III)
(Step 2403)
The control device temporarily records the data acquired in I to III in the buffer.
(Step 2404)
The control device causes the X-ray irradiation device to irradiate the inspection container moved by the conveyor with the X-ray irradiation device, and causes the X-ray detector to perform the liquid level inspection of the inspection container. When the operation is finished, the control device outputs a liquid level determination completion signal.
(Step 2405)
The control device obtains the serial number of the container to be inspected when the liquid level determination is completed. (IV)
(Step 2406)
The control device temporarily records the data acquired in IV in a buffer.

(Step 2407)
The determination device determines whether the inspected container has passed or failed.
If the determination result is acceptable, the control device proceeds to step 2408, and if not, proceeds to step 2411.

(Step 2408)
The control device causes the position detector of the production line to detect the inspected container.
(Step 2409)
The control device obtains the serial number of the container to be inspected when flowing into the production line (V), obtains the light shielding time for the serial number (VI), and obtains the rotation speed of the conveyor encoder with respect to the serial number. (VII)
(Step 2410)
The control device temporarily records the data acquired in V to VII in the buffer.

(Step 2411)
The control device outputs a drive signal for driving the evacuator that causes the position detector of the evacuation line to detect the container to be inspected.
(Step 2412)
The control device obtains the serial number of the container to be inspected when it flows into the discharge line (VIII), and obtains the number of rotations of the conveyor encoder with respect to the serial number. (IX)
(Step 2413)
The control device temporarily records the data acquired in VIII and IX in the buffer.
(Step 2414)
The control device recognizes that the inspected container has reached the evacuation port by a position sensor provided in the evacuation port, and outputs a signal for confirming that the rejected inspected container has been evacuated by the evacuator.
(Step 2415)
The control device obtains the serial number of the inspected container when the rejection is confirmed (X), and obtains the light shielding time for the serial number. (XI)
(Step 2416)
The control device temporarily records the data obtained by X and XI in the buffer, and proceeds to Step 2417.

(Step 2417)
The determination device determines whether or not the storage capacity of the buffer is likely to be exceeded.
As a result of the determination, the control device proceeds to step 2418 if it is likely to exceed, and proceeds to step 2401 otherwise.
(Step 2418)
The control device transfers the buffer data to a memory card, hard disk or the like, and proceeds to step 2401.

As described above, it can be realized by the computer incorporated in the control device.
It should be noted that if two channels are provided for the buffer so as to adjust the recording timing and the transfer timing, it is possible to cope with the inspection of the inspected container flowing indefinitely.

According to the present embodiment, by storing the data of all the inspection containers that can be confirmed whether or not the liquid level inspection has been normally performed, the situation at the time of the inspection can be grasped and analyzed later.
Further, since the cause of the abnormal liquid level inspection can be analyzed, it is possible to take measures at the next operation, and the reliability of the apparatus can be improved.

  In the embodiment described above, the liquid level level guidelines of the inspected container together with the X-ray fluoroscopic image of the inspected container, the liquid level acceptable reference line, the upper limit line and the lower limit line of the acceptable level of the liquid level, and The output level of the X-ray sensor (X-ray detector 19) is displayed on the same screen of the TV monitor 23 as the display means so that the liquid level can be identified.

Furthermore, in the present invention, only by observing the liquid level image (X-ray fluoroscopic image), in order to make the details of the inspection of the inspected container clear at a glance, the above liquid level acceptable reference line, the liquid level In addition to the upper limit line and the lower limit line of the level pass range, the liquid level determination range, the liquid level determination value, the X-ray sensor output value, and the occurrence of minor injury are also displayed on the screen of the liquid level image.
Such a further preferred embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 25 and subsequent drawings.

FIG. 25 is a top view showing the positional relationship between the container 9 to be inspected and the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus 8 shown in FIG.
25, the X-ray inspection apparatus 8 of FIG. 2 newly includes an X-ray detection signal acquisition start position detector 24 for starting acquisition of a signal detected by the X-ray detector 19, and an X-ray detector 19 And a liquid level determination start position detector 25 for ending the capture of the signal detected in step (b).

  FIG. 26 is a view of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus 8 as seen from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the container 9 to be inspected. From this figure, the arrangement of the detection elements of the X-ray detector 19 and other configurations You can see the relationship with the elements.

As described above, the X-ray detector 19 uses an X-ray line sensor, and this X-ray line sensor includes a plurality of X-ray detection elements each composed of a scintillator and a photodiode, in the transport direction of the container 9 to be inspected. Are arranged in a straight line in the vertical direction so that a plurality of channels of X-ray transmission signals can be obtained.
As shown in FIG. 26, the X-ray line sensor 19 (X-ray detector) has a large number of small-sized sensor elements 19a having a width W of, for example, 1 mm or less and a height h of less than that, closely attached to the line, As described above, the X-ray line sensor 19 is arranged in a direction in which the arrangement direction of the sensor elements 19a is perpendicular to the liquid surface direction (horizontal direction), that is, in the vertical direction. Be placed.

  Here, before describing the operation of another embodiment according to the present invention, the X-ray sensor output will be described in more detail, the liquid level determination range newly added in the present embodiment, the liquid level determination result, and minor injury. Etc. will be described.

(1) About the liquid level judgment range and liquid level Since most beverage containers have a cylindrical shape or a shape close to that, the amount of liquid that allows X-rays to pass through is the largest in the center of the container. It gradually decreases from the container end to the container end.
For this reason, even if the liquid level is the same, the X-ray attenuation signal may change depending on the position of the container in which it was taken, so a uniform X-ray attenuation signal that is not affected by the X-ray transmission distance The determination range is set in order to obtain.

  A specific example is shown in FIG. The figure (a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the inspected container 9 and a plurality of channels of X-ray sensors (in the case of the X-ray detector 19, in this example, 14 channels). Are arranged so that the liquid level at the vertical position of the container to be inspected can be detected.

  The output of the X-ray sensor detected in FIG. 27 (a) is represented by the X-ray transmission amount of the inspected container 9, that is, the X-ray attenuation amount, and as shown in FIG. 27 (b), the X-ray attenuation amount is small. If the amount of X-ray attenuation is large, the image is dark, and the gray image detected by the X-ray sensor is taken into the image processing device 20 for X-ray detection signals of all channels, for example, every 1 ms or 0.5 ms. . And, as described above, in order to obtain a uniform X-ray attenuation signal that is not affected by the X-ray transmission distance, as shown in FIG. The center part of the cuvette among these three equal parts is set as the liquid level judgment range.

In this way, a liquid level determination range is provided in the horizontal direction of the container 9 to be inspected, that is, in the transport direction of the container to be inspected. (This captured detection signal is referred to as one line), and this is displayed in the horizontal direction as a liquid level image (X-ray fluoroscopic image).
In this case, for example, if 10 lines are captured, the third line is displayed as a liquid level determination start position in the liquid level determination range, and this position is displayed as a bar graph on the X-ray fluoroscopic image, and the seventh line is displayed. As the liquid level determination end position, this position is displayed as a bar graph on the X-ray fluoroscopic image.

The height of the bar graph indicates the height of the liquid level, the height of the bar graph at the liquid level determination start position indicates the liquid level height at that line, and the liquid level determination end position The height of the bar graph at represents the height of the average liquid level in the liquid level determination range. These displays will be described later.
The liquid level determination range includes the diameter of the container to be inspected from the position where the liquid level determination start position detector 25 detects the container, the transfer speed of the container transfer device (conveyor) 1, and the adjustment parameters from the operation unit 16. It is assumed that the container has advanced to the distance input to the control device 15.

(2) Determination of liquid level FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of liquid level determination.
In this figure, the X-ray sensor of the present X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus is composed of, for example, an element of 96h, and corresponds to the position of the 64th channel at a position orthogonal to the straight line on the X-ray focal point. Let the liquid level be the reference level of the acceptable range.
When the determination value of the liquid level detected in the 64th channel is ± 0 (this height is referred to as a reference height), the 96th channel above the 64th channel and the 64th channel below the 64th channel. It has a judgment range up to the first channel.
That is, the determination width has +63 to −33.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28, if the container liquid level height for one channel is 0.5 mm, the determination value changes by 1 when the container liquid level fluctuates by 0.5 mm.
That is, +01 of the liquid level determination result means that the liquid level is 0.5 mm higher than the reference height, and +05 means that it is 2.5 mm higher than the reference height.
Therefore, pass or fail is a result output based on a set pass range (this is input from the operation device 16 or acquired from information stored in the storage device 21), for example, If the pass range is ± 02, +05 exceeds the upper limit, so a result of fail is displayed. These will be specifically described on the display screen described later together with the bar graph (average liquid level height) of the determination end position and the upper and lower limit levels.

(3) X-ray sensor output
The output of the X-ray sensor (X-ray detector) is taken into the image processing apparatus 20 as 8-bit data having an output width value of 0 to 255.
The output value of the X-ray sensor naturally varies depending on the X-ray condition, the material and shape of the container to be inspected, but when the X-ray dose irradiated from the X-ray irradiation device 17 decreases for some reason, The detection value of the line sensor also decreases, and X-rays are absorbed and attenuated as if the container to be inspected contains the amount of liquid, and an empty container containing nothing is erroneously determined as “liquid present”. Therefore, in order to prevent such erroneous determination, the X-ray sensor output value and whether the output is normal or abnormal are displayed on the liquid level image.
For example, when the X-ray sensor output value is 200 when the normal state is normal and the empty container is erroneously determined as having liquid, the sensor output value of 120 or less is displayed as an output abnormality.
Thus, by displaying the output value of the X-ray sensor, it can be determined whether or not the X-ray irradiation to the X-ray detection system (from the X-ray irradiation device 17 to the X-ray sensor 19) is normal.

  Since the output value of the X-ray sensor must be captured and displayed even when the container to be inspected flows closely, the X-ray sensor output of the part where the X-ray sensor is not obstructed by the container to be inspected That is, it indicates the maximum value of the X-ray sensor output.

(4) Minor fault error In the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to the present invention, when the following phenomenon occurs, it is displayed as a “minor fault” error.
1) When the X-ray sensor output is abnormal
2) When any number of containers to be inspected fails continuously.
3) When any number of containers to be inspected fails in any time.
4) When it is time to replace the X-ray tube.
5) In the case of a device equipped with an evacuator that evacuates the defective container, an error in evacuating the defective container occurs.
6) Although the liquid level inspection can be continued as in the case of a drop in the air pressure that operates the evacuator, etc., if any abnormality occurs in the production line, these are detected as `` minor faults '' indicate.

  In the liquid level image of the container to be inspected, the acceptance level line of the liquid level of the container to be inspected, the upper limit line and the lower limit line of the acceptable range of the liquid level, the output of the X-ray sensor (X-ray detector 19) The operation of another embodiment of the present invention for displaying the value, the liquid level determination range, the liquid level determination result, and whether or not a minor injury has occurred will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step 401) Acquisition of X-ray detection signal and start of liquid level image generation Inspection container position detector 14 (FIG. 2) indicates that inspection container 9 conveyed by container conveyance device (conveyor) 1 has been conveyed to the inspection region. And the detection signal is sent to the control device 15. The control device 15 irradiates the container 9 to be inspected from the X-ray irradiation device 17 based on the inspection container position detection signal and the operation signal input from the operation device 16 (see FIG. 2).
When the X-ray is sufficiently stabilized, the inspected container 9 reaches the position of the X-ray detection signal acquisition start position detector 24, and the X-ray detection signal is input to the image processing device 20 to generate a liquid level image. Start.

(Step 402) Completion of X-ray detection signal acquisition and start of liquid level inspection When the inspected container 9 reaches the position of the determination start position detector 25, the liquid level inspection of the inspected container 9 is started.

(Step 403) Liquid level determination start and display of the determination start position and liquid level height The output of each sensor element 19a of the X-ray sensor 19 taken into the image processing apparatus 20 is transmitted to the determination apparatus 22, and the sensor element 19a Then, the determination device 22 determines the presence or absence of liquid. At this time, the determination value for one scan immediately after the start of determination is written as a bar graph on the image, and the liquid level determination start position and the liquid level height are displayed on the display means.
The liquid level determination start position is the first position of the liquid level determination range described in (1).

(Step 404, Step 405) Liquid Level Determination Operation The determination device 22 determines the liquid level within the liquid level determination range of (1).

(Step 406) Display of Liquid Level Determination End Position, Liquid Level Height, and Determination Result When the determination of the liquid level within the liquid level determination range is completed in Step 405, the final liquid level determination value of the container 9 to be inspected is displayed. An output from the determination device 22 is written as a bar graph on the liquid level image of the container to be inspected, and the liquid level determination end position, the final liquid level height and the determination result are displayed on the display means.

(Step 407) Determination of presence or absence of occurrence of light failure After completion of the liquid level determination in step 406, it is determined whether or not a light failure has occurred (4).

(Step 408) Minor Fault Occurrence Display When a minor fault occurs, a display of minor fault occurrence is added to the display means in the liquid level image processed in step 406.

(Step 409) Addition of Liquid Level Determination Value and X-ray Sensor Output Value The liquid level determination value output from the determination device 22 and the X-ray sensor output value are added to the X-ray fluoroscopic image.
As shown in FIG. 30, the height of the liquid level used for the liquid level determination is represented by the height of the bar graph in the liquid level determination range indicated by the two bar graphs described in (1) above. In FIG. 30, at the first position of the liquid level determination range, the liquid level image and the height of the bar graph coincide with the reference level, indicating that the liquid level determination is normal, but at the final position of the liquid level determination The height of the liquid level image and the bar graph are remarkably different, indicating that there is an abnormality in the liquid level determination. By displaying in this way, the relationship between the liquid level determination value and the liquid level position becomes clear.
As described in (3) above, the X-ray sensor output value displays the output value (maximum value) of the portion without the inspected container, and the inspected container detects the X-ray detection signal capture start position. This is the value of the portion where there is no inspected container immediately after the image writing start position shown in FIG.

At this time, if the liquid level determination result is acceptable, the liquid level determination value is displayed in blue, and if it is unacceptable, it is displayed in red.
In addition, the X-ray sensor output value is displayed in blue when it is normal higher than the specified value, and is displayed in red when it is lower than the specified value.
The liquid level judgment value pass / fail color display and X-ray sensor output value normal / abnormal color display are not limited to the color, but the pass / fail judgment and normal / abnormal. Any combination of colors may be used as long as they can be distinguished.

(Step 410) Display and storage of liquid level image and incidental data The liquid level image (X-ray fluoroscopic image) of the inspected container obtained through the above steps and the incidental data of this image are displayed on the TV monitor 23 as display means. It is displayed and stored in the storage device 21 and saved.
The liquid level image and its accompanying data are for storing all the containers to be inspected, but when the storage capacity of the storage device is over, it can be transferred to a memory card or a hard disk and stored. It ’s fine.

  Next, an actual image example obtained by processing with the above configuration and software will be described.

FIG. 32 shows a liquid level image with inspection information in which the liquid level determination result is acceptable, the X-ray sensor output is normal, and no light failure has occurred.
In addition to the reference level, upper limit level, and lower limit level that have passed the liquid level inspection, the liquid level image is displayed with two bar graphs, and the liquid level determination value and the X-ray sensor output value are displayed simultaneously. To do.

The position of the bar graph on the left side of the liquid level determination range is the liquid level determination start position, and the determination value for one scan immediately after the start of the determination is displayed as the liquid level height at the height of the bar graph.
The position of the right bar graph is the liquid level determination end position, and is represented by the height of the right bar graph as the final liquid level determination value of the container 9 to be inspected.
The height of the bar graph on the right side is +01 higher than the reference level, and this is within the acceptable range, so the liquid level judgment result is displayed as +01 and passes, and the +01 is displayed in blue. The
The X-ray sensor output is also displayed as 151, and since this is within the normal value range, the 151 is also displayed in blue.

FIG. 33 shows a liquid level image with inspection information in which the liquid level determination result is unacceptable, the X-ray sensor output is normal, and no light failure has occurred.
The height of the bar graph on the right side of the liquid level determination range is +05, which exceeds the upper limit level of the pass range, so the liquid level determination result is rejected, and the +05 is displayed in red.

FIG. 34 shows a liquid level image with inspection information in which the liquid level determination result is acceptable but the X-ray sensor output is abnormal and a light failure has occurred.
The height of the bar graph on the right side of the liquid level judgment range is +01 and the liquid level judgment result is acceptable, but the X-ray sensor output is abnormal as 144, so this X-ray sensor output value 144 is displayed in red At the same time, a bar graph indicated by an arrow indicates that a minor failure has occurred due to a decrease in the X-ray sensor output.

  Thus, in order to match the liquid level judgment result (displayed in a bar graph) for confirming the liquid level inspection range, the liquid level image and the liquid level judgment value, which are the most important as the inspection result Liquid level image of liquid surface position, X-ray sensor output value for monitoring X-ray output for each container to be inspected, and presence or absence of minor obstacles such as abnormal X-ray output for monitoring inspection status for each container to be inspected Therefore, the details of the inspection of the inspected container can be confirmed only by the liquid level image, and the traceability is further improved.

In addition, since the above liquid level image and its associated data are stored for all the containers to be inspected, the cause investigation in the case where an abnormality occurs in the liquid level judgment by reading and browsing as necessary is possible. It becomes easy.
As a result, it is possible to take an early action and contribute to improving the reliability and maintenance of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus.

The figure which shows an example of the production line of the liquid container product using the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus by this invention. The schematic block diagram of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of this invention. The block diagram of the configuration of the image processing apparatus of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus of this invention, and the flow of a control signal. The flowchart which performs the traceability process of this invention. An example of the operation | movement monitor screen of the X-ray liquid quantity inspection apparatus of this invention displayed on a television monitor. The figure which shows an example of the television monitor screen which displayed the X-ray fluoroscopic image of the to-be-inspected container with which the liquid was filled, the manufacturing information of the said to-be-inspected container, and inspection information. The figure which categorized the valve in descending order of occurrence of defects. The figure which shows an example of the television monitor screen which designated the arbitrary valve | bulb in FIG. 8, and displayed the X-ray fluoroscopic image of the to-be-inspected container filled with this valve, the manufacturing information of the said to-be-inspected container, and inspection information. The figure which shows the mode of the change of the liquid surface taste level accompanying elapsed time. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a television monitor screen in which an arbitrary time is specified in FIG. 10 and an X-ray fluoroscopic image of the inspection container at the specified time, manufacturing information of the inspection container, and inspection information are displayed. The figure which shows the mode of the change of the liquid surface taste level accompanying the time change of the to-be-inspected container filled with this valve | bulb by designating a specific valve | bulb. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a television monitor screen in which an arbitrary time is specified in FIG. 12 and an X-ray fluoroscopic image of the inspection container at the specified time, manufacturing information of the inspection container, and inspection information are displayed. The time chart of a normal position detection signal and completion of liquid level determination in another embodiment. The time chart of a waste drive signal, a waste outlet waste confirmation sensor, and a production line waste confirmation sensor in another embodiment. The example of a graph analysis by the serial number recorded by another embodiment. The example which chattering generate | occur | produced in the position detection signal in another embodiment. The example of a graph of a liquid level determination result and a serial number in another embodiment. The graph example of the liquid level determination result at the time of chattering generation | occurrence | production in another embodiment, and a serial number. The example of a graph of position detection time and a serial number in another embodiment. The example of a graph of the position detection time at the time of chattering generation | occurrence | production in another embodiment, and a serial number. The example of the relationship graph of the rotation speed of an encoder and time in another embodiment. The example of the relationship graph of the rotation speed of an encoder and time when the conveyor speed decelerates in another embodiment. The flowchart explaining the operation example of another embodiment. The top view which shows the positional relationship of a to-be-inspected container and an X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus. The figure which looked at the X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus from the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of a to-be-inspected container. Explanatory drawing of a liquid level determination range. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for determining a liquid level. The flowchart explaining the operation example in another embodiment. An example of the display of a liquid level determination range and the liquid level height in this determination range. Explanatory drawing of the detection period of an X-ray sensor output value (maximum value). Liquid level image example with inspection information that the liquid level inspection result passed, the X-ray sensor output is normal, and the light failure has not occurred. Liquid level image example with inspection information where the liquid level inspection result is unsuccessful, the X-ray sensor output is normal, and the light failure has not occurred. Liquid level image example with inspection information that the liquid level inspection result is acceptable, the X-ray sensor output is abnormal, and the light failure has occurred.

Explanation of symbols

  1 Can transfer device, 3 Filler (filling machine), 4 Filler valve, 6 Cima (clamping machine), 8 X-ray liquid level inspection device, 9 Inspected container, 14 Inspected container position detector, 15 Control device, 16 Controller, 17 X-ray irradiation device, 19 X-ray detector, 20 Image processing device, 21 Storage device, 22 Judgment device, 23 TV monitor, 24 X-ray detection signal acquisition start position detector, 25 X-ray detection signal Acquisition end position detector

Claims (6)

X-ray irradiating means for irradiating the inspection container filled with liquid with X-rays, and X-ray for detecting transmitted X-rays of the inspection container disposed opposite to the X-ray irradiation means with the inspection container interposed therebetween with a detector, and the X-ray detector determining means for liquid level level of the inspection container from the detected data detected by the display means for displaying the results determined by the determining means, the In the X-ray liquid level inspection device,
While associating each container to be inspected filled with the liquid with the valve No. of the valve in which the container to be inspected is filled with liquid,
Production history including information on the production date and time of the inspected container, raw materials used, and production method , inspection date and time of the inspected container by the determination means, acceptable range of the set liquid level, and determination result of the liquid level holding the inspection history including information,
A control device is provided that associates the manufacturing history and the inspection history for each valve No, and controls the display means to display the passage of time of the liquid level of the container to be inspected filled with the valve No. X-ray liquid level inspection device.   Image processing means for processing detection data from the X-ray detector to create a liquid level image of the container to be inspected, and the determining means is a liquid level of the container to be inspected created by the image processing means. 2. The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the liquid level is within a predetermined range based on an image. The apparatus further comprises information storage means for storing the manufacturing history and the inspection history, and the control device stores the liquid level image of the container to be inspected created by the image processing means and the manufacturing information stored in the information storage means. 3. The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the history and the inspection history are displayed on the same screen of the display means. A rejection selection mode for selecting a container to be inspected in which the liquid level of the liquid filled in the container to be inspected, a sampling monitoring mode for periodically monitoring a liquid level inspection, and a container to be inspected A specific valve selection mode for specifying a valve of a filling machine that fills the liquid to the liquid, and means for selecting each mode; and the control device includes the manufacturing history and the inspection history stored by the information storage means. the determined result and the X-ray liquid surface inspection apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the display control on the display unit in association with. It said selecting means, claim said selected failure mode selected, characterized in that it comprises means for classifying the underfill and excessive filling liquid for each valve to fill the liquid into the cuvette 4. The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to 4. The image processing means creates an X-ray fluoroscopic image of the container to be inspected, and the control device identifies a valve from among insufficient and excessive filling amounts classified by the classification means, and the object filled from the specific valve. 6. The X-ray liquid level inspection apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the display means controls display of an X-ray fluoroscopic image of the inspection container, the manufacturing history, and the inspection history .

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