JP7086439B1 - Container inspection equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the rotation time and reliably inspect the surroundings of a container. A container inspection device for inspecting a container B, holding an inspection table 2 for supporting the bottom surface of the container B, a rotation driving unit 3 for rotating the inspection table 2, and an upper portion of the container B. It is characterized by including a mouth holding unit 1 that can rotate together with the container B, a rotation detecting unit 10 that detects the rotation angle of the mouth holding unit 1, and an image pickup device 4 that captures an image of the rotating container B. The container inspection device 100 was used. As a result, regardless of the slip between the inspection table 2 and the container B, extra rotation can be eliminated, the rotation time can be shortened, and the container can be reliably inspected. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a container inspection device for inspecting containers such as bottles and PET bottles.

Containers such as bottles and PET bottles for filling beverages and pharmaceutical liquids are inspected for scratches and cracks all around.

In Patent Document 1, while detecting the rotation angle with a rotary encoder that rotates the inspection table, the inspection table on which the container is placed is rotated by 1.2 turns in consideration of rotational slip, and the inspection table is rotated for one round by image processing. It describes the items that form an image and inspect the entire circumference of the container.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-031060

However, in the case described in Patent Document 1, the inspection table on which the container is placed must be rotated for 1.2 laps in consideration of rotational slip, so that the time required for rotation is long, and if there is a lot of slip, There was a problem that there was a risk that the entire circumference could not be inspected even at 1.2 laps.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, shorten the rotation time, and reliably inspect the surroundings of the container.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a container inspection device for inspecting a container.
An inspection table that supports the bottom of the container and
A rotary drive unit that rotates the inspection table and
A mouth holder that holds the inside of the mouth at the top of the container and can rotate with the container,
A rotation detection unit that detects the rotation angle of the mouth holding unit, and a rotation detection unit.
An image pickup device that captures the image of the rotating container, and
Equipped with
The mouth holding portion provides a container inspection device that is inserted into the inside of the container from the mouth of the upper part of the container and brought into close contact with the inner surface of the mouth to hold the upper part of the container.

With this configuration, regardless of the slip between the inspection table and the container, extra rotation can be eliminated, the rotation time can be shortened, and the container can be reliably inspected.

In the container inspection device, the rotation detection unit includes a slit plate that rotates integrally with the mouth holding unit.
It may be configured to include a sensor for detecting a slit provided in the slit board.

With this configuration, it is possible to detect the rotation angle without fear of rotation slip.

In the container inspection device, the mouth holding portion may be configured to be replaceable according to the shape of the mouth of the container.

With this configuration, it is possible to inspect containers having a plurality of shapes.

The container inspection device may be configured to stop the rotation of the rotation drive unit when the rotation detection unit detects a rotation exceeding 360 °.

With this configuration, the container can be reliably circled.

In the container inspection device, even if the rotation by the rotation driving unit reaches a predetermined angle, if the rotation detecting unit does not detect the rotation exceeding 360 °, an alarm may be issued.

With this configuration, it is possible to detect an abnormal state such as excessive slippage between the inspection table and the container.

With the container inspection device of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate extra rotation, shorten the rotation time, and reliably inspect the container regardless of the slip between the inspection table and the container.

It is a figure explaining the container inspection apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the periphery of the mouth holding part in Example 1 of this invention.

The container inspection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2. 1A and 1B are views for explaining the container inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a state in which the inspection table 2 is raised and the rotation detection unit 10 is lowered to hold the container B. ) Indicates a state in which the inspection table 2 is rotated for inspection. 2A and 2B are views for explaining the rotation detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 2A is a front view and FIG. 2B is a side view.

The container inspection device 100 in the first embodiment visually inspects the container B conveyed by the conveyor C for scratches and stains. The container B refers to a container such as a PET bottle, a bottle, a paper cup, or a synthetic resin cup for the purpose of filling a liquid for beverage or medicine. The conveyor C is composed of two belts along the transport direction, and the inspection table 2 described later is configured to be able to move up and down between the belts.

The container inspection device 100 has a substantially flat upper surface, and has an inspection table 2 on which the container B is placed and vacuum-sucked, a rotation drive unit 3 for rotationally driving the inspection table 2, and an image pickup that captures an image of the surface of the rotating container B. The device 4 and a rotation detecting unit 10 having a mouth holding unit 1 that is in close contact with the inside of the mouth of the container B and can rotate together with the container B are provided.

The rotation detection unit 10 will be described. The rotation detection unit 10 includes a rotatable mouth holding unit 1 made of Duracon, a metal slitting machine 5 which is rotatable together with the mouth holding part 1 and has slits evenly arranged, and a photoelectric sensor for detecting the slits of the slitting machine 5. A sensor support portion 8 made of a metal such as iron that supports the sensor 6, a slit plate 5, the sensor 6 and the like, and a lock portion 7 for attaching or detaching the slit plate to the sensor support portion 8 are provided.

In the first embodiment, the photoelectric sensor detects the slit of the slit board, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, a magnetic sensor may be configured to detect magnetism, or an optical sensor may be configured to detect a pattern drawn on a rotating disk.

Further, the slit plate 5 in the first embodiment has 10 slits evenly at every 36 °, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be appropriately changed. For example, it may have 11 or more slits, may have 9 or less slits, and may have any number of slits. However, the larger the number of slits, the more accurately the rotation angle can be detected, and if there are 10 slits, the rotation angle can be detected every 36 °.

Here, even with one slit, it is possible to detect a rotation of 360 ° per circumference, but if the slit position of the slit board 5 is out of the position with respect to the sensor 6, after the rotation is started, one 360 ° rotation can be detected only by detecting the second slit after detecting the second slit, and an extra rotation of up to 180 ° to the first slit is required. On the other hand, if there are 10 slits, the extra rotation is up to 36 °, and the maximum rotation is 1.1 laps.

The mouth holding portion 1 has a cylindrical portion having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the upper portion of the target container B and a length of about 40 mm, and the end portion to be inserted into the mouth of the container B has a gentle arc shape. It is easy to insert inside the mouth. Further, the mouth holding portion 1 on the side opposite to the mouth of the container B is provided with a cylindrical stopper portion having an outer diameter wider than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container B and having a length of about 5 mm, and is further inside the container B. I try not to enter. Further, although the mouth holding portion 1 in the first embodiment is composed of a Duracon, the mouth holding portion 1 is not necessarily limited to this and can be appropriately changed. For example, it may be composed of acrylic or Delrin, and any material may be used depending on the color and material of the container B.

The sensor support portion 8 is movably attached to a rotation detection unit elevating mechanism (not shown) of the inspection device main body so as to be movable in the vertical direction. As a result, the rotation detection unit 10 moves up and down so that the mouth holding unit 1 can be put in and out of the mouth of the container B. The rotation detection unit elevating mechanism may be configured so that the rotation detection unit 10 can be elevated by a motor, or may be configured by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder.

The magnetic force of the lock portion 7 is released by turning the knob by a predetermined angle (90 ° in the first embodiment), and the sensor 6 can be easily removed from the sensor holding portion 8. As a result, the slit plate 5 and the mouth holding portion 1 can be removed by unscrewing the screws.

The image pickup device 4 may be a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or a line sensor, and any image pickup device can be applied. Further, if necessary, a lighting device for reflective lighting or transmitted lighting may be installed.

The rotation drive unit 3 includes a motor and a link mechanism, and by rotating the motor, the inspection table 2 can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by an arbitrary angle.

In the first embodiment, the mouth holding portion 1 is inserted into the inside of the mouth of the upper part of the container B so as to be in close contact with the inner surface, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be appropriately changed. For example, the mouth holding portion 1 may be configured to grip the outer surface of the upper mouth portion of the container B, or may have any configuration as long as the container B and the mouth holding portion 1 can be held so as not to slip.

When the container B conveyed by the conveyor C is conveyed directly above the inspection table, it is detected by a sensor (not shown) and stopped by a stopper (not shown). The inspection table 2 at this point is located below the conveyor C.

When a sensor (not shown) detects the arrival of the container B and the stopper stops the container B, the inspection table 2 is raised to the bottom surface of the container B by the inspection table elevating mechanism (not shown), and the container B is vacuum-sucked and held. .. Then, the inspection table 2 is further raised to lift the bottom surface of the container B above the conveyor C, and at the same time, the rotation detection unit 10 is lowered by the rotation detection unit elevating mechanism (not shown), and the mouth holding unit 1 is the mouth of the container B. It is inserted inside. In this state, the container B is held by the inspection table 2 from below and by the rotation detection unit 10 from above. Further, the mouth holding portion 1 is inserted into the inside of the mouth of the container B and closely adheres to the container B.

Here, the ascending speed of the inspection table 2 to the bottom surface of the container B by the inspection table elevating mechanism and the ascending speed of lifting the bottom surface of the container B above the conveyor C may be different or the same. good. The inspection table elevating mechanism may be configured to be elevated by a motor, or may be configured to be a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder.

The inspection table 2 is rotated counterclockwise in the horizontal plane by the rotation drive unit 3 while the container B is held by the rotation detection unit 10 from below by the inspection table 2 from below. As the inspection table 2 rotates, the container B also rotates counterclockwise. Further, as the container B rotates, the mouth holding portion 1 also rotates counterclockwise. The inspection table 2 and the bottom surface of the container B may slip, but since the mouth holding portion 1 is in close contact with the inside of the mouth of the container B, it rotates integrally with the container B without slipping. Then, the image pickup device 4 takes an image of the rotating container B, performs image processing in an inspection unit (not shown), and visually inspects the surface for scratches and stains. At this time, the image pickup apparatus 4 may perform imaging in synchronization with the rotation angle detected by the rotation detection unit 10.

The sensor 6 in the rotation detection unit 10 instructs the rotation drive unit 3 to stop the rotation when the 10th slit is detected after detecting any slit in the slit plate 5 from the start of rotation. Since the mouth holding portion 1 rotates in close contact with the inside of the mouth of the container B, the rotation of the entire circumference (360 °) can be accurately detected without slipping.

Here, even if the rotation by the rotation drive unit 2 reaches a predetermined angle (for example, 720 ° corresponding to two laps), if the rotation detection unit 10 does not detect the rotation exceeding 360 °, the inspection table 2 and the bottom surface of the container B Issue an alarm because the slip may be too large. The alarm turns on or blinks a lamp (not shown) and sounds a buzzer.

When the rotation of the container B is stopped, the inspection table 2 starts to move down and the rotation detection unit 10 starts to move up. When the inspection table 2 descends to the stop position below the conveyor C, the vacuum suction is released and the container B is released. Further, when the mouth holding portion 1 rises above the container B, the rotation detecting portion 10 stops rising.

Then, the container B after the inspection is conveyed to the next process by the conveyor C, the next new container B is conveyed to the upper part of the inspection table 2, and a new inspection operation is started.

In Example 1, the inspection table 2 is configured to rotate until the rotation detection unit 10 detects a rotation of 360 ° to inspect the entire surrounding surface of the container B, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. It can be changed as appropriate. For example, the inspection table 2 may be configured to rotate until the rotation detection unit 10 detects a rotation of 180 ° or 120 ° to inspect a surface in a limited range around the container B. Further, not only the surface inspection but also the inspection of the label affixed to the container B, the liquid filled in the container B, and the like may be performed.

Further, in the first embodiment, the bottom surface of the container B placed on the inspection table 2 is configured to be vacuum-sucked, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be appropriately changed. For example, the container B may be simply placed on the container B without vacuum suction, or the metal container B may be configured to be attracted by a magnet, and the container B may be configured arbitrarily. Can support the bottom of the.

Further, in the first embodiment, the inspection table 2 is configured to be rotated counterclockwise, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be appropriately changed. For example, it may be rotated clockwise.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the container inspection device for inspecting the container is used.
An inspection table that supports the bottom of the container and
A rotary drive unit that rotates the inspection table and
A mouth holder that holds the upper part of the container and can rotate with the container,
A rotation detection unit that detects the rotation angle of the mouth holding unit, and a rotation detection unit.
An image pickup device that captures the image of the rotating container, and
The container inspection device, which is characterized by being provided with the above-mentioned, can reliably inspect the container by eliminating the extra rotation and shortening the rotation time regardless of the slip between the inspection table and the container.

The container inspection device in the present invention can be widely used in the field of inspecting containers.

1: Mouth holder
2: Inspection table
3: Rotation drive unit
4: Imaging device
5: Slit board
6: Sensor unit
7: Lock part
8: Sensor support
10: Rotation detector
100: Container inspection device
B: Container
C: Conveyor

Claims (5)

A container inspection device that inspects containers,
An inspection table that supports the bottom of the container and
A rotary drive unit that rotates the inspection table and
A mouth holder that holds the inside of the mouth at the top of the container and can rotate with the container,
A rotation detection unit that detects the rotation angle of the mouth holding unit, and a rotation detection unit.
An image pickup device that captures the image of the rotating container, and
Equipped with
The container inspection device is characterized in that the mouth holding portion is inserted into the inside of the container from the mouth of the upper part of the container and brought into close contact with the inner surface of the mouth to hold the upper part of the container. The rotation detection unit includes a slit plate that rotates integrally with the mouth holding unit, and
The container inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting a slit provided in the slit board. The container inspection device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the mouth holding portion is replaceable according to the shape of the mouth of the container. The container inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein when the rotation detecting unit detects a rotation exceeding 360 °, the rotation of the rotation driving unit is stopped. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein an alarm is issued when the rotation detection unit does not detect a rotation exceeding 360 ° even if the rotation by the rotation drive unit reaches a predetermined angle. Container inspection device.

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