Article inspection system

Abstract

To provide an article inspection system that is able to surely prevent a defective product from flowing out to a good product passing side while effectively restricting a decrease in product yield.SOLUTION: An article inspection system includes: an article inspection device 10 that sequentially inspects articles P on a conveyance path; a first sorting device 30 that performs pinpoint exclusion of the inspected articles P in a predetermined conveyance section Z2 according to an inspection result by the article inspection device 10, on condition that a first sorting condition is established; a second sorting device 40 that is disposed on a downstream side of the first sorting device 30 and sorts the inspected articles P in a unit of a sorting section Z3 corresponding to a predetermined conveyance distance according to an inspection result by the article inspection device 10 and establishment of a second sorting condition; and a control unit 20 that determines whether the first sorting condition is established or not according to the inspection result and conveyance states of the inspected articles P and that determines whether the second sorting condition is established or not according to whether the first sorting condition is established or not and according to whether the pinpoint exclusion by the first sorting device 30 is successful or not.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection system, and more particularly to an article inspection system having both an article inspection device that sequentially inspects articles on an article conveyance path and a sorting device that can remove defective articles from the article conveyance path.

Background Art

[0002] In an article inspection system for inspecting products sold in units of the net number or mass, an article inspection device that performs article inspection in a predetermined manner while conveying a plurality of relatively small-sized articles that make up the contents of the product in a scattered state or at a predetermined small conveyance pitch is often used.

[0003] In that case, even if defects frequently occur to the extent that a plurality of defective products (which may be articles whose size, mass, or other quality states ranked in multiple stages deviate from the range of that specific rank) are generated within a narrow conveyance section, it is necessary to surely prevent the defective products from flowing out to the downstream side.

[0004] Therefore, conventionally, there has been an article inspection system in which an article inspection device that performs article inspection in the minimum area unit corresponding to the inspection area on the product conveyance road surface and a sorting device that can discharge the inspected articles within a predetermined conveyance section out of the system from the product conveyance road according to the inspection result, for example, the presence or absence of defective products, for each fixed conveyance distance corresponding to a predetermined number of minimum areas (hereinafter also referred to as a predetermined conveyance section) (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0005] Also known is a sorting device having a punching means that can acquire the position information of a foreign object based on the detection image data of an X-ray inspection machine and punch out and partially remove the foreign object mixed-in part from raw materials such as raw meat and hydrated cereal flour, so as to increase the product yield (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, the above conventional article inspection system has the following No problem problems.

[0008] Foreign object When using a sorting device that can pinpoint and remove (discharge) only parts, although the reduction in product yield can be effectively suppressed, if a plurality of defective products occur within a narrow inspection area, there will be no time margin for individual discharges, so it will not be in time, or there is a concern that defective products may flow out to the non-defective product passing side due to sorting mistakes or some other reasons.

[0009] The present invention solves such conventional unsolved problems, and an object thereof is to provide an article inspection system that can effectively suppress a decrease in product yield and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the non-defective product passing side.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The article inspection system according to the present invention, for achieving the above object, (1) an article inspection device that sequentially inspects articles conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction on a conveyance path and the above-mentioned Articles inspected by the article inspection device among By the article inspection device A defective product determined to be defective is sucked for a predetermined Within the conveyance section and sucked Pinpoint exclusion operation To do Along with the operation, a passing detection sensor for detecting the sucked defective product is mounted The first sorting device and the above-mentioned The first sorting device The pinpoint elimination operation is commanded for the above, and whether the passing detection sensor detects the defective product within a predetermined time from the command is determined according to whether the passing detection sensor detects the defective product within a predetermined time from the command Pinpoint exclusion operation Of the composition NoIt is equipped with a sorting condition determination means for determination.

[0011] With this configuration, in the present invention, a first sorting device that locally excludes, that is, pinpoints and excludes, the inspected articles by the article inspection device within a predetermined conveyance section according to the inspection results Based on the sensor information from the passing detection sensor, a selection is made to determine whether the selection condition is satisfied will be operated according to the determination result of the sorting condition determination means. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of the product including the article to be inspected, and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the non-defective product passing side.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (2) the above-mentioned The first sorting device has a vacuum nozzle for sucking the defective product, and the passing detection sensor is mounted inside the vacuum nozzle can be configured , (3) The first sorting device further has a duct connected to the vacuum nozzle for discharging the sucked defective product to a defective product receiver, and the passing detection sensor may be further mounted on the duct

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (4) the vacuum nozzle is supported so as to be able to move up and down between a raised position and a lowered position on a vacuum head, and may be configured to suck the defective product on the lowered position side, and (5) the height of the lowered position may be set for each type of the article

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (6) the first sorting device may be configured to include a robot arm for supporting the vacuum head, and (7) the robot arm includes a first arm and a second arm, the base end portion of the first arm is rotatably supported by a support base, and the second arm is rotatably supported at the tip end portion of the first arm via a joint portion and may be configured to support the vacuum head

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (8) When it is determined by the sorting condition determination means that the pinpoint elimination of the defective product has not been successful, the article including the defective product is removed from the conveyance path in units of a sorting section (Z3) for a predetermined conveyance distance, and when it is determined that the pinpoint elimination of the defective product has been successful, the article not including the defective product is passed in the predetermined conveyance direction of the conveyance path. A second sorting device (40) that can be switched to a good product passing direction may be further provided

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to further provide a control unit capable of digital communication with at least the article inspection device and the first sorting device by a predetermined communication method, and it is possible to further provide a control unit capable of digital communication with at least the article inspection device and the second sorting device by a predetermined communication method.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the article inspection device can be configured to sequentially inspect the article by performing image processing on X-ray inspection image data showing the distribution of the transmitted X-ray dose detected by irradiating the article conveyed by the conveyance path with X-rays.

[0018] Note that the sorting condition determination means may establish the second sorting condition and operate the second sorting device on the condition that the first sorting condition (the first sorting condition) of the first sorting device is not satisfied, or when the pinpoint elimination by the first sorting device fails or the success within a predetermined time is undetermined.

[0019] Also, when the size of the article and the conveyance interval are relatively large and the second sorting device is mainly used because the first sorting condition is not satisfied, the sorting condition determination means may be configured to determine that the second sorting condition is not satisfied for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition is satisfied (for example, product dispersion or breakage). Of course, it may be possible to variably set whether to mainly use the first sorting device or the second sorting device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article inspection system that can effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of a product including an article to be inspected and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the non-defective product passing side.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] ( One embodiment Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 6 show an article inspection system One embodiment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] First, the configuration will be described.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the article inspection system 1 according to the present embodiment, while sequentially inspecting the article P being conveyed on the article conveyance path 11 such as a conveyor disposed in an article manufacturing line (not shown) by the article inspection device 10, the article P determined to be a defective product by the article inspection device 10 is excluded from the conveyance path 11d on the downstream side of the article inspection device 10 in the article conveyance path 11 by the first sorting device 30 or the second sorting device 40. Note that the article P is, for example, something ingested by humans or animals such as food (fresh food or processed food) or medicine, or something manufactured as a product worn or touched by humans or animals, but is not limited to specific articles.

[0026] The article inspection system 1 includes, as the article inspection device 10, an X-ray inspection machine, for example, an X-ray foreign object detector, and inspects the quality state of each article P passing through a predetermined inspection section Z1 on the article conveyance path 11 by a predetermined inspection method, and can determine, based on preset determination conditions, whether it is an OK product, that is, a good product, or an NG product, that is, a defective product.

[0027] Depending on the inspection content, the article inspection device 10 may determine whether it is a specific rank, instead of determining whether it is a good product or not, for example, when ranking the quality state of the article P in multiple stages. Further, the article inspection device 10 may be a weighing device that measures the mass of the article P, a foreign object detector that detects foreign objects mixed in, or an appearance inspection device that detects defects in the product shape or the sealed portion of the packaging bag.

[0028] In the article inspection system 1, the inspection control unit 15 (see FIG. 2) built into the article inspection device 10, the controller of the first sorting device 30, and the drive control unit of the second sorting device 40 (described later) are LAN-connected to the control unit 20 composed of a management PC, a PLC, or the like by a predetermined communication method. The LAN mentioned here is composed of, for example, an Ethernet-based field bus, enabling digital communication between controllers (communication for exchanging control information in the lower layer, monitoring the operating status of the lower layer by the upper layer, and events in each device).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, specifically, the article inspection apparatus 10 irradiates an X-ray from the X-ray irradiation unit 12 onto each article P to be inspected conveyed by the article conveyance path 11, detects the amount of transmitted X-ray at predetermined time intervals by the X-ray line sensor 13, and sequentially stores the detection values in the image memory 14 while the article P passes through the inspection region, so that the inspection control unit 15 can acquire X-ray inspection image data indicating the transmitted X-ray dose distribution of the article P.

[0030] The inspection control unit 15 has a processor and a memory, and incorporates various control programs that can utilize them to exhibit predetermined functions. It includes an image processing unit 16 that exhibits an image processing function based on the X-ray inspection image data from the image memory 14, a quality determination unit 17 that exhibits a determination function for the quality state of the article P based on the image processing result by the image processing unit 16, and an operation display unit 19 such as a touch panel capable of displaying the determination result of the quality determination unit 17 and accepting operation inputs.

[0031] Further, for example, when the article P carried onto the article conveyance path 11 is detected by an article detection sensor (not shown), the inspection control unit 15 sets the article P as an article to be inspected based on the detection signal, and operates the X-ray irradiation unit 12 while the entire area in the conveyance direction of the article P passes through a specific position (detection position of the line sensor 13) within the inspection section Z1.

[0032] Based on the image processing result by the image processing unit 16, the quality determination unit 17 can determine the quality state of the article P, for example, for each predetermined inspection unit area (each of a plurality of inspection areas equally divided in an arbitrary direction within a predetermined conveyance distance section equal to or longer than the conveyance direction length of the article P). For example, it determines whether foreign matter is mixed in for each such inspection unit area. Therefore, while multiple articles P may enter the area serving as the unit for inspection determination depending on the size and conveyance interval of the article P, only a single article P may enter that area.

[0033] The control unit 20 is composed of a management PC, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), etc., and incorporates various control programs that can utilize them to perform predetermined functions. This control unit 20 may include a tablet-type information terminal that functions as a programming tool for the PLC and a setting input switch in cooperation with the management PC.

[0034] In addition, the control unit 20 can perform state monitoring of the article inspection system 1, manage the inspection results of the article inspection device 10 associated with the production plan, and execute drive control of the first sorting device 30 and the second sorting device 40.

[0035] A conveyor forming the article conveyance path 11 is provided with a rotary encoder (not shown). The control unit 20 can calculate the position of the article P to be inspected in the conveyance direction, the period during which it enters a predetermined conveyance section Z2 (for example, the number determination area E described later or a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a that enter it) where pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 is possible, and the conveyance position during that period, by acquiring encoder pulses for every certain conveyance distance of the article conveyance path 11. The pinpoint exclusion operation referred to here is a local exclusion operation for a plurality of or spread-out articles P within a predetermined conveyance section Z2 on the article conveyance path 11. For example, it is an operation of excluding a single unit (individual) or a small number that are part of the plurality, or a part of the article P that spreads on the article conveyance path 11, outward from the article conveyance path 11.

[0036] Further, the control unit 20 acquires the inspection determination result and position information from the quality determination unit 17 for each inspected article P from the inspection control unit 15 of the article inspection apparatus 10, and also acquires the X-ray inspection image data together with its coordinate reference data. Then, for the specific conveyance section in which the inspected article P is conveyed between the inspection section Z1 by the article inspection apparatus 10 and the predetermined conveyance section Z2 which is the pinpoint elimination operation area by the first sorting apparatus 30, the control unit 20 links the coordinates of the article P determined as a defective product or the inspection unit area in the X-ray inspection image data with the change in position accompanying its conveyance, and synchronizes the operations of the article inspection apparatus 10 and the first sorting apparatus 30 so that the pinpoint elimination operation position of the defective product determined by the first sorting apparatus 30 coincides with the coordinates of the NG determination area in the quality determination unit 17 of the article inspection apparatus 10.

[0037] The first sorting apparatus 30 pinpoints and eliminates the inspected article P by the article inspection apparatus 10 according to the result of the inspection by the article inspection apparatus 10 on the condition that a preset first sorting condition is satisfied. For example, the ejector-type vacuum head 31 can be moved by the articulated robot arm 32 at least in the conveyance path width direction (the longitudinal direction of the line sensor 13) orthogonal to the article conveyance direction, here, in both the article conveyance direction and the conveyance path width direction, and can be discharged to the defective product receiver 34 outside the article conveyance path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system).

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ejector-type vacuum head 31 has, for example, an elevating vacuum nozzle 31a having a downward opening at the lower end and a lateral opening at the upper end, a head body 35 that supports the vacuum nozzle 31a so as to be vertically drivable via a vertical drive shaft 35a, a suction duct 33 connected to the vacuum nozzle 31a, and a drive fluid injection section 37 having an ejector function of injecting high-pressure drive fluid (here, air which is compressed air) from around the outlet of the suction duct 33 toward the downstream side to generate a negative pressure in the suction duct 33. It also has a discharge duct 36 that is connected to the outlet sides of the suction duct 33 and the drive fluid injection section 37 and forms a diffuser passage with an inner passage cross-sectional area that gradually increases toward the defective product receiver 34. The vacuum head 31 is capable of sucking the defective product article P into the suction duct 33 from the vacuum nozzle 31a and discharging it from the discharge duct 36 to the defective product receiver 34. Here, the suction duct 33 and the discharge duct 36 are inclined and curved such that the drive fluid injection section 37 side is the upper end side.

[0039] When the defective product article P is sucked by the vacuum nozzle 31a and passes through its inlet, the article P is detected by a small passage detection sensor 31s such as a reflective laser sensor mounted on the upstream end side of the vacuum nozzle 31a or the suction duct 33. Also, when the defective product article P is sucked into the suction duct 33 and passes through to the discharge side, the article P is detected by a passage detection sensor 36s mounted near the downstream end side of the suction duct 33 or near the drive fluid injection section 37. The drive fluid injection section 37 is connected to the supply source side of compressed air (air) via a solenoid valve and a filter regulator (not shown).

[0040] Here, the vacuum nozzle 31a can be moved up and down between the raised position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and the lowered position shown by the virtual line in FIG. 3 via the lift drive shaft 35a by a lift drive mechanism 32f integrally supported on the second arm 32e together with the head body 35. The height of its lowered position is set for each type of article P so that defective products can be sucked pinpointedly on the lowered position side and removed outside the article conveyance path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system).

[0041] The robot arm 32, for example, rotatably supports the base end portion of the first arm 32a on a support base 32b and is capable of rotational drive via a geared motor 32c. The second arm 32e is rotatably supported at the tip of the first arm 32a via a joint portion having a geared motor 32d. Further, the second arm 32e integrally supports the vacuum head 31, and the robot controller 39 controls the drive angle positions of the geared motors 32c and 32d to their target values by servo control, so that the vacuum nozzle 31a can be moved to an arbitrary coordinate position within the movable range.

[0042] The second sorting device 40 is arranged downstream of the first sorting device 30 in a predetermined conveyance direction, and sorts the article P after inspection by the article inspection device 10 in units of a sorting section Z3 for a predetermined conveyance distance according to the result of the inspection by the article inspection device 10 and a preset second sorting condition, and performs an exclusion operation.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, the second sorting device 40 includes a vertically swingable conveyor 41 having a sorting section Z3 shorter than a predetermined conveyance section Z2, which is a pinpoint exclusion section by the first sorting device 30, in the conveyance direction, an up-and-out drive actuator 42 such as an air cylinder that raises the conveyor 41 at one end side in the conveyance direction, for example, the upstream end 41a side, and a defective product receiver 43. The up-and-out drive actuator 42 is connected to an air supply source via a direction control valve, an air supply control valve, and a filter regulator (not shown). By switching the direction control valve, the air supply and discharge control direction to the up-and-out drive actuator 42 is switched, and the operation direction as an up-and-out sorter is switched and controlled.

[0044] When the conveyor 41 is tilted so as to rise at the upstream end 41a side, the second sorting device 40 can drop the article P that has passed through the predetermined conveyance section Z2 in the article conveyance path 11 and discharge it to the defective product receiver 43 outside the article conveyance path 11.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 20 includes an inspection information acquisition unit 21, a sorting condition determination unit 22, and a sorting request output unit 23 as a plurality of functional units realized by a predetermined control program using a management PC or a PLC.

[0046] The inspection information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the determination results from the image processing unit 16 and the quality determination unit 17 of the article inspection device 10, the coordinates of the article P or the inspection unit area and the information of the coordinate reference, and the sensor information from the passage detection sensors 31s and 36s indicating that the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 has failed. Here, the sensor information indicating that the pinpoint elimination operation has failed means that at least one of the passage detection sensors 31s and 36s does not detect the passage of the defective article P within a predetermined time from the sorting command (output of the pinpoint elimination request Ra) to the first sorting device 30, indicating that the pinpoint elimination operation by suction has failed, or the elapsed time from the detection of the passage of the article P by the passage detection sensor 31s attached to the vacuum nozzle 31a to the detection by the passage detection sensor 36s attached to the downstream end side of the suction duct 33 indicates a delay exceeding the preset allowable suction time.

[0047] The sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the first sorting condition is satisfied according to the inspection result by the article inspection device 10 and the conveyance state of the inspected article P based on the acquired information by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, and is a sorting condition determination means for determining whether the second sorting condition is satisfied according to the presence or absence of the establishment of the first sorting condition and the success or failure (presence or absence of success) of the pinpoint elimination by the first sorting device 30.

[0048] In addition, the sorting condition determination unit 22 is configured to determine that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that the first sorting condition is not satisfied or the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is not successful. The first sorting condition is a condition that all articles P (defective products) outside the predetermined quality conditions within the predetermined conveyance section Z2 can be eliminated within a predetermined sorting period by the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30. Here, it means that the number of defective articles P within the number determination area E as shown in FIG. 4 does not reach the preset upper limit number.

[0049] If the elimination operation of all defective products in the quantity determination area E becomes uncertain due to variations in the position and posture of the defective product P within this quantity determination area E, failure of the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint elimination operation due to clogging of the product within the vacuum nozzle 31a or the like, it is possible to determine that the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful and cause the second sorting device 40 to perform reliable elimination.

[0050] When mainly using the first sorting device 30, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can establish the second sorting condition and operate the second sorting device 40 on the condition that the first sorting condition is not satisfied, or when the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 fails or success within a predetermined time is uncertain.

[0051] Also, when the occurrence frequency of the pinpoint elimination operation is low and mainly using the second sorting device 40, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can be set to determine that the second sorting condition does not hold for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition holds and / or the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is successful. For example, the sorting condition determination unit 22 may determine that the second sorting condition does not hold for a certain period of time on the condition that the first sorting condition holds due to scattering or the like of the product P from the product.

[0052] Of course, whether mainly using the first sorting device 30 or the second sorting device 40 may be variably set by manual operation or automatic mode setting according to the variety of the product P.

[0053] In the first sorting device 30, the ejector-type vacuum head 31 serves as pinpoint rejection means for sucking and removing from the article conveyance path 11 specific articles among the inspected articles P whose inspection results deviate from predetermined quality conditions, for example, defective articles. Further, this vacuum head 31 is supported by the robot arm 32, and when the inspection result by the article inspection device 10 deviates from the predetermined quality conditions, it operates as an exclusion head that moves in at least a direction orthogonal to the predetermined conveyance direction, here, in both the conveyance direction v of the article conveyance path 11 and the width direction w orthogonal thereto, according to the inspection result.

[0054] The sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the number of articles P (NG articles) whose inspection results by the article inspection device 10 deviate from the predetermined quality conditions within a predetermined determination period is included in a set number or more within a number determination region E having a predetermined area as shown in FIG. 4, for example, and determines that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that it is included in the set number or more.

[0055] Since the robot arm 32 is used in the first sorting device 30, the number determination region E shown in FIG. 4 is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center O1 located on one side in the width direction w of the article conveyance path 11.

[0056] This number determination region E is set as a range capable of removing a set number of articles P (defective articles) outside the predetermined quality conditions within a predetermined time set as the pinpoint rejection period. However, when the completion of the rejection operation of all defective articles within the number determination region E becomes uncertain due to variations in the conveyance position and posture of the article P, failure of the rejection operation, delay due to clogging, etc., reliable rejection by the second sorting device 40 can be executed.

[0057] Furthermore, the predetermined radius R1 is set larger than the width of the road surface of the article conveyance path 11, and at each determination time of the sorting conditions by the sorting condition determination unit 22, a sorting determination section Z2a corresponding to a predetermined conveyance distance (corresponding to the sorting section Z3 of the second sorting device 40) in the conveyance path 11d on the downstream side of the article inspection device 10 is always included in the number determination region E by a set number completely.

[0058] Then, based on the condition that a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a for a predetermined conveyance distance are established within the quantity determination area E, the control unit 20 ensures that no defective articles P (NG articles) remain in the leading section Z2a' that has partially or completely exited the downstream side from the quantity determination area E. The control unit 20 executes control to pinpoint and eliminate the defective articles P (NG articles) that have entered a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a within the quantity determination area E, and further, the NG articles that have entered the subsequent area Z2a″ within the quantity determination area E, using the first sorting device 30.

[0059] Also, the quantity determination area E may partially overlap with the leading area that was set in the quantity determination area and for which pinpoint elimination has been completed during the previous determination. Articles P for which pinpoint elimination has been completed can have their quantity count reduced for the subsequent next quantity determination area. Therefore, when NG articles that were within the subsequent area Z2a″ following a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a within the quantity determination area E are removed, the quantity count as NG articles can be reduced when the subsequent area Z2a″ changes to a sorting determination section Z2a.

[0060] More specifically, the control unit 20 sets the number and order of pinpoint elimination based on the coordinates within the X-ray inspection image of the defective articles P (NG articles) that have entered a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a within the quantity determination area E and the change in their positions due to conveyor conveyance. The number of pinpoint eliminations here is less than the set number (for example, 5). In FIG. 4, when a set number or more of defective articles P (NG articles) are included within the range of a plurality of quantity determination sections Z2a exemplified in pairs, the control unit 20 determines that the second sorting condition is satisfied based on this condition.

[0061] Note that the sorting determination section Z2a may be set even narrower so as to have an area smaller than the sorting section Z3. That is, the sorting condition determination unit 22 may determine that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that the number of articles P whose inspection results by the article inspection device 10 deviate from the predetermined quality conditions is included in a set number or more in any of a plurality of quantity determination areas divided in the predetermined conveyance direction so as to have a predetermined area equal to or less than the sorting section Z3.

[0062] Next, the operation will be described.

[0063] In the present embodiment configured as described above, in the production line of a product including a plurality of articles P, the article inspection device 10 sequentially performs an article inspection of a predetermined inspection method on the article P on the article conveyance path 11. The inspected article P is pinpoint-excluded by the first sorting device 30 according to the inspection result, or is excluded from the system in units of sorting sections for a predetermined conveyance distance by the second sorting device 40 according to the inspection result and the second sorting condition downstream of the first sorting device 30.

[0064] At this time, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether or not the first sorting condition is satisfied according to the inspection result and the conveyance state of the inspected article P, and determines whether or not the second sorting condition is satisfied according to the presence or absence of the establishment of the first sorting condition and the success or failure of the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30. According to the determination result, either the exclusion request Ra due to the pinpoint exclusion by the first sorting device 30 or the out-of-system discharge request Rb due to the up-and-out discharge for a predetermined conveyance distance by the second sorting device 40 is output, and the sorting condition is switched.

[0065] Therefore, by executing the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 as much as possible, it is possible to surely execute the exclusion of defective products, but it is possible to suppress the frequency of the exclusion operation by the second sorting device 40 that excludes not only defective products but also a part of good products. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of a product composed of a plurality of articles P and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the good product passing side.

[0066] Incidentally, FIG. 4 shows a case where the first sorting condition is satisfied because the number of defective articles P contained in a predetermined number of number determination regions Z2a within the number determination region E does not reach the preset upper limit number (set number), and the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 is executed. The numbers (1, 2, 3) attached to the NG products in the number determination region E illustrate the order of exclusion.

[0067] In contrast, FIG. 5 shows a case where the number of defective articles P within a predetermined number of number determination regions Z2a within the number determination region E reaches a preset number, for example, 5, thereby satisfying the first sorting condition and causing the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 to be executed.

[0068] On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a case where the number of defective articles P within a predetermined number of number determination regions Z2a within the number determination region E does not reach the preset number, for example, 5, but there are still defective articles P remaining within the preceding region Z2a' where pinpoint elimination has been executed once, that is, when the next sorting condition determination timing arrives with defective products remaining.

[0069] In this case, since there are defective articles P remaining within the preceding region Z2a', the first sorting condition becomes invalid because the distance between defective products within the number determination region E exceeds a certain value, and the second sorting condition is satisfied. However, as shown in the figure, the number of articles is small, and there is only 1 defective article P in the number determination region Z2a within the number determination region E adjacent to the preceding region Z2a' (hatched region) within the number determination region E. Therefore, it is also conceivable to execute the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 under this condition.

[0070] If the completion of the elimination operation for all defective products within the number determination region E becomes uncertain due to variations in the position and posture of the defective articles P within the number determination region E, failure of the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint elimination operation due to jamming of articles within the vacuum nozzle 31a or the like, it can be determined that the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful, and reliable elimination by the second sorting device 40 can be executed.

[0071] In addition, in the present embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that the first sorting condition is not satisfied or the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful. Therefore, by mainly operating the first sorting device 30, it is possible to effectively suppress the frequency of sorting in which good products are discharged outside the system together with defective products, and improve the yield of the product composed of the articles P to be inspected.

[0072] Furthermore, when the sorting condition determination unit 22 makes the second sorting condition hold on the condition that the success within the predetermined time of the pinpoint elimination operation by the first sorting device 30 is undetermined, it is possible to execute accurate sorting condition determination while quickly executing the determination process of the sorting conditions.

[0073] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the first sorting device 30 includes a vacuum head 31 (pinpoint elimination means) that sucks and discharges outside the conveyance path 11 a specific article P among the inspected articles P whose inspection results deviate from the predetermined quality conditions, it is possible to accurately discharge defective products and the like that deviate from the predetermined quality conditions outside the system while ensuring the required yield of the product composed of a plurality of articles P.

[0074] Also, in the present embodiment, since the vacuum head 31 constitutes an elimination head that moves at least in the conveyance path width direction w according to the result of the inspection when the result of the inspection by the article inspection device 10 deviates from the predetermined quality conditions, if the vacuum head 31 is moved along the shortest path according to the article conveyance speed and the interval and position of the articles P that deviate from the predetermined quality conditions, an efficient pinpoint elimination operation becomes possible.

[0075] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that the number of articles P whose inspection results by the article inspection apparatus 10 deviate from the predetermined quality conditions is equal to or more than the set number within the number determination area of a predetermined area. Therefore, the number determination area E of a predetermined area is set within a range that can surely exclude the occurrence position variation of the article P outside the predetermined quality conditions, and when it is equal to or more than the set number that becomes uncertain, reliable exclusion by the second sorting apparatus can be executed.

[0076] Also, in the present embodiment, the number determination area E is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center located on one side in the width direction w of the conveyance path. In this case, a robot arm 32 or the like can be effectively used for the first sorting apparatus 30. The number determination area E in this case may be set every predetermined time and may partially overlap with the number determination area that was set immediately before and has completed pinpoint exclusion, and the number of articles that have completed pinpoint exclusion can be reduced.

[0077] In the present embodiment, further, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is satisfied on the condition that the number of articles P whose inspection results by the article inspection apparatus 10 deviate from the predetermined quality conditions is equal to or more than the set number in any of a plurality of number determination areas Z2a divided in a predetermined conveyance direction v so as to have a predetermined area equal to or less than the sorting section Z3. Therefore, the number determination area Z2a equally divided in the conveyance direction can be easily set, and the sorting area shape of the pinpoint exclusion operation is included in the sorting section Z3 for a predetermined conveyance distance, and the required yield of the product including the article to be inspected can be effectively ensured.

[0078] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article inspection system that can effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of a product composed of the article P to be inspected and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the non-defective product passing side.

[0079] Note that the above-mentioned One embodiment In the form, a vacuum head 31 capable of removing an article P by suction is used to perform a pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30. ru mo However, it may be one that adsorbs or partially cuts the article P, etc., and is not limited to a specific pinpoint removal method. Also, the second sorting device 40 that discharges the article P within the sorting section Z3 for a predetermined conveyance distance to the outside of the system according to the inspection result is configured as an up-and-out discharge method, but other methods such as a drop-down type, a shuttle type, a chute method, etc. may also be used.

[0080] As described above, the article inspection system of the present invention has the effect of being able to effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of products including the article to be inspected and surely prevent defective products from flowing out to the non-defective product passing side. Such a present invention is useful for an article inspection system having both an article inspection device and a sorting device, particularly for an article inspection system capable of performing a pinpoint removal operation in general.

Explanation of Signs

[0081] 1 thing Product inspection system 10 Article inspection device 11 Article conveyance path 11d Conveyance path on the downstream side from the inspection section 12 X-ray irradiation section 13 X-ray line sensor 14 Image memory 15 Inspection control section 16 Image processing section 17 Quality determination section 19 Operation display section 20 Control section 21 Inspection information acquisition section 22 Sorting condition determination section (sorting condition determination means) 23 Sorting request output section 30, 60 First sorting device 31 Vacuum head (pinpoint removal means, removal head) 31a Vacuum nozzle 31s, 36s Passage detection sensor 32 Robot arm 32a First arm 32b Support base 32c, 32d Geared motor 32e Second arm 32f Lifting drive mechanism 33 Duct for suction 35 Head body 36 Duct for discharge 37 Driving fluid injection part 38 Diffuser 39 Robot controller 40 Second sorting device 41 Conveyor 41a Upstream end 42 Up-and-out drive actuator eeta E number Judgment area Jn Pass / fail judgment result O1 Center R1 Predetermined radius Tn Output timing Z1 Inspection section Z2 Predetermined conveyance section (pinpoint elimination operation area) Z2a Sorting judgment section (quantity judgment area) Z2a´ Leading section Z2a″ Following area Z3 Sorting section

Claims

1. An article inspection device (10) for sequentially inspecting articles (P) conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction on a conveying path (11); a first sorting device (30) that performs pinpoint removal by sucking up defective products determined to be defective by the article inspection device among the articles inspected by the article inspection device within a predetermined conveying section (Z2) and is equipped with a passage detection sensor (31s, 36s) that detects the sucked defective products; and a sorting condition determination means (22) that commands the first sorting device to perform the pinpoint rejection operation and determines whether the pinpoint rejection operation has been successful depending on whether the passage detection sensor detects the defective product within a predetermined time from the command.

2. The first sorting device has a vacuum nozzle (31a) that sucks up the defective products, The object inspection system according to claim 1 , wherein the passage detection sensor is mounted within the vacuum nozzle.

3. The first sorting device further has a duct (33, 36) connected to the vacuum nozzle and discharging the sucked defective products to a defective product receiver (34); The article inspection system according to claim 2 , wherein the passage detection sensor is further attached to the duct.

4. An item inspection system as described in any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the vacuum nozzle is supported on a vacuum head (31) so as to be movable up and down between an elevated position and a lowered position, and the defective item is sucked up at the lowered position.

5. An item inspection system as described in claim 4, wherein the height of the lowered position is set for each type of item.

6. An item inspection system as described in claim 4, wherein the first sorting device comprises a robotic arm (32) supporting the vacuum head.

7. The robot arm includes a first arm (32a) and a second arm (32e), The object inspection system described in claim 6, characterized in that the base end of the first arm is rotatably supported on a support base (32b), and the second arm is rotatably supported on the tip end of the first arm via a joint portion and supports the vacuum head.

8. An item inspection system as described in claim 1, further comprising a second sorting device (40) that is switchable between a direction in which the items including the defective items are excluded from the conveying path in units of a sorting section (Z3) of a predetermined conveying distance when the sorting condition determination means determines that the pinpoint removal of the defective items has not been successful, and a good item passing direction in which the items not including the defective items are passed in the predetermined conveying direction of the conveying path when the sorting condition determination means determines that the pinpoint removal of the defective items has been successful.

9. An article inspection system as described in claim 1, further comprising a control unit (20) capable of digitally communicating with at least the article inspection device and the first sorting device via a predetermined communication method.

10. An article inspection system as described in claim 8, further comprising a control unit (20) capable of digitally communicating with at least the article inspection device and the second sorting device via a predetermined communication method.

11. The article inspection system of claim 1, wherein the article inspection device sequentially inspects the articles by irradiating the articles transported along the transport path with X-rays and processing the X-ray inspection image data detected by irradiating the articles with X-rays and showing the distribution of transmitted X-ray amounts.

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