WO2018051366A1 - System and method for inspecting manufactured products. - Google Patents

System and method for inspecting manufactured products. Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2018051366A1
WO2018051366A1 PCT/IN2017/050397 IN2017050397W WO2018051366A1 WO 2018051366 A1 WO2018051366 A1 WO 2018051366A1 IN 2017050397 W IN2017050397 W IN 2017050397W WO 2018051366 A1 WO2018051366 A1 WO 2018051366A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
manufactured products
products
atleast
self
reference data
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IN2017/050397
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Sudeep SUNDARAM
Anupriya BALIKAI
Original Assignee
Spookfish Innovations Private Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Spookfish Innovations Private Limited filed Critical Spookfish Innovations Private Limited
Publication of WO2018051366A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018051366A1/en

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
    • G01B11/06—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/85—Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/88—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
    • G01N21/8806—Specially adapted optical and illumination features
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
    • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
    • G05B19/418—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
    • G05B19/41875—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] characterised by quality surveillance of production
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N2021/845—Objects on a conveyor
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/85—Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
    • G01N2021/8592—Grain or other flowing solid samples
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/88—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
    • G01N21/93—Detection standards; Calibrating baseline adjustment, drift correction
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/88—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
    • G01N21/95—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination characterised by the material or shape of the object to be examined
    • G01N21/952—Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
    • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
    • G05B2219/32—Operator till task planning
    • G05B2219/32189—Compare between original solid model and measured manufactured object
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
    • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
    • G05B2219/32—Operator till task planning
    • G05B2219/32206—Selection from a lot of workpieces to be inspected
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
    • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
    • G05B2219/32—Operator till task planning
    • G05B2219/32212—If parameter out of tolerance reject product
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P90/00—Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
    • Y02P90/02—Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Definitions

  • the invention generally relates to a method and system of inspecting manufactured products, more specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products using a combination of moving parts in conveyor assembly controlled through integrated software modules.
  • inspection plays a major role to ensure uniformity and quality control. Inspection may happen at different stages of the process. It may involve examining raw materials, testing of manufacturing apparatus and also ensuring quality of manufactured products. The quality related inspection of the manufactured products may further involve checks with respect to size, dimension, surface etc of the products.
  • the known method of inspection involves pre feeding of ideal product details such as length, breadth, height, surface, texture, material and the like into a computer system which is in communication with the apparatus meant to inspect. According to the received information from the computer system, the apparatus compares the details of the product with that of pre-fed ideal details and thus identifies the defective products.
  • the object of the invention is to provide system and method for inspecting manufactured products using an apparatus designed to examine all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a unique conveyor assembly setup consisting of at least one belt and a set of high resolution line scan cameras with light sources.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide an inspection apparatus configured to capture product specifications, dimensions and surface details from an initial exemplary set of products for inspection purposes.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide an integrated software module which can electrically control the inspection apparatus.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system and method for rejecting defective products wherein the system is configured to self calibrate based on the product to be inspected.
  • the invention provides a system and method for inspecting manufactured products where the system is comprising of an inspection apparatus configured to capture product specification details of the manufactured products using a set of exemplary products and a central processing unit which is designed to receive the product specification details from the inspection apparatus and based on the received specification, the central processing unit determines a reference data of the manufactured products
  • the inspection apparatus is configured with a self calibrating setup which is designed to position itself based on the received reference data from the central processing unit.
  • the self calibrating setup further comprising of a conveyor assembly disposed with atleast one guide wherein the guide is configured to self adjust its position to streamline the manufactured products on the conveyor assembly and two visual inspection stations configured to inspect atleast two surfaces of said manufactured products after receiving the manufactured products from the conveyor assembly.
  • Fig. 1 depicts/illustrates details of a system that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 2 shows a flowchart depicting/illustrating the steps involved in the method of examining all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 3 shows a block diagram depicting workings mechanics of multiple parts of the self calibrating apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 4 depicts/illustrates an exemplary embodiment which explains the details of different inspection stations of inspection apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • the embodiments herein below provide a system and method for inspecting manufactured products and rejecting products with unacceptable defects.
  • the system includes an inspection apparatus, which is a combination of moving parts in a conveyor assembly setup with ideally three inspection stations.
  • the apparatus is in communication with a central processing unit, configured with a self learning module.
  • the inspection apparatus is fed with a set of exemplary products, which is a set taken from manufactured products, through which the inspection module captures the product specific details such as product specifications, dimensions and the surface details.
  • the captured data is sent to the central processing unit, where the self learning module automatically determines reference data for the product based on the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set.
  • the reference data may be defined as an ideal or reference dimension, size, surface design, weight, user specific settings and other parameters of the manufactured products detected using exemplary products. Also, there may be a provision to pre-set the level of defect acceptance by the user.
  • the inspection apparatus self calibrate based on the received reference data and examine the manufactured products. As a part of the examination or inspection, the apparatus rejects the products which do not the match with the reference data.
  • Fig. 1 depicts/illustrates details of a system 100 that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • the system 100 has an inspection apparatus 112 which is in communication with a central processing unit 110 through a network 114.
  • the network 114 can be wired or wireless communication network.
  • the wired communication can be carried out by any one of the network configuration such as LAN, WAN, etc and the wireless communication can be done through Mobile Service Provide (MSP) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) having internet connection provided by an ISP provider, 2G/3G/4G/5G internet connection provided by the mobile service provider etc.
  • MSP Mobile Service Provide
  • ISP Internet Service Provider
  • Such wired or wireless communication is not possible without the standard protocols as known in the art, where the standard protocols may be, but not limited to, Bluetooth, WiFi (any band), ZigBee, MOBBUS, Profitbus, LTE, TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, UDP, IPV4, IPV6 etc.
  • a set of exemplary products are fed to the inspection apparatus 112, where the inspection module captures product specific details such as product specifications, dimensions and the surface details. Captured data is sent to the central processing unit 110 configured with a self learning module (not shown in the fig), via network 114, where the captured data is analyzed and processed to obtain reference data based on the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set. The reference data is sent to the inspection apparatus 112, where the inspections of similar products are carried out.
  • the process of inspection of the products involves feeding of the products to a vibratory hopper 114 of the apparatus 112, from where the products are streamlined automatically and are transported to first visual inspection station 116, where a high resolution line scan camera (not shown the fig) acquires images of the components and transfers them into a central processing unit 110 equipped with an inspection software.
  • the software examines the components for correctness in surface including texture, patterns and the like on the surface and product dimensions including diameter checks, shape checks, etc.
  • the defective products, as identified by the software are ejected via jets of compressed air by actuating a pair of pneumatic valves at the precise time when the defective products pass by the ejection valve.
  • the products remaining on the conveyor belt are now transported to the second visual inspection station 118.
  • the transportation of the products is achieved using a conveyor belt all across the apparatus 112.
  • second visual inspection station 118 the process, as explained in first visual station 116, is repeated to examine the second surface of the product and rejecting defective products by second pair of pneumatic valves.
  • the remaining products are further transported to third or final visual inspection station 120, wherein the products slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels.
  • the glass panels are placed such that the lateral reflections are reflected back into a third line scan camera placed above the glass panels.
  • LED spot lights are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels, such that the component forms a precise silhouette on the camera sensor. This enables high precision measurement of the thickness of the components.
  • a third pair of pneumatic valves are in place beyond third or final visual inspection station 120 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the set requirements.
  • the system 100 may have a controller device that is configured to receive the reference data from the processing unit 110 and transfers it to the inspection apparatus 112.
  • the method 200 involving examining all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products are explained further in Fig.2.
  • the dimension and surface design of the manufactured products are obtained by the inspection apparatus by feeding the inspection apparatus with a set of exemplary products and the captured data is sent to the processing unit 202.
  • the self learning module of the processor Based on the captured data, the self learning module of the processor generates reference data and transfers it to the inspection module 204, where the reference data includes the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set.
  • the dimension and the surface design of the product can be manually fed into the central processing unit, using which the inspection apparatus inspects the products.
  • fig.2 inspection apparatus is configured to constantly interact with self-learning software, to enable seamless extension of the inspection process to never-seen-before components.
  • self-learning software to enable seamless extension of the inspection process to never-seen-before components.
  • hardware components of the apparatus self-calibrate using stepper and servo motors, so that all guides and measuring equipment position themselves to immediately enable inspection of said components.
  • the inspection apparatus which is suitable for inspecting dimension and surface design of any manufactured products, self calibrates based on the instructions from the self-learning software.
  • Working mechanics of multiple parts of the self calibrating setup based on the self-learning software is shown in Fig.3.
  • the block diagram 300 comprises of a self learning software based calibrating setup 310, which receives the reference data 304, based on which the setup 310 calibrates itself.
  • a set of products 306 are fed to the vibratory hopper 312, which calibrates itself based on the size of the fed products.
  • the self-learning software determines number of electrical pulses to be sent to the stepper motor (not shown in the Fig), which in turn helps to locate the one end of the guide 314 at a specific location and other end of the guide 314 is stationary, but consists of a pivot to enable rotator movement. Keeping one end of the guide 314 at a required location helps the products 306 to pass through a specific passage and helps them in streamlining.
  • the streamlined products 306 are continued on a conveyor belt 302 and reaches inspection station 1 316 (first inspection station).
  • the products 306, reaching inspection station 1 316, are scanned by a line scanning camera 318, where the first surface of the products 306 are scanned.
  • the placement of the line scanning camera 316 automatically varies according to the reference size of the products 306, the distance of the camera 318 should be at optimum range so as to cover the every surface detail of the products 306, according to which the camera 318 moves vertically as well as horizontally and adjusts itself.
  • the camera 318 acquires images of the products 306 and transfers them into the processor equipped with inspection software, based on the feedback from the inspection software, the pneumatic valve 320 rejects the defected products, in other words, the products 306 which do not match with the reference data 304.
  • the pneumatic valve 320 passes a jet of air on to the defected products to push it off to a collecting chamber (not shown in the Fig).
  • the valve 320 automatically estimates the required pressure of air depending on the size and weight of the products 306.
  • a robot arm or other similar technologies may be used to pick up defected products from the stream of products 306 and place it aside the setup.
  • the products 306 after first inspection station 316 are flipped and continued on conveyor belt 302 to reach inspection station 2 322 (second inspection station), where similar inspection, as in inspection station 1 316, is carried out for the other surface of the product 306.
  • the conveyor belt 302 continues to carry the products 306 and is sent to final inspection station 328, where the products 306 are slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels 330. Again, the placement or the distance between the glass panels 330 is adjusted based on the size of the products 306. Further, light sources 332 are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels 330, such that the products 306 forms a precise silhouette on the line camera sensor 334.
  • the glass panels 330 may be associated with a dichroic or thin-film filter, which selectively reflects a small range of colors from white light, while reflecting all other colors.
  • a third pneumatic valve 336 is in place beyond visual inspection station 3 328 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the reference data 304.
  • the products 396, which successfully complete the inspection are collected in a container.
  • the manufactured products are coins, whose surface diameters/dimensions are restricted to a maximum of 100mm and thickness of 50mm and also, the inspection is carried out on two parallel lines. The process of inspecting such coins is explained further.
  • Coins to be inspected are loaded into a vibratory hopper 402, which directly feeds the coins into first conveyor belt 404.
  • Guides and overflow mechanisms (not shown in the Fig) are placed on first belt 404 to ensure that before reaching the visual inspection station, the components are neatly aligned in a single stream per inspection line. To help said alignment, the guides self-calibrates according to dimensions of the coins.
  • Coins filtered at this stage are re-directed to an overflow bin, which in turn is connected to an auxiliary conveyor which feeds the overflowed coins back to the first conveyor belt 404.
  • first conveyor belt 404 now aligned into two parallel streams, are transported to first visual inspection station 406, where a high resolution line scan camera 408, suitably aligned with an LED line light, acquires images of the coins and transfers them into the processor equipped with inspection software.
  • the software examines the coins for correctness in surface, shape and dimensions.
  • pair of pneumatics valves which are aligned respectively to the two streams, are placed, controllable through software.
  • Coins that are found to be defective in the software are ejected via jets of compressed air by actuating these pneumatic valves at the precise time when the defective component(s) pass by the ejection valve.
  • Coins remaining on the first conveyor belt 404 are now transported to a “sandwich” section where they are effectively flipped between first conveyor belt 404 and the second conveyor belt 422, following which the coins are transferred to the second conveyor belt 422.
  • the second conveyor belt 422 then transports the coins to second visual inspection station 410, where the process with camera 412 scanning, similar as in the first visual inspection station 406, repeats for the second coin surface.
  • a second pair of pneumatic valves placed beyond the second visual inspection station 410 reject components found to be defective at this station.
  • Fig.4 coins remaining on the second conveyor belt 422 are then transported to the final visual inspection station 414, wherein the coins slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels.
  • the glass panels are placed such that the lateral reflections (in this case the thickness of the coins) are reflected back into a third line scan camera 416 placed above the glass panels.
  • LED spot lights are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels, such that the coin forms a precise silhouette on the camera 416 sensor. This enables high precision measurement of the thickness of the coins.
  • a third pair of pneumatics valves is in place beyond visual inspection station 3 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the set requirements.
  • the coins, which successfully complete the inspection are collected in a container 418. Further, the whole apparatus is connected to a power supply 420 to energize the whole process.
  • the inspection apparatus is independent on identifying and handling errors.
  • the processor of the inspection system is embedded by an error handling sequence in order make sure that the apparatus works effectively at all conditions and identifies all sorts of errors on its own.
  • the error handling sequence activates and the inspection system initiates the process by checking the overflow of the vibratory hopper, then for the low air pressure followed by the check for calibration and lastly the system checks for no coins for a possible minimum time (30 secs approx.). Based on the conducted tests, cause for the error is detected and respective call is taken to fix the error (which is either automatic or manual).
  • the inspection system has several high resolution line scan cameras, suitably aligned with an LED line light. These cameras are constantly in communication with inspection software. The said cameras may self calibrate and adjust their positions to scan a manufactured product based on the received reference dimensions and surface details.
  • the inspection system has an intelligent mechanism of identifying the dust by comparing the previous and present picture taken by a specific camera and spotting the presence of the dust. Once the dust is identified the software behind the camera operation commands the release of jet of air over the camera lens and cleans the camera, where the air is released through the multiple nozzles around the camera lens.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Investigating Materials By The Use Of Optical Means Adapted For Particular Applications (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for inspecting manufactured products. The system includes an inspection apparatus, which is in communication with a central processing unit, configured with inspection and self learning module. Initially, the inspection apparatus is fed with set of exemplary products through which the inspection module captures the product specification, dimensions and the surface details. The captured data is sent to the central processing unit, where it is converted into reference data. Further, different components of the inspection apparatus self calibrate based on the received reference data and examine the manufactured products, and as part of the examination, the apparatus rejects the products which do not the match with the reference data.

Description

System and Method for Inspecting Manufactured Products.
The invention generally relates to a method and system of inspecting manufactured products, more specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products using a combination of moving parts in conveyor assembly controlled through integrated software modules.
In product manufacturing processes, inspection plays a major role to ensure uniformity and quality control. Inspection may happen at different stages of the process. It may involve examining raw materials, testing of manufacturing apparatus and also ensuring quality of manufactured products. The quality related inspection of the manufactured products may further involve checks with respect to size, dimension, surface etc of the products.
There are many methods in existence to carry out inspection process both in a stage wise manner and in real time. While most of the methods involve an apparatus structured to examine specific type of products, there are other methods that rely on manual inspection of the final manufactured products. The known method of inspection involves pre feeding of ideal product details such as length, breadth, height, surface, texture, material and the like into a computer system which is in communication with the apparatus meant to inspect. According to the received information from the computer system, the apparatus compares the details of the product with that of pre-fed ideal details and thus identifies the defective products.
As mentioned earlier, the existing methods are designed for a single category of products, which shows their limitations on adaptability to different products, speed of inspection and precision. Hardware and software parts on existing machines require elaborate manual calibration for enabling inspection of any new product(s).
To overcome above mentioned drawbacks, there is a need for a system that is designed to automatically learn and adapt to products never seen before, and is capable of learning through examples without any manual intervention. More specifically, there is a need for an inspection technology which doesn’t require detailed hardware and software calibration for inspection of any new product.
Object of Invention
The object of the invention is to provide system and method for inspecting manufactured products using an apparatus designed to examine all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products.
Another object of the invention is to provide a unique conveyor assembly setup consisting of at least one belt and a set of high resolution line scan cameras with light sources.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an inspection apparatus configured to capture product specifications, dimensions and surface details from an initial exemplary set of products for inspection purposes.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an integrated software module which can electrically control the inspection apparatus.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system and method for rejecting defective products wherein the system is configured to self calibrate based on the product to be inspected.
The invention provides a system and method for inspecting manufactured products where the system is comprising of an inspection apparatus configured to capture product specification details of the manufactured products using a set of exemplary products and a central processing unit which is designed to receive the product specification details from the inspection apparatus and based on the received specification, the central processing unit determines a reference data of the manufactured products
Further, the inspection apparatus is configured with a self calibrating setup which is designed to position itself based on the received reference data from the central processing unit. The self calibrating setup further comprising of a conveyor assembly disposed with atleast one guide wherein the guide is configured to self adjust its position to streamline the manufactured products on the conveyor assembly and two visual inspection stations configured to inspect atleast two surfaces of said manufactured products after receiving the manufactured products from the conveyor assembly..
These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings.
This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which, like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.
The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 depicts/illustrates details of a system that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 2shows a flowchart depicting/illustrating the steps involved in the method of examining all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 3 shows a block diagram depicting workings mechanics of multiple parts of the self calibrating apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 4 depicts/illustrates an exemplary embodiment which explains the details of different inspection stations of inspection apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and / or detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The embodiments herein below provide a system and method for inspecting manufactured products and rejecting products with unacceptable defects. The system includes an inspection apparatus, which is a combination of moving parts in a conveyor assembly setup with ideally three inspection stations. The apparatus is in communication with a central processing unit, configured with a self learning module. Initially, the inspection apparatus is fed with a set of exemplary products, which is a set taken from manufactured products, through which the inspection module captures the product specific details such as product specifications, dimensions and the surface details. The captured data is sent to the central processing unit, where the self learning module automatically determines reference data for the product based on the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set. The reference data may be defined as an ideal or reference dimension, size, surface design, weight, user specific settings and other parameters of the manufactured products detected using exemplary products. Also, there may be a provision to pre-set the level of defect acceptance by the user.
Further, different components of the inspection apparatus self calibrate based on the received reference data and examine the manufactured products. As a part of the examination or inspection, the apparatus rejects the products which do not the match with the reference data.
Referring now to the drawings, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
Fig. 1 depicts/illustrates details of a system 100 that examines all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The system 100 has an inspection apparatus 112 which is in communication with a central processing unit 110 through a network 114.
One skilled in the art may recognize that the network 114 can be wired or wireless communication network. The wired communication can be carried out by any one of the network configuration such as LAN, WAN, etc and the wireless communication can be done through Mobile Service Provide (MSP) and Internet Service Provider (ISP) having internet connection provided by an ISP provider, 2G/3G/4G/5G internet connection provided by the mobile service provider etc. Such wired or wireless communication is not possible without the standard protocols as known in the art, where the standard protocols may be, but not limited to, Bluetooth, WiFi (any band), ZigBee, MOBBUS, Profitbus, LTE, TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, UDP, IPV4, IPV6 etc.
A set of exemplary products are fed to the inspection apparatus 112, where the inspection module captures product specific details such as product specifications, dimensions and the surface details. Captured data is sent to the central processing unit 110 configured with a self learning module (not shown in the fig), via network 114, where the captured data is analyzed and processed to obtain reference data based on the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set. The reference data is sent to the inspection apparatus 112, where the inspections of similar products are carried out.
The process of inspection of the products involves feeding of the products to a vibratory hopper 114 of the apparatus 112, from where the products are streamlined automatically and are transported to first visual inspection station 116, where a high resolution line scan camera (not shown the fig) acquires images of the components and transfers them into a central processing unit 110 equipped with an inspection software. The software examines the components for correctness in surface including texture, patterns and the like on the surface and product dimensions including diameter checks, shape checks, etc. The defective products, as identified by the software are ejected via jets of compressed air by actuating a pair of pneumatic valves at the precise time when the defective products pass by the ejection valve.
The products remaining on the conveyor belt are now transported to the second visual inspection station 118. The transportation of the products is achieved using a conveyor belt all across the apparatus 112. In second visual inspection station 118, the process, as explained in first visual station 116, is repeated to examine the second surface of the product and rejecting defective products by second pair of pneumatic valves. The remaining products are further transported to third or final visual inspection station 120, wherein the products slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels. The glass panels are placed such that the lateral reflections are reflected back into a third line scan camera placed above the glass panels. LED spot lights are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels, such that the component forms a precise silhouette on the camera sensor. This enables high precision measurement of the thickness of the components. A third pair of pneumatic valves are in place beyond third or final visual inspection station 120 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the set requirements.
In one embodiment, the system 100 may have a controller device that is configured to receive the reference data from the processing unit 110 and transfers it to the inspection apparatus 112.
The method 200 involving examining all external surfaces and dimensions of manufactured products are explained further in Fig.2. Firstly, the dimension and surface design of the manufactured products are obtained by the inspection apparatus by feeding the inspection apparatus with a set of exemplary products and the captured data is sent to the processing unit 202. Based on the captured data, the self learning module of the processor generates reference data and transfers it to the inspection module 204, where the reference data includes the most common characteristics of the exemplary product set.
In an alternate embodiment, the dimension and the surface design of the product can be manually fed into the central processing unit, using which the inspection apparatus inspects the products..
With respect to Fig.2, once the reference data is received, multiple components of the inspection apparatus such as, guides, cameras and light sources are self calibrated based on the reference data received 206. The manufactured products that need to be inspected are now fed to a vibratory hopper and gradually to a conveyor belt of the inspection apparatus 208 and through conveyor belt, streamlined manufactured products are sent to first, second and final inspection stations 210. Lastly, the products with undefined/unacceptable defects are rejected using pneumatic valves placed strategically after every inspection station 212.
Further, with respect to fig.2 inspection apparatus is configured to constantly interact with self-learning software, to enable seamless extension of the inspection process to never-seen-before components. Upon specification of a new product dimensions, hardware components of the apparatus self-calibrate using stepper and servo motors, so that all guides and measuring equipment position themselves to immediately enable inspection of said components.
In one embodiment the inspection apparatus, which is suitable for inspecting dimension and surface design of any manufactured products, self calibrates based on the instructions from the self-learning software. Working mechanics of multiple parts of the self calibrating setup based on the self-learning software is shown in Fig.3. The block diagram 300 comprises of a self learning software based calibrating setup 310, which receives the reference data 304, based on which the setup 310 calibrates itself.
In one embodiment, a set of products 306 are fed to the vibratory hopper 312, which calibrates itself based on the size of the fed products. The ideal or reference dimension, size, surface design, weight, user specific settings and other parameters, which are collectively called reference data 304 of the products 306. Based on the received reference data of the products 306, the self-learning software determines number of electrical pulses to be sent to the stepper motor (not shown in the Fig), which in turn helps to locate the one end of the guide 314 at a specific location and other end of the guide 314 is stationary, but consists of a pivot to enable rotator movement. Keeping one end of the guide 314 at a required location helps the products 306 to pass through a specific passage and helps them in streamlining. The streamlined products 306 are continued on a conveyor belt 302 and reaches inspection station 1 316 (first inspection station).
The products 306, reaching inspection station 1 316, are scanned by a line scanning camera 318, where the first surface of the products 306 are scanned. The placement of the line scanning camera 316 automatically varies according to the reference size of the products 306, the distance of the camera 318 should be at optimum range so as to cover the every surface detail of the products 306, according to which the camera 318 moves vertically as well as horizontally and adjusts itself. Further the camera 318 acquires images of the products 306 and transfers them into the processor equipped with inspection software, based on the feedback from the inspection software, the pneumatic valve 320 rejects the defected products, in other words, the products 306 which do not match with the reference data 304. The pneumatic valve 320, passes a jet of air on to the defected products to push it off to a collecting chamber (not shown in the Fig). The valve 320 automatically estimates the required pressure of air depending on the size and weight of the products 306.
In an alternative embodiment, if the product 306 size is too big to reject using pneumatic valves 320, a robot arm or other similar technologies may be used to pick up defected products from the stream of products 306 and place it aside the setup.
The products 306 after first inspection station 316 are flipped and continued on conveyor belt 302 to reach inspection station 2 322 (second inspection station), where similar inspection, as in inspection station 1 316, is carried out for the other surface of the product 306. The conveyor belt 302 continues to carry the products 306 and is sent to final inspection station 328, where the products 306 are slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels 330. Again, the placement or the distance between the glass panels 330 is adjusted based on the size of the products 306. Further, light sources 332 are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels 330, such that the products 306 forms a precise silhouette on the line camera sensor 334.
In one embodiment, the glass panels 330 may be associated with a dichroic or thin-film filter, which selectively reflects a small range of colors from white light, while reflecting all other colors.
This enables high precision measurement of the thickness of the products 306. A third pneumatic valve 336 is in place beyond visual inspection station 3 328 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the reference data 304. The products 396, which successfully complete the inspection are collected in a container.
To throw more light on the process of inspection of manufactured products, let us consider an exemplary embodiment with respect to Fig.4. Let us assume the manufactured products are coins, whose surface diameters/dimensions are restricted to a maximum of 100mm and thickness of 50mm and also, the inspection is carried out on two parallel lines. The process of inspecting such coins is explained further.
Coins to be inspected are loaded into a vibratory hopper 402, which directly feeds the coins into first conveyor belt 404. Guides and overflow mechanisms (not shown in the Fig) are placed on first belt 404 to ensure that before reaching the visual inspection station, the components are neatly aligned in a single stream per inspection line. To help said alignment, the guides self-calibrates according to dimensions of the coins. Coins filtered at this stage are re-directed to an overflow bin, which in turn is connected to an auxiliary conveyor which feeds the overflowed coins back to the first conveyor belt 404.
Further, coins on the first conveyor belt 404, now aligned into two parallel streams, are transported to first visual inspection station 406, where a high resolution line scan camera 408, suitably aligned with an LED line light, acquires images of the coins and transfers them into the processor equipped with inspection software. The software examines the coins for correctness in surface, shape and dimensions.
Following the first visual inspection station 406, pair of pneumatics valves, which are aligned respectively to the two streams, are placed, controllable through software. Coins that are found to be defective in the software are ejected via jets of compressed air by actuating these pneumatic valves at the precise time when the defective component(s) pass by the ejection valve. Coins remaining on the first conveyor belt 404 are now transported to a “sandwich” section where they are effectively flipped between first conveyor belt 404 and the second conveyor belt 422, following which the coins are transferred to the second conveyor belt 422.
Furthermore, the second conveyor belt 422 then transports the coins to second visual inspection station 410, where the process with camera 412 scanning, similar as in the first visual inspection station 406, repeats for the second coin surface. A second pair of pneumatic valves placed beyond the second visual inspection station 410 reject components found to be defective at this station.
With respect to Fig.4, coins remaining on the second conveyor belt 422 are then transported to the final visual inspection station 414, wherein the coins slide down a stainless steel plate on either side of a pair of semi-reflective glass panels. The glass panels are placed such that the lateral reflections (in this case the thickness of the coins) are reflected back into a third line scan camera 416 placed above the glass panels. LED spot lights are placed on both sides of the stainless steel plate, directed towards the glass panels, such that the coin forms a precise silhouette on the camera 416 sensor. This enables high precision measurement of the thickness of the coins. A third pair of pneumatics valves is in place beyond visual inspection station 3 to reject components whose thickness does not meet the set requirements. The coins, which successfully complete the inspection are collected in a container 418. Further, the whole apparatus is connected to a power supply 420 to energize the whole process.
In one embodiment, the inspection apparatus is independent on identifying and handling errors. The processor of the inspection system is embedded by an error handling sequence in order make sure that the apparatus works effectively at all conditions and identifies all sorts of errors on its own. Once the apparatus receives an error, the error handling sequence activates and the inspection system initiates the process by checking the overflow of the vibratory hopper, then for the low air pressure followed by the check for calibration and lastly the system checks for no coins for a possible minimum time (30 secs approx.). Based on the conducted tests, cause for the error is detected and respective call is taken to fix the error (which is either automatic or manual).
In another embodiment, the inspection system has several high resolution line scan cameras, suitably aligned with an LED line light. These cameras are constantly in communication with inspection software. The said cameras may self calibrate and adjust their positions to scan a manufactured product based on the received reference dimensions and surface details.
Further, one major problem with these high resolution scan cameras is the accumulation of dust after a specific times of use. In order to overcome this problem, the inspection system has an intelligent mechanism of identifying the dust by comparing the previous and present picture taken by a specific camera and spotting the presence of the dust. Once the dust is identified the software behind the camera operation commands the release of jet of air over the camera lens and cleans the camera, where the air is released through the multiple nozzles around the camera lens.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims (19)

1. A system for inspecting manufactured products, said system comprising:
an inspection apparatus configured to capture product specification details of said manufactured products using a set of exemplary products;
a central processing unit in communication with said inspection apparatus wherein said central processing unit configured to receive said product specification details and determine reference data of said manufactured products; and
a self calibrating setup disposed within said inspection apparatus wherein said self calibrating setup is configured to position itself based on received said reference data from said central processing unit, said self calibrating setup comprising of
atleast one conveyor assembly disposed with atleast one guide wherein said guide is configured to self adjust its position to streamline said manufactured products on said conveyor assembly; and
atleast two visual inspection stations configured to receive said manufactured products from said conveyor assembly, said visual inspection stations disposed with at least one line scan camera each wherein said visual inspection stations are configured to self align said respective line scan cameras to inspect atleast two surfaces of said manufactured products.
The system of claim 1 wherein said self calibrating setup further comprising of a vibratory hopper configured to self position in order to intake said manufactured products.
The system of claim 1 wherein said self calibrating setup further comprising of a final visual inspection station disposed with atleast one pair of stainless steel plates, atleast one pair of semi-reflective glass pannels, a light source and a line scan camera wherein said final visual inspection station is configured to measure thickness of said manufactured products.
The system of claim 3 wherein said light source may be LED spot lights.
The system of claim 3 wherein said glass panels may be associated with a dichroic or thin-film filter, which selectively reflects a small range of colors from white light.
The system of claim 1 wherein said central processing unit further comprising of a self learning module wherein said self learning module configured to learn most common characteristics of said exemplary products and help said central processing unit to determine reference data.
The system of claim 1 wherein said exemplary products may be a sample set taken from said manufactured products.
The system of claim 1 wherein said product specific details may be product specifications, dimensions and surface details.
The system of claim 1 wherein said reference data may be an ideal or reference dimension, size, surface design, weight, user specific settings and other parameters of said manufactured products detected using said exemplary products.
The system of claim 1 wherein ideal size of said manufactured products may be within 100mm of diameter and 50mm of thickness.
The system of claim 10 wherein said manufactured products may be coins.
The system of claim 1 wherein said conveyor assembly further configured with a combination of atleast two conveyor belts, arranged specifically to flip said manufactured products to enable inspection on both top and bottom surfaces of said manufactured products.
The system of claim 1 wherein said visual inspection stations are further disposed with atleast one pneumatic valve each wherein said pneumatic valve is configured to reject said manufactured products that do not match said reference data by passing a jet of air and pushing said products off said conveyor assembly.
The system of claim 1 wherein said line scan cameras are further comprising of
an inspection system configured to identify dust on lens of said line scan sensors by comparing a previous picture with a present picture taken by said line sensor camera; and
atleast one nozzle strategically disposed on said line scan camera wherein said nozzle is configured to automatically release a jet of air over said camera lens if dust is detected.
The system of claim 1 wherein said inspection apparatus further configured with an error handling sequence wherein said error handling sequence enables said inspection apparatus to identify all sorts of errors on its own.
A method for inspecting manufactured products, said method comprising:
capturing product specification details of said manufactured products using a set of exemplary products;
determining reference data of said manufactured products by receiving said product specification details; and
positioning a self calibrating setup based on received said reference data wherein said positioning of said self calibrating setup includes
streamlining said manufactured products on a conveyor assembly using atleast one guide configured to self adjust its position; and
inspecting said manufactured products using atleast two visual inspection stations wherein said at least two visual inspection stations are disposed with at least one line scan camera each wherein said visual inspection stations are configured to self align said respective line scan cameras to inspect atleast two surfaces of said manufactured products.
The method of claim 16 wherein said method for inspecting manufactured products further includes feeding of said manufactured products to a vibratory hopper.
The method of claim 16 wherein said method for inspecting manufactured products further includes measuring of thickness of said manufactured products by forming a precise silhouette on a line sensor camera using atleast one light source placed on each side of atleast one pair of stainless steel plate and directed towards atleast one pair of glass panels.
The method of claim 16 wherein said reference data may be manually fed to said self calibrating setup
PCT/IN2017/050397 2016-09-16 2017-09-14 System and method for inspecting manufactured products. WO2018051366A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IN201641031769 2016-09-16
IN201641031769 2016-09-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2018051366A1 true WO2018051366A1 (en) 2018-03-22

Family

ID=61618683

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IN2017/050397 WO2018051366A1 (en) 2016-09-16 2017-09-14 System and method for inspecting manufactured products.

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2018051366A1 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2020049515A1 (en) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-12 Arcelormittal Method and electronic device for monitoring a manufacturing of a metal product, related computer program and installation
US20210250519A1 (en) * 2018-06-09 2021-08-12 Sudeep Sundaram Simultaneous inspection of multiple surfaces of an object

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6266138B1 (en) * 1999-10-12 2001-07-24 Perceptron, Inc. System and method for detecting defects in a surface of a workpiece
EP2199883A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-23 G.D S.p.A. A method of setting up and managing the inspection device in a machine for manufacturing tobacco products

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6266138B1 (en) * 1999-10-12 2001-07-24 Perceptron, Inc. System and method for detecting defects in a surface of a workpiece
EP2199883A1 (en) * 2008-12-18 2010-06-23 G.D S.p.A. A method of setting up and managing the inspection device in a machine for manufacturing tobacco products

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20210250519A1 (en) * 2018-06-09 2021-08-12 Sudeep Sundaram Simultaneous inspection of multiple surfaces of an object
EP3803786A4 (en) * 2018-06-09 2022-03-30 Sundaram, Sudeep Simultaneous inspection of multiple surfaces of an object
WO2020049515A1 (en) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-12 Arcelormittal Method and electronic device for monitoring a manufacturing of a metal product, related computer program and installation
WO2020049338A1 (en) * 2018-09-06 2020-03-12 Arcelormittal Method and electronic device for monitoring a manufacturing of a metal product, related computer program and installation

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
KR100673138B1 (en) Testing system for solar cells
US5432600A (en) Systems for optically inspecting cylindrical surfaces
JP4713279B2 (en) Illumination device and visual inspection apparatus equipped with the same
CN108956619B (en) Product appearance detection equipment and detection method
CN106596555B (en) Optical inspection apparatus employing multi-axis robot arm
WO2018051366A1 (en) System and method for inspecting manufactured products.
CN110956627A (en) Intelligent optical detection sample characteristic and flaw intelligent lighting image capturing method and device
CN111515146A (en) Screw full-parameter detection machine based on machine vision
US20050011815A1 (en) Apparatus for automatic nut inspection
CN105057229B (en) A kind of sprayed surface defect inspection machine
KR101691397B1 (en) Apparatus for Outside Diameter and Visual Inspection of Taper Roller
WO2018142614A1 (en) Glass bottle inspection device
JP3989739B2 (en) Inspection device
KR101682091B1 (en) Apparatus for inspecting cap
KR102646891B1 (en) Lens Unit Inspection Apparatus
JP2006234725A (en) Method and device for inspecting side surface part of cylindrical article
KR101719470B1 (en) The electronic component testing apparatus and testing method
JP5999859B1 (en) Appearance inspection device
CN112747788A (en) Plank check out test set and plank production line
JPH08285791A (en) Visual inspection apparatus for inner surface of deep object
CN217250727U (en) Reagent card detection equipment
WO2023105665A1 (en) Workpiece appearance image inspection apparatus
CN208952899U (en) High speed on-line measuring device
JPH085574A (en) Go/no-go test equipment and test method for component thrown into cap
KR20230083173A (en) Semiconductor element inspection apparatus and semiconductor element inspection method using same

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
DPE1 Request for preliminary examination filed after expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed from 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 17850431

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 17850431

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1