JP6570899B2 - Inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article in which the weight of an object to be inspected (weighing), the inspection of the shape and appearance of the object to be inspected, and the contents such as metal detection are inspected, and the objects to be inspected are distributed according to the inspection result It relates to an inspection device.

  Inspected objects, for example, cylindrical capsules that are filled with drugs and hemispherical at both ends, tablets, stick sachets (stick-type packaging) that contain granules, sugar, jelly, etc. An apparatus is known that transports the object while selecting it according to the result. For example, a capsule weight measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a supply path for dropping a capsule in communication with a hopper and periodically moving up and down, and a supply path when the magazine is out of the lower end position. A stopper that stops the capsule from dropping, a capsule cradle with a groove for receiving the capsule that has fallen from the supply path, and an extrusion that pushes the capsule that has fallen into the groove of the capsule cradle and pushes it in the direction of the groove A transport mechanism, a weighing mechanism that weighs capsules pushed out from the capsule cradle by the push-out transport mechanism, and a discharge mechanism that discharges the weighed capsules are configured. According to this capsule weight measuring apparatus, since the capsule that has fallen in the groove direction is pushed out, the weight of each capsule can be measured at high speed while maintaining high measurement accuracy.

  In addition, the article inspection system disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes an inspection device that inspects inspection objects that are sequentially conveyed on a conveyance line, and an exclusion that the inspection device determines to be NG (nonconformity / defective) and outputs it. An article inspection system comprising: a sorting device that excludes an object determined to be NG from a conveyance line based on a signal; an imaging unit that monitors a timing at which the inspection object is excluded; and an image captured by the imaging unit Image processing means for determining from the monitoring image that the selection operation has been performed uncertainly. According to this article inspection system, even when there is a delay in the transportation of the inspection object, the sorting operation can be surely confirmed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-48032 Japanese Patent No. 3974015

However, the above-described conventional capsule weight measuring apparatus and article inspection system discriminate between OK (good) and NG (defective) and perform sorting and transporting, and each is transported in the respective direction. It is not known whether the inspection object determined to be OK (or NG) is always conveyed in the determined direction. For example, the inspection object is inspected, sorted, and distributed, but when there is a conveyance distance between each process, the inspection object outside the conveyance path becomes missing (deviation). If there are multiple transport paths and they are in close proximity to each other, the inspected object may intrude from another transport path (stray), resulting in multiple singularities or poor transport A clogging may occur and it may not be possible to proceed further, or may be accompanied by the next inspection object or the preceding inspection object due to some trouble.
As a result, the OK product and the NG product that have been correctly inspected and determined are uncertain whether they are OK or NG at the stage of distribution, and become unidentified inspection finished products. In other words, it is unclear whether this unknown inspection-completed product has been correctly collected as an OK product or correctly collected as an NG product at the sorted discharge destination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation. The purpose of the present invention is to sort out an unknown inspection end product and discharge it to the OK product side when an unknown inspection end product is generated by a more reliable sorting process. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article inspection apparatus that can be excluded so as not to occur.

Next, means for solving the above problems will be described with reference to the drawings corresponding to the embodiments.
The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises an inspection means 7 for inspecting the inspection object 2,
The main gate 25 which operates according to the result of the inspection means 7 and distributes the inspection object 2 into the NG products 33 and 35 and the non-NG product 29,
The inspection means 7 is provided on the upstream side in each conveyance direction, and a plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20 for conveying the inspection object 2 after inspection to the main gate 25;
For each intermediate transport path 20, transport confirmation means for determining whether the inspection object 2 is normally transported to the main gate 25, or
The inspection object 2 that is provided in common on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20 and operates as a result of the conveyance confirmation unit and has passed as the non-NG product 29 is unknown as the OK product 37. An exclusion gate 26 that distributes to the inspection-finished product 38;
It is characterized by comprising.

In this article inspection apparatus 1, the inspection object 2 that has been inspected by the inspection means 7 provided on the upstream side of the intermediate conveyance path 20 in one intermediate conveyance path 20 is conveyed by the intermediate conveyance path 20. . In the article inspection apparatus 1, the inspection object 2 is similarly inspected for each intermediate conveyance path 20 in the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20, and is conveyed by the intermediate conveyance path 20. All the inspection objects 2 conveyed by the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20 are determined by the conveyance confirmation unit as to whether or not the conveyance to the main gate 25 is normal.
When the inspection by the inspection means 7 is OK, the inspection object 2 conveyed by the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20 is distributed to the non-NG product path 42 as the non-NG product 29 by the main gate 25. The exclusion gate 26 located on the downstream side of the main gate 25 distributes the non-NG product 29 to the OK product path 40 of the OK product 37 when the inspection by the inspection unit 7 is OK and the result of the conveyance confirmation unit is normal.
In the inspection means 7 of any one of the plurality of intermediate transport paths 20, when the inspection object 2 becomes NG, the main gate 25 of the intermediate transport path 20 is activated, and the inspection target becomes NG. The product 2 is distributed to the NG product route 30 as NG products 33 and 35. At this time, the object to be inspected 2 transported by the other intermediate transport path 20 has the removal gate 26 replace the non-NG product 29 with the OK product 37 on the condition that the result of the transport confirmation means is normal. To the OK product route 40.
In the inspection means 7 of the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20, when the inspected objects 2 are OK, they are distributed to the non-NG product path 42 as the non-NG product 29 by the main gate 25. At this time, if it is determined that the result of the transfer confirmation means is not normal, the non-NG products 29 of all the intermediate transfer paths 20 that have passed through the main gate 25 are all tested as unfinished inspection products 38 by the exclusion gate 26. Sorted to the unknown item route 41.

The article inspection apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The rejection gate 26 closes the OK product discharge port 39 for discharging the OK product 37, and when the inspection by the inspection means 7 is OK and the result of the transfer confirmation means is normal, the OK product discharge port 39 is opened.

  In this article inspection apparatus 1, the exclusion gate 26 is always closed and opens when an OK product 37 arrives. Actually, even if the main gate 25 passes through the intermediate transport path 20 as the non-NG product 29, whether or not it is actually an OK product 37 is unknown while passing through the intermediate transport path 20. For example, a case where the NG products 33 and 35 bounced off from the other intermediate transport path 20 are interrupted. For this reason, the exclusion gate 26 distributes the non-NG product 29 as the OK product 37 when the inspection by the inspection unit 7 is OK and the result of the conveyance confirmation unit is normal. Further, the exclusion gate 26 does not identify the non-NG product 29 that has passed through the main gate 25 when an accident such as a sensor failure occurs in the inspection means 7 or the conveyance confirmation means of any of the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths 20. Sort as a finished inspection product 38. That is, on the assumption that the removal gate 26 does not normally perform the operation of opening the OK product discharge port 39, the result of the inspection means 7 that is determined that the non-NG product 29 is not the unknown inspection finished product 38 is OK. This is a so-called fail-safe operation in which the exclusion gate 26 operates only when the conveyance to the gate 25 is normal.

The article inspection apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The inspection by the inspection means 7 in each of the intermediate transport paths 20 is synchronized.

  In this article inspection apparatus, the inspection object 2 is carried into each intermediate conveyance path 20, and the inspection means 7 operates in synchronization. That is, all the inspection means 7 operate all at once in a state where the inspection objects 2 are arranged in a horizontal row at the same position, for example. Since the inspection is synchronized, the inspection results of all the intermediate conveyance paths 20 are prepared at the same time. Thereby, since the inspection result of each intermediate conveyance path 20 is obtained at the same time, the main gate 25 for separating OK or NG can be opened and closed simultaneously. In addition, the subsequent exclusion gate 26 can be performed without delay.

  According to the article inspection apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the NG product and the non-NG product to be inspected are sorted by the main gate according to the result of the inspection means, and the non-NG product according to the result of the conveyance confirmation means. Thus, it is possible to sort an OK product and an unknown inspection-completed product, that is, an inspection object that cannot be discriminated as an NG product or an OK product at the exclusion gate as an unknown inspection-completed product. As a result, inspected products that have been correctly inspected may be missing during inspection or intrusion into other transport paths, etc., and even if they are not collected correctly, unknown inspection-completed products are excluded as unknown inspection-completed products. In other words, it is possible to collect the products other than OK products and NG products. In addition, since the exclusion gates are arranged in common over a plurality of intermediate transport paths, even if it is impossible to determine and sort for each transport path, such as jumping over the intermediate transport path and entering, it is possible to batch the multiple intermediate transport paths. Since it is judged that there is an unknown inspection finished product, even if missing or unknown inspection finished products are mixed in, it will not be mixed with correctly selected items such as OK products. , Can be sorted more reliably.

  According to the article inspection apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the exclusion gate is normally closed, so that the inspection by the inspection means is OK and the inspection is normal except by the conveyance confirmation means. Since the OK product discharge port is not opened at the gate, that is, the non-NG product that has passed through the main gate is assumed to be an unknown inspection-completed product, and distribution is performed by the exclusion gate, so OK product distribution control Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent failure of sorting from an accident or a failure in the process until reaching the exclusion gate, and to make the selection of the inspection object uncertain.

  According to the article inspection apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention, since each inspection means operates synchronously, for example, inspecting a plurality of inspected objects all at once at the same position in a horizontal row. Can do. Since the inspections are synchronized, the conveyance of the inspected objects on all the intermediate conveyance paths is also performed at the same time, thereby obtaining the determination result of the conveyance confirmation means for each intermediate conveyance path at the same time. The main gate can be opened and closed at the same time. In addition, after the NG product is sorted and discharged, the subsequent exclusion gate for further sorting the non-NG product can be quickly performed without delay. Thereby, the sorting operation of each gate can be performed with good timing from the inspection by the inspection means, and the inspection capability of the article inspection apparatus can be further increased.

1 is an external perspective view of an article inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the intermittent conveyance part of the article inspection apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of the distribution part of the article inspection apparatus shown in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of OK product distribution. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of distribution of the unknown test completion | finished goods. It is a perspective view of the intermittent conveyance part shown in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of NG product (lightweight NG product) distribution. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of NG product (over-quantity NG product) distribution. (A) is a perspective view of the article inspection apparatus which concerns on the modification provided with the conveyor conveyance part, (b) is a perspective view of a stick packaging. It is a top view of the conveyor conveyance part shown in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of OK product distribution of the conveyor conveyance part which concerns on a modification. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of distribution of the unknown inspection completion goods of the conveyor conveyance part which concerns on a modification.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an article inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The article inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below as a weight measuring apparatus 1 that inspects, that is, weighs, the weight of an object to be inspected. In addition to weight inspection, for example, an appearance inspection apparatus for inspecting the shape and appearance of an inspection object, X-rays are irradiated on the inspection object, and the inspection object's mass and defects , X-ray inspection device for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter, etc., Article inspection device for sorting inspection objects according to inspection results such as metal detection device detecting metal foreign matter by detecting magnetic field change and residual magnetism of inspection object Can also be used. In the present embodiment, the object to be inspected is a capsule 2 (see FIG. 2) having a long cylindrical shape with both ends formed in a hemispherical shape. As a raw material of the capsule 2, gelatin, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or the like can be used. In addition, the inspection object to be inspected by the article inspection apparatus may be a stick package (stick-type package) in which tablets, granules, sugar, or the like are enclosed.

  The weight measuring apparatus 1 includes an outer housing 4 having a door 3 that can be freely opened and closed, part of which is translucent. Inside the outer casing 4, a supply unit 5 for the capsule 2 and an intermittent conveyance unit 6 for conveying the capsule 2 are provided. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a weighing unit 7 as an inspection unit shown in FIG. 2 is also provided inside the outer housing 4. A supply hole 8 communicating with the supply unit 5 is provided on the upper surface of the outer casing 4, and a hopper (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of the outer casing 4 so as to communicate with the supply hole 8. The capsule 2 can be supplied to the supply unit 5 of the capsule 2 inside the container.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the intermittent conveyance unit 6 of the article inspection apparatus shown in FIG.
The weight measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a supply unit 5, a weighing unit 7, an intermittent conveyance unit 6, a stepped conveyance mechanism 9, a step skipping roof portion 10, a fixed stepped body 11, and a distribution. The configuration is roughly divided into a unit 12 and a control unit (not shown).

  The capsule 2 is conveyed from the supply unit 5 to the distribution unit 12, and this becomes a conveyance path. In the present embodiment, instead of one conveyance path, there is a multiple structure in which 30 rows of conveyance paths made up of three sets of conveyance blocks with 10 rows as one set are arranged, as shown in FIG. Three supply holes 8 correspond to each set. In FIG. 2, not only the directly illustrated transport path, but also a multiple structure in which a plurality of transport paths are arranged along a direction orthogonal to the paper surface. That is, a plurality of capsules 2 are transported simultaneously by a plurality of transport paths arranged in parallel. Note that the intermittent conveyance unit 6 in FIG. 6 described later shows a set of conveyance blocks in which ten rows of conveyance paths are arranged.

  The supply unit 5 intermittently feeds the capsules 2 input from the hopper disposed above one by one to the subsequent process. The supply unit 5 includes a magazine 13 and a stopper 43. The magazine 13 communicates with the bottom of the hopper, forms a supply path for dropping the capsule 2, and is periodically moved up and down. The capsules 2 are accommodated in the magazine 13 in a vertical direction with its axis line directed in the vertical direction and aligned in a line in the vertical direction. The stopper 43 closes the supply path when the magazine 13 deviates from the lower end position in the vertical movement, and stops the capsule 2 from dropping from the lower end of the supply path.

  The supply unit 5 is provided with a curved recess 44 immediately below the magazine 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the capsule 2 dropped from the magazine 13 is held in an inclined posture with its axis line inclined upward in the transport direction, as shown in FIG. The supply section 5 is provided with a supply section pusher 16 that is advanced in the transport direction on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the curved recess 44 in the transport direction. The pusher 16 for supply part slides horizontally from the back (right side in the figure) of the curved recessed part 44, and sends the capsule 2 located in the curved recessed part 44 to the next step.

  In the supply section 5, a supply gate section 17 is formed on the opposite side of the supply section pusher 16 with the curved recess 44 interposed therebetween. The supply gate portion 17 has a substantially V-shaped cross section perpendicular to the transport direction. That is, the bottom surface is a V-groove. A pusher slit (not shown) through which the supply portion pusher 16 slides is formed at the lowest end of the V-groove along the capsule conveying direction. The supply portion pusher 16 has a shape in which the upper end of the tip protrudes. As a result, the supply unit pusher 16 sends the capsule 2 to the supply gate unit 17 in the horizontal direction while restricting the rising of the capsule 2. In addition, the V groove of the supply gate part 17 makes the contact area with the capsule 2 small because the opposing slope supports the capsule 2. This V-groove can be supported in the same manner even if the size of the capsule 2 to be conveyed changes. And the capsule 2 extruded by the pusher 16 for supply parts is sent to the weighing stand 18 of the weighing part 7 which is the next process.

  The weighing unit 7 is provided in the next step of the supply unit 5, and the capsules 2 sent out from the supply unit 5 are placed one by one and the weight of one capsule 2 is measured. The weighing unit 7 includes a weighing table 18 and a measuring device that supports the weighing table 18. As with the supply gate unit 17, the weighing table 18 has a cross-sectional shape that is perpendicular to the transport direction and is formed in a V-groove shape. The weighing platform 18 is supported by the measuring device by a Robarval mechanism. The Roverval mechanism has a parallelogram framework in which each side can move freely. The weighing table 18 is attached to one column of the frame, and the weighing sensor has the other column as a fixed end. Thereby, the exact weight is measured no matter where the capsule 2 is placed on the weighing platform 18. The measuring device has, for example, a load cell (not shown) as a weighing sensor. By placing the capsule 2 on the weighing platform 18, the weight of the capsule 2 is measured by an electric signal of a load cell to which a load is applied. The weighing sensor is not limited to the load cell, and other various weighing sensors can be used.

  The intermittent conveyance unit 6 is provided in the next process of the weighing unit 7. The intermittent conveyance unit 6 conveys the capsule 2 intermittently in synchronization with the supply unit 5 and the weighing unit 7. The intermittent conveyance unit 6 includes a conveyance body 19, a stepped conveyance mechanism 9 that forms a buffer unit 22 that is a conveyance lane 20 as an intermediate conveyance path, and a step jumping regulation roof unit 10. The transport lanes 20 are configured in a plurality so as to be parallel to each other and adjacent to each other, and the weighing unit 7 is provided on the upstream side of each transport direction, and transports the capsule 2 after the inspection.

  The carrier 19 is formed with a structure having a downward space, such as a U-shape. In this configuration example, it has a front nail portion protruding downward and a rear nail portion. The capsule 2 can be accommodated in the axial direction between the front claw portion and the rear claw portion. The carrier 19 can prevent the capsule 2 from escaping and jumping out by the front claw part, the rear claw part, and the upper wall part.

  The transport body 19 has a rear claw portion that contacts the rear end of the capsule 2 of the weighing platform 18 at the upstream movement position in the transport direction. In this state, the front claw portion hits the rear end of the previous capsule 2. Then, the upstream side of the rear claw portion hits the front end of the capsule 2 thereafter. The transport body 19 holds the capsule 2 of the weighing platform 18 so as to cover it from above, and sends it to the next-stage stepped transport mechanism 9. After transporting the capsule 2, the transport body 19 moves up and returns from the transport locus of the capsule 2 to the transport initial position. This operation is repeated. The carrier 19 intermittently conveys the capsule 2 in synchronization with the movement of the supply unit 5. That is, the stopped time substantially coincides with the weighing timing of the weighing unit 7.

  The stepped transport mechanism 9 includes a fixed stepped body 11 and a stepped pusher 21. The step-like transport mechanism 9 has a plurality of buffer portions 22 that are stepwise lowered along the transport direction of the capsule 2 and formed in a step shape. In this configuration, the intermittent transport unit 6 includes a plurality of buffer units 22 that hold the capsules 2 one by one by the stepped transport mechanism 9, that is, four in the illustrated example, that is, a set of four. Is provided.

  The buffer unit 22 is provided in the next step of the weighing unit 7, holds the capsules 2 whose measurement has been completed one by one, and rests and places the capsules 2 approximately at the weighing timing of the weighing unit 7.

  The buffer unit 22 has a mounting table 23 that holds the capsule 2 by mounting. In this configuration, there are four buffer units 22 in the transport direction. In the weight measuring apparatus 1, the capsule 2 is transferred to the fixed stepped body 11 and the stepped pusher 21 in the course of conveyance. Accordingly, there are four mounting tables 23 in each of the fixed stepped body 11 and the stepped pusher 21.

  The weight measuring device 1 according to the present invention may be configured to include at least one (one stage) buffer unit 22. The mounting table 23 of the buffer unit 22 at the most upstream in the transport direction is arranged continuously with the weighing table 18. In this configuration, the most upstream mounting table 23 in the transport direction is configured to have substantially the same height (substantially the same horizontal plane) as the weighing table 18. The most upstream mounting table 23 may be configured to be lower than the weighing table 18 so as to fall one step. In the case of having a plurality of mounting tables 23 with a configuration having a plurality of buffer units 22, a plurality of capsules 2 are individually held on each mounting table 23 and sent one after another. That is, intermittent conveyance is performed for each stage.

  The step-like transport mechanism 9 is capable of transporting the capsule 2 with a simple structure by linear movement in the horizontal direction because the plurality of mounting tables 23 are stepped. In each mounting table 23, the path through which the capsule 2 is conveyed is formed in a V-groove similar to that of the supply gate unit 17 and the weighing table 18 described above. Thereby, the contact area of the mounting table 23 and the capsule 2 is made small similarly to the above.

  The fixed stepped body 11 is formed with a plurality of buffer units 22, that is, a mounting table 23 in a step shape in the transport direction. The conveyance path composed of the fixed stepped body 11 and the stepped pusher 21 becomes a stepped V groove by the mounting table 23. Each stage is placed so that each capsule 2 is held one by one. The stepped pusher 21 is slid to repeat the operations of “pressing”, “dropping”, and “returning” the capsule 2.

  The step-like transport mechanism 9 enables intermittent transport by using steps and dropping the capsules 2 one after another. Each stage has an integrated structure by using a fixed stage body 11. The fixed stepped body 11 is fixed integrally with the fixed side plate 14 shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the members other than the fixed side plate 14 and the fixed stepped body 11 are moved in the forward / backward direction together with the stepped pusher 21.

  The stepped pusher 21 is slid relative to the fixed stepped body 11. The stepped pusher 21 overlaps with the V groove of the fixed stepped body 11 and slides back and forth in the transport direction. As a result, the capsule 2 placed in the V-groove of each placement table 23 is pushed by the stepped pusher 21 and sent to the lower placement table 23.

  In this configuration, the stepped transport mechanism 9 is configured with four buffer portions 22. Thereby, as for the stair-like conveyance mechanism 9, the conveyance direction from the weighing part 7 to the distribution part 12 becomes predetermined length. The measuring device is accommodated using the space below the step-like transport mechanism 9 having a predetermined length. In other words, the weighing unit 7 and the sorting unit 12 are connected by the stepped transport mechanism 9 while accommodating the measuring device.

  The intermittent conveyance unit 6 is provided with a step jumping regulation roof 10 above the stepped conveyance mechanism 9. The step-restricting roof portion 10 is disposed to face the stair-like transport mechanism 9 at a distance from each other, and a facing lower surface 24 (see FIG. 2) is formed following the staircase shape.

  The opposed lower surface 24 has a reverse step portion facing the mounting table 23 of each buffer unit 22. This reverse step portion forms an enclosed space that prevents the capsule 2 from dropping into the lower buffer portion by the mounting table 23. Thereby, the opposing lower surface 24 of the step-restricted roof portion 10 suppresses stepping to the front buffer portion ahead of the transport destination buffer portion of the capsule 2.

  As described above, according to the weight measuring device 1 including the intermittent conveyance unit 6, since a spare space is provided between the weighing position and the sorting unit 12, the processing capability is improved even in high-speed conveyance, that is, high-speed inspection processing. Certain sorting can be made possible.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the four-stage buffer unit 22 from the weighing unit 7 to the distribution unit 12 is configured in a plurality of rows. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the fixed stepped body 11 and the stepped pusher 21 constituting the stepped transfer mechanism 9 have a waveform in which a plurality of substantially V shapes arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction are continuously formed. Each of the V-shaped parts supports the capsule 2 and serves as a mounting table 23 for the buffer unit 22. These buffer units 22 form a set of four in the transport direction to transport the capsules 2 from the supply unit 5 to the sorting unit 12 and to synchronize the capsules 2 with the capsules 2 arranged in a horizontal row. Each of them is configured as a plurality of transport routes, that is, transport lanes 20. In the example shown in the figure, 10 capsules 2 are transported side by side in the horizontal direction, that is, 10 rows of transport lanes 20 are formed, the four-stage mounting table 23 (buffer unit 22) is lowered, and the next-stage distribution unit The capsule 2 is sent to 12.

  Further, the weight measuring device 1 includes a conveyance confirmation unit that determines whether or not the conveyance is normal for each conveyance lane 20 that is an intermediate conveyance path. In the present embodiment, the conveyance confirmation unit is a sensor that detects the passage of the capsule 2 disposed on the sorting unit 12 side, and includes a main gate sensor 28, an excessive amount NG sensor 34, and a lightweight NG sensor 36. The conveyance confirmation means may be provided with an imaging means (not shown) for confirming the capsule 2 on the conveyance lane 20, and in addition to a sensor for detecting passage for more reliable determination, a main gate 25 described later. Alternatively, a sensor for confirming the operating state of the drive unit of the sub-gate 27 may be used.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the distribution unit 12 of the article inspection apparatus shown in FIG.
The sorting unit 12 is provided in the next step (on the downstream side in the transport direction) of the intermittent transport unit 6.
The distribution unit 12 includes a main gate 25 and an exclusion gate 26. The main gate 25 operates according to the result of the weighing unit 7 and distributes the capsule 2 into the NG products 33 and 35 and the non-NG product 29.

  When the capsule 2 is an NG product, the main gate 25 sorts the NG product toward the NG product path 30. The NG product path 30 is provided with a sub-gate 27 that further distributes the NG product into an overdose NG product path 31 and a lightweight NG product path 32. The overdose NG product path 31 is provided with an overdose NG sensor 34 for detecting that the overdose NG product 33 (see FIG. 8) has passed. The lightweight NG product path 32 is provided with a lightweight NG sensor 36 that detects that the lightweight NG product 35 (see FIG. 7) has passed. For example, an optical sensor, a light projector / receiver, a camera, or the like can be used as the excess NG sensor 34 and the light NG sensor 36. These detection signals are sent to the control unit.

  When the capsule 2 is a non-NG product 29, the main gate 25 sends the non-NG product 29 to the non-NG product path 42. In the present embodiment, the main gate 25 does not operate, and the capsule 2 (non-NG product 29) is pushed by the operation of the lowermost step of the stepped pusher 21 in the preceding stepped mechanism portion 9, whereby the non-NG product path 42 is obtained. Sent to. In the vicinity of the main gate 25, there is provided a main gate sensor 28 for detecting the capsule 2 (non-NG product 29) that has not been distributed by the main gate 25 and has passed to the non-NG product path 42 on the downstream side.

  An exclusion gate 26 is provided downstream of the main gate 25 in the non-NG product conveyance direction. The exclusion gate 26 is provided in common to the plurality of rows of transport lanes 20, that is, integrally provided across the width direction of the rows of transport lanes 20, as shown in FIG. The exclusion gate 26 shown in FIG. 6 is a schematic view schematically shown. The exclusion gate 26 operates according to the result of the conveyance confirmation means and passes the capsule 2 that has passed as the non-NG product 29, the OK product 37 (see FIG. 4), the unknown inspection finished product 38 (see FIG. 5), Sort out.

  This exclusion gate 26 always closes an OK product discharge port 39 for discharging the OK product 37. That is, the exclusion gate 26 operates only when the results of the weighing unit 7 and the conveyance confirmation unit are normal, and opens the OK product discharge port 39.

  The operation of closing or opening the main gate 25 and the exclusion gate 26 in the distribution unit 12 is an example. In addition, the sorting operation may be such that the capsules 2 on the transport surface are sorted left and right, or specific capsules 2 are blown away or sucked.

  When the conveyance confirmation unit is an imaging unit, the image processing unit includes an image processing unit that determines that the conveyance operation or the selection operation has been performed uncertainly from the monitored monitoring image. As this imaging means, a CCD camera can be suitably used. For example, a camera or the like as an imaging unit is provided on the above-mentioned stepped regulation roof portion 10 so as to take an image toward the mounting table 23. Image data obtained by the imaging means is input to the image processing means.

  For example, a microcomputer can be suitably used as the image processing means. The image processing means inputs the image data sent from the imaging means and executes various arithmetic processes on the image data to determine whether or not the transport operation and the sorting operation have been performed reliably. In other words, the image processing unit performs the transfer operation according to the transfer state of the capsule 2 in the step-like transfer mechanism 9 and the presence / absence of the capsule 2 in the transfer side region and the exclusion side region at the timing when the capsule 2 is removed by the sorting unit 12. It is determined that the sorting operation has been performed uncertainly.

  The presence or absence of the capsule 2 at this time is determined by using an image processing method such as a change in the area, dispersion, or difference image of the conveyance side area and exclusion side area set in advance in the image at the timing when the capsule 2 is conveyed or removed. to decide.

  Here, in the image processing method based on the area, when the capsule 2 is imaged from the back surface, for example, from above the mounting table 23, the mounting table 23 is set as the back surface, and binarization is extracted based on the density difference from the back surface. To determine whether or not. Further, the image processing method based on dispersion has a low density dispersion value if only the back surface (mounting table 23) is provided, and the density dispersion value becomes high if the capsule 2 is present. The image processing method using the difference image does not change the difference image between the back surfaces (mounting table 23), but the difference image between the back surface (mounting table 23) and the capsule 2 makes use of the fact that the change is large. Determine the presence or absence.

  Such determination information is sent to a control unit described later and used as a control signal for operating the distribution unit 12 and the like.

  Further, the article inspection apparatus may include a recording unit (image recording apparatus) for recording a monitoring image captured by the imaging unit as needed in the imaging unit and the image processing unit. By providing such a recording unit, the article inspection apparatus can confirm the state of the conveying operation and the sorting operation again after the end of manufacturing or after the end of the article inspection. Thereby, it is possible to investigate the cause of the failure of the transport operation and the sorting operation.

  In the present embodiment, each configuration from the supply unit 5 to the sorting unit 12 configured as described above forms one transport path, and the transport path has 10 rows in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction as shown in FIG. A set of a plurality of transport paths is configured as a transport block, and each capsule is supported by a substantially V-shaped portion formed of a corrugated plate, and 10 capsules 2 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction at the same time. It has a multiple structure for carrying. As shown in FIG. 6, each conveyance path includes a weighing unit 7, a conveyance body 19, and a stepped conveyance mechanism 9 for each conveyance path, and includes one row including the main gate 25 and the sub-gate 27 in the distribution unit 12. Each of them is provided with four buffer units 22 and intermittently conveys the capsule 2 from the supply unit 5 to the distribution unit 12 by the intermittent conveyance unit 6, and is distributed from the weighing by being configured in this manner. Until now, it is done side by side at the same time.

  The control unit controls the feeding operation of the supply unit 5 and the conveyance operation of the intermittent conveyance unit 6 by controlling the rotation speed of the motor. Moreover, a control part controls the measurement operation | movement of all the weighing parts 7 synchronizing with these intermittent conveyance operation | movement. Further, the control unit is configured in a preset sequence based on information from the main gate sensor 28, the overdose NG sensor 34, the light weight NG sensor 36, and the imaging unit (image processing unit), and the main gate 25, the sub gate 27, The operation of the exclusion gate 26 is controlled.

  More specifically, the control unit can be a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), an internal memory, an external memory, an interface, and the like. Input means (such as a keyboard) and display means can be connected to the computer. Thereby, the control part can input settings, such as measurement operation and intermittent conveyance speed, or can display a measurement result and a distribution result. Moreover, a control part is good also as what controls only an operation timing using a programmable sequencer etc.

Next, the operation of the configuration with the one set of transport blocks described above will be described.
FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram at the time of distributing the OK product 37, FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram at the time of distributing the unknown inspection finished product 38, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the intermittent conveyance unit 6 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram at the time of NG product (light weight NG product) distribution, and FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram at the time of NG product (excess NG product) distribution.
In the weight measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, in the transfer lane 20 in which the buffer units 22 are arranged in a row in a stepped manner in a staircase, the weighing unit 7 provided on the upstream side of the transfer lane 20 performs inspection (weighing). The capsule 2 having been completed) is transported by the transport lane 20. In the weight measuring apparatus 1, the capsules 2 are similarly inspected (weighed) in the transport lanes 20 arranged in a plurality of rows by the set of intermittent transport units 6, and transported by the transport lanes 20. All the capsules 2 that are inspected synchronously by the plurality of weighing units 7 and are synchronously conveyed by the buffer units 22 of the plural rows of conveyance lanes 20 pass through the main gate 25 by the conveyance confirmation means. Whether or not the conveyance up to is normal is monitored and determined.

  When the inspection by the weighing unit 7 of all the transport lanes 20 in the plurality of rows is OK, the capsule 2 transported by the buffer unit 22 of the transport lane 20 is used as a non-NG product 29 by the main gate 25 as shown in FIG. It is conveyed downstream of the non-NG product path 42. The exclusion gate 26 located on the downstream side of the main gate 25 is an OK product discharge port when the inspection by the weighing unit 7 is OK and the result of the conveyance confirmation means is normal, that is, when the non-NG product path 42 is correctly passed. 39 is opened, and the non-NG product 29 is distributed to the OK product path 40 of the OK product 37. Further, when it is determined that the result of the transfer confirmation means is not normal, all the non-NG products 29 in the transfer lanes 20 of all rows that have passed through the main gate 25 are unknown by the exclusion gate 26 as shown in FIG. As an inspection-completed product 38, it is distributed to the unknown product route 41 at once. In this way, the weight measuring apparatus 1 monitors whether the non-NG product 29 after the non-NG product 29 and the NG products 33 and 35 have been properly passed through the non-NG product path 42, and If the result is OK, the OK product discharge port 39 is opened, and the NG or indistinguishable state is not handled as an NG product or the like, but is distributed to the unknown product path 41 as an unknown inspection finished product 38. I have to. Here, the result of the conveyance confirmation means is normal when only one non-NG product 29 (capsule 2) passes correctly for each conveyance lane 20.

  When the capsule 2 becomes NG in the weighing unit 7 of the transport lane 20 in any one of the transport lanes 20 in the plurality of rows, the main gate 25 of the transport lane 20 in that row is activated, and FIG. 7 and FIG. As shown, the capsule 2 that has become NG is distributed to the NG product path 30 as an NG product. The NG product transported to the NG product path 30 is sorted into the excessive NG product 33 and the light NG product 35 by the sub-gate 27 that operates according to the result of the weighing unit 7. Passing of the excess NG product 33 and the lightweight NG product 35 passing through the excess NG product path 31 and the lightweight NG product path 32 is detected by the excess NG sensor 34 and the lightweight NG sensor 36. At this time, the capsule 2 in which the inspection in the weighing unit 7 carried by the transportation lane 20 of the other row is OK is performed in the same manner as described above on the condition that the result of the transportation confirmation means is normal. The non-NG product 29 is distributed to the OK product path 40 of the OK product 37. Here, the result of the transport confirmation means is normal when the corresponding sensor detects the capsule 2 transported in the sorting direction corresponding to the inspection result for each transport lane 20. That is, in all the transport lanes 20, if the inspection result is OK, the main gate sensor 28 detects, and if it is NG, it is determined to be normal when either the excessive amount NG sensor 34 or the lightweight NG sensor 36 is detected. Therefore, if there is at least one transport lane 20 in which the sensor corresponding to the inspection result cannot detect the capsule 2, it is determined that there is a transport lane 20 that has not been transported correctly, and the exclusion gate 26 checks the non-NG product 29 for an unknown test. The finished product 38 is distributed to the unknown product route 41.

  The weight measuring device 1 is provided with a main gate sensor 28 for determining whether or not the non-NG product has passed, and confirms that it has passed. In this way, even when the main gate sensor 28 is broken and cannot be detected, it is possible to cope with a situation in which the main gate sensor 28 usually has to come but has not come. The weight measuring device 1 regards that the main gate sensor 28 cannot confirm the passage of the non-NG product as an abnormality, and does not go to the OK product path 40 if an abnormality occurs in the device including the main gate sensor 28. In this manner, the exclusion gate 26 is kept closed and collected in the unknown product path 41. The exclusion gate 26 excludes all the transport lanes 20 at once. This is because, for example, when an abnormality occurs such as when the capsule 2 to be passed through any of the plurality of transport lanes 20 cannot be confirmed, it is also possible to specify where the capsule 2 went. This is because it cannot be done. In the present embodiment, the conveyance confirmation unit includes not only the main gate sensor 28 but also an overdose NG sensor 34, a lightweight NG sensor 36, an imaging unit, and the like, so that capsules at the time of passing through the gates 25 and 27, etc. 2 is monitored, and if any one of the transport anomalies occurs, the exclusion gate 26 is not operated and the capsule 2 passing through the non-NG product path 42 is regarded as an unknown product in all the transport lanes 20. to recover.

  In this weight measuring apparatus 1, the exclusion gate 26 is always closed and opens when an OK product 37 arrives. Actually, even if the main gate 25 passes through the transport lane 20 and passes through the main gate 25 as the non-NG product 29, whether or not it is actually an OK product 37 is unknown while passing through the transport lane 20. For example, there may be a case where NG products 33 and 35 bounced off from other adjacent transport lanes 20 are interrupted. For this reason, the exclusion gate 26 distributes the non-NG product 29 as the OK product 37 when the inspection by the weighing unit 7 is OK and the result of the conveyance confirmation means is normal. Further, the exclusion gate 26 has passed through the main gate 25 when an accident such as a sensor failure or malfunction of each gate occurs in the weighing unit 7 or the conveyance confirmation means of any of the plurality of conveyance lanes 20. The non-NG product 29 is sorted as an unknown inspection finished product 38. In other words, the exclusion gate 26 assumes that the operation of opening the OK product discharge port 39 is not normally performed, and the result of the weighing unit 7 that determines that the non-NG product 29 is not the unknown inspection-finished product 38 is OK. This is a so-called fail-safe operation in which the removal gate 26 operates only when the conveyance until passing through the gate 25 is normal.

  In addition, even if the sub-gate 27 fails and does not work normally after being distributed to the NG product path 30 as an NG product, it is the above situation that it has not come, Even in such a case, the exclusion gate 26 is not operated. Further, since there is a possibility that the exclusion gate 26 itself may fail, the exclusion gate 26 is operated so that the non-NG product 29 is changed to the OK product 37.

  As a result, the exclusion gate 26 is also used in the case of a sorting failure due to failure of each sensor, malfunction of each gate, or the like due to a failure other than the capsule 2 such as the capsule 2 jumping into another transport lane 20 or missing. Is always closed, the inspection by the weighing unit 7 is OK, and the OK product 37 is operated only when the result of the conveyance confirmation means is normal, that is, the exclusion gate 26 is fail-safe. Will be activated.

Moreover, in this weight measuring apparatus 1, the capsule 2 is carried in synchronously. The capsules 2 loaded in synchronization with the respective transport lanes 20 move side by side in the same position. In such a transport mode, the weighing unit 7 operates in synchronization. That is, all the weighing units 7 operate simultaneously. Since the inspections are synchronized, the inspection results of all the transport lanes 20 are gathered in an instant. Thereby, since the inspection result of each conveyance lane 20 is obtained simultaneously, the main gate 25 which divides OK or NG can be opened and closed simultaneously. In addition, the subsequent exclusion gate 26 can be performed without delay. As a result, the operation of the exclusion gate 26 can be performed quickly. As a result, it is possible to discharge the capsules in a horizontal row including the unknown inspection-finished product 38 to the unknown-item path 41 in a lump, and it is possible to further increase the inspection capability of the weight measuring device 1.
In the above-described operation at the time of distribution, the non-NG product 29 distributed by the main gate 25 reaches the rejection gate 26 after the capsules 2 are detected by the sensors 28, 34, 36 and the exclusion gate 26 is opened. It is like that.

Next, a modification of the article inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 9A is a perspective view of an article inspection apparatus according to a modification including a conveyor conveyance unit, FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the stick packaging 45, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the conveyor conveyance unit shown in FIG. is there.
In the weight measuring device according to this modification, the conveyance path is configured by the belt conveyor 52. The belt conveyor 52 includes an upstream conveyor 46, an intermediate conveyor 47 as an intermediate conveyance path, and a downstream conveyor 48. The belt conveyor 52 including these conveyors 46, 47, 48 has a plurality of conveyance paths 49 arranged in parallel. In the case of this weight measuring device, the object to be inspected is a stick sachet 45 containing granules or the like. Below the upstream conveyor 46, a weighing unit 50 for measuring the weight of the stick sachet 45 in each conveyance path 49 is provided. Further, although not shown in the figure, the intermediate conveyor 47 provided at the rear stage of the upstream conveyor 46 is a main gate that partly moves up and down and distributes between NG products and non-NG products according to the result of inspection by the weighing unit 50. Yes. Note that the entire intermediate conveyor 47 may be moved up and down so that the stick package 45 as the inspection object passes through the main gate.

  Between the intermediate conveyor 47 and the downstream conveyor 48, there is provided an exclusion gate 51 that is configured and operated in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The exclusion gate 51 is composed of one unit that is integrated over the entire width of the belt conveyor 52. This exclusion gate 51 is also provided in common for the plurality of transport paths 49, so that it operates according to the result of the transport confirmation means, and the stick package 45 that has passed as the non-NG product 29 is unknown as the OK product 37. Sort to inspection finished product 38.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram when distributing an OK product of the conveyor conveyance unit according to the modification, and FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram when distributing an unknown inspection-finished product 38 of the conveyor conveyance unit according to the modification.
That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the inspection by the weighing unit 50 is OK, the stick package 45 conveyed by the plurality of conveyance paths 49 is conveyed downstream as a non-NG product 29 by the main gate. The exclusion gate 51 located on the downstream side of the main gate distributes the non-NG product 29 to the OK product path 40 of the OK product 37 when the inspection by the weighing unit 7 is OK and the result of the conveyance confirmation means is normal.

  In the weighing unit 50 of any one of the plurality of transport paths 49, when the stick packaging 45 becomes NG, the main gate of the transport path 49 is activated, and the NG stick packaging 45 is NG. The product is distributed to the NG product route. At this time, the stick package 45 transported by the other transport path 49 is similar to the above in that the exclusion gate 51 replaces the non-NG product 29 with the OK product 37 on condition that the result of the transport confirmation means is normal. Sort to OK product path 40.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the weighing units 50 of all the conveyance paths 49, when the stick sachets 45 are OK, they are sorted as non-NG products 29 by the main gate and conveyed downstream. At this time, if it is determined that the result of the transfer confirmation means is not normal, the non-NG products 29 of all the transfer paths 49 that have passed through the main gate are unknown products as the inspection finished products 38 that are all unknown by the exclusion gate 51. The route 41 is distributed.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the NG product is divided into two types, that is, the excess NG product 33 and the light NG product 35 in the sub-gate 27, may be further subdivided. A gate may be provided further downstream from the gate 27 and distributed according to the inspection result. Also in this case, it is desirable to provide a sensor in the vicinity of the downstream gate and monitor whether it has passed correctly.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the inspection unit is provided for each intermediate conveyance path. However, one inspection unit is provided in a plurality of conveyance paths, and the inspection result for each conveyance path is output from the inspection unit. Such a configuration may be adopted.

1 ... Article inspection device (weight measuring device)
2 ... Inspection object (capsule)
7 ... Inspection means (weighing section)
20 ... Intermediate transport path (transport lane)
25 ... Main gate 26 ... Exclusion gate 29 ... Non-NG product 28 ... Conveying confirmation means (main gate sensor)
33 ... NG product (overdose NG product)
34 ... Conveying confirmation means (overload NG sensor)
35 ... NG product (lightweight NG product)
36 ... Conveying confirmation means (lightweight NG sensor)
37 ... OK product 38 ... Unknown inspection finished product 39 ... OK product outlet

Claims (3)

Inspection means (7) for inspecting the inspection object (2);
A main gate (25) which operates according to the result of the inspection means and distributes the inspection object into NG products (33, 35) and non-NG products (29);
A plurality of intermediate conveyance paths (20) for conveying the inspection object after inspection to the main gate, the inspection means being provided on the upstream side in each conveyance direction;
A conveyance confirmation means for determining whether or not the object to be inspected is normally conveyed to the main gate for each intermediate conveyance path;
Inspection common to the downstream of the plurality of intermediate conveyance paths in the conveyance direction and operating according to the result of the conveyance confirmation means and passing through the non-NG product as an OK product (37) An exclusion gate (26) that distributes to the finished product (38);
An article inspection apparatus comprising: The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The rejection gate is configured such that the OK product discharge port (39) for discharging the OK product is normally closed, and the OK product discharge port is opened when the inspection by the inspection unit is OK and the result of the transfer confirmation unit is normal. An article inspection apparatus characterized by opening. The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
2. The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection by the inspection means in each of the intermediate transport paths is synchronized.

Images