JPH08210827A - Method and apparatus for inspecting surface - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve workability and to facilitate the surface inspection of a large material by picking up the image of an object, which is conveyed at a specified conveying tact, at the imaging period determined based on the conveying tact. CONSTITUTION: In an inspection mechanism part X, four lighting gantries 1-5 are arranged in parallel at a specified interval, respectively, in the direction of flow of a conveying means V. Four inspection gantries 6, 7, 8 and 9 are arranged between the respective gantries 1-5. The image of an object W, which is conveyed at a specified conveying tact, is picked up by image pickup means (inspecting heads) 21-23, which are arranged in the gantries 7-9, at the imaging period that is determined based on the conveying tact. The position of the defect on the surface of the object W is specified based on the picked-up image, and marking at the position of the defect is performed by a marking mechanism Y. Thus, the accurate grasping of the position of the defect on the surface of the object W and worker's approach to the position of the defect after the inspection are performed quickly and precisely.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface inspection method and apparatus for inspecting coating defects on the surface of a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as one method of inspecting uneven defects such as coating defects on the surface of a vehicle body, the surface of an object is illuminated and its reflected light is imaged by a camera. A method of detecting surface defects by analysis processing is known.

By the way, for example, in the case of inspecting a coating defect on the surface of a vehicle body in a vehicle manufacturing line, the surface of the vehicle body sequentially flowing along the transportation line is continuously inspected on the transportation line. Is required.

In order to meet such a demand, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 2-212066, a scratch detecting means having a camera and an illumination attached to an arm is provided to the side of a vehicle transport line. It is proposed that the components are arranged along the flow direction of the line, and each part of the vehicle is sequentially inspected by each scratch detection means as the vehicle is transported.

[0005]

However, in the case of sequentially arranging the inspection means for inspecting each part of the object along the transport line in this way, it is necessary to complete the inspection of the entire surface of the object. The required length of the transfer line is long, the inspection time is accordingly long, and the workability is poor, and it is difficult to secure a long inspection line, so it is difficult to inspect it if the object is large. There was such a problem.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the entire circumference of the surface orthogonal to the transport direction of the object is inspected at once, and such inspection is sequentially performed in the transport direction so that the entire inspection of the object is completed at the end of transportation. The present invention has been made as a proposal for a surface inspection method and an apparatus therefor capable of improving workability in surface inspection and facilitating surface inspection of a large object.

[0007]

In the present invention, the following constitution is adopted as a concrete means for solving such a problem.

In the surface inspection method according to the first invention of the present application, an object conveyed by a predetermined conveying tact is cross-sectioned so as to cover the entire periphery of the object outside the object in the cross-sectional direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The image pickup means arranged so as to correspond to each of the above sections picks up images at an image pickup cycle determined based on the transport tact.

A surface inspection method according to a second aspect of the present invention is the surface inspection method according to the first aspect, wherein a defect on the surface of the object is caused by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the conveyance tact of the object. The feature is that the position is detected and the defect position is marked.

In the surface inspection apparatus according to the third invention of the present application, the object to be surface-inspected is carried by a predetermined carrying tact, while the outside of the object is orthogonal to the carrying direction of the object. The gantry is arranged so as to cover the entire circumference in the cross-sectional direction, and the gantry is characterized in that imaging means is installed in a state corresponding to each part of the cross section of the object.

A surface inspection apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the surface inspection apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the gantry has an irradiation means for irradiating the surface of the object with illumination light. It is characterized in that it is installed in a state corresponding to each part of the cross section.

A surface inspection apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the surface inspection apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the irradiation means is an illumination body having a predetermined length in the object conveyance direction. It is characterized in that a plurality of them are arranged side by side.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention of the present application, in the surface inspection apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, the image pickup cycle of the image pickup means is determined based on the transport tact of the object. It is characterized by having a cycle determining means.

A surface inspection apparatus according to a seventh invention of the present application is the surface inspection apparatus according to the fourth, fifth or sixth invention, which is provided with the irradiation means in a conveying direction of the object. It is characterized in that the illumination area and the inspection area provided with the image pickup means are arranged in the order of the illumination area, the inspection area and the illumination area.

In the surface inspection apparatus according to the eighth invention of the present application, the above-mentioned third aspect. In the surface inspection apparatus according to the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh aspect of the invention, a defect position defect means for detecting a defect position on the surface of the object by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the transport tact of the object. And a marking means for marking the defect position of the object detected by the defect position detection means.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the following actions and effects can be obtained by adopting such a configuration.

According to the surface inspection method of the first invention of the present application, an object conveyed by a predetermined conveyance tact is
The object is imaged at an imaging cycle determined based on the transport tact, by an imaging unit arranged outside the object so as to cover the entire circumference in the cross-sectional direction orthogonal to the transport direction and corresponding to each part of the cross-section. Therefore, a captured image of the target object at a position corresponding to the transport tact is obtained for each transport tact, and it becomes possible to perform a surface inspection at the position of the target object based on the captured image. At the time when the entire object passes through the image pickup means, the surface inspection of the entire object is completed.

Therefore, according to this surface inspection method, the imaging of the entire circumference and the surface inspection based on the picked-up image are performed at each position in the carrying direction of the object, and when the object passes through the imaging means. Since the inspection of the entire object is completed, the surface inspection time is shortened, the inspection workability is remarkably improved, and the transport line length of the object required for this surface inspection can be shortened. Even if it is a large object, its surface can be inspected with almost no space restrictions.

According to the surface inspection method of the second invention of the present application, in addition to the above-described function and effect, the defect position on the surface of the object can be determined by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the conveyance tact of the object. I'm trying to detect
When there is a defect in a specific position of a captured image captured in a specific imaging cycle, the position of the defect on the surface of the object is accurately specified by considering the transport tact corresponding to the specific imaging cycle. Further, since the marking is performed on the accurately specified defect position, the work of repairing the defective portion after the inspection becomes easy.

Therefore, according to this surface inspection method, the workability in repair work is improved by accurately grasping the defect position on the surface of the object and promptly and accurately approaching the defect position by the operator after the inspection. It will be improved.

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the third invention of the present application, the gantry is provided outside the object conveyed by the predetermined conveyance tact so as to cover the entire circumference in the cross-sectional direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the object. Since the image pickup means is installed in the gantry in a state corresponding to each part of the cross section of the target object, the surface inspection of the whole target object at the time when the whole target object passes through the image pickup means. Is completed, and the inspection workability is significantly improved by shortening the surface inspection time.

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the fourth invention of the present application, in addition to the above-described effects, the gantry is provided with an irradiation unit that irradiates the surface of the object with illumination light. Since the irradiation means and the image pickup means are installed in the same arrangement position with respect to the object because they are installed corresponding to each part of the cross section, the image pickup means images only specular reflection light. Even with such a configuration, the imaging means can reliably capture the specularly reflected light, the captured image becomes clearer, and the inspection accuracy is improved accordingly.

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the fifth invention of the present application, in addition to the above-described effects, the irradiation means is used to convey an illumination body having a predetermined length in the conveyance direction of the object. Since a plurality of light sources are arranged side by side, a stripe pattern is formed on the irradiation light projected on the surface of the object by the arrangement of the respective illumination bodies, corresponding to the arrangement configuration of the illumination bodies. It is not necessary to form a striped pattern by slits as in the case of using, and the simplification of the structure of the device and the cost reduction are promoted accordingly.

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the sixth invention of the present application, in addition to the above-described advantageous effects,
Since the imaging cycle determining means for determining the imaging cycle of the imaging means based on the transport tact of the target object is provided, a captured image of the target object at a position corresponding to the transport tact is obtained for each transport tact, The surface inspection of the target object at the relevant position becomes possible based on the captured image, and the surface inspection of the entire target object is completed at the time when the entire target object passes through the imaging means, and the surface inspection time is shortened. This greatly improves the inspection workability.

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the seventh invention of the present application, in addition to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, or in addition to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, an illumination area provided with the irradiation means and the above-mentioned illumination area are provided in the transport direction of the object. Since the inspection area provided with the imaging means is arranged in the order of the illumination area, the inspection area, and the illumination area, even if the inclination direction of the surface of the object is different before and after the transportation direction, With the illumination light from the illumination area, the imaging area in the inspection area can capture the specular reflection light over the entire surface of the object, and a clearer captured image can be obtained, and improvement in inspection accuracy can be expected. .

According to the surface inspection apparatus of the eighth invention of the present application, the above. In addition to the function and effect described in, the defect position defect means for detecting a defect position on the surface of the object by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the transport tact of the object, and the defect position detection means. Since a marking means for marking a defect position of the detected object is provided, when there is a defect at a specific position of a captured image captured in a specific imaging cycle, a transport tact corresponding to the specific imaging cycle. By taking into account the position of the defect on the surface of the object is accurately specified, marking is performed on the accurately specified defect position, and the operator at the defect position after the inspection is The approach will be quick and accurate, and the workability in rework will be improved.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A surface inspection method and apparatus therefor according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a surface inspection apparatus Z ₁ used for carrying out a surface inspection method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This surface inspection device Z ₁ inspects the presence or absence of irregularities such as coating defects on the surface of a vehicle body W as an inspection object in a vehicle production line, and if there is a defect, marks the defect position. For convenience in the later reworking process, an inspection mechanism section X and a marking mechanism section Y, which will be described later, are arranged on the conveyance means V of the vehicle body W in the front and rear.

Here, prior to describing the specific constructions of the inspection mechanism section X and the marking mechanism section Y, the preconditions for the surface inspection in the surface inspection apparatus Z ₁ will be briefly described.

First, as a method of surface inspection in the inspection mechanism section X, of the irradiation light applied to the surface of the vehicle body W, specular reflection light having the same incident angle and reflection angle with respect to the surface is used. Only the image is picked up by an inspection head composed of a camera, and the presence or absence of a defect is determined from the picked-up image.

Secondly, the defect position on the vehicle body W is detected based on the imaging cycle of the inspection head and the transport tact of the vehicle body W, and the detected defect position is marked by the marking mechanism section Y. I'm trying to do.

Thirdly, the inspection of the surface of the vehicle body W is completed while the vehicle body W passes through the inspection mechanism section X. Therefore, the inspection head is arranged as described later, and the imaging cycle by the inspection head and the vehicle body W are
It corresponds to the transport tact of.

Fourth, the surface of the vehicle body W is inspected by dividing it into three parts so that the entire vehicle body W can be finally inspected. As a method of dividing the inspection site on the surface of the vehicle body W, the vehicle body W is intermittently transported with a predetermined transportation tact by a transportation means V having a lift & carry mechanism in a state in which a front portion of the vehicle body W is directed forward. As shown in FIG. 2, of the surface of the vehicle body W, the bonnet, the roof, and the trunk lid whose normals are directed generally upward are collectively referred to as a receiving surface Wa, and the normals are directed substantially horizontally. Both side surfaces of the vehicle body are vertical surfaces Wb, and each pillar portion extending in the up-down direction between the roof and the vehicle body side surface is collectively referred to as a pillar portion Wc, and these three portions are respectively imaged by dedicated inspection heads. ing.

The specific constructions of the inspection mechanism section X and the marking mechanism section Y will be described below.

A: Inspection mechanism section X In the inspection mechanism section X, as shown in FIG. 1, five illumination gantry 1 to 5 which will be described later are arranged in parallel along the flow direction of the conveying means V at predetermined intervals. , A first inspection gantry 6, a second inspection gantry 7, and a third inspection gantry 1 to 5, which will be described later, respectively, between the illumination gantry 1 to 5.
The gantry 8 for inspection and the gantry 9 for fourth inspection are arranged and arranged.

Aa: Illumination gantry The above illumination gantry 1 to 5 all have the same structure, and therefore, the second illumination gantry 2 located second from the front in the vehicle body transport direction here. As an example, the second gantry 2 for illumination is constituted by a gate-shaped body formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape so as to follow the cross-sectional shape of the vehicle body W as shown in FIG. It is arranged in a state of straddling the conveying means V to be carried in the conveying direction. Then, in the arrangement state of the second gantry 2 for illumination, the vertical frame portions 2a, 2a rising vertically so as to face both the vertical surfaces Wb, Wb of the vehicle body W and the pillar portions Wc, Wc of the vehicle body W are provided. The lighting units 29, 29, ... Are respectively provided on the vehicle body W side in the oblique frame portions 2b, 2b inclined obliquely so as to face each other and the horizontal frame portion 2c extending in the horizontal direction so as to face the receiving surface Wa of the vehicle body W, respectively. It is installed toward.

Here, the illumination unit 29 corresponds to the "irradiating means" in the claims, and the illumination unit 29 has a predetermined length of fluorescent light as shown in FIGS. A plurality of lamps 27 (corresponding to “illumination body” in the claims) are arranged in the conveying direction of the conveying means V in a state where the length direction is orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying means V. The illumination units 29 are arranged side by side and have a predetermined width in the transport direction of the transport means V.

Therefore, each of the lighting units 29, 29,
When the vehicle body W is irradiated with the irradiation light from the vehicle body W, an irradiation area having a predetermined irradiation width is formed on the surface of the vehicle body W in the front-back direction of the vehicle body W (that is, the conveyance direction of the conveyance means V). At the same time, in the illumination area, the illumination unit 29 is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of fluorescent lamps 27, 27 ,. A stripe pattern will be formed.

Ab: Inspection Gantry As the inspection gantry, the four gantry 6 to 9 are provided as described above, but as described below, of the four gantry 6 to 9, A first inspection gantry 6 disposed between the first illumination gantry 1 and the second illumination gantry 2 and a second inspection gantry disposed between the second illumination gantry 2 and the third illumination gantry 3. Reference numeral 7 is for imaging both the receiving surface Wa and the vertical surface Wb of the vehicle body W. On the other hand, the third inspection gantry 8 disposed between the third illumination gantry 3 and the fourth illumination gantry 4 is disposed between the fourth illumination gantry 4 and the fifth illumination gantry 5. The fourth inspection gantry 9 is for both imaging the pillar portion Wc of the vehicle body W, and since the imaging positions of the front two and the rear two are different, these are separately described here. explain.

A-b-1: First inspection gantry 6 and second inspection gantry 7 The first inspection gantry 6 and the second inspection gantry 7 are both the receiving surface Wa of the vehicle body W as described above. And the vertical surface Wb are imaged. The only difference between the two is that the mounting position of the receiving surface inspection head 21 is deviated by half a pitch, and the other configurations are the same. Now, taking the first inspection gantry 6 as an example, its configuration and the like will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First Inspection Gantry 6 The first inspection gantry 6 includes a vehicle body W as shown in FIG.
It is composed of a gate-shaped body formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape so as to follow the cross-sectional shape of, and is arranged in a state of straddling a conveying means V for conveying and supporting the vehicle body W in the conveying direction. The receiving surface Wa of the vehicle body W is arranged in the state where the first inspection gantry 6 is arranged.
On the horizontal frame portion 6c extending in the horizontal direction so as to face the vehicle, a receiving surface inspection robot 16 to be described later is provided, and both vertical surfaces W of the vehicle body W are provided.
The vertical frame inspection robot 17 to be described below is provided on the vertical frame portions 6a, 6a rising vertically so as to face b and Wb, respectively.
Are attached respectively.

Receiving surface inspection robot 16 The receiving surface inspection robot 16 is supported by an elevating mechanism 33 fixed to the lateral frame portion 6c of the first inspection gantry 6 so as to be able to ascend and descend and is also driven up and down by a motor 34. A first support arm 31 of a predetermined length attached to the lower end of the rod 32 so as to be parallel to the horizontal frame portion 6c.
And a pair of left and right fixed arms 35 and 35 attached to both ends of the first support arm 31 in a suspended state, and swings to the lower ends of the pair of fixed arms 35 and 35 via rotation axes θ ₀ and θ ₀ , respectively. A pair of left and right swing arms 39, 39 movably attached, and a second support arm 36 that is attached across the pair of left and right swing arms 39, 39 and in parallel with the first support arm 31. And is configured.

Further, the second support arm 36 of the receiving surface inspection robot 16 has a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the second support arm 36 and is rotatable via rotation axes θ _{1 to} θ _6. .. (corresponding to the image pickup means in the claims) comprising six receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ..

The second support arm 36 has a first
The motor 37 arranged on the side of the support arm 31 drives the chain to rotate about the rotation axis θ ₀ .
Therefore, the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21 ... Attached to the second support arm 36 are integrally driven to rotate about the rotation axis θ ₀ . Also,
Each of the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Can be individually rotated by a motor 38 about each of the rotation axes θ _{1 to} θ ₆ . The rotation axes θ _{1 to} θ _{6 of the} respective receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... And the rotation axes θ ₀ and θ ₀ are all located on the same axis.

That is, each of the surface-receiving inspection heads 21, 21, ... Of the surface-receiving inspection robot 16 is integrally moved up and down in the vertical direction (direction of arrow Z) by the motor 34, whereby the vehicle body W It is possible to maintain a constant gap between the receiving surface Wa and each of the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Regardless of a change in the height of the receiving surface Wa, and the height position of the vehicle body W is different. The vehicle body W of the vehicle type can also be supported. Further, each of the above-mentioned receiving surface inspection heads 21 and 2
Since the angles of 1, ... Are integrally adjustable around the rotation axis θ ₀ , changes in the inclination of the receiving surface Wa can be followed. Further, each of these receiving surface inspection heads 21 and 2
The angles of 1, ... Can be individually adjusted around the rotation axes θ _{1 to} θ ₆ , respectively, so that changes in the inclination of the vehicle body W in the vehicle width direction can be followed. By properly functioning each of these functions, each of the above-mentioned receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Can be always matched to an appropriate angle with respect to the receiving surface Wa.

The receiving surface inspection robot 16 in the second inspection gantry 7 has the same basic structure as the receiving surface inspection robot 16 of the first inspection gantry 6 described above. The difference from the surface-reception inspection robot 16 is that the surface-reception inspection robot 16 of the second inspection gantry 7 includes five surface-reception inspection heads 21 and the five surface-reception inspection heads 2 are provided.
1, 21, ... Are the camera centers L ₁ , L ₁ ,.
As shown by, the mounting position in the vehicle width direction is set so as to be located between the respective receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Of the first inspection gantry 6 (see FIG. 1). . In this way, the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Of the first inspection gantry 6 and the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21 ,. All receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ...
. Is provided in one gantry, the receiving surface inspection head 2
This is to avoid this because there may be interference between the 1, 2, ...

Vertical Surface Inspection Robot 17 As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical surface inspection robot 17 is attached to the vertical frame portion 6a of the first inspection gantry 6 with its expansion / contraction direction oriented substantially horizontally. Cylinder 41
And a support post 43 of a predetermined length, which is supported by the rotation support mechanism 42 in the up-down direction so as to be orthogonal to the cylinder 41 with respect to the cylinder 41 and which is rotatable about its axis. It is equipped with. Further, three vertical surface inspection heads 22, 22, 22 are fixedly arranged on the support post 43 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the support post 43.

Therefore, in the vertical surface inspection robot 17, the vertical surface inspection heads 22, 22, 22 are moved in the direction of contacting and separating from the vertical surface Wb of the vehicle body W by the expansion and contraction operation of the cylinder 41. The vertical surface inspection heads 22 and 2 can be made to follow changes in the vehicle width direction position of the vertical surface Wb or can be applied to a vehicle body W having different vehicle widths.
By adjusting the angles 2 and 22, it is possible to follow the change in the inclination of the vertical surface Wb.

The vertical inspection robot 17 in the second inspection gantry 7 has the same basic structure as that of the vertical inspection robot 17 of the first inspection gantry 6 described above. The difference from the vertical surface inspection robot 17 is that the vertical surface inspection robot 17 of the second inspection gantry 7 has two vertical surface inspection heads 22 and the two vertical surface inspection heads 2 are provided.
2 and 22, the vertical plane inspection heads 2 of the first inspection gantry 6 are indicated by the camera centers L ₂ , L ₂ , ... In FIG.
It is a point where the mounting position in the vehicle width direction is set so as to be located between 2, 22, 22. Ab-2: Gantry 8 for third inspection and gantry 9 for fourth inspection 9 for third inspection As described above, the gantry 8 and the fourth inspection gantry 9 both image the pillar portion Wc of the vehicle body W. The difference between the two is that the mounting positions of the pillar portion inspection heads 23 are half pitches. Since only the difference is present and the other configurations are the same, the configuration and the like will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 by taking the third inspection gantry 8 as an example.

Third Inspection Gantry 8 As shown in FIG. 3, the third inspection gantry 8 includes a vehicle body W.
It is composed of a gate-shaped body formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape so as to follow the cross-sectional shape of, and is arranged in a state of straddling a conveying means V for conveying and supporting the vehicle body W in the conveying direction. Then, in the arrangement state of the third inspection gantry 8, both longitudinal surfaces W of the vehicle body W are
A pillar portion inspection robot 18 described below is attached to a joint portion between a vertical frame portion 8a rising in the vertical direction so as to face b and Wb, respectively, and a slanted frame portion 8b inclined obliquely so as to face the pillar portion Wc. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pillar inspection robot 18 is attached to the third inspection gantry 8 so that its extension / contraction direction is orthogonal to the plane direction of the pillar Wc of the vehicle body W. And a support post of a predetermined length, which is supported by the rotation support mechanism 46 in an obliquely upward direction so as to be orthogonal to the cylinder 45 with respect to the cylinder 45 and is rotatable about its axis. And 47. Further, two pillar portion inspection heads 23, 23 are fixedly arranged on the support post 47 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the support post 47.

Therefore, in the pillar portion inspection robot 18, the pillar portion inspection heads 23, 23 are moved in the direction of contacting and separating from the pillar portion Wc of the vehicle body W by the expansion and contraction operation of the cylinder 45. It is made possible to follow changes in the position of Wc in the vehicle width direction or to be applied to vehicle bodies W having different vehicle widths, and to adjust the inclination of the pillar part Wc by adjusting the angles of the pillar inspection heads 23, 23. Can follow.

The pillar inspection robot 18 in the fourth inspection gantry 9 is the same as the third inspection gantry 8 described above.
The pillar part inspection robot 18 of the third inspection gantry 8 has the same basic configuration as that of the pillar inspection robot 18 of the third inspection gantry 8. Each of the pillar inspection heads 23, 23 has a camera center L ₃ in FIG.
As shown by L ₃ , ..., The mounting position in the vehicle width direction is set so as to be located between the pillar inspection heads 23 of the third inspection gantry 8 B: Marking mechanism Part Y As shown in FIG. 1, the marking mechanism part Y is a pair of left and right markings arranged so as to face each other with the carrying means V interposed therebetween on the downstream side of the carrying mechanism V in the carrying direction from the inspection mechanism part X. The robot 10 or 10 (corresponding to marking means in claims). The marking robot 10 is configured by attaching a marking head 13 to the tip of a robot arm 12 which is movable by a traveling device 11 along a carrying direction of the carrying means V by a predetermined distance. The marking robot 10 is for marking a defective position on the vehicle body W. When the marking work can cope with the transportation of the vehicle body W, the marking robot 10 performs marking while being stopped at a fixed position. When it cannot catch up with the conveyance, the traveling device 11 travels to follow the vehicle body W for marking.

C: Other Configurations A limit switch 14 for detecting that the vehicle body W has been transported to the inspection start position is provided on the side of the transport means V and immediately before the inspection mechanism section X. ing. Although not shown in the figure, the conveying means V is not shown.
An encoder is provided to constantly monitor the traveling position of the vehicle.

D: Description of Operation Next, using the surface inspection apparatus Z ₁ as described above, the vehicle body W is
The operation and the like in the case of inspecting the surface for coating defects and the like will be described. Prior to that, the control system configuration of the surface inspection device Z ₁ will be described _first with reference to FIG.

In this surface inspection device Z ₁ , the defect inspection work and the marking work at the defect position are controlled by the position of the vehicle body W inspected by the limit switch 14 and the encoder. In the embodiment, the control is roughly classified into two control systems.
One of them is a first control system P that controls the marking mechanism unit Y, and the other is a second control system Q that controls the inspection mechanism unit X.

First control system P The first control system P includes a traveling device control board 51, receives signals from the limit switch 14 and the encoder, and controls the traveling devices 11, 11 in synchronization with each other, and the robot control board 55. ，
The operation control of the marking robots 10 and 10 and the operation control of the marking heads 13 are performed via 56.

Here, in the traveling device control panel 51, the vehicle type information read from the work ID reader 54 from the coating defect inspection control panel 52 on the second control system Q side, which will be described later, and the defect data processing control panel. From 53, positional information of defects in the vehicle body W is input. Therefore, in the traveling device control panel 51, when it is necessary to drive the traveling devices 11, 11 based on these input information and the information input from the limit switch 14 and the encoder, the traveling device 11 is driven. , 11 to output the traveling control signal, and the marking robots 10 and 10 to the robot control panel 5
A control signal is output via 5, 56 to position the marking heads 13, 13 at the defect position, and a marking signal is output to the marking heads 13, 13 for marking at a predetermined defect position.

Second Control System Q The second control system Q includes a control panel 57 for controlling the receiving surface inspection robot 16, control panels 58, 59 for controlling the left and right pillar portion inspection robots 18, 18, and left and right vertical directions. Surface inspection robot 1
Control panels 60 and 61 for controlling the image pickup devices 7 and 17, an image processing device 62 that processes captured images of the receiving surface inspection head 21, and an image processing device that processes captured images of the left and right pillar inspection heads 23 and 23. 63 and 64, and an image processing device 65 that processes the captured images of the left and right vertical surface inspection heads 22 and 22.
66, the control boards 57 to 61, and the image processing devices 62
Coating defect inspection control board 52 that outputs an operation control signal to each of the image processing devices 62 to 66, and defect data processing management that receives the defect data from each of the image processing devices 62 to 66 and manages processing such as presence / absence of defects and defect positions. Board 53 and the work ID reader 5
4 and.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, each inspection robot 1
The operation control of 6 to 18 will be described by taking the operation control of the receiving surface inspection robot 16 as an example.

The basic idea of the defect inspection method by the receiving surface inspection robot 16 is as follows. That is, the imaging cycle of the receiving surface inspection head 21 is set to the vehicle body W by the transporting means V.
Corresponding to the transport tact of the vehicle body W between the transport tacts.
The image is picked up by the surface-receiving inspection head 21 at the time when is stopped.
Such imaging is repeated for each transport tact of the vehicle body W, and when the vehicle body W passes the inspection mechanism section X, the imaging of the entire vehicle body W is completed. Further, for that purpose, the transport tact is set within an imageable range of the receiving surface inspection head 21.

The actual control is as follows. First, after the control is started, the presence or absence of the inspection start signal is determined in step S1. This inspection start signal is sent to the above limit switch 1
4 output from the vehicle body W to be inspected
Is carried in by the conveying means V, and when it reaches the position of the limit switch 14, the limit switch 14
The inspection start signal is output from.

When the inspection start signal is input, the inspection is started, and first, in step S2, the receiving surface inspection robot 16 is moved to the image capturing position. That is, of the receiving surface Wa of the vehicle body W, the receiving surface inspection robot 16 is moved and adjusted in the arrow Z direction according to the height of the position to be imaged and the overall inclination, and the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ...
The rotation of the second support arm 36 to which is attached is adjusted about the rotation axis θ ₀ .

Further, in step S3, the receiving surface W
Each of the receiving surface inspection heads 21 and 2 depending on the inclination of a in the vehicle width direction.
1, ... rotates correcting each rotary shaft theta ₁ through? ₆ around individually align respective receiving surface inspection head 21, 21, the direction of ... the receiving surface Wa. As described above, each of the receiving surface inspection heads 21 and 2
Imaging preparation by 1, ... Is completed.

Next, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle body W has reached the image capturing position, and when the vehicle body W has reached the image capturing position, image capturing is executed by the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21 ,. Image processing is performed on each of the captured images and the data is output to the defect data processing management board 53.

At the same time, in step S7,
The receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ... Are moved to the next image capturing position (that is, as in the case of step S2,
.. and rotation adjustment of the receiving surface inspection heads 21, 21, ...), And individual rotation correction is performed in step S8.

Thereafter, a series of operations of the adjustment of the receiving surface inspection head 21 → imaging → image processing is performed until the inspection of the entire vehicle body W is completed. Therefore, when the vehicle body W passes the inspection mechanism section X, the inspection of the entire vehicle body W is completed.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, the defect inspection by image processing will be described. First, the noise removal of the grayscale image picked up in step S1 is performed, and step S1 is performed.
In 2, the image is differentiated, and in step S3, the binarization process is performed.

Next, in step S4, the noise of the binarized image is removed, labeling is performed in step S5, and in step S6, the area and length of the portion considered to be a defect in the noise-removed image are determined. Extract.

Then, in step S7, it is determined whether or not the area is within the upper and lower limits of the reference area for determining the defect, and in step S8, the length is the reference length for determining the defect. It is determined whether each is within the upper and lower limits, and if both the area and the length are within the reference range, it is determined as a defect, and the vehicle body W is determined in step S9.
The position of the defect on the top is detected, and in step S10, the defect position is coordinate-converted into the position of the marking robot 10, and the result is output to the traveling device control panel 51 to perform marking.

Second Embodiment FIG. 8 shows a surface inspection apparatus Z _{2 according} to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the surface inspection apparatus Z ₂ of this embodiment, the inspection heads are divided and attached to a plurality of gantry in the surface inspection apparatus Z ₁ of the first embodiment, but all the inspection heads are used for one inspection. The gantry 72 is collectively attached to the gantry 72, and the inspection gantry is arranged between a pair of front and rear illumination gantry 71.

That is, in the inspection gantry 72, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of receiving surface inspection heads 21, 2 are provided so as to surround the outside of the vehicle body W placed on the conveying means V.
1, a receiving surface inspection robot 16, a plurality of vertical surface inspection heads 22, 22, a pair of left and right vertical surface inspection robots 17, 17 and a plurality of pillar portion inspection heads 2
A pair of left and right pillar portion inspection robots 18, 18 provided with the inspection heads 21, 22, 2 are attached to the same position in the transport direction of the vehicle body W.
3 is used to capture images at the same time. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment as well, the inspection of the entire vehicle body W is completed while passing through the portion of the upper gantry 72.

Although FIG. 10 shows an illuminating gantry 71, in this illuminating gantry 71, a plurality of illuminating units 29, 29 ,. The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a surface inspection apparatus used for carrying out a surface inspection method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view on arrow III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 1;

5 is an inspection system configuration diagram in the surface inspection device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a control flowchart in the surface inspection apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a control flowchart in the surface inspection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a surface inspection apparatus used for carrying out a surface inspection method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view on arrow XX in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 to 5 are illumination gantry, 6 to 9 are inspection gantry, 10 is a marking robot, 11 is a traveling device, and 12
Is a robot arm, 13 is a marking head, 14 is a limit switch, 16 is a receiving surface inspection robot, 17 is a vertical surface inspection robot, 18 is a pillar portion inspection robot, 21 is a receiving surface inspection head (imaging means), and 22 is a vertical surface. Inspection head (imaging means) 23 is a pillar portion inspection head (imaging means) 2
7 is a fluorescent lamp (illuminator), 29 is a lighting unit (irradiating means), 31 is a first support arm, 32 is a support rod, 33
Is a lifting mechanism, 34 is a motor, 35 is a fixed arm, 36
Is a second support arm, 37 and 38 are motors, 39 is a swing arm, 41 is a cylinder, 42 is a rotation support mechanism, 43
Is a support post, 45 is a cylinder, 46 is a rotation support mechanism 4, 47 is a support post, 71 is an illumination gantry, and 72
Is a gantry for inspection, V is a transportation means, X is an inspection mechanism section,
Y is a marking mechanism portion, W is a vehicle body (object), Wa is a receiving surface, Wb is a vertical surface, and Wc is a pillar portion.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An imaging system in which an object to be conveyed by a predetermined conveying tact is arranged so as to correspond to each part of the cross section so as to cover the entire outer periphery of the object in the cross sectional direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. A method for inspecting a surface, characterized in that the image is picked up by an image pick-up cycle determined based on the transport tact. 2. The surface according to claim 2, wherein a defect position on the surface of the object is detected by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the conveyance tact of the object, and the defect position is marked. Inspection methods. 3. A gantry is arranged so that an object to be surface-inspected can be conveyed by a predetermined conveying tact, and on the outside of the object, a whole circumference in a cross-sectional direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the object is covered. Along with
The surface inspection apparatus is characterized in that an imaging means is installed in the gantry in a state of being associated with each part of the cross section of the object. 4. The gantry according to claim 3, wherein irradiating means for irradiating the surface of the object with illumination light is installed in a state corresponding to each part of the cross section of the object. Surface inspection equipment. 5. The surface inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation unit is configured by arranging a plurality of illuminating bodies having a predetermined length in the transport direction of the object in parallel in the transport direction. . 6. The surface inspection apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an imaging cycle determining unit that determines an imaging cycle of the imaging unit based on a transport tact of the object. 7. The illumination area provided with the irradiation means and the inspection area provided with the imaging means are the illumination area and the inspection area in the transport direction of the object. A surface inspection apparatus, which is arranged in the order of an illumination area. 8. The method according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.
Defect position defect means for detecting the defect position on the surface of the object by the image picked up by the image pickup means and the transport tact of the object, and marking the defect position of the object detected by the defect position detection means A surface inspection apparatus comprising: marking means.