Inspection device for steamed bread product

Abstract

To provide an inspection device which inspects the appearance of steamed bread products during conveyance on a conveyance path surface, and can realize automation.SOLUTION: An inspection device which inspects the appearance of steamed bread products during conveyance on a conveyance path surface comprises: an upper surface camera; a determination unit which determines the quality and orientation of a steamed bread product on the basis of an upper surface image captured by the upper surface camera; and a pressing operation body which can press down the upper surface of the steamed bread product toward the conveyance path surface on the basis of the determination result by the determination unit, and can translate or rotate the steamed bread product on the conveyance path surface by translating or rotating with respect to the conveyance path surface under the pressing state. The pressing operation body moves the steamed bread product to a conveyance course for defective products when the steamed bread product is defective, and rotates the steamed bread product in the appropriate direction when the steamed bread product is not defective but the direction is inappropriate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device for inspecting the appearance of steamed bread products being transported on a transport path surface. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the appearance of steamed bread products (including those called "Chinese buns" and the like, which usually include a steamed bread and a square piece of glassine paper placed underneath the steamed bread) transported on a transport surface such as a conveyor belt has been inspected visually by a human.

[0003] For example, steamed bread products that are determined to be defective are manually moved on a conveyor belt or other conveying surface to a conveying course for defective products.

[0004] In addition, steamed bread products that are determined to be good but have a non-compliant orientation are manually corrected (rotated). If the orientation is non-compliant, for example, when the product is individually wrapped, there is a risk that the corners of the square glassine paper will get caught in the packaging seal.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection device that performs a feather detection process based on an image obtained by irradiating ultraviolet light onto chicken meat being conveyed along a conveying path (the degree of similarity to the present invention is not high). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-0399957 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In recent years, due to a shortage of human resources and the like, the introduction of small robots to replace humans in inspecting and handling goods has been considered or put into practice.

[0008] However, there was concern that applying gripping force from the sides to steamed bread products would damage their "fluffy" and "appetizing" shape.

[0009] The inventors discovered that in order to change the course or orientation of a steamed bread product, the top surface of the steamed bread product being transported along the transport path surface can be lightly pressed downwards with a pressing operating body, and the pressing operating body can be moved parallel to or rotated relative to the transport path surface under this pressing state, thereby causing the steamed bread product to move parallel to or rotate on the transport path surface.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to implement such an embodiment, the inventors worked on designing a pressing operation body (robot hand) that would minimize the risk of damaging the ``fluffy'' and ``appetizing'' shape of the top surface of the steamed bread, and eventually determined a structure that was sufficient for practical use.

[0011] The present invention has been invented based on the above findings. An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device that inspects the appearance of steamed bread products being transported on a transport path surface, and that can be automated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention is an inspection device that inspects the appearance of steamed bread products being transported on a transport path surface, and includes a top-view camera that captures a top-view image of the steamed bread product, a discrimination unit that determines whether the steamed bread product is good or bad and its orientation based on the top-view image captured by the top-view camera, and a pressing operation body that is capable of pressing the top surface of the steamed bread product downward toward the transport path surface based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit, and that is capable of moving the steamed bread product parallel to or rotating the steamed bread product on the transport path surface by moving parallel to or rotating the steamed bread product itself relative to the transport path surface while being pressed, wherein the pressing operation body is configured to move the steamed bread product to a conveying course for defective products when the discrimination result determines that the steamed bread product is defective, and the pressing operation body is configured to rotate the steamed bread product to a suitable orientation when the discrimination result determines that the steamed bread product is good and the orientation of the steamed bread is not suitable.

[0013] According to the present invention, since the discrimination is performed by the discrimination unit instead of by visual discrimination by a person, product inspection can be automated. Furthermore, since the pressing operation body presses the upper surface of the steamed bread product downward toward the conveying path surface and, in the pressed state, moves parallel to or rotates relative to the conveying path surface, thereby causing the steamed bread product to move parallel to or rotate on the conveying path surface, instead of by a manual operation by a person, operations based on the inspection results can also be automated.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the present invention further includes a bottom camera that captures a bottom image of the steamed bread product, and the discrimination unit is configured to determine the quality and orientation of the steamed bread product based on the bottom image captured by the bottom camera in addition to the top image captured by the top camera. In this way, the inspection of the bottom side of the steamed bread product can also be automated.

[0015] The inventors of the present invention have thoroughly studied the details of the pressing operating body to be implemented in the inspection device and discovered that in order to minimize the risk of damaging the "fluffy" and "appetizing" shape of the top surface of the steamed bread, it is effective to have two characteristics: (i) a hollow body structure, and (ii) the bottom surface portion that provides the bottom surface be made of silicone rubber with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

[0016] Furthermore, the inventors of the present invention have found that a flat lower surface of the pressing operation body is also a preferable additional feature. A flat lower surface is advantageous in terms of ease of manufacture and cost. However, at least at the time of filing this application, the present invention does not exclude embodiments in which the lower surface is a convex or concave spherical surface with a large radius of curvature or a concave conical surface with a low inclination.

[0017] The inventors of the present invention also considered the material of the conveying road surface that sandwiches the steamed bread products between the pressing operation body and the conveying road surface, and found that a belt with a surface coating of a silicone-polyurethane hybrid is preferable. However, the present invention does not exclude any material that has a certain degree of sliding property with respect to the underside of the steamed bread products (e.g., the underside of glassine paper), at least at the time of filing the present application.

[0018] As mentioned above, a steamed bread product generally includes a steamed bread and a rectangular piece of paper (usually a square piece of glassine paper) placed under the steamed bread. However, the present invention does not exclude steamed bread products of other types, at least at the time of filing the present application.

[0019] The pressing operation body (only) in the inspection device of the present invention is also protected by this application, at least at the time of filing this application. That is, the present invention is a pressing operation body that can press the upper surface of a steamed bread product being conveyed on a conveying path surface downward toward the conveying path surface, and can translate or rotate the steamed bread product on the conveying path surface by moving or rotating itself in parallel with the conveying path surface while being pressed, the pressing operation body having a hollow structure, and characterized in that the lower surface portion that provides the lower surface is made of silicone rubber with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, since the discrimination is performed by the discrimination unit instead of by visual discrimination by a person, product inspection can be automated. Furthermore, since the pressing operation body presses the upper surface of the steamed bread product downward toward the conveying path surface and, in the pressed state, moves parallel to or rotates relative to the conveying path surface, thereby causing the steamed bread product to move parallel to or rotate on the conveying path surface, instead of by a manual operation by a person, operations based on the inspection results can also be automated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic perspective view of a pressing operation body of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a pressing operation body of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing the base plate of the pressing operation body of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 4(a) is a front view, Fig. 4(b) is a vertical sectional view, and Fig. 4(c) is a plan view. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a silicone rubber body of the pressing operation body of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, in which Fig. 5(a) is a front view and Fig. 5(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view. [Figure 6] 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a silicone rubber body holding ring of the pressing operation body of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. [Figure 7]FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a tightening ring of the pressing operation body of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] (composition) 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inspection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inspection device 1 shown in FIG.

[0024] The steamed bread product 40 in this embodiment includes a type of steamed bread 41 known as a "Chinese steamed bun" or the like, and a square piece of glassine paper 42 placed underneath the steamed bread 41. If the steamed bread 41 is determined to be a non-defective product by the inspection device 1, it is scheduled to be individually packaged in a subsequent process.

[0025] In the inspection device 1 of this embodiment, the steamed bread products 40 are transported sequentially on the belt conveyors 11 and 12 (one example of a transport path surface) with an appropriate interval therebetween. In this embodiment, a gap 13 is provided between the belt conveyors 11 and 12, and a bottom camera 14 for capturing bottom images of the steamed bread products 40 is installed below the gap 13. The belt conveyor 12 is a belt whose surface is coated with a silicone-polyurethane hybrid (for example, "Mr. Silky Touch" manufactured by Bando Chemical Industries Co., Ltd. (https: / / www.bandogrp.com / special_site / food_industry / product_detail / product_mrSilkyTouch.html)) and has an appropriate sliding property against the glassine paper 42.

[0026] Meanwhile, an upper surface camera 15 for capturing an upper surface image of the steamed bread products 40 is installed above the belt conveyor 12. (In this embodiment, the upper surface camera 15 is installed downstream of the lower surface camera 14 in the conveying direction, but this positional relationship may be reversed.)

[0027] The bottom camera 14 and the top camera 15 are connected to a control device (e.g., a computer) (not shown) (they may be connected by wire or wirelessly). The control device, as a discrimination unit, uses a known image processing technique to discriminate the quality and orientation of the steamed bread product 40 based on the bottom image of the steamed bread product 40 captured by the bottom camera 14 and the top image of the steamed bread product 40 captured by the top camera 15.

[0028] A robot arm 20 (for example, a MotoMINI series manufactured by Yaskawa Electric Corporation) is provided above the belt conveyor 12 and downstream in the conveying direction from the top camera 15. A pressing operation body 30 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 20.

[0029] The robot arm 20 is connected to a control device and grasps the transport state of each steamed bread product 40 based on the timing and position of imaging of each steamed bread product 40 by each camera 14, 15, and by executing a predetermined control program, it moves the pressing operation body 30 in synchronization with the movement timing of each steamed bread product 40, and is able to press the pressing operation body 30 against the upper surface of each steamed bread product 40 without interrupting the transportation of each steamed bread product 40.

[0030] Furthermore, the robot arm 20 of this embodiment is capable of translating or rotating the pressing operation body 30 relative to the belt conveyor 12 while the pressing operation body 30 is pressing the upper surface of the steamed bread product 40 downward toward the belt conveyor 12. Accordingly, the steamed bread product 40 pressed by the pressing operation body 30 is translated or rotated integrally with the pressing operation body 30 relative to the belt conveyor 12.

[0031] More specifically, in this embodiment, when the control device (discrimination unit) determines that the steamed bread product 40 is defective, the robot arm 20 and the pressing operation body 30 move (dispatch) the steamed bread product 40 to a conveying course for defective products. Also, in this embodiment, when the control device (discrimination unit) determines that the steamed bread product 40 is a good product but has an inappropriate orientation, the robot arm 20 and the pressing operation body 30 rotate the steamed bread product 40 to a suitable orientation.

[0032] Next, the pressing operation body 30 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the pressing operation body 30 of this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the pressing operation body 30 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the pressing operation body 30 of this embodiment is composed of a substantially disk-shaped base plate 31, a substantially cup-shaped silicone rubber body 32, a silicone rubber body holding ring 33, and a tightening ring 34.

[0034] Fig. 4 shows the base plate 31, with Fig. 4(a) being a front view of the base plate 31, Fig. 4(b) being a vertical cross-sectional view of the base plate 31, and Fig. 4(c) being a plan view of the base plate 31. The dimensions shown in the figures are preferred examples.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, the base plate 31 of this embodiment has four mounting holes 31a (φ3.6) for mounting to the robot arm 20, two air vent holes 31b (φ15) for ensuring the deformation performance of the silicone rubber body 32, and a male screw portion 31c (M85) for screwing (tightening) with the tightening ring 34.

[0036] Fig. 5 shows the silicone rubber body 32, Fig. 5(a) is a front view of the silicone rubber body 32, and Fig. 5(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the silicone rubber body 32. The dimensions shown in the figure are preferred examples. (In particular, the thickness is preferably 1 to 3 mm, and 2 mm is particularly preferred.)

[0037] Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the silicone rubber holding ring 33, and Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the tightening ring 34. The dimensions shown in the drawings are preferred examples.

[0038] 2 to 7, the pressing operation body 30 of this embodiment has a hollow structure, and the lower surface portion that provides the lower surface is (a part of) a silicone rubber body 32 with a thickness of 2 mm. In addition, the lower surface is flat.

[0039] (action) Next, the operation of the inspection device 1 configured as above will be described.

[0040] The steamed bread products 40 are transported in sequence on the belt conveyors 11 and 12 (an example of a transport path surface) at appropriate intervals. On the way, when passing through the gap 13, the bottom surface camera 14 captures a bottom surface image of the steamed bread product 40. In addition, the top surface camera 15 captures a top surface image of the steamed bread product 40.

[0041] Next, the image data of each of the cameras 14, 15 is transmitted to a control device (not shown). Then, the control device, as a discrimination unit, discriminates the quality and orientation of the steamed bread products 40 based on the image data by using a known image processing technique.

[0042] If the control device (discrimination unit) determines that the steamed bread product 40 is defective, the robot arm 20 executes a predetermined control program based on the image capture timing and image capture position of each camera 14, 15, moves the pressing operation body 30 in synchronization with the movement timing of each steamed bread product 40, and presses the pressing operation body 30 against the upper surface of each steamed bread product 40 without interrupting the transportation of each steamed bread product 40 (for example, if the height of the steamed bread is 40±3 mm, the lower surface of the pressing operation body 30 is lowered to a height position of 35 mm from the upper surface of the belt conveyor 12). Then, in this pressed state, the robot arm 20 and the pressing operation body 30 immediately move parallel to the belt conveyor 12 toward the conveying course for defective products, thereby moving (discharging) the pressed steamed bread product 40 along with the pressing operation body 30 to the conveying course for defective products, and then immediately releasing the pressure of the pressing operation body 30 (for example, rising to a waiting height position (for example, a height position of 50 mm from the top surface of the belt conveyor 12)).

[0043] Alternatively, even if the control device (discrimination unit) determines that the steamed bread product 40 is a good product but the orientation is inappropriate, the robot arm 20 executes a predetermined control program based on the image capture timing and image capture position of each camera 14, 15, moves the pressing operation body 30 in synchronization with the movement timing of each steamed bread product 40, and presses the pressing operation body 30 against the upper surface of each steamed bread product 40 without interrupting the transportation of each steamed bread product 40 (for example, if the height of the steamed bread is 40±3 mm, the lower surface of the pressing operation body 30 is lowered to a height position of 35 mm from the upper surface of the belt conveyor 12). In this case, in this pressed state, the robot arm 20 and the pressing operation body 30 immediately rotate around their own central axis (vertical axis) (by the rotation angle required for orientation correction), causing the pressed steamed bread product 40 to rotate together with the pressing operation body 30 (by the rotation angle required for orientation correction), and then immediately release the pressure of the pressing operation body 30 (for example, rising to a standby height position (for example, a height position of 50 mm from the top surface of the belt conveyor 12)).

[0044] (effect) As described above, according to the inspection device 1 of this embodiment, instead of visual discrimination by a person, discrimination is performed by the control device (discrimination unit), so that product inspection can be automated. Furthermore, instead of manual operation by a person, the pressing operation body 30 presses the upper surface of the steamed bread product 40 downward toward the belt conveyor 12, and while in this pressing state, moves parallel to or rotates relative to the belt conveyor 12, thereby causing the steamed bread product 40 to move parallel to or rotate on the belt conveyor 11, so that operations based on the inspection results can also be automated.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the inspection device 1 of this embodiment, the quality and orientation of the steamed bread product 40 is determined based on the bottom image captured by the bottom camera 14 in addition to the top image captured by the top camera 15, so inspection of the bottom side of the steamed bread product 40 can also be automated.

[0046] Furthermore, the pressing operation body 30 of the inspection device 1 of this embodiment has three features: (i) it has a hollow structure; (ii) the lower surface portion that provides the lower surface is a silicone rubber body 32 having a thickness of 1 to 3 mm; and (iii) the lower surface is flat, so that it is possible to minimize the risk of impairing the "fluffy" and "appetizing" shape of the upper surface of the steamed bread 41. Furthermore, the fact that the lower surface of the pressing operation body 30 is flat is advantageous in terms of ease of manufacture and cost.

[0047] In addition, according to the inspection device 1 of this embodiment, the material of the belt conveyor 12 is a belt with a surface coating of a silicone-polyurethane hybrid, which provides appropriate sliding properties for the underside of the glassine paper 42 of the steamed bread products 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Inspection equipment 11 Conveyor belt 12 Conveyor belt 13. Gap 14 Bottom camera 15 Top camera 20 Robot Arm 30 Pressing operation body 31 Base Plate 31a Mounting hole 31b Air vent 31c Male thread 32 Silicone rubber body 33 Ring 34 Tightening ring 40 Steamed bread products 41 Steamed bread 42 Glassine Paper

Claims

1. An inspection device for inspecting the appearance of steamed bread products being transported on a transport path surface, An upper surface camera that captures an upper surface image of the steamed bread product; A discrimination unit that discriminates the quality and orientation of the steamed bread product based on the top surface image captured by the top surface camera; A pressing operation body that can press the upper surface of the steamed bread product downward toward the conveying path surface based on the discrimination result by the discrimination unit, and can translate or rotate the steamed bread product on the conveying path surface by moving or rotating itself parallel to the conveying path surface under the pressing state; Equipped with The pressing operation body is configured to move the steamed bread product to a conveying course for defective products when the discrimination result indicates that the steamed bread product is defective, The pressing operation body is configured to rotate the steamed bread product to a suitable orientation when the judgment result judges that the steamed bread product is a good product and the orientation of the steamed bread is inappropriate. An inspection device characterized by:

2. A bottom camera for capturing a bottom image of the steamed bread product Further comprising: The discrimination unit is configured to discriminate the quality of the steamed bread product based on the bottom image captured by the bottom camera in addition to the top image captured by the top camera.

2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The pressing operation body has a hollow structure, and the lower surface portion that provides the lower surface is made of silicone rubber with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The lower surface is flat.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The conveying surface is a belt coated with a silicone-polyurethane hybrid.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 3.

6. The steamed bread product includes a steamed bread and a rectangular piece of paper laid under the steamed bread.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A pressing operation body capable of pressing the upper surface of a steamed bread product being conveyed on a conveying path surface downward toward the conveying path surface, and capable of translating or rotating the steamed bread product on the conveying path surface by moving or rotating the steamed bread product in parallel with the conveying path surface under the pressing state. It has a hollow structure, The lower surface portion that provides the underside is made of silicone rubber with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm. A pressing operation body characterized by:

8. The lower surface is flat.

8. The pressing operation body according to claim 7,

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