JP7136718B2 - Article inspection device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an article inspection apparatus, and more particularly to an article inspection apparatus for inspecting an object to be inspected flowing through a pipe.

Conventionally, as an article inspection apparatus for inspecting an object to be inspected, such as fluid food, or an object to be inspected that is mixed with a carrier fluid, for example, the object to be inspected is passed through a pipe, and foreign substances mixed therein and the object to be inspected are inspected. 2. Description of the Related Art An article inspection device is used to detect an abnormality or the like in an article.

This type of article inspection apparatus irradiates, for example, X-rays in the cross-sectional direction of a pipe in an inspection section, detects the dose distribution of the X-rays that have passed through an object to be inspected, and determines whether the object to be inspected is a foreign matter based on the distribution state of the X-rays. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

This apparatus is provided with a flow velocity measurement unit that measures the flow velocity of the object to be inspected after passing through the inspection section, and controls the timing of discharging the object to be inspected, including foreign matter, out of the pipe based on the measurement information from the flow velocity measurement unit. As a result, the amount of inspection objects that are discharged together with the foreign matter is suppressed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-098303

However, in the conventional article inspection apparatus as described above, the fluidity of the inspected object greatly fluctuates depending on the type of inspected object and its transportation mode, and the load on the pump that feeds the inspected object suddenly increases. In such a case, even if the ejection timing of the foreign matter according to the product inspection result is relatively suitably controlled, the fluctuation of the flow rate of the pump affects the accuracy of the product inspection (for example, detectable foreign matter). size) itself could not be sufficiently stabilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been devised to solve such problems, and provides an article inspection apparatus capable of sufficiently stabilizing article inspection accuracy even when the load for conveying an article to be inspected through a pipe fluctuates greatly. intended to

In order to achieve the above object, an article inspection apparatus according to the present invention comprises a pipe through which a fluid inspection object fed from an upstream pump passes, and the inspection object passing through a predetermined inspection section of the pipe. an inspection unit for inspection, a flowmeter for measuring the flow rate in the pipe between the pump and the predetermined inspection section and outputting a flow rate signal; and a flow rate signal from the flowmeter. a condition setting unit for presetting an inspection condition for the inspection unit according to the flow rate signal; and an inspection control unit for controlling the inspection unit to adjust the inspection condition set by the condition setting unit according to the flow signal of the flowmeter. and.

With this configuration, in the present invention, the inspection conditions for the inspection unit are set in advance by the condition setting unit upon receiving the flow rate signal of the flowmeter, and then the inspection conditions are adjusted by the inspection control unit according to the flow rate signal of the flowmeter. Therefore, even if the load of the pump that feeds the object to be inspected fluctuates suddenly, the inspection conditions are adjusted to suppress the influence of the fluctuation of the flow rate of the pump, and the product inspection accuracy is stably ensured. will be

In the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the inspection control section may control the inspection section so as to further stop the inspection section according to the flow rate signal of the flow meter.

With such a configuration, the inspection conditions of the inspection unit are set in advance, and the inspection conditions are adjusted according to the flow signal of the flow meter, or the inspection unit is stopped according to the flow signal of the flow meter. be. Therefore, even if the load of the pump fluctuates suddenly, it is possible to effectively adjust the inspection conditions to suppress the effect of the flow rate fluctuations, or if such adjustments are difficult, it is possible to reduce the reliability of the inspection. In order to prevent this, the inspection section can be stopped.

In the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the inspection control section feedback-controls the power of the pump according to the deviation between the target flow rate preset by the condition setting section and the flow rate corresponding to the flow rate signal of the flow meter. On the other hand, when the deviation exceeds a predetermined value, a stop signal for stopping the pump may be output.

In this case, within the range of normal fluctuations in the flow rate of the object to be inspected, the preset target flow rate and the corresponding inspection accuracy can be preferably maintained by the feedback control of the pump power. When the flow rate of is greatly fluctuated, the pump can be stopped to effectively protect the pump and the object to be inspected.

In the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the inspection unit includes an X-ray generation source and an X-ray line sensor facing each other in a direction intersecting the pipe with a predetermined inspection section of the pipe interposed therebetween, and the object to be inspected. an image input unit that acquires line scanning signals from the plurality of detection elements of the X-ray line sensor at predetermined intervals during transportation, and the condition setting unit performs the above-described It is also possible to variably set the cycle of the line scanning by the image input unit.

In this case, since the line scanning period Cs (corresponding to the scanning speed) in the image input unit is variably set according to the flow rate detected by the flow meter, even if the detected flow rate fluctuates within a certain range, the fluctuation can be handled. By setting the cycle of the line scanning to be performed, the amount of transmitted X-rays in each detection element of the X-ray line sensor for each cycle is adjusted within the unit transport period for each cycle, and the inspection accuracy of the line sensor is stably secured. The Rukoto.

In the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the inspection section is configured as a foreign matter detection section that detects the foreign matter within the predetermined inspection section of the pipe, and the inspection section is located downstream of the predetermined inspection section of the pipe. A discharge section may be provided for discharging the inspected object including the foreign matter to the outside of the pipe at a downstream side of the predetermined inspection section when the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detection section.

In this case, even if the load of the pump fluctuates and the flow rate detected by the flowmeter changes, it is possible to easily achieve both stable inspection accuracy and timing control to suppress the discharge amount at the discharge section. It is possible to solve the conventional problem that the article inspection accuracy cannot be stabilized due to the influence of the flow rate fluctuation even if the timing is appropriately controlled.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article inspection apparatus capable of sufficiently stabilizing the article inspection accuracy even if the load for conveying an article to be inspected through a pipe fluctuates greatly.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system of an article inspection apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings.

[One embodiment]
1 and 2 show an article inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an example in which the present invention is applied to an X-ray inspection type foreign matter detection apparatus in which an object to be inspected is pipe-conveyed. showing.

First, its configuration will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, an article inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a pipe 11 of a predetermined length having a substantially constant cross-sectional area and an inspection object W (details) that can flow from the left end side of the pipe 11 in the drawing. (not shown)); an inspection unit 13 that inspects the inspection object W passing through the predetermined inspection section 11a of the pipe 11 under preset inspection conditions; and a flowmeter 15 for measuring the flow rate (for example, [L/min]) of the inspection object W in the pipe 11 . The pump 12 referred to here is capable of feeding the object W to be inspected at a predetermined pressure and flow rate (pump), and any pump capable of pipe-conveying the object W to be inspected at the same pressure and flow rate. It is meant to include means.

The pipe 11 has a tubular shape that forms a conveying path with a substantially constant cross-sectional area inside. It has an oval cross-sectional shape flattened to a uniform thickness. The pipe 11 conveys the object to be inspected W fed by the pump 12 at a substantially constant flow rate (in the case of liquid feeding, the flow velocity V×the cross-sectional area of the conveying path) in the rightward conveying direction in the drawing. there is

The object W to be inspected is an object to be inspected that has fluidity, and is not limited to a liquid object. It can include those that are mixtures, those that contain air bubbles or air layers in the inspected object W or between the inspected objects W that precede and follow.

Specifically, the inspected object W is, for example, an ingredient such as retort food, a fluid or extensible food such as minced fish, or a food such as stripped shellfish in a carrier fluid such as water. It is included in the dilution ratio (mixing ratio). Note that the dilution rate here is a volume ratio, but either a volume-converted ratio from mass or the mass ratio itself can be used.

The pump 12 is a non-positive transfer pump, for example, an open-type impeller 22 housed in the case 21 (detailed shape is omitted in the figure and shown as a circle) to create a vortex in the case 21 to improve fluidity. A motor 23 for rotating the impeller 22 and a pump operation signal Rv [pulses/min. ] and a pump speed sensor 24 that outputs

The inspection unit 13 is arranged near the pipe 11, and includes an X-ray irradiation unit 31 (X-ray irradiation means) for irradiating an object W passing through the pipe 11 with X-rays, and and an X-ray line sensor 32 (X-ray detection unit) for detecting X-rays that are irradiated downward and pass through the object W to be inspected. The X-ray irradiation unit 31 and the X-ray line sensor 32 face each other in a direction that intersects the pipe 11 with the predetermined inspection section 11a of the pipe 11 interposed therebetween.

The X-ray irradiation unit 31 is, for example, an X-ray tube (X-ray generation source) that generates X-rays by colliding thermoelectrons from a cathode filament with a high voltage between the cathode and the anode against an anode target. This X-ray irradiation unit 31 can irradiate an X-ray line sensor 32 below from the anode target of the X-ray tube through a slit (not shown) in a so-called fan beam shape.

The X-ray line sensor 32 has a plurality of detection elements, for example, a scintillator, which is a phosphor, and photodiodes or charge-coupled devices, arranged in an array at a constant pitch in the radial direction of the pipe 11. It is an X-ray detector capable of X-ray detection.

The inspection unit 13 also acquires line scanning signals at a predetermined cycle Cs from a plurality of detecting elements of an X-ray line sensor 32, which is an X-ray line sensor, and scans each X-ray transmission region in the main scanning direction at predetermined time intervals. An image input unit 33 is provided for generating density data corresponding to the amount of transmitted radiation (hereinafter referred to as density data of an X-ray image).

This image input unit 33 receives density data of an X-ray image in the main scanning direction (radial direction of the pipe 11) obtained by line scanning of the X-ray line sensor 32, for example, data representing the gradation of the density (hereinafter simply referred to as density data) is repeatedly captured at predetermined time intervals, the object to be inspected W moving in the conveying direction at a constant speed is sub-scanned in the movement direction, and transmitted X-ray image data of the object to be inspected W within the predetermined inspection section 11a. can be entered.

The valve-type sorting machine 14 picks up the inspected objects W inspected by the inspection unit 13 at a discharge position Pj, which is located downstream of the predetermined inspection section 11a of the pipe 11 in the transport direction, for example, at a predetermined transport distance from the predetermined inspection section 11a. Among them, the discharge section serves as a discharge section for discharging, to the outside of the pipe 11, the inspection object W in the specific transport section which is determined to be defective under predetermined determination conditions described later.

This valve-type sorter 14 has, for example, a three-way ball valve body 14a driven by a pneumatic rotary actuator (not shown) and two discharge ports 14b and 14c, and has a substantially T-shaped internal passage. The non-defective product conveying position (the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1) in which the ball valve body 14a passes through the conveying path on the side of the predetermined inspection section 11a of the pipe 11 to the downstream side of the ball valve body 14a (the state illustrated by the broken line in FIG. 1) It is possible to switch to a foreign matter discharging position in which the foreign matter is discharged upward in the drawing by turning clockwise by 90 degrees.

The flowmeter 15 measures the flow rate of the object to be inspected W in the pipe 11 between the pump 12 and the predetermined inspection section 11a, and outputs a flow rate signal Ed corresponding to the flow rate, for example, as a serial signal. . This flow meter 15 does not have a measuring section inside the pipe 11, but is a non-contact type such as an ultrasonic, optical or electromagnetic type installed on or near the outer periphery of the pipe 11. For example, the Doppler method It can be configured with a clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter using

On the other hand, the pump 12, the inspection section 13 and the valve type sorter 14 are controlled by the control section 50 respectively.

The control unit 50 has a computer configuration including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an input/output interface circuit, although a specific hardware configuration is not shown. A determination means 51 and an inspection condition control means 52, which are a plurality of control function units, are controlled based on the X-ray image data from the image input unit 33 at predetermined intervals by a predetermined control program stored in the ROM. , the functions of the pump control means 53 and the sorting control means 54 can be exhibited.

The control unit 50 also includes an input unit 61 capable of setting the operating conditions of the pump 12, the inspection conditions of the inspection unit 13, the operating conditions of the valve type sorter 14, etc. by key input or the like; A display unit 62 capable of displaying and outputting inspection results, etc., and a pump driving unit 63 that drives and controls actuators such as the pump 12 and the valve type sorter 14 by a programmable controller or the like according to a control signal from the control unit 50, and a sorting drive 64 is connected.

The judging means 51 generates a digital X-ray image in which the density data of the X-ray image of each transmissive region at predetermined time intervals from the image input unit 33 is associated with the pixel data, and determines foreign matter based on the X-ray image. A process for determining the presence/absence is executed. This judging means 51 performs, for example, a differentiation process for finding a sharp change in X-ray density data between a plurality of transmission areas adjacent in both the main and sub scanning directions, and determines the transmission area of the foreign matter candidate point in the entire transmission area. is identified, and it is determined whether or not the X-ray absorption amount for that candidate point exceeds a predetermined threshold value, thereby determining the presence or absence of foreign matter.

The inspection condition control means 52 can function as a condition setting section that receives the flow rate signal of the flowmeter 15 and variably sets inspection conditions for the inspection section 13 . For example, the inspection condition control means 52 preliminarily sets the cycle Cs of capturing the density data of the X-ray image detected by the X-ray line sensor 32 to the image input unit 33 as line scanning image data at the input unit 61 at the start of operation or the like. With the set line scanning period as a reference, it is adjusted and adjusted according to the change in the flow velocity corresponding to the flow signal Ed of the flow meter 15 .

In addition, the inspection condition control means 52 controls inspection such as line scanning cycle Cs preset by the function of the condition setting unit within a limit where the influence of flow rate fluctuations in the pipe 11 can be absorbed by adjusting inspection conditions such as the line scanning cycle. While the condition is adjusted according to the flow signal Ed of the flow meter 15, if the influence of the flow fluctuation in the pipe 11 exceeds the limit that can be absorbed by adjusting the inspection conditions, the flow signal of the flow meter 15 is adjusted It is an inspection control unit that controls the inspection unit 13 so that the inspection unit 13 is stopped by pressing the button.

The pump control means 53 adjusts the flow rate detected by the flow meter 15 according to the deviation between the target flow rate preset at the start of operation by the function of the condition setting unit and the flow rate corresponding to the successive flow rate signals from the flow meter 15. A control signal Dp for feedback-controlling the rotation speed of the pump 12 is output to the pump drive unit 63 so that the flow rate follows the target flow rate.

On the other hand, the pump control means 53 controls the pump drive unit 63 to control the pump when the deviation increases rapidly beyond the predetermined value and falls into a transitional state in which it is difficult for the detected flow rate to follow the target flow rate. A control signal Dp for stopping 12 is output.

The sorting control means 54 selectively determines the start timing and holding time of the discharge operation by the valve type sorter 14 according to the judgment result of the judgment means 51, and outputs the sorting command signal Ej corresponding to the judgment result to the sorting drive section 64. It is designed to

The pump drive unit 63 outputs a pump drive signal Pm for setting the corresponding pump discharge amount [L/min] to the pump 12 in accordance with the control signal Dp from the pump control means 53, and the sorting drive unit 64 According to the sorting control signal Ej from the sorting control means 54, the three-way ball valve body 14a of the valve type sorter 14 is switched to either the normal operation position or the discharge operation position or held at that position. It selectively outputs the selection drive signal J0 or J1.

Upon receiving the foreign matter detection signal from the determination means 51, the sorting control means 54 performs a predetermined discharge from the predetermined inspection section 11a based on the output of the determination result and the flow rate signal Ed from the flowmeter 15 at the time of output of the determination result. Ejection time that allows the valve-type sorter 14 to define the ejection amount of the inspected objects W containing foreign matter (hereinafter referred to as NG ejection amount) at the timing considering the delay time based on the transport distance to the position Pj and the transport speed V. During this time, the selection command signal Ej can be output.

For convenience of illustration, the NG product discharge direction shown in FIG. 1 is upward, but the discharge direction may be downward as shown in FIG.

Next, operation will be described.

In the X-ray article inspection apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above, an object W to be inspected is pumped out, for example, from a product receiving box (not shown) by the pump 12 and discharged into the pipe 11, whereupon the flowmeter 15 After the flow rate and the corresponding flow velocity have been measured, the pipe 11 passes through a predetermined test section 11a.

In addition, X-rays are uniformly irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 31 to the object W to be inspected within the predetermined inspection section 11a, and the dose of the X-rays transmitted through the object W to be inspected in each X-ray transmission region in the main scanning direction is Detected by the corresponding detection element of the X-ray line sensor 32, predetermined image processing is performed by the determination means 51 in the control unit 50 based on the detection signal, and the presence or absence of foreign matter is determined.

Then, according to the determination result, the pneumatic actuator of the valve-type sorting machine 14 is driven, and the inspection object W free of foreign matter is carried out from the pipe 11, for example, to a non-defective product receiving box on the downstream side. The object to be inspected W in the specific section that has been mixed is sorted and discharged to the outside of the pipe 11 .

In this embodiment, since the inspection conditions of the inspection unit 13 are variably set by the inspection condition control means 52 as a condition setting unit that receives the flow rate signal of the flow meter 15, the pump for feeding the inspection object W Even if the load of the pump 12 suddenly fluctuates, the inspection conditions are adjusted to suitable conditions so as to suppress the influence of the fluctuation of the flow rate of the pump 12, and the article inspection accuracy is stably ensured.

Further, in this embodiment, the inspection condition control means 52 has a function of a condition setting unit that presets inspection conditions for the inspection unit 13 at the time of starting operation, etc. or stop the inspection unit 13. Therefore, even if the load of the pump suddenly fluctuates, the inspection conditions of the inspection unit 13 are adjusted so as to suppress the influence of the flow rate fluctuation at that time. is made, or if such an adjustment is difficult, the inspection section 13 can be deactivated to forestall unreliable inspections.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the inspection condition control means 52 as an inspection control unit feedback-controls the power of the pump 12 in accordance with the deviation between the preset target flow rate and the flow rate corresponding to the flow rate signal of the flow meter 15. When the deviation exceeds a predetermined value, a stop signal for stopping the pump 12 is output. While the accuracy of the corresponding inspection can be preferably maintained, when the flow rate of the object W to be inspected fluctuates greatly due to some abnormality, the pump 12 can be stopped to effectively protect the pump 12 and the object W to be inspected. can.

In addition, in this embodiment, an image input unit 33 is provided for acquiring line scanning signals from a plurality of detection elements of the X-ray line sensor 32 at predetermined intervals while the object W to be inspected is being conveyed. 52 can variably set the period Cs of line scanning by the image input unit 33 according to the flow signal Ed from the flow meter 15 . Therefore, even if the detected flow rate fluctuates within a certain range, the line scanning period can be adjusted to correspond to the fluctuation, and the transmitted X-ray amount for each period Cs in each detection element of the X-ray line sensor 32 for each period can be accurately determined. , and the inspection accuracy of the X-ray line sensor 32 is stably ensured.

In this embodiment, the inspection section 13 is configured as a foreign matter detection section that detects foreign matter in the predetermined inspection section 11a of the pipe 11. Downstream of the predetermined inspection section 11a, there is a predetermined inspection section when foreign matter is detected. A valve-type sorter 14 is provided downstream of the pipe 11 a to discharge the inspection object W in a specific section containing foreign matter to the outside of the pipe 11 . Therefore, even if the load of the pump 12 fluctuates and the flow rate detected by the flowmeter 15 changes, it is possible to easily achieve both stable inspection accuracy and timing control to suppress the discharge amount in the valve type sorter 14. Therefore, it is possible to solve the conventional problem that the article inspection accuracy cannot be stabilized due to the influence of the fluctuation of the flow rate even if the discharge timing of the foreign matter is appropriately controlled.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the article inspection apparatus 1 that can sufficiently stabilize the article inspection accuracy even if the load for conveying the article W to be inspected through the pipe 11 fluctuates greatly. .

In the above-described embodiment, the flowmeter 15 outputs the flow rate signal as a serial signal, but it is of course possible to output the signal in a different form. Also, although the line scanning speed (scanning speed) of the X-ray line sensor 32 is used to adjust the inspection conditions, other inspection conditions may be used, and the inspection method itself may be different. For example, when the inspection unit 13 is a metal detector, the coefficient setting of the band-pass filter used for metal foreign matter detection can be set as a changeable detection condition. The aforementioned target flow rate may be set in advance as one of the inspection conditions for each product type of the object to be inspected W, and the set inspection condition is set according to the flow rate signal of the flow meter 15 at the start of daily operation. By adjusting the settings, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for inputting settings when changing the product type, and to suppress the effects of erroneous settings.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a foreign matter detection apparatus is used, but in the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the property of the inspection object W itself deteriorates due to deterioration and hardens or softens, or the shape changes greatly due to breakage. It can also be applied to other cases. Of course, the foreign matter may be partially dropped due to breakage of the object W to be inspected or may be integrally fixed to the shell of the object W to be inspected.

The cross-sectional area of the pipe 11 is circular or partially flattened, but may be any non-circular cross-sectional shape having a polygonal cross-section, for example, a rectangular cross-section or a substantially uniform thickness portion as a main portion. 14 can be replaced with any other sorting scheme depending on the pipe shape.

The fluid test object W is not limited to the one that is transported together with the liquid product or the carrier fluid. , a mixed fluid, or a plastic fluid that does not flow under a non-pressurized state and flows when the stress exceeds the yield value. Of course, it is also possible to substitute any feeding means capable of pipe-conveying the object W to be inspected in a predetermined direction.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the article inspection apparatus of the present invention is capable of sufficiently stabilizing the article inspection accuracy even if the load for conveying the article to be inspected through the pipe fluctuates greatly. It is useful for general article inspection devices that inspect objects to be inspected.

1 article inspection device 11 pipe (conveyance path)
11a Predetermined inspection section 12 Pump (feeding means)
13 inspection section (foreign matter detection section)
14 valve type sorter (discharge part)
14a three-way ball valve body 15 flow meter 21 case 22 impeller 23 motor 24 pump speed sensor 31 X-ray irradiation unit (X-ray irradiation unit, X-ray source, X-ray tube)
32 X-ray line sensor (X-ray detector)
33 image input unit 50 control section 51 determination means (determination section)
52 inspection condition control means (condition setting unit)
53 pump control means 54 sorting control means 61 input unit 62 display unit 63 pump driving unit 64 sorting driving unit Cs line scanning period (scanning speed)
Dp Pump control signal Ed Flow rate signal Ej Sorting control signal J0, J1 Sorting command signal Pm Pump drive signal Rv Pump operation signal (pump rotation speed)
W Inspection object (fluid inspection object)

Claims (5)

An article inspection apparatus comprising: a pipe through which a fluid inspection object fed from an upstream pump passes; and an inspection section for inspecting the inspection object passing through a predetermined inspection section of the pipe,
a flow meter that measures the flow rate in the pipe between the pump and the predetermined inspection section and outputs a flow rate signal;
a condition setting unit that receives a flow rate signal from the flow meter and presets inspection conditions for the inspection unit ;
and an inspection control section that controls the inspection section so as to adjust the inspection conditions set by the condition setting section in accordance with the flow rate signal of the flowmeter . 2. The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection control section controls the inspection section so as to further stop the inspection section according to the flow rate signal of the flow meter. The inspection control unit feedback-controls the power of the pump according to the deviation between the target flow rate preset by the condition setting unit and the flow rate corresponding to the flow rate signal of the flow meter,
3. An article inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a stop signal for stopping said pump is output when said deviation exceeds a predetermined value. The inspection unit includes an X-ray generation source and an X-ray line sensor that face each other in a direction intersecting the pipe with a predetermined inspection section of the pipe interposed therebetween, and an X-ray line sensor during transportation of the object to be inspected. an image input unit that acquires line scanning signals from the plurality of detection elements at a predetermined cycle,
The article inspection according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the condition setting unit variably sets the period of the line scanning by the image input unit according to the flow rate detected by the flowmeter. Device. The inspection unit is configured as a foreign object detection unit that detects the foreign object within a predetermined inspection section of the pipe,
Downstream of the predetermined inspection section of the pipe, when the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter detector, the inspection object including the foreign matter is discharged to the outside of the pipe downstream of the predetermined inspection section. 5. An article inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a discharge section.

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