JPS60123753A - Object inspecting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate data processor treatment and to shorten a sensor scanning cycle, in the state inspection of papers, by operating a plurality of counters by allowing said counters to count state information by performing the scanning of a unidimensional visual sight sensor. CONSTITUTION:Paper 1 is scanned by a unidimensional visual sight sensor 3' to read defect parts 2, 2', 2''. Picture element informations read by the sensor 3' are converted to binarized pulses and inputted to a plurality of counter latch circuits (CL) to count and store picture element informations. For example, the value D1 of a first region A1 having no object is stored in the first CL, the value D2 of a total region A1+A2+A3+A4+A5 having no object in the second CL, the value D4 of a final region A5 in the third CL and the number of times D5 changed in a picture element state in the fourth CL. In the next step, these data are sent to a data processor to count paper width=sensor length-(D1+D3), deficiency region width=D2-(D1+D3) and deficiency place number=(D4-2)/2. Therefore, by using plural CLs, the arithmetic processing of a data processor is simplified to a large extent and rapid judgement can be performed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an object inspection system, and in particular, uses a key-dimensional array sensor such as a photodiode array or an image sensor as a detector to detect the condition of an object to be inspected such as a paper sheet. The present invention relates to an inspection system that performs judgment.

[Background of the invention]

When automatically determining the dimensions of paper sheets such as banknotes, whether they are damaged or folded, etc., a sensor with a one-dimensional field of view, such as an image sensor or a photodiode array, is used.

Figure 1 shows an example of the image input section of such a system. In Figure (A), 1 indicates the paper sheet to be inspected, and 2
, 2' indicates the missing part due to the tear, and 3' indicates the sensor field of view. Now, when the sensor field of view is at the position shown in the diagram with respect to the sheet l being conveyed in the Y direction, the sensor 3 detects that there is no object in area A (AI, A2.A3°A4), as shown in Figure (B). , Area B (Bl, B2, B3) is in a state where an object is detected.

The image sensor 3 is a collection of N independent sensors with a width P. In conventional sheet inspection, the image sensor 3 scans the information of each pixel of the image sensor in the X direction from the left end to the right end. The data is sequentially read out and then binarized and converted into bit data of 11" or '0" to form one data word as a whole, and then subjected to pattern determination processing.

For this reason, if you increase the number of picture elements in the sensor and try to judge the state of the paper sheet with high resolution, the number of bits of data that is subject to pattern judgment will increase, compared to when dealing with normal coded data. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of block processing steps required for pattern determination increases, and data processing becomes complicated.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a system for determining the state of an object to be inspected using a sensor having a one-dimensional field of view as described above.
The object is to facilitate the processing of sensor information by a data processor.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the object inspection system of the present invention includes a one-dimensional sensor disposed across the conveyance path of the object to be inspected, a scanning means for sequentially reading out pixel information of the sensor, and a reading device. means for converting the pixel information into binary pulses; a first counter for counting the pulses and storing a count value indicating the position of one end of the object to be detected; a 20th counter that stores a count value that indicates the total size of the object's presence range or nonexistence range; a third counter that counts the pulses and stores a count value that indicates the other end position of the detected object; and 1 cycle. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a data processor that takes in the values of each of the counters each time the sensor scans, and performs a predetermined judgment operation from each counted value.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sensor output processing circuit according to the present invention, where 3 is an image sensor having a one-dimensional field of view 3', and 4 is a block diagram showing the output of the image sensor 3 compared with a predetermined threshold value. , 10'' bits, 21 to 24 are counters, 31 to 34 are latch circuits that latch the count values of each of the above counters with a timing pulse TE, and 40 is a count value D1 to 10 of each of the above latch circuits.
A multiplexer which selects D4 according to an address signal AD from a data processor (not shown) and inputs it as data D to the data processor is shown.

The image sensor 3 has N as explained in FIG. 2(B).
The information of each sensor is sequentially read out according to the timing pulse TN outputted at predetermined intervals from the timing pulse generation circuit 50, and
is converted into a binary code.

The timing pulse generating circuit 50 outputs a pulse Ta prior to the above-mentioned sensor scanning, thereby clearing the counters 21 to 24, respectively. The above-described latch timing pulse TE is generated from the pulse generating circuit 50 after the sensor 3 finishes scanning.

The operations of the counters 21 to 24 in FIG. 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

Now, assuming that the sensor field of view 3' is facing the three missing parts 2, 2' and 2'' on the sheet of paper 1 as shown in FIG. 3, the information in the image sensor 3 is , areas A1.A2, 83.A4, and A5 have no object, and areas B1, B2, Ba, and B4 have objects.

The binarization circuit 4 outputs a pulse to the signal line SO when the read information from the picture element indicates that there is no object, and outputs a pulse to the signal line S1 when the read information from the picture element indicates that there is an object.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first counter 21 receives the pulse (
Hereinafter, the number of pulse SOs (simply referred to as pulse SO) is counted. In this case, the AND gate 11 is controlled by the output of the flip-flop 120 set by the start pulse Ts, and the flip-flop 12 is controlled by the signal line 8.
1 pulse (hereinafter simply referred to as pulse Sl), the number of input pulses to the 10th counter 21 corresponds to the number of picture elements in the first object-free area A1, and that value D1 is latched. It will be stored in the circuit 31.

The second counter 22 counts the number of pulses SOO during one scanning period, and its final value D2 is the missing part 2,
The total length of the object-free area including 2' and 2'' (A1+A
2-)-A3 +A4 +A5).

The third counter 23 counts the pulse So, and the start pulse Ts and the pulse 814 are applied to the clear terminal of this counter via the OR gate 14.

The pulse 814 is a reset output of the flip-flop 13, which is set by the pulse Sl and reset by the pulse SO, and is made into a pulse by the one-shot circuit 14. Therefore, the value of the 30th counter is cleared every time the pixel information changes from the state with an object to the state with no object, and the value D3 is sent to the latch circuit 33 to adjust the length of the object-free area A5 that appears last. I will give it to you.

The 40th counter 24 receives the pulse 814, the output pulse S's from the one-shot circuit 15 that pulses the output of the flip-flop 130, and the OR gate 1.
7. Therefore, this counter 24 is
The number of times the state of the picture element changes, that is, the areas AI, Bl
, A2...B4, count the number of As, and calculate the value D
4 is passed to the latch circuit 34.

As described above, according to the circuit configuration of the present invention, each time the image sensor scans, the ml counter 21 contains the value DI of the length of the area A1 indicating the position of the left end of the sheet, and the third counter 2
3 is the length value D3 of area A5 indicating the position of the left edge of the paper sheet.
, the second counter 22 stores a value D2 indicating the total length of the space without paper sheets, and the fourth counter 24 stores a value D4 indicating the number of times the presence or absence of paper sheets changes.

These 1 shift D1. By taking in D4 from the latch circuits 31 to 34, the data processor calculates the known values L and Dl of the image sensor (the total number of long picture elements),
From Da, we can know the width of the paper leaf 11 = L - (Dl + D3), ! '= , D2- (Dt -4-D
The total length l′ of the missing region is determined by a), and n =
The number nf of damaged parts can be determined by (D4-2)/2. Furthermore, by comparing the values of DI and Da, the horizontal deviation of the paper sheet (the position of the paper sheet) can also be known. Therefore, in the data processor, each time the scanning cycle of the image sensor 3 ends, By simply importing the numerical data stored in the circuit and performing simple calculations, it is possible to calculate the state judgment data of the paper sheet along the X-axis direction.
By storing the calculation results one after another, it is possible to finally determine the state of the sheet along the transport direction (Y direction).In the above embodiment, the 20th counter indicates that there is no object It is clear that the length of the missing portion can be reduced even if the area is counted or the area in which the object is present is counted by this counter, and the present invention can be modified other than the above-described embodiment.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a plurality of counters are used and each time a one-dimensional sensor such as an image sensor scans, these counters are operated to count specific state information of the sensor field of view. This greatly simplifies the arithmetic processing performed by the data processor to determine the state of the detected object, and has the effect of shortening the sensor scanning period and executing the determination processing at high speed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams of paper image input by a -dimensional sensor, Figure 2 is a block diagram of an image data processing circuit showing one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is an illustration of the above implementation. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the example circuit. Explanation of symbols 1... Paper sheet to be inspected 3... Image sensor 4... Binarization circuits 21 to 24... Counters 31 to 34... Latch circuit

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A one-dimensional sensor disposed across the conveyance path of the object to be inspected, a scanning means for sequentially reading out pixel information of the sensor, and a binary pulse for transmitting the read pixel information. a tenth counter that counts the pulses and stores a count value indicating the position of one end of the object to be detected; a third counter that counts the pulses and stores a count value that indicates the other end position of the detected object; and a third counter that counts the pulses and stores a count value that indicates the other end position of the detected object. from each count value. An object inspection device consisting of a data processor that performs judgment calculations.