Appearance inspection apparatus and inspection method

Abstract

The application discloses an appearance detection device and a detection method. The appearance detection device comprises a first conveying line for conveying a tray in a first direction; two camera modules arranged above the first conveying line; a first bearing module arranged on the inner side of the first conveying line, the first bearing module comprising at least a top plate capable of lifting in the up-down direction; and two turnover assemblies arranged below the two camera modules; wherein the top plate and the two turnover assemblies can make linear reciprocating motion in the first direction, the first conveying line is provided with a first sensing unit, when the tray is conveyed to the first sensing unit, the first sensing unit is triggered to make the top plate supporting the tray lift, and the two camera modules synchronously shoot the front image information of the material; the turnover assembly is configured to pick up the material and turn over the material after the two camera modules collect the front image information of the material, so that the two camera modules can collect the back image information of the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of defect detection equipment technology, specifically relating to an appearance inspection device and detection method. Background Technology

[0002] During the quality inspection of flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs), technicians mostly focus on performance testing of the FPCBs' usability, neglecting the appearance defects. However, appearance defects of FPCBs directly affect the electrical performance of the circuit, product safety, and lifespan.

[0003] Currently, most manufacturers rely on manual inspection to check the appearance of each flexible circuit board. This manual method is not only wasteful of manpower and inefficient, but also significantly affected by human factors. For example, minor defects are easily overlooked by the human eye, yet these minor defects can potentially impact product quality. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing technology to overcome these shortcomings. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide an appearance inspection device and inspection method that can improve inspection efficiency.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of materials on a tray. The appearance inspection device includes: a first conveyor line for conveying the tray along a first direction; two camera modules disposed above the first conveyor line and arranged side-by-side in the first direction, the two camera modules being capable of synchronous movement in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a first bearing module disposed inside the first conveyor line, the first bearing module including at least a top plate capable of lifting and lowering in a vertical direction; and two flipping components disposed below the two camera modules and corresponding to each camera module.

[0006] The top plate and the two flipping components are capable of linear reciprocating motion in the first direction. The first conveyor line is equipped with a first sensing unit. When the material tray is conveyed to the first sensing unit, the first sensing unit is triggered to make the top plate support the material tray to lift, and the two camera modules simultaneously capture the front image information of the material.

[0007] The flipping component is configured to pick up and flip the material after the two camera modules have acquired the front image information of the material, so that the two camera modules can acquire the back image information of the material.

[0008] In some embodiments, the two camera modules are a first camera module and a second camera module, with the first camera module located directly above the first sensing unit;

[0009] The tray has multiple rows in the first direction, and there is a row spacing between adjacent rows in the first direction. The row spacing refers to the distance to move from one row to the adjacent row. The distance between the central axis of the lens of the first camera module and the central axis of the lens of the second camera module in the first direction is the lens spacing. The value of the lens spacing is n times the row spacing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the flipping assembly includes a rotation drive unit, a bracket disposed on the output end of the rotation drive unit, and a suction cup disposed on the bracket;

[0011] The flipping component is disposed on the second driving structure, and the second driving structure is configured to drive the flipping component to perform linear reciprocating motion in the first direction and a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0012] The second driving structure includes a horizontal module that drives the rotary driving unit to perform linear reciprocating motion in the first direction, and a vertical module that drives the rotary driving unit to perform linear reciprocating motion in the third direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first conveyor line is further provided with a clamping assembly, the clamping assembly including at least a first clamping cylinder group located downstream of the first sensing unit, the first clamping cylinder group being configured to clamp the material tray in the second direction after the two camera modules have acquired the frontal image information of the material, so that the flipping assembly can pick up the material.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first conveyor line includes a pair of opposing support plates and a first conveyor belt unit disposed on the support plates, wherein the top of the support plates is provided with a first clamping cylinder assembly, the first clamping cylinder assembly including at least a limiting block, the limiting block being able to move closer to or further away from the material tray in the second direction to clamp the material tray or release the material tray.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first bearing module further includes a base plate capable of linear reciprocating motion along the first direction, a lifting cylinder disposed on the base plate, a top plate connected to the piston rod of the lifting cylinder, and a pair of clamping blocks distributed on opposite sides of the top plate in the first direction and capable of moving closer or further apart in the first direction. The pair of clamping blocks are slidably disposed on the base plate, and the base plate is provided with a first bidirectional lead screw mechanism for driving the pair of clamping blocks to move closer or further apart in the first direction. The pair of clamping blocks are also respectively connected to a first cylinder, which is configured to drive the clamping blocks to move up and down in the vertical direction and can move synchronously with the pair of clamping blocks in the first direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, the top plate has openings at both ends in the first direction, wherein the pair of clamping blocks can be moved into or out of the openings under the drive of the first bidirectional lead screw mechanism.

[0017] In some embodiments, a feeding assembly is further included, which is located upstream of the first conveyor line. The feeding assembly includes at least a second conveyor line with the same conveying direction as the first conveyor line and a support structure located inside the second conveyor line.

[0018] The second conveyor line includes a pair of mounting plates facing each other, a second conveyor belt unit disposed on the mounting plates, and the feeding assembly further includes a second bidirectional screw mechanism connected to the pair of mounting plates. The second bidirectional screw mechanism is configured to drive the pair of mounting plates to move closer to each other or further away from each other in the second direction.

[0019] The support structure includes a shelf, a pair of support seats slidably disposed on the shelf along the second direction, a second cylinder for driving the shelf to rise and fall in the vertical direction, and a first guide structure for guiding the shelf in the vertical direction. The top surface of the shelf is provided with a pair of first guide rail units extending along the second direction. The pair of support seats are slidably disposed on the shelf through the pair of first guide rail units. The first guide structure includes a first guide sleeve disposed on the mounting plate and a first guide rod disposed on the support seat and passing through the first guide sleeve. The support seat is disposed on the mounting plate through the first guide structure.

[0020] In some embodiments, the feeding assembly further includes a frame strip unit disposed on the mounting plate. The frame strip unit includes a first frame strip group and a second frame strip group. The first frame strip group includes two right-angle frame strips, and the second frame strip group includes two straight frame strips. The two right-angle frame strips and the two straight frame strips enclose a receiving space for stacking the material trays.

[0021] In the first direction, a material distribution unit is provided between the first frame strip group and the second frame strip group. There is a pair of material distribution units, and the pair of material distribution units are distributed facing each other on a pair of mounting plates. The material distribution unit includes a material distribution component and a material distribution cylinder provided on the mounting plate for driving the material distribution component to perform linear reciprocating motion in the second direction. The material distribution component is configured to support the material tray from the bottom.

[0022] The top of the pair of mounting plates is also provided with a sorting mechanism, which includes sorting strips distributed along the extension direction of the straight frame strips and a sorting cylinder disposed on the mounting plate for driving the sorting strips to make linear reciprocating motion in the second direction. The sorting strips are configured to push the tray from the side of the tray to make it more orderly.

[0023] This application also provides a detection method based on the appearance inspection device described above, the detection method comprising the following steps:

[0024] Step S1: The material tray is conveyed to the first sensing unit along the first direction via the first conveyor line, so that the first sensing unit is triggered, the top plate is raised, and the material tray is driven to move upward and detach from the first conveyor line;

[0025] Step S2: Control the two camera modules to move from the initial position along the second direction. The two camera modules move synchronously in the second direction and have the same stopping position. At each stopping position, the two camera modules simultaneously acquire the front image information of the material on the tray. The field of view of the two camera modules covers different areas of the tray.

[0026] Step S3: After the two camera modules have acquired the front image information of the material, drive the two flipping components to move to the top of the material tray to pick up the material and flip it 180° so that the back of the material is facing up. Then drive the two camera modules to move from the initial position along the second direction. At each stop position, the two camera modules simultaneously acquire the back image information of the material on the material tray.

[0027] The technical solution provided in this application has the following advantages:

[0028] In this application, the fields of view of the two camera modules cover different areas of the material tray, and at the same time, they can acquire material image information from two different rows on the tray. After the two camera modules have acquired the front image information of the material, the flipping component can pick up and flip the material, thereby enabling the two camera modules to acquire the back image information of the material. In other words, when the material tray is at this station on the first conveyor line, the front and back image information of the material can be acquired simultaneously, effectively improving the detection efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the appearance inspection equipment provided in this application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of two camera modules;

[0032] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram from a top-down perspective;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the first conveyor line and the material tray;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the first conveyor line and the first load-bearing module;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first load-bearing module;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the material tray structure;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the flipping component and the second drive structure;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of the feeding assembly from a first-person perspective.

[0039] Figure 10 This is a structural schematic diagram of the feeding assembly from a second-view perspective.

[0040] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the middle part;

[0041] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the feeding assembly from a third-person perspective.

[0042] Figure 13 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram of region A in the middle;

[0043] Figure 14 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the precision inspection component;

[0044] Figure 15This is a schematic diagram of the blocking mechanism;

[0045] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first drive mechanism;

[0046] Figure 17 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the sliding sleeve and drive pulley. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The technical solutions of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. The application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0048] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0049] In this application, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom" are generally used in relation to the direction shown in the accompanying drawings, or in relation to the vertical, perpendicular, or gravitational direction of the component itself; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours of each component itself, but the above directional terms are not intended to limit this application.

[0050] This application provides an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of materials on a tray 900, wherein the materials are sheets. In one embodiment, the material is a flexible circuit board, and the appearance inspection device is used to inspect the appearance of the flexible circuit board, such as openings, burrs, residual adhesive, ink stains, etc. Of course, the materials include, but are not limited to, flexible circuit boards, and can also be PCB boards or other sheet products, which will not be elaborated here.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the appearance inspection equipment includes a first conveyor line 110, a first carrying module 120, two camera modules 130, and two flipping components 150. The first conveyor line 110 conveys a material tray 900 along a first direction. The two camera modules 130 are positioned above the first conveyor line 110 and arranged side-by-side along the first direction. The two flipping components 150 are positioned below the two camera modules 130 and are configured to correspond one-to-one with each camera module 130.

[0052] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the first conveyor line 110 includes a pair of opposing support plates 111 and a first conveyor belt unit 112 disposed on the support plates 111. The first conveyor belt unit 112 is disposed on the inner wall of the support plates 111. The first conveyor belt unit 112 includes a first motor 1121, a drive pulley 1122 disposed on the output end of the first motor 1121, a first pulley 1123 and a second pulley 1124 rotatably disposed on the inner wall of the support plates 111, and a first conveyor belt 1125. A load-bearing rib 113 extending in a first direction is fixed on the inner wall of the support plates 111, and a portion of the first conveyor belt 1125 is located above the load-bearing rib 113.

[0053] The first pulley 1123 and the second pulley 1124 are distributed at the same height, with the first pulley 1123 located near one end of the support plate 111 and the second pulley 1124 located near the other end of the support plate 111. The first motor 1121 and the drive pulley 1122 are located near the first pulley 1123 and below it. The drive pulley 1122, the first pulley 1123, and the second pulley 1124 form a triangular arrangement.

[0054] To avoid slippage, the first conveyor belt unit 112 also includes a tensioning pulley 1126 disposed on the inner side wall of the bearing plate 111. In the vertical direction, the tensioning pulley 1126 is located between the drive pulley 1122 and the first pulley 1123. The drive pulley 1122 is distributed closer to the first pulley 1123 than the tensioning pulley 1126, so that the first conveyor belt 1125 is wound in an "S" shape between the drive pulley 1122, the tensioning pulley 1126 and the first pulley 1123. Thus, a large wrap angle and a large transmission capacity can be achieved with a small center distance, and slippage can be avoided.

[0055] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the first bearing module 120 is located inside the first conveyor line 110. The first bearing module 120 includes at least a top plate 122 that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction to support the material tray 900. After the top plate 122 is raised and lowered, it can drive the material tray 900 to be raised and lowered, thereby realizing different operation requirements.

[0056] The first bearing module 120 also includes a base plate 121 capable of linear reciprocating motion along a first direction, a lifting cylinder 125 disposed on the base plate 121, a top plate 122 connected to the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 125, and a pair of clamping blocks 123 distributed on opposite sides of the top plate 122 in the first direction and capable of moving closer or further apart in the first direction.

[0057] A pair of clamping blocks 123 are slidably mounted on a base plate 121 via a connecting plate 127. Specifically, a first slider 1271 is provided at the bottom of the connecting plate 127, and a first linear slide rail 1272 is provided on the top surface of the base plate 121, with the first slider 1271 slidably mounted on the first linear slide rail 1272. A first bidirectional lead screw mechanism 126 is provided on the base plate 121 to drive the pair of clamping blocks 123 to move closer or further apart in a first direction. Each pair of clamping blocks 123 is also connected to a first cylinder 124, with each cylinder 124 corresponding to one of the clamping blocks 123. The first cylinders 124 drive the clamping blocks 123 to move up and down, and can also move synchronously with the clamping blocks 123 in the first direction.

[0058] During operation, the lifting cylinder 125 drives the top plate 122 to rise, lifting the material tray 900 and separating it from the first conveyor belt 1125. At this time, the material tray 900 will not move with the movement of the first conveyor belt 1125. The first cylinder 124 drives the clamping block 123 to rise. The clamping block 123 has a flexible block 1231 on the side facing the material tray 900, and the flexible block 1231 extends in the second direction. The first bidirectional screw mechanism 126 can drive the pair of clamping blocks 123 to move closer or further apart in the first direction. The first cylinder 124 can adjust the clamping blocks 123 to an appropriate height. When the pair of clamping blocks 123 move closer together, they can clamp the material tray 900 in the first direction, and the flexible block 1231 can buffer and reduce the impact force. When the pair of clamping blocks 123 move further apart, the material tray 900 is only supported by the top plate 122 and is not limited by the pair of clamping blocks 123.

[0059] The base plate 121 is capable of linear reciprocating motion along a first direction. Thus, the position of the top plate 122 and the pair of clamping blocks 123 in the first direction can be adjusted by the movement of the base plate 121. The base plate 121 is equipped with a linear drive mechanism (not shown in the figure). The linear drive mechanism can be a lead screw mechanism, a gear mechanism, a rack mechanism, etc. Any existing drive mechanism that can achieve linear reciprocating motion is acceptable, and will not be described in detail here.

[0060] In this application, the top plate 122 has openings 1221 at both ends in a first direction, and the openings 1221 are rectangular. The dimension of the openings 1221 in the first direction is larger than the dimension in the second direction. The length of the top plate 122 in the first direction is the sum of the lengths of the two openings 1221 and the length of the remaining portion H. The length of the openings 1221 is less than the length of the remaining portion H, and the difference between the length of the openings 1221 and the length of the remaining portion H ranges from 2 to 10 mm. This difference can be 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, etc., or it can increase in 0.5 mm increments within the range of 2 to 10 mm.

[0061] The pair of clamping blocks 123, driven by the first bidirectional lead screw mechanism 126, can move into or out of the opening 1221. The opening 1221 facilitates the clamping blocks 123 clamping trays 900 of different sizes. Conversely, if the size of the tray 900 in the first direction is smaller than the size of the top plate 122 in the first direction, the pair of clamping blocks 123 cannot clamp the tray 900 due to the obstruction of the top plate 122. After the opening 1221 is opened, the pair of clamping blocks 123 can move into the opening 1221, thus enabling the pair of clamping blocks 123 to clamp trays 900 whose length is less than the length of the top plate 122.

[0062] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the camera module 130 is connected to a first drive structure 140, which is configured to drive the camera module 130 to perform linear reciprocating motion along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and the two camera modules 130 can move synchronously in the second direction. The first drive structure 140 is a linear drive module.

[0063] The first conveyor line 110 is equipped with a first sensing unit 170. When the material tray 900 is conveyed to the first sensing unit 170, the first sensing unit 170 is triggered to raise the top plate 122 and simultaneously capture frontal image information of the material by the two camera modules 130. The first sensing unit 170 can be a photoelectric sensor. When the material tray 900 runs to the first sensing unit 170, the photoelectric sensor is triggered, the top plate 122 is raised to lift the material tray 900 off the first conveyor belt 1125, and at this time, the two camera modules 130 can collect frontal image information of the material on the material tray 900.

[0064] For ease of explanation, the two camera modules 130 are defined as the first camera module and the second camera module, respectively. The first camera module is located directly above the first sensing unit 170. The tray 900 has multiple rows in the first direction, and there is a row spacing between adjacent rows in the first direction. The row spacing refers to the distance that needs to be moved from one row to the adjacent row.

[0065] like Figure 7 As shown, the tray 900 has five rows in the first direction: row 910, row 920, row 930, row 940, and row 950. For example, row spacing refers to the distance moved from row 910 to row 920, or from row 920 to row 930. The tray 900 has multiple columns in the second direction, where the number of columns is greater than the number of rows. Further, the number of columns is equal to twice the number of rows. When the number of rows is 5, the number of columns is 10.

[0066] In this application, the fields of view of the two camera modules 130 cover different areas of the material tray 900, and the fields of view of the two camera modules 130 do not overlap. When the material tray 900 moves to the first sensing unit 170 and is lifted by the top plate 122, the field of view of the first camera module is located directly above the first row position 910 of the material tray 900, and the field of view of the second camera module is located directly above the third row position 930 of the material tray 900. At this time, the first camera module and the second camera module move from their initial positions along the second direction. The first camera module and the second camera module move synchronously in the second direction and have the same stopping position. At each stopping position, the two camera modules 130 simultaneously acquire frontal image information of the material. After the materials in the first row 910 and the third row 930 of the material tray 900 have been collected, the top plate 122 moves one row distance along the first direction. At this time, the field of view of the first camera module is directly above the second row 920 of the material tray 900, and the field of view of the second camera module is directly above the fourth row 940 of the material tray 900. Similarly, after the materials in the second row 920 and the fourth row 940 have been collected, the top plate 122 moves another row distance along the first direction, allowing the first camera module and the second camera module to collect materials in the other rows, until all rows on the material tray 900 have been collected.

[0067] When the number of rows on the material tray 900 is even, the number of rows captured by the first camera module is equal to the number of rows captured by the second camera module. When the number of rows on the material tray 900 is odd, the number of rows captured by the first camera module is greater than the number of rows captured by the second camera module, and the number of rows captured by the first camera module is 1 greater than the number of rows captured by the second camera module.

[0068] In this application, the distance between the central axis of the lens of the first camera module and the central axis of the lens of the second camera module in the first direction is the lens spacing, which is n times the line spacing, where n is a positive integer. The value of n is 1, 2, 3, etc. Preferably, the value of n is 1.

[0069] The flipping component 150 is configured to pick up and flip the material after the two camera modules 130 have acquired the front image information of the material, thereby enabling the two camera modules 130 to acquire the back image information of the material. The two flipping components 150 are capable of linear reciprocating motion in a first direction.

[0070] like Figure 8As shown, the flipping assembly 150 includes a rotary drive unit 151, a bracket 152 disposed on the output end of the rotary drive unit 151, and a suction cup 153 disposed on the bracket 152. The suction cup 153 is a vacuum suction cup. The flipping assembly 150 is disposed on a second drive structure 160, which is configured to drive the flipping assembly 150 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a first direction and a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. Specifically, the second drive structure 160 includes a horizontal module 161 that drives the rotary drive unit 151 to perform linear reciprocating motion in the first direction and a vertical module 162 that drives the rotary drive unit 151 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a third direction.

[0071] The flipping component 150 performs a linear reciprocating motion in the first direction, which facilitates its movement to directly above the material tray 900 for material retrieval and to the camera module 130 for image acquisition. The flipping component 150 also performs a linear reciprocating motion in the third direction, allowing it to rise and fall in both directions to adjust its height.

[0072] The suction cup 153 has four docking positions. In the first docking position, the suction cup 153 faces and is parallel to the material tray 900, at which point the suction cup 153 picks up material. In the second docking position, the suction cup 153 rotates 90° counterclockwise, becoming perpendicular to the material tray 900, at which point the camera module 130 can capture an image of one sidewall of the material facing it. In the third docking position, the suction cup 153 continues to rotate 90° counterclockwise, with the back of the material facing the camera module 130, allowing the camera module 130 to capture an image of the back of the material. Finally, in the fourth docking position, the camera module 130 can capture an image of the other sidewall of the material facing it. This application enables image acquisition of multiple surfaces of a material at the same workstation, effectively simplifying the equipment structure and facilitating the miniaturization of the overall machine.

[0073] When the flipping assembly 150 adsorbs material, a pair of clamping blocks 123 clamp the material tray 900 in a first direction, thus preventing the material tray 900 from changing its initial position under the action of the suction cup 153. In this application, as... Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the first conveyor line 110 is also equipped with a clamping assembly 180. The clamping assembly 180 includes at least a first clamping cylinder group 181 located downstream of the first sensing unit 170. The first clamping cylinder group 181 is configured to clamp the material tray 900 in a second direction after the two camera modules 130 have collected the frontal image information of the material, so that the flipping assembly 150 can pick up the material. Through a pair of clamping blocks 123 and the first clamping cylinder group 181, the material tray 900 can be limited in the first direction and the second direction, that is, the material tray 900 is completely limited in the horizontal direction, and the limiting effect is good.

[0074] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first clamping cylinder assembly 181 is disposed on the top of the support plate 111. The first clamping cylinder assembly 181 includes at least a limiting block 1811, which can move closer to or further away from the material tray 900 in a second direction to clamp or release the material tray 900. The first clamping cylinder assembly 181 also includes a clamping cylinder 1812, the piston rod of which is connected to the limiting block 1811. The first clamping cylinder assemblies 181 are arranged in pairs and symmetrically. In this application, there is a pair of first clamping cylinder assemblies 181.

[0075] The clamping assembly 180 also includes a second clamping cylinder group 182, which is located upstream of the first sensing unit 170. There is a pair of second clamping cylinder groups 182, symmetrically distributed. The first clamping cylinder group 181 and the second clamping cylinder group 182 can limit the material tray 900 from four different positions, providing more reliable and stable clamping.

[0076] like Figures 9 to 12 As shown, the appearance inspection equipment also includes a feeding component 200, which is located upstream of the first conveyor line 110. The feeding component 200 includes at least a second conveyor line 210 with the same conveying direction as the first conveyor line 110 and a support structure 220 located inside the second conveyor line 210.

[0077] The second conveyor line 210 includes a pair of opposing mounting plates 211 and a second conveyor belt unit 212 mounted on the mounting plates 211. The feeding assembly 200 also includes a second bidirectional screw mechanism 230 connected to the pair of mounting plates 211. The second bidirectional screw mechanism 230 is configured to drive the pair of mounting plates 211 to move closer to or further away from each other in a second direction. Therefore, the second conveyor line 210 can be used with trays 900 of different sizes, offering a wide range of applications.

[0078] The support structure 220 includes a shelf 221, a pair of support seats 222 slidably disposed on the shelf 221 along a second direction, a second cylinder 224 for driving the shelf 221 to rise and fall in the vertical direction, and a first guide structure 223 for guiding the shelf 221 in the vertical direction. The top surface of the shelf 221 is provided with a pair of first guide rail units 225 extending along the second direction, and the pair of support seats 222 are slidably disposed on the shelf 221 via the pair of first guide rail units 225. The first guide structure 223 includes a first guide sleeve 2231 disposed on a mounting plate 211, and a first guide rod 2232 disposed on the support seats 222 and passing through the first guide sleeve 2231. The support seats 222 are disposed on the mounting plate 211 via the first guide structure 223.

[0079] like Figure 10 As shown, a horizontally arranged adapter block 2111 is provided on the inner wall of the mounting plate 211. The adapter block 2111 has a mounting hole, and the first guide sleeve 2231 is mounted on the adapter block 2111 through the mounting hole. The first guide rod 2232 is inserted into the first guide sleeve 2231 and is perpendicular to the adapter block 2111. When the mounting plates 211 move closer or further apart under the drive of the second bidirectional lead screw mechanism 230, a pair of support seats 222 also move closer or further apart. Thus, the pair of support seats 222 can support trays 900 of different sizes.

[0080] The support base 222 and the mounting plate 211 are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. The distance between the support base 222 and the mounting plate 211 in the second direction is less than the distance between a pair of support bases 222 in the second direction. As shown in Figure 11, the support base 222 includes an L-plate 2221 slidably disposed on the first guide rail unit 225 and a support plate 2222 disposed on the top of the L-plate 2221. The support plate 2222 extends along the first direction, and the first guide rod 2232 is disposed on the bottom end surface of the support plate 2222. The L-plate 2221 and the support plate 2222 are detachably connected, so that when the support plate 2222 is worn, the support plate 2222 can be easily replaced, avoiding the need to replace the entire support base 222, making maintenance more convenient.

[0081] It is worth noting that in the prior art, the support base is often fixed at a certain position between a pair of mounting plates 211, so the support base is close to the center of the tray 900. The drawback of this method is poor adaptability to load distribution. In this application, however, a pair of support bases 222 are distributed near the two side edges of the tray 900, forming two-point support in the area near the edge. With the above support configuration, as long as the load is located between the pair of support bases 222, it can be effectively supported, and the load distribution adaptability is wide.

[0082] like Figure 16As shown, the second conveyor belt unit 212 includes a first drive mechanism 2121, a drive pulley 2122 disposed on the output end of the first drive mechanism 2121, a plurality of guide pulleys 2123 rotatably disposed on the inner wall of the mounting plate 211, and a second conveyor belt 2124 tensioned on the plurality of guide pulleys 2123 and the drive pulley 2122. The first drive mechanism 2121 includes a drive motor and a drive shaft M connected to the drive motor. The drive shaft M can be considered as the output end of the first drive mechanism 2121, and the drive pulley 2122 is mounted on the drive shaft M. The cross-section of the drive shaft M perpendicular to its axial direction is a regular polygon. When the drive motor drives the drive shaft M to rotate, it drives the drive pulley 2122 to rotate synchronously. After the drive pulley 2122 rotates, it drives the second conveyor belt 2124 and the plurality of guide pulleys 2123 to rotate.

[0083] Considering that a pair of mounting plates 211 are slidably disposed in the second direction, the pair of mounting plates 211 can slide relative to the drive shaft M. In order to ensure that the drive pulley 2122 rotates synchronously with the drive shaft M while the pair of mounting plates 211 slide on the drive shaft M, in this application, as follows... Figure 17 As shown, the drive pulley 2122 is mounted on the drive shaft M via a sliding sleeve 2125, and the sliding sleeve 2125 is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate 211 via a bearing 2126. The sliding sleeve 2125 has a non-circular hole that mates with the drive shaft M, and the non-circular hole extends axially through the sliding sleeve 2125; for example, it is a regular polygonal hole.

[0084] The mounting plate 211 has a through hole, and the bearing 2126 is housed in the through hole. The bearing 2126 is located on the outer periphery of the sliding sleeve 2125. Both ends of the sliding sleeve 2125 extend to the outside of the through hole. Specifically, the drive pulley 2122 is installed at one end of the sliding sleeve 2125 after it extends to the outside of the through hole, and a limit ring 2127 is installed at the other end of the sliding sleeve 2125 after it extends to the outside of the through hole. The limit ring 2127 is used to restrict the bearing 2126 within the through hole of the mounting plate 211.

[0085] It is worth noting that a pair of drive pulleys 2122 are provided on the aforementioned drive shaft M. The pair of drive pulleys 2122 are driven by the same drive shaft M. In this way, a pair of second conveyor belts 2124 can be driven by a first drive mechanism 2121, resulting in a more compact structure.

[0086] like Figure 10 As shown, the feeding assembly 200 also includes a frame strip unit 240 disposed on the mounting plate 211. The frame strip unit 240 includes a first frame strip group and a second frame strip group, wherein the second frame strip group is located upstream of the first frame strip group.

[0087] The first frame group includes two right-angled frame bars 241, and the second frame group includes two straight frame bars 242. The two right-angled frame bars 241 and the two straight frame bars 242 enclose a receiving space for stacking trays 900. The two right-angled frame bars 241 can limit a pair of corners of the tray 900, and the two straight frame bars 242 can limit a pair of long edges of the tray 900, with the corners located at the ends of the long edges. This allows for the neat stacking of multiple trays 900 in a third-dimensional direction.

[0088] like Figure 13 As shown, in the first direction, a material distribution unit 250 is provided between the first frame strip group and the second frame strip group. There is a pair of material distribution units 250, which are distributed facing each other on a pair of mounting plates 211. The material distribution unit 250 includes a material distribution component 251 and a material distribution cylinder 252 provided on the mounting plate 211 for driving the material distribution component 251 to perform linear reciprocating motion in the second direction. The material distribution component 251 is configured to support the material tray 900 from the bottom.

[0089] A sorting mechanism 260 is also provided on the top of a pair of mounting plates 211. Preferably, the sorting mechanism 260 is distributed close to the straight frame strip 242. The sorting mechanism 260 includes a sorting strip 261 distributed along the extension direction of the straight frame strip 242, and a sorting cylinder 262 disposed on the mounting plate 211 for driving the sorting strip 261 to make linear reciprocating motion in a second direction. The sorting strip 261 is configured to push the tray 900 from the side to make it more orderly. The sorting strip 261 and the straight frame strip 242 are distributed side by side in the first direction, and the sorting strip 261 can assist the straight frame strip 242 in limiting the tray 900.

[0090] like Figure 9 As shown, the feeding assembly 200 also includes a lifting assembly 270, which is located at the end of the second conveyor line 210 near the first conveyor line 110. The lifting assembly 270 is used to limit the material tray 900 in the conveying direction of the second conveyor line 210. The structure of the lifting assembly 270 is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0091] like Figure 1 and Figure 14 As shown, the appearance inspection equipment also includes a fine inspection component 300. The fine inspection component 300 includes a third conveyor line 310 distributed adjacent to the first conveyor line 110 in the first direction, a blocking mechanism 320 disposed inside the third conveyor line 310, a third camera module 330 for acquiring image information of the material tray 900, and a three-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 340 for driving the third camera module 330 to move. The conveying direction of the third conveyor line 310 is consistent with the conveying direction of the first conveyor line 110.

[0092] like Figure 15As shown, the blocking mechanism 320 is used to limit the stopping position of the tray 900 on the third conveyor line 310. When the tray 900 is in the stopping position, the third camera module 330 can acquire images of the tray 900. By acquiring image information of the tray 900 and the materials on the tray 900, it can be ensured that each material is returned to its correct position. Here, "returning to its correct position" means that each material is placed back into the groove of the tray 900 by the flipping component 150. The shape of the groove is consistent with the shape of the material, preventing the material from not being placed back into the groove of the tray 900 by the flipping component 150 after the back image is acquired.

[0093] The blocking mechanism 320 includes at least a stop block 321 and a blocking cylinder assembly 322. The stop block 321 is connected to the blocking cylinder assembly 322, which drives the stop block 321 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a first direction and a third direction (height) to adjust the position of the stop block 321 in the first and third directions (height). The position of the stop block 321 in the second direction is fixed. The blocking mechanism 320 also includes a presence detection sensor 323, preferably a photoelectric sensor, for detecting whether the stop block 321 is in contact with the material tray 900. When the presence detection sensor 323 is triggered, the stop block 321 is in contact with the material tray 900, and at this time, the position of the material tray 900 in the first direction is fixed.

[0094] Furthermore, the top of the third conveyor line 310 is also equipped with a third clamping cylinder assembly 350, which is distributed in pairs for clamping the material tray 900. Specifically, when the material tray 900 is limited by the stop block 321, the third clamping cylinder assembly 350 is activated to clamp the material tray 900, preventing the position of the material tray 900 on the third conveyor line 310 from changing, thereby improving the accuracy of image acquisition.

[0095] The three-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 340 includes a first drive unit 341 connected to a third camera module 330, a second drive unit 342 connected to the first drive unit 341, and a third drive unit 343 connected to the second drive unit 342. The first drive unit 341 drives the third camera module 330 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a third direction. The second drive unit 342 drives the first drive unit 341 and the third camera module 330 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a first direction. The third drive unit 343 drives the second drive unit 342, the first drive unit 341, and the third camera module 330 to perform linear reciprocating motion in a second direction.

[0096] The appearance inspection equipment also includes a feeding component 400, which is used to stack the inspected trays 900 together to facilitate the progress of the next work station.

[0097] This application also provides a detection method based on the appearance inspection equipment described above, the detection method comprising the following steps:

[0098] The material tray 900 is conveyed along the first direction to the first sensing unit 170 via the first conveyor line 110. The first sensing unit 170 is preferably a photoelectric sensor, which is triggered when the material tray 900 is conveyed to it. After the first sensing unit 170 is triggered, the lifting cylinder 125 drives the top plate 122 to rise, and the material tray 900 moves upward under the action of the top plate 122, disengaging from the first conveyor belt 1125 of the first conveyor line 110.

[0099] After the first sensing unit 170 is triggered, it controls the two camera modules 130 to move from their initial positions along the second direction. The two camera modules 130 move synchronously in the second direction and have the same pause position. At each pause position, the two camera modules 130 simultaneously acquire frontal image information of the material on the material tray 900. The field of view of the two camera modules 130 covers different areas of the material tray 900.

[0100] In one embodiment, the material tray 900 is described with five rows. A first camera module detects the first row 910, the second row 920, and the third row 930, while a second camera module detects the fourth row 940 and the fifth row 950. Initially, the first camera module detects the material on the first row 910, and the second camera module detects the material on the fourth row 940. The first and second camera modules move synchronously.

[0101] When the first camera module and the second camera module have finished detecting the last material on the first row 910 and the fourth row 940 respectively, the first camera module and the second camera module remain in their current positions and wait for the top plate 122 to move one row distance before continuing to acquire images. At this time, the first camera module acquires images of the second row 920 and the second camera module acquires images of the fifth row 950.

[0102] When the first and second camera modules have finished detecting the last material on the second row 920 and fifth row 950 respectively, they remain in their current positions. After the top plate 122 shifts one row distance, the first camera module resumes image acquisition, while the second camera module stops. Finally, the images captured by the first and second camera modules are stitched together to form a frontal image of the entire material tray 900.

[0103] After the two camera modules 130 have acquired the front image information of the material, the two flipping components 150 are driven to move directly above the material tray 900 to pick up the material and flip it 180° so that the back of the material is facing up. Then, the two camera modules 130 are driven to move from the initial position along the second direction. At each stop position, the two camera modules 130 simultaneously acquire the back image information of the material on the material tray 900. The process of acquiring the back image information of the material is similar to that of the front image information and will not be described in detail here.

[0104] After the image information of the front and back of the material has been collected, the material tray 900 enters the third conveyor line 310. The third camera module 330 collects images of the material tray 900 and the material on it to prevent the material from not being returned to its original position.

[0105] Obviously, the embodiments described above are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications without creative effort, and all such variations or modifications should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of materials on a tray (900), characterized in that, include: The first conveyor line (110) conveys the tray (900) along a first direction. Two camera modules (130) are disposed above the first conveyor line (110) and arranged side by side in the first direction. The two camera modules (130) are capable of moving synchronously in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A first load-bearing module (120) is disposed inside the first conveyor line (110), and the first load-bearing module (120) includes at least a top plate (122) capable of being raised and lowered in the vertical direction; and Two flip components (150) are located below the two camera modules (130) and are configured to correspond one-to-one with the camera modules (130); The top plate (122) and the two flipping components (150) are capable of linear reciprocating motion in the first direction. The first conveyor line (110) is equipped with a first sensing unit (170). When the material tray (900) is conveyed to the first sensing unit (170), the first sensing unit (170) is triggered so that the top plate (122) supports the material tray (900) to lift, and the two camera modules (130) simultaneously capture the front image information of the material. The flipping component (150) is configured to pick up the material and flip it after the two camera modules (130) have collected the front image information of the material, so that the two camera modules (130) can collect the back image information of the material. The fields of view of the two camera modules (130) cover different areas of the tray (900), and the fields of view of the two camera modules (130) do not overlap; the two camera modules (130) are a first camera module and a second camera module, and the first camera module is located directly above the first sensing unit (170); the images captured by the first camera module and the second camera module are stitched together to form the front and back image information of the entire tray (900); The flipping assembly (150) includes a rotation drive unit (151), a bracket (152) disposed on the output end of the rotation drive unit (151), and a suction cup (153) disposed on the bracket (152). The flipping component (150) is disposed on the second drive structure (160), and the second drive structure (160) is configured to drive the flipping component (150) to perform linear reciprocating motion in the first direction and a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. The appearance inspection equipment also includes a precision inspection component (300), which includes a third conveyor line (310) distributed adjacent to the first conveyor line (110) in a first direction, a blocking mechanism (320) disposed inside the third conveyor line (310), a third camera module (330) for collecting image information of the tray (900), and a three-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism (340) for driving the third camera module (330) to move. The third camera module (330) is configured to ensure that each material is in place by collecting image information of the tray (900) and the materials on the tray (900). The appearance inspection equipment also includes a feeding assembly (200), which is located upstream of the first conveyor line (110). The feeding assembly (200) includes at least a second conveyor line (210) with the same conveying direction as the first conveyor line (110) and a support structure (220) located inside the second conveyor line (210). The second conveyor line (210) includes a pair of mounting plates (211) facing each other and a second conveyor belt unit (212) disposed on the mounting plates (211). The feeding assembly (200) also includes a second bidirectional screw mechanism (230) connected to the pair of mounting plates (211). The second bidirectional screw mechanism (230) is configured to drive the pair of mounting plates (211) to move closer to each other or further away from each other in the second direction. The support structure (220) includes a shelf (221), a pair of support seats (222) slidably disposed on the shelf (221) along the second direction, a second cylinder (224) for driving the shelf (221) to rise and fall in the vertical direction, and a first guide structure (223) for guiding the shelf (221) in the vertical direction. The top surface of the shelf (221) is provided with a pair of first guide rail units (225) extending along the second direction. The pair of support seats (222) are slidably disposed on the shelf (221) through the pair of first guide rail units (225). The first guide structure (223) includes a first guide sleeve (2231) disposed on the mounting plate (211) and a first guide rod (2232) disposed on the support seat (222) and passing through the first guide sleeve (2231). The support seat (222) is disposed on the mounting plate (211) through the first guide structure (223).

2. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The tray (900) has multiple rows in the first direction, and there is a row spacing between adjacent rows in the first direction. The row spacing refers to the distance to move from one row to the adjacent row. The distance between the central axis of the lens of the first camera module and the central axis of the lens of the second camera module in the first direction is the lens spacing. The value of the lens spacing is n times the row spacing.

3. The appearance inspection device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second drive structure (160) includes a transverse module (161) that drives the rotary drive unit (151) to perform linear reciprocating motion in the first direction, and a vertical module (162) that drives the rotary drive unit (151) to perform linear reciprocating motion in the third direction.

4. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The first conveyor line (110) is also provided with a clamping assembly (180), which includes at least a first clamping cylinder group (181) located downstream of the first sensing unit (170). The first clamping cylinder group (181) is configured to clamp the tray (900) in the second direction after the two camera modules (130) have collected the front image information of the material, so that the flipping assembly (150) can pick up the material.

5. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The first conveyor line (110) includes a pair of opposing support plates (111) and a first conveyor belt unit (112) disposed on the support plates (111). The top of the support plates (111) is provided with the first clamping cylinder assembly (181). The first clamping cylinder assembly (181) includes at least a limiting block (1811). The limiting block (1811) can move closer to or further away from the tray (900) in the second direction to clamp or release the tray (900).

6. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The first bearing module (120) further includes a base plate (121) capable of linear reciprocating motion along the first direction, a lifting cylinder (125) disposed on the base plate (121), a top plate (122) connected to the piston rod of the lifting cylinder (125), and a pair of clamping blocks (123) distributed on opposite sides of the top plate (122) in the first direction and capable of moving closer or further apart in the first direction. The pair of clamping blocks (123) are slidably disposed on the base plate (121). The base plate (121) is provided with a first bidirectional screw mechanism (126) for driving the pair of clamping blocks (123) to move closer or further apart in the first direction. The pair of clamping blocks (123) are also respectively connected to a first cylinder (124). The first cylinder (124) is configured to drive the clamping blocks (123) to move up and down in the vertical direction and can move synchronously with the pair of clamping blocks (123) in the first direction.

7. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The top plate (122) has openings (1221) at both ends in the first direction, wherein the pair of clamping blocks (123) can move into the opening (1221) or to the outside of the opening (1221) under the drive of the first bidirectional screw mechanism (126).

8. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The feeding assembly (200) further includes a frame strip unit (240) disposed on the mounting plate (211). The frame strip unit (240) includes a first frame strip group and a second frame strip group. The first frame strip group includes two right-angle frame strips (241), and the second frame strip group includes two straight frame strips (242). The two right-angle frame strips (241) and the two straight frame strips (242) enclose a receiving space for stacking the material tray (900). In the first direction, a material distribution unit (250) is provided between the first frame strip group and the second frame strip group. There is a pair of material distribution units (250), and the pair of material distribution units (250) are distributed facing each other on a pair of mounting plates (211). The material distribution unit (250) includes a material distribution component (251) and a material distribution cylinder (252) provided on the mounting plate (211) for driving the material distribution component (251) to make linear reciprocating motion in the second direction. The material distribution component (251) is configured to support the material tray (900) from the bottom. The top of the pair of mounting plates (211) is also provided with a sorting mechanism (260), the sorting mechanism (260) including a sorting strip (261) distributed along the extension direction of the straight frame strip (242), and a sorting cylinder (262) provided on the mounting plate (211) for driving the sorting strip (261) to make linear reciprocating motion in the second direction. The sorting strip (261) is configured to be able to push the tray (900) from the side of the tray (900).

9. An inspection method based on the appearance inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by, Includes the following steps: Step S1: The tray (900) is conveyed along the first direction to the first sensing unit (170) via the first conveyor line (110), so that the first sensing unit (170) is triggered, the top plate (122) is raised, and the tray (900) moves upward and is removed from the first conveyor line (110). Step S2: Control the two camera modules (130) to move from the initial position along the second direction. The two camera modules (130) move synchronously in the second direction and have the same stopping position. At each stopping position, the two camera modules (130) simultaneously acquire the front image information of the material on the tray (900). The field of view of the two camera modules (130) covers different areas of the tray (900). Step S3: After the two camera modules (130) have collected the front image information of the material, drive the two flipping components (150) to move to the top of the material tray (900) to pick up the material and flip it 180° so that the back of the material is facing up. Then drive the two camera modules (130) to move from the initial position along the second direction. At each stop position, the two camera modules (130) simultaneously collect the back image information of the material on the material tray (900).

Images