JPH08287175A - Decision device for casting or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To decide plural kinds of casting etc. only by using one bar by processing a photographed image of a bright line and finding the and width of the bar, and deciding a casting or cast molding. CONSTITUTION: A laser gun 1 is supported on a support member 7 fixed on a floor surface 8 slantingly above a bar 5 formed on the casting 6, and irradiates the bar 5 with a linear laser light 2 having specific width in the width direction of the bar 5 from its position. The irradiation laser light 2 and the optical axis 4 of a TV camera 3 are made to cross each other and the TV camera 3 photographes the bright line formed with the laser light 2 at the angle position of the intersection. The photographed image of the bright line is processed by an image processor 10 to find the height and width of the bar 5, thereby deciding the casting 6 or cast molding. Consequently, plural kinds of casting 6 etc. can easily be decided only by using the one bar 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for discriminating castings and the like, and particularly useful for discriminating castings or cast products (hereinafter referred to as castings) flowing on a conveyor line, such as cylinder blocks of automobiles. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a cylinder block transfer line is provided in an automobile engine manufacturing plant, and a plurality of types of cylinder blocks are often mixed and flow in the transfer line. Therefore, at the entrance or the exit of such a transfer line, it is necessary to discriminate the type of cylinder block and sort each type.

Therefore, conventionally, the sorting operation as described above has been carried out by using a casting or other discriminating apparatus shown in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 63-56626 or a casting or other discriminating apparatus shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-21487.

The former discriminating apparatus forms a bar code, which is a convex portion, on a casting or the like flowing through a conveyance line, and forms a shadow of the bar code by irradiating the bar code with light obliquely from a light emitting source. The type of the casting or the like is discriminated by photographing the shadow with a TV camera and performing predetermined information processing.

The latter discriminating apparatus has a problem that the former discriminating apparatus has, that is, since the former discriminating apparatus utilizes the shadow of the bar code formed on the surface of the casting or the like, the surface of the casting or the like is painted. It is devised in view of the problem that when the color is black, the density difference between the shadow and the portion other than the shadow is less likely to occur and the identification accuracy becomes unstable. The latter discriminating device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the latter discriminating device as viewed from the side, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the discriminating device shown in FIG. 6 as viewed in plan. As shown in both figures, the cylinder block 35 which is the casting to be determined
Is a convex portion 37 formed integrally by casting on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
It has a bar code 37 composed of a, 37b, 37c, 37d and 37e. That is, the barcode 37 is formed as an aggregate of the convex portions 37a to 37e, and the convex portions 37a to 37e are formed.
A specific meaning such as a model number and a mold number is expressed by the number of 37e and the interval between them. The cylinder block 35 is placed on the roller conveyor 34 and conveyed.

The laser gun 32 is disposed obliquely behind the cylinder block 35 so that the linear light 36 spreading in a predetermined width in a horizontal plane is directed toward the bar code 37.
Thus, the linear light 36 traverses the bar code 37 and forms a linear high-intensity portion at this transverse portion.

The TV camera 33 is arranged in such a position that the horizontal plane containing the linear light 36 and the optical axis 39 of the TV camera 33 intersect at an intersection angle θ, and therefore, the image as shown in FIG. To shoot. That is, the high brightness portion 38 formed by irradiating the barcode 37 with the linear light 36.
(A thick line portion in FIG. 8) is a step portion 38a, 38b, 3 in which a portion corresponding to the convex portions 37a to 37e is one step higher than the other portions.
8c, 38d, 38e. Therefore, if the steps 38a to 38e of the high brightness portion 38 are analyzed, it is equivalent to the analysis of the barcode 38.

The image processing device 31 analyzes the bar code 37 by processing the video signal of the TV camera 33, that is, by determining the number of the step portions 38a to 38e of the high brightness portion 38 shown in FIG. Then, the discrimination signal S representing the meaning of the bar code 37 is transmitted. A series of processing modes in the image processing apparatus 8 will be described with reference to FIG. A cross point of a window W ₀ shown as an up-down arrow in FIG. 9 and a high brightness portion 38 in FIG. 8 is set as a reference point P, and a window W ₁ for detecting the convex portions 37 a to 37 e based on the reference point P is set. ，
W ₂ , W ₃ , W ₄ , W ₅ (shown as left and right arrows in FIG. 9) are defined, and if there is a white pixel in each of these windows W ₁ -W ₅ , that is, windows W ₁ -W ₅ Is the high brightness part 3
If 8 and crossover, in the window W ₁ to _W-5 for processing as protrusions 37a~37e barcode 37 is present. Thus, the bar code 37 is read and the cylinder block 35 is identified.

[0010]

However, in each of the above-described conventional casting or other identifying devices for castings, since the model number of the casting or the like is expressed as a BCD code by a bar code, for example, numbers 0-9 are assigned. In order to discriminate, five bars (projections) including a reference bar (projections) had to be formed in a casting or the like as shown in FIG. 10 (all bar dimensions are the same).

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention uses a single bar to obtain a plurality of types (for example, 10 types (0 to 0).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a casting or the like discriminating apparatus capable of discriminating the casting or the like of 9)).

[0012]

The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is a convex portion or a concave portion integrally formed in a casting or a cast product, which is for distinguishing the casting or the cast product. A bar having a height and a width representing predetermined information,
Irradiation means for irradiating a linear light that crosses this bar, and a high-intensity bright line generated on the bar and both sides thereof by the linear light irradiated by this irradiation means, a bright line part of the bar. A photographing means for photographing the position and the positions of the bright line portions on both sides of the bar from an angle at which the bright line portions are seen to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to these bright line portions, and the image of the bright line photographed by this photographing means is image-processed to obtain the image of the bar. Image processing means for determining the casting or cast product by obtaining the height and width.

[0013]

According to the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the image of the bright line having a unique shape corresponding to the height and width of the bar is subjected to image processing to determine the width and height of the bar to determine the casting or the like. . Therefore, a plurality of types of castings or the like can be discriminated by changing the height or width of the bar for each type of casting or the like.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 (a) is an explanatory view showing a case where a device for discriminating castings or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the side, FIG.
FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of the discriminating apparatus shown in FIG. 1A when seen in a plan view, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bar shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an image taken by the TV camera shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for discriminating a casting or the like according to this embodiment includes a bar 5 and a laser gun 1 as an irradiation means.
And the TV camera 3 which is a photographing means and the image processing device 10.
And have.

The bar 5 is a convex portion integrally formed on the side surface of the casting 6 to be discriminated, and as shown in FIG. 2, specific information (model number) corresponding to the type of the casting 6 is provided. It is of a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a height H and a width W representing numbers, etc.).

For example, as shown in [Table 1], the height H of the bar 5 is set to either A (mm) or B (mm).
The width W of C (mm), D (mm), E (mm), F (m
By setting either m) or G (mm), one bar can represent numbers 0-9. As specific dimensions, for example, as shown in [Table 2], the height H of the bar 5 is
Is either 5 (mm) or 10 (mm), and the width W of the bar 5 is 5 (mm), 10 (mm), 15 (mm), 20
(Mm) or 25 (mm). Of course, the number of combinations of the height H and the width W can be further increased.

[0019]

[Table 1]

[0020]

[Table 2]

The laser gun 1 is supported by a support member 7 fixed to a floor surface 8 so as to occupy an obliquely upper position of a bar 5 formed on a casting 6, and from this position, a predetermined width in the width direction of the bar 5 is provided. The bar 5 is irradiated with a linear laser beam 2 (hereinafter referred to as a linear beam) having Accordingly, when the laser gun 1 irradiates the bar 5 with the linear light 2, a high-intensity line (hereinafter referred to as a bright line) 9 that crosses the bar 5 is formed by the linear light 2 as shown in FIG. To be done.

The TV camera 3 is supported by a support member 7 below the laser gun 1 so as to occupy the same height as the bar 5 and, moreover, the optical axis 4 of the TV camera 3 and the linear light of the laser gun 1. 2 intersect with each other at a crossing angle θ ₀ . Then, from this position, the TV camera 3 photographs the bright line 9 formed by the linear light 2 of the laser gun 1.

Therefore, the bright line 9 is generated by the TV camera 3 described above.
An image obtained by shooting is an image as shown in FIG. FIG.
In, the thick line portion is the image of the bright line 9 (hereinafter referred to as the bright line image) 9 ', and the dotted line portion is the image of the bar 5 (hereinafter referred to as the bar image) 5'. The bright line image 9'is
The position of the bright line image 9b 'which is a portion on the bar image 5',
The positions of the bright line images 9a 'on both sides of the bar image 5'are perpendicular to these bright line images (vertical direction in FIG. 3).
Is off. That is, in order to obtain such a bright line image 9 ', the positions where the positions of the bright line portions on the bar 5 and the positions of the bright line portions on both sides of the bar 5 appear to deviate in the direction perpendicular to these bright line portions (the above-mentioned crossover). The bright line 9 is photographed from the angle θ ₀ ). The deviation width (height) h between the bright line image 9a 'and the bright line image 9b' and the length (width) w of the bright line image 9b 'at this time are uniquely determined by the height H and the width W of the bar 5. ..

The image processing apparatus 10 reads the information represented by the bar 5 by processing the image of FIG. 3 captured by the TV camera 3 to obtain the height H and the width W of the bar 5. The casting 6 is discriminated and the discrimination signal S ₀ is sent out.

That is, the image processing apparatus 10 recognizes the positions of the bright line images 9a 'and 9b' based on the difference in luminance between the bright line images 9c 'and 9b' having high luminance and the portions other than these bright line images. Then, the height h and the width w shown in FIG. 3 are obtained, and the height H and the width W of the bar 5 are obtained from the height h and the width w.
Then, the information (model number, etc.) represented by the bar 5 is read by the height H and the width W, the casting 6 is discriminated, and the discrimination signal S ₀ is sent out.

Therefore, according to the discriminating apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, when the bar 5 formed on the casting 6 is irradiated with the linear light 2 from the laser gun 1 to form the bright line 9, the TV camera 3 photographs the bright line 9. And sends a photographing signal to the image processing apparatus 10.
Then, in the image processing apparatus 10, the bright line image 9 '(that is, the bright line images 9a' and 9b ') is image-processed to obtain the height h and the width w, and the height of the bar 5 is calculated from these height h and width w. Then, the casting 6 is discriminated by obtaining the height H and the width W, and the discrimination signal S ₀ is output.

As described above, in the discriminating apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the casting or the like is discriminated by the height H and the width W of the bar, by changing the height H or the width W of the bar, one bar It is possible to discriminate a plurality of types of castings and the like. For example, if the height H and the width W are combined as shown in the above [Table 2], 10 kinds of 0 to 9 can be discriminated by one bar.

Also, in the case of distinguishing more than 10 kinds of castings, it is sufficient to use only a few bars, and a space for forming the bars is not required so much. For example, two bars can make 100 kinds of discrimination (0 to 99), and three bars can make 1000 kinds of discrimination (0 to 999). Further, it is possible to flexibly deal with new castings and the like.
That is, it is only necessary to form one bar (several bars in the case of many kinds).

Various applications can be considered for the discrimination signal S _0, but it is useful when applied to, for example, the transportation / sorting system shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present transportation / sorting system, the cylinder block 35 is the roller conveyor 1.
After being placed on the conveyor 7 and conveyed on the conveyor line, the roller conveyors 21 and 22 are sorted according to the type. That is, the cylinder block 35 contacts the stopper 15 and is stopped on the roller conveyor 17. In this state, the image processing device 10 processes the video signal of the TV camera 3 and sends the determination signal S ₀ .

The control board 18 drives and controls the palletizer robot 14 which is a sorting means according to the discrimination signal S ₀ . Thus, the palletizer robot 14 is instructed by the control panel 18 to move the roller conveyor 1 with its hand 14a.
The cylinder block 35 on 7 is lifted and placed on any of the pallets 19 and 20 to be transported to either of the roller conveyors 21 and 22.

Although the bar 5 is formed in a convex shape in the above embodiment, it may be formed in a concave shape as shown in FIG. Although the casting 6 is used as the discrimination target in the above-described embodiment, the discrimination target is not particularly limited as long as the bar can be formed. For example, a plastic molded product in which a bar is integrally formed can be given as another example.

[0033]

According to the present invention as specifically described in connection with the above embodiments, it is possible to discriminate a plurality of types of castings and the like by using only one bar, and use only several bars. It is also possible to discriminate many kinds (100 kinds, 1000 kinds, etc.) of castings and the like. Therefore, the bar can be easily formed, and it is possible to flexibly deal with new castings and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is an explanatory view showing a case where a discrimination device for castings or the like according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the side, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the discrimination device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows a principal part.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bar shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an image captured by the TV camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of forming a bar.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a transportation / sorting system to which the above embodiment is applied.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view conceptually showing a case where a discrimination device for a casting or the like according to a conventional technique is viewed from a side surface.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view conceptually showing a case where the discriminating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is viewed two-dimensionally.

8 is an explanatory diagram showing an image taken by the TV camera shown in FIG.

9 is an explanatory view conceptually showing window processing in the image processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a bar used in a conventional casting or the like determining device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Laser gun 2 Linear light 3 TV camera 4 Optical axis 5 Bar 5'Bar image 6 Casting 7 Support member 8 Floor surface 9 Bright line 9 ', 9a', 9b 'Bright line image 10 Image processor H, h Height S ₀ Discrimination Signal W, w width

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bar which is a projection or a recess formed integrally with a casting or cast product and has a height and a width which represent predetermined information for identifying the casting or cast product, and the bar. An irradiation means for irradiating a linear light that crosses the line, and a high-intensity bright line generated on the bar and both sides thereof by the linear light irradiated by the irradiation means, and the position of the bright line portion on the bar. A photographing means for photographing from a position where the positions of the bright line portions on both sides of the bar are shifted in a direction perpendicular to these bright line portions, and an image of the bright line photographed by the photographing means is image-processed to increase the height of the bar. An apparatus for discriminating a casting or the like, comprising: an image processing unit that discriminates the casting or the cast product by obtaining the width and the width.