JPH0868613A - Method and apparatus for inspection of component by image processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an image measuring and inspection method and its inspection apparatus in which the precise pitch interval, the height and the like of a component such as a connector component can be measured at high speed and with high accuracy. CONSTITUTION: While a component which is larger than the field of view of cameras 24, 25 is being moved, it is imaged in such a way that it is divided into a plurality of images having an overlapped part. The many divided images are image-processed, and the shape of the component and the arrangement of constituent components are inspected. The component as an object to be inspected is conveyed sequentially and continuously by a conveyance means 11, its position during its conveyance is detected by a sensor 15, and positional information on the component is output by a positional- information output means. Flashes of light of electronic flashes 19, 20, 21, 22 or the function of an electronic shutter are operated continuously or intermittently on the basis of the positional information on the component, and partial images of the component in every operation of the solid-state image sensing element cameras 24, 25 are imaged. The respective partial images are combined by an image processor, and the shape of the component and the arrangement of the constituent elements are inspected.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for inspecting and measuring the appearance of electronic parts, mechanical parts, etc. by using an electronic camera in a short time and precisely. More specifically, the component to be inspected, for example, the pitch interval of the connector terminals inserted in the precision connector component,
The present invention relates to a method and a device for dividing a multi-screen image by using a flash light source such as a strobe and an electronic shutter function of a camera while moving parts such as height, and measuring and inspecting the image at high speed and with high accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With recent advances in semiconductor technology, various devices have been made smaller and thinner, and at the same time, cable connection terminals between devices and parts have become shorter and the number of terminals has increased.
As the size of terminal parts (connector parts) has also become smaller and the number of terminals has increased, there is an increasing trend toward miniaturization of terminals themselves and reduction of the pitch interval between terminals. For example, the 50-pin connector used between conventional devices has a pin-to-pin distance of about 1.
It is 5 mm, and the half pitch 50-pin connector is 0.8 mm between pins, and the connector size is about 24 mm long × 5 mm high × 6 mm wide. Although the connector parts themselves are low-priced products, it is necessary to inspect all of them because high-precision manufacturing standards for electronic parts are required. For this inspection, there is a strong demand for a low-cost inspection device that can perform high-speed inspection.

[0003]

In the case of the conventional connector parts, the accuracy of the inter-terminal pitch inspection is about 0.3 mm, so that the visual inspection by the camera, the inspection by the magnifying glass, or the one field of view if the number of terminals is small. It was also possible to measure the entire image of the connector parts. However, as the connector parts are further shortened, the measurement accuracy is required to be about 10 to 15 μm. In this case, the conventional one-screen inspection becomes difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to input the image of one connector with a plurality of inspection devices and inspect it to improve the accuracy. Therefore, conventionally, a method has been adopted in which images are sequentially input while the parts are stopped and sequentially inspected. Otherwise, an expensive inspection device using a plurality of cameras is required. Due to the miniaturization of parts, high-precision inspection is also required for parts inspection of the parts.

The basis of highly accurate measurement and inspection using a solid-state image pickup device camera is to place a component to be inspected in one camera visual field and perform the inspection by image analysis inside the one visual field. A solid-state image sensor camera having about 400,000 pixels is generally used as an inexpensive camera. The camera has a horizontal resolution of about 640 pixels and a vertical resolution of about 480 lines. Therefore, when the resolution is calculated at 10 μm / pixel, the size of one visual field is 6.4 mm × 4.8.
mm, the number of terminals of the connector component increases, and it becomes impossible to fit in the field of view. Naturally, it is difficult to perform highly accurate inspection unless the connector, which is the component to be inspected, is divided into a plurality of screens and inspected.

In the production process, connector parts are produced one after another, and the produced connectors continuously flow to the inspection process. In order to reduce the production cost, it is desirable to have a system that does not stop the flow of production with high-speed inspection. Also,
Since the unit price of parts itself is low, even if an expensive inspection device is manufactured, it will not be used at the production site. An inexpensive inspection device with a simple inspection method is desired. Of course, in manual inspection,
It is difficult to secure inspection speed, inspection unevenness / accuracy, and manpower. In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a measurement / inspection method for performing, for example, pitch interval and height measurement of connector parts at high speed, with high accuracy and at low cost. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus capable of implementing the inspection method as described above.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of inspecting a part by image processing according to the present invention divides a part larger than the field of view of a camera into a plurality of images having overlapping portions. A method for inspecting the shape of a component, the arrangement of components, etc. by performing image processing on a large number of divided images, and sequentially transporting the component to be inspected by the transporting means, The information output means detects the position being conveyed by the sensor and outputs the position information of the component, and the stroboscopic flash or the electronic shutter function is operated intermittently continuously based on the position information of the component, and the operation is performed by the solid-state image sensor camera. An image of each part is taken, and the partial images are combined by an image processing device to inspect the shape of the part and the arrangement of the constituent elements. It has been made. The component has a plurality of measurement points along the transport direction, and the image of the component is imaged so as to include a common measurement point in the overlapping portion. At the same time, multiple screens are captured with high precision in the solid-state image sensor camera, so the camera's electronic shutter function or strobe flash is used, and the capture timing is controlled to measure images.
Enables high-speed and high-precision processing according to inspection. In order to achieve the second object, the device for inspecting a component by image processing according to the present invention divides and captures a plurality of images having overlapping portions while moving a component larger than the field of view of the camera. A device for carrying out an inspection method for performing image processing on a large number of images and inspecting the shape of components and the arrangement of components, etc., and the components for continuously conveying the components continuously at a known speed. Continuous transport means, a component position information output device that detects a component by a sensor and outputs information on the position of the component, a solid-state image sensor camera arranged toward the transport means, and a flash device. An image capturing means including an electronic shutter of the solid-state image sensor camera, and the solid-state image capturing means for operating the image capturing means based on information from a position information output device of the component. A sequencer for recording a plurality of images on the child camera, and an image processing apparatus for obtaining data about the sequence, and the like of the shape and components of the component by processing the plurality of images. The component position information output device can be configured by a sensor and a rotary encoder that indicates a moving distance of the component.

[0007]

Embodiments of the method and apparatus for measuring and inspecting precise images of parts according to the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings. In order to explain the embodiment of the inspection method and apparatus, the structure of the connector to be measured in this embodiment will be briefly described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a connector to be measured in this embodiment. A plurality of connector pins 43, 4 are attached to the connector body parts 40, 41 made of plastic resin.
4, 45, ... Are provided. In the embodiment described below, the shape (for example, deformation) of the connector pin portions themselves on both sides and the positional relationship of the connector pin portions with respect to the main body can be measured at the same time.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for inspecting parts by image processing according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vicinity of an image pickup portion of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the whole apparatus of the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows a structure. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the inspection device frame 3 is provided with a transport support base 4. The transport support base 4 is provided with a transport unit 11, which takes in data in the process of continuously transporting parts from the right direction to the left direction in each figure. A camera position adjustment base 1 is provided on the front side of the transport unit 11, and a camera adjustment base 2 is provided on the back side, and the cameras 24 and 25 are supported by the respective adjustment bases.

A loader unit 10 is provided at the right end of the transport unit 11 and an unloader unit 12 is provided at the left end thereof, and components are supplied from the loader unit 10 to the transport unit 11. The component driving belt of the transport unit 11 is driven by the component driving motor unit 13. Sensor 1 for detecting the position of a component along the transport unit 11
4, 15, 16 are sequentially arranged. Unloader section 1
In No. 2, the parts are unloaded from the transport unit 11 and sent to the rejected product case 5. The strobe flash light source (for back) 18 drives a flash head unit (for reflection back) 19 and a flash head unit (for transmission back) 20. A strobe flash light source (for front) 23 drives a flash head portion (for reflection table) 21 and a flash head portion (for transmission table) 22.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall construction of the apparatus according to the present invention. The image processing device 26 in this embodiment is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), a high-speed image processing unit for processing data from the camera, an image impose processing unit, and a control unit. Image processing device 2
Reference numeral 6 includes a keyboard 29, a monitor 27, and a printer 28 as peripheral devices. The sequencer 30 is connected to the image processing device 26, and uses the information from the sensors and the information from the rotary encoder 31 to control the flash head unit 1.
9, 20, 21, 22 and solid-state image sensor camera 24,
25 is selectively driven. The sequencer 30 controls the timing, and the electric signal from the camera is transmitted to the image processing device 26.
Received at.

The flash light source 23 is a strobe discharge tube having a flash time width of about 7 μsec, and the discharged flash light is sent to the two head portions 21 and 22 through an optical fiber, and the flash light emitted from the tip of the head is covered. It is a connector that is an inspection part. The flash timing is detected by the image processing device 26 by detecting the arrival of the connector component by the sensor 15, and the light emission control output is given to the flash light source 23, and the flash light is emitted for 7 μsec. Instead of the flash light source, a solid-state image pickup device camera having an electronic shutter function may be used, and highly accurate still image input may be performed by the shutter function. Further, even when the flash light source is used, the flash time is not limited to 7 μsec, and a preferable flash time can be taken depending on the sensitivity of the camera, the material of the parts to be inspected and the like.

The connector part 33 is placed on the loader section 10 of the inspection device from outside the inspection device. Sensor 14
Detects this, the motor 13 operates, and sends the connector to the transport unit 11. A motor 13 rotates a drive belt of the transport unit 11 in the moving direction, and the connector moves toward the unloader unit 12. The connector that has arrived at the transport section is detected by the sensor 15, and the information is notified to the image processing apparatus 26. The connector is inspected while moving, and the transport unit 11
To the unloader unit 12. If the connector that came to the unloader section is acceptable, it is sent to the end and moved to the next location. In the case of a rejected product, it is detected by the sensor 16 and dropped by the ejector 17 into the rejected product case 5 by air control.

The solid-state image pickup device camera 24 sends the image of the connector to the image processing apparatus in accordance with the connector detection signal of the sensor 15 and the flash of the flash heads 21 and 22. The image processing device 26 controls the speed of the transport unit and the rotary encoder 3.
The moving distance of the connector is calculated from the value of 1, and the input timing of the next inspection screen is known. Then, the next inspection screen is input from the flash light source 23 and the camera 24. This operation is repeated until the final inspection screen of the connector. Individual image sensor camera 25
Sends an inspection image similar to that of the camera 24 to the image processing device 26. Enter the inspection image of the other side (back side) of the connector,
It is sent to the image processing device 26. Flash light source 18 and its head 1
9 and 20 are also flashed when the image processing device 26 instructs the image input timing.

In the inspection method of the present invention, the connector parts are transferred from the loader section 10 to the transfer section 11 as shown in each drawing. The sensor 1 indicates that the moving parts coming to the transport unit 11 enter the visual field of the first screen of the solid-state image sensor camera 24.
5. The image processing device 26 is informed by the information from the rotary encoder 31 and controls the strobe light emitting device 23 to make it flash. An image of reflected light or transmitted light from the component is picked up by the solid-state image pickup device camera 24 with good timing. The image processing device 26 receives the image electrical signal from the camera 24 and first captures it as a first still image as shown in FIG. Image measurement
When the inspection process is performed and the part moves to enter the visual field of the second screen, position correction and strobe flashing are controlled.
The sequencer 30 controls the timing and has an image processing device 26 that receives an electrical signal from the camera, and performs measurement / inspection while moving the parts. The flash light generated by the discharge of the flash light source 23 is transmitted through the optical fiber to the two head portions 21 and 2.
2, and the connector, which is the component to be inspected, is illuminated by the flash of light emitted from the tip of the head. Flash timing is sensor 1
5, the arrival of connector parts is detected and the image processing device 26
Judges that the light emission control output is given to the flash light source 23.

The connector part 33 is placed on the loader section 10 of the inspection device from outside the inspection device. Sensor 14
Detects this, the motor 13 operates, and sends the connector to the transport unit 11. A motor 13 rotates a drive belt of the transport unit 11 in the moving direction, and the connector moves toward the unloader unit 12. The connector that has arrived at the transport section is detected by the sensor 15, and the information is notified to the image processing apparatus 26. The connector is inspected while moving, and the transport unit 11
To the unloader unit 12. If the connector that came to the unloader section is acceptable, it is sent to the end and moved to the next location. In the case of a rejected product, it is detected by the sensor 16 and dropped by the ejector 17 into the rejected product case 5 by air control.

The solid-state image pickup device camera 24 sends the image of the connector to the image processing apparatus in accordance with the connector detection signal of the sensor 15 and the flash of the flash heads 21 and 22. The image processing device 26 controls the speed of the transport unit and the rotary encoder 3.
The moving distance of the connector is calculated from the value of 1, and the input timing of the next inspection screen is known. Then, the next inspection screen is input from the flash light source 23 and the camera 24. This operation is repeated until the final inspection screen of the connector. Individual image sensor camera 25
Sends an inspection image similar to that of the camera 24 to the image processing device 26. However, an inspection image on the opposite side (back side) of the connector is input and sent to the image processing device 26. The flash light source 18 and the head portions 19 and 20 of the flash light source 18 also set the image input timing to the image processing apparatus 2.
Flashes when instructed by 6.

The inspection screens 1 and 2 in FIG. 4 are a part of the inspection image input as described above. Arrow 4 shown in the screen
Reference numerals 3, 44, 45, 46, and 47 indicate images of the pins of the connector to be measured / inspected. 44 on the inspection screen 1 and 45 on the inspection screen 2 indicate the same pin (pin 2). This No. 2 pin becomes a common part between the two screens, so that the inspection screens 1 and 2 are connected and the height of the pins and the distance between the pins are calculated, measured, and inspected with high accuracy as in the case of one screen. can do. Similarly, the inspection screens 3 and after are combined so that they can be regarded as one continuous image through the same pin, and high-resolution and high-accuracy measurement is possible. Image blurring due to movement of parts can be ignored by setting the flash time to about 1 / 100,000 second. Also, for connector position shifts due to fluctuations in the moving speed of moving parts, image processing correction is automatically performed sequentially by placing them in the field of view, and position shifts of subsequently input multiple screens (fields of view) are minimized. You can One field of view of connector parts input sequentially is about 2.
The size is about 4 mm × 1.8 mm, and the resolution is about 4 μm / pixel or less. These highly accurate images are sequentially image-processed to measure the connector pitch and height.

The inspection screen is displayed on the monitor 27. The inspection result is printed and output by the printer 28. In addition, parts are sent separately to pass and fail locations by sequencer control. The inspection standard is set using the keyboard 29, and the inspection is started and stopped from the operation panel 32. Registration of inspection standards by product type is stored and managed using a floppy disk. According to the method of the present invention, the connector, which has been moved as described above, controls the flash light source and the camera at a timely timing, and takes them into the image processing device as a high-resolution continuous image, and accurately measures the inter-pin distance by the image measurement / inspection,
The pin height can be processed in a short time.

Various modifications can be made to the embodiment described in detail above within the scope of the present invention. For example, the electronic component may be not only the above-mentioned connector but also one having a different shape and number of terminals, or a precision-machined mechanical component. Depending on the shape inspection of parts, even when using reflected light as in the above example, measurement using transmitted light
An inspection may be performed. Either method can implement the high-precision image measurement / inspection method of the present invention. In this embodiment, two sets of precision image measurement / inspection equipment were used to inspect both sides of the connector, but two cameras may be connected to one image processing equipment depending on the inspection speed and the inspection content. It is possible, and the number of cameras may be one or more than two depending on the application without any problem. In the present embodiment, one connector is divided into a plurality of screens, and the image result of the entire screen is used for the timing correction of each screen input, but the correction may not be necessary depending on the inspection content and accuracy. Whether the position correction and the timing correction are performed or not depending on the contents, the method of the present invention does not cause any problems.

[0020]

The precision image measuring / inspecting method and apparatus for parts according to the present invention have the following effects because they are constructed as described above. In the method and apparatus for measuring and inspecting precise images of parts according to the present invention, since the parts to be inspected can be measured and inspected without stopping, the inspection time is shortened, the inspection efficiency is improved, and the labor productivity is improved. It has the excellent effect of In the precision image measuring / inspecting method and apparatus for a component according to the present invention, both the electronic shutter function and the stroboscopic light emitting function can be used, and therefore, according to the moving speed of the component to be inspected,
The electronic shutter speed can be controlled and the flash time can be controlled, which has an excellent effect that the types of parts to be inspected can be increased. In the method and apparatus for precise image measurement / inspection of a component according to the present invention, the light input to the solid-state image sensor camera may be reflected light from the component to be inspected or transmitted light, which is an excellent feature that can increase the types of component shapes to be inspected. Have the effect. In the method and apparatus for measuring and inspecting a precise image of a component according to the present invention, the appearance of one component is input to a solid-state image sensor camera in a plurality of fields of view based on accurate position correction, and image processing is performed as a high-resolution still image. It has an excellent effect that it can be done. In the method and apparatus for precise image measurement / inspection of parts in the present invention, a solid-state image sensor camera, which is a component of the inspection system, is fixed,
Since the parts to be inspected move on the production line, the simplification of the system is used in terms of price, and the maintenance cost of the device is reduced.
It has the excellent effect that ease of repair is achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a component inspection apparatus by image processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the image pickup unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing still image views (inspection screens 1 and 2) of an image processing target in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connector showing an example of an object to be inspected by the embodiment apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 camera position adjustment stand (for front) 2 camera position adjustment stand (for back) 3 inspection device frame 4 transfer support stand 5 rejected product case 10 loader section 11 transfer section 12 unloader section 13 parts drive belt motor section 14, 15, 16 Sensor (for component detection) 17 Ejector 18 Strobe flash light source (for back) 19 Flash head part (for reflection back) 20 Flash head part (for transmission back) 21 Flash head part (for reflection table) 22 Flash head part (For transmission surface) 23 Strobe flash light source (for surface) 24 Solid-state image sensor camera (for front) 25 Solid-state image sensor camera (for back) 26 Image processing device 27 Monitor 28 Printer 29 Keyboard 30 Sequencer 31 Rotary encoder 32 Operation panel 33 Inspection object (connector)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A component which is larger than the field of view of a camera is moved while being divided into a plurality of images having overlapping portions, and a plurality of divided images are subjected to image processing to form the shape of the component and the arrangement of constituent elements. In this inspection method, the parts to be inspected are successively conveyed by the conveying means, the position information outputting means detects the position being conveyed by the sensor, and the position information of the parts is output. The electronic shutter function is continuously operated intermittently based on the position information of the component, a solid-state image sensor camera captures a partial image of the component for each operation, and an image processing device combines the partial images to shape the component. And a method of inspecting a part by image processing for inspecting the arrangement of components and the like. 2. A component larger than the field of view of a camera is moved while being divided into a plurality of images having overlapping portions, and the plurality of divided images are image-processed to form the shape of the component and the arrangement of the constituent elements. Is a device for carrying out an inspection method for inspecting the parts, which continuously conveys the parts at a previously known speed, and a sensor for detecting the parts to detect the position of the parts. A position information output device for a component that outputs information, a solid-state image sensor camera that is arranged toward the conveying unit, an image capturing unit that is an electronic flash of a strobe flash device or the solid-state image sensor camera, and A sequencer for operating the image capturing means based on information from a position information output device to record a plurality of images on the solid-state image sensor camera; An image processing apparatus for processing the image of to obtain data on the shape of a part, an array of constituent elements, and the like;