JP6975100B2 - X-ray inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention irradiates an inspected object such as meat, fish, processed food, and pharmaceutical with X-rays generated by an X-ray generator, and detects the X-rays transmitted through the inspected object by an X-ray detector. The present invention relates to an X-ray inspection device that inspects the presence or absence of foreign matter on the object to be inspected.

For example, an X-ray inspection device has been conventionally used to detect the presence or absence of foreign matter mixed in an object to be inspected such as food. The X-ray inspection apparatus irradiates the transported object with X-rays and inspects the presence or absence of foreign substances and defects in the object to be inspected from the amount of X-rays transmitted through the object to be inspected.

As a conventional X-ray inspection apparatus of this kind, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. The X-ray inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is adapted to inspect an object to be inspected carried through a detection pipe by X-ray.

Further, the X-ray inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 transfers X-rays to all the elements of the X-ray detection sensor by relatively moving the detection pipe and the housing including the foreign matter detection unit by using a moving mechanism. Even if the object to be inspected is being conveyed in the detection pipe by direct irradiation, the sensitivity can be corrected without interrupting the transfer process of the object to be inspected.

Japanese Patent No. 4050254

Here, in the X-ray inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable that the amount of movement when the X-ray inspection apparatus is relatively moved from the inspection position to the sensitivity correction position is short in terms of shortening the movement time or reducing wear of the moving portion. On the other hand, the transport pipe may be replaced depending on the type of the object to be inspected. Therefore, in order to prevent the transfer pipe from being irradiated with X-rays at the sensitivity correction position, it is preferable to make the sensitivity correction position different according to the size (for example, diameter) of the transfer pipe to minimize the amount of movement. Therefore, it has been desired to be able to move from the foreign matter inspection position to an arbitrary target position during relative movement.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned circumstances, and the inspection unit for inspecting the inspected object in the transfer pipe is steplessly moved from the inspection position to an arbitrary position according to the size of the transfer pipe. It is an object of the present invention to provide an X-ray inspection apparatus that can be moved.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention is arranged so as to face the X-ray generator that irradiates the transport pipe to which the object to be inspected is transported with X-rays and the transport pipe so as to sandwich the transport pipe. An inspection unit having an X-ray detector for detecting X-rays transmitted through the transport pipe in connection with irradiation of X-rays from the X-ray generator is provided, and X transmitted through the transport pipe is provided. An X-ray inspection device that inspects an object to be inspected that is transported in the transport pipe based on a line, and the transport pipe is placed in an X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator in the inspection unit. Movement to move steplessly in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the inspected object between the inspected position where the inspected object is inspected and the non-inspected position where the transport pipe is located outside the irradiation area. It is characterized by including a mechanism and a control unit that changes the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe.

With this configuration, the control unit changes the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe, so the inspection unit that inspects the inspected object in the transfer pipe can be moved from the inspection position to an arbitrary position according to the size of the transfer pipe. It can be moved steplessly.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit is based on an image of X-rays transmitted through the transport pipe detected by the X-ray detector when the inspection unit is in the inspection position. It is characterized in that the size of the transport pipe is detected and the non-inspection position is changed according to the detected size.

As a result, the non-inspection position can be automatically changed based on the size of the transport pipe detected from the X-ray image without the user setting the size of the transport pipe.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a setting operation unit for setting the size of the transfer pipe, and the control unit changes the non-inspection position according to the size set by the setting operation unit. It is characterized by doing.

Thereby, for example, at the discretion of the user, a size having a margin with respect to the actual size of the transport pipe can be set from the setting operation unit.

The X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing for accommodating the inspection unit and a support portion for supporting the housing, and the moving mechanism is provided between the housing and the support portion. It is characterized by comprising a linear actuator for moving the housing.

As a result, the moving mechanism can be provided in the X-ray inspection device without significantly changing the configurations of the existing housing and the support portion.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention, when the control unit controls the movement mechanism to move the inspection unit from the inspection position to the non-inspection position, the transport unit using the inspection position as the origin coordinate. The inspection unit is moved by the amount of movement to the non-inspection position according to the size of the pipe.

This makes it possible to calibrate the origin coordinates using the position of the transport pipe that appears on the X-ray image when the inspection unit is in the inspection position.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention, when the control unit receives an instruction to start inspection of the object to be inspected, the control unit moves the inspection unit from the inspection position to the non-inspection position to correct the sensitivity of the inspection unit. The inspection is performed, the inspection unit is moved to the inspection position again, and then the inspection of the inspected object is started.

As a result, the inspection can be started in a state where the sensitivity correction is always completed without performing a separate operation for the sensitivity correction.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide an X-ray inspection apparatus capable of steplessly moving an inspection unit for inspecting an object to be inspected in a transfer pipe from an inspection position to an arbitrary position according to the size of the transfer pipe. ..

It is a perspective view of the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a side view showing a state in which an inspection unit of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged at an inspection position, and (B) is a side view showing a state in which an inspection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. It is a side view which shows the state which the inspection part of the X-ray inspection apparatus is arranged in the non-inspection position. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the size of a transport pipe, the non-inspection position of an inspection part, and the movement amount in the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in the X-ray inspection apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, when the sensitivity correction of the housing is automatically performed at the start of inspection of an inspected object.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration will be described.

In FIG. 1, the X-ray inspection device 1 includes a housing 4. A transport pipe 2 for transporting the object to be inspected W passes through the housing 4. The transfer pipe 2 is a part of the production equipment of the object W to be inspected, and is configured separately from the X-ray inspection device 1.

A transfer pump (not shown) is provided on the upstream side of the transfer pipe 2, and the transfer object W of the fluid is conveyed (pressure-fed) by this transfer pump. Here, the object W to be inspected is, for example, a fluid such as retort food or soup that has fluidity by itself, or a solid substance that does not have fluidity by itself such as peeled shellfish. ..

When the inspected object itself has no fluidity, for example, when a transport fluid such as water or air is conveyed in the transport pipe 2 together with the inspected object W, and the inspected object itself has fluidity. , Only the object W to be inspected is transported in the transport pipe 2 without using the transport fluid.

The X-ray inspection device 1 includes an X-ray generator 9 that generates X-rays, an X-ray detector 10 that detects X-rays, and a control unit 40. The X-ray generator 9, the X-ray detector 10, and the control unit 40 are housed inside the housing 4.

The X-ray generator 9 and the X-ray detector 10 are arranged above and below the transport pipe 2 so as to face each other so as to sandwich the transport pipe 2. The X-ray generator 9 and the X-ray detector 10 constitute an inspection unit 8 that inspects the inspected object W using X-rays. The X-ray inspection apparatus 1 having the inspection unit 8 inspects the object W to be conveyed in the transfer pipe 2 based on the X-rays transmitted through the transfer pipe 2.

The X-ray generator 9 generates X-rays by irradiating the target of the anode with an electron beam from the cathode of the X-ray tube provided inside the X-ray generator 9. The X-ray generation position in the X-ray generator 9 can be regarded as one point. The X-ray generator 9 is shaped by a slit (not shown) so that the generated X-rays are formed into a substantially triangular screen shape from the position where the X-rays are generated.

Further, the X-ray generator 9 irradiates the X-ray detector 10 so that the transport pipe 2 crosses the X-rays formed in the screen-shaped X-ray irradiation field from the X-ray generation position. It has become.

The X-ray detector 10 includes an X-ray line sensor in which a plurality of detection elements are arranged in a line. The detection element of the X-ray detector 10 includes a photodiode (not shown) and a scintillator (not shown) provided on the photodiode. X-rays are converted into light by a scintillator, and this light is detected by the photodiode. There is.

The X-ray detector 10 configured in this way outputs an X-ray image according to the amount of X-rays (detection amount) transmitted through the X-ray object W when the X-ray detector W passes through the X-ray line sensor. do. The X-ray detector 10 includes an A / D conversion unit (not shown), and the A / D conversion unit converts the amount detected from the photodiode into digital data.

The X-ray inspection device 1 includes a setting operation unit 45 and a control unit 40. The setting operation unit 45 is composed of a touch panel display or the like, and is designed to output a display to the user and perform a setting operation by the user. Further, the setting operation unit 45 is adapted to display an image such as an inspection result by the control unit 40.

Further, the setting operation unit 45 displays the quality determination result of the inspected object W with characters or symbols such as "OK" and "NG". Further, the setting operation unit 45 is designed to display statistical values such as the total number of inspections, the number of non-defective products, and the total number of NG products.

The display content and display mode in the setting operation unit 45 are determined based on a request by a predetermined key operation by the user.

Further, the setting operation unit 45 inputs settings such as various parameters to the control unit 40. The setting operation unit 45 is composed of a plurality of keys, switches, and the like operated by the user, and inputs settings such as various parameters to the control unit 40 and selects an operation mode.

The control unit 40 temporarily stores the X-ray image received from the X-ray detector 10 and applies various image processing algorithms or the like to the X-ray image to perform image processing. Here, the image processing algorithm consists of a combination of a plurality of image processing filters. Then, the control unit 40 discriminates between the inspected object W and the foreign matter in the X-ray image subjected to the image processing, determines whether or not the inspected object W is mixed, and determines whether the shape of the inspected object W is good or bad. Is designed to be determined.

Further, the control unit 40 controls the entire X-ray inspection device 1. The control content of the control unit 40 includes control regarding statistical processing of the quality determination result of the object W to be inspected, control regarding the display content and display form of the setting operation unit 45, and the like. Further, the control unit 40 is adapted to move the housing 4 accommodating the inspection unit 8 by controlling the movement mechanism 60 described later. In this embodiment, since the inspection unit 8 and the control unit 40 are housed and integrated in the housing 4, when the inspection unit 8 is moved, the control unit 40 also moves. It is not limited to the configuration. For example, the inspection unit 8 and the control unit 40 may be configured separately by arranging the control unit 40 outside the housing 4, and only the inspection unit 8 may be moved.

The X-ray inspection device 1 includes a support portion 50 that supports the housing 4. The support portion 50 is installed on the production line after the length of the leg portion is adjusted so that the upper surface thereof is horizontal. A pair of moving mechanisms 60 for moving the housing 4 are provided between the housing 4 and the support portion 50.

The moving mechanism 60 comprises, for example, a linear actuator. Specifically, the moving mechanism 60 has a main body portion 60A and a slide portion 60B that slides with respect to the main body portion 60A. The main body portion 60A is fixed to the support portion 50, and the slide portion 60B is fixed to the housing 4.

A stepping motor, a ball screw, or the like (not shown) is provided inside the main body 60A, and the rotation of the stepping motor is transmitted to the slide portion 60B via the ball screw or the like, so that the slide portion 60B slides. The moving mechanism 60 is controlled by the control unit 40.

By including a stepping motor, the moving mechanism 60 can move the housing 4 to an arbitrary position steplessly in response to a pulse signal from the control unit 40. The moving mechanism 60 may be an air cylinder or the like as long as the housing 4 can be moved to an arbitrary position steplessly.

By driving the moving mechanism 60, the control unit 40 moves the housing 4 accommodating the inspection unit 8 between the inspection position shown in FIG. 2A and the non-inspection position shown in FIG. 2B. The object W to be inspected is moved steplessly in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the housing 4 is moved between the inspection position and the non-inspection position by a distance D (position change amount). In this embodiment, the moving direction of the housing 4 is a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transporting direction of the object W to be inspected.

Here, the inspection position in FIG. 2A is a moving position in which the transfer pipe 2 is located in the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator 9, as shown by the position P in FIG. be. Further, the non-inspection position in FIG. 2B means that the transport pipe 2 is outside the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator 9, as shown by the positions P (A) and P (B) in FIG. It is a moving position that is in a positioned state.

By the way, the type of the transport pipe 2 may be changed according to the type of the object W to be inspected, the flow rate (flow velocity), and the like, and the size of the transport pipe 2 may differ depending on the type. Since the transport pipe 2 is generally a pipe having a circular cross-sectional shape, the size of the transport pipe 2 means its diameter. When the cross-sectional shape of the transport pipe 2 is other than a circle, the size of the transport pipe 2 is, for example, the width of the cross-sectional shape.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the non-inspection position of the inspection unit 8 is different between the case where the transfer pipe 2 is a transfer pipe 2A having a relatively small diameter and the case where the transfer pipe 2 is a transfer pipe 2B having a relatively large diameter. The non-inspection position where the transfer pipe 2 is located outside the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator 9 is the position P (A) in the small-diameter transfer pipe 2A and the position P (A) in the large-diameter transfer pipe 2B. It becomes the position P (B).

Therefore, the moving distances (position change amounts) between the inspection position P and the non-inspection positions P (A) and P (B) are D (A) and D (B), respectively, and a small-diameter transfer pipe 2A is used. The case where the large-diameter transfer pipe 2B is used is larger than the case.

Here, if the inspection unit 8 is moved to a certain non-inspection position according to the maximum size transfer pipe 2 that can be used, when the size of the transfer pipe 2 actually used is smaller than the maximum size. In addition, an unnecessary moving distance is generated.

Therefore, the control unit 40 changes the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe 2. For example, the control unit 40 detects the size of the transport pipe 2 based on the image of the X-ray transmitted through the transport pipe 2 detected by the X-ray detector 10 when the inspection unit 8 is in the inspection position. The non-inspection position may be changed according to the detected size.

Further, even if the size of the transfer pipe 2 is set in advance from the setting operation unit 45 and the control unit 40 changes the non-inspection position according to the size set by the setting operation unit 45. good.

By the way, in order to move the housing 4 accommodating the inspection unit 8 with high accuracy, it is preferable to be able to calibrate the coordinates that serve as a control reference (hereinafter referred to as origin coordinates). For example, a stopper or a limit switch (not shown) may be provided at a position to be an inspection position or a non-inspection position, and the position where the housing 4 stops moving when it hits the stopper or the limit switch can be set as the origin coordinates.

Further, the control unit 40 may calibrate the origin position with reference to the position of the transfer pipe 2 on the X-ray image when the inspection unit 8 is in the inspection position. In this case, when the control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 60 to move the inspection unit 8 from the inspection position to the non-inspection position, the control unit 40 reaches the non-inspection position according to the size of the transport pipe 2 having the inspection position as the origin coordinate. The inspection unit 8 is moved by the amount of movement of.

As described above, the non-inspection position is a position where the transfer pipe 2 is located outside the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator 9, so that the non-inspection position is affected by the transfer pipe 2. It is possible to correct the sensitivity of the inspection unit 8 without receiving the signal. Further, in the X-ray inspection device 1 of the present embodiment provided with the moving mechanism 60, it is preferable that the sensitivity correction is automatically performed even if the user does not perform the operation for starting the sensitivity correction.

Therefore, in the X-ray inspection device 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 40 moves the inspection unit 8 from the inspection position to the non-inspection position when the inspection start instruction of the inspected object W is given, and the inspection unit 8 of the inspection unit 8 moves. Perform sensitivity correction. After that, the control unit 40 moves the inspection unit 8 to the inspection position again, and then starts the inspection of the inspected object W. Hereinafter, an example of the operation in that case will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 40 first turns on the sensitivity correction signal (step S2) when the inspection start button is turned on in the setting operation unit 45 (step S1). Here, the sensitivity correction signal is a signal that commands the sensitivity correction of the inspection unit 8.

Next, the control unit 40 changes the position of the housing 4 accommodating the inspection unit 8 from the inspection position to the position at the time of sensitivity correction (step S3). Here, the control unit 40 moves the housing 4 to the position at the time of sensitivity correction by driving the moving mechanism 60.

Next, the control unit 40 performs sensitivity correction of the inspection unit 8 (step S4), turns off the sensitivity correction signal (step S5), changes the position of the housing 4 to the inspection position again (step S6), and then , The inspection of the object W to be inspected is started (step S7).

As described above, in the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the inspection unit 8 has the inspection unit 8 at the inspection position where the transfer pipe 2 is located in the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator 9 and outside the irradiation region. The non-inspection position is changed according to the size of the transfer mechanism 60 and the movement mechanism 60 that moves steplessly between the non-inspection position where the transfer pipe 2 is located and the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction of the object W to be inspected. The control unit 40 is provided.

As a result, the control unit 40 changes the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe 2, so that the inspection unit 8 that inspects the inspected object W in the transfer pipe 2 is changed from the inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe 2. It can be moved steplessly to any position.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 40 is based on an image of X-rays transmitted through the transport pipe 2 detected by the X-ray detector 10 when the inspection unit 8 is in the inspection position. , The size of the transport pipe 2 is detected, and the non-inspection position is changed according to the detected size.

As a result, the non-inspection position can be automatically changed based on the size of the transfer pipe 2 detected from the X-ray image without the user setting the size of the transfer pipe 2.

The X-ray inspection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a setting operation unit 45 for setting the size of the transfer pipe 2, and the control unit 40 sets a non-inspection position according to the size set by the setting operation unit 45. change.

Thereby, for example, at the discretion of the user, a size having a margin with respect to the actual size of the transfer pipe 2 can be set from the setting operation unit 45.

The X-ray inspection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 4 for accommodating the inspection unit 8 and a support portion 50 for supporting the housing 4, and the moving mechanism 60 includes the housing 4 and the support portion 50. It is provided between them and consists of a linear actuator that moves the housing 4.

As a result, the moving mechanism 60 can be provided in the X-ray inspection device without significantly changing the configurations of the existing housing 4 and the support portion 50.

In the X-ray inspection device 1 of the present embodiment, when the control unit 40 controls the moving mechanism 60 to move the inspection unit 8 from the inspection position to the non-inspection position, the transfer pipe 2 whose origin is the inspection position. The inspection unit 8 is moved by the amount of movement to the non-inspection position according to the size of.

Thereby, when the inspection unit 8 is in the inspection position, the origin coordinates can be calibrated using the position of the transfer pipe 2 appearing on the X-ray image.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the control unit 40 is instructed to start the inspection of the object W to be inspected, the control unit 40 moves the inspection unit 8 from the inspection position to the non-inspection position to correct the sensitivity of the inspection unit 8. I do. After that, the control unit 40 moves the inspection unit 8 to the inspection position again, and then starts the inspection of the inspected object W.

As a result, the inspection can be started in a state where the sensitivity correction is always completed without performing a separate operation for the sensitivity correction.

As described above, the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention can steplessly move the inspection unit for inspecting the inspected object in the transfer pipe from the inspection position to an arbitrary position according to the size of the transfer pipe. It has the effect of being able to do so, and is useful as an X-ray inspection device that inspects the presence or absence of foreign matter, defects, etc. of the object to be inspected.

1 X-ray inspection device 2 Conveying pipe 8 Inspection unit 9 X-ray generator 10 X-ray detector 40 Control unit 45 Setting operation unit 60 Moving mechanism W Inspected object

Claims (6)

An X-ray generator (9) that irradiates an X-ray to a transport pipe (2) to which the object to be inspected (W) is transported, and
An X-ray detector that is arranged to face the X-ray generator so as to sandwich the transport pipe and detects X-rays that pass through the transport pipe as the X-ray generator irradiates the X-rays. 10) and an inspection unit (8) having the
An X-ray inspection device (1) for inspecting an object to be inspected to be conveyed in the transfer pipe based on X-rays transmitted through the transfer pipe.
The inspection unit is located at an inspection position where the transport pipe is located in the X-ray irradiation region from the X-ray generator to inspect the object to be inspected, and a non-inspection position where the transport pipe is located outside the irradiation region. And the moving mechanism (60) that moves steplessly in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the object to be inspected.
An X-ray inspection apparatus including a control unit (40) that changes the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe. The control unit
The size of the transport pipe is detected based on the image of the X-ray transmitted through the transport pipe detected by the X-ray detector when the inspection unit is in the inspection position.
The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-inspection position is changed according to the detected size. A setting operation unit (45) for setting the size of the transfer pipe is provided.
The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the non-inspection position according to the size set by the setting operation unit. A housing (4) for accommodating the inspection unit and a support portion (50) for supporting the housing are provided.
The X according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving mechanism is provided between the housing and the support portion and comprises a linear actuator for moving the housing. Line inspection equipment. The control unit
When the inspection unit is moved from the inspection position to the non-inspection position by controlling the movement mechanism, the amount of movement to the non-inspection position according to the size of the transfer pipe with the inspection position as the origin coordinate is used. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inspection unit is moved. When the control unit receives an instruction to start inspection of the object to be inspected, the control unit moves the inspection unit from the inspection position to the non-inspection position to correct the sensitivity of the inspection unit, and inspects the inspection unit again. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inspection of the object to be inspected is started after moving to the position.

Images