Article inspection device

Abstract

To provide an article inspection device which can execute stable sorting operations even if an article transport speed is increased, and allows even unskilled operators to easily set stable sorting operation timing.SOLUTION: An article inspection device includes: a timer 48 which manages a time Tp from a time point t0 when a specific attention point Ew of an article W is detected by a sensor 15 to the inspection result output; a timer 51 which manages a delay time Trs from the elapsed time point t1 of the time Tp until the inspected article W reaches a sorting start transport position Prj; and delay time correction means 53 which, in response to a setting request Rqm, calculates a pre-sorting transport time (t2-t1) from the elapsed time point t1 to a time point t2 when the attention point Ew is detected by a sensor 17, and a transport delay time from the time point t2 until the article W reaches the position Prj, calculates a correction delay time Ta from the time-up point t3 of the delay time management timer 51 to the input of a sorting command signal to a sorting unit 30 on the basis of these times, and corrects the sorting delay time Trs by adding the correction delay time Ta.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection apparatus, and more particularly to an article inspection apparatus including an inspection unit that inspects an article and a sorting unit that performs a sorting operation according to the inspection result of the inspection unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an inspection unit that inspects whether there is an excess or deficiency in weight or the inclusion of foreign substances such as metal while transporting an article, and a sorting unit that is connected to the downstream side in the transport direction of the inspection unit and sorts the article according to the inspection result of the inspection unit. Article inspection apparatuses provided with are frequently used.

[0003] In such an article inspection apparatus, for example, in a weight sorter, the transport speed of the inspection unit is set so that inspection and sorting are stably performed on the inspection line in consideration of the transport speed and sorting ability of the sorting unit. For example, the time required for inspection and measurement in the inspection unit and the sorting delay time from the output of the inspection measurement result to the start of the sorting operation are calculated in advance, and these are added to set the scheduled time until the start of sorting. It was done to wait for the elapse of the scheduled time and then perform the sorting operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Further, in an article inspection apparatus including a pusher-type sorter, when the article interval between the article to be sorted and the subsequent article becomes shorter than the predetermined operation time, the extruding member is reciprocated by the shortened operation time corresponding to the interval. However, when the ratio (transport path width in the discharge direction / article width) at which the work W deviates from the transport path becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the sorting operation time is controlled so that the extruding member returns quickly to the extrusion start position side from the midway turning point before reaching the normal extrusion end position. (For example, see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the conventional former article inspection apparatus as described above, for varieties where the transfer time from the inspection unit to the sorting unit is likely to vary, it is necessary to ensure that the article to be sorted reaches the predetermined transfer position by the scheduled start time of the sorting operation and perform a stable sorting operation. Therefore, if the article transfer speed is not suppressed to a certain low speed, it is difficult to perform a sorting operation with stable timing, resulting in a problem of a decrease in production efficiency.

[0007] Also, in the conventional latter article inspection apparatus as described above, by performing the early return control of the pusher to shorten the sorting operation time, the necessity of reducing the article transfer speed can be suppressed. However, if the product extrusion rate becomes insufficient when the pusher is returned early, it becomes difficult, and there is still a problem that it is difficult to perform a sorting operation with stable timing.

[0008] Furthermore, when the number of parameters changed for setting the timing of the sorting operation increases, it becomes difficult for inexperienced users to evaluate the appropriateness of the settings, and there is also a problem that it becomes difficult to improve the proficiency.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an article inspection apparatus capable of performing a sorting operation with stable timing even when the article transfer speed is increased, and enabling inexperienced users to easily set stable sorting operation timing during setting operations such as variety registration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, an article inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes: (1) a conveyance unit that conveys an article along a predetermined conveyance path; an inspection unit that inspects a predetermined quality state of the article being conveyed within a predetermined inspection section in the conveyance path; a sorting unit that responds to an input of a sorting command signal and sorts the inspected article inspected by the inspection unit according to the inspection result; and a control unit that controls the inspection unit and the sorting unit. The article inspection apparatus has a first article detection sensor disposed on the entrance side of the predetermined inspection section and a second article detection sensor disposed on the entrance side of a sorting section downstream of the predetermined inspection section. The control unit includes an inspection time management timer that manages an inspection time from the time when a specific attention point of the article is detected by the first article detection sensor to the output of the inspection result of the inspected article whose predetermined quality state has been inspected by the inspection unit; a delay time management timer that manages a sorting delay time preset as the time from the time when the inspection time has elapsed until the inspected article reaches a sorting start conveyance position suitable for starting the sorting operation of the sorting unit; and delay time correction means that, in response to a predetermined setting request, calculates a delay time from the time when the specific attention point of the inspected article is detected by the second article detection sensor until the inspected article reaches the sorting start conveyance position, calculates a correction delay time from the time when the delay time management timer times out based on the delay time and the sorting delay time until the sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit, adds the correction delay time to the preset sorting delay time, and corrects the delay time from the time when the inspection time has elapsed until the sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit.

[0011] With this configuration, not only is the time required from the start of article inspection to the start of the sorting operation accurately managed by the preset inspection time and sorting delay time, but also, in response to a predetermined setting requirement, from the point in time when the inspection time has elapsed until the inspected article is detected by the second article detection sensor, the time until the inspected article reaches a conveyance position suitable for the start of the sorting operation from the time point of the second article detection, and the predetermined delay time based on the preset sorting delay time, the correction delay time from the time point when the delay time management timer times out until a sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit is calculated by the delay time correction means, and by adding the correction delay time to the preset sorting delay time, the sorting delay time to be set in the delay time management timer is corrected to a delay time corresponding to the conveyance influence from the time point when the inspection time has elapsed until a sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit. Therefore, even an inexperienced user can easily set a stable sorting operation timing by causing a predetermined setting requirement to occur during the setting operation for each product type and passing an appropriate number of article samples through the inspection unit. Moreover, the parameters changed for the timing setting of the sorting operation are suppressed, and there is no reduction in the conveyance speed or variation in the conveyance speed between the inspection unit and the sorting unit, so a decrease in production efficiency can be effectively avoided, and even an inexperienced user can easily and accurately grasp the suitability of the setting using defective samples or the like.

[0012] (2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it can be configured to further include a display operation unit that outputs the predetermined setting requirement by the operation of an operator, and a product type registration memory that stores at least the inspection time and the sorting delay time as setting parameters for each product type of the article. In this case, while generating a predetermined setting requirement with the display operation unit, the timing of the sorting operation can be easily set, and the setting information can be accurately stored in the product type registration memory as part of the setting information for each product type.

[0013] (3) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection unit includes a weight calculation means for measuring the weight of the article being conveyed within a predetermined inspection section in the conveyance path, and a determination means for comparing the measured weight with a preset allowable weight range to determine the sorting direction of the article. The sorting unit performs a sorting operation according to the sorting direction of the article determined by the determination means. In this case, the measurement and determination processing cycle of the weight calculation means is short, and even when the conveyance speed is high, the inspection time and sorting delay time can be accurately preset based on the device conditions with reference to the article detection time point by the first article detection sensor of the article, and by passing an appropriate number of article samples through the inspection unit while generating a predetermined setting requirement, the timing of the sorting operation can be accurately corrected to set a stable sorting operation timing.

Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a sorting operation with stable timing even when the article conveyance speed is increased, and an article inspection device that can easily set a stable sorting operation timing during setting operations such as variety registration can be provided even for inexperienced users.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] Figs. 1 to 5 show an article inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] First, the configuration will be described.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the article inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a conveyance unit 10 that conveys an article W along a predetermined conveyance path, an inspection unit 20 that inspects a predetermined quality state of the article W within a predetermined inspection section Zw in the conveyance path, a sorting unit 30 that operates in response to an input of a sorting command signal and sorts the inspected article W inspected by the inspection unit 20 according to the inspection result, and a control unit 40 that controls the conveyance unit 10, the inspection unit 20, and the sorting unit 30, and is of a weight sorting method.

[0020] The conveyance unit 10 is composed of a plurality of conveyor units 11, 12, 13, 14 arranged in a row in the left - right direction in Fig. 1 and their conveyance driving means. Although not shown in detail, these conveyor units 11 to 14 support a plurality of loop - shaped conveyor belts by a plurality of driving - side and driven - side rollers parallel to each other so as to be conveyance - drivable, and can sequentially convey the article W in the right direction in Fig. 1. Further, the conveyance driving means of the plurality of conveyor units 11, 12, 13, 14 is composed of a conveyance - driving motor, an encoder for detecting its speed, etc., and is controlled by the control unit 40 so as to have a conveyance speed set for each type of the article W.

[0021] The inspection unit 20 includes a weighing platform 21 that supports the conveyor unit 12, and a weighing unit 22 that measures the weight and loading load applied to the weighing platform 21 by an electromagnetic balance scale or a load cell scale. The weighing unit 22 is capable of outputting a measurement signal corresponding to the load to the control unit 40 side. Here, although the weighing platform 21 and the weighing unit 22 are schematically illustrated, it goes without saying that their arrangements, numbers, weighing conditions, etc. are not particularly limited. Also, here the inspection unit 20 is capable of measuring the weight of the article W, but of course, it may be an inspection unit of another article inspection method.

[0022] The sorting unit 30 includes a support frame 31 that supports the conveyor unit 13, a pair of sorting members, such as flipper arms 33A and 33B, that are rotatably supported by the support frame 31 so as to be located on both sides in the conveying path width direction of the conveyor unit 13, and a sorting drive unit 32 that drives both flipper arms 33A and 33B for sorting. Here, the sorting drive unit 32 is a sorting mechanism that can sort the discharge direction of the article W in a direction corresponding to the sorting command signal by moving or holding the flipper arms 33A and 33B in relative postures corresponding to the sorting command signals respectively, for example, a rotary actuator, or an air cylinder, a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism, an electromagnetic switching valve, etc.

[0023] In this sorting unit 30, when any one of the two flipper arms 33A and 33B enters onto the conveyor unit 13 at a predetermined angle intersecting the article conveying direction, it takes a predetermined discharge-side operating posture, for example, the posture of the flipper arm 33A shown by the broken line in Fig. 3(a), or the posture of the flipper arm 33B shown by the broken line in Fig. 3(b). Also, when both flipper arms 33A and 33B retract from the conveyor unit 13 and become substantially parallel to each other, they take a non-discharge operating posture of passing the article W on the conveyor unit 13 downstream without sorting and discharging it laterally, that is, a sorting operating posture on the pass side.

[0024] Near the upstream end of the conveyor unit 12, which is on the inlet side of the predetermined inspection section Zw of the inspection unit 20, an article detection sensor 15 for detecting the article W being carried onto the conveyor unit 12 is disposed. Near the upstream end of the conveyor unit 13 of the sorting unit 30 on the downstream side of the predetermined inspection section Zw (the inlet side of the sorting section Zrj in FIG. 3), an article detection sensor 17 for detecting the article W capable of being sorted and carried onto the conveyor unit 13 is disposed. These article detection sensors 15 and 17 are both composed of, for example, a light emitting and receiving type photoelectric sensor that emits light from a light emitting element and receives the light with a light receiving element, and the article is detected when the light between the light emitting and receiving elements is blocked by the article W.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 40 is configured to include an inspection control unit 41 and a sorting control unit 42, and the weighing signal output from the weighing unit 22 is taken into the inspection control unit 41 so that predetermined measurement and inspection processes are performed. Further, a display operation unit 43 for an operator to perform input operations and result confirmation is connected to the control unit 40.

[0026] The control unit 40 has a computer configuration including, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, and an I / O interface, and is configured to include, for example, a programmable controller that gives input and output signals to various drivers.

[0027] The predetermined measurement and inspection process in the inspection control unit 41 determines, for example, whether the measured weight of the article W based on the weighing signal from the weighing unit 22 is within the allowable range, whether it exceeds the allowable range on the over side, or whether it is below the allowable range on the under side. When a predetermined inspection time Tp (measurement time) has elapsed from the time point (time) of the carry-in detection by the article detection sensor 15 for carry-in detection, it is a process of outputting an OK signal, an NG1 signal, or an NG2 signal. The inspection control unit 41 has a plurality of measurement and inspection process programs for exerting its processing function.

[0028] Further, the sorting control unit 42 detects the carried-in article by the article detection sensor 15 for carry-in detection at the carry-in time point t0 (see FIG. 5), and when a predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed from the carry-in time point t0, the sorting control unit 42 measures a predetermined sorting delay time Trs with a timer from that time point t1. When the time-up occurs when the sorting delay time Trs has elapsed, the sorting control unit 42 outputs a sorting command RJ1 or RJ2 corresponding to the NG1 signal or the NG2 signal from the inspection control unit 41 as a discharge command signal, or does not output any of the NG1 signal or the NG2 signal corresponding to the OK signal, and executes sorting control to output an OFF command signal for passing through to the conveyor unit 14 on the subsequent stage side.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, specifically, the inspection control unit 41 includes, for example, a sampling circuit 44, a weight calculation means 45, a determination means 46, a determination result memory 47, a measurement time management timer 48, and a variety registration memory 49. The sorting control unit 42 includes, for example, a delay time management timer 51, a delay time setting unit 53, and a sorting command output unit 55.

[0030] Here, the sampling circuit 44 is a circuit that closes the switch 44a at a predetermined measurement timing in response to the detection signal d1 of the carried-in article from the article detection sensor 15. The measurement timing is set according to a stabilization waiting time ts (see FIG. 5), which is the time from the start of loading of the article W onto the conveyor unit 12 until the weighing signal stabilizes.

[0031] The weighing signal after the stabilization waiting time ts has elapsed is input to the weight calculation means 45 via the switch 44a, and the weight calculation means 45 calculates the weight value of the carried-in article W by means of average calculation or the like.

[0032] The weight calculated by the weight calculation means 45 is taken into the determination means 46 as a measured weight. In the determination means 46, it is compared with a preset allowable weight range, and a determination signal corresponding to the determination result is output. Note that the determination means 46 may also receive a pre-stage inspection signal from the pre-stage detector and output a comprehensive determination result.

[0033] When the determination signal output from the determination means 46 includes, for example, the pre-stage inspection signal, it can be a 4-bit determination signal as shown in FIG. 5, for example. If the pre-stage inspection signal is OK, the first bit is "0", and the determination result for the weight can be known by which bit position among the remaining 3 bits has a "1".

[0034] For example, when there is a "1" in the second bit of this 4-bit determination signal, it is required to operate one of the flipper arms 33A and 33B arranged on both sides in the conveyance path width direction of the conveyor unit 13 of the sorting unit 30 to the article rejection side for a predetermined operation time. When there is a "1" in the third bit, it is required to operate the other of the flipper arms 33A and 33B to the article rejection side for a predetermined operation time. When there is a "1" in the fourth bit, it becomes a signal that requires either holding both of the flipper arms 33A and 33B on the non-rejection side (pass side) or returning them to the non-rejection side.

[0035] When there is a "1" in the first bit, although not shown in FIG. 5, as an NG determination due to an abnormality or defect occurring upstream of the inspection unit 20, it can be required to operate either one of the flipper arms 33A and 33B to the article rejection side.

[0036] The determination signal output from the determination means 46 is sequentially stored in the determination result memory 47. This determination result memory 47 is constituted by, for example, a FIFO memory, and can sequentially store a plurality of determination signals in the determination order while updating the pointer of the write address by the "1" bit signal that is always included in the determination signal.

[0037] The measurement time management timer 48 is a delay timer that constitutes a delay means for the determination result output together with the determination result memory 47, and has a function of delaying the timing of the determination signal output from the determination means 46 by a predetermined inspection time Tp from the point in time when the article W is detected by the article detection sensor 15.

[0038] The predetermined inspection time Tp set in the measurement time management timer 48 is set for each item type within a time range from the time when the article W is detected by the article detection sensor 15 for carry-in, based on, for example, the conveyance speed V of the article W and the machine length L of the inspection unit 20, and calculated based on the passing time of the center of gravity (L / V) through the inspection unit, and the time when all or part of the self-weight of the article W is input as a load to the weighing unit 22 while being carried onto the conveyor unit 12 of the inspection unit 20. It is set as a delay time including a fixed time required for weighing or more, during which at least the article W is supported only by the conveyor unit 12 of the inspection unit 20 and its center of gravity (which can be substituted solely by the midpoint in the conveyance direction length) moves on the conveyance road surface of the conveyor unit 12.

[0039] In this way, the control unit 40 manages the inspection time Tp from the time t0 when a specific point of interest of the article W, for example, the tip Ew of the article W shown in FIG. 1, is detected by the first article detection sensor 15, to the time when the inspection result of the inspected article W in the inspection unit 20 is output from the determination means 46, as the first delay time, using the inspection time management timer 48, and manages the sorting delay time Trs from the time t1 when the inspection time Tp has elapsed, to the time when the inspected article W reaches the sorting start conveyance position Prj (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)) suitable for starting the sorting operation of the sorting unit 30, as the second delay time, using the delay time management timer 51.

[0040] Here, the determination result memory 47 updates the pointer of the write address by the "1" bit signal necessarily included in the determination signal from the determination means 46, and updates the pointer of the read address each time it receives the output from the delay time management timer 51 of the sorting control unit 42. Further, the reading of the determination result from the determination result memory 47 by the determination means 46 is executed by the sorting command output unit 55 of the sorting control unit 42, and a determination result signal from the determination result memory 47 to the sorting command output unit 55 is output during the execution of the reading.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, the delay time management timer 51 is activated at time t1 when a predetermined inspection time Tp (first delay time) has elapsed since the first detection time t0 which is the time point (time) when the article W is detected to be carried in by the article detection sensor 15 and the output signal from the measurement time management timer 48 is received. The delay timer reads out and outputs a determination result signal to the determination result memory 47 at time t3 which is further delayed by a preset sorting delay time Trs (second elapsed time) from the time point when the delay time Tp has elapsed. The delay time management timer 51, together with the determination result memory 47, constitutes a sorting delay means for delaying the output of the determination result of the determination means 46 to the sorting control unit 42 side until a timing suitable for the start of the sorting operation by the sorting unit 30.

[0042] That is, the delay time management timer 51 delays the output of the determination result signal from the inspection control unit 41 to the sorting control unit 42 from the first detection time t0 which is the start time point of the article W being carried into the inspection unit 20 until the predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed and further until the sorting delay time Trs has elapsed, so as to delay the timing of the sorting command output from the sorting command output unit 55 of the sorting control unit 42 to the sorting drive unit 32.

[0043] The output time of the sorting command (discharge command RJ1 or RJ2, or return command OFF in FIGS. 2 and 4) from the sorting command output unit 55 to the sorting drive unit 32 is set to a necessary and sufficient sorting discharge time for each type of article W in consideration of the moving distance in the conveying direction, the conveying speed, and the influence of slipping during discharge, etc. from the conveying position Prj of the article W (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)) suitable for starting the discharge operation by the flipper arm 33A or 33B in the sorting unit 30 until the article W is discharged out of the conveying path laterally from above the conveyor unit 13.

[0044] On the one hand, the predetermined time Trs for delaying the signal output of the determination result from the inspection control unit 41 to the sorting control unit 42 is, in a specific operation mode, for example, when registering a variety by designating or selectively setting main parameters together with the variety name and variety number in order to prepare the inspection conditions for the article W. First, based on the main parameters of the apparatus by the delay time setting unit 53, it is calculated as the basic sorting delay time Trs (which may be a typical sorting delay time for each group of similar articles) and automatically set.

[0045] And, in a state where the automatic setting has been completed in advance, when an operator is required to perform an adjustment and preparation operation of passing a sample of the article W through the inspection unit 20 and this is executed, based on the timing (time) when the inspected article W in the inspection unit 20 is detected by the second article detection sensor 17 and the signal output of the delay time management timer 51 that notifies the elapse time t3 of the preset sorting delay time Trs, the delay time setting unit 53 corrects the sorting delay time Trs to an optimum value (the delay time indicated by Tra in FIG. 5) based on the actual delay time due to the conveyance influence. A predetermined delay time setting process is executed.

[0046] For example, when a predetermined setting request Rqm (see FIG. 4) for requesting a specific operation mode is made by the display operation unit 43, and the inspected article W in the inspection unit 20 is carried onto the conveyor unit 13 of the sorting unit 30 and detected by the article detection sensor 17, a delay time setting process for correcting the automatically set sorting delay time Trs based on the actual delay time is executed.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the delay time setting unit 53 includes a timing means 53a, a correction time calculation means 53b, and a correction memory 53c. When a predetermined setting request Rqm for requesting the above-described specific operation mode is input from the display operation unit 43, in response to this setting request Rqm, the delay time setting unit 53 first causes the timing means 53a to acquire the time information of the second detection time t2 when the tip Ew (specific point of interest) of the inspected article W is detected by the second article detection sensor 17.

[0048] Further, the delay time setting unit 53, based on the output of the delay time management timer 51 that notifies the sorting delay time Trs and the time point t3 of its elapse by the correction time calculation means 53b, at the time point t1 when a predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed from the first detection time point t0 which is the start time point of the conveyance of the article W to the inspection unit 20 by the first article detection sensor 15 (the start time point t1 of the sorting delay time Trs) and the time point t3 when the preset sorting delay time Trs has elapsed from the time point t1 (the end time point t3 of the sorting delay time Trs), acquires the time information, and calculates the pre-sorting conveyance time (t2 - t1; the time obtained by dividing the measured conveyance distance Lp shown for convenience in FIG. 3(b) by the conveyance speed V) from the time point t1 when the predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed to the second detection time point t2.

[0049] Furthermore, the delay time setting unit 53 calculates the time from the second detection time point t2 when the tip Ew of the inspected article W is detected by the second article detection sensor 17 until the inspected article W reaches the sorting start conveyance position Prj suitable for the above-described sorting operation start, for example, the conveyance delay time (Tw / 2) (the time obtained by dividing the conveyance distance (Lw / 2) shown for convenience in FIG. 3(b) by the conveyance speed V) required for the article W to be conveyed by half of the conveyance direction length Lw from the second detection time point t2, and the time point t3' when the conveyance delay time (Tw / 2) has elapsed (the total delay time until a predetermined inspection time Tp, the pre-sorting conveyance time (t2 - t1), and the conveyance delay time (Tw / 2) have elapsed from the first detection time point t0, or the time point when the actual sorting delay time Tra considering the conveyance influence from the time point t1 when the predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed in FIG. 5 has elapsed) or the elapsed time from the first detection time point t0.

[0050] When a predetermined setting request Rqm is input to the delay time setting unit 53, the correction memory 53c of the delay time setting unit 53, in cooperation with the correction time calculation means 53b, reads and stores the main parameters together with the predetermined inspection time Tp and the sorting delay time Trs preset from the variety registration memory 49, and has a function of providing the stored information for the processing by the correction time calculation means 53b.

[0051] Then, based on the time difference (t3'-t3) between the time point t3' when the transport delay time (Tw / 2) has elapsed and the time point t3 when the sorting delay time Trs based on the output of the delay time management timer 51 has elapsed, the delay time setting unit 53 calculates the correction delay time Ta (= pre-conveyance time before sorting (t2 - t1) + transport delay time (Tw / 2) - preset sorting delay time Trs) from the time point t3 when the delay time management timer 51 times out until a sorting command signal RJ1 or RJ2 is input to the sorting unit 30, and corrects the preset sorting delay time Trs to the actual sorting delay time Tra (= Trs + Ta) from the time point t1 when the inspection time Tp has elapsed until a sorting command signal RJ1 or RJ2 is input to the sorting unit 30 by the time (Trs + Ta) obtained by adding the correction delay time Ta to the preset sorting delay time Trs.

[0052] When the variety registration memory 49 stores the main parameters defining the inspection conditions in a specific operation mode, as described above, first, the sorting delay time Trs automatically set based on the main parameters by the delay time setting unit 53 is stored as a part of the setting parameters for each variety of the article W. When the actual sorting delay time Tra calculated by the delay time setting unit 53 is output, the preset sorting delay time Trs is updated to the value of the actual sorting delay time Tra.

[0053] Next, the operation will be described.

[0054] In the article inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the article W to be inspected is sequentially carried into the inspection unit 20 side from the conveyor unit 11 on the preceding stage side at a predetermined transport pitch and transport speed V, when each article W is detected by the first article detection sensor 15 for carry-in detection at the entrance side of the inspection section Zw, the detection signal is output from the first article detection sensor 15.

[0055] Also, the weight calculation means 45 of the inspection control unit 41 sequentially calculates the weight of the article, and the determination signal according to the determination result in the determination means 46 is based on the output of the measurement time management timer 48 that notifies that a predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed since the time t0 when each article W was carried in and the signal information included in the determination signal, and is sequentially stored in the determination result memory 47.

[0056] Furthermore, the determination result for each article stored in the determination result memory 47 is read out and output from the determination result memory 47 to the sorting command output unit 55 at the time t3 when a predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed since the time t0 when each article W was carried in and further a sorting delay time Trs has elapsed, in response to the output of the delay time management timer 51.

[0057] Then, according to the sorting command from the sorting command output unit 55, the sorting drive unit 32 of the sorting unit 30 operates, and either the flipper arms 33A and 33B are driven to a predetermined sorting discharge posture shown by a virtual line in FIG. 3(a) or FIG. 3(b), or both flipper arms 33A and 33B return to and / or are held in the non-sorting discharge posture shown by a solid line in the figure, so that each article W is sorted in the sorting direction according to its inspection result.

[0058] As described above, in this embodiment, prior to such normal inspection and sorting operations, a predetermined setting request Rqm for requesting a specific operation mode is made by the display operation unit 43, and main parameter settings are made in the specific operation mode such as at the time of product registration. And at that time, a predetermined inspection time Tp is automatically set based on the main parameters of the inspection unit 20 by the inspection control unit 41, and a sorting delay time Trs is automatically set by the delay time setting unit 53 of the sorting control unit 42.

[0059] Next, the display operation unit 43 requests the operator to input a sample of the article W for which variety registration has been completed into the article inspection apparatus 1. When the sample of the article W is input, after the tip Ew of the article W is detected by the first article detection sensor 15, a weight inspection is performed by the inspection unit 20 within a predetermined inspection time Tp. The inspected article W is carried onto the conveyor unit 13 of the sorting unit 30, and when it is detected by the second article detection sensor 17, a delay time setting process for correcting the automatically set sorting delay time Trs to the actual sorting delay time Tra is executed.

[0060] Then, the sorting delay time Trs updated to the value corrected and calculated as the actual sorting delay time Tra considering the conveyance influence is used as the preset sorting delay time Trs hereafter, and the weight inspection and sorting processes of the article W are executed under the state used by the inspection control unit 41 and the sorting control unit 42 in the control unit 40.

[0061] That is, the inspection unit 20 cooperates with the inspection control unit 41 to perform weight measurement by the weighing unit 22 and weight value calculation by the weight calculation means 45 on the article W after variety registration within a predetermined inspection section Zw of the conveyance unit 10, and compares the weight with the allowable weight range preset for the variety of the article W by the determination means 46 to determine whether the weight of the article W is within the allowable range (pass), exceeds the allowable range (over), or is below the allowable range (under), and stores the determination result in the determination result memory 47 as OK, NG1, or NG2.

[0062] Then, in response to the output of the delay time management timer 51 that notifies the time point t3 when the sorting delay time Trs has elapsed, the determination result of the inspected article W is read out and output from the determination result memory 47 to the sorting command output unit 55, and the sorting command output unit 55 outputs a discharge command RJ1 or RJ2 to the outside of the conveyance path based on the over or under determination (determination signals NG1, NG2 in FIGS. 2 and 4) of the determination means 46, or outputs an OFF command, which is a return or hold command for passing without discharging to the outside of the conveyance path based on the pass determination (determination signal OK in FIGS. 2 and 4).

[0063] Furthermore, the sorting driving unit 32 of the sorting unit 30 executes a sorting operation in a sorting direction corresponding to the inspection result of the article W determined by the determination means 46 in accordance with the sorting command from the sorting command output unit 55.

[0064] In this way, in the article inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the total delay time from the start time t0 of the article inspection to the start time t3 of the sorting operation is accurately managed by the predetermined inspection time Tp and the preset sorting delay time Trs.

[0065] Moreover, in response to a predetermined setting requirement Rqm, based on the time (t2 - t1) from the time point t1 when the predetermined inspection time Tp has elapsed until the tip Ew of the inspected article W is detected by the second article detection sensor 17, the predetermined delay time Tw / 2 from the detection time point t2 until the article W reaches the suitable sorting start conveyance position Prj, and the preset sorting delay time Trs, the correction time calculation means 53b of the delay time setting unit 53 calculates the correction delay time Ta from the time point t3 when the delay time management timer 51 for which the sorting delay time Trs has elapsed times out until a sorting command signal (RJ1, RJ2, or OFF) is input to the sorting driving unit 32 of the sorting unit 30. By adding the correction delay time Ta to the preset sorting delay time Trs, the sorting delay time Trs to be set in the delay time management timer 51 is corrected to the actual sorting delay time Tra considering the conveyance influence from the time point t1 when the inspection time Tp has elapsed until a sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit 30.

[0066] Therefore, even for an inexperienced user, by generating a predetermined setting requirement Rqm during the setting operation for each type of article W and passing an appropriate number of article W samples through the inspection unit 20, it becomes possible to easily set stable sorting operation timing.

[0067] Also, parameters other than the sorting delay time Trs that are changed for the timing setting of the sorting operation in the sorting unit 30 are suppressed, and there is no reduction in the conveyance speed or variation in the conveyance speed between the inspection unit 20 and the sorting unit 30. Therefore, a decrease in production efficiency can be effectively avoided, and even an inexperienced user can easily and accurately grasp the appropriateness of the setting using defective samples or the like.

[0068] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since it further includes a display operation unit 43 that generates a predetermined setting requirement Rqm, and a variety registration memory 49 that stores at least a predetermined inspection time Tp and a preset sorting delay time Trs as setting parameters for each variety of the article W, while generating the predetermined setting requirement Rqm with the display operation unit 43, the timing of the sorting operation can be easily set, and the setting information can be accurately stored in the variety registration memory 49 as part of the setting information for each variety.

[0069] In addition, in the present embodiment, the inspection unit 20 cooperates with the inspection control unit 41 of the control unit 40, the weight of the article W being conveyed within a predetermined inspection section Zw of the conveying unit 10 is weighed by the weighing unit 22, the weight value is calculated by the weight calculation means 45, and the calculated and measured weight is compared with a preset allowable weight range by the determination means 46 to determine the quality state regarding the weight of the article.

[0070] When a sorting command for instructing a sorting direction corresponding to the determination result is output by the sorting command output unit 55 of the sorting control unit 42, the sorting drive unit 32 of the sorting unit 30 operates according to the sorting command, and a sorting operation corresponding to the sorting direction of the article W determined by the determination means 46 is executed.

[0071] Therefore, even if the cycle of weighing, weight calculation, and determination processing in the inspection unit 20 and the inspection control unit 41 is short and the conveying unit 10 has a relatively high conveying speed, based on the article detection time t0 by the first article detection sensor 15 of the article W, a predetermined inspection time Tp and a sorting delay time Trs can be accurately preset based on the device conditions, and while generating a predetermined setting requirement Rqm, by passing an appropriate number of article W samples through the inspection unit 20, the timing of the sorting operation can be accurately corrected to set a stable sorting operation timing.

[0072] As a result, in the present embodiment, even an inexperienced user can easily set stable sorting operation timings during setting operations for each variety, etc. Moreover, by suppressing correction parameters, it is possible to provide the article inspection apparatus 1 that can easily and accurately grasp the propriety of the setting in the form of improving the certainty of the sorting operation.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined attention point of the article W is the tip Ew. However, by setting the rear end of the article W as another attention point, considering the work conveyance time Tw obtained by dividing the conveyance direction length Lw of the article W by the conveyance speed W, the output time of the sorting command signal (the discharge command RJ1 or RJ2, or the return command OFF in FIGS. 2 and 4) from the sorting command output unit 55 to the sorting drive unit 32 can be increased or decreased according to the magnitude of the work length Lw as indicated by the virtual line in FIG. 1.

[0074] In the present embodiment, the sorting unit 30 is of the flipper sorting method using the flipper arms 33A and 33B. However, the sorting unit 30 may be of the pusher method that pushes out the article W that has reached the sorting start conveyance position Prj in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, or the air sorting method that pushes out or blows off the article W that has reached the sorting start conveyance position Prj in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction by the wind pressure load due to blowing compressed air, or any other various sorting methods capable of discharging NG articles outside the conveyance path. Needless to say, the main setting parameters may also change accordingly.

[0075] Also, the article inspection method of the inspection unit 20 is not limited to those that perform weighing or measurement by the weighing unit 22, and of course, it may be other various article inspection apparatuses such as foreign object detection, missing article inspection, packaging defect, appearance inspection, etc. However, when the article inspection process in the inspection unit 20 can be performed in a relatively short cycle and at a relatively high conveyance speed, the present invention can be effectively applied.

[0076] In addition, in this embodiment, the sorting unit 30 was capable of discharging defective products to both sides of its conveyor unit 13. However, a plurality of sorting units that discharge in the same direction may be arranged in the article conveyance direction, or a plurality of sorting units of other sorting methods may be installed in the conveyance direction to perform sorting operations corresponding to a plurality of determination results.

[0077] As described above, the article inspection apparatus of the present invention can perform a sorting operation with stable timing even when the article conveyance speed is increased, and can provide an article inspection apparatus that can easily set stable sorting operation timing during setting operations such as product registration, even for inexperienced users. Such a present invention is useful for all article inspection apparatuses including an inspection unit that performs article inspection and a sorting unit that performs a sorting operation according to the inspection result.

Explanation of Signs

[0078] 1 Article inspection apparatus 10 Conveying unit 11, 12, 13, 14 Conveyor unit (conveyance path) 15 Article detection sensor (first article detection sensor, article detection sensor for carry-in detection, article detection sensor for measurement) 17 Article detection sensor (second article detection sensor, article detection sensor for sorting) 20 Inspection unit (article inspection unit, weight measurement unit) 21 Weighing table 22 Weighing unit 30 Sorting unit 31 Support frame 32 Sorting drive unit 33A, 33B Flipper arm (sorting member) 40 Control unit 41 Inspection control unit 42 Sorting control unit 43 Display operation unit 44 Sampling circuit 44a Switch 45 Weight calculation means 46 Determination means 47 Determination result memory 48 Measurement time management timer 49 Variety registration memory 51 Delay time management timer 53 Delay time setting unit (delay time correction means) 53a Timing means 53b Correction time calculation means 53c Correction memory 55 Sorting command output unit d1 Article detection signal (first article detection signal) d2 Article detection signal (second article detection signal) Ew Specific point of interest Lp Conveying distance (article conveying distance during measurement time) Lr Conveying distance (article conveying distance during sorting delay time) Lw / 2 Conveying distance (conveying delay time from the second detection point to the point when the conveying position at the start of sorting is reached) NG1 Judgment result (over judgment) NG2 Judgment result (under judgment) Prj Conveying position at the start of sorting (article conveying position suitable for the start of sorting operation) RJ1 Sorting command signal (sorting command corresponding to over judgment, discharge command) RJ2 Sorting command signal (sorting command corresponding to under judgment, discharge command) Rqm Predetermined setting requirement t0 Detection point (starting point of loading, first detection point, detection point of loaded article) t1 Point in time (point in time when inspection time has elapsed, starting point of sorting delay time) t2 Point in time (second detection point, article detection point, article detection point immediately before the tip of the article reaches the conveying position at the start of sorting operation) t3 Point in time (time-up point, elapsed time of sorting delay time, starting point of sorting operation) t3´ Point in time (elapsed time of actual sorting delay time from the elapsed time of a predetermined inspection time, total delay time from the first detection point until a predetermined inspection time, pre-sorting conveying time, and conveying delay time have elapsed) Ta Correction delay time Tp Predetermined inspection time (measurement time, time from weight measurement to memory writing of judgment result) Trs Sorting delay time (predetermined sorting delay time) Tra Actual sorting delay time (sorting delay time corrected according to conveyance influence, sorting delay time considering conveyance influence from the time point when a predetermined inspection time has elapsed) ts Stable waiting time Tw Time (conveyance time for the length of the article in the conveyance direction) Tw / 2 Delay time (conveyance delay time) V Conveyance speed Zw Inspection area Zrj Sorting section

Claims

1. A conveying unit (10) for conveying an article (W) along a predetermined conveying path (12, 13), an inspection unit (20) for inspecting a predetermined quality state of the article being conveyed within a predetermined inspection section (Zw) in the conveying path, a sorting unit (30) that responds to an input of a sorting command signal and sorts the inspected article inspected by the inspection unit according to the inspection result, and a control unit (40) for controlling the inspection unit and the sorting unit, wherein the article inspection device is provided with: a first article detection sensor (15) disposed on the entrance side of the predetermined inspection section, and a second article detection sensor (17) disposed on the entrance side of a sorting section (Zrj) downstream of the predetermined inspection section; the control unit includes: an inspection time management timer (48) for managing an inspection time (Tp) from a time point (t0) when a specific attention point (Ew) of the article is detected by the first article detection sensor to an output of an inspection result of the inspected article whose predetermined quality state has been inspected by the inspection unit; a delay time management timer (51) for managing a sorting delay time (Trs) preset as a time from a time point (t1) when the inspection time has elapsed to a time when the inspected article reaches a sorting start conveyance position (Prj) suitable for starting the sorting operation of the sorting unit; in response to a predetermined setting request (Rqm), a pre-sorting conveyance time (t2 - t1) from a time point (t1) when the inspection time has elapsed to a second detection time point (t2) when the specific attention point of the inspected article is detected by the second article detection sensor and a conveyance delay time (Tw / 2) from the second detection time point until the inspected article reaches the sorting start conveyance position are calculated, and a correction delay time (Ta) from a time point (t3) when the delay time management timer times out to a time when the sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit is calculated based on the pre-sorting conveyance time (t2 - t1), the conveyance delay time (Tw / 2), and the sorting delay time (Trs), and the sorting delay time is corrected to an actual sorting delay time (Tra) from a time point when the inspection time has elapsed to a time when the sorting command signal is input to the sorting unit by a time (Trs + Ta) obtained by adding the correction delay time to the preset sorting delay time. The article inspection device is characterized by having delay time correction means (53).

2. a display operation unit (43) for outputting the predetermined setting request by an operator's operation; The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a variety registration memory (49) that stores at least the inspection time (Tp) and the sorting delay time (Trs) as set parameters for each variety of the article.

3. The inspection unit includes a weight calculation means (45) that measures the weight of the article being conveyed within a predetermined inspection section (Zw) in the conveyance path, and a determination means (46) that determines the sorting direction of the article by comparing the measured weight with a preset allowable weight range. The article inspection apparatus of the weight sorting method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorting unit executes a sorting operation according to the sorting direction of the article determined by the determination means.

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