JPH04151791A - Parts counting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To more accurately count small particles in a short time independently of the form of small parts supplied at random by detecting the presence or the absence of the silhouette on image pickup elements and outputting a parts passage signal at the time of cutting off a transverse-direction detection signal and a longitudinal- direction detection signal of the silhouette. CONSTITUTION:Image pickup elements 5 are arranged in a line to face a parts movement path, and the presence or the absence of the silhouette of parts 3 from adjacent image pickup elements 5 is detected and is stored together with the presence or the absence of the silhouette for preceding detection, and continuity and a break in the transverse direction of the silhouette are detected in accordance with detection or non-detection of the silhouette on adjacent image pickup elements 5. Continuity and a break in the longitudinal direction of the silhouette are detected in accordance with the presence or the absence for preceding detection; and when a break is detected in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction of the silhouette, parts passage signal is outputted. Thus, parts 3 are surely counted one by one though being supplied at random, and not only many parts 3 can be completely counted in a short time but also passage of one parts 3 is surely detected regardless of the complicated form of parts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is applicable to small parts such as screws and washers that are supplied by natural falling from a supply chute of a parts supply device or randomly supplied by a supply belt made of a highly permeable material. The present invention relates to a parts counting device that accurately measures the number of parts.

[Prior Art] and [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, when counting the number of small parts such as screws and washers, the small parts are separated one by one and arranged and supplied. Devices in which a detection unit such as an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor is placed close to the passage of the component are common. In this device, a detection signal is output every time the passage of a part is detected, and the number of small parts is counted, but the parts must be aligned and fed in a line for each sensor.
Not only does it take a long time to count small parts when the number of small parts is large, but also it takes a long time to count the small parts.
A plurality of detection signals are output each time the device passes through the detection section, resulting in drawbacks such as the inability to accurately count small parts of this type. Further, an apparatus has been developed which eliminates this drawback and enables relatively accurate counting of small parts even in a short time even if the shape of the small parts is complicated. This device is configured to calculate the weight of each small part in advance and estimate the total number of small parts from the total weight of the small parts. However, with this device, the weight of each small part varies. If the weight of one small part is small or the weight of one small part is light, the measurement error becomes large, resulting in drawbacks such as the impossibility of truly accurate counting.

The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and aims to provide a parts counting device configured to perform counting in a short time and more accurately regardless of the shape of small parts supplied at random. It is.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned problems, an image sensor is provided that includes a light source that irradiates light onto the movement path of the parts and a plurality of image sensors arranged in a line facing the movement path of the parts. The apparatus detects the presence or absence of a silhouette of a part corresponding to each image sensor based on the amount of change in the analog output of each image sensor at predetermined minute intervals, and stores this information for each image sensor, and also stores the information for each image sensor at the time of previous detection. An image storage unit that stores the presence or absence of a silhouette is arranged. A component recognition section is connected to the image storage section, and this component recognition section detects the presence or absence of a silhouette of the component from the amount of change in the analog output of each image sensor from the image storage section, and detects horizontal cuts in the silhouette. It is configured to detect a connection between silhouettes, output a lateral direction detection signal by detecting a connection between silhouettes, and block this by detecting a break in the silhouettes.

Further, the component recognition unit detects cuts and connections in the front-rear direction of the silhouette of each image sensor based on the presence or absence of the silhouette of each image sensor and the presence or absence of the silhouette at the time of previous detection, and detects the connection between the silhouettes to recognize the silhouette. It is configured to output a front-rear direction detection signal and detect a break in the silhouette to shut it off.

Further, the component recognition section is configured to sequentially perform the detection based on the presence or absence of a silhouette of the image pickup device, and output a component passing signal when the silhouette lateral direction detection signal and front and rear direction detection signal are interrupted.

[Function] In the above-mentioned parts counting device, when parts are supplied from the supply hopper of the parts supply device between the light source and the plurality of image sensors arranged in a row, each time the parts pass in front of the image sensors. The analog output of the image sensor changes, and the silhouette of the part is detected based on the amount of change. Further, in the case of an image sensor through which the part does not pass, its analog output does not change, and the silhouette of the part is not detected.

During this time, it is detected whether or not each image sensor detects the silhouette of the part at every predetermined minute time, and the presence or absence of the silhouette of the part detected by each image sensor and the presence or absence of the silhouette at the time of the previous detection of each image sensor are detected in the image. It is stored in the storage unit. At the same time, the presence or absence of detection of a silhouette of the image sensor and the presence or absence of a silhouette at the time of previous detection are sent to the component recognition unit.

From the presence or absence of the silhouettes of the adjacent image sensors, horizontal breaks and connections between the silhouettes are detected, and when the connections between the silhouettes are detected, a horizontal direction detection signal of the silhouettes is output. Furthermore, when another image sensor detects a lateral cut in the silhouette, the lateral detection signal of the silhouette is interrupted.

At the same time, each time a horizontal break and connection of the silhouette is detected from the presence or absence of the silhouette of the image sensor, a longitudinal connection and break of the silhouette are detected based on the presence or absence of the silhouette at the time of previous detection of the image sensor.

When a connection in the front and back direction of the silhouette is detected, a silhouette front and back direction detection signal is output, and when a break in the silhouette in the front and back direction is detected, this signal is interrupted.

The detection is performed sequentially based on the presence or absence of a silhouette of each image sensor, and when both the horizontal direction detection signal and the front and back direction detection signal of the silhouette are blocked, the passage of a component can be detected and a component passage signal can be output. .

[Example] Hereinafter, an example will be described regarding a parts counting device that counts plate-shaped parts as an example of parts. In Fig. 1, 1 is a parts counting device, which counts the number of plate-shaped parts 3 (hereinafter referred to as parts) that randomly fall naturally from a supply hopper 2 that constitutes a part of a parts supply device (not shown). It is arranged so that This component counting device 1 includes a light source 4 that projects light in a direction intersecting the moving path of the component 3, and a light source 4 that projects light in a direction that intersects the moving path of the component 3, and a light source that faces the moving path of the component 3 so as to receive the light from the light source 4 so as to face the moving direction of the component 3. It has an imaging device 6 including a plurality of imaging elements 5 arranged in a line in intersecting directions.

The image sensor 5 is configured so that when the component 3 passes in front of it, the amount of light it receives changes and its analog output changes, and by detecting this amount of change, the silhouette of the component 3 is detected. The analog outputs of the image sensor 5 are configured to be output to an A-D converter 9 in a control device 7, which will be described later.

The control device 7 includes a control unit 8, an A-D conversion unit 9 that converts the analog output of the image sensor 5 into binary data, and an image storage unit 10 that stores the binary data as the presence or absence of a silhouette of the component 3. , a component recognition unit 1 that detects passage of the component 3 based on the binarized data of the image storage unit 10 and outputs a detection signal.
1. It has a counter section 12 that counts this detection signal, an inspection start section 13 that outputs an inspection start signal, and a component supply device drive section 14. As shown in FIG. 2, when the control section 8 receives an inspection start signal after the power is turned on, it outputs an operation command signal to the component supply device drive section 14, and also outputs an operation command signal from A to D at predetermined minute intervals. While outputting a conversion command signal to the converting section 9, when the count value of the counter section 12 reaches a predetermined value, a component supply stop command signal is output to the component supply device drive section 14, and after waiting for a reset signal, the component supply device is driven. It is configured to re-drive the section 14.

When receiving the conversion command signal, the A-D converter 9 determines whether the analog output of each image sensor 5 reaches a predetermined value or less, and converts the binary data rlJ or "0" depending on the result.
is configured to output. The image storage section 10
is configured to temporarily store the binarized data from the A-D converter 9 corresponding to the image sensors 5 arranged in a row.

Further, the image storage unit IO replaces the binarized data every time the binarized data is input from the A-D converter 9, and also replaces the binarized data corresponding to one row of image sensors 5 in synchronization with the clock pulse. While sequentially outputting the binarized data to the component recognition unit 11, the binarized data from the previous detection is temporarily stored and the binarized data corresponding to one row of image sensors 5 is output to the component recognition unit 11 in synchronization with the clock pulse. It is configured to send to. Further, the component recognition section 11 is composed of a logic circuit, and receives binary data corresponding to an adjacent row of image sensors 5 from the image storage section 10, and detects the presence or absence of a silhouette of the component 3 from this. Detects horizontal breaks and connections in the silhouette, and upon detection of this connection in the silhouette, a silhouette lateral direction detection signal is output, and another image sensor 5 detects the break in the silhouette and blocks it. On the other hand, it is configured to output a silhouette connection detection signal from an OR output with the silhouette horizontal direction detection signal from the previous detection. Further, the component recognition unit 11 detects cuts and connections in the front and back direction of the silhouette for each image sensor 5 based on the presence or absence of a silhouette of each image sensor 5 and the presence or absence of a silhouette at the time of previous detection,
By detecting the connection of silhouettes, a silhouette front-rear direction detection signal is output, and this is blocked by detecting a break in the silhouette. On the other hand, from the OR output of this and the front-rear direction detection signal of the adjacent silhouette, the silhouette front-rear direction detection signal is output. It is configured to output a connection detection signal. Moreover, the component recognition unit 11 sequentially performs the detection based on the presence or absence of the silhouette of the image sensor 5, and detects for each image sensor 5 whether or not the connection detection signal is simultaneously blocked in the lateral direction and the front and back direction of the silhouette. , are configured to detect the passing of the component 3 for each image sensor 5 and output a component passing signal to the counter section 12 when these are blocked at the same time. The component passing signal is transmitted to a row of image sensors 5.
This is done every time the binarized data of is sent to the component recognition unit 11 in synchronization with a clock pulse, and even if a plurality of components 3 fall in succession, it is configured to be able to accurately detect this. .

In the parts counting device described above, when the device is powered on, the image sensor 5 receives light from the light source 4 over its entire surface, and its analog output is sent to the A/D converter 9. In this state,
When components 3 are randomly supplied in a horizontal row from the supply hopper 2 of the component supply device by gravity, the analog output of the image sensor 5 whose light is blocked by the passage of the components 3 changes. The analog output of the image sensor 5, which continuously receives light without changing, does not change.

On the other hand, a test start signal is output from the test start section 13, and the control section 8 outputs a test start signal to the A-D converter 9 at a predetermined minute interval.
When the conversion command signal is output, the silhouettes of the parts 3 are read in sequence, and when the analog output of each image sensor 5 is changing below the predetermined setting value, the binary data "1" is changed to the predetermined setting value again. When there is no change until the change occurs, the binary data "0" is output. The binary data "0" or rlJ from the A-D converter 9 for each image sensor 5 is stored in a row in the image storage section IO. is stored corresponding to the image element. At the same time, in synchronization with the clock pulse, the binarized data of the image sensor 5 arranged in the - column and the binarized data of the previous detection of the image sensor 5 are sequentially supplied to the component recognition unit 11.

The component recognition unit 11 detects connections and cuts in the horizontal direction of silhouettes from the binarized data of each adjacent image sensor 5. If a horizontal connection of silhouettes is detected during the first scan based on the presence or absence of silhouettes of the adjacent image sensors 5, as shown in FIG. 3a, a silhouette horizontal direction detection signal is output, and another image sensor 5 detects a lateral break in the silhouette, the lateral direction detection signal is cut off. From the OR output of this silhouette lateral detection signal and the silhouette lateral detection signal from the previous detection, a silhouette lateral connection detection signal is output as shown in FIG. At this time, connections and cuts in the front-rear direction of the silhouette are detected from the binarized data of each image sensor 5 and the binarized data from the previous detection. When the connection in the front and rear direction of the silhouette is detected from the presence or absence of the silhouette at the time of the previous detection by the image sensor 5, a silhouette front and rear direction detection signal is output as shown in FIG. When a cut in the front-rear direction of the silhouette is detected, the front-rear direction detection signal of the silhouette is interrupted. From the OR output, a connection detection signal in the front-rear direction of silhouettes is output as shown in FIG. Further, the detection (second, third, and fourth scans) is similarly performed sequentially based on the presence or absence of the silhouette of the adjacent image sensor 5, and as shown in FIG. A connection detection signal in the lateral direction of the silhouette and a connection detection signal in the front and back direction of the silhouette as shown in FIGS. 4c, d, and e are detected.

When the above-mentioned detection is performed for each image sensor 5, it is detected whether or not the connection detection signals in the lateral direction and front-back direction of the silhouette are blocked at the same time, and during the first scan, the blockage of the detection signal in the lateral direction of the silhouette is detected. image sensor 5
Since C has not detected the interruption of the longitudinal direction detection signal, no component passage detection signal is output at this point.

The above-described detection is performed sequentially, and when the image sensor 5D detects interruption of the horizontal connection detection signal of silhouettes during the fifth scan as shown in FIGS. 3e and 4d, at this time, the image sensor 5D simultaneously The passage of the component 3 is detected by detecting the interruption of the silhouette connection detection signal in the front and back direction, and a component passage signal is output as shown in FIG. 3f.

Further, when a component passing signal is outputted from the component recognition section 11, the counter section 12 counts the signal and sends the counted value to the control section 8. When this count reaches a predetermined set value, a stop command signal is output to the component supply device drive section 14, the counting of the predetermined number of components 3 is completed, and a reset signal is awaited in preparation for the next work.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention arranges the image sensors in a line facing the moving path of the parts, detects the presence or absence of the silhouette of the part in each adjacent image sensor, and detects this previously. The presence or absence of a silhouette at the time of detection is memorized, and horizontal connections and breaks in silhouettes are detected based on the presence or absence of silhouettes detected by adjacent image sensors, while connections and breaks in the front and back direction of silhouettes are detected based on the presence or absence of a silhouette at the time of previous detection. , and when a cut is detected in the lateral and front-back directions of the silhouette, it outputs a part passage signal, so even if parts are supplied at random, each part will be reliably counted one by one. Even if there are many parts, it is not only possible to count them all in a short time, but even parts with complex shapes can be reliably detected as one passing part. There are advantages.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of main parts showing the configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of main parts of the control section according to the invention,
Figures 3 a), b), c), d), e), and f) are explanatory diagrams of horizontal detection patterns of silhouettes of some of the image sensors arranged in a row according to the present invention; Figure 4; a), b),
c), d), and e) are explanatory diagrams of silhouette detection patterns in the front-rear direction corresponding to five image sensors according to the present invention. 1 parts counting device, 2 supply hopper, 3 plate-shaped parts, 4 light source,

Claims (1)

[Claims] An imaging device having a light source that irradiates light onto the moving path of the component and a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a line facing the moving path of the component is arranged, and An image storage unit is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a silhouette of a component from the amount of analog variation of each image sensor and store this information for each image sensor, as well as to store the presence or absence of a silhouette of each image sensor at the time of previous detection. Detects the presence or absence of a silhouette of a part from the amount of change in the analog output of an adjacent image sensor from the part, detects horizontal cuts and connections in the silhouette, and outputs a horizontal detection signal by detecting the connection between the silhouettes. This is blocked by detecting breaks in the silhouettes, and the connections between the silhouettes are detected by detecting the cuts and connections in the front-rear direction of the silhouettes of each image sensor based on the presence or absence of the silhouette of each image sensor and the presence or absence of the silhouette at the time of previous detection. The configuration is configured to output a silhouette front-rear direction detection signal based on the detection of the silhouette, and cut it off at the time of a cut in the silhouette, and perform the detection based on the presence or absence of the silhouette of the image sensor to generate a silhouette lateral direction detection signal and a front-rear direction detection signal. 1. A parts counting device comprising a parts recognition section that outputs a parts passage signal when the part is interrupted.