WO2019106992A1

WO2019106992A1 - Inspection device, inspection method, and manufacturing device

Info

Publication number: WO2019106992A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/038544
Authority: WO
Inventors: 京子松田; 裕介榊原; 真和泉; 綿野　哲
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社; 株式会社Ｐｓ＆Ｔ
Priority date: 2017-11-28
Filing date: 2018-10-16
Publication date: 2019-06-06
Also published as: JP2021028572A

Abstract

The present invention reduces the influence of unevenness of the light intensity of an inspection light without using an optical system for reducing the light intensity unevenness. An inspection device (100) continually or intermittently illuminates each object (1) with an inspection light (3) while changing the relative positional relationship between the objects (1) and the illumination range, so as to create a condition where the entirety of each object (1) is in the illumination range of the inspection light (3), and while changing said relative positional relationship, the inspection device causes a detection unit (7) to detect any transmitted light (8).

Description

Inspection apparatus, inspection method and manufacturing apparatus

The present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus that performs inspection nondestructively by irradiating light.

There is known a nondestructive inspection apparatus which irradiates inspection light emitted from a light source to an object of inspection via an optical system and receives light reflected by the object or light transmitted through the object. . In the inspection apparatus of the type which photographs the appearance with a camera, since the foreign material or defect inside the object can not be detected, such nondestructive inspection apparatus is used. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of such an inspection apparatus. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the object is inspected by relatively displacing the inspection object and the spot of the inspection light.

FIG. 12 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of variation in light intensity depending on the emission direction of light emitted from the light source. As shown in FIG. 12, in general, the intensity of light emitted from a light source (in particular, an LED (light emitting diode)) is not uniform. Therefore, unevenness of light intensity occurs in the spot of the inspection light. The influence of such unevenness may lower the inspection accuracy. So, in the invention of patent document 1, the said nonuniformity is reduced by averaging the light of a LED light source through a diffusion plate and a fiber.

International Publication WO2011 / 121694 (released on October 6, 2011)

However, the provision of an optical system for reducing unevenness in light intensity causes problems such as occurrence of light loss of inspection light and complication of the inspection apparatus.

An object of the present disclosure is to realize an inspection apparatus capable of reducing the influence of the unevenness without using an optical system for reducing the unevenness of the light intensity of the inspection light.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, an inspection device concerning one mode of this indication is a light source which irradiates inspection light to each of a plurality of objects, and a relative of the irradiation range of the object and the inspection light and the inspection light A moving mechanism for changing the positional relationship, and a detection unit for detecting the transmitted light transmitted through the object at a predetermined timing, and while changing the relative positional relationship, the whole of the individual objects is the irradiation range The inspection light is continuously or intermittently applied to the object so as to generate a state included in the above, and the transmitted light is detected by the detection unit while changing the relative positional relationship.

An inspection method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a method for inspecting an object, comprising: irradiating each of a plurality of the objects with an inspection light; and irradiating the object and the inspection light The step of changing the relative positional relationship with the range, the step of detecting the transmitted light transmitted through the object at a predetermined timing, and the irradiation range of the entire individual objects while changing the relative position relationship Irradiating the inspection light to the object continuously or intermittently so as to generate the state included in the step; and detecting the transmitted light by the detection unit while changing the relative positional relationship; including.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the effect of the unevenness can be reduced without using an optical system for reducing the unevenness of the light intensity of the inspection light.

(A) is a figure showing the composition of the inspection device concerning Embodiment 1 of this indication. (B) is a figure which shows a part of structure of a test | inspection apparatus provided with a condensing lens. It is a figure for demonstrating the inspection method in the said inspection apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process in the said test | inspection apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating another inspection method in the said inspection apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the further another inspection method in the said inspection apparatus. (A) is a figure which shows the relationship between the measurement conditions of a target object, and a correct answer rate. (B) is a figure which shows the result of having performed the measurement of the object on another conditions. It is a figure which shows notionally the nonuniformity of the intensity | strength of the test light which the light source with which the said test | inspection apparatus is equipped emits. It is a figure which shows the structure of the inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this indication. It is a figure which shows the structure of the inspection apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this indication. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd inspection method in the said inspection apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the 3rd inspection method in the said inspection apparatus. It is a figure which shows notionally an example of the nonuniformity of the intensity | strength of test | inspection light. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the number of objects of the condensing lens to be used, and the optical loss of test light. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a light quantity and a correct answer rate. It is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this indication.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. (A) of FIG. 1 is a figure which shows the structure of the test | inspection apparatus 100 which makes the target object 1 test object.

The object 1 is an object to be inspected by the inspection apparatus 100, and is, for example, a tablet. The shape of the object 1 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be any shape. The object 1 may be one obtained by solidifying the powder. For example, the subject 1 may be a drug or a food. The object 1 may have some contents inside a capsule. The capsule here may be a soft capsule. That is, the subject 1 may be any one selected from the group consisting of medicines, medicines, health care intakes, nutrients, granules, powders, films and capsules.

Organic substances such as hair and insects are assumed to be detected as foreign substances by inspection. A piece of resin, metal or the like may be included in the substance to be detected as a foreign matter.

The light source 2 is a light source that irradiates the inspection light 3 continuously or intermittently to each of the plurality of objects 1 and may include, for example, a halogen lamp. The inspection light 3 is irradiated such that a state in which the whole of the object 1 is included in the spot 4 (irradiation range) of the inspection light 3 occurs at least temporarily during the inspection of the object 1. In addition, although the shape of the spot 4 is circular in FIG. 1, it does not limit to a circle.

In the present embodiment, the inspection light 3 is irradiated to the object 1 from the exit of the inspection light 3 without passing through the light diffusing member or the like. In general, unevenness of light may be reduced by using a light diffusion member or the like, but the following problems occur when detecting the transmitted light of the inspection light 3 as in the present embodiment. These members greatly lose the inspection light 3 in the process of diffusing the light. Then, since the irradiation power of the light to the object 1 decreases, the power of the light transmitted through the object 1 also decreases, which makes detection difficult. In particular, when the light is strongly scattered inside the object 1 and the transmitted light becomes weak, the problem becomes more serious. For example, tablets formed into powder may be mentioned. Even if it is attempted to increase the power of the light source and increase the amount of light that can be irradiated to the object 1 in order to solve this problem, the power consumption increases and the life of the light source shortens and maintenance labor increases. It will occur. In the present embodiment, since the inspection light 3 is irradiated to the object 1 from the exit of the inspection light 3 without passing through the light diffusing member or the like, the inspection light 3 can be effectively used. In the present embodiment, the spot 4 of the inspection light 3 includes unevenness of light intensity because the inspection light 3 is irradiated to the object 1 from the exit of the inspection light 3 without passing through the light diffusion member or the like. As described later, the relative positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4 is changed under specific conditions to suppress the decrease in inspection accuracy due to the influence of unevenness.

In addition, in order to condense or guide the inspection light 3, any optical member having a small light loss may be used. For example, the light from the light source 2 may be guided to the object 1 by an optical fiber, or the light from the light source 2 may be condensed onto the object 1 by a lens. Generally, such an optical member for light collection and light guiding has less light loss than a light diffusing member.

FIG. 1B is a view showing a part of the configuration of the inspection apparatus 100 provided with the condensing lens group 61. As shown in FIG. In the example shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the inspection light 3 from the light source 2 is subjected to light distribution control by the condenser lens group 61 and is irradiated onto the object 1.

However, in this case as well, it is desirable that the number of lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61 used be three or less. If the number of lenses used for focusing is three, the spot diameter can be adjusted optimally, but if four or more lenses are used, the light loss will be large, which will lower the efficiency of inspection. Moreover, if it is up to three, it can be provided as an integrated compact condensing lens, and the problem that an optical system becomes complicated does not arise.

The peak wavelength of the inspection light 3 may be, for example, 600 nm or more and 2500 nm or less. The peak wavelength of the inspection light 3 is not limited to this range, but in this wavelength range, it easily penetrates the object 1 and does not damage the object 1 as when irradiated with ultraviolet light. So preferred.

Furthermore, the peak wavelength of the inspection light 3 may be, for example, 800 nm or more and 1600 nm or less. There is a large absorption peak of starch, lactose, crystalline cellulose, etc., which is commonly contained in general tablets, at around 1600 nm of the wavelength of the inspection light 3, and the influence of foreign substances mixed in on the spectrum is obscured. If the wavelength is too short or too long, the light loss due to light scattering, absorption, etc. will be large. Therefore, the peak wavelength of the inspection light 3 is preferably 800 nm or more and 1600 nm or less.

In the present embodiment, a halogen lamp is given as an example of the light source 2, but the type of the light source 2 is not limited to this and may be another type of lamp or the like. The light source 2 may be any device that can emit light of a wavelength that can detect foreign matter, and may be, for example, any of a tungsten lamp, a phosphor, an LED, and a laser.

The support 5 is a member for supporting the object 1 and has an opening (not shown) for transmitting the transmitted light 8 transmitted through the object 1. When the object 1 is a disc, the inside diameter of the opening is smaller than the outside diameter of the object 1. Moreover, the location in which the target object 1 in the support part 5 is mounted may be formed with the transparent member which has a wavelength characteristic which permeate | transmits light. As a material of the said transparent member, quartz glass or synthetic quartz glass is employable, for example. Moreover, the recessed part for inserting the target object 1 one each may be formed in the support part 5. FIG.

The light source 2 and the support 5 move relative to each other. The light source 2 may move, or the support 5 may move. In the present embodiment, the position of the light source 2 is fixed, and the support portion 5 is moved in the direction of the arrow 110 in FIG. Therefore, the support unit 5 functions as a moving mechanism that changes the relative positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4 of the inspection light 3. Specifically, the support unit 5 continuously supplies the plurality of objects 1 to the position of the spot 4 (in other words, the inspection position by the detection unit 7).

The lens 6 is an optical member for condensing the transmitted light 8 toward the detection unit 7 and is disposed on the lower side of the support unit 5 and at a position coaxial with the opening of the support unit 5 or the transparent member There is.

The detection unit 7 is a device that detects transmitted light transmitted through the object 1 at a predetermined timing. For example, a polychromator-type spectrometer may be used as the detection unit 7. In the polychromator type spectroscope, a large number of light receiving elements are arranged at the end of a prism for dispersing light of each wavelength, and light of each wavelength can be measured simultaneously. Polychromator spectrometers have the advantage of short measurement times.

The polychromator may be of a type using a light receiving element and a prism, or a type using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). The type of polychromator is appropriately selected according to the configuration of the inspection apparatus, the type of tablet to be measured, the wavelength of light, and the like. In this embodiment, as an example, a system combining an InGaAs light receiving element and a prism, which are more accurate than a CCD, is used.

The spectroscope provided in the detection unit 7 measures the spectrum of the received light. The detection unit 7 does not have to include a spectroscope. The detection unit 7 may be configured to include, for example, any one of a photodiode, a phototransistor, an avalanche photodiode, and a photomultiplier. The number, arrangement, and the like of the light receiving elements in the detection unit 7 are appropriately selected according to the configuration of the foreign matter inspection apparatus, the type of the object to be measured, the wavelength of the light to be used, and the like.

The light transmitted through the object 1 may be guided to the detection unit 7 using an optical member such as an optical fiber.

The detection unit 7 does not always measure the transmitted light 8 but performs measurement intermittently. Measurement is started according to the timing when the inspection object 1 comes to the inspection position, measurement is stopped when scanning of the inspection light 3 is finished, and measurement is started again when the object 1 for the next inspection comes to the inspection position Do.

By measuring only for the necessary time in this manner, it is possible to shorten the time until the removal instruction of the defective product is issued. Moreover, in order to clearly distinguish the measurement data of the object 1 of the current inspection from the measurement data of the object 1 of the next inspection, it is preferable to perform the measurement intermittently.

The light source 2 may be controlled to irradiate the inspection light 3 from the light source 2 in a pulse shape. In the present embodiment, since the light source 2 is a halogen lamp which takes a long time to turn on and off, it is preferable to always turn it on. Therefore, the control device 10 controls the detection unit 7 to intermittently perform the measurement of the detection unit 7.

The control device 10 controls the light source 2, the detection unit 7, and a drive mechanism for moving the support 5. Each process by the control unit 13 may be realized by a central processing unit (CPU). The control device 10 includes a determination unit 11 and a storage unit 12.

The determination unit 11 performs an operation with reference to the measurement data of the object 1 obtained by the detection unit 7 based on the transmitted light and the data stored in the storage unit 12, and foreign matter mixed in the object 1. Is determined.

The storage unit 12 is for storing information necessary for the examination. For example, the storage unit 12 is an area for temporarily storing measurement data by the detection unit 7, various programs executed by the control device 10, an area for storing data used in these programs, and these programs And a work area used when these programs are executed. The various programs mentioned here are, for example, a program for performing determination, a calculation algorithm, a database, and the like. The storage unit 12 can hold reference data used for determination by the determination unit 11.

(First inspection method)
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an inspection method in the inspection apparatus 100. The target 1 (target to be focused on) to be the target of the most recent inspection is the target 1A, the target 1 to be inspected next is the target 1B, and the distance between the target 1A and the target 1B is M and Do. The measurement start time of the detection unit 7 is S. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the spot 4 covers the whole of the object 1A. Let W be the width of the object 1 in the direction parallel to the transport direction. The support 5 moves the object 1 in the direction of the arrow 110 in FIG. The distance by which the object 1A moves from the measurement start time S to the measurement end time E is indicated by the arrow 16.

Assuming that the transport speed of the object 1 is V and the measurement time of the detection unit 7 (that is, the integration time from the measurement start time S to the measurement end time E) is t, the measurement time t indicated by the following equation (1) Within the range, the detection unit 7 measures the object 1 (detects the transmitted light 8).

0 <t ≦ W / V (1)
That is, detection is performed in a time less than the time when the relative position between the spot 4 and the object 1 changes by the width W of the object 1 (that is, the time required for the optical axis of the inspection light 3 to cross the object 1) The unit 7 measures the object 1. In other words, from the position where the spot 4 covers the whole of the object 1 to the position where the spot 4 does not cover the object 1 (the position indicated by the reference numeral 15) 7 measures the object 1; When the detection unit 7 intermittently detects the transmitted light 8, the measurement time of integration from the measurement start time S to the measurement end time E is t.

By setting the measurement time t to W / V or less as described above, the inspection can be performed efficiently. When the inspection speed is slower than the production speed of the object 1, the inspection process becomes the rate-limiting of the speed of the entire production process. In particular, in the case of interlocking with a device for removing a defective product, it is necessary to inspect in a short period of time to determine foreign matter, and to send an instruction to the excluded device. Therefore, even a difference in inspection speed of 1 millisecond can be fatal. Therefore, it is preferable to set the upper limit of the measurement time t to W / V.

In addition, by changing the relative positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4 in one dimension, the measurement time can be shortened compared to two-dimensionally scanning with the light spot.

Further, the relationship between the interval M and the width W is represented by the following equation (2).

W <M (2)
That is, each target 1 is disposed on the support 5 such that the distance M between the target 1A and the target 1B is larger than the width W of the target 1A (target 1B). Further, the distance M is larger than the width of the spot 4 in the transport direction. By satisfying these conditions, it can be prevented that the object 1A and the object 1B are simultaneously measured (in other words, a plurality of objects 1 fall within the range of the spot 4 at one time).

As described above, the inspection apparatus 100 may include an arrangement mechanism (for example, a robot arm) that arranges the plurality of objects 1 on the support 5 by adjusting the distance between the plurality of objects 1.

Conversely, the size of the spot 4 may be set so that a plurality of objects 1 do not fall within the range of the spot 4 at one time.

In addition, even if there is unevenness of light intensity in the spot 4, by measuring while changing the relative positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4, the influence exerted on the inspection result of the unevenness is reduced and the inspection accuracy is maintained. be able to.

As to how much the relative positional relationship is changed, the kind of the light source 2 and the relationship between the size of the spot 4 and the size of the object 1, etc. can be reduced to the extent that the unevenness does not adversely affect. Depends on In Example 1 to be described later, the lower limit of the amount of change of the relative positional relationship at which a preferable percentage of correct answers for inspection can be obtained is 2.5 mm, and the measurement time t at this time is 2 ms. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is preferable to set the lower limit value of the measurement time t in the above equation (1) to 2 ms as the following equation (1A) indicates.

2 [ms] ≦ t ≦ W / V (1A)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the inspection apparatus 100. The light source 2 starts irradiation of the inspection light 3 (S1). Here, it is assumed that the inspection light 3 always emits the inspection light 3. The detection unit 7 starts the measurement (S2) at the timing when the whole of the object 1 enters the range of the spot 4 (S2), and ends the measurement when the object 1 moves a distance corresponding to the width W (YES in S3) To do (S4). The detection unit 7 outputs the measurement data (data indicating the intensity of the transmitted light 8) acquired during this time to the determination unit 11.

The determination unit 11 measures the intensity I ₀ of the inspection light 3 and the transmitted light 8 indicated by the measurement data, which are measured in advance in a state where there is no object 1 between the light source 2 and the detection unit 7 before starting the inspection. A value reflecting the difference from the intensity I is calculated, and from the value, it is determined whether foreign matter is mixed (S5). In the present embodiment, as the above value, absorbance A1 for each wavelength (absorbance A1 = log (I ₀ / I)) is calculated. The determination unit 11 refers to the absorbance A1 and the calculation model for each type of tablet read from the database stored in the storage unit 12 to calculate an index indicating the feature of the tablet, and determines the presence or absence of foreign matter contamination Do.

In addition, when the object 1 is a tablet, the scattering of light inside is large, so A1 can not be called the absorbance strictly, but here, for convenience, the A1 is defined as the absorbance. The determination method performed by the determination unit 11 may be a known method, and is not particularly limited.

When all the inspections of the target 1 to be inspected are completed (YES in S6), the inspection apparatus 100 ends the process. The object 1 determined to be contaminated or the lot including the same is discarded.

(Second inspection method)
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second inspection method in the inspection apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the measurement start time S is when the spot 4 slightly covers the object 1A (or the outer edge of the spot 4 circumscribes the outer edge of the object 1A). Other conditions are the same as in the first inspection method. The distance by which the object 1A moves from the measurement start time S to the measurement end time E is indicated by an arrow 18.

Assuming that the transport speed of the object 1 is V, and the measurement time of the detection unit 7 (the integration time of the time for detecting the transmitted light 8) is t ′, the measurement time t indicated by the following equation (3) or (4) Within the range of ', the detection unit 7 measures the object 1.

W / V <t '≦ 2 W / V (3)
t '= W / V (4)
That is, the detection unit 7 starts the detection of the transmitted light 8 from the state in which the target 1 to be focused is not included in the spot 4, and the upper limit of the measurement time t ′ is that the optical axis of the inspection light 3 is the object 1. It is twice the time required to cross. Also in this case, the same effect as the first inspection method can be obtained.

(Third inspection method)
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a third inspection method in the inspection apparatus 100. A set of objects 1 is a target set 1C, and an interval of a plurality of target sets 1C arranged along the transport direction is M ". Further, a width of the target set 1C in a direction parallel to the transport direction is W". I assume. The width W is the distance between the most upstream point of the transport direction and the most downstream point of the transport direction among the points forming the outer edge of each object 1 included in the target set 1C. It is. The spot 4 has a size that can cover the entire target set 1C.

Also in the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the following equation holds for the measurement time t ′ ′ of the detection unit 7 as in the first inspection method.

0 <t ′ ′ ≦ W / V (5)
W ′ ′ <M ′ ′ (6)
Also in this case, the same effect as the first inspection method can be obtained.

Example 1
A present Example demonstrates the result of having measured the target object 1 by the 1st inspection method. The transport speed V of the target 1 is 1250 mm / s, and the width W of the target 1 in the direction parallel to the transport direction is 8 mm. The light from the light source 2 is guided by a light guide using an optical fiber, and the number of lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61 used for condensing is three. When the lensless state, the state of one sheet, the state of two sheets, and the state of three sheets were respectively tried, for the object 1 having a width W of 8 mm, three lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61 If there were, it was possible to adjust the spot size suitably. The number of used lenses of the condensing lens group 61 is not limited to this. For example, if the inspection object has a width W = 75 mm larger than the object 1, the condensing lens group 61 may not be used. It was possible to inspect. Further, even when the number of light sources 2 is increased according to the inspection, it is possible to preferably adjust the spot size as long as the number of lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61 to be used is three or less.

The measurement time t from the start time S to the end time E of the measurement by the detection unit 7 was changed stepwise to calculate the correct answer rate of the measurement. A target 1 for which the foreign substance is contained and a target 1 for which the foreign substance is not contained are prepared as an inspection target, and the correct answer is obtained, assuming that the correct determination is made whether the foreign substance is included or not. The proportion of object 1 was calculated as the correct answer rate.

(A) of FIG. 6 is a figure which shows the relationship between the measurement conditions of the target object 1, and a correct answer rate. As shown in FIG. 6A, the relative positional relationship (displacement amount) between the object 1 and the spot 4 changes from 2.5 mm to 7.5 mm by changing the measurement time t from 2 ms to 6 ms. Do. As described above, when the test was performed with different measurement times t, the correct answer rate became 85% when the measurement time t was 4 ms. From this result, it is clear that the measurement time t should be 4 ms or more in a test that requires a correct answer rate of 85% or more.

Moreover, (b) of FIG. 6 is the result of having performed measurement of the target object 1 on another conditions by the 1st inspection method. The transport speed V of the target 1 is 250 mm / s, and the width W of the target 1 in the direction parallel to the transport direction is 10 mm. As shown in (b) of FIG. 6, by changing the measurement time t from 2 ms to 40 ms, the relative positional relationship (displacement amount) between the object 1 and the spot 4 changes from 0.5 mm to 10 mm. As described above, when the test was performed with different measurement times t, the correct answer rate became 70% when the measurement time t was 2 ms. From this result, it is clear that the measurement time t should be 2 ms or more in a test that requires a correct answer rate of 70% or more.

FIG. 7: is a figure which shows notionally the nonuniformity of the intensity | strength of the test light 3 which the light source 2 emits. As shown in FIG. 7, in the spot 4 formed by the light source 2 used in the present embodiment, unevenness of the light intensity of substantially concentric circle occurs. The illuminance decreases toward the outside of the spot 4, and when the distance between the spot 4 and the light source 2 is 50 mm, the illuminance decreases to 72% of the central portion on the circumference of 35 mm in diameter.

Even when such unevenness in light intensity occurs, the influence of the unevenness can be reduced by changing the relative positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4 by a predetermined value or more. As a result, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to use an optical system for reducing unevenness in light intensity, it is possible to suppress the light loss of inspection light by the optical system and to obtain an effect of increasing inspection accuracy.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the relationship between the amount of light irradiated to the object 1 and the number of lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, the spectral data in the case where the amount of irradiated light is measured with a configuration that does not use the condensing lens group 61 using the same light source 2 and three lenses that constitute the condensing lens group 61 reduce unevenness in light intensity. The comparison with the spectral data in the case of measuring the irradiation light amount with the configuration shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, the irradiation light amount when the number of lenses constituting the condensing lens group 61 is three is approximately 1⁄2 as compared with the case where it is not used. As a result that the light quantity of the inspection light 3 decreases as a result of the configuration to reduce the light unevenness in this way, the light passing through the object 1 becomes weak and the light quantity threshold which is the limit that the detection unit 7 can detect If it falls below the threshold, the light amount detected by the detection unit 7 will go to 0 at once. There is also a problem that there is a threshold of the required light amount to obtain the required accuracy of the inspection, that is, the required correct answer rate, below which the inspection becomes impossible.

A table showing the correspondence between the light quantity at a certain wavelength of the spectral data of FIG. 13 and the inspection correct answer rate is shown in FIG.

The value of the transmitted light amount in FIG. 14 indicates the relative value of the transmitted light amount, with the amount of light transmitted through the object 1 being the inspection light 3 emitted from the light source 2 as the transmitted light amount. . Further, the light reception amount relatively indicates the intensity of the transmitted light 8 detected by the detection unit 7. The data without a lens shown by a solid line in FIG. 13 corresponds to the case where the irradiation light amount is 15000 in FIG. Further, the data of the use of three lenses indicated by the broken line in FIG. 13 corresponds to the case where the irradiation light quantity is 7500 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, the ratio of the amount of light lost to the inspection object to the amount of irradiated light is about 99% in this case, and when the amount of irradiated light is 15000, the amount of transmitted light is 150 and the amount of irradiated light is 7500. The transmitted light amount is 75. However, since the detection unit 7 has a detectable threshold (100 in this experiment), it is detected as 150 when the transmitted light quantity is 150, but it is not detected because it falls below the detection threshold when the transmitted light quantity is 75. Will be zero. That is, in this case, since the light quantity of the inspection light 3 has become low due to the three lenses reducing light unevenness, the quantity of light to be detected rapidly decreases to 0, and the inspection becomes impossible. The problem of Further, although not shown in FIG. 13, when the inspection was also performed when the irradiation light amount was 10000 as shown in FIG. 14, the correct answer rate of the inspection was worse than in the case of the irradiation light amount 15000. The reason is that the transmitted light amount is 100 when the irradiated light amount is 10000 and the S / N ratio is lowered because the detected portion 7 is just at the threshold that can be detected. Another reason is that when the light is attenuated as the light diffuses in the object 1, it becomes difficult for the light to spread to every corner of the object 1 if the light quantity of the inspection light 3 is small. It is that the information of the part where light does not reach is not obtained. For these reasons, the rate of correct answers is rapidly deteriorating when the amount of irradiation light decreases. On the other hand, when the irradiation light amount is increased to 15,000, the correct answer rate is increased to 95%. If the required correct answer rate is 90%, the test can not be performed because the required correct answer rate is not reached when the irradiation light amount is 10000.

In this experiment, the percentage of light loss to the inspection object was about 99%, but this figure is not fixed. For example, if the object to be inspected is thicker, the loss of light in the object to be inspected is increased, and the amount of transmitted light is further reduced, and the inspection accuracy is deteriorated. That is, the loss of light becomes large and the amount of transmitted light can not be obtained, and the amount of light loss is lower than the amount of light for obtaining a required correct answer rate or lower than the detection threshold of the detection unit 7 and inspection itself becomes impossible. More serious adverse effects on test results. Therefore, it is more important not to reduce the irradiation light amount.

From these results, when the light quantity of the inspection light irradiated to the object 1 is increased by suppressing the loss of the inspection light without using the optical system for reducing the unevenness of the light intensity, the light is transmitted through the object 1 It has become clear that the effect of improving the correct answer rate can be obtained because the light amount of the light 8 is also increased. If the light amount of the transmitted light 8 increases, the light detected by the detection unit 7 has a good S / N ratio, so that the state of the object 1 can be detected more accurately. In addition, when light is attenuated as the light diffuses in the object 1, when the light amount of the inspection light 3 is small, it becomes difficult for the light to spread to every corner of the object 1. Furthermore, when the light passes through the object 1 and is detected by the detection unit 7, it is not detected as it falls below the detection threshold, so that the inspection accuracy may deteriorate or the inspection may become impossible. However, if the amount of light of the inspection light 3 is large, the light travels through the object 1 to every corner and is transmitted, and the amount of light detected by the detection unit 7 increases. It becomes possible to detect evenly and inspection accuracy improves.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the influence of unevenness in light intensity can be reduced, so the number of optical systems can be reduced and the loss of inspection light can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of irradiated light is increased as compared to the prior art. In the inspection of the object 1 in which light diffusion is likely to occur as in the present embodiment, the increase of the irradiation light quantity can achieve the following synergetic effect in addition to the S / N ratio improvement by simply increasing the detection light. That is, (1) more internal information can be obtained by the light traveling around the object 1 to every corner, (2) the irradiation light amount and the transmission light amount are sufficiently large with respect to the detection threshold of the detection unit 7 Therefore, the measurement efficiency is improved by the light amount detected by the detection unit 7 not being drastically reduced.

Second Embodiment
Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In addition, about the member which has the same function as the member demonstrated in the said embodiment for convenience of explanation, the same code | symbol is appended and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. The inspection apparatus 200 includes a support 5 </ b> A instead of the support 5. The support 5 </ b> A has a recess 9 for placing the object 1. The bottom surface of the recess 9 is a reflective surface that reflects the light transmitted through the object 1. The inspection light emitted from the light source 2 passes through the object 1, is reflected by the bottom of the recess 9, is condensed by the lens 6, and reaches the detection unit 7.

Even with such a configuration, the same effect as that of the inspection apparatus 100 can be obtained. Furthermore, in the inspection apparatus 200, after the inspection light 3 passes through the object 1, it is reflected by the bottom of the recess 9 and passes through the object 1 again, so that the transmitted light 8 includes more information of foreign matter. Become. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the foreign substance contained in the object 1 can be enhanced.

Third Embodiment
Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. FIG. 9 is a view showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment. In the inspection apparatus 300, a circular rotor 21 is provided as a member for supporting the object 1, instead of the linearly moving support portion 5. In FIG. 9, members other than the rotor 21 such as the light source 2 are omitted. The basic configuration of the inspection apparatus 300 is the same as the configuration of the inspection apparatus 100. In the inspection apparatus 300, the plurality of objects 1 are arranged circumferentially along the outer edge of the rotor 21.

By intermittently or continuously rotating the rotor 21, one target 1 to be inspected is included in the irradiation range of the spot 4 of the inspection light 3 emitted from the light source 2. Preferably, the positional relationship between the object 1 and the spot 4 is set such that each of the objects 1 passes through the center of the spot 4. With this configuration, the inspection light 3 can be efficiently irradiated to the object 1, and the inspection accuracy can be enhanced.

(First inspection method)
Let the object 1 which is the object of the latest inspection be the object 1A, and let the object 1 to be inspected next be the object 1B. An angle corresponding to the width of the object 1 in the transport direction is Wc. An angle between a line connecting the center of the rotor 21 and the object 1A and a line connecting the center and the object 1B is Mc. The angle Mc indicates an angle difference of the arrangement of the object 1A and the object 1B. Further, the plurality of objects 1 are disposed on the same circular trajectory 24 so that the condition represented by the following equation (7) is satisfied, that is, the angle Mc is larger than the angle Wc.

Wc <Mc (7)
Let R be the radius of the track 24 on which the object 1 is transported. The transport speed (peripheral speed) of the object 1 is set to Vc. Trajectory 24 preferably passes through the center of object 1. With this configuration, depending on the shape of the object to be inspected, the area covered by the spots 4 becomes larger, so that the inspection accuracy can be improved.

At the measurement start time S of the detection unit 7, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the spot 4 covers the entire object 1A. The rotor 21 moves the object 1 in the direction of the arrow 110 in FIG. 9 as it rotates. The angle at which the object 1A moves from the measurement start time S to the measurement end time E is indicated by the arrow 23.

Assuming that the transport speed of the object 1 is Vc and the measurement time of the detection unit 7 is t, the detection unit 7 measures the object 1 within the range of the measurement time t indicated by the following equation (8).

According to this configuration, even if the spot 4 has unevenness in light intensity, the object 1 can cross the spot 4 to reduce the influence of the unevenness. Moreover, it becomes possible to implement | achieve the structure which does not provide the lens which performs light distribution control, or a diffusion plate, and can maintain inspection precision, preventing the loss of the test | inspection light 3. FIG. In addition, the measurement time can be shortened compared to scanning the object 1 two-dimensionally with the light spot.

(Second inspection method)
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a second inspection method in the inspection apparatus 300. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the measurement start time S is when the spot 4 slightly covers the object 1A (or the outer edge of the spot 4 circumscribes the outer edge of the object 1A). The other conditions are the same as in the first inspection method, and the plurality of objects 1 are disposed on the same circular trajectory 24 so that the angle Mc is larger than the angle Wc. The object 1A moves to the position indicated by the reference numeral 25 between the measurement start time S and the measurement end time E. The change in angle of the object 1 at this time is indicated by the arrow 26.

Assuming that the transport speed of the object 1 is Vc, and the measurement time of the detection unit 7 is tc, the detection unit 7 detects the object 1 within the range of the measurement time tc indicated by the following equation (9) or (10). Make a measurement.

Also in this case, the same effect as the first inspection method in the inspection apparatus 300 can be obtained.

(Third inspection method)
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a third inspection method in the inspection apparatus 300. As shown in FIG. Let a set of objects 1 be an object set 1C. The spot 4 has a size that can cover the entire target set 1C. If the target set 1C is regarded as one inspection target, the first or second inspection method in the inspection apparatus 300 can be applied to inspect a plurality of target sets 1C.

Embodiment 4
Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

FIG. 15 is a view showing the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus 900 according to this embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 900 is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the object 1. As shown in FIG. 15, the manufacturing apparatus 900 includes a manufacturing unit 910, a belt conveyor 920, and an inspection apparatus 100.

The production unit 910 is a unit for producing the object 1. The belt conveyor 920 conveys the object 1 manufactured by the manufacturing unit 910 to the inspection apparatus 100. The inspection apparatus 100 inspects the object 1 conveyed by the belt conveyor 920. In the manufacturing apparatus 900, the object 1 conveyed by the belt conveyor 920 may be moved to the support 5 (see FIG. 1 and the like) by a robot arm or the like. Alternatively, the belt conveyor 920 and the support 5 may be configured as a series of members.

As described above, the manufacturing apparatus 900 is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the object 1 and includes the inspection apparatus 100. In the manufacturing apparatus 900, by inspecting the object 1 manufactured by the manufacturing unit 910 with the inspection apparatus 100, defective products can be eliminated in a short time with high accuracy. The manufacturing apparatus 900 may include the

inspection apparatus

200 or 300 instead of the inspection apparatus 100.

[Example of software implementation]
The control block (particularly, the determination unit 11) of the control device 10 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the control device 10 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that implements each function. The computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer readable storage medium storing the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program to achieve the object of the present disclosure. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used as the processor. As the above-mentioned recording medium, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit or the like can be used besides “a non-temporary tangible medium”, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory). In addition, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like for developing the program may be further provided. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Items to be added]
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.
(Cross-reference to related applications)
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application filed on November 28, 2017: Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-228182, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Included in this book.

1, 1A, 1B target 1C target set 2 light source 3 inspection light 4

spot

5, 5A support portion (moving mechanism)
6 lens 7 detector 8 transmitted light 10 control device 61 condensing lens group (lens)
100, 200, 300 inspection device 900 manufacturing device

Claims

A light source for irradiating the inspection light to each of the plurality of objects;
A moving mechanism for changing the relative positional relationship between the object and the irradiation range of the inspection light;
And a detection unit for detecting the transmitted light transmitted through the object at a predetermined timing,
The inspection light is continuously or intermittently applied to the object so as to generate a state in which the whole of the individual objects is included in the irradiation range while changing the relative positional relationship.
The inspection apparatus which detects the said transmitted light by the said detection part, changing the said relative positional relationship.
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of lenses provided between the object and the light source is three or less.
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation range is set such that a plurality of the objects do not enter the irradiation range at one time.
The detection unit starts detection of the transmitted light from a state in which the entire target object of interest is included in the irradiation range;
The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the upper limit of the integration time for detecting the transmitted light is a time required for the optical axis of the inspection light to cross the object of interest.
The detection unit starts detection of the transmitted light from a state in which the target object of interest is not included in the irradiation range;
The upper limit of the integration time for detecting the transmitted light is a time twice as long as the time required for the optical axis of the inspection light to cross the target object of interest. Inspection equipment.
The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a peak wavelength of the inspection light is 600 nm or more and 2500 nm or less.
The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a peak wavelength of the inspection light is 800 nm or more and 1600 nm or less.
The object according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the target is any one selected from the group consisting of medicines, medicines, health intakes, nutrients, granules, powders, films and capsules. Inspection apparatus as described.
An inspection method for inspecting an object,
Irradiating an inspection light to each of the plurality of objects;
Changing the relative positional relationship between the object and the irradiation range of the inspection light;
Detecting the transmitted light transmitted through the object at a predetermined timing;
Irradiating the inspection light to the object continuously or intermittently so that a state in which the whole of the individual objects is included in the irradiation range is generated while changing the relative positional relationship;
Detecting the transmitted light while changing the relative positional relationship.
It is a manufacturing apparatus provided with the inspection apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 8, Comprising: The manufacturing apparatus which manufactures the said target object.