EPP product sorting equipment with intelligent visual detection

Abstract

This invention discloses an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection, belonging to the field of visual inspection and sorting technology. It includes a support frame and a visual inspection module comprising a first camera component vertically facing the product to be inspected, used for vertical frontal imaging inspection of the product's surface. An auxiliary inspection module includes a second camera component tilted towards the product to be inspected, used for oblique overhead imaging inspection of the product's surface. Working in conjunction with the imaging of the first camera component, it achieves comprehensive defect detection of the product. Multiple first camera components vertically arranged inside the visual inspection module, combined with two second camera components obliquely positioned under the gantry support of the auxiliary inspection module, form a complementary, top-mounted, dual-station collaborative imaging layout. This achieves complete, blind-spot-free defect detection of six sides of rectangular EPP products without the need for bottom reflectors, bottom cameras, or workpiece flipping fixtures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of visual inspection and sorting technology, specifically to an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection. Background Technology

[0002] EPP rectangular cushioning products are core foamed components in the fields of new energy battery protection and automotive interior cushioning. They are widely used in the production and processing of products such as power battery pack protective pads and vehicle shock-absorbing cushioning blocks. In the EPP block product molding and processing chain, the blanks produced by compression molding need to be sent to sorting equipment to complete the appearance defect detection and sorting. The qualified products after sorting are then transported to drying equipment for steam drying treatment. Sorting and detection is the core transfer link connecting compression molding and drying processes. It has extremely high requirements for non-destructive transportation of wet lightweight EPP blanks, full surface defect identification, and water mist interference suppression.

[0003] Currently, the industry generally uses enclosed vision sorting equipment to carry out automated defect detection on EPP blanks after molding. It relies on industrial cameras and light-shielding boxes to identify surface defects such as missing materials, dents, and weld gaps, replacing manual sorting operations, effectively reducing the missed detection rate of manual sorting, and improving the batch inspection efficiency of EPP products. Therefore, it is widely used in EPP foaming molding production lines.

[0004] Existing vision sorting equipment for EPP products only uses a basic structure of a single-station vertical imaging box with simple side baffle conveyor. This can perform a rough screening of the basic appearance defects on the top and side walls of EPP products. However, in the case of batch processing lightweight EPP blanks with condensation mist after molding, the vision imaging layout and workpiece pre-processing limiting structure of traditional equipment have significant technical shortcomings and cannot meet the production requirements of continuous online sorting of wet EPP blanks. The specific technical defects are as follows:

[0005] 1. Existing sorting equipment is only equipped with a single set of vertically oriented camera components, without an auxiliary camera mechanism for high-level oblique shooting. It can only collect images of the top surface and left and right side walls of EPP products, and cannot capture hidden depressions and corner defects in the bottom surface and front and rear edge areas of the products. There has been a long-standing problem of large-area missed detection of defects on the bottom of the products, making it difficult to achieve complete and full-dimensional defect detection of EPP products on all six sides, resulting in insufficient detection completeness.

[0006] 2. The existing equipment has two imaging stations without a coordinated structure. Only a single vertical imaging box works independently. If the bottom surface image of the workpiece is to be acquired, an additional workpiece flipping fixture or bottom reflector must be installed. The flipping fixture is prone to bumping and squeezing the lightweight EPP blank, causing it to be scrapped. The reflector structure will occupy the space under the equipment and interfere with the production line layout. The overall length of the equipment will be greatly increased. It is impossible to directly connect to the molding and forming output end to achieve uninterrupted online sorting of wet blanks. It is difficult to establish a continuous automated production line of molding-sorting-drying.

[0007] 3. After molding and demolding, the surface of the EPP blank is covered with a large amount of steam condensation water mist. The existing sorting equipment does not have an integrated roller-type water absorption and demisting structure. Water stains and fog spots on the surface of the workpiece will be misidentified as dents by the vision system, resulting in a high defect misjudgment rate. At the same time, the EPP blank is extremely lightweight and has a high resilience coefficient. The existing equipment only relies on rigid side baffles for limiting the position. The friction of the baffles can easily scratch the surface of the foamed workpiece, causing irreversible white marks. After removing the baffles, the blanks are prone to bouncing, deviating, and tilting during transportation. There is a lack of an adaptive structure that can simultaneously complete water mist adsorption and bidirectional flexible limiting, and it is impossible to meet the multiple requirements of water removal, anti-deviation, and damage-free transportation.

[0008] Therefore, in view of this, the present invention proposes an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection to make up for and improve the deficiencies of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection, thereby resolving the technical issues raised in the background section.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection, used for sorting and processing inspected products, including a support frame, on which a visual inspection module and an auxiliary inspection module are mounted; the visual inspection module includes a first camera component, which is vertically oriented towards the inspected product and is used to perform vertical frontal imaging inspection of the surface of the inspected product; the auxiliary inspection module includes a second camera component, which is tilted towards the inspected product and is used to perform oblique overhead imaging inspection of the surface of the inspected product, which, together with the imaging of the first camera component, realizes comprehensive defect inspection of the inspected product; the visual inspection module includes at least two sets of vertically symmetrically arranged short side rollers and horizontally arranged long side rollers, which adaptively fit the surface of the inspected product to absorb and clean water mist on the surface of the inspected product and suppress positional deviation of the inspected product during the conveying process.

[0011] Furthermore, the visual inspection module includes an inspection box, which is fixedly mounted on top of the support frame and runs through the inspection product conveying direction. A control cabinet is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the inspection box, and an electrical installation compartment is fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the inspection box. The control cabinet is electrically connected to the power supply module in the electrical installation compartment and the first and second camera components through wiring. The control cabinet synchronously receives image data collected by the two sets of camera components to complete the unified defect judgment.

[0012] Furthermore, the outer walls of the inlet and outlet ends of the detection box are fixedly fitted with connecting frames, and the short side roller shaft and the long side roller shaft are slidably fitted inside the connecting frames through elastic pull plates.

[0013] Furthermore, the two sets of short side rollers are arranged vertically symmetrically from left to right, respectively corresponding to the left and right side walls of the product being tested. The long side roller is arranged horizontally above the two sets of short side rollers and is attached to the top surface of the product being tested. The short side rollers and the long side roller together form a U-shaped three-point bonding structure.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer circumferential surfaces of both the short-side roller and the long-side roller are covered with a high-density ultra-fine absorbent fiber layer.

[0015] Furthermore, the first camera assembly is located inside the detection chamber, and the first camera assembly includes at least three detection cameras, which are respectively fixedly mounted on the top inner wall and the two side inner walls of the detection chamber.

[0016] Furthermore, the auxiliary detection module includes an adjustment base symmetrically fixedly mounted on the upper part of the support frame, and a gantry bracket is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the adjustment base; a horizontally adjustable installation position is provided below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket, and the second camera assembly is set on the installation position. The second camera assembly includes at least two detection cameras, and the two detection cameras are respectively tilted and fixedly mounted on the installation position below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket.

[0017] Furthermore, a conveying module is mounted on top of the support frame. The conveying module includes a conveying bracket, which is fixedly mounted on the upper part of the support frame. A conveyor belt is internally mounted on the conveying bracket, and a drive motor is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the conveying bracket. The power output shaft of the drive motor is rotatably mounted with the conveyor belt to drive the conveyor belt to circulate and convey the test products.

[0018] Furthermore, a sorting module is assembled on the outside of the support frame. The sorting module includes a drive cylinder and a feeding chute. The drive cylinder is horizontally fixedly mounted on the side wall of the conveying bracket, and the feeding chute is inclinedly fixedly mounted below the pushing path of the drive cylinder.

[0019] Furthermore, the conveyor belt is divided into a driving end and a driven end along the product conveying direction. The drive motor is located on one side of the driving end of the conveyor belt. The inspected product is conveyed linearly along the conveyor belt from the drive motor side to the sorting module side, and sequentially passes through the vision inspection module and the auxiliary inspection module to complete the imaging inspection.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] (1) The present invention forms a pure top dual-station collaborative imaging layout with multiple first camera components vertically arranged inside the visual inspection module and two second camera components obliquely placed under the gantry support of the auxiliary inspection module. It can achieve the effect of complete six-sided defect detection of rectangular EPP products without blind spots without setting up bottom reflectors, bottom cameras and workpiece flipping fixtures. The three first camera components inside the front inspection box take pictures of the workpiece vertically downward from the top and left and right side walls respectively, and stably collect complete images of the top surface, left side wall and right side wall of the product to complete the screening of surface defects on three sides. The two second camera components on the rear gantry support are obliquely arranged and take pictures at a high position along the conveying direction. During the movement of the workpiece, the front oblique camera captures the front side wall of the workpiece and the intersection of the front side wall and the bottom surface. The edge contour is captured by a rear oblique camera, which captures the outline of the rear sidewall of the workpiece and the edge contour where the rear sidewall intersects with the bottom surface. The image of the exposed edge area on the bottom surface of the inspected product is directly acquired, and the fit between the bottom edge and the conveyor belt is observed. Combined with a mature geometric contour inference algorithm, the bottom surface condition is analyzed to identify hidden defects such as dents, cavitation, missing material, and warping deformation that frequently occur in the bottom edge area. The control cabinet integrates the imaging data of the first and second camera components to carry out comprehensive defect judgment, which solves the inherent industry shortcoming of traditional single-station vision sorting equipment that can only complete three-sided inspection and miss bottom surface defects. The workpiece is continuously conveyed without stopping the machine, and there is no problem of crushing or scratching of EPP products caused by flipping and squeezing. The axial length of the whole machine is shorter, which greatly improves the completeness of EPP product appearance defect detection and overall inspection accuracy.

[0022] Most importantly, if the entire machine uses a single sealed enclosure for the entire inspection process, on the one hand, the excessively long sealed cavity easily accumulates moisture and dust from the molded workpieces, which continuously adhere to the lens and light-transmitting window inside the enclosure, gradually reducing image clarity. Furthermore, poor air circulation within the sealed space means that prolonged moisture adhering to the workpiece will continuously interfere with image recognition. On the other hand, the single sealed cavity structure cannot flexibly expand to multiple shooting positions, limiting the placement of shooting components to a small space inside the cavity, resulting in poor equipment expandability. This invention uses a visual inspection module in a sealed enclosure, combined with auxiliary... The complementary detection layout of the open gantry module features a front-end sealed enclosure that isolates the workpiece from ambient light, ensuring stable and clear imaging of the three sides. The rear gantry area, without an enclosed shell, allows for smooth airflow, effectively dissipating residual moisture from the workpiece and preventing moisture buildup that could contaminate the lens and workpiece surface. Furthermore, the open gantry design eliminates the space constraints associated with the enclosure, preventing the inner wall from scraping against the workpiece. These two elements work together to utilize the sealed structure to avoid external light interference while simultaneously enabling moisture dissipation and reducing the risk of workpiece impacts, thus balancing imaging accuracy with long-term stable operation.

[0023] (2) The present invention uses a short side roller and a long side roller at the inlet of the vision inspection module to form a U-shaped three-point bonding structure. The roller is covered with a high-density ultra-fine water-absorbing fiber layer and relies on an elastic pull plate to achieve adaptive floating assembly. It can continuously bond with the surface of the workpiece throughout the entire process of the rectangular block EPP blank through the inspection box, and simultaneously complete the adsorption of surface condensation water mist and bidirectional flexible limiting constraint, so as to achieve the effect of non-damaged online pretreatment of wet lightweight EPP products after molding. This structure is designed for the material characteristics of EPP, which is low density, easy to bounce, easy to leave permanent indentation under pressure, and easy to generate white marks by friction. It abandons the traditional hard baffle and high-pressure air blowing scheme, and relies on pure flexible roller surface contact to suppress the slippage and upward bounce of the workpiece during transportation. At the same time, it removes fog spots and water stains on the surface of the workpiece in advance, and avoids water mist being misidentified as indentation defects by the vision system, which greatly reduces the misjudgment rate of vision inspection.

[0024] In actual testing, since the length of the testing chamber is less than the length of the workpiece, the inlet and outlet rollers alternately contact to ensure that the workpiece remains constrained throughout the process. The roller shafts can be quickly disassembled and replaced with absorbent fiber layers thanks to the elastic pull plates. The entire machine is easy to maintain, avoiding multiple problems such as bouncing and offset, imaging interference, and scrapping due to impacts when testing wet foamed workpieces from the source. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the axial view of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the conveying module of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 A magnified three-dimensional structural diagram of part A in the middle;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the short-side roller shaft and the long-side roller shaft of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a planar schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the visual inspection module and the inspected product of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal three-dimensional structure of the detection chamber of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the side view of the first detection camera device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the axial-view three-dimensional structure of the second detection camera component of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram of the side view of the second detection camera device of the present invention.

[0035] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Support frame; 11. Inspection product; 2. Conveying module; 21. Conveying bracket; 22. Conveyor belt; 23. Drive motor; 3. Vision inspection module; 31. Inspection box; 32. Control cabinet; 33. Electrical installation compartment; 34. First camera assembly; 35. Connecting frame; 36. Short side roller; 37. Long side roller; 38. Elastic pull plate; 4. Auxiliary inspection module; 41. Adjustment base; 42. Gantry bracket; 43. Second camera assembly; 5. Sorting module; 51. Drive cylinder; 52. Unloading chute. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 10 As shown, an EPP product sorting device equipped with intelligent visual inspection is used to sort and process inspection products 11. It includes a support frame 1, and a visual inspection module 3 and an auxiliary inspection module 4 are mounted on the top of the support frame 1. The visual inspection module 3 includes a first camera component 34, which is vertically oriented towards the inspection product 11 and is used to perform vertical frontal imaging inspection of the surface of the inspection product 11. The auxiliary inspection module 4 includes a second camera component 43, which is tilted towards the inspection product 11 and is used to perform oblique top-down imaging inspection of the surface of the inspection product 11. The second camera component 43 works in conjunction with the imaging of the first camera component 34 to achieve comprehensive defect inspection of the inspection product 11. The visual inspection module 3 includes at least two sets of vertically symmetrically arranged short side rollers 36 and horizontally arranged long side rollers 37. The short side rollers 36 and long side rollers 37 adaptively fit the surface of the inspection product 11 to absorb and clean water mist on the surface of the inspection product 11 and to suppress positional displacement of the inspection product 11 during the conveying process.

[0039] It should be added that the tested product 11 is a rectangular block-shaped EPP closed-cell foamed blank with a density between 30 and 80 g / L. It is lightweight, easily bounces, easily forms permanent indentations under pressure, and easily produces irreversible white marks on the surface when rubbed. In addition, the rectangular EPP blank that has just been molded and demolded has a large amount of steam condensation on its surface, and the surface gloss is mottled. At the same time, the product itself has tiny weld gaps and internal cavitation-like hidden defects. If a conventional rigid conveying and air-blowing rejection structure is used, the product will be directly scrapped. Furthermore, ordinary single-channel visual imaging schemes cannot distinguish between water stains and fog spots on the product surface and real appearance defects.

[0040] It should be noted that a conveying module 2 is mounted on top of the support frame 1. The conveying module 2 includes a conveying bracket 21, which is fixedly mounted on the upper part of the support frame 1. A conveyor belt 22 is internally mounted on the conveying bracket 21. A drive motor 23 is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the conveying bracket 21. The power output shaft of the drive motor 23 is rotatably mounted with the conveyor belt 22 to drive the conveyor belt 22 to circulate and convey the inspection product 11. A sorting module 5 is mounted on the outside of the support frame 1. The sorting module 5 includes a drive cylinder 51 and a feeding chute 52. The drive cylinder 51 is horizontally fixedly mounted on the side wall of the conveying bracket 21. The feeding chute 52 is inclinedly fixedly mounted below the pushing path of the drive cylinder 51. The conveyor belt 22 is divided into a drive end and a driven end along the product conveying direction. The drive motor 23 is located on one side of the drive end of the conveyor belt 22. The inspection product 11 is linearly conveyed along the conveyor belt 22 from the drive motor 23 side to the sorting module 5 side, and sequentially passes through the vision inspection module 3 and the auxiliary inspection module 4 to complete the imaging inspection.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 10 As shown, the visual inspection module 3 includes an inspection box 31, which is fixedly mounted on the support frame 1 and runs through the inspection product 11. A control cabinet 32 ​​is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the inspection box 31, and an electrical installation compartment 33 is fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the inspection box 31. The control cabinet 32 ​​is electrically connected to the power supply module in the electrical installation compartment 33 and the first camera component 34 and the second camera component 43 through wiring. The control cabinet 32 ​​synchronously receives the image data collected by the two sets of camera components to complete the unified defect judgment.

[0042] It should be noted that the outer walls of the inlet and outlet ends of the detection box 31 are fixedly equipped with connecting frames 35. The short side rollers 36 and long side rollers 37 are slidably assembled inside the connecting frames 35 through elastic pull plates 38. The two sets of short side rollers 36 are arranged vertically symmetrically from left to right, respectively attached to the left and right side walls of the detection product 11. The long side rollers 37 are arranged horizontally above the two sets of short side rollers 36 and are attached to the top surface of the detection product 11. The short side rollers 36 and long side rollers 37 together form a U-shaped three-point attachment structure.

[0043] It should be noted that the outer circumferential surfaces of both the short side roller 36 and the long side roller 37 are covered with a high-density ultra-fine absorbent fiber layer.

[0044] It should be added that the opening size of the inlet and outlet of the detection box 31 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the detection product 11. The inner wall of the inlet and outlet of the detection box 31 forms an interval channel for the product to pass through between the product and the detection product 11 on the conveying path. The short side roller 36 and the long side roller 37 are arranged to protrude outward relative to the inner surface of the connecting frame 35 and extend into the interval channel area, so as to realize the direct flexible contact between the roller and the detection product 11 in the passing state.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 10 As shown, the auxiliary detection module 4 includes an adjustment base 41 symmetrically fixedly mounted on the support frame 1, and a gantry bracket 42 fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the adjustment base 41; a horizontally adjustable installation position is provided below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket 42, and a second camera assembly 43 is set on the installation position. The second camera assembly 43 includes at least two detection cameras, and the two detection cameras are respectively tilted and fixedly mounted on the installation position below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket 42.

[0046] Specifically, the workflow of this equipment is divided into four consecutive stages along the conveying direction of the inspected product 11: feeding and conveying, primary imaging inspection by the vision inspection module 3, secondary oblique imaging completion inspection by the auxiliary inspection module 4, and defect sorting and diversion by the sorting module 5. Each module works together to complete the non-destructive, full-dimensional inspection and sorting of the inspected product 11. The specific operation process of each stage is as follows:

[0047] Feeding and conveying stage: The drive motor 23 continuously outputs power, and the power output shaft drives the transmission end of the conveyor belt 22 to rotate cyclically. The driven end of the conveyor belt 22 moves synchronously, conveying the rectangular block-shaped EPP test product 11 output from the upstream molding process in a straight line from the transmission end to the sorting module 5. The product to be tested 11 first enters the interval channel at the inlet and outlet of the test box 31. The short side roller shaft 36 and the long side roller shaft 37 protruding into the channel are adaptively retracted by the elastic pull plate 38, forming a U-shaped three-point flexible bonding structure that synchronously abuts against the left and right sides of the test product 11. On the side walls and top surface, when the inspection product 11 is conveyed forward, the friction of the contact surface drives the three sets of rollers to rotate synchronously. The high-density ultra-fine water-absorbing fiber layer covering the roller body continuously physically adsorbs the steam condensation water mist remaining on the product surface after molding, eliminating the interference of water stains and fog spots on subsequent visual imaging. At the same time, the left and right short side rollers 36 restrict the left and right sliding of the product, and the top long side roller 37 counteracts the upward bouncing tendency of the inspection product 11. The lightweight EPP blank is non-destructively limited by flexible contact, avoiding the problems of product dents, white marks and scrap caused by hard baffle scratches and airflow impact.

[0048] Since the length of the detection box 31 is set to be less than the length of the detection product 11, the detection product 11 can be fully connected between the roller group structure of the inlet and outlet areas of the detection box 31 during the process of conveying it from the inlet end to the outlet end. The short side rollers 36 and long side rollers 37 arranged at the inlet and outlet positions alternately and continuously fit against the side wall and top surface of the detection product 11, ensuring that the detection product 11 can pass through the detection box 31 without being separated from the limit or with any exposed gaps. It is always in a flexible constraint state, which effectively ensures the stability of the product's conveying posture.

[0049] Meanwhile, both the short-side roller 36 and the long-side roller 37 are slidably assembled inside the connecting frame 35 via the elastic pull plate 38. When the equipment has been running in batches for a long time, the high-density ultrafine absorbent fiber layer on the outer layer of the roller will experience a decrease in absorbency and fiber aging and wear due to continuous water absorption and friction loss. At this time, the staff can directly pull the elastic pull plate 38 to release the assembly limit on the short-side roller 36 and the long-side roller 37, quickly disassemble each roller, and complete the replacement and maintenance of the absorbent fiber layer. This detachable structure does not require disassembly of the inspection box 31 and the transmission structure of the whole machine, making disassembly and assembly convenient and maintenance efficient.

[0050] The first-level imaging inspection stage of the visual inspection module 3: The inspection product 11, after completing water mist adsorption and posture correction, is smoothly conveyed into the sealed light-shielding inspection area inside the inspection box 31 by the conveyor belt 22. The first camera assembly 34 is arranged inside the inspection box 31. The first camera assembly 34 consists of at least three independent inspection cameras, which are respectively fixedly mounted on the top inner wall, left inner wall and right inner wall of the inspection box 31. All inspection camera lenses are vertically facing the surface of the inspection product 11 on the conveyor belt 22. When the inspection product 11 gradually enters the box, the three inspection cameras simultaneously start vertical front imaging operation, and independently acquire complete high-definition surface images of the top surface, left side wall and right side wall of the inspection product 11, so as to realize the acquisition of images of the surface of the inspection product 11 without dead angles.

[0051] The electrical installation compartment 33 at the bottom of the inspection box 31 provides a stable power supply for the three inspection cameras, ensuring the stability of continuous imaging. The sealed inspection box 31 can completely isolate stray light, light and shadow fluctuations and ambient light differences from the outside of the workshop, avoiding image color difference and exposure abnormalities caused by light interference, and ensuring that the acquired images are uniform and have clear textures. The image data acquired by the three cameras is fed back to the control cabinet 32 ​​on the top of the inspection box 31 in real time through the transmission line. The control cabinet 32 ​​preprocesses the first-level vertical imaging image data, accurately identifies surface defects such as missing materials, surface scratches, weld gaps, and uneven foaming on the top and side walls of the inspected product 11, and completes the preliminary defect screening of the three sides of the inspected product 11, providing basic image data support for the subsequent supplementary imaging by the auxiliary inspection module 4 and the overall defect judgment of the machine.

[0052] The secondary imaging detection stage of the auxiliary detection module 4: After primary vertical imaging, the inspected product 11 continues to be conveyed along the conveyor belt 22 towards the sorting module 5 until it enters the imaging area of ​​the rear auxiliary detection module 4; the second camera assembly 43 includes at least two inspection cameras, which are respectively tilted and fixedly mounted on the installation station below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket 42; such as Figure 10 As shown in the figure, the solid line represents the front state of the inspection product 11 just leaving the inspection box 31, and the dashed line represents the rear state of the inspection product 11 moving towards the sorting module 5 after passing the gantry support 42. When the inspection product 11 is just conveyed out of the inspection box 31 and arrives at the side of the gantry support 42 near the vision inspection module 3, an inspection camera tilted towards the inspection box 31 performs an image capture operation. The lens is tilted downwards and aimed at the front side wall of the inspection product 11 and the edge area where the front side wall intersects with the bottom surface, capturing the appearance image of the front of the inspection product 11 that cannot be captured by the first camera component 34. As the conveyor belt 22 continues to move the inspection product 11 towards the sorting module 5, the inspection product 11 moves horizontally past the crossbeam of the gantry support 42. At this time, another inspection camera tilted towards the sorting module 5 completes the image capture. The lens is tilted downwards and aimed at the rear side wall of the inspection product 11 and the edge area where the rear side wall intersects with the bottom surface, thus supplementing the imaging blind spots of the first-level vertical imaging, which can only capture the top surface and the left and right side walls.

[0053] The rectangular block-shaped EPP inspection product 11 is placed on the surface of the conveyor belt 22. The edges of the bottom surface of the inspection product 11 are fully exposed and visible. The high-position tilting camera can directly capture the actual image of the exposed edge area of ​​the bottom surface of the inspection product 11 by extending its field of view downward along the side wall of the workpiece.

[0054] It should be added that during the EPP rectangular blank molding stage, insufficient filler and uneven foaming are prone to occur at the corners of the mold, resulting in most molding defects such as material shortage, depressions, and cavitation concentrated in the intersection area of ​​the side wall and the bottom surface. However, when the center area of ​​the bottom surface is molded, the mold cavity plane is fully compressed, the molding quality is stable, and there are fewer original molding defects.

[0055] Therefore, in the inspection station, the control cabinet 32 ​​can observe the contact state between the bottom edge of the inspected product 11 and the surface of the conveyor belt 22 based on the acquired bottom edge image, and determine whether the workpiece has warped or deformed. Simultaneously, the rectangular block-shaped EPP inspected product 11 has a regular shape, fixed length and width dimensions, and a standardized rectangular geometric contour. In the field of industrial machine vision, image processing methods that rely on known standard geometric shapes of workpieces and deduce the complete bottom contour from local edge images are mature existing technologies. The industry commonly uses Canny edge detection, geometric matching, and contour fitting algorithms to implement this deduction logic. Therefore... After the oblique imaging data generated by the two inspection cameras is transmitted to the control cabinet 32 ​​in real time, the control cabinet 32 ​​integrates the three vertical images collected by the first camera component 34 with the oblique images of the front and rear side walls and bottom edges collected by the two inspection cameras. Based on the clear imaging images without fog interference after the three-point roller adsorbs water mist in the early stage, it distinguishes between residual water mist traces in the molding process and hidden defects such as actual depressions, internal air bubbles, and weld cracks in the product. It completes the comprehensive judgment of the complete defects on the outer surface of the rectangular block EPP inspection product 11, and outputs the corresponding good product passage and defective product diversion and sorting control signals to the sorting module 5 according to the judgment results.

[0056] It should be noted that the parameters such as camera tilt angle, shooting distance, and light source arrangement can be adjusted according to the length and width specifications of the product being tested, the conveying speed, and the camera model.

[0057] Sorting Stage: Conveyor belt 22 transports the inspected product 11, which has completed dual-station visual comprehensive inspection, to the sorting station. Control cabinet 32 ​​outputs corresponding control signals based on the imaging judgment results: If the inspected product 11 is determined to be a good product with an intact appearance, the drive cylinder 51 remains in a retracted and stationary state, and the conveyor belt 22 directly drives the good product to continue to be transported forward and transferred to the downstream steam drying process; If the control cabinet 32 ​​determines that the inspected product 11 has defects such as missing material, air bubbles, or poor welding, the drive cylinder 51 extends laterally after receiving the signal, and the push rod flexibly pushes the defective inspected product 11, smoothly pushing the defective product into the inclined unloading chute 52 below the cylinder pushing path. The defective product is separated by naturally sliding down the slope of the chute. The entire process relies on the cylinder to push smoothly. After the separation is completed, the drive cylinder 51 automatically retracts and resets, waiting for the next inspected product 11 to arrive at the sorting station, and the entire inspection and sorting process is executed in a cycle.

[0058] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection, used for sorting and processing detected products (11), comprising a support frame (1), characterized in that: The support frame (1) is equipped with a visual inspection module (3) and an auxiliary inspection module (4). The visual inspection module (3) includes a first camera component (34), which is vertically oriented toward the inspection product (11) and is used to perform vertical frontal imaging inspection on the surface of the inspection product (11). The auxiliary detection module (4) includes a second camera component (43), which is tilted toward the product to be detected (11) and is used to perform oblique overhead imaging detection on the surface of the product to be detected (11). It works in conjunction with the imaging of the first camera component (34) to achieve comprehensive defect detection of the product to be detected (11). The visual inspection module (3) includes at least two sets of vertically symmetrically arranged short side rollers (36) and horizontally arranged long side rollers (37). The short side rollers (36) and long side rollers (37) adaptively fit the surface of the inspection product (11) to absorb and clean water mist on the surface of the inspection product (11) and suppress the positional deviation of the inspection product (11) during the transportation process.

2. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual inspection module (3) includes an inspection box (31), which is fixedly mounted on the support frame (1) and runs through the inspection product (11) conveying direction. A control cabinet (32) is fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the inspection box (31), and an electrical installation compartment (33) is fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the inspection box (31). The control cabinet (32) is electrically connected to the power supply module in the electrical installation compartment (33) and the first camera component (34) and the second camera component (43) through the line. The control cabinet (32) synchronously receives the image data collected by the two camera components and completes the unified judgment of defects.

3. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer walls of the inlet and outlet ends of the detection box (31) are fixedly fitted with connecting frames (35), and the short side roller shaft (36) and long side roller shaft (37) are slidably fitted inside the connecting frame (35) through elastic pull plates (38).

4. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two sets of short side rollers (36) are arranged vertically symmetrically on the left and right sides, respectively attached to the left and right side walls of the test product (11). The long side roller (37) is arranged horizontally above the two sets of short side rollers (36). The long side roller (37) is attached to the top surface of the test product (11). The short side rollers (36) and the long side rollers (37) together form a U-shaped three-point attachment structure.

5. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer circumferential surfaces of the short side roller (36) and the long side roller (37) are both covered with a high-density ultra-fine absorbent fiber layer.

6. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first camera assembly (34) is located inside the detection box (31). The first camera assembly (34) includes at least three detection cameras, which are respectively fixedly mounted on the top inner wall and the two side inner walls of the detection box (31).

7. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary detection module (4) includes an adjustment base (41) symmetrically fixedly assembled above the support frame (1), and a gantry bracket (42) is fixedly assembled on the upper surface of the adjustment base (41). The gantry bracket (42) has a horizontally adjustable installation station below the crossbeam. The second camera assembly (43) is installed at the installation station. The second camera assembly (43) includes at least two detection cameras, which are respectively tilted and fixedly assembled at the installation station below the crossbeam of the gantry bracket (42).

8. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 1, characterized in that: A conveying module (2) is mounted on the upper part of the support frame (1). The conveying module (2) includes a conveying bracket (21). The conveying bracket (21) is fixedly mounted on the upper part of the support frame (1). A conveyor belt (22) is installed inside the conveying bracket (21). A drive motor (23) is fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the conveying bracket (21). The power output shaft of the drive motor (23) is rotated with the conveyor belt (22) to drive the conveyor belt (22) to circulate and convey the test product (11).

9. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer side of the support frame (1) is equipped with a sorting module (5). The sorting module (5) includes a drive cylinder (51) and a feeding chute (52). The drive cylinder (51) is horizontally fixedly mounted on the side wall of the conveying bracket (21), and the feeding chute (52) is inclinedly fixedly mounted below the pushing path of the drive cylinder (51).

10. The EPP product sorting device with smart vision detection according to claim 9, characterized in that: The conveyor belt (22) is divided into a drive end and a driven end along the product conveying direction. The drive motor (23) is located on one side of the drive end of the conveyor belt (22). The product (11) to be inspected is conveyed in a straight line along the conveyor belt (22) from the side of the drive motor (23) to the side of the sorting module (5), and passes through the vision inspection module (3) and the auxiliary inspection module (4) in sequence to complete the imaging inspection.

Images