KR102288639B1 - Image data processing apparatus for parts feeder and parts feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is image processing for a component feeder that can accurately and easily install an image pickup device of a camera at an appropriate position, and can increase the transfer speed of image data acquired with the camera to speed up the conveyance of the workpiece To provide a device and a component feeder.
The image processing apparatus 8 for components feeders of this invention is applied to the components feeder 100 provided with the camera which images the workpiece|work W conveyed along the conveyance path 10, As a camera, the workpiece|work W ) and a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a direction orthogonal thereto, and employing an area camera 2 that acquires image data by these imaging elements, and a plurality of the area cameras 2 having setting means (30) for setting only some of the imaging devices in a row perpendicular to the conveying direction to be usable for imaging, and when only the part of the imaging devices is used for imaging Posture determination as a quality determination means of a workpiece which performs a quality determination process of the workpiece|work W based on the image introduction means 31 immediately introduced from the area camera 2, and the image data introduced by the said image introduction means 31 means (33).

Description

Image processing apparatus and parts feeder for parts feeders

The present invention is to discriminate the appearance or posture of a work based on image data obtained using only some of the image pickup elements provided in the area camera, and the position of some image pickup elements can be set simply and accurately, and the area camera It relates to an image processing apparatus for a parts feeder and a parts feeder capable of increasing the transmission speed of the image data acquired by the .

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, the component feeder which can convey the workpiece|work which is a conveyance object, such as an electronic component, along a conveyance path to a predetermined supplier is known (for example, patent document 1). The component feeder disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to discriminate the posture of the work based on image data obtained by imaging the work, and to exclude the work having an inappropriate posture (incorrect posture) from the conveyance path by an exclusion means.

When the principle of the parts feeder 200 which performs attitude|position determination processing based on image data like patent document 1 is demonstrated using FIG. 8, the work which reached|attained the imaging position P1 by the area camera 202 as imaging means. After (W) is imaged and the obtained image data is introduced into the control device 204 via the image introduction means 204a, preprocessing such as binarization is performed by the preprocessing means 204b. Thereafter, the posture of the work W is discriminated by the posture determination means 204c based on the image data after the preprocessing, and based on the determination result, the work W with an inappropriate posture is removed by the exclusion means 5 . excluded. In addition, the area camera 202 acquires the two-dimensional image data with a comparatively large number of pixels by arranging a plurality of imaging elements in a mesh shape. In addition, the imaging timing of the area camera 202 is configured so that when the laser sensor 203 detects that the workpiece W has reached a predetermined position on the conveyance path 10, an external trigger is input to perform imaging. it is customary

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-39981

By the way, in the parts feeder 200 having the above configuration, as shown in Fig. 9 , when imaging with the area camera 202 is performed at time t11, introduction of image data is started at time t12 via the image introduction means 204a. Then, the preprocessing of image data such as binarization is started by the preprocessing means 204b at time t13. After that, when the pre-processing is finished, it can be considered that the posture determination means 204c determines the posture of the work based on the image data after the pre-processing at the time t14 as the usual means.

However, since the parts feeder 200 introduces data with a large number of pixels obtained by using almost all of the imaging elements of the area camera 202, the introduction time (transfer time) becomes long, and imaging of one workpiece There is a problem that the time from the start to the posture determination becomes long. Since the attitude|position of the workpiece|work W imaged at the imaging position P1 needs to be discriminated before reaching|attaining the exclusion position P2 where an exclusion process is performed, if the time required for attitude|position determination is long, the conveyance speed of the workpiece|work W needs to be limited, and it becomes difficult to convey the workpiece W at high speed, which leads to a decrease in processing efficiency. In addition, in order to shorten the time until posture determination, it is conceivable to improve the performance of the control unit 204 (CPU) to shorten the time required for pre-processing and posture determination processing, but as shown in Fig. 9, the introduction time is large enough compared with the time required for the pre-processing and the attitude|position determination process, and even if the performance of the control apparatus 204 is improved, it does not become sufficient time reduction.

To solve this problem, it is conceivable to use a line camera instead of the area camera 202 . The line camera uses only one row of imaging elements for imaging, and since the imaging range is narrow, it is considered that the image data obtained has a small number of pixels and the transfer time can be shortened. However, with the line camera, it is difficult to determine which part of the image data obtained by one-dimensional linear imaging is imaged, and in order to accurately install an appropriate location at an imageable position, the image is taken from the outside with a high-speed camera, There is a problem that it is necessary to use a dummy work for alignment, and labor is required.

An object of the present invention is to effectively solve such a subject, and it is possible to accurately and easily install an image pickup device of a camera at an appropriate position, and to improve the transfer speed of image data acquired by the camera to convey a workpiece An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus for a component feeder and a component feeder that can increase the speed of the component feeder.

In view of the above problems, the present invention has devised the following means.

That is, the image processing apparatus for components feeders of this invention is an image processing apparatus for components feeders applied to the components feeder provided with the camera which imaged the workpiece|work conveyed along a conveyance path, As said camera, the conveyance direction of the said workpiece|work and An area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a direction orthogonal thereto and acquiring image data by these imaging elements is employed, and among a plurality of imaging elements included in the area camera, rows are orthogonal to the conveying direction. setting means for setting only a part of the imaging elements constituting to be usable for imaging; It is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is characterized in that it is provided with the quality of the work or the quality of the determination means based on the introduced image data.

Here, the determination of whether the work is good or bad refers to determining whether the appearance or posture of the work is predetermined.

By making only some of the imaging elements available by the setting means, it is possible to reduce the number of pixels of image data acquired by the area camera by one imaging, and to improve the introduction speed (transfer speed) by the image introduction means, so that 1 It is possible to shorten the time from imaging to quality determination processing for several workpieces, thereby speeding up conveyance of the workpieces. On the other hand, by using almost all the imaging elements of the area camera, a wider area than the line camera can be represented in the image data. can be set accurately. Note that the use of almost all of the imaging devices includes the case of using all of the imaging devices.

As a specific configuration, the component feeder includes work processing means for removing from the conveying path or correcting its posture on the conveying path by applying a pressing force from the pressing force applying unit to the work that has reached a work processing position set on the conveying path. and the work processing means is operated according to the determination result of the quality/non-determining means of the work, and when almost all of the image pickup devices are used for imaging, the imaging range of the area camera is set by the pressing force applying unit It is configured such that the positions of the part of the imaging elements can be selected and set by the setting means on the image data in which the imaging range is indicated.

With such a configuration, it is possible to select the positions of some of the imaging elements with reference to the pressing force applying unit by the setting means while viewing the image data in which the pressing force applying unit appears, and the time for aligning the some of the imaging elements can be greatly shortened. can

On the other hand, in another specific configuration, the component feeder includes work processing means for removing from the conveying path or correcting its posture on the conveying path by applying a pressing force to the work that has reached the work processing position set on the conveying path, wherein the setting means includes, among the plurality of imaging elements, a first group of imaging elements that form a column orthogonal to the conveying direction, and a column orthogonal to the conveying direction on a downstream side of the conveying direction rather than the first group of imaging elements. is to set a second group of imaging elements constituting It is configured such that quality determination processing is performed based on the data, and the work processing means is operated according to the determination result of the quality determination means of the work.

With such a configuration, after the first quality determination processing based on the image data acquired by the first imaging element group, the second quality determination processing based on the image data acquired by the second imaging element group can be performed. Therefore, by configuring the work processing means to operate in accordance with the determination result of the quality determination means of the work, only the work having an appropriate appearance or posture can be sent to the transport destination more stably compared to the case where the quality determination processing is performed only once. can

On the other hand, in another specific configuration, the component feeder includes work processing means for removing from the conveying path or correcting its posture on the conveying path by applying a pressing force to the work that has reached the work processing position set on the conveying path. wherein, as the work, a work having predetermined feature points formed on a specific part is used, and the setting means comprises: a first group of imaging devices forming a column orthogonal to the conveying direction from among a plurality of imaging devices, and the first imaging device A second group of imaging elements forming a column orthogonal to the conveying direction is set on the downstream side in the conveying direction rather than the group of elements, and the conveying direction front end or conveying direction rear end of the work is within the imaging range of the second imaging element group. If there is, the feature points formed on the workpiece are adjusted to appear within the imaging range of the first imaging element group, and based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means, a conveyance direction front end or conveyance direction rear end portion of the work; and A first imaging device further comprising pre-processing means capable of detecting the characteristic point, wherein when a transport direction front end portion or a transport direction rear end portion of the workpiece is detected based on the image data acquired by the second imaging device group, the first imaging device acquired simultaneously with the image data The feature point is detected based on image data of the group, and the work processing means is operated for a work in which the feature point is not detected.

With such a configuration, the second imaging element group functions like a synchronous sensor that detects the transport direction front end or the transport direction rear end of the work, and when the transport direction front end or the transport direction rear end of the work is detected, the feature point is detected, When the feature point is detected, it is determined that the appearance or posture of the work is predetermined, and when the feature point is not detected, it is determined that the appearance or posture of the work is not predetermined, and the work processing means can be operated. For this reason, with respect to the workpiece|work in which the predetermined|prescribed characteristic point was formed in a specific part, it can easily and accurately determine the quality of a workpiece in a short processing time, and an inappropriate workpiece|work can be excluded reliably. On the other hand, by using almost all of the imaging elements included in the area camera, the positions of the first imaging element group and the second imaging element group can be simply and accurately set to appropriate positions.

In particular, in the specific configuration described above, preprocessing means capable of continuously performing imaging by the part of the imaging elements set by the setting means, and discriminating the workpiece based on the image data immediately introduced by the image introducing means; Further, it is preferable that the work quality determination means is configured to perform the work quality determination process based on the image data determined by the pre-processing means that the work is present.

In this way, all of the conveyed workpieces can be imaged by continuously performing imaging with the part of the imaging elements. In addition, by making the quality determination processing to be performed based on the image data in which the work is determined to be present, the quality determination processing is not performed based on the image data in which the work is not displayed, and unnecessary processing is prevented. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor or the like for grasping the position of the work, and it is possible to reliably perform the quality judgment process on all the transferred works while suppressing the increase in cost and increase in processing.

The parts feeder of the present invention uses the image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, and includes a parts feeder body having a transport path through which a workpiece is transported, and a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a transport direction of the workpiece and a direction orthogonal thereto. an area camera for acquiring image data by imaging the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance path, and processing for removing from the conveyance path or correcting posture on the conveyance path for a work passing through a work processing position set in the conveyance path and command output means for outputting a command for operating the workpiece processing means when it is determined that the workpiece quality/non-determining means does not have a predetermined appearance or attitude.

For this reason, the time from imaging to quality determination processing for one workpiece can be shortened, and the conveyance of the workpiece can be accelerated, and by using almost all the imaging devices of the area camera, some of the imaging devices can be placed in an appropriate position. can be set simply and accurately.

According to the present invention described above, by using almost all of the imaging elements provided in the area camera, it is possible to set some of the imaging devices in simple and accurate positions, and by using only these part of the imaging devices for imaging, It becomes possible to provide the image processing apparatus for component feeders and components feeder which can improve the introduction speed by an image introduction means and can speed up conveyance of a workpiece|work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a side view which shows the component feeder which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view showing a part of the parts feeder.
It is a side view which shows a part of a copper parts feeder.
It is a timing chart for demonstrating operation|movement of the same parts feeder.
It is a top sectional view which shows a part of the component feeder which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.
It is a top sectional view which shows a part of the component feeder which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.
It is a flowchart which shows the process of the same component feeder.
Fig. 8 is a side view showing a component feeder based on the configuration of a conventional component feeder;
It is a timing chart for demonstrating operation|movement of the component feeder shown in FIG.

<First embodiment>

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, 1st Embodiment of this invention is described with reference to drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the components feeder 100 which is 1st Embodiment of this invention does not show the some workpiece|work W which is a conveyed object along the conveyance path 10 with which the components feeder main body 1 is equipped. It will be returned to a non-existent supplier.

The component feeder main body 1 is comprised including the said conveyance path 10 and the drive means 11, The plurality on the conveyance path 10 by vibrating the conveyance path 10 by the drive means 11 of the workpiece (W) is conveyed.

The area camera 2 is provided above the conveyance path 10, and this area camera 2 is arranged in the conveyance direction of the workpiece|work W (extension direction of the conveyance path 10) and the direction orthogonal to it. It has the some highly sensitive imaging element (CMOS sensor (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)) used, and imaging of the workpiece|work W conveyed on the conveyance path 10 is performed. The area camera 2 uses for imaging an area mode in which all the imaging elements provided in the area camera 2 are used for imaging, and only some imaging elements (one row in this embodiment) arranged orthogonally to the conveying direction for imaging. A group of image pickup elements that can be switched to the line mode and are some image pickup elements used in the line mode are set by the setting means 30 constituting the control device 3 . _{The imaging range (imaging line) E L} of the area camera 2 in the line mode is the imaging position (imaging point) P1 shown in FIG. 2 , and a part of the conveyance direction of the workpiece W and the The whole direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the workpiece|work W is imaged.

In this embodiment, when confirming and adjusting the installation position of the area camera 2, it is set as an area mode, and when performing attitude|position determination of the workpiece|work W conveyed, it is set as a line mode. For this reason, the position of the imaging element group used for imaging in the line mode is important in taking the timing for excluding the workpiece W with an inappropriate posture, and is set to an appropriate position as follows. First, the imaging range (imaging area) E _E of the area camera 2 in the area mode is provided in a position including the air jet nozzle 50 of the workpiece processing apparatus 5 mentioned later. In addition, from the requirements described in Formula (2) described later, such as the length of the workpiece W, the time required for image processing, and the transport speed of the workpiece W, the imaging position (imaging point) P1 and the air jet nozzle The distance L (refer FIG. 2) between the exclusion positions P2 where compressed air is injected from 50 is calculated by the control apparatus 3, and the setting means 30 is based on the image data acquired by the area camera 2 ), the position of the imaging element group is set. In addition, let the conveyance speed of the workpiece|work W at this time be a set value. As described above, in the present embodiment, the position of the imaging element group can be selected from among the plurality of imaging elements, but a configuration in which the position of the imaging element group is fixed may be employed.

The image data acquired by the area camera 2 in the line mode has a smaller number of pixels than the image data acquired in the area mode, so the data amount is small, so that it can be immediately introduced into the control device 3 via the image introducing means 31 . can The area camera 2 in the line mode operates so as to continuously image the workpiece W at regular intervals before reaching the imaging position P1, and the workpiece W conveyed downstream is moved to the imaging position ( A plurality of images are captured while passing through P1), and a plurality of image data each showing different positions of the work W from the front end Wa to the rear end Wb of the work W is acquired. The acquired image data is transmitted to the control apparatus (controller) 3 mentioned later every time an imaging is performed.

The control device 3 shown in Fig. 1 is constituted by a CPU (not shown), a memory, an ordinary microcomputer unit provided with an interface, etc., and an appropriate program is stored in the memory, and the CPU sequentially stores the program. reading, and in cooperation with the surrounding hard resources, the setting means 30, the image introduction means 31, the preprocessing means 32, the attitude determination means 33, the speed calculation means 35, the command output means 34 and It serves as the timing control means 36 .

The image introduction means 31 introduces the image data acquired by the area camera 2 to the control device 3, and in the line mode, the image data is immediately introduced whenever the area camera 2 takes an image. The pre-processing unit 32 has a binarization processing unit 32a, an edge detection unit 32b, and a composite image data generating unit 32c, and when the image data is introduced through the image introduction unit 31, the binarization processing unit 32a ) immediately performs predetermined pre-processing such as binarization processing for each image data. Moreover, the edge part detection part 32b discriminate|determines the front-end part Wa and the rear-end part Wb of the workpiece|work W through appropriate image processing based on image data. For example, in the image data, since the color tone and the like are different between the portion where the work W is displayed and the portion where things other than the work W are displayed (specifically, the conveyance path 10), the front end of the work W is In the image data obtained by imaging (Wa) or the rear end portion (Wb), portions having different color densities appear in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the workpiece (W). The edge detection unit 32b detects (image discrimination) the front end Wa and the rear end Wb of the work W appearing in the image data from such a difference in color density (luminance) and the like. Alternatively, the end detection unit 32b may be configured to detect the front end Wa and the rear end Wb by discriminating the R shape at the corner of the work W based on the image data. In addition, the composite image data generation unit 32c connects the image data in which the front end Wa of the work W appears to the image data in which the rear end Wb of the work W appears in the order of imaging, Composite image data is generated as two-dimensional image data in which approximately the whole of one work W is shown.

The posture determination unit 33 as the quality determination unit of the work performs posture determination processing as a quality determination processing for determining the posture of the work W by pattern matching (image discrimination), for example, based on such synthesized image data. . Moreover, as a workpiece|work with an inappropriate attitude|position, the front and back are reversed, or the thing whose front-back direction is opposite is mentioned, for example. Thus, the image introduction means 31, the preprocessing means 32, and the attitude|position determination means 33 comprise the image processing apparatus 8 for component feeders of this invention which discriminate|determines the attitude|position of the workpiece|work W.

The speed calculation means 35 performs the speed calculation process of calculating the conveyance speed of the workpiece|work W using the synthesized image data used for attitude|position determination in this way, Specifically, based on the following formula (1), the workpiece|work The conveyance speed Vw (m/s) of (W) is computed.

Here, S is the scan rate of the area camera 2, that is, the imaging interval (sec) of the area camera 2, and A is the area camera 2 is approximately the entirety of the work W of the unit, that is, the work ( It is the number of times (times) of imaging required to image the front end part Wa to the rear end part Wb of W), and Lw1 is the conveyance direction length m of the workpiece|work W (refer FIG. 3). The speed calculation means 35 regards the required imaging time, which is the product of the imaging interval S of the area camera 2 and the number of times A, as the time required for the workpiece W to pass the imaging position P1, and the The conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece|work W is computed based on the time required for imaging and the conveyance direction length Lw1 of the workpiece|work W. The length Lw1 in the conveyance direction of the workpiece W is preset for the actual workpiece W. In addition, the conveyance direction length Lw1 of the workpiece|work W and the imaging space|interval S of the area camera 2 are input via the input means 41. As shown in FIG. Further, the speed calculating means 35 has a number of imaging acquisition unit 35a, and the imaging frequency acquisition unit 35a calculates the number of imaging A from the number of pixels of image data obtained by one imaging and the number of pixels of the composite image data. do.

The conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece W calculated in this way is displayed on the display means 40 shown in FIG. do. In addition, you may use the conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece|work W calculated in this way as a determination material whether the workpiece|work W is conveying or stopping.

When the command output means 34 determines that the attitude determination means 33 is an inappropriate attitude (improper attitude), the work processing set in the conveyance path 10 to the exclusion means 5 as the workpiece processing means shown in FIG. 1 . A command is output to cause the work W at the exclusion position P2 as the position to be removed from the conveyance path 10 (exclusion operation). The exclusion means 5 blows compressed air toward the exclusion position P2 set on the downstream side of the conveyance direction rather than the conveyance direction length Lw1 (refer FIG. 3) of the workpiece|work W at least with respect to the said imaging position P1 as a reference. has an air jet nozzle 50 as a pressing force imparting portion to do. The air jet nozzle 50 is formed, for example, by a hole formed in the side wall 10a of the conveyance path 10, and compressed air is jetted when an energization command as the command is input. A target position Pw (refer to FIG. 3 ) at which this pressing force is applied is preset on the work W, and in this embodiment, the center of the conveyance direction of the side surface of the work W opposite to the air jet nozzle 50 is targeted. It is set as the position Pw. By applying a pressing force to this target position Pw, when removing from the conveyance path 10 top, it can suppress that the workpiece|work W which is an exclusion object moves, rotating horizontally. In addition, in the exclusion process in this invention, the process of dropping the workpiece|work W to the workpiece|work accommodating part etc. below the conveyance path 10 from above the conveyance path 10, and the removal position P2 of the workpiece|work W. ) and a process of dividing it into any one conveyance path 10 or the like branching out from it.

The timing control means 36 controls the timing at which the command output means 34 outputs an energization command to the injection nozzle 50 based on the conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece W calculated by the speed calculation means 35 . . Specifically, based on the following formula (2), the waiting time tα (sec) from when the attitude determination means 33 determines that the attitude is inappropriate, until the command output means 34 outputs the energization command (Fig. 4) and controlling the timing at which the command output means 34 outputs an energization command to the air jet nozzle 50 based on this waiting time tα, the conveyance speed Vw of the work W is set from the set value. Even in the case of a change, the pressing force can be applied to the target position Pw.

Here, Vw is the conveyance speed (m/s) (refer FIG. 3) of the workpiece|work W conveyed on the conveyance path 10 top, and L is the exclusion position P2 from _{the imaging range E L of an imaging element group.} is the distance (m) to (refer to FIG. 3), Lw2 is the distance (m) (refer to FIG. 3) from the rear end Wb of the workpiece W to the target position Pw, tp is the image introduction means It is the image processing time (sec) (refer FIG. 4) required from the completion of the introduction by (31) to the completion of the attitude|position determination by the said attitude|position determination means 33. FIG. The image processing time tp becomes a fixed value or a set value when it is comprised so that the time required for a preprocessing, attitude|position determination process, and speed calculation process may always be constant. On the other hand, in the case where the image processing time tp is configured to change according to the increase or decrease in the number of pixels of the composite image data caused by the change in the conveyance speed Vw, the image processing time tp is counted in the control device 3 . td is the mechanical transmission time (sec) (refer to Fig. 4) until the discharging means 5, which has received the energization command, applies a pressing force to the work W through the discharging process, for each discharging unit 5 is the parameter setting of The distance L, the transfer time td, and the like are inputted through the input means 41 .

Operation in the components feeder 100 of the above structure is demonstrated with reference to the timing chart shown in FIG. Below, the area camera 2 is set to the line mode, and the operation|movement from when one workpiece|work W of an inappropriate attitude|position is imaged by the area camera 2 until it is excluded by the exclusion means 5 is described. are doing

When the workpiece W conveyed on the conveyance path 10 is imaged at time t01, the image data acquired thereby is immediately introduced (transmitted) through the image introduction means 31, and the image data is binarized. The processing unit 32a performs preprocessing such as binarization. Further, the end detection unit 32b detects the front end Wa and the rear end Wb of the work W, and the front end Wa of the work W is detected based on the image data acquired at time t01. do. Even after the imaging at time t01, imaging is sequentially performed at predetermined intervals, and introduction and preprocessing of image data are immediately performed each time. Then, when the rear end Wb of the work W is recognized by the end detection unit 32b based on the image data acquired by the imaging at the time t02, the synthesized image data generation unit 32c generates the synthesized image data at the time t03. is started, and based on the synthesized image data, attitude determination processing by the attitude determination means 33 and speed calculation processing by the speed calculation means 35 are performed. In addition, the processing up to time t03 is performed by hardware (eg, FPGA (field-programmable gate array)), and the processing after time t03 is performed softly by executing the program stored in the memory. Thereafter, the timing control means 36 controls the command output means 34 so that the energization command is output at a time t05 when the waiting time tα has elapsed from the time t04. Then, compressed air is thereby ejected from the air injection nozzle 50 of the discharging means 5, and the pressurizing force by air actually acts on the work W at time t06 when the delivery time td has elapsed from the time t05. Further, for example, when the workpiece W subjected to the attitude determination processing is an appropriate attitude and determined to be a predetermined attitude by the attitude determination processing, processing for removing the workpiece W from the conveyance path 10 (energized) command output and injection from the air injection nozzle 50] is not performed.

In this way, the workpiece|work W with an inappropriate attitude|position is excluded, and only the workpiece|work W of an appropriate attitude|position is supplied to a supplier.

As mentioned above, the image processing apparatus 8 for components feeders of 1st Embodiment is applied to the components feeder 100 provided with the camera which images the workpiece|work W conveyed along the conveyance path 10, and a camera As an example, an area camera 2 having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in the conveyance direction of the workpiece W and a direction orthogonal thereto, and acquiring image data by these imaging elements is employed, and the area camera 2 ) has a setting means 30 for setting only some of the imaging devices in a row orthogonal to the conveying direction to be usable for imaging; Image introduction means 31 for immediately introducing the obtained image data from the area camera 2, and the posture-specific processing as quality determination processing of the workpiece W based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means 31 It is comprised so that the posture determination means 33 which is a quality determination means of the workpiece|work to be performed may be provided.

Determination of the good or bad of the work W here refers to discriminating whether the appearance and posture of the work W are predetermined.

By enabling the setting means 30 to use only some of the imaging elements, the number of pixels of image data acquired by the area camera 2 in one imaging is reduced, and the introduction speed (transfer) by the image introduction means 31 . speed) can be improved, so that the time from imaging to attitude determination processing for one workpiece W can be shortened, and conveyance of the workpiece W can be accelerated. On the other hand, by using all the imaging elements included in the area camera 2, a wider range than the line camera can be represented in the image data. The position can be set simply and accurately.

That is, in this embodiment, the parts feeder 100 is the air jet nozzle 50 as a pressing force provision part with respect to the workpiece|work W which reached|attained the exclusion position P2 as a workpiece processing position set on the conveyance path 10. Discharge means 5 as a workpiece processing means for removing from the conveying path 10 by blowing compressed air as a pressing force from the While configuring and using all the imaging elements for imaging, the imaging range E _E of the area camera 2 is set to the position containing the air jet nozzle 50, and the said imaging range E _E It is configured so that the position of the imaging element group can be selected and set by the setting means 30 on the image data in which is indicated.

The position of the imaging element group with respect to the air jet nozzle 50 is important for excluding the workpiece W with an improper posture, but while viewing the image data in which the air jet nozzle 50 appears, the air jet nozzle 50 is moved. By selecting the position of the imaging element group as a reference, the time for alignment can be significantly shortened. Specifically, the distance L between the imaging position P1 and the exclusion position P2 is obtained using the requirements described in the above formula (2), such as the transport speed of the workpiece W determined in advance as a set value, and the area in the area mode By setting the position of the imaging device group at a position separated by a distance L from the exclusion position P2 on the image data acquired by the camera 2, the imaging device group can be accurately and simply installed at an appropriate position. In addition, if the conveyance speed of the workpiece W changes on the way, the command output means 34 according to the above equation (2) using the conveying speed Vw of the workpiece W obtained in the above equation (1), etc. The timing at which the compressed air is sprayed can be adjusted by obtaining an appropriate waiting time tα until the energization command is output.

In addition, preprocessing means (32) capable of continuously performing imaging by the image pickup device group set by the setting means (30), and discriminating the workpiece (W) based on the image data immediately introduced by the image introduction means (31) Further, the posture determination means 33 is configured to perform posture determination processing of the work W based on the image data determined by the pre-processing means 32 that the work W is present.

Here, in order to perform the attitude determination processing on all the conveyed workpieces W, it is necessary to reliably image all the conveyed workpieces W, and in order to realize this, for example, a sensor is used to Although it is conceivable to estimate the timing at which W) arrives within the imaging range E _L , there is a problem that the cost increases because a device such as a sensor is required separately. On the other hand, in this embodiment, all the workpiece|works W conveyed can be reliably imaged by making imaging by some imaging elements performed continuously. In addition, by performing the posture determination processing based on the image data in which the work W is determined to be present, the posture determination processing is not performed based on the image data in which the work W does not appear, and unnecessary processing is performed. it is prevented Therefore, the attitude|position determination process can be performed to all the workpiece|works W conveyed, suppressing an increase in cost and an increase in processing, without separately providing apparatuses, such as a sensor.

<Second embodiment>

Hereinafter, the components feeder 110 which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. In addition, since the components feeder 110 of this embodiment is the same as the components feeder 100 of the said 1st Embodiment except the structure mentioned later, description is abbreviate|omitted about the structure similar to the components feeder 100.

In the components feeder 100 of 1st Embodiment, in the case of line mode, although only one row of imaging element groups is provided, the components feeder 110 of this embodiment is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the workpiece|work W at the time of a line mode. A first group of imaging elements forming a column by forming a column, and a second group of imaging elements forming a column orthogonal to the transport direction on a downstream side of the transport direction from the first imaging element group are set, and the imaging of the first imaging element group It is configured such that the workpiece W located in the range (first imaging line) E _L 1 or the imaging range (second imaging line) E _{L 2 of the second imaging element group is imaged.} In addition, in this embodiment, the exclusion means 5 has two air injection nozzles 50a, 50b, and one air injection nozzle 50a is combined with _{the imaging range E L 1 of the 1st imaging element group and While providing at the position between the imaging ranges E L} 2 of a 2nd imaging element group, the other air injection nozzle 50b is a conveyance direction downstream rather than _{imaging range E L 2 of a 2nd imaging element group.} is installed in Further, the posture determination means 33 (see Fig. 1) performs posture determination processing based on the image data acquired by the first imaging element group, and as a result, for the workpiece W determined to be an improper posture, one The removal process is performed using the air jet nozzle 50a, and for the workpiece W not excluded by one of the air jet nozzles 50a, based on the image data acquired by the second imaging device group, the posture determination process is again performed. is configured to do. The workpiece W determined to be in an unsuitable attitude in the second attitude determination process is removed by using the other air jet nozzle 50b, and the workpiece W determined to be an appropriate attitude in the next attitude determination process. is conveyed to a conveyance destination (not shown) without being subjected to exclusion processing. Configurations other than the above are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As mentioned above, the image processing apparatus for component feeders of 2nd Embodiment injects compressed air with respect to the workpiece|work W which reached|attained the exclusion positions P2, P2 set on the conveyance path 10, The conveyance path 10 It is applied to the component feeder 100 provided with the exclusion means 5 to exclude from, and the setting means 30 comprises: a first group of imaging elements forming a row orthogonal to the conveying direction among the plurality of imaging elements; A second group of imaging devices that form a column orthogonal to the transport direction is set on the downstream side in the transport direction rather than the first group of imaging devices, wherein the posture determining means 33 (refer to FIG. 1 ) includes the first imaging device The group performs posture determination processing based on the acquired image data, and the second imaging element group performs posture determination processing based on the acquired image data, and according to the determination result of the posture determination unit 33, the exclusion means (5) is configured to work.

Here, when only one line camera is used to acquire image data used for the discrimination processing, an imaging error occurs due to the bouncing of the workpiece W from the conveyance path 10 due to vibration, etc., and the achievement rate [posture] The probability that only the workpiece W with an appropriate posture can be sent to the transport destination by accurately discriminating [ In order to solve this problem, it is also conceivable to install two line cameras and perform an attitude|position determination process twice, but increasing the installed number of line cameras leads to a cost increase.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, after the first posture determination processing based on the image data acquired by the first imaging device group, the second imaging device group is applied to the workpiece W not excluded by the one air jet nozzle 50a. The second posture determination processing based on the acquired image data can be performed. Therefore, by configuring so as to actuate the exclusion means 5 according to the determination result, only the workpiece W determined to be in the predetermined posture can be sent to the transport destination more stably compared to the case where the posture determination processing is performed only once. It is possible to improve the achievement rate while suppressing an increase in cost.

<Third embodiment>

Hereinafter, the components feeder 120 which is 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. In addition, since the components feeder 120 of this embodiment is the same as the components feeder 100 of the said 1st Embodiment except the structure mentioned later, description is abbreviate|omitted about the structure similar to the components feeder 100.

The component feeder 120 which is 3rd Embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 6 not only whether the specific surface of the workpiece|work W faces a predetermined direction, but also the front-back direction is required to align the workpiece W. For simple identification, a diode in which a characteristic point (mark) Wm is formed behind the conveying direction on the upper surface Wu as a specific surface, for example, is used as the workpiece W.

In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the first imaging element group and the second imaging element group are set in the line mode, and these are configured to perform imaging continuously at the same timing. The distance between the imaging range (first imaging line) E _L 1 of the first imaging device group and the imaging range (second imaging line) E _L 2 of the second imaging device group is the front end portion of the work W ( Wa) to the feature point Wm, which is set as the distance between the imaging range E _L 1 of the first imaging element group and the imaging range E _L 2 of the second imaging element group, and the second imaging element group The air injection nozzle 50 is provided in the position close to imaging range E _L2. In the present embodiment, when the _{workpiece W arrives within the imaging range E L} 2 of the second imaging element group and the front end Wa of the workpiece W is detected by the edge detection unit 32b, the When the characteristic point Wm of the workpiece W is detected based on image data based on the first group of imaging elements introduced at the same time, it is determined that the workpiece W is in an appropriate attitude, otherwise it is determined that it is an inappropriate attitude. . Except for the above configuration, it is the same as in the first embodiment.

The process with respect to one work|work W is demonstrated more concretely using the flowchart shown in FIG. The image data simultaneously acquired by the 1st imaging element group and the 2nd imaging element group are introduced into the control device 3 via the image introduction means 31 (step S1), the preprocessing means 32 performs preprocessing, Based on the image data acquired by the 2 imaging element group, it is judged whether the front end part Wa of the workpiece|work W was detected by the edge part detection part 32b (step S2). When the front end Wa of the workpiece W is not detected (step S2: NO), the flow returns to step S1. When the front end part Wa of the workpiece W is detected (step S2: "Yes"), the feature point Mw of the workpiece W is performed by the preprocessing means 32 based on the image data acquired by the first imaging device group. ) is detected (step S3). When the feature point Mw is detected (step S3: "Yes"), the posture determination means 33 judges that the posture of the work W is appropriate and does not perform the exclusion process, and ends this flowchart. When the characteristic point Wm of the work W is not detected (step S2: "No"), the posture determining means 33 judges that the posture of the work W is inappropriate, and the air The timing at which the jet nozzle 50 jets compressed air is calculated (step S4). This timing is the waiting time for the timing control means 36 based on the conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece|work W based on the conveyance speed Vw of the workpiece|work W similarly to 1st embodiment based on the image data acquired by the 1st imaging element group or the 2nd imaging element group. This is done by calculating Tα. When the waiting time Tα has elapsed, the command output means 34 outputs an energization command (step S5), and the workpiece W determined to be in an inappropriate posture by the exclusion means 5 is removed (step S6), as shown in this flowchart. will end

As mentioned above, the image processing apparatus for components feeders which is 3rd Embodiment blows compressed air with respect to the workpiece|work W which reached|attained the workpiece processing positions P2 and P2 set on the conveyance path 10, and, thereby, ) is applied to the component feeder 120 provided with the exclusion means 5 to exclude, , the setting means 30 includes, among the plurality of imaging elements, a first group of imaging elements that form a column perpendicular to the conveying direction, and orthogonal to the conveying direction on a downstream side of the conveying direction rather than the first group of imaging elements. A second group of imaging elements forming a row is set, and when the front end portion of the workpiece W in the transport direction _{is within the imaging range E L} 2 of the second group of imaging devices, the feature point Mw formed on the workpiece W _{) is adjusted to appear within the imaging range E L} 1 of the first imaging element group, and the front end Wa in the conveying direction of the workpiece W based on the image data introduced by the image introducing means 31 . . The feature point Wm is detected based on the simultaneously acquired image data of the first imaging element group, and the exclusion means 5 is operated with respect to the workpiece W in which the feature point Wm is not detected.

For the workpiece in which the feature point Wm is formed on the upper surface Wu in the rear or forward direction in the conveyance direction, the posture can be determined even in the configurations of the first and second embodiments, but the configuration of the first and second embodiments processing is complicated. Accordingly, the second imaging element group functions as a synchronous sensor that detects the front end Wa of the work W, and when the front end Wa of the work W is detected, the feature point Wm is detected, When the feature point is detected, it is determined that the posture of the work W is appropriate, and when it is not detected, it is determined that the posture is inappropriate. In addition, the 1st imaging element group and the 2nd imaging element group can be easily and conveniently installed by setting by the setting means 30 while looking at the image data acquired in the case of an area mode, for example.

In addition, although it is also conceivable to use two line cameras as a configuration for imaging two places of one work W, the work W used in the present embodiment has a size of about 6 mm on one side. It is difficult to arrange two line cameras at a position capable of capturing a narrow range.

The component feeders 100, 110, and 120 of the present invention use the image processing apparatus 8 for component feeders, and include a component feeder main body 1 having a conveyance path 10 through which a workpiece W is conveyed; , an area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a conveying direction of the work W and a direction orthogonal thereto, and acquiring image data by imaging the work W conveyed along the conveying path 10 ( 2), and with respect to the work W passing through the work processing position P2 set in the conveyance path 10, the exclusion means 5 for removing from the conveyance path 10, and the attitude determination means 33 It is characterized by comprising command output means (34) for outputting a command for actuating the discharging means (5) when it is determined that it is not in the predetermined posture. In these component feeders 100, 110, and 120, by using almost all the imaging elements included in the area camera 2, an imaging element group can be simply and accurately set to an appropriate position, and only the imaging element group can be used for imaging. By making it usable, the transfer speed of image data can be improved, and the conveyance of the workpiece|work W can be speeded up.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the specific structure of each part is not limited only to embodiment mentioned above.

For example, in the first to third embodiments, the removal processing for removing the workpiece W determined to be in an inappropriate posture from the conveyance path 10 is performed, but instead of the removal means 5 as the workpiece processing means It is good also as a structure which provides an attitude|position correction means and corrects the attitude|position of the workpiece|work W determined to be an inappropriate attitude|position at the correction position set on the conveyance path 10. As shown in FIG. The posture correcting means includes an air jet nozzle that jets compressed air toward the work W through a hole formed at the posture correcting position of the conveyance path 10, and blows compressed air from the air jet nozzle to the correcting position. Correct the posture by inverting or rotating the existing workpiece (W). In addition, as an attitude correction means, if the attitude|position of the workpiece|work W can be corrected, it will not be limited to this structure. The posture correction means is configured to spray compressed air from the air injection nozzle when an energization command is output from the command output means.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the image processing apparatus 8 for parts feeders is used in order to discriminate|determine the attitude|position of the workpiece|work W, the shape and color of the workpiece|work W, silk characters on the workpiece|work W, etc. It may be used to inspect the appearance of W). In this case, the image processing apparatus for the component feeder is configured to appropriately include means for inspecting the external appearance of the work W instead of the posture determining means 33 for determining the posture of the work W.

Further, in the first to third embodiments, the preprocessing means 32 immediately performs preprocessing such as binarization processing whenever image data is introduced by the image introduction means 31, but After the introduction is completed, a binarization process and image combining may be performed on all image data in which the work W is shown, which is a pre-processing.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the number of images acquisition means 42a uses the number of pixels of the composite image data to calculate the number of images A applied to the formula (1), but Instead of the number of pixels, the sum of the number of pixels in the plurality of image data from the image data in which the front end Wa of the work W appears to the image data in which the rear end Wb of the work W appears is the sum of the number of pixels. You may use it. Moreover, in order to acquire the number of times of imaging A, the structure which directly counts the number of times that the area camera 2 images may be sufficient.

In addition, although the image data acquired with the area camera 2 is synthesize|combined in 1st, 2nd Embodiment, you may make it discriminate|determine without combining. Moreover, with respect to one workpiece|work W, you may make it good or bad determination performed only based on the image data obtained by one imaging. Moreover, it is not continuously image|photographed, but you may provide separately that the sensor which detects that the workpiece|work W has arrived, and you may make it image when the workpiece|work W arrives.

Further, in the second embodiment, in the case where the workpiece W determined based on the image data acquired by the first imaging element group is unsuitable, a second method is used to confirm whether it is excluded by one of the air jet nozzles 50a. Two imaging element groups may be used. In this case, based on the distance between the first imaging element group and the second imaging element group, after the workpiece W passes the imaging range E _L 1 of the first imaging element group, imaging of the second imaging element group When the time until reaching the range E _L 2 is obtained in advance and the workpiece W determined to be inappropriate based on the image data acquired by the first imaging device group is acquired by the second imaging device group, another It is made to remove the said workpiece|work W by the air injection nozzle 50b of the side.

Moreover, in 2nd Embodiment, although it is comprised so that the attitude|position determination process of the 2nd time may be performed with respect to all the workpiece|works W which are not excluded by the one air jet nozzle 50a, in order to suppress an increase in processing, one workpiece|work With respect to (W), only when it is determined that the first imaging element group is an appropriate attitude by the attitude determination processing based on the image data acquired, imaging is performed with the 2nd imaging element group, and the 2nd attitude|position is based on the image data. You may make it discriminate|determining process.

In the second embodiment, two air jet nozzles 50a and 50b are provided, however, the air jet nozzles may be provided only on the downstream side in the conveying direction rather than _{the imaging range E L 2 of the second imaging element group.} . In this case, the attitude determination processing is performed twice for all the conveyed workpieces W, and the exclusion processing is performed on the workpieces W determined to be inappropriate in at least one of the attitude determination processing.

Further, in the third embodiment, the front end part Wa of the work W is detected based on the image data acquired by the first imaging device group, but the workpiece W is detected based on the image data acquired by the first imaging device group. You may configure so that the rear end Wb of In the configuration for detecting the front end Wa of the work W, rather than the configuration for detecting the rear end Wb of the work W, imaging is started for one work W and then the work ( The timing until the posture determination of W) is made faster, and when the workpiece W is unsuitable, the removal operation can be performed quickly.

Incidentally, the imaging element group is not limited to a case in which only one image pickup element is arranged in one row, and within the scope where the effect of the present invention is exhibited, two or more adjacent image pickup elements are arranged along the conveyance direction of the workpiece W do.

Various modifications may be made to other configurations without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

2: area camera
5: work processing means (exclusion means)
8: image processing device for parts feeder
10: return path
30: setting means
31: image introduction means
32: pretreatment means
33: means for determining the quality of the work (posture determination means)
34: command output means
50: pressing force applying part (air injection nozzle)
100: part feeder
E _L 1 : Imaging range of the first imaging element group
E _L 2 : imaging range of the second imaging element group
Wa: the front end of the workpiece
W: work
Wm: feature point
Wu: specific face (top face)
P2: Workpiece processing position (exclusion position)

Claims (6)

A camera for imaging a work conveyed along the conveyance path, and a target position set on a work that has reached the work processing position set on the conveyance path is excluded from the conveyance path or the conveyance path by applying a pressing force from the pressing force applying unit to the target position It is an image processing apparatus for a parts feeder applied to a parts feeder provided with a workpiece processing means for posture correction on the top,
As the camera, an area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a conveyance direction of the workpiece and a direction orthogonal thereto and acquiring image data by these imaging elements is employed;
setting means for setting, among the plurality of imaging elements included in the area camera, only some of the imaging elements that form a column orthogonal to the conveying direction so that they can be used for imaging;
image introduction means for immediately introducing acquired image data from the area camera when only the part of the image pickup device is used for image pickup;
a work quality determination means for performing a work quality determination process based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means;
and configured to operate the work processing unit according to the determination result of the work quality determination unit,
In the case where all the imaging devices are used for imaging, the imaging range of the area camera is set to a position including the pressing force applying unit, and the position of some of the imaging devices is determined by the setting means on the image data showing the imaging range. An image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, characterized in that it is configured to be selectable and set. A camera for imaging a work conveyed along the conveyance path, and a target position set on a work that has reached the work processing position set on the conveyance path is excluded from the conveyance path or the conveyance path by applying a pressing force from the pressing force applying unit to the target position It is an image processing apparatus for a parts feeder applied to a parts feeder provided with a workpiece processing means for posture correction on the top,
As the camera, an area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a conveyance direction of the workpiece and a direction orthogonal thereto and acquiring image data by these imaging elements is employed;
Among the plurality of imaging elements included in the area camera, a first group of imaging elements that form a column orthogonal to the transport direction, and a column of orthogonal to the transport direction on the downstream side of the transport direction from the first imaging element group setting means for setting the second imaging element group to be usable for imaging;
image introduction means for immediately introducing acquired image data from the area camera when only a part of the image pickup elements are used for imaging;
a work quality determination means for performing a work quality determination process based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means;
The quality determination means of the work performs a quality determination process based on the image data acquired by the first imaging element group, and performs a quality determination process based on the image data acquired by the second imaging element group,
An image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, characterized in that the workpiece processing means is operated according to a determination result of the workpiece quality or non-determining means. A camera for imaging a work conveyed along the conveyance path, and a target position set on a work that has reached the work processing position set on the conveyance path is excluded from the conveyance path or the conveyance path by applying a pressing force from the pressing force applying unit to the target position It is an image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, which is applied to a parts feeder, comprising a workpiece processing means for correcting the posture on an image, and using, as the workpiece, a workpiece having predetermined feature points formed on a part of a specific surface,
As the camera, an area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a conveyance direction of the workpiece and a direction orthogonal thereto and acquiring image data by these imaging elements is employed;
Among the plurality of imaging elements included in the area camera, a first group of imaging elements that form a column orthogonal to the transport direction, and a column of orthogonal to the transport direction on the downstream side of the transport direction from the first imaging element group setting means for setting the second imaging element group to be usable for imaging;
image introduction means for immediately introducing acquired image data from the area camera when only a part of the image pickup elements are used for imaging;
a work quality determination means for performing a work quality determination process based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means;
When the transport direction front end portion or the transport direction rear end portion of the work is within the imaging range of the second imaging device group, the feature points formed on the work are adjusted to appear within the imaging range of the first imaging device group,
Further comprising pre-processing means capable of detecting a front end portion in a conveyance direction or a rear end portion in a conveyance direction of the workpiece based on the image data introduced by the image introduction means, and the feature point;
When the conveyance direction front end or the conveyance direction rear end part is detected based on the image data acquired by the said 2nd imaging element group, the detection of the said characteristic point is performed based on the image data of the 1st imaging element group acquired simultaneously with the said image data. do,
An image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, characterized in that said work processing means is operated with respect to a work in which said characteristic point is not detected. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image pickup by the part of the image pickup devices set by the setting means is continuously performed,
Further comprising pre-processing means capable of discriminating the work based on the image data immediately introduced by the image introduction means;
The image processing apparatus for a parts feeder, wherein said work quality determination means performs quality determination processing of a workpiece|work based on the image data which was determined by the said pre-processing means that a work appeared. It uses the image processing apparatus for component feeders in any one of Claims 1-3,
A component feeder body having a conveying path through which a work is conveyed;
an area camera having a plurality of imaging elements arranged in a conveyance direction of the work and in a direction orthogonal thereto, and acquiring image data by imaging the work conveyed along the conveyance path;
Work processing means for removing from the conveyance path or correcting posture on the conveyance path with respect to the work passing through the work processing position set on the conveyance path;
and command output means for outputting a command for actuating the workpiece processing means when the quality/determination means for determining whether the workpiece has a predetermined appearance or posture. delete

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