JP6715604B2 - Feeder and inspection system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a supply device that supplies an object.

Conventionally, a vibration feeder is used as a device for supplying an object to a conveyor device such as a belt conveyor. The vibrating feeder supplies an object, which is thrown in by a trough vibrated by a vibrating device, to a conveying device as described in Patent Document 1, for example.

Japanese Patent No. 4466242 (issued May 26, 2010)

For example, objects such as dried small fish that tend to be entangled with each other tend to be collected, but when a vibrating feeder is used, the objects are dispersed to some extent by the vibration.

However, when the amount of the object to be fed into the vibrating feeder becomes large and the density of the object on the vibrating feeder becomes high, the objects are supplied to the conveying device without being sufficiently dispersed. Sometimes.

If some objects are not sufficiently dispersed, when some objects are transferred from the vibration feeder to the transfer device, some other objects that are intertwined with them are also transferred and transferred to the transfer device. There is. In this way, the group of objects that have been drawn and transferred to the transport device form dense areas, while coarse areas are formed between the dense areas. For this reason, there arises a problem that the object cannot be uniformly transported.

The above-mentioned problem brings various adverse effects as follows, for example.

In the case where the object is photographed and inspected on the transport device, an appropriate inspection cannot be performed in the dense area, resulting in a decrease in inspection accuracy.

Further, in the case of packing the objects conveyed by the carrier device at regular intervals, the amount of the objects to be packed varies.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to reduce the difference in density of supplied objects.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a supply device according to the present invention mounts a vibrating machine that vibrates and an object, and moves the object in the supply direction by vibrating the vibrating machine. , A plurality of mounting plates arranged so as to be vertically overlapped with each other, or arranged in front and back along the supply direction.

According to the above configuration, even if the amount of the object to be put into the supply device is increased, the amount of the object to be put into each mounting plate is smaller than that in the supply device provided with only one mounting plate. can do. Therefore, when the target object is transferred to the belt conveyor or the like of the supply destination, even if the close target objects are entangled with each other to form a dense area, the size thereof can be reduced. Alternatively, the formation of dense regions can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the difference in density of the objects supplied from the respective mounting plates to the belt conveyor or the like.

In the above-mentioned supply device, the plurality of mounting plates are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other, and at least one of the plurality of mounting plates except the lowermost stage has a through hole communicating with the lower stage. Is preferably provided.

According to the above configuration, when the object is thrown into the upper mounting plate, a part of the object falls on the upper mounting plate, while the remaining objects are placed on the lower mounting plate through the through holes. To fall. This makes it possible to easily insert the objects into the two-stage mounting plates, as compared with individually inserting the objects into the upper and lower mounting plates.

In the above-mentioned supply device, the through hole has a square shape, and when the number of stages of the hole forming mounting plate in which the through hole is formed among the mounting plates is n (n is an integer of 1 or more), Total width of the width of the through-hole in the hole forming plate in the m-th (n≧m)-th stage from the top in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction of the hole forming plate The ratio to is preferably (n-m+1)/(n+1). Further, in the supply device, the hole forming mounting plate is provided in two or more stages, and the through hole of the lower hole forming mounting plate and the through hole of the upper hole forming mounting plate are The lengths in the supply direction are equal to each other, and the through holes in the lower hole-forming mounting plate are formed so as to be within the range in which the through-holes in the upper hole-forming mounting plate are projected downward. It is preferable.

According to the above configuration, when the object is evenly thrown into the throwing range, the amount of the object that falls on the upper placing plate and the amount of the object that falls on the lower placing plate through the through holes are almost the same. Can be equal. As a result, it is possible to make the coarse and dense states of the objects on the upper and lower mounting plates equal to each other.

In addition, the width of the through hole referred to here means the total of each through hole when a plurality of through holes are formed.

In the above-mentioned supply device, it is preferable that a plate member is erected around at least the through hole along at least the supply direction.

According to the above configuration, the plate member prevents the object moving along the supply direction at the boundary portion of the through hole on the upper mounting plate from dropping from the through hole to the lower mounting plate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the object that does not need to be dropped onto the lower mounting plate from remaining excessively on the upper mounting plate and prevent the object from excessively dropping onto the lower mounting plate.

In the supply device, the plurality of mounting plates are arranged so as to be vertically overlapped with each other, and among the plurality of mounting plates, adjacent two stages of the preceding mounting plates are the upper preceding mounting plates. Preferably protrudes in the supply direction from the lower mounting plate.

Further, in the above-mentioned supply device, the plurality of mounting plates have an end portion for delivering an object to a supply destination, and a difference in height between the insertion position at which the object is inserted and the end portion. Is that the upper-stage mounting plate is larger than the lower-stage mounting plate, and the end part of the upper-side mounting plate is located higher than the end part of the lower-side mounting plate. Is preferred.

According to the above configuration, the height of the end portion of the upper placing plate can be made closer to the height of the end portion of the lower placing plate. Therefore, in the state in which the lower placing plate is arranged so that the end portion thereof approaches the supply position of the object, the end portion of the upper placing plate is higher than the lower end portion of the lower placing plate. , It is possible to approach the position close to the height of the supply position. This makes it possible to reduce the drop from the terminal end of the upper mounting plate to the supply position and prevent the object from jumping greatly after being supplied.

An inspection system according to the present invention captures an image by imaging any one of the above-mentioned supply device, a transfer device that transfers the target object supplied from the supply device, and the target object that is transferred by the transfer device. And an inspection device that inspects the object based on the image.

According to the above configuration, even if the supply amount of the target object is increased, the target object can be supplied to the inspection device in a state where the difference in density is small. Therefore, the inspection accuracy of the inspection device can be improved.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has an effect that it is possible to reduce the difference in density of the supplied objects.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the inspection system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) is a side view showing a supply device in the inspection system, (b) is a front view showing the supply device, and (c) is a top view showing the supply device. (A) is a top view showing a supply device and a charging device in the inspection system, and (b) is a side view showing the supply device and the charging device. (A) is a top view which shows the supply apparatus and another charging apparatus in the said inspection system, (b) is a side view which shows the said supply apparatus and said other charging apparatus. It is a figure which shows the supply state of the target object by the said supply apparatus. (A) is an image showing a state in which an object is supplied from a supply device of a comparative example onto a belt conveyor of an inspection device in the inspection system, and (b) is an image of the object supplied from the supply device of the first embodiment. It is an image showing a state of being supplied to. 6 is a graph image showing a relationship between a processing amount and a filling rate when an object is supplied onto the belt conveyor of the inspection device from the supply device of the comparative example and the supply device of the first embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the mounting plate of each step|paragraph in the trough of 2 step|paragraph structure which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. (A) And (b) is a top view which shows the structure of the mounting plate of each step|level in the trough of 3 step|paragraph structure in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the supply apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of an inspection system 100 according to this embodiment.

[Structure of Inspection System 100]
As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection system 100 includes an inspection device 1, a transfer device 2, a supply device 3, and a charging device 4.

The inspection apparatus 1 detects an inspection object conveyed by the conveyance device 2 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “object”) based on an image captured from above and an image captured from below at an inspection position. Is a device for performing a predetermined determination, for example, whether it is a foreign matter or a non-defective product, and selecting an object based on the determination result. Here, as the object, dried small fish (such as chirimenjako), dried vegetables, seaweed, seaweed, confectionery (such as persimmon seeds), dried shrimp, crab flakes, salmon flakes, and tea leaves can be considered. These objects are easy to be united into one and easily entangled with each other or easily attached to each other.

The transport device 2 is a device that transports the object supplied by the supply device 3 to the inspection position along the transport direction A. Since the transport device 2 transports the target at a transport speed higher than the supply speed of the supply device 3, the transport device 2 transports the target in a state in which the target device in the supply device 3 is diffused.

The supply device 3 is a device that supplies an object to the transport device 2. Specifically, the supply device 3 sends an object in the supply direction B by applying vibration. The feeding direction B is the same as the feeding direction A of the feeding device 2.

The charging device 4 is a device for charging an object into the supply device 3. The charging device 4 preferably charges the target device into the supply device 3 in a constant amount (temporally).

[Structure of the transport device 2]
The transport device 2 includes a belt conveyor 21 and a lower housing 22. The belt conveyor 21 includes a support frame 23 provided on the lower housing 22, rollers 24 and 25 provided at both ends of the support frame 23, and an endless belt 26 spanning the rollers 24 and 25. ing. The belt conveyor 21 sends the endless belt 26 in the transport direction A by rotating the roller 24. The belt conveyor 21 configured in this manner conveys the object supplied from the supply end (on the roller 24 side) to the surface of the endless belt 26 to the end (on the roller 25 side).

[Structure of inspection device 1]
The inspection device 1 includes a control unit 10, a monitor 11, an air gun unit 12, and a solenoid valve unit 13. Further, the inspection apparatus 1 is an imaging system apparatus, and includes a monochrome area sensor 14, a color area sensor 15, a line sensor 16, an area sensor upper first lamp 17a, and an area sensor upper second lamp 17b. An area sensor lower first lamp 18a, an area sensor lower second lamp 18b, and a line sensor lamp 19 are provided.

The area sensor lower first lamp 18a irradiates the entire area including the imaging range of the monochrome area sensor 14 from below the conveying portion of the belt conveyor 21 (the upper portion of the endless belt 26). The area sensor lower second lamp 18b irradiates the entire area including the image capturing range of the color area sensor 15 from below the conveying portion of the belt conveyor 21.

The monochrome area sensor 14 and the color area sensor 15 are disposed above the area sensor lower first lamp 18a and the area sensor lower second lamp 18b, respectively, and detect an object conveyed on the belt conveyor 21. Image from above. The color area sensor 15 is arranged on the downstream side of the belt conveyor 21 with respect to the monochrome area sensor 14. The monochrome area sensor 14 is a sensor that captures a monochrome image in a planar imaging area in monochrome, and the color area sensor 15 is a sensor that captures a color image in color in a planar imaging area.

The area sensor upper first lamp 17a and the area sensor upper second lamp 17b are long light sources arranged along a direction (width direction of the belt conveyor 21) orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor 21. The area sensor upper first lamp 17a and the area sensor upper second lamp 17b are arranged at a position lower than the monochrome area sensor 14 and the color area sensor 15, and are located above the object conveyed on the belt conveyor 21. Irradiate light from. The pair of area sensor upper first lamps 17a are arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor 21, and irradiate light to a region including the imaging range of the monochrome area sensor 14. The pair of area sensor upper second lamps 17b are arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor 21, and irradiate light to a region including the image capturing range of the color area sensor 15.

The line sensor lamp 19 is a long light source arranged along the width direction of the belt conveyor 21. Further, the line sensor lamp 19 is arranged so as to emit light toward a space immediately after the end portion of the belt conveyor 21, that is, toward the imaging range of the line sensor 16. Two line sensor lamps 19 are arranged on the terminal end side of the belt conveyor 21, and are attached inside the upper end surface of the lower housing 22.

The line sensor 16 takes an image of the object discharged from the end portion in a linear imaging region along a direction (preferably a direction orthogonal to) the direction in which the object is conveyed by the belt conveyor 21, and the belt. An image is taken from below at the latter stage of the end portion of the conveyor 21. Specifically, the line sensor 16 images an object through a gap formed between the two line sensor lamps 19. Further, it is preferable that the position where the line sensor 16 captures an image of the object is a position as close to the end of the belt conveyor 21 as possible.

The monitor 11 is provided to display various information including information that the inspection device 1 is currently inspecting. The monitor 11 is arranged on the upstream side of the belt conveyor 21 of the monochrome area sensor 14.

The solenoid valve unit 13 is a unit in which a plurality of solenoid valves are integrated. The solenoid valve units 13 are arranged at intervals on the downstream side of the belt area 21 of the color area sensor 15. When turned on, each solenoid valve constituting the solenoid valve unit 13 supplies compressed air supplied from a compressed air supply source (not shown) provided outside the inspection apparatus 1 to the corresponding air gun in the air gun unit 12. Therefore, each solenoid valve is connected to the corresponding air gun via an air pipe (not shown).

The air gun unit 12 is configured by arranging a plurality of air guns along the width direction of the belt conveyor 21. The air gun unit 12 is arranged on the downstream side and above the end portion of the belt conveyor 21. Each of the air guns constituting the air gun unit 12 ejects the target object discharged from the end portion of the belt conveyer 21 by sorting the target object by injecting air to the target object to deflect the target object. Select in the air.

The control unit 10 controls the operations of the monitor 11, the solenoid valve unit 13, and the imaging system, and is arranged in, for example, the lower housing 22. Further, the control unit 10 performs a determination process of the target object based on the captured images of the monochrome area sensor 14, the color area sensor 15, and the line sensor 16. The determination process performed by the control unit 10 is obtained from the image data of the reference product stored in advance and the monochrome area sensor 14, the color area sensor 15, and the line sensor 16 when the inspection device 1 is used as a sorting device, for example. The image data of the captured image of the target object is collated to determine the difference between the target object and the reference product. Further, the control unit 10 causes the air jet of the air gun unit 12 to turn on the solenoid valve corresponding to the air gun that deviates the trajectory of the object to be selected based on the determination result that the object is to be selected. Control movements.

[Configuration of Supply Device 3]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the supply device 3, in which (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a top view. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A to 2C, the supply device 3 includes a pedestal 5, a vibrator 6, and a trough 7.

<Vibrator 6>
The vibrator 6 is a vibration source that causes the above-mentioned vibration, and is arranged on the pedestal 5. The vibrator 6 is, for example, an electromagnetic vibrator, and includes a vibrating portion 61, a plurality of anti-vibration rubbers 62, and a trough mounting plate 63. Although the electromagnetic vibrator 6 will be described here, the vibrator 6 may be a vibrator of a method other than the electromagnetic method.

The vibrating portion 61 has leaf springs 61a and 61b, a lower vibrating body 61c, a counter weight 61d, an upper vibrating body, an electromagnet and a magnet (not shown). The leaf springs 61a and 61b are arranged at predetermined intervals in the supply direction B of the vibrating portion 61. The upper vibrating body is a member that connects the upper portions of the leaf springs 61a and 62b to each other. The electromagnet is attached to the upper vibrator. The lower vibrating body 61c is a member that connects the lower portions of the leaf springs 61a and 62b. The magnet is attached to the lower vibrating body 61c. The electromagnet and the magnet are arranged at a predetermined interval. The counterweight 61d is a member that determines the center of gravity of the vibrating portion 61, is arranged on one end of the lower vibrating body 61c, and is attached so that the position in the supply direction B or the opposite direction can be changed.

The anti-vibration rubber 62 is an anti-vibration member for isolating the vibration of the vibrating section 61 from being transmitted to the gantry 5. The anti-vibration rubber 62 is arranged at four positions between the lower end surface of the lower vibrating body 61c and the gantry 5.

The trough mounting plate 63 is a plate-shaped member that mounts the trough 7 to the vibrating portion 61, and is provided on the upper end surface of the upper vibrating body. Further, the trough mounting plate 63 is inclined with respect to the horizontal installation surface of the pedestal 5 on which the vibrator 6 is installed so that the plate spring 61a side is lower than the plate spring 62b side. The inclination of the trough mounting plate 63 is set by installing an inclined mount (not shown) under the anti-vibration rubber 62.

In the vibrating section 61 configured as described above, the electromagnet is driven by a high frequency pulsating current. When excited, the electromagnet approaches the magnet, and when the excitation is stopped, the electromagnet moves away from the magnet due to the elastic force of the leaf springs 61a and 61b. By repeating the reciprocating movement of the electromagnet between these two positions, the upper vibrating body repeats displacement between the initial position and the bent position of the leaf springs 61a and 62b shown in FIG. Reciprocating motion, that is, vibration, is generated in the C1 direction and the C2 direction with respect to the lower vibrating body 61c.

<Trough 7>
The trough 7 is a wide gutter-shaped platform on which an object is placed. The trough 7 has a lower mounting plate 71 (mounting plate), an upper mounting plate 72 (mounting plate), a plurality of support columns 73, a pair of side walls 74, and a supporting portion 75. .. The trough 7 supplies an object to the transport device 2 from an end portion on the supply side of the trough 7 (hereinafter referred to as “supply side end portion”), and an end portion on the input side of the trough 7 (hereinafter referred to as “input side end portion”). The object is thrown in from the throwing device 4. Further, the trough 7 is attached to the trough mounting plate 63 of the vibrating portion 61, so that the supply side end portion is inclined so as to be lower than the feeding side end portion.

The lower mounting plate 71 and the upper mounting plate 72 are formed in a rectangular shape having a long side along the supply direction B, and a short side has a width D (total width) slightly narrower than the endless belt 26 of the belt conveyor 21. Have Further, the lower placement plate 71 and the upper placement plate 72 are vertically stacked with a predetermined space therebetween via a support column 73, and the lower placement plate 71 is arranged on the lower side. 72 is arranged on the upper side. Specifically, the upper stage mounting plate 72 is supported by the support columns 73 arranged on the lower stage mounting plate 71 at predetermined intervals in the supply direction B and the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B. Further, the lower placement plate 71 and the upper placement plate 72 are arranged such that the positions of the end portions on the feeding side in the vertical direction (the positions when viewed from above) are aligned.

The upper placing plate 72 is formed longer than the lower placing plate 71 in the supply direction B. As a result, the supply side end of the upper mounting plate 72 projects in the supply direction B from the supply side end of the lower mounting plate 71. Further, the upper placing plate 72 has a parallel portion 721 arranged in parallel with the lower placing plate 71, and an inclined portion 722 inclined with respect to the lower placing plate 71. The inclined portion 722 is provided within a predetermined range from the supply-side end portion, and is inclined so that the supply-side end portion is lower than the parallel portion 721. The supply side end of the inclined portion 722 is at a position slightly higher than the supply side end of the lower mounting plate 71. The difference in height between both ends is set so as not to hinder the movement of the object transferred from the lower mounting plate 71 to the transport device 2.

In the parallel part 721, two first through holes 721a and two second through holes 721b communicating with the lower mounting plate 71 are formed. The first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b form a rectangle that is long in the supply direction B, and are arranged near the input side end of the parallel part 721 so as to be aligned in a direction orthogonal to the supply direction B. ing. Further, the two first through holes 721a are formed near the side ends of the parallel portion 721, and the two second through holes 721b are formed near the center of the parallel portion 721, respectively. The lengths of the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b in the supply direction B are both equal. Further, the width d1 of the first through hole 721a (width in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B) is narrower than the width d2 of the second through hole 721b (width in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B). The total width of all the first through holes 721a and the second through holes 721b is 1/2 of the width D of the upper mounting plate 72 in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B (2×d1+2×d2= D/2).

In the parallel portion 721, a first guard 76 of a plate member is erected around the first through hole 721a, and a second guard 77 of a plate member is erected around the second through hole 721b. The first guard 76 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the first through hole 721a except for a part of the short side on the supply side in the first through hole 721a. The second guard 77 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the second through hole 721b except for a part of the short side on the supply side in the second through hole 721b. The first guard 76 and the second guard 77 are provided to prevent an object moving on the upper placing plate 72 from falling down from the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b, respectively. ..

It should be noted that the first guard 76 and the second guard 77 are not limited to the above range, and may be provided so as to surround all the peripheries of the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b, respectively.

By the way, when an object is thrown into the 1st through-hole 721a and the 2nd through-hole 721b in the parallel part 721, and the area|region between them, an object is a 1st through-hole 721a and a 2nd through-hole 721b. It does not exist near the short side. In such a case, the first guard 76 and the second guard 77 may be provided only in the portions along the long sides of the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b.

The pair of side walls 74 are in contact with the side end portions of the lower mounting plate 71 and the upper mounting plate 72, and are provided so as to face each other. The upper end of the side wall 74 is bent outward to increase strength. The lower mounting plate 71 and the side wall 74 may be formed by bending a single metal plate.

The support portion 75 is provided on the lower surface side of the lower mounting plate 71, and is fixed to the trough mounting plate 63 of the vibrator 6. The support portion 75 is formed with high rigidity by having a large number of ribs extending along the supply direction B and the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B. As a result, the support strength of the trough 7 to which the high speed vibration is applied to the vibrator 6 is increased.

[Structure of input device 4]
3A is a top view showing the supply device 3 and the charging device 4, and FIG. 3B is a side view showing the supply device 3 and the charging device 4. 4A is a top view showing the supply device 3 and another charging device 4A, and FIG. 4B is a side view showing the supply device 3 and another charging device 4A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the charging device 4 includes a gantry 41 and a charging unit 42. The charging unit 42 has a hopper 43 and a vibrator 44 for supplying an object to the supply device 3. The hopper 43 has a shape similar to a mortar shape so as to hold the target object on the bottom, and the input side for inputting the target object to the supply device 3 is open toward the supply device 3. The hopper 43 is movably supported on the pedestal 41 by a plurality of support columns 45, and is connected to the vibrator 44 at the lower end. The vibrator 44 has a function similar to that of the vibrator 6 in the supply device 3, and gives vibration to the hopper 43.

When the hopper 43 is vibrated by the vibrating device 44, the feeding device 4 diffuses the object while moving it toward the supply device 3 on the bottom of the hopper 43. As a result, the target object is introduced into the supply device 3 so that the amount of the target object (in terms of time) becomes constant.

Further, in the inspection system 100, instead of the charging device 4, a charging device 4A shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be used. The charging device 4</b>A includes a pedestal 46 and a belt conveyor 47 in order to supply an object to the supply device 3. The belt conveyor 47 is supported on the pedestal 46 so that the end portion for putting the target object into the supply device 3 is higher than the end portion for putting the target object. The belt conveyor 47 feeds the object conveyed by the belt into the supply device 3 in a constant amount by feeding the belt at a constant speed.

The charging device 4 may be replaced with a device having a configuration other than the charging device 4A. For example, an air-type throwing device that sends the target by air or a screw-type throwing device that sends the target by a screw can be used.

[Operation of Inspection System 100]
The operation of the inspection system 100 configured as above will be described.

First, the feeding device 4 feeds the object into the feeding device 3 in a constant amount (temporally). At this time, the charging device 4 charges the object into the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b of the upper mounting plate 72 of the trough 7 and the area between them. As described above, the sum of the width d1 of the first through hole 721a and the width d2 of the second through hole 721b is 1/2 of the width D of the upper stage mounting plate 72. As a result, when the objects are evenly thrown into the throwing range, the amount of the objects thrown onto the upper placing plate 72 and the lower placing plate 71 drop through the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b. The amount of the target object becomes almost the same.

The supply device 3 moves the object in the supply direction B by vibrating the trough 7 by the vibrator 6. When the trough 7 descends in the C2 direction during vibration, its speed is high. Therefore, the target object floats in the air from the lower mounting plate 71 and the upper mounting plate 72, and falls to the front of the lower mounting plate 71 and the upper mounting plate 72 in the supply direction B due to gravity. The trough 7 pushes up the object when it rises in the C1 direction due to vibration. Since the trough 7 repeats such an oscillating operation at a high speed of 3000 times or more with an amplitude of about 1.5 mm, the object on the trough 7 can be smoothly moved without being damaged.

In the upper mounting plate 72, when the object passes between the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b and between the adjacent second through holes 721b, even if the object approaches these through holes, The first guard 76 and the second guard 77 do not fall into the through hole.

As shown in FIG. 5, the object put into the lower stage mounting plate 71 through the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b advances on the lower stage mounting plate 71, as indicated by the broken line, It is transferred onto the endless belt 26 of the belt conveyor 21 in the conveyor 2. On the other hand, the object thrown into the upper loading plate 72 advances on the upper loading plate 72 as shown by the broken line, and on the endless belt 26 ahead of the lower loading plate 71 in the supply direction B. Be moved to.

The transport device 2 transports the object supplied from the supply device 3 to the imaging range of the monochrome area sensor 14 and the color area sensor 15 of the inspection device 1, and further to the end portion of the belt conveyor 21. In the inspection device 1, when the object reaches the imaging range, the monochrome area sensor 14 and the color area sensor 15 image the object from above. In addition, the line sensor 16 captures an image of the object discharged from the end of the belt conveyor 21 from below.

The control unit 10 determines whether or not an object is to be selected based on the image data from the monochrome area sensor 14, the color area sensor 15, and the line sensor 16. When the control unit 10 determines that the target object is not to be sorted, the control unit 10 turns off the electromagnetic valve corresponding to the air gun that ejects the air to the trajectory through which the target object passes. As a result, when the target object is discharged from the terminal end portion of the belt conveyor 21, the target object is stored in the non-defective product storage portion 20a along the same path without being blown with air by the air gun. On the other hand, when the control unit 10 determines that the target object is to be sorted, the control unit 10 turns on the solenoid valve corresponding to the air gun that ejects the air to the trajectory through which the target object passes. As a result, the target object discharged from the end portion of the belt conveyor 21 is deflected downward due to the air blown by the air gun, and falls into the defective product storage section 20b. By such processing, for example, when a foreign substance is selected from the target object, the foreign substance can be selected from the target object.

[Effects of Supply Device 3]
6A is an image showing a state in which an object is supplied from the supply device of the comparative example onto the belt conveyor 21 of the inspection device 1 in the inspection system 100, and FIG. 6B is the supply of the first embodiment. 6 is an image showing a state in which an object is supplied from the device 3 to the belt conveyor 21. These images are images captured by the inspection device 1. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the processing amount (supply amount of the object) and the filling rate when the object is supplied onto the belt conveyor 21 from the supply device of the comparative example and the supply device 3 of the first embodiment. Is.

The supply device 3 according to the present embodiment includes a vibrator 6 and a trough 7 on which an object is placed and which is vibrated by the vibrator 6 to move the object in the supply direction B. Further, the trough 7 has a lower stage mounting plate 71 and an upper stage mounting plate 72 which are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other.

With the above configuration, even if the amount of the object to be fed to the supply device 3 is increased, it is introduced to the lower mounting plate 71 and the upper mounting plate 72 as compared with the supplying device provided with only one mounting plate. The amount of target objects can be reduced. Therefore, when the target object is transferred to the belt conveyor 21, even if the target objects near each other are intertwined with each other to form a dense area, the size thereof can be reduced. Alternatively, the formation of dense regions can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the difference in density of the objects supplied from the respective mounting plates to the belt conveyor or the like.

Specifically, when a small dried small fish is an object, in a trough having a one-stage configuration (comparative example), as shown in FIG. 6A, a dense area in which the objects are entangled is large, Dispersion between the dense area and a rough area in which the objects are not entangled but dispersed is conspicuous. On the other hand, in the two-stage trough 7 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the dense area is small, and the density difference between the dense area and the rough area is inconspicuous.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, regarding the relationship between the throughput of the object and the filling rate, the trough having the one-stage configuration (the one-stage trough) of the comparative example and the trough 7 (two having the two-stage configuration of the present embodiment. There is a difference with the corrugated trough. The filling rate is a ratio of pixels occupied by the object in the image of the object captured by the inspection device 1. The processing amount is a supply amount of the target object per unit time, and an arbitrary processing amount serving as a reference is set to 1.0. In an ideal state (ideal example) where the objects do not overlap at all on the belt conveyor 21, the filling rate changes in proportion to the processing amount, as indicated by the broken line. On the other hand, in the two-stage trough, as shown by the solid line, the filling rate is slightly lower than the ideal example in the range where the processing amount is large. On the other hand, in the 1-stage trough, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line, the filling rate gradually decreases from the stage where the processing amount is small compared to the ideal example, and the filling rate greatly decreases in the range where the processing amount is large. There is. As described above, in the conventional one-stage trough, it is understood that the filling rate, that is, the overlap of the objects increases as the processing amount increases.

As a result, in the inspection device 1, it is possible to significantly reduce the ratio of the objects that cannot be properly inspected. Therefore, the inspection accuracy can be improved. Further, in the case where the object supplied from the supply device 3 is transferred by the transfer device 2 at regular intervals and packed, the amounts of the objects to be packed can be made substantially equal.

Further, the lower placing plate 71 and the upper placing plate 72 have a terminal portion (feeding side end portion) for delivering the object to the belt conveyor 21 of the supply destination. The difference in height between the loading position where the object is loaded and the end portion is larger in the upper mounting plate 72 than in the lower mounting plate 71. Further, the end portion of the upper placing plate 72 is located higher than the end portion of the lower placing plate 71.

With the above configuration, the height of the end portion of the upper placing plate 72 can be made closer to the height of the end portion of the lower placing plate 71. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in a state where the lower placing plate 71 is arranged such that the end portion thereof approaches the supply position of the object, the end portion of the upper placing plate 72 is changed to the lower placing plate 71. Although it is higher than the end portion of, the position can be close to the height of the supply position. This makes it possible to reduce the drop from the terminal end of the upper mounting plate 72 to the supply position, and to prevent the object from jumping greatly on the belt conveyor 21 when the object is supplied to the transport device 2. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time until the object stabilizes, and to shorten the distance to the inspection position in the inspection device 1. Here, the height of the terminal end portion of the upper mounting plate 72 from the transport surface of the belt conveyor 21 is at least a height that does not hinder the transport of the object supplied from the lower mounting plate 71 by the belt conveyor 21. ..

Note that, in the present embodiment, the upper mounting plate 72 reduces the above-mentioned drop by the inclined portion 722, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper mounting plate 72 is inclined from the insertion position of the object toward the terminal end. You may do so.

[Embodiment 2]
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In the present embodiment, constituent members having the same functions as those of the constituent members of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the example in which the sizes of the first through hole 721a and the second through hole 721b of the upper mounting plate 72 in the trough 7 are different has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a trough will be described in which the through holes formed in one mounting plate have the same size and the through holes formed in different mounting plates have different sizes. Further, in the trough of the present embodiment, it is assumed that through holes are provided in all the mounting plates provided above the lower mounting plate 71.

FIG. 8 is a top view showing the configuration of the mounting plates at each stage in the two-stage trough according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 9(a) and 9(b) are top views showing the configuration of the mounting plates at each stage in the three-stage trough according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the trough having the two-stage configuration includes the lower stage mounting plate 71 as in the trough 7 in the first embodiment, and instead of the upper stage mounting plate 72 in the first embodiment, the upper stage mounting plate 72A. (Hole formation mounting plate). In the upper mounting plate 72A, four through holes 721c are formed instead of the first through holes 721a and the second through holes 721b of the upper mounting plate 72. The upper mounting plate 72A has the same width D as the upper mounting plate 72. The total width d3 of the through holes 721c (4×d3) is ½ of the width D.

Even in such a configuration, as in the first embodiment, when the objects are evenly thrown into the throwing range, the amount of the objects thrown onto the upper placing plate 72A and the lower placing plate 71 through the through holes 721c. The amount of the object that falls to is almost the same. Thereby, the coarse and dense states of the objects on the lower stage mounting plate 71 and the upper stage mounting plate 72A can be made equal to each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the trough 7 having the three-stage configuration includes the lower stage mounting plate 71 and the middle stage mounting plate 78 (the hole forming mounting plate) as in the trough 7 in the first embodiment. ), and an upper mounting plate 72B (hole forming mounting plate) is provided instead of the upper mounting plate 72 in the first embodiment. The middle stage mounting plate 78 is arranged between the lower stage mounting plate 71 and the upper stage mounting plate 72B. Further, the length of the middle mounting plate 78 in the supply direction B is longer than the length of the lower mounting plate 71 in the supply direction B and shorter than the length of the upper mounting plate 72B in the supply direction B.

As shown in FIG. 9B, four through holes 721d are formed in the upper mounting plate 72B instead of the first through holes 721a and the second through holes 721b of the upper mounting plate 72. .. Eight through holes 78 a are formed in the middle stage mounting plate 78. The through holes 721d and the through holes 78a are both formed so as to be aligned in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the upper mounting plate 72B and the middle mounting plate 78 have the same width D as the upper mounting plate 72. Further, the width (the length in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction B) d4 of the through hole 721d of the upper mounting plate 72B is larger than the width d5 of the through hole 78a of the middle mounting plate 78. The total width d4 of the through holes 721d (4×d4) is ⅔ of the width D. On the other hand, the total width d5 (8×d5) of the through holes 78a of the middle stage mounting plate 78 is 1/3 of the width D. Further, the through holes 721d of the upper mounting plate 72B and the through holes 78a of the middle mounting plate 78 have the same length in the supply direction B.

The eight through holes 78a are formed so that two of each of the eight through holes 78a fit within the range in which the through holes 721d are projected downward. As a result, when viewed from above the upper mounting plate 72B, as shown in FIG. 9A, the two through holes 78a overlap the respective through holes 721d.

In such a configuration, when the objects are evenly thrown into the throwing range, the amount of the objects thrown onto the upper placing plate 72B and the intermediate placing plate 78 through the through holes 721d of the upper placing plate 72B. The amount of the object to be thrown in and the amount of the object to be dropped onto the lower stage mounting plate 71 through the through hole 78a of the middle stage mounting plate 78 are approximately 1/3 and the same. Thereby, the coarse and dense states of the objects on the lower mounting plate 71, the middle mounting plate 78, and the upper mounting plate 72B can be made equal to each other.

Here, in order to equalize the amount of the object to be put into the mounting plates of each stage, the number of stages of the hole forming mounting plate in which the through holes are formed in the trough 7 is n (n is an integer of 1 or more). Then, the width of the through hole in the m-th hole forming plate (n≧m; m is an integer of 1 or more) orthogonal to the supply direction B of the through hole in the m-th hole forming plate (n≧m; m is an integer of 1 or more) ( The ratio R of the total width) to the width D is set as represented by the following equation.

R=(n-m+1)/(n+1)
Therefore, the ratio R can be expressed as shown in Table 1 for the troughs having the two-stage, three-stage, and n-stage configuration of the hole forming mounting plate. The mounting plate described as “no through hole” in Table 1 is the lower mounting plate 71 in the lowermost stage.

Further, in order to equalize the amount of the object to be put into each mounting plate in the trough having three or more mounting plates, it is necessary to satisfy the following two conditions together. First, the through holes in the hole forming plate having two or more stages have the same length in the supply direction B. Next, the through hole of the lower hole forming mounting plate is formed so as to be within the range in which the through hole of the upper hole forming mounting plate is projected downward.

As described above, in the trough having the n-stage hole-forming mounting plates, when the target is evenly charged in the charging range, the amount of the target to be transferred to the mounting plates of each stage (n+1) is reduced. It will be almost the same. As a result, it is possible to make the coarse and dense states of the objects on the mounting plates of each stage to the same degree.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, constituent members having the same functions as those of the constituent members of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the supply device 3A according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, the supply device 3A includes a trough 7A instead of the trough 7 of the supply device 3 of the first embodiment. The trough 7A has a first mounting plate 79a (mounting plate) and a second mounting plate 79b (mounting plate). The first mounting plate 79a is mounted on the vibrator 6, and the vibrator 6 applies the same vibration as that of the trough 7 (the lower mounting plate 71) in the first embodiment.

The first mounting plate 79a is arranged at the same position as the lower mounting plate 71 in the first embodiment. The second mounting plate 79b is arranged on the belt conveyor 21 in front of the first mounting plate 79a in the supply direction B so as not to overlap the first mounting plate 79a. Further, the end portion of the second placing plate 79b for supplying the object to the belt conveyor 21 is at least at a height that does not hinder the conveyance of the object supplied from the first placing plate 79a by the belt conveyor 21. ..

Although not shown, the second mounting plate 79b is given a vibration similar to that of the first mounting plate 79a by a vibrator having a function equivalent to that of the vibrator 6. However, this vibrator is not disposed immediately below the second mounting plate 79b, but is disposed laterally of the belt conveyor 21, because the second mounting plate 79b is disposed on the belt conveyor 21. .. Therefore, the second mounting plate 79b is supported on a support plate (not shown) that spreads to both sides of the transport device 2, and a portion of the support plate that projects to one side of the transport device 2 is supported. It is attached to the vibrator. The portion of the support plate that protrudes to the other side of the transport device 2 is attached to a pedestal (not shown) via a vibration-proof rubber. As a result, the second mounting plate 79b is supported so that it can be vibrated by the vibration given from the vibrator.

In the supply device 3A configured as described above, the first placement plate 79a advances on the first placement plate 79a as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is transferred onto the endless belt 26 of the belt conveyor 21 in the conveyor 2. On the other hand, the object placed on the second mounting plate 79b advances on the second mounting plate 79b as shown by the broken line, and is endless in the front in the supply direction B with respect to the first mounting plate 79a. It is transferred onto the belt 26.

As described above, the supply device 3A includes the first mounting plate 79a and the second mounting plate 79b that are arranged in the front and rear along the supply direction B, and thus the supply device 3A is similar to the supply device 3 of the first embodiment. Even if the amount of the object to be put into 3A is increased, the amount of the object to be put into the first placing plate 79a and the second placing plate 79b is larger than that in the supply device provided with only one placing plate. Can be reduced. Therefore, when the target object is transferred to the belt conveyor 21, even if the target objects near each other are intertwined with each other to form a dense area, the size thereof can be reduced. Alternatively, the formation of dense regions can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the difference in density of the objects supplied from the respective mounting plates to the belt conveyor or the like.

[Appendix]
Although the electromagnetic vibrator is described as the vibrator 6 in the first embodiment, the vibrator 6 is not limited thereto. For example, an ultrasonic feeder utilizing the principle of vibration of an ultrasonic motor can be applied to the present invention. Alternatively, a motor crank vibration type feeder that causes vibration by a crank or a vibration type feeder using an air cylinder can be applied to the present invention.

Further, in each embodiment, by dropping the target object from the uppermost mounting plate to the lower mounting plate through the through hole, the target object to be loaded into the mounting plate of each stage is dispersed. It is not limited to such an input form. For example, the objects may be individually put on the mounting plates of each stage. This eliminates the need for the through hole in the mounting plate of each embodiment. However, since it is necessary to configure the charging device 4 so as to supply the object to each of the mounting plates, the structure of the charging device 4 becomes complicated.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments can be obtained by appropriately combining them. Embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection device 2 Conveyor device 3 Supply device 3A Supply device 6 Vibrator 71 Lower mounting plate (mounting plate)
72 Upper mounting plate (mounting plate)
72A, 72B Upper mounting plate (hole forming mounting plate)
78 Middle mounting plate (mounting plate, hole forming mounting plate)
78a Through hole 79a First mounting plate (mounting plate)
79b Second mounting plate (mounting plate)
100 Inspection system 721a First through hole (through hole)
721b Second through hole (through hole)
721c through hole 721d through hole B supply direction D width (full width)
d1-d5 width

Claims (6)

A vibrator that causes vibration,
While placing an object, the object is moved in the supply direction by being vibrated by the vibrator, and a plurality of placing plates arranged so as to vertically overlap each other ,
The plurality of mounting plates are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other, and at least one of the plurality of mounting plates except the lowermost stage is formed with a through hole communicating with the lower stage,
The through hole has a square shape,
When the number of stages of the hole forming plate having the through holes formed therein is n (n is an integer of 1 or more), the hole forming plate at the m-th (n≧m) stage from the uppermost stage. The ratio of the width of the through hole in the mounting plate in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction to the total width of the hole forming mounting plate in the direction orthogonal to the supply direction is (n-m+1)/(n+1),
The hole forming mounting plate is provided in two or more stages,
The through holes of the lower hole forming mounting plate and the through holes of the upper hole forming mounting plate, the length in the supply direction is equal to each other,
The supply device, wherein the through hole in the lower hole forming mounting plate is formed so as to be within a range in which the through hole in the upper hole forming mounting plate is projected downward . The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein a plate member is erected around at least the through hole along at least the supply direction. The plurality of mounting plates are arranged so as to overlap with each other in the vertical direction, and of the plurality of mounting plates, two adjacent mounting plates are adjacent to each other. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein the supply device projects in the supply direction from a mounting plate. The plurality of mounting plates have a terminal portion for delivering the object to the supply destination,
The difference in height between the charging position at which the object is charged and the end portion is larger in the upper-stage mounting plate than in the lower-position mounting plate,
The supply device according to claim 3 , wherein the terminal portion of the upper mounting plate is located at a position higher than the terminal portion of the lower mounting plate. The supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A transport device that transports the object supplied from the supply device,
An inspection system comprising: an inspection device that images the object conveyed by the conveyance device and inspects the object based on the imaged image. A vibrator that causes vibration,
While placing an object, the object is moved in the supply direction by being vibrated by the vibrator, and a plurality of placing plates arranged so as to vertically overlap each other,
In the mounting plate described above, at least one excluding the lowermost stage is formed with a through hole communicating with the lower stage, and a plate member is provided upright around at least the supply direction around the through hole. Characteristic feeding device.