JPH0396841A - Container inspecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable highly accurate inspection by comparing an area which is part of an image obtained by a video camera with a 1st reference value of a 1st decision circuit and comparing another area with a 2nd reference value of a 2nd decision circuit. CONSTITUTION:The inspecting device 1 including a foreign matter inspecting device, a flaw inspecting device, etc., decision circuits 34A and 34B composed of the 1st decision circuit 34A which compares the area of part of the image obtained by video cameras 33A and 33B with the 1st reference value and the 2nd decision circuit 34B which compares the area of the other part of the image obtained by the video cameras 33A and 33B with the 2nd reference value. Therefore, the foreign matter inspecting device sets a reference value nearby a liquid surface where an air bubble is easily generated to a reference value with which the air bubble is not decided as foreign matter. Consequently, a proper comparison is made and the highly accurate inspection becomes possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a container inspection device that detects foreign objects in a liquid filled in a container, scratches on the container, and the like.

"Prior Art" Conventionally, a conveying means for conveying a container, a video camera for photographing the container conveyed by the conveying means, and a comparison between the image photographed by the video camera and a predetermined reference value to determine the relevant value. A container inspection device equipped with a determination circuit for determining the suitability of a container is already known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-19
5143, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-220850).

"Problem to be Solved by the Invention" By the way, in a foreign matter inspection device that inspects the presence or absence of foreign matter in the filling liquid, it is necessary to prevent bubbles in the filling liquid from being judged as foreign objects. We took this into consideration and decided in advance. However, if the reference value is set so that the bubbles mentioned above are not judged as foreign objects,
There was a risk that tiny pieces of glass, etc., would not be detected.

In addition, if the containers are recycled glass bottles, for example, there may be scratches called scuffs caused by the containers touching each other, but if the extent of the scratches is small, the scuffs may I try not to target it. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to set the standard value of the inspection device that inspects the container for scratches so as to ignore the scuff mentioned above, but if the standard value is set in this way, there is a risk of ignoring the scratches that should be detected. Gender arises.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a container inspection device such as the above-mentioned foreign object inspection device or flaw inspection device, in which the above-mentioned judgment circuit is configured to detect images from among the images obtained by the above-mentioned video camera. Consisting of a first judgment circuit that compares a part of the area with a first reference value, and a second judgment circuit that compares another area of the video obtained by the video camera with a second reference value. It was designed to do so.

``Function'' Therefore, for example, in a foreign object inspection device, the reference value near the liquid surface where bubbles are likely to occur is set to a reference value that does not judge the bubbles as foreign objects, and the If the reference value is set so that even such minute glass pieces can be detected at the bottom, highly accurate inspection can be performed.

Also, in the flaw inspection apparatus, if the reference value for the part where scuffing is likely to occur and the reference value for the other parts are respectively set to optimal values, highly accurate inspection can be performed.

``Example'' The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrated example. In FIG. 1, an inspection device 1 inspects the liquid level of the filling liquid filled in a container 2 and the foreign matter mixed in the filling liquid. is now possible.

The container 2 (see FIG. 2), which is filled with liquid and has a cap attached to its mouth, is sequentially delivered from the supply conveyor 3 to a pair of connecting star wheels 4 and 5, and from the supply star wheel 5 to the pair of connecting star wheels 4 and 5. They are sequentially carried onto a mounting table 7 provided on a rotating body 6. The containers 2 supplied onto each mounting table 7 are
It is transported as the rotating body 6 rotates, and rotates as each mounting table 7 rotates.

The mounting table 7 is first rotated in one direction at 1200 to 1500 rpm, for example, by a rotation mechanism 8, which will be described in detail later, and then stopped once before the inspection position A. When the stop time has elapsed, the mounting table 7 is moved to the rotating mechanism 8.
is rotated in the opposite direction at 30 rpm, and passes through the inspection position A in this reversed state, during which time the liquid level height of the filling liquid in the container 2 is checked by two sets of inspection means 9A and 9B.
Foreign matter mixed into the filling liquid is inspected. In this case, the inspection means 9A located on the front side of the container 2 in the conveyance direction starts the inspection after the above-mentioned placement table 7 starts reversing.

By rotating the mounting table 7 in one direction to sufficiently rotate the filling liquid in the container 2, and then stopping the rotation of the mounting table 7 in this state, foreign objects in the filling liquid can be brought to the center of the container. However, by reversing the rotation, it is possible to shorten the time it takes for the foreign object to move to the center due to the rotation being stopped. Also,
If the container is transported without rotating, the surface of the filled liquid will be undulating, but if the container is rotated to create a curved surface, the surface of the filled liquid can be stabilized. It can be done.

Containers 2 whose inspection results are normal by the two sets of inspection means 9A and 9B are discharged to the discharge conveyor 12 via the discharge star wheel 1l, while containers 2 determined to be defective are sent to the discharge star wheel by the reject device 13. With the rotation of 1l, the product is transported to a position beyond the discharge conveyor 12, and is discharged to the reject conveyor 15 via the reject wheel 14 as a defective product. The above reject device 1
3 is already well known, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The rotating body 6 is connected to a drive shaft (not shown) and is continuously rotated clockwise in FIG. Second
As shown in the figure, it is provided at the upper end of a hollow rotating shaft 17 that is vertically supported on the rotating body 6.

Each of the mounting tables 7 includes a cylindrical holder 18 fixed to the upper end of the hollow rotating shaft 17, a transparent support plate 19 attached to a detail of the holder 18 on which the container 2 is placed, and a hollow rotating shaft 17. The light guiding member 20 is provided in a hollow part, and the light guiding member 20 is made of, for example, transparent acrylic, and can efficiently guide the light emitted from the light source 21 to the container 2. There is.

Further, the above-described rotation mechanism 8 that rotationally drives the above-mentioned mounting table 7 includes a servo motor 24 attached to the rotary body 6 with the drive shaft 24a facing vertically downward, and a servo motor 24 attached to the drive shaft 24a of the servo motor 24. It includes a belt pulley 25, a belt pulley 26 attached to the lower end of the hollow rotating shaft l7, and a belt 27 stretched between the belt pulleys 25 and 26. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the belt 27 is wrapped around the belt pulleys 26 of two adjacent mounting tables 7, and one servo motor 24 rotates the two mounting tables 7 simultaneously in the same direction. It can be driven.

Next, two sets of inspection means 9A, 9 provided at the inspection position A
B denotes follow-up mirrors 31A and 31B that are rotated to follow the container 2 being conveyed as the rotating body 6 rotates;
Each of the following mirrors 31A, 31B is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 following the movement of the container 2 from a predetermined starting position, and when it reaches a predetermined end position, it is rotated counterclockwise to the above-mentioned starting position. It is equipped with servo motors 32A and 32B as a mirror drive means for quickly returning the mirror, and video cameras 33A and 33B can take images of the container 2 by the following mirrors 31A and 31B, respectively.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A, 31B and video cameras 33A, 33B are capable of photographing the three containers 2 four times while following the containers, and each of the following mirrors 31A, 31B quickly moves from the above-mentioned end position to the start position. When the three containers 2 are returned and the three containers 2 are to be followed again, it is possible to follow the three containers 2 that have been shifted backward in the transport direction by one container.

Therefore, one of the inspection means 9A performs three follow-up operations on one container 2, and images are taken four times for each follow-up operation, so that 12 images can be obtained. This is the same for the other inspection means 9B, so a total of 24 images can be obtained for one container 2.

At this time, each tracking mirror 31A, 31B is connected to one container 2.
For example, after tracking three containers and obtaining a total of 12 images, each tracking mirror 31A, 31B is moved quickly to the starting position. Each of the following mirrors 31A, 3
The 1B tracking section can be shortened, and therefore the distortion of the video caused by lengthening the tracking section can be reduced.

Further, signals from the video cameras 33A and 33B are input to determination circuits 34A and 34B (FIG. 2), respectively. Since each determination circuit 34A, 34B has the same configuration, only one determination circuit 34A will be explained. In FIG. The signal is converted and input to four binarization circuits 38, 39, 40, and 41 in this embodiment.

Each of the binarization circuits 38 to 41 binarizes the digital signal based on a reference value set for each one, so that the images of the three wooden containers 2 are generated based on the respective reference values. That is, it is possible to perform binarization based on the required sensitivity.

The signals binarized by the binarization circuits 38 to 41 are sent to a liquid level determination section 43, three upper foreign matter determination sections 44, a middle foreign matter determination section 45, and a lower foreign matter determination section 4, respectively.
6, and each determination section 43 to 46 receives a signal from an inspection area setting section 47 that sets an inspection area.

The inspection area setting section 47 sets a predetermined inspection area for each of the three containers 2 photographed at the same time, and as shown in FIG.
Inputs the liquid level area 48, which is the liquid level of the filling liquid in the container 2, into the liquid level height determination section 43, and inputs the upper part of the filling liquid excluding the area 48 into the upper foreign object determination section 44. The upper area 49 is input to the middle foreign matter determining section 45, the intermediate area 50 of the central portion of the filling liquid is input to the lower foreign matter determining section 46, and the lower area 51 of the lower portion of the filling liquid is input to the lower foreign matter determining section 46, respectively. At this time, the areas 48 to 5l are set to slightly overlap.

Then, the liquid level height determination section 43 extracts the signal of the liquid level area 48 set by the inspection area setting section 47 from among the signals binarized by the binarization circuit 38, and from the extracted signal. The obtained detection value is compared with a predetermined reference value to determine whether the liquid level in the container is at a predetermined height.

At this time, a predetermined reference value for the liquid level height determining section 43 is set based on the liquid level that causes the curved surface. In other words, if a curved surface is created on the liquid level of the filling liquid, -1UQ
In a filled liquid with little foaming, a roughly diamond-shaped glowing area will appear (see Figure 6), and in a filled liquid with a lot of foaming, the bubbles above the liquid surface will easily shine, resulting in a roughly disc-shaped glowing area. (See Figure 7). Therefore, the above-mentioned glowing portion is measured in advance according to the type of filling liquid and its rotation speed, and, for example, the height of the central portion of the glowing portion is set as a reference value.

On the other hand, when detecting the height of the center of the glowing part from the extracted signal, as shown in FIG. 02, 03
The height of the central portion of the glowing portion is detected along the lines, and if at least one of the detected values matches the reference value, it is determined that the liquid level is appropriate. This is done because the center of the curved surface does not necessarily coincide with the axis of the container 2 due to shaking of the curved surface or the like.

Further, the upper foreign object determining section 44, the middle foreign object determining section 45, and the lower foreign object determining section 46 are connected to the binarization circuits 39 to 4, respectively.
Each area 49 to 50 is set by the inspection area setting unit 47 from the signals binarized with different sensitivities depending on l.
The system extracts the respective signals and compares the extracted signals with a predetermined reference value to detect whether or not foreign matter is contained in the filling liquid.

11 At this time, in this embodiment, since bubbles are likely to occur in the upper area 48, the binarization circuit 39 corresponding to this is
The sensitivity of the lower area 51 is set low to prevent false detection.
Since glass pieces, metal pieces, etc. tend to sink, the sensitivity of the corresponding binarization circuit 4l is set high to improve detection accuracy, and the sensitivity of the binarization circuit 40 corresponding to the intermediate area 50 is The sensitivity is set between the two.

In the above embodiment, the container 2 is rotated and transferred by the rotating body 6, but it goes without saying that the container may be transferred by a linear conveying means. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a container flaw inspection device.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, some areas of the video obtained by the video camera are compared with the first reference value of the first judgment circuit, and other areas are compared with the first reference value of the first judgment circuit. Since the comparison is made using the second reference value of the two judgment circuits, the optimum comparison can be made for each part, and compared to the conventional method of comparing them using a single reference value. This provides the advantage of being able to perform inspections.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the follow-up operation of the follow-up mirrors 31A and 31B, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the main part of the figure.
4A is a block diagram, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the inspection areas 47 to 51 established by the inspection area setting unit 47, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the inspection state of the liquid level height of the non-foaming filling liquid. , FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the state of inspection of the liquid level height of the foamable filling liquid. 1... Inspection device 2... Container 5... Rotating body (transporting means) 7... Mounting table 9A, 9B... Inspection means 33A, 3.3B... Video camera 34A, 34B
... Judgment circuit 38-41 ... Binarization circuit 43-4
6... Judgment part 48-51... Area ○ ○ -312- Figure 6 Funeral Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] A conveying means for conveying a container, a video camera for photographing the container conveyed by the conveying means, and a video camera that compares the image photographed by the video camera with a predetermined reference value to detect the container. In a container inspection apparatus, the determination circuit includes a first determination circuit that compares a part of the image obtained by the video camera with a first reference value; A container inspection device comprising: a second determination circuit that compares another area of the image obtained by the video camera with a second reference value.