JP5712650B2 - Saddle checker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a saddle stitch inspection apparatus that inspects a wire with respect to a saddle stitch book obtained by performing saddle stitching with a wire.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a saddle stitch book obtained by superposing (collating) a plurality of print books and performing saddle stitching of the print books with a wire is known.

  In the saddle stitch book, a part of the wire is exposed at the back portion, and if it is normal, the exposed wire has almost the same shape along the back of the saddle stitch book. However, as a defect in the saddle stitching state, there may be a defective wire that protrudes from the back of the saddle stitch book. The protruding wire is not only not good in appearance, but can cause a serious accident such as hurting a person's hand when the wire has an exposed cut end. Therefore, a saddle stitch inspection apparatus for inspecting a defect in which a wire is protruding has been developed.

  That is, when manufacturing a saddle-stitch book, first, a plurality of print books are overlapped (collated), and the collated book is saddle-stitched by a wire in a stitcher portion while being conveyed by a conveyance mechanism. Is obtained. The outer shape of the wire is inspected for the saddle stitch book thus obtained.

  However, since the saddle stitch book manufacturing process and the wire inspection process are performed while the printing book is continuously transported by the transport mechanism, it is difficult to inspect the saddle stitch book wire quickly and accurately.

JP-A-10-58854 JP 2000-238461 A

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and the outer shape of the wire of the saddle stitch book obtained by performing saddle stitching with a wire consisting of a plurality of collated booklets can be easily and quickly performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a saddle stitch inspection apparatus capable of inspecting.

The present invention relates to a saddle stitch inspection apparatus that has a plurality of printing books and inspects the wire of a saddle stitch book obtained by performing saddle stitching with a plurality of wires, and has a wire protruding outward from the saddle stitch book. An illumination unit that illuminates from the outside of the binding, an imaging unit that captures an image of the wire of the saddle binding illuminated by the illumination unit, and an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image from the imaging unit; The image processing unit performs image processing on the image, specifies the contour of the wire protruding outward from the saddle stitch book, the contour specified by the contour specifying unit, and each wire A determination unit that compares the pre-registered reference wire shape contour with the angle of the approximate straight line with respect to the upper side of the wire contour and the change of the approximate curve with respect to the upper side of the wire contour to determine the quality of the wire This is a featured saddle stitch inspection apparatus.

  The present invention relates to a conveyance mechanism that conveys a saddle stitch book to the illumination unit and the imaging unit, a discharge mechanism that is connected to the conveyance mechanism and discharges a defective saddle stitch book, an illumination unit, an imaging unit, a conveyance mechanism, and a discharge unit. And a control device for controlling the mechanism, wherein the control device discharges a defective saddle stitch book having a wire determined to be defective based on a signal from the determination unit to the outside through the discharge mechanism. It is a saddle stitch inspection apparatus.

  The present invention is the saddle stitch inspection apparatus in which the contour specifying unit performs color extraction processing for extracting only the same color as the wire color from the image.

The present invention is the saddle stitch inspection apparatus characterized in that the contour specifying unit clarifies the contour of the wire by eliminating unnecessary regions around the wire in the image subjected to the color extraction process .

  The present invention is the saddle stitch inspection apparatus in which the contour specifying unit performs noise removal processing on an image.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the contour of the wire is specified by the contour specifying unit of the image processing unit, and the contour of the wire specified by the contour specifying unit is compared with the contour of the reference wire shape by the determination unit. And in this determination part, the quality of a wire can be performed easily and rapidly.

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an image processing unit of the saddle stitch inspection apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an inspection flow of the saddle stitch inspection apparatus. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram showing the saddle stitch book manufacturing system. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a transport mechanism of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a transport mechanism of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the image processing unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the image processing unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the image processing unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the image processing unit.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  1A is a view showing a saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a view showing an image processing unit of the saddle stitch inspection apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an inspection flow of the saddle stitch inspection apparatus. 3 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating the saddle stitch book manufacturing system, FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a transport mechanism of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system, and FIGS. 6 to 9 are image processing units. It is a figure which shows the image processing in.

  First, the entire saddle stitch book manufacturing system incorporating the saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10 superimposes (collates) a plurality of printing books 1, and saddle-stitches the collated bookbinding books 1 with a wire 2 to produce a saddle stitching book 1 </ b> A. It is to be manufactured (see FIG. 1).

  The saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10 includes a collating mechanism 11 including a plurality of collating portions 11a, 11b,... 11i that collate a plurality of printing books 1, and a collating mechanism provided on the downstream side of the collating mechanism 11. A first book inspection unit 13 that performs a thickness inspection (examination, inspection of missing pages) and a length inspection (collation misalignment inspection) on the book 1 collated by the mechanism 11 and the collated book A stitcher section 14 for producing a saddle stitch book 1A by saddle stitching with a wire 2 at a desired position (for example, two locations), and a tucker section 15 for changing the advancing direction of the saddle book 1A produced by the stitcher section 14 It has. The tucker unit 15 is connected to a first discharge mechanism 15a for discharging the saddle stitch book 1A determined to be defective to the outside.

  Further, a trimmer portion 17 for cutting the end portion of the saddle stitch book 1A and aligning the shape of the saddle stitch book 1A is provided on the downstream side of the tucker portion 15, and further on the downstream side of the trimmer portion 17 a second printing book inspection. A portion 18 is provided. The second printing book inspection unit 18 inspects the weight of the saddle stitch book 1A and inspects the finishing dimension of the saddle stitch book 1A. A second discharge mechanism 18a for discharging the book 1A to the outside is connected.

  Further, the saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A that is determined to be a non-defective product by the second printing book inspection unit 18 is conveyed outward through the feed line 19.

  By the way, in the above-described saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10, the collated plural bookbinding books 1 and the saddle stitching book 1 </ b> A are transported by the transport mechanism 12, which will be described later. The collating mechanism 11 includes a plurality of collating parts 11a,... 11i as described above. In the collating part 11a, the innermost printing book 1 is first loaded on the transport mechanism 12, and the collating part 11 In 12b, the next printing book 1 is put on the innermost printing book 1 conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 12 and overlapped (collated). In this way, the collated parts 11a,... 11i sequentially collate the printed book 1, and the collated printed book 1 is sent to the first printed book inspection part 13 side.

  Next, the transport mechanism 12 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the transport mechanism 12 includes a pair of chains 32 a and 32 b and a pair of chain guides 33 a and 33 b that guide the chains 32 a and 32 b so as to go straight in parallel. The chains 32a and 32b are respectively coupled to the holding portions 34a and 34b, and each holding portion 34a and 34b is driven by a pair of chains 32a and 32b and travels along the chain guides 33a and 33b. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the holding portions 34 a and 34 b are inclined so as to approach each other upward to form a slope on the outside. The holding portions 34a and 34b hold and transport the collated printing book 1 or the saddle-stitched saddle stitch book 1A in contact with and straddle the inclined surface. The holding portions 34a and 34b approach each other but are not in contact with each other, and form an opening at the zenith.

  Next, a saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10, the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 is installed in an area A between the stitcher section 14 and the tucker section 15, or an area B upstream of the second printing book inspection section 18.

  As the region B on the upstream side of the second printing book inspection unit 18, for example, a region between the tucker unit 15 and the trimmer unit 17 or a region between the trimmer unit 17 and the second printing book inspection unit 18 can be considered. .

  When the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 is installed in the region A, the saddle stitch book 1A determined to be defective by the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 is used as the first discharge mechanism 15a, the second discharge mechanism 18a, or the third discharge mechanism 19a. Can be discharged to the outside. When the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 is installed in the region B, the saddle stitch book 1A determined to be defective by the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 can be discharged from the second discharge mechanism 18a or the third discharge mechanism 19a to the outside. it can.

  Further, the saddle stitch inspection device 20 may be arranged in the region C on the feed line 19. In this case, the saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A determined to be defective by the saddle stitch inspection device 20 can be discharged to the outside from the third discharge mechanism 19 a on the feed line 19.

  Such a saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 is illuminated (reflected) by a flash-type illumination unit 21 that illuminates the wire 2 protruding outward from the saddle stitch book 1A from the outside of the saddle stitch book 1A, and the illumination unit 21. And a CCD camera (imaging unit) 22 that captures an image of the wire 2 of the saddle stitch book 1A and acquires an image, and an image processing unit 25 that performs image processing on the image from the CCD camera 22. Among them, the illumination unit 21 and the CCD camera 22 belong to the HW group, and the image processing unit 25 belongs to the SW group.

  The image processing unit 25 performs image processing on the image to specify the contour of the wire 2 protruding outward from the saddle stitch book 1A, and the contour of the wire 2 specified by the contour specifying unit 25a. And a determination unit 25b that determines whether the wire 2 is good or bad by comparing the contour of the reference wire shape.

  Further, a signal from the image processing unit 25 is sent to the control device 26. When the defective wire 2 is detected in the determination unit 25b, the control device 26 sends a failure signal to the discharge mechanism control unit 27, and this discharge mechanism control unit. 27, the saddle stitch book 1A having the defective wire 2 is discharged to the outside by the first discharge mechanism 15a or the second discharge mechanism 18a.

  1A and 1B, the image processing control unit 25A is configured by the image processing unit 25 and the control device 26.

  Further, the control device 26 includes components of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10, such as a collating mechanism 11, a transport mechanism 12, a first bookbinding inspection unit 13, a stitcher unit 14, a tucker unit 15, a first discharge mechanism 15a, a trimmer. The unit 17, the second printing book inspection unit 18, the second discharge mechanism 18 a, and the feed line 19 are driven and controlled. In addition, when the control unit 26 detects the defective wire 2 by the determination unit 25b of the image processing unit 25 as described above, the control device 26 removes the saddle stitch book 1A having the defective wire 2 from the first discharge mechanism 15a or the second discharge mechanism 18a. It is designed to be discharged to the outside.

  Incidentally, the transport mechanism 12 of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10 is driven and controlled by the control device 26. In this case, the control device 26 determines a traveling distance (for example, 1 m) of the transport mechanism 12 corresponding to a desired number of pulses (for example, 1000 pulses) and controls the transport mechanism 12 with a predetermined control pulse.

  At the same time, the control device 26 drives and controls the illumination unit 21 and the CCD camera 22 at intervals of a certain control pulse, illuminates the wire 2 protruding outward from the saddle stitch book 1A by the illumination unit 21, and An image is acquired by imaging the wire 2 of the saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A, and the image of the wire 2 is sent to the image processing unit 25.

  As described above, the control device 26 drives and controls the transport mechanism 12, the illumination unit 21, and the CCD camera 22 in synchronization with each other. At this time, the control device 26 determines the operation timing of the illumination unit 21 and the imaging unit 22 in accordance with the number of the wires 2 of the saddle stitch book 1A based on the control pulse (conveyance speed) of the conveyance mechanism 12.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

  First, in the first collating portion 11a of the collating mechanism 11, the innermost printing book 1 is first loaded on the holding portions 34a and 34b of the transport mechanism 12, and then the holding portion 34a of the transport mechanism 12 in the collating portion 11b. , 34b, the next printing book 1 is put on the innermost printing book 1 and superimposed (collated). In this manner, the collated sections 11a,... 11i sequentially collate the printed book 1, and the collated printed book 1 is sent to the first printed book inspection section 13 side.

  Next, the plurality of booklets 1 that have been collated are subjected to thickness inspection in the first bookbinding inspection unit 13 to detect the number of prints 1 added and missing, and length inspection is also performed to collate. Misalignment is detected. The inspection signal from the first printing book inspection unit 13 is sent to the control device 26.

  After that, the collated printing book 1 that has been inspected in the first printing book inspection section 13 is sent to the stitcher section 14, and the collated printing book 1 is saddle stitched by the wire 2 in the stitcher section 14. The book 1A is obtained.

  The advancing direction of the saddle stitch book 1A obtained in the stitcher section 14 is changed in the tucker section 15, and the defective saddle stitch book 1A is discharged outward from the first discharge mechanism 15a.

  The saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A whose traveling direction has been converted in the tucker portion 15 is then cut in the trimmer portion 17 so that the shape of the saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A is aligned.

  After that, the saddle stitch book 1 that has passed through the trimmer unit 17 is sent to the second bookbinding inspection unit 18, in which the weight of the saddle stitching book 1A is inspected, and the finishing dimension of the saddle stitching book 1A is determined. Inspected. The inspection signal from the second printing book inspection unit 18 is sent to the control device 26.

  Among the saddle stitches 1A that have passed through the second printing book inspection section 18, defective ones are discharged to the outside from the second discharge mechanism 18a, and the saddle stitch book 1A determined to be non-defective is sent outward from the feed line 19. It is done.

  During this time, the shape of the wire 2 of the saddle stitch book 1A is inspected by the saddle stitch inspection device 20.

  The operation of the saddle stitch inspection apparatus 20 will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the contour specifying unit 25a of the image processing unit 25 is set in advance according to the bookbinding conditions. In this case, the bookbinding conditions in the image processing unit 25 may be the number of wires, the position of the wires, and the type of cover.

  Next, a reference wire-shaped image is registered in the determination unit 25 b of the image processing unit 25.

  In the determination unit 25b, reference images corresponding to the number of wires (three reference images when one saddle-stitch book 1A is fixed at three locations) are registered, and each reference image can be determined. . Thus, by registering the reference images for the number of wires in the determination unit 25b, the determination can be made with higher accuracy.

  Next, the image processing unit 25 is set to the inspection mode in accordance with the operation start of the saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10.

  Thereafter, it is confirmed whether or not a stitch signal has been input. When the stitch signal is not input, in the above-mentioned saddle stitch book manufacturing system 10, the control device 26 causes the defective saddle stitch book 1A to be moved outward from the first discharge mechanism 15a based on the signal from the first printing book inspection device 13. Is discharged. Similarly, based on a signal from the second printing book inspection device 18, the control device 26 discharges the defective saddle stitch book 1A from the second discharge mechanism 18a to the outside.

  When a stitch signal is input, the control device 26 operates the illumination unit 21 and the CCD camera 22 in synchronization with the transport mechanism 12 to illuminate the wire 2 protruding from the outside of the saddle stitch book 1A by the illumination unit 21 and to detect the CCD. The camera 22 captures the wire 2 of the saddle stitch book 1 </ b> A to acquire an image, and sends the acquired image to the image processing unit 25.

  Next, an operation in which the transport mechanism 12, the illumination unit 21, and the CCD camera 22 are operated in synchronization will be described.

  When one saddle-stitch book 1A is wire-stopped at two locations, the rotation of the driving unit of the transport mechanism 12 is set to 100 pulses, for example, and the wire 2 is exactly in the middle on the display 25b when the CCD camera 22 takes a picture. Assuming that the coming position is the position of 20 pulses and the position of 80 pulses, the saddle stitch book 1A of the same item comes to the same position at the position of the same pulse. That is, when the drive unit rotates once, the saddle stitch book 1A moves to the next collating unit. Therefore, the saddle stitch book 1A comes to the position of the CCD camera 22 at the same pulse position every time the drive unit makes one rotation, and operates the illumination unit 21 and the CCD camera 22 at the 20th and 80th pulses. By doing so, the transport mechanism 12, the illumination unit 21, and the CCD camera 22 can be operated in appropriate synchronization.

  By controlling the transport mechanism 12 in this way, the transport mechanism 12, the illumination unit 21, and the CCD camera 22 can be synchronized easily and accurately even if the speed of the transport mechanism 12 changes.

  The image sent to the image processing unit 25 is subjected to image processing as follows.

  That is, first, the outline of the wire image sent to the image processing unit 25 is specified by the outline specifying unit 25a.

  Specifically, the contour specifying unit 25a performs a color extraction process for extracting only the same color as the wire color on the image. In this color extraction process, the outline of the wire is clarified by extracting only the same color as the wire color from the image.

  Next, in the contour specifying unit 25a, a pixel removal process for deleting an area including a large pixel is performed on the image obtained by the color extraction process, thereby eliminating an unnecessary area around the wire from the image and thereby performing an outline of the wire. To clarify more.

  Next, pixel removal processing will be described.

  In the pixel removal process, a square area having the same color as the wire is removed. At that time, since the wire shape is a rectangle (for example, the length of the long side is L and the length of the short side is 1), one side of the square to be removed is not removed so that the wire shape itself is not removed. It is set to have a length larger than the short side (l) of the rectangle.

  Thereafter, in the contour specifying unit 25a, a noise removal process for removing noise around the wire is performed on the image, thereby removing the noise around the wire from the image to further clarify the contour of the wire.

  The image having the wire whose contour is identified by the contour identifying unit 25a in this way is sent to the determining unit 25b.

  In the determination part 25b, the quality determination is performed with respect to the wire in the image. Specifically, first, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, the length is determined by comparing the length of the wire.

  In this case, a reference wire-shaped image is registered in the determination unit 25b in advance (FIG. 6A). Then, in the determination unit 25b, the image of the reference wire shape and the image sent from the contour specifying unit 25a are compared with respect to the length in the lateral direction, and the wire having an allowable length with respect to the length of the reference wire shape. Is determined to be a non-defective product (FIG. 6B), and a wire having a length outside the allowable range with respect to the length of the reference wire shape is determined to be a defective product (FIG. 6C).

  Further, a minimum rectangle that covers the outline of the wire is formed, and a change in shape is determined from the aspect ratio of the rectangle (FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C).

  As shown in FIG. 7A, a reference wire-shaped image is registered in the determination unit 25b in advance. Then, in the determination unit 25b, the image of the reference wire shape and the image sent from the contour specifying unit 25a are compared with respect to the aspect ratio, and a wire having an allowable aspect ratio with respect to the aspect ratio of the reference wire shape is a non-defective product. (FIG. 7B), and the wire having an aspect ratio that is out of the allowable range with respect to the aspect ratio of the reference wire shape is determined as a defective product (FIG. 7C).

  Further, an approximate straight line with respect to the upper side of the wire contour is obtained, and a change in angle is determined from the approximate straight line (FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C).

  As shown in FIG. 8A, an image of a reference wire shape is registered in the determination unit 25b in advance. Then, in the determination unit 25b, the image of the reference wire shape and the image sent from the contour specifying unit 25a are compared with respect to the angle of the approximate line with respect to the upper side of the contour, and the angle of the approximate line of the upper side of the reference wire shape is compared. A wire having an approximate straight line angle within the allowable range is determined to be a non-defective product (FIG. 8B), and a wire having an approximate straight line angle deviating from the allowable range with respect to the approximate straight line angle of the reference wire shape is determined to be defective. (FIG. 8C).

  Further, the shape is determined by comparing numerical values of the aspect ratio of the wire.

  Next, an approximate curve with respect to the upper side of the outline of the wire is obtained, and a change in the approximate curve is determined (FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C).

As shown in FIG. 9A, a reference wire-shaped image is registered in the determination unit 25b in advance. And the determination unit 25b, and an image of the reference wire shape, and the image sent from the outline identification unit 25a are compared with respect to changes of the approximate curve, the displacement of the approximate curve with respect to the reference line l ₁ of the reference wire-shaped l ₂ wire to (deviance) has a permissible range is judged non-defective is determined (FIG. 9 (b)), wire with displacement l ₂ deviates from the allowable range with respect to the reference line l ₁ of the reference wire-shaped defective (FIG. 9C).

  In this way, the quality of the wire 2 of the saddle stitch book 1A can be determined by the determination unit 25b of the image processing unit 25. The signal from the determination unit 25b is sent to the control device 26.

  When the saddle stitch inspection device 20 is installed in the region A, the discharge mechanism control unit 27 operates the first discharge mechanism 15a based on a signal from the control device 26, and the determination unit 25b has a defective wire 2. The determined saddle stitch book 1A is discharged outward from the first discharge mechanism 15a.

  When the saddle stitch inspection device 20 is installed in the region B, the discharge mechanism control unit 27 operates the second discharge mechanism 18a based on a signal from the control device 26, and the determination unit 25b has a defective wire 2. The determined saddle stitch book 1A is discharged outward from the second discharge mechanism 18a.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wire 2 protruding outward from the saddle stitch book 1A can be detected easily and quickly, and the saddle stitch book 1A determined to have a defective wire 2 can be It is possible to reliably discharge outward through the first discharge mechanism 15a or the second discharge mechanism 18a.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Manufacturing system of saddle-stitch book 11 Collating mechanism 11a ... 11i Collating part 12 Conveying mechanism 13 1st printing book inspection part 14 Stitcher part 15 Tucker part 15a 1st discharge mechanism 17 Trimmer part 18 2nd printing book inspection part 18a 2nd discharge mechanism 19 Feed line 19a 3rd discharge mechanism 20 Saddle stitch inspection device 21 Illumination part 22 CCD camera 25 Image processing part 25a Contour specification part 25b Determination part 26 Control apparatus

Claims (5)

In a saddle stitch inspection apparatus that has a plurality of printing books and inspects the wire for a saddle stitch book obtained by saddle stitching with a plurality of wires,
An illumination unit that illuminates the wire protruding outward from the saddle stitch book from the outside of the saddle stitch book;
An imaging unit that captures an image of the wire of the saddle stitch book illuminated by the illumination unit; and
An image processing unit that performs image processing on an image from the imaging unit,
The image processing unit performs image processing on the image, specifies the contour of the wire protruding outward from the saddle stitch book, the contour specified by the contour specifying unit, and each wire registered in advance. A determination unit that compares the reference wire shape contour with the angle of the approximate straight line with respect to the upper side of the wire contour and the change of the approximate curve with respect to the upper side of the wire contour to determine whether the wire is good or bad. Saddle check device. A transport mechanism that transports the saddle stitch book to the illumination unit and the imaging unit;
A discharge mechanism connected to the transport mechanism for discharging the defective saddle stitch book;
A control unit for controlling the illumination unit, the imaging unit, the transport mechanism, and the discharge mechanism;
The saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device discharges a defective saddle stitch book having a wire determined to be defective based on a signal from the determination unit to the outside through a discharge mechanism.   2. The saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contour specifying unit performs color extraction processing for extracting only the same color as the wire color from the image. 4. The saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the contour specifying unit clarifies the contour of the wire by removing an unnecessary area around the wire from the image subjected to the color extraction process .   The saddle stitch inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contour specifying unit performs noise removal processing on the image.

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