Ceramic tile size on-line monitoring device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of ceramic tile size online monitoring devices, device includes conveying mechanism, control unit and detection and sorting system sequentially arranged along conveying direction. The detection system is composed of first industrial camera and dome light source, second industrial camera and backlight, respectively for continuous acquisition ceramic tile planar image and side elevation thickness image. Control unit processes and analyzes image and determines size eligibility. Sorting system is triggered by proximity switch, and unqualified product is automatically sorted to independent output mechanism by push plate mechanism. The utility model realizes the online, continuous, non-contact automatic detection and sorting of ceramic tile length, width, thickness and diagonal line size by the above structure, effectively improves detection efficiency and precision, and guarantees the consistency of product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ceramic tile production technology, specifically to an online ceramic tile size monitoring device. Background Technology

[0002] As a primary building decoration material, the dimensional accuracy of ceramic tiles is a key indicator of product quality, directly affecting the overall effect and aesthetics after installation. Currently, most ceramic tile manufacturers still rely on manual sampling measurements using tools such as calipers and measuring tapes for finished product inspection. This traditional manual inspection method has the following drawbacks: First, it is inefficient, unable to match the pace of high-speed automated production lines, making it difficult to achieve full inspection and posing a risk of missed quality checks; second, manual measurement is prone to subjective errors, especially in measuring parameters such as diagonals and edge straightness, where accuracy is difficult to guarantee; third, this method is labor-intensive, and fatigue can easily lead to inconsistent testing standards, resulting in poor product quality stability.

[0003] To overcome the above problems, some companies have begun to introduce machine vision-based inspection equipment. However, existing vision inspection devices are usually single-function or can only detect the planar dimensions of tiles (such as length, width, and diagonal). For thickness measurement, a separate station and device are required, resulting in a long inspection process, large equipment footprint, high overall cost, and difficulty in achieving synchronous acquisition and linkage judgment of dimensional data. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide an online ceramic tile size monitoring device, which can solve the problems of low efficiency and poor accuracy of manual inspection in the prior art, as well as the shortcomings of existing visual inspection equipment such as single function, inability to measure thickness simultaneously, and low degree of integration, so as to realize efficient, accurate, and fully automatic online detection and classification of ceramic tile size.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: an online ceramic tile size monitoring device, including a conveying mechanism, a first industrial camera is provided above the conveying mechanism with the first industrial camera's acquisition direction facing downward, and a second industrial camera is provided on one side of the conveying mechanism with the second industrial camera's acquisition direction being horizontal; The output end of the conveying mechanism is provided with parallel qualified product output mechanisms and unqualified product output mechanisms; A first push plate is installed on the input side of the conveying mechanism, and a second push plate is installed on the output side of the conveying mechanism.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the first industrial camera is vertically downward aligned with the conveyor belt surface of the conveying mechanism, and the second industrial camera is horizontally positioned with its optical axis perpendicular to the side surface of the tile during the conveying process.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the system further includes a first light source for illuminating the first industrial camera and a second light source for illuminating the second industrial camera.

[0008] In the preferred embodiment, the first light source is a dome light source, and the second light source is a backlight source.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the first light source includes a lighting lamp disposed on top of the first industrial camera and a dome cover; The first industrial camera is fixed to the dome via a connecting rod, and the first light source is located inside the dome.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the second light source and the second industrial camera are respectively disposed on both sides of the conveying mechanism, and both are located on the same vertical plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the first push plate moves perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism via a first push cylinder, and a first proximity switch is provided on the side wall of the conveying mechanism near the input end of the first push plate.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the second push plate moves perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism via a second push cylinder, and a second proximity switch is provided on the side wall of the conveying mechanism near the input end of the second push plate.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the first industrial camera, the second industrial camera, the first proximity switch, and the second proximity switch are all connected to the control unit, which is also connected to the first push cylinder, the second push cylinder, and the control motor for driving the conveying mechanism. The control unit includes a data processing module, and a human-machine interface is connected to the data processing module.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the conveying mechanism, the qualified product output mechanism, and the unqualified product output mechanism are roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

[0015] The online ceramic tile size monitoring device provided by this utility model, by adopting the above-described structure, has the following beneficial effects: (1) Through the coordinated layout of the vertically downward first industrial camera and the horizontally opposite second industrial camera and backlight, the planar and side elevation images of the ceramic tile can be continuously acquired, and all key dimensions such as length, width, thickness and diagonal can be measured. This not only solves the problems of low efficiency and asynchronous measurement of traditional manual inspection and single-function equipment, but also eliminates surface reflection and ensures edge positioning accuracy by using the dome light source and backlight respectively, thereby improving the inspection speed while ensuring high accuracy and stability of measurement. (2) The vision inspection system is integrated with the execution system consisting of proximity switches, push plates and sorting output mechanisms. Seamless linkage is achieved through the control unit. During the conveying process, the tiles can automatically complete the entire process of positioning, image acquisition, data processing, qualification judgment and automatic sorting without manual intervention. This completely changes the traditional operation mode that relies on manual sampling and sorting, significantly reduces labor costs and errors, and realizes high-quality, fully automatic online inspection and sorting. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second light source in this utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a control block diagram of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Conveying mechanism; 2. First industrial camera; 3. Second industrial camera; 4. Qualified product output mechanism; 5. Unqualified product output mechanism; 6. First proximity switch; 7. First push plate; 8. First push cylinder; 9. Second proximity switch; 10. Second push plate; 11. Second push cylinder; 12. First light source; 13. Dome cover; 14. Connecting rod; 15. Second light source; 16. Tile. Detailed Implementation

[0020] like Figure 1-3 In the present invention, a ceramic tile size online monitoring device includes a conveying mechanism 1, a first industrial camera 2 is provided above the conveying mechanism 1 with the first industrial camera 2 having a downward acquisition direction, and a second industrial camera 3 is provided on one side of the conveying mechanism 1 with the second industrial camera 3 having a horizontal acquisition direction. The output end of the conveying mechanism 1 is provided with parallel qualified product output mechanism 4 and unqualified product output mechanism 5; A first push plate 7 is installed on the input side of the conveying mechanism 1, and a second push plate 10 is installed on the output side of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the first industrial camera 2 is vertically downward aligned with the conveyor belt surface of the conveying mechanism 1, and the second industrial camera 3 is horizontally positioned with its optical axis perpendicular to the side surface of the tile 16 during the conveying process.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the system further includes a first light source 12 for illuminating the first industrial camera 2 and a second light source 15 for illuminating the second industrial camera 3.

[0023] In the preferred embodiment, the first light source 12 is a dome light source, and the second light source 15 is a backlight source.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the first light source 12 includes a lighting lamp disposed on top of the first industrial camera 2 and a dome cover 13; The first industrial camera 2 is fixed to the dome 13 by a connecting rod 14, and the first light source 12 is located inside the dome 13.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the second light source 15 and the second industrial camera 3 are respectively disposed on both sides of the conveying mechanism 1, and both are located on the same vertical plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the first push plate 7 moves perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1 via the first push cylinder 8, and a first proximity switch 6 is provided on the side wall of the conveying mechanism 1 near the input end of the first push plate 7.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the second push plate 10 moves perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1 via the second push cylinder 11, and a second proximity switch 9 is provided on the side wall of the conveying mechanism 1 near the input end of the second push plate 10.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the first industrial camera 2, the second industrial camera 3, the first proximity switch 6, and the second proximity switch 9 are all connected to the control unit. The control unit is also connected to the first push cylinder 8, the second push cylinder 11, and the control motor for driving the transmission mechanism 1. The control unit includes a data processing module, and a human-machine interface is connected to the data processing module.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the conveying mechanism 1, the qualified product output mechanism 4, and the unqualified product output mechanism 5 are roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

[0030] The online tile size monitoring device disclosed in this utility model works by combining distributed visual detection and automated control technology to dynamically measure and automatically sort the size of continuously moving tiles on a conveyor belt. The workflow is as follows: The tile 16 to be tested moves forward at a constant speed with the conveying mechanism 1. When the front end of the tile reaches the testing station, it will first trigger the first proximity switch 6 installed on the side wall. The first proximity switch 6 will immediately send the signal of detecting the tile to the control unit. The control unit controls the first push cylinder 8 to drive the first push plate 7 to push the tile 16 to one side of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0031] As the tile 16 is conveyed by the conveyor mechanism 1, it arrives directly beneath the first industrial camera 2. Under the uniform, shadowless illumination provided by the first light source 12, the first industrial camera 2 takes continuous or triggered photographs of the tile passing beneath it, capturing a high-resolution planar image of the tile surface. This image will contain complete information for calculating the tile's length, width, and diagonal dimensions.

[0032] The tile, having completed its planar image acquisition, continues to advance. When its side profile enters the field of view of the second industrial camera 3, the second industrial camera 3 and the second light source 15 are activated synchronously. The second light source 15 illuminates from the other side of the tile, creating a high-contrast silhouette of the tile's side profile in the camera's field of view. The second industrial camera 3 captures this silhouette image, which will be used to accurately calculate the tile's thickness.

[0033] The data processing module within the control unit synchronously receives images from two cameras. Using pre-installed image processing algorithms (such as edge detection and pixel calibration), the module calculates the length, width, and diagonal of the tile from the planar image, and the thickness of the tile from the silhouette image. Subsequently, the system automatically compares these measured values ​​with preset standard dimensions and tolerance ranges, and immediately determines whether the tile is "qualified" or "unqualified".

[0034] The tile, carrying its judgment result, continues to move towards the sorting station. When the tile triggers the second proximity switch 9, it indicates that it has reached the sorting position. The control unit, based on the previously stored judgment result, drives the corresponding pusher action: If the product is qualified, the second push cylinder 11 will not move, and the tile will continue to move forward with the conveying mechanism 1 and enter the qualified product output mechanism 4. If the product is defective, the control unit immediately activates the second pusher cylinder 11, which pushes the second pusher plate 10 to move and push the tile to the other side of the conveying mechanism 1, so that it enters the defective product output mechanism 5.

[0035] The above process, from "positioning trigger → planar acquisition → thickness acquisition → data processing → sorting execution," forms a fully automated and continuous inspection and sorting production line. Each tile completes all key dimension inspections and sorting during its journey without interruption, greatly ensuring production cycle time and inspection efficiency.

Claims

1. A ceramic tile size online monitoring device, comprising a conveying mechanism (1), characterized in that: A first industrial camera (2) is provided above the conveying mechanism (1), with the first industrial camera (2) collecting data downwards. A second industrial camera (3) is provided on one side of the conveying mechanism (1), with the second industrial camera (3) collecting data horizontally. The output end of the conveying mechanism (1) is provided with parallel qualified product output mechanism (4) and unqualified product output mechanism (5). A first push plate (7) is installed on the input side of the conveying mechanism (1), and a second push plate (10) is installed on the output side of the conveying mechanism (1). It also includes a first light source (12) that provides illumination for the first industrial camera (2), and a second light source (15) that provides illumination for the second industrial camera (3); The first light source (12) is a dome light source, and the second light source (15) is a backlight source; The first light source (12) includes a lamp disposed on top of the first industrial camera (2) and a dome cover (13). The first industrial camera (2) is fixed to the dome (13) by a connecting rod (14), and the first light source (12) is located inside the dome (13); The second light source (15) and the second industrial camera (3) are respectively disposed on both sides of the conveying mechanism (1), and both are located on the same vertical plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism (1).

2. The online ceramic tile size monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first industrial camera (2) is vertically downward aligned with the conveyor belt surface of the conveyor mechanism (1), and the second industrial camera (3) is horizontally positioned with its optical axis perpendicular to the side surface of the tile (16) during the conveying process.

3. The online ceramic tile size monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first push plate (7) achieves the action perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism (1) through the first push cylinder (8). The first push plate (7) is provided with a first proximity switch (6) on the side wall of the conveying mechanism (1) near the input end of the conveying mechanism (1).

4. The online ceramic tile size monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second push plate (10) achieves the action perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism (1) through the second push cylinder (11). The second push plate (10) is provided with a second proximity switch (9) on the side wall of the conveying mechanism (1) near the input end of the conveying mechanism (1).

5. The online ceramic tile size monitoring device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first industrial camera (2), the second industrial camera (3), the first proximity switch (6) and the second proximity switch (9) are all connected to the control unit. The control unit is also connected to the first push cylinder (8), the second push cylinder (11) and the control motor for driving the transmission mechanism (1). The control unit includes a data processing module, and a human-machine interface is connected to the data processing module.

6. The online ceramic tile size monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying mechanism (1), the qualified product output mechanism (4), and the unqualified product output mechanism (5) are roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

Images