Conveying system

Abstract

The conveying system of the present invention aims to accelerate and simplify the operation of adjusting the motion form of the conveyed object posture change unit. The conveying system comprises: a conveying device that conveys a conveyed object along a conveying path, and has a posture change section midway along the conveying path for changing the posture of the conveyed object; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the conveyed object; a conveyed object identification unit that performs image processing on a portion of the image of the conveyed object in a judgment area set upstream of the posture change section to obtain conveyed object identification information related to the posture of the conveyed object; a conveyed object posture change unit that, when the conveyed object identification information indicates that the posture of the conveyed object needs to be changed, performs a posture change on the conveyed object at the posture change section; and a conveyed object confirmation unit that performs image processing on the image portion of the conveyed object after its posture has been changed by the conveyed object posture change unit to obtain conveyed object confirmation information related to the posture of the conveyed object.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a conveying system. Background Technology

[0002] Traditionally, various conveying systems have relied on processing images of the conveyed items to perform tasks such as counting, quality assessment, posture recognition, and detection of conveying status (speed, density, interval, etc.). Examples of such conveying systems include the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Furthermore, Patent Documents 3 and 4 disclose methods in which airflow is blown onto the conveyed items to change their posture along the conveying path, thereby altering the posture and ensuring a consistent and uniform supply of conveyed items.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-121995

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-169010

[0007] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-240615

[0008] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-264430 Summary of the Invention

[0009] However, in the aforementioned conveying system, when the posture of the conveyed object is changed, if the airflow pressure or timing is inappropriate, the changed posture may sometimes be unsuitable or become irregular. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the airflow pressure or timing according to the type of conveyed object, which presents the following problems: each time the posture of the conveyed object is changed, time is spent on adjustment work, and skilled personnel are required to make appropriate adjustments.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems. Its objective is to accelerate and simplify the adjustment of the motion mode of the conveyed object posture change unit in the conveying system.

[0011] To address the aforementioned problems, the conveying system of the present invention comprises: a conveying device that conveys a conveyed object along a conveying path and has a posture changing section midway along the conveying path for changing the posture of the conveyed object; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the conveyed object; a conveyed object identification unit that performs image processing on a portion of the image of the conveyed object in a judgment area set upstream of the posture changing section to obtain conveyed object identification information related to the posture of the conveyed object; a conveyed object posture changing unit that, when the conveyed object identification information indicates that the posture of the conveyed object needs to be changed, performs a posture change on the conveyed object at the posture changing section; and a conveyed object confirmation unit that performs image processing on the image portion of the conveyed object after its posture has been changed by the conveyed object posture changing unit to obtain conveyed object confirmation information related to the posture of the conveyed object.

[0012] According to the present invention, since the state of the conveyed object after the posture change caused by the action of the conveyed object posture change unit can be confirmed by obtaining the conveyed object confirmation information related to the posture of the conveyed object, the action mode of the conveyed object posture change unit can be adjusted at the same time as confirming the information, making the adjustment operation of the action mode of the conveyed object posture change unit easier and improving the posture change mode of the conveyed object at the posture change part with high precision.

[0013] In this invention, it is preferable to further include a conveyor posture change determination unit, which calculates conveyor posture change information representing the relationship between the conveyor identification information and the conveyor confirmation information. According to this invention, by calculating the conveyor posture change information representing the relationship between the conveyor identification information before the posture change and the conveyor confirmation information after the posture change, it is easier to determine the relationship between the action mode of the conveyor posture change unit and the posture change state of the conveyor resulting from the action of the conveyor posture change unit.

[0014] In this invention, preferably, the transport confirmation unit determines the transport confirmation information by performing image processing on an image portion of the confirmation area, wherein the confirmation area is set at a position or range where the transport is positioned after its posture has been changed at the posture change location by the transport posture change unit. Here, the confirmation area is preferably set in an image portion having a predetermined positional relationship with the posture change location, within another image taken after a predetermined time has elapsed relative to the image portion containing the determination area. Furthermore, it is preferable to also include a confirmation area prediction unit that predicts the position or range of the confirmation area for each image or each transport. Alternatively, the confirmation area may also be set at a pre-defined fixed position or range.

[0015] In this invention, it is preferable to further include a posture change control unit that controls the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit; the posture change control unit automatically sets the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit based on the conveyor confirmation information or the conveyor posture change information output by the conveyor posture change judgment unit. According to this invention, since the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit can be automatically adjusted based on the conveyor confirmation information or the conveyor posture change information, the trouble of adjustment work can be reduced, and the accuracy of posture change can be improved.

[0016] In this invention, it is preferable that the conveyor posture changing unit changes the posture of the conveyor by blowing airflow onto it. Here, the action mode is preferably at least one of the timing and pressure of the airflow. Furthermore, the conveyor posture changing unit is not limited to the airflow-using device described above; it can also be a mechanical device such as a robotic arm, or a device that utilizes the shape or structure of the conveyor path, such as a device that rotates the conveyor by forming steps in a part of the conveyor path.

[0017] In this invention, it is preferable that both the judgment area and the confirmation area are regions contained within the image. According to this invention, since both the object identification processing and the object confirmation processing can be set within a single image, setting the positional relationship between the two areas becomes easier, and it is expected to simplify shooting systems such as cameras.

[0018] (Invention Effects)

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to speed up and simplify the adjustment of the motion mode of the conveyed object posture change unit in the conveying system. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the general flow of the conveyor posture change control processing unit in an embodiment of the conveying system involved in the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 (a) is a schematic flowchart showing the general flow of the transport confirmation process 101 in this embodiment, and (b) is a schematic flowchart showing the general flow of the transport posture change setting process 102.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the conveying system in this embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 Figures (a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams used to illustrate the conveyor identification process used in the conveyor posture change control of this embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 (e) to (h) are explanatory diagrams used to illustrate the transport confirmation process used in the transport posture change control of this embodiment.

[0025] Figure 6 (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of the correspondence between the transport identification information and the transport confirmation information in this embodiment, while (c) and (d) are explanatory diagrams illustrating other examples.

[0026] Figure 7 (a) is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the conveyor posture change setting unit in this embodiment; (b) is a diagram showing the correspondence between the combination of conveyor identification information Bi and conveyor confirmation information Ej and the corresponding conveyor posture change information Gij, as well as the relationship between these and the adjustment and setting content of the action mode of the conveyor posture change unit; and (c) is a diagram showing a configuration example of multiple posture change parts used to unify multiple conveyor postures CN1 to CN4 of the conveyor into one CN1.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a simplified flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of an example of the action procedure 10P in this embodiment.

[0028] (Symbol Explanation)

[0029] 10… Conveying system, 10P… Action program, 11… Feeder, 110… Conveyor body, 111… Conveyor path, 12… Linear feeder, 120… Conveyor body, 121… Conveyor path, OP… Air nozzle, CA… Conveyed material, CN1~CN4… Conveying posture, CM1, CM2… Camera, CL11, CL12… Controller, DTU… Inspection and processing unit, DP1, DP2… Display device, GP1, GP2… Image processing device, GM1, GM2… Image processing memory, GPX… Captured image, GPY… Image area, MPU… Processing unit, MM… Main storage device, SP1, SP2… Operation input Input device, RAM…memory for computation and processing, θ…reference tilt angle, 100…carrier posture change control processing unit, 101…carrier confirmation processing, 102…carrier posture change setting processing, A…image acquisition unit, Ai…image, B…carrier identification unit, Bi…carrier identification information, C…carrier posture change unit, Ci…carrier identification result, D…confirmation area prediction unit, DA…judgment area, DB…confirmation area, E…carrier confirmation unit, Ej…carrier confirmation information, G…carrier posture change judgment unit, Gij…carrier posture change information, H…carrier posture change setting unit Detailed Implementation

[0030] Next, embodiments of the conveying system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to... Figures 1 to 3 An outline of embodiments of the conveying system involved in this invention will be described. Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart showing a part of the action program 10P executed by the computer of the conveying system 10 according to this embodiment, namely the processing flow of the conveyed object posture change control processing unit 100. Figure 2 (a) is a schematic flowchart of the process flow of the transport confirmation process 101, which is part of the transport posture change control processing unit 100, and (b) is a schematic flowchart of the process flow of the transport posture change setting process 102. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the conveying system 10.

[0031] First, refer to Figure 3 The overall structure of the conveying system 10 will be described. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the conveying system 10 is a conveying system for conveying conveyed material CA along a predetermined conveying path. The conveying system 10 is configured as a vibrating conveying device including a feeder 11 and a linear feeder 12. The feeder 11 has a bowl-shaped conveying body 110 with a spiral conveying path 111, and the linear feeder 12 has a conveying body 120 with a straight conveying path 121. This straight conveying path 121 has an inlet configured to receive the conveyed material from the outlet of the conveying path 111 of the feeder 11. Furthermore, the conveying device has a conveying management function that checks and judges the conveyed material CA on the conveying path 121 of the linear feeder 12 based on captured GPX images. Moreover, in this invention, the configuration is not limited to a vibrating conveying device and can be used in various conveying devices for conveying conveyed material CA along a conveying path. Furthermore, even with vibratory conveying devices, the combination of feeder 11 and linear feeder 12 described above is not limited; other types of conveying devices, such as circulating feeders, can also be used. Moreover, even in the above combination, it is not limited to inspecting the conveyed material CA on the conveying path 121 of the linear feeder 12; it is also possible to inspect the conveyed material CA on the conveying path 111 of the feeder 11.

[0032] Feeder 11 is driven and controlled by controller CL11. Similarly, linear feeder 12 is driven and controlled by controller CL12. Controllers CL11 and CL12 provide AC drive to the vibration mechanisms (including electromagnetic or piezoelectric actuators) of feeders 11 and 12, causing the conveyor bodies 110 and 120 to vibrate and thus move the conveyed items (carried items CA) on conveyor paths 111 and 121 toward a predetermined conveying direction F. Furthermore, controllers CL11 and CL12 are connected via input / output circuits (I / O) to an inspection and processing unit (DTU) with image processing capabilities, which is the main body of the conveying management system.

[0033] Furthermore, when a prescribed operation input (debugging operation) is made to the arithmetic processing unit MPU that executes the above-described conveyor posture change control processing unit 100 via an operation input device such as a mouse (SP1, SP2, described later), the controllers CL11 and CL12 stop the drive of the conveying device of the conveying system 10 according to the above-described action procedure 10P. At this time, according to the above-described action procedure 10P, the image measurement processing in, for example, the inspection processing unit DTU is also stopped. The debugging operation and the operation of each part corresponding to this operation will be described in detail later.

[0034] The inspection processing unit (DTU) is structured around a processing unit (MPU) (microprocessor) similar to that of a personal computer. In the example shown, the MPU comprises a central processing unit (CPU1), a CPU2, a cache memory (CCM), a memory controller (MCL), and a chipset (CHS). The DTU also includes image processing circuits GP1 and GP2, which are connected to cameras CM1 and CM2 (which serve as imaging devices) and respectively perform image processing. These circuits are also connected to image processing memories GM1 and GM2. The outputs of GP1 and GP2 are also connected to the MPU, processing image data (GPX) captured from cameras CM1 and CM2 and transmitting the appropriately processed image (e.g., image data within image area GPY, described later) to the MPU. The main storage device (MM) stores a pre-programmed operation program 10P for the transport management system. When the DTU is activated, the MPU reads and executes this operation program 10P. In addition, the main storage device MM stores image data of the captured image GPX or image area GPY, which are objects of the image measurement processing described later performed by the arithmetic processing unit MPU.

[0035] Furthermore, the inspection processing unit (DTU) is connected to display devices DP1, DP2, or operation input devices SP1, SP2, such as LCD monitors, via input / output circuits (I / O). Display devices DP1, DP2 display image data (GPX or GPY of the captured image, processed by the aforementioned processing unit MPU), image measurement processing results, such as the results of transport object identification processing or transport action detection processing, in a prescribed display mode. Moreover, this display function is not limited to actual transport of the transport object (CA); it also functions when reading and reproducing past data, as described later. Additionally, by observing the screens on display devices DP1, DP2 while operating the operation input devices SP1, SP2, various operation commands, setting values, and other processing conditions can be input into the aforementioned processing unit MPU.

[0036] In this embodiment, cameras CM1 and CM2 continuously capture images at predetermined shooting intervals, and perform image measurement processing on the image data within a measurement area. This measurement area has a range pre-defined based on the relationship between the conveying speed Vs of the conveyed object and the shooting interval Ts, such that at least the identification target portion of all conveyed objects CA passing through the conveying path is always included in any image along the conveying direction F. Therefore, all conveyed objects CA can be detected in the captured image of any measurement area, eliminating the need to generate trigger signals for detecting the position of each conveyed object as in the prior art. Furthermore, by processing the image data of the conveyed objects CA contained in the image, information required for conveyed object identification processing, conveyed object detection processing, and conveying action detection processing can be reliably extracted. Moreover, in the conveying system of the present invention, the triggerless shooting method described above can be waived, and images can be acquired at shooting times corresponding to the detection times typically used by sensors to detect conveyed objects. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the identification target portion is defined as the entire conveyed object CA, but a portion of the conveyed object CA, such as a identification mark displayed on the side of the conveyed object CA, can also be defined as the identification target portion.

[0037] In the conveying system 10, the operation procedure 10P (see below) executed by the aforementioned processing unit MPU is performed. Figure 8 ) contains Figure 1The conveyor posture change control processing unit 100 shown performs conveyor identification processing during the conveying process and controls the conveying device based on the identification result of the processing. In this conveyor posture change control processing unit 100, image processing is typically performed on the conveyor CA within the measurement area of ​​the image, thereby identifying the conveyor CA. When the conveyor CA is appropriate, it can be conveyed unchanged on the conveying path without any special processing. However, when it is determined that the conveyor CA is inappropriate, various processing is required, such as removing it from the conveying path, changing its posture on the conveying path, or returning it to the upstream side, etc. In this embodiment, the conveyor posture change control processing unit 100 includes a part that performs processing to identify the posture of the conveyor CA (conveyor identification processing), and performs posture change processing on the conveyor CA based on the posture identification result Ci of this part.

[0038] In this specification, one of the various ways to change the posture of the conveyed item CA is to flip the conveyed item CA. Furthermore, "posture change" not only includes flipping the conveyed item CA in the sense of inverting it vertically, but also broadly includes various ways that ultimately change the posture of the conveyed item CA, such as rotating the conveyed item CA around any axis by any angle (90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, etc.). In addition, in the conveyed item posture change control processing unit 100 of this embodiment, besides processing for identifying the posture of the conveyed item CA, other identification processes such as determining whether the conveyed item CA is good or bad can also be performed. Furthermore, other conveying processes besides the conveying process of changing the posture of the conveyed item CA, such as processing for excluding the conveyed item CA, can also be performed. Furthermore, in the following description, except... Figure 8 Apart from the material screening process shown, descriptions of other identification processes or other transport processes described above are omitted.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, in the transport posture change control processing unit 100, various setting values ​​such as initial values ​​are first read out, and then multiple images Ai are sequentially acquired using the image acquisition unit A, which is composed of the inspection processing unit DTU described above. These images Ai can be essentially the image data itself of the captured image GPX or image area GPY generated by the inspection processing unit DTU, or they can be a portion of these image data. When these images Ai are acquired, image processing of the judgment area DA and the confirmation area DB set within the image Ai are performed.

[0040] Figure 4 (a)-(d) and Figure 5(e)-(h) are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the conveying pattern of the conveyed object on the conveying path 121 of the conveying system 10. The conveyed object CA moves along the conveying direction F on the conveying path 121. At this time, in the image Ai obtained by the image acquisition unit A, a judgment area DA is provided as the measurement area described above. This judgment area DA is set as a region on the conveying path 121 defined upstream of the posture change part having the jet nozzle OP.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, the above-mentioned conveyor posture change control processing unit 100 includes: an image acquisition unit A, which sequentially acquires multiple images Ai containing a measurement area where a conveyor CA may exist; a conveyor identification unit B, which performs image processing on a judgment area DA within these images Ai; a conveyor posture change unit C, which performs an action at the posture change location based on the identification result Ci of the conveyor CA, thereby changing the conveyor posture of the conveyor CA, wherein the conveyor identification information Bi is obtained based on the conveyor identification information Bi obtained by the conveyor identification unit B; and a conveyor confirmation unit E, which confirms the posture of the conveyor CA whose posture has been changed by the conveyor posture change unit C, and calculates the conveyor confirmation information Ej. Here, i is a natural number, representing multiple numbers from 1 to n (n is a natural number of 2 or more). In addition, it is preferable to have a conveyor posture change judgment unit G that calculates the conveyor posture change information Gij based on the conveyor identification result Ci and the conveyor confirmation result Ej for a certain conveyor CA. Furthermore, the conveyor confirmation unit E is not particularly limited, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the posture of the conveyed object CA after the posture change is confirmed by performing image processing on the confirmation area DB. In this embodiment, the confirmation area DB is set on the conveyor path 122, which is different from the conveyor path 121, and is located downstream of the determination area DA.

[0042] The transport object identification information Bi includes at least information related to the posture of the transport object CA. Additionally, it preferably includes transport object detection range (position information) indicating the configuration of the transport object CA. Furthermore, it may also include information related to the type, appearance, presence or type of defects, and quality of the transport object CA. Here, for example, if the transport object CA is cubical, it is preferable to configure the image Ai to capture at least two faces of the transport object CA in order to effectively obtain information related to the posture of the transport object CA as the transport object identification information Bi. Because including information from as many faces as possible of the six faces of the transport object CA in the image data is more suitable for identifying the posture of the transport object CA. Therefore, it is preferable to... Figure 4 and Figure 5The image shows at least two faces of a cube. Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the posture change section used in the description, only four conveying postures (CN1 to CN4 described later) of the four sides other than the front and rear end faces of the conveyor CA (the parts with electrodes in the illustration) around the axis along the conveying direction F are described. However, a total of eight conveying postures, including those with the front and rear directions reversed, can also be described. Furthermore, a total of 16 conveying postures, including eight more with the front and rear end faces facing sides orthogonal to the conveying direction, can also be described.

[0043] Furthermore, the aforementioned transport object identification result Ci is a identification result related to the posture of the transport object CA obtained through image processing of the judgment region DA within the current image Ai. Based on a pre-set posture reference, it indicates, for example, whether the posture is good (OK) or bad (NG). Of course, three or more identification results can be obtained as the transport object identification result Ci based on information identifying multiple postures of the transport object CA, which serves as the aforementioned transport object identification information Bi. For example, it could also be a result capable of separately identifying multiple transport postures of the transport object CA.

[0044] As an example of the transport confirmation unit E, such as Figure 2 As shown in (a) above, it can also include the confirmation region prediction unit D of the prediction confirmation region DB. Generally, the confirmation region DB can also be as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 The location is set at a fixed position within image Ai (Aj), in which case the confirmation area prediction unit D is not required. When using the confirmation area prediction unit D, the position and range of the confirmation area DBj in image Aj for deriving the delivery confirmation information Ej are predicted based on the delivery status of the delivery item CA. In this case, information such as the delivery speed of the delivery item CA, its position on the delivery path 122 after the previous posture change, and the blowing timing and blowing pressure of the airflow supplied from the jet nozzle OP at the posture change location can be cited as examples of the delivery status. The confirmation area prediction unit D derives the position and range (shooting range) of the confirmation area DBj in image Aj, and the image Aj with the confirmation area DBj set (or, equivalent to the shooting timing (shooting time) of image Aj), thereby performing image processing of the delivery confirmation unit E on the set confirmation area DBj. The prediction of the confirmation area DBj is performed for each image Aj, or for each delivery item CA after the posture change.

[0045] In addition, Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the example shown, the confirmation region DB is set to a fixed range at a fixed location; however, even in this case, it is possible to... Figure 1As shown, for each obtained image Ai, it is determined whether transport object verification processing needs to be performed in the verification area DB, and image processing is only performed in the verification area DB for the required image Aj. Whether the transport object verification processing is required depends on whether the transport object identification result Ci in the previous image Ai indicates that a posture change is needed. Therefore, the posture change unit C performs a posture change on the transport object CA. Because if there is no posture change, there is no need to perform transport object verification processing. In addition, if the posture change has been performed through the transport object identification processing in the previous image Ai, as long as image processing is performed in the verification area DB in the image Aj (j>i, where there may be a single image or multiple images), it is sufficient to confirm whether the transport object CA is detected. If the transport object CA is detected and the transport object verification information Ej related to the posture of the transport object CA is obtained, the fact of the posture change is reset, and it is regarded as that the posture change was not performed.

[0046] Furthermore, since the confirmation area prediction unit D predicts the location, range, and shooting time of the confirmation area DBj, whether image Aj is the image that needs confirmation can be determined solely based on the prediction content. However, considering prediction accuracy, the determination of whether one or more images Aj are the images that need confirmation can also be made separately from the prediction content by examining the image processing results of the transport object confirmation unit E, and by determining whether the transport object CA is detected within the confirmation area DBj. That is, in this case, although the location and range of the confirmation area DBj are used, the prediction result of image Aj corresponding to the predicted shooting time is not actually used. In either case, as long as the transport object CA is detected in any image Aj, the information related to the posture of the transport object CA is the aforementioned transport object confirmation information Ej. Furthermore, as will be described later, there are also cases where the transport CA cannot be detected in the confirmation area DB (DBj) due to the return action of the transport CA (the case where the transport CA does not exist). Therefore, when the transport CA is not detected in an image Aj (or all images if there are multiple images Aj) that may contain transport confirmation information corresponding to a certain posture change, the transport confirmation information includes the result "not detected", and the above-mentioned reset is also performed.

[0047] The confirmation areas DB and DBj can also be set as the measurement areas as described above, similar to the judgment area DA. This is because, in most cases, the conveyed object CA with its posture changed, conveyed on conveyor path 122, has essentially the same conveying speed as when it is conveyed on conveyor path 121. In this case, the confirmation area DB only needs to be set at a position further downstream than the location where the conveyed object CA with its posture changed might be located. Furthermore, in the example shown, conveyor path 122 is configured to extend downstream parallel to conveyor path 121 and finally merge with it. Here, it is generally configured such that the conveyed object CA on conveyor path 122, upon merging with conveyor path 121, adopts a standard conveying posture on conveyor path 121. Here, the setting location of the confirmation areas DB and DBj is not limited to conveyor path 122, which is different from conveyor path 121; it can also be configured such that the conveyed object CA with its posture changed is located on conveyor path 121.

[0048] Furthermore, the confirmation regions DB and DBj are set as defined areas. However, it is preferable to set these regions to have a larger extent than at least the target portion (or the entirety) of the transported object CA, thus providing a margin of error. This allows for more reliable transported object confirmation processing. While a larger range of confirmation regions DB and DBj is preferable from the perspective of reliably detecting the transported object CA after a posture change, a larger range also increases the image processing load. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the expansion rate of the confirmation regions DB and DBj based on the movement characteristics of the transported object CA in the transport device. For example, if the deviation of the position of the transported object CA after a posture change is large, the expansion rate needs to be increased, while if the deviation is small, the expansion rate can be decreased. When multiple past actual movement states of the transported object CA after posture changes are available, it is preferable to increase or decrease the expansion rate based on the deviation (e.g., standard deviation) of the set of these movement states (in a manner positively correlated with the deviation). In this way, the image processing load can be reduced, and the confirmation processing of the transported object CA after a posture change can be reliably performed through image processing in the confirmation regions DB and DBj.

[0049] Next, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 and Figure 5 The delivery method of this embodiment will be described. For example... Figure 4As shown in (a), the conveyor CA is conveyed along the conveying direction F on conveyor path 121. Here, above (actually to the side) conveyor path 121, another auxiliary conveyor path 122 is formed in parallel. Midway along conveyor path 121, a posture change section is provided where the jet nozzle OP opens onto the conveying surface. Furthermore, a judgment area DA is provided in the range adjacent to the upstream side of this posture change section. This judgment area DA is included in the aforementioned image Ai. Figure 1 As shown, multiple images Ai are obtained sequentially. In the example image, the first image A1 does not detect the transported object CA in the judgment area DA, and the same is true in the next image A2. The transported object CA is only detected in the judgment area DA in the next image A3. Furthermore, the judgment area DA is set as described above, such that the relationship between the length range Lda along the transport direction F and the transport speed Vs and shooting interval Ts of the transported object CA satisfies Lda > Vs·Ts, so that all transported objects CA (at least the identification target portion) passing through the transport path 121 can be detected in any image Ai. However, in practice, it is preferable to set the margin ΔL in the manner of Lda ≥ Vs·Ts + ΔL, and if possible, it is best to set Lda ≥ 2Vs·Ts. In addition, the upper limit of the above range Lda is preferably 2Vs·Ts or more and 3Vs·Ts or less. The width of the judgment area DA in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction F is preferably greater than the width of at least the object to be identified portion of the conveyed object CA. However, in this embodiment, since the conveyed object CA is conveyed by vibration, the conveyed object CA also swings to a certain extent in the width direction. Therefore, it is preferable to also provide a margin Δw of about 10% to 80% of the width of the object to be identified portion (or the whole) of the conveyed object CA in this width direction.

[0050] The conveyor CA in the illustrated example is cubic in shape and is shown in a configuration where its length is oriented towards the conveying direction F. In this case, the posture of the conveyor CA can be detected by markings M formed on a portion of the four sides of the conveyor CA, excluding the front and rear end faces. In the illustrated example, markings M are formed over half the width and length of one side (the shaded area in the figure). Furthermore, the ends of markings M appear at the boundary portions (near the ridge line) of the two sides adjacent to the aforementioned side. Thus, by carefully examining one of the four sides, the conveying posture of the conveyor CA around the axis along the conveying direction F can be determined. However, in the illustrated example, the shooting directions of cameras CM1 and CM2 are set such that at least two adjacent sides of the conveyor CA can be seen simultaneously in image Ai. That is, by setting the angle between the shooting direction of the cameras and the conveying surfaces 121a and 121b (surfaces that are approximately orthogonal to each other) of the conveying path 121, the two adjacent sides on both sides of a ridge line of the conveyor CA are simultaneously included in the image so that a ridge line of the conveyor CA can be seen. Furthermore, the example diagram shows a standard conveying configuration with the identifier M positioned at the upper right of the conveyor CA. Additionally, another conveying path 122 includes conveying surfaces 122a and 122b. These conveying surfaces 122a and 122b are approximately orthogonal to each other.

[0051] In this embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown in (c), when the transport object CA is detected in the judgment region DA of image A3, transport object identification information B3 is derived through transport object identification processing performed using the image processing of the judgment region DA. Based on this transport object identification information B3, the transport posture of the transport object CA corresponding to the position of the identifier M is determined, and a judgment of "NG" indicating a non-standard transport posture is obtained as the transport object identification result C3. Therefore, when... Figure 5 As shown in (e), when the conveyed object CA reaches the posture change location, as indicated... Figure 5 As shown in (f), an airflow is blown from the nozzle OP, and the conveyed item CA moves from conveyor path 121 to conveyor path 122 while rotating. Furthermore, since the nozzle OP is opened in a manner that allows pressure to be applied to the upper portion of the conveyed item CA on conveyor path 121, not only can the conveyed item CA be simply discharged from conveyor path 121, but the conveyed item CA can also be rotated about an axis along the conveying direction F. Thus, the conveyed item CA... Figure 5 The poses shown in (f) and (g) gradually change, and finally, as... Figure 5As shown in (h), when positioned on conveyor path 122, the conveying posture changes to a prescribed posture different from that on conveyor path 121. In the illustrated example, the conveying posture of the conveyed item CA, when positioned on conveyor path 122, becomes the standard conveying posture described above. In the illustrated example, the posture change of the conveyed item CA at this posture change location is accomplished by rotating it 180 degrees about an axis along the conveying direction F (about an axis along the length direction).

[0052] In this embodiment, a confirmation region DB for the transported item CA on the transport path 122 is provided within image Ai. In the example shown, the confirmation region DB is a fixed area with a predetermined position and range in image Ai. However, as described above, it can also be set for each image Aj in which transport confirmation processing is performed, or for each transported item CA, by predicting the confirmation region DBj. Image processing is also performed within this confirmation region DB, and transport confirmation information Ej is output. Furthermore, Figure 1 The following scenario is illustrated: based on the transport object identification result Ci obtained by performing transport object identification processing in the judgment region DA of image Ai, the transport object CA undergoes a posture change process, and transport object confirmation processing is performed on the posture-changed transport object CA in the confirmation region DB (DBj) of image Aj to obtain transport object confirmation information Ej. As described above, in Figure 4 and Figure 5 The example shows the case where the transport confirmation information Ej indicates that the transport posture of the transport item CA after the posture change is the standard transport posture. In contrast, Figure 6 In (b) and (d), the following cases are shown, namely: according to... Figure 6 As shown in (a) and (c), the transport object identification information Bi derived from image processing in the judgment region DA of image Ai changes the posture of the transport object CA. As a result, the transport posture of the transport object CA after posture change is a posture other than the standard transport posture. Here, Figure 6 (b) shows the following situation: the transported item CA is from Figure 6 The conveying posture shown in (a) has changed to a conveying posture that has rotated 270 degrees around the axis along the conveying direction F (around the axis along the length direction). Due to excessive rotation, it has deviated from the standard conveying posture and become a non-standard conveying posture. Furthermore, Figure 6 (d) in the diagram illustrates the following situation: the transported item CA is from... Figure 6 The conveying posture shown in (c) is changed to a conveying posture that has rotated 90 degrees around the axis along the conveying direction F (around the axis along the length direction). Due to insufficient rotation, it does not reach the standard conveying posture and becomes a non-standard conveying posture.

[0053] When the delivery confirmation information Ej is obtained as described above, then... Figure 1 The conveyed object posture change judgment unit G shown is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in (b), the conveyor posture change information Gij is obtained using the conveyor identification information Bi and the conveyor confirmation information Ej. This conveyor posture change information Gij represents the conveyor posture before the posture change in the judgment area DA of the conveyor CA (refer to...). Figure 4 (c) Figure 6 (a) Figure 6 (c) in the confirmation area DB after the change in the posture of the transported object CA (refer to) Figure 5 (h) in Figure 6 (b) Figure 6 The information regarding the relationship between (d) and the conveyor posture change information Gij can simply include two parts: the information portion representing the conveyor posture before the posture change in the judgment area DA of the conveyor CA, and the information portion representing the conveyor posture after the posture change in the confirmation area DB of the conveyor CA. Alternatively, it can only include information indicating the relationship between the two information portions. Additionally, it can be a symbol or text representing the category corresponding to the conveyor posture before and after the posture change, for example... Figure 4 and Figure 5 The example indicates information such as "NG" indicating that the conveying posture before the posture change was not the standard conveying posture, and "OK" indicating that the conveying posture after the posture change is the standard conveying posture.

[0054] When exporting the transport object posture change information Gij as described above, through Figure 1 The conveyor posture change setting unit H shown is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in (b), the conveyor posture change setting process is performed based on this information. This conveyor posture change setting process adjusts and sets the blowing timing or blowing pressure of the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the posture change location to the conveyor CA based on the conveyor confirmation information Ej or the conveyor posture change information Gij. In the example shown, the posture change control unit is set according to the conveyor posture change information Gij, but it can also be set based solely on the conveyor confirmation information Ej, depending on the situation. For example, as... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the conveyor confirmation information Ej obtained through the conveyor confirmation process corresponds to the standard conveyor posture, the blowing timing and blowing pressure are considered appropriate, and the original settings are maintained. On the other hand, as... Figure 6As shown in (a) and (b), and (c) and (d) in the diagram, when the conveyed material CA differs from the standard conveying posture, and thus the conveyed material confirmation information Ej does not correspond to the standard conveying posture, the action mode of the posture-changing parts, such as the blowing timing or blowing pressure of the airflow, is changed to adjust the effect on the posture change of the conveyed material CA. In this case, it is preferable that the conveyed material confirmation information Ej includes detailed information indicating which type of conveying posture it represents; therefore, it is best to change the adjustment method of the above-mentioned action mode according to the specific type of conveying posture. For example, in... Figure 6 When the rotation angle of the conveyed object CA shown in (b) changes its posture too much, reduce the blowing pressure as described above. Figure 6 If the rotation angle of the conveyed material CA during a posture change is too small, as shown in (d), the aforementioned blowing pressure should be increased. Additionally, although not specifically illustrated, in the conveyed material confirmation information Ej... Figure 5 When the conveying posture B6′ occurs due to a late blowing timing as shown in (f), the blowing timing should be advanced. Conversely, in Figure 5 When the conveying posture B7′ occurs too early as shown in (g), the blowing timing is delayed.

[0055] Figure 7 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the posture change control system, which implements an action mode for changing the posture of the conveyed object CA at the posture change location described above in this embodiment. For example, the posture change control unit 103, which is a part of the controller CL12, controls the pressure setting unit 124a of the regulator 124 to set the gas supply pressure to be adjustable, and controls the opening and closing drive unit 125a of the supply valve 125, which is composed of a solenoid valve or the like connected downstream of the regulator 124, to set the opening and closing timing of the supply valve 125. The regulator 124 is used to adjust the pressure of the compressed gas (air, etc.) supplied from the compressed gas source 123, such as a compressor. Here, the conveyed object posture change control unit 103 can adjust and change the supply pressure and the opening and closing timing through the conveyed object posture change setting unit H.

[0056] Figure 7 (b) in this embodiment is a diagram showing the correspondence between the conveyor posture change information Gij, represented by the combination of conveyor identification information Bi and conveyor confirmation information Ej, and the adjustment content of the action mode of the conveyor posture change unit C at the posture change location. According to this diagram, when the conveyor confirmation information Ej is "OK", the above-mentioned action mode adjustment is not performed, but when the conveyor confirmation information Ej is "NG" and the rotation angle of the conveyor CA during posture change is too large ( Figure 6In the case shown in (b), i.e., when it is "NG+", the blowing pressure of the airflow is reduced to the specified pressure (-Δp). On the other hand, when the conveyed material confirmation information Ej is "NG" and the rotation angle of the conveyed material CA during the posture change is too small ( Figure 6 In the case shown in (d), i.e., "NG-", the blowing pressure of the airflow is increased by a specified pressure (+Δp). Furthermore, when the transported object CA is not detected in the aforementioned confirmation area DB (DBj), for example, when the transported object CA is not detected in the confirmation area DB (DBj) in any of one or more images Aj, it could be due to insufficient blowing pressure of the airflow from the jet nozzle OP, causing the transported object CA to return to transport path 121 instead of moving from transport path 121 to transport path 122, or due to excessive blowing pressure, causing the transported object CA to move to transport path 122 and then return to transport path 121 due to inertia. Therefore, if the set value of the posture change action mode (the aforementioned blowing pressure) exceeds a specified threshold, the blowing pressure of the airflow is reduced by a specified pressure (-Δp). On the other hand, if the set value is below the specified threshold, the blowing pressure of the airflow is increased by a specified pressure (+Δp). It should be noted that the above explanation assumes that Δp is the same under all circumstances, but Δp can also be changed in various ways depending on the situation. Alternatively, Δp can be increased or decreased by proportional control corresponding to the degree to which the movement pattern deviates from the appropriate value during the posture change.

[0057] In contrast, regardless of the conveyed item confirmation information Ej or the conveyed item attitude change information Gij, the attitude of the conveyed item CA at the attitude change location is as follows: Figure 5 When (f) has a negative tilt angle relative to the conveying direction F, such as B6′, or as... Figure 5When (g) B7′ has a positive tilt angle relative to the conveying direction F, the process is as follows: First, when the tilt angle is less than a predetermined reference angle θ, for example, less than ±10 degrees, no adjustment is made to the operating mode. Second, when the positive tilt angle exceeds the aforementioned reference angle θ (10 degrees), the airflow timing is advanced by Δt. When the negative tilt angle is less than the aforementioned reference angle θ (10 degrees), the airflow timing is delayed by Δt. It should be noted that the above description assumes Δt is the same in all cases, but Δt can be varied depending on the situation, or it can be increased or decreased proportionally to the degree to which the operating mode deviates from the appropriate value (0 degrees) during posture changes. As described above, even when multiple conveying postures are present, by adjusting and setting the operating mode of the conveying posture change unit C based on the conveying confirmation information Ej or the conveying posture change information Gij obtained from the conveying confirmation unit E, the posture change of the conveying item CA can be appropriately executed by the conveying posture change unit C, thereby efficiently unifying (controlling) the conveying posture of the conveying item CA.

[0058] exist Figure 7Figure (c) shows an example where the posture change control unit 103, which has been adjusted and optimized as described above, unifies the multiple conveying postures CN1 to CN4 of the conveyed item CA into CN1, and three posture change parts are arranged along the conveying direction F of the conveying path 121. Here, if the conveying posture CN1 to be unified is taken as a reference (0 degrees), for example, when the rotation angle during posture change is set to +90 degrees, the rotation angle of the conveyed item CA around the axis along the conveying direction F can be examples of CN2 being -90 degrees, CN3 being -180 degrees, and CN4 being -270 degrees. In this example, at the first attitude change point, the conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN1 continues to pass downstream unchanged. The conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN2 is changed to conveying attitude CN1 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the attitude change point. The conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN3 is changed to conveying attitude CN2 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the attitude change point. The conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN4 is changed to conveying attitude CN3 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the attitude change point. Next, at the second attitude change point, the conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN1 continues to pass downstream unchanged. The conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN2 is changed to conveying attitude CN1 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the attitude change point. The conveyed object CA of conveying attitude CN3 is changed to conveying attitude CN2 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the attitude change point. Then, at the third posture change section, the conveyed material CA in conveying posture CN1 passes downstream unchanged, while the conveyed material CA in conveying posture CN2 is changed to conveying posture CN1 by the airflow blown from the jet nozzle OP at the posture change section. In a conveying device having multiple posture change sections as described above, the aforementioned efficient conveying posture change becomes more effective, and a conveyed material CA with a uniform conveying posture can be reliably supplied with high conveying efficiency. The above-described configurations can be effectively adopted at each of the multiple posture change sections, and preferably at all posture change sections.

[0059] <The Structure of Action Procedure 10P>

[0060] Next, refer to Figure 8 The overall operation procedure 10P of each embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 8This is a simplified flowchart illustrating the various processing procedures for conveyor management executed by the processing unit (DTU) of the inspection unit (DTU) according to the action program (10P). When the action program (10P) is started, the image capture and image measurement processing described above are first performed, and the conveyor devices (feeder 11 and linear feeder 12) are driven by controllers CL11 and CL12. Then, if the debugging setting corresponding to the debugging operation described above is OFF, image measurement processing is performed on the captured image GPX or image area GPY, and conveyor screening processing and conveyor posture change control processing (including the conveyor identification processing and the conveyor confirmation processing described above) are performed. Here, if the final judgment result of the conveyor screening processing or the conveyor identification processing described above is "OK", the image measurement processing of the next captured image GPX or image area GPY is directly implemented without performing a debugging operation. For example, at the conveyor rejection section for the conveyor screening processing described above, the airflow from the jet nozzle OP is normally stopped, but when the judgment result is "NG" (defective product), the airflow from the jet nozzle OP is allowed to continue. Therefore, defective conveyed material CA is removed from the conveyor path. Furthermore, at the aforementioned posture change location, airflow from the jet nozzle OP is normally stopped, but when the judgment result is "NG" (defective posture), the posture of the conveyed material CA is changed during the process of moving it from conveyor path 121 to conveyor path 122 by airflow from the jet nozzle OP, performing actions such as flipping. Alternatively, the opposite can be true: airflow is normally allowed, but the airflow is stopped when the judgment result is "OK" (correct posture).

[0061] In this way, by identifying the conveyor CA as the conveyed object on the conveyor road and processing it according to the identification result, only conveyor CAs with good quality or good posture are supplied downstream in an orderly manner. In this case, as long as no adjustment operation is performed afterwards, image measurement processing and conveyor identification processing are directly performed on the next captured image GPX or the measurement area of ​​the next image area GPY. Here, in the conveyor identification processing performed by the conveyor posture change control processing unit 100, processing is performed on a single conveyor CA as described above, but usually, for multiple conveyor CAs that are subsequently conveyed to the judgment area DA, which is the measurement area, the same conveyor identification processing is performed on each conveyor CA in parallel. In addition, the above-mentioned conveyor confirmation processing is only performed on the conveyor CAs whose posture has changed according to the identification result Ci. Furthermore, the conveying action detection processing of the conveyor CAs on the conveyor road can also be performed in parallel with the above-mentioned image measurement processing or conveyor identification processing, so as to detect, for example, the conveying action of the conveyor CAs when conveyed along the conveying direction F on the conveyor road. Furthermore, the drive of the conveying device can be controlled to adjust the conveying state based on the detection results of the conveying action detection process. This control of the conveying drive can be achieved, for example, by controlling the drive conditions of the excitation element of the conveying device's excitation mechanism, such as the frequency or voltage of a piezoelectric actuator, thereby adjusting to an appropriate conveying state. Additionally, the aforementioned conveying action detection process can be executed in parallel with the conveyor object identification process of the conveyor object posture change control processing unit 100, or it can be executed entirely through separate image processing, independent of the conveyor object identification process. For example, by controlling the frequency and amplitude of vibration based on the magnitude of the positional change of the conveyor object CA in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction F as it moves along the conveying path 121, unnecessary swaying of the conveyor object CA on the conveying path 121 can be prevented.

[0062] When debugging is performed during the above-mentioned process and the debugging setting is changed to "ON", the above program (operation mode) is exited, the conveyor is stopped, and image measurement processing, conveyor screening processing, conveyor posture change control processing, and conveyor movement detection processing are also stopped. Then, when appropriate operations are performed in this state, the program becomes able to select past image files. At this time, the image file to be displayed is an image file containing multiple captured images (GPX or GPY) recorded in the previous operation mode. If this image file is selected directly and appropriate operations are performed, the program transitions to the re-execution mode. In this mode, the image display, various processing, or control can be performed again based on the image file containing the results of the image measurement processing, conveyor screening processing, conveyor posture change control processing, or conveyor movement detection processing performed as described above. That is, when a problem occurs in the control (removal or flipping, etc.) of the conveyor CA that is being conveyed by the conveyor, in order to eliminate the problem, image processing is first performed again based on past image data to investigate the problem in each processing or control. If the problem is identified, the settings (set values) of each process or control can be changed or adjusted accordingly. The results of the adjustment and improvement can be confirmed by re-executing image measurement processing on the past image data. Then, when performing an appropriate recovery operation, the debugging settings are restored to OFF, image measurement processing is restarted, and the conveyor is restarted.

[0063] Furthermore, during the aforementioned debugging operation, the movement pattern of the posture change part can be manually adjusted, replacing the aforementioned conveyor posture change setting unit H (conveyor posture change processing), based on the aforementioned conveyor confirmation information Ej or conveyor posture change information Gij. For example, the adjustment can also be performed... Figure 7 The control mode of the posture change control unit 103 is shown in (a).

[0064] In this embodiment, since the posture change state of the conveyor CA caused by the action of the conveyor posture change unit C can be confirmed by obtaining the conveyor confirmation information Ej, the adjustment operation becomes easier by adjusting the action mode of the conveyor posture change unit C while confirming the information, and the posture change mode of the conveyor at the posture change part is highly accurate.

[0065] In particular, by having a transport posture change judgment unit G that also has transport posture change information Gij representing the relationship between transport identification information Bi and transport confirmation information Ej, it is easier to confirm the relationship between the action mode of the transport posture change unit C and the posture change state of the transport CA generated by the action of the transport posture change unit C.

[0066] In this embodiment, the transport object confirmation unit E calculates the transport object confirmation information Ej by performing image processing on the image portion of the confirmation area DB configured after the transport object CA, which has obtained the discrimination result Ci, is positioned at the aforementioned posture change location by the transport object posture change unit C. This process both reduces the image processing load and reliably and quickly confirms the posture of the transport object CA after the posture change. In particular, by setting the confirmation area DB as an image portion with a predetermined positional relationship to the posture change location in the image Ai relative to the image portion containing the judgment area DA after a predetermined time, and in other images Aj (j>i) captured afterward, it is possible to simultaneously reduce the image processing load and processing time, and improve the reliability and accuracy of posture confirmation in a higher dimension.

[0067] In this embodiment, a posture change control unit 103 is also provided to control the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit C. The posture change control unit 103 automatically sets the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit C according to the conveyor confirmation information Ej or the conveyor posture change information Gij output by the conveyor posture change judgment unit G. Thus, the movement mode of the conveyor posture change unit C can be automatically adjusted according to the conveyor confirmation information Ej or the conveyor posture change information Gij, which represents the relationship between the conveyor identification information Bi and the conveyor confirmation information Ej. Therefore, it can reduce the trouble of adjustment operations and improve the accuracy of posture change.

[0068] In this embodiment, the conveyor posture changing unit C changes the posture by blowing airflow onto the conveyor. However, the conveyor posture changing setting unit H preferably sets at least one of the airflow timing and blowing pressure as the action mode. This allows for rapid and appropriate changes to the action mode of a small conveyor CA during posture changes.

[0069] In this embodiment, a confirmation region prediction unit D is also provided to predict the position or range of the confirmation region DB for each image Aj or each transported object CA, thereby simultaneously improving the reliability of acquiring posture-related information after the posture change of the transported object CA and reducing the burden of image processing.

[0070] In this embodiment, the judgment region DA and the confirmation region DB are both regions contained within the images Ai and Aj, thereby enabling the setting of two regions used in the object identification process and the object confirmation process within a single image. This makes it easier to set the positional relationship between the two regions and is expected to simplify the shooting system of cameras, etc.

[0071] Furthermore, the conveying system of the present invention is not limited to the example shown in the figures above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a judgment region DA and a confirmation region DB are set within the same images Ai and Aj, and image processing is performed in these regions. However, the present invention is not limited to this method; images with the judgment region DA and images with the confirmation region DB can be obtained separately, and images can be captured using different cameras (shooting devices). In addition, in the above embodiment, the conveyor posture changing unit C is used to move the conveyor CA on the conveyor path 121 to arrange the posture-changed conveyor CA on the conveyor path 122. However, the conveying posture of the conveyor CA can also be changed on the same conveyor path 121.

Claims

1. A conveying system, characterized in that, have: A conveying device that conveys a conveyed object along a conveying path and has an attitude-changing part in the middle of the conveying path for changing the attitude of the conveyed object; The image acquisition unit acquires an image of the transported object; The transport object identification unit performs image processing on the image portion of the transport object in a judgment area set upstream of the posture change location, thereby obtaining transport object identification information related to the posture of the transport object; A conveyor posture change unit performs a posture change on the conveyor at the posture change location when the conveyor identification information indicates that the posture of the conveyor needs to be changed. The transport object confirmation unit performs image processing on the image portion of the transport object after its posture has been changed by the transport object posture change unit, thereby obtaining transport object confirmation information related to the posture of the transport object. as well as The conveyed object posture change determination unit calculates conveyed object posture change information that represents the relationship between the conveyed object identification information and the conveyed object confirmation information. The transport object confirmation unit calculates the transport object confirmation information by performing image processing on the image portion of the confirmation area. The confirmation area is defined as the position or range within which the transport object is positioned after its posture has been changed by the transport object posture change unit at the posture change location. Both the judgment region and the confirmation region are regions contained within the image.

2. The conveying system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The confirmation region is defined in the image portion that has a predetermined positional relationship with the posture change part, in the image portion containing the judgment region at a predetermined time point and in other images taken thereafter.

3. The conveying system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a confirmation area prediction unit, which predicts the location or range of the confirmation area for each of the images or each of the transport objects.

4. The conveying system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It also includes a posture change control unit that controls the movement pattern of the conveyed object posture change unit; The posture change control unit automatically sets the action mode of the conveyed object posture change unit based on the conveyed object confirmation information.

5. The conveying system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conveyor posture changing unit changes the posture of the conveyor by blowing airflow onto it.

6. The conveying system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The action pattern is at least one of the timing of the airflow and the airflow pressure.

Images