Pitch indexing device and inspection device

Abstract

To provide a pitch indexing device applicable to work-pieces of various shapes.SOLUTION: A pitch indexing device comprises: a first conveying device conveying a work-piece at a first speed; and a second conveying device which is disposed downstream of the first conveying device on a conveying path of the work-piece, sucks the work-piece conveyed by the first conveying device from the side facing the first conveying device, and conveys the workpiece at a second speed. The second speed is set to be higher than the first speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pitch indexing device and an inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] Devices that perform visual inspection of container caps are known at manufacturing sites for containers of beverages, seasonings, daily necessities, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that uses a camera to capture images of caps being transported on a transport device (conveyor) and inspects the caps based on the captured images. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-75777 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To perform accurate inspections, it is necessary to maintain a certain distance (pitch) between adjacent caps so that adjacent caps are not captured in the image when capturing an image of the caps. Patent Document 1 describes a method of determining the pitch using a star wheel. However, when using a star wheel, it is necessary to change the star wheel to match the size and shape of the cap. Furthermore, in the case of particularly thin caps, it may not be possible to manufacture a star wheel that matches the cap. Furthermore, there have been cases where the caps have become caught in the star wheel.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a pitch indexing device and an inspection device that can be applied to workpieces of various shapes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following configuration. A pitch indexing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first conveying device that conveys a workpiece at a first speed, and a second conveying device that is arranged downstream of the first conveying device on the workpiece conveying path, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from the side opposite the first conveying device and conveys it at a second speed, the second speed being set faster than the first speed. According to the above configuration, when the workpieces are transferred from the first transport device to the second transport device, the interval between the rows of workpieces can be widened to any distance by the speed difference.

[0007] The second conveying device may have an overlapping section arranged opposite the first conveying device to sandwich the workpiece from both sides, thereby enabling the workpiece to be reliably transferred from the first conveying device to the second conveying device.

[0008] The first conveying device may also be provided with an inlet guide that supplies the workpieces in an aligned state, thereby enabling the workpieces to be supplied to the first conveying device in a state where they are aligned in a straight line with high accuracy.

[0009] The system may further include a third conveyance device that is disposed upstream of the first conveyance device on the workpiece transport path, picks up the workpiece from the side facing the first conveyance device, and transports it at a third speed, and the first conveyance device picks up the workpiece transported by the third conveyance device from the side facing the third conveyance device and transports it at a first speed, and the first speed may be set faster than the third speed. In this way, in the case of workpieces that have a shape in which front and rear workpieces overlap each other, by picking them up with a speed difference in two stages, the spacing between rows of workpieces can be widened to any distance regardless of the overlapping pattern.

[0010] An inspection device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first conveying device that conveys a workpiece at a first speed, a second conveying device that is arranged downstream of the first conveying device on the workpiece's conveying path, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from the side opposite the first conveying device and conveys it at a second speed, and a first imaging device that captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being conveyed by the second conveying device, wherein the second speed is set faster than the first speed. According to the above configuration, when a workpiece is transferred from the first conveying device to the second conveying device, the speed difference can be used to widen the spacing between the rows of workpieces to any distance, and the first imaging device can accurately capture an image of one workpiece.

[0011] The first conveying device may also be provided with an inlet guide that supplies the workpieces in an aligned state, thereby enabling the workpieces to be supplied to the first conveying device in a state where they are aligned in a straight line with high accuracy.

[0012] The system may further include a third conveyance device that is disposed upstream of the first conveyance device on the workpiece transport path, picks up the workpiece from the side facing the first conveyance device, and transports it at a third speed, and the first conveyance device picks up the workpiece transported by the third conveyance device from the side facing the third conveyance device and transports it at a first speed, and the first speed may be set faster than the third speed. In this way, in the case of workpieces that have a shape in which front and rear workpieces overlap each other, by picking them up with a speed difference in two stages, the spacing between rows of workpieces can be widened to any distance regardless of the overlapping pattern.

[0013] The system may further include a fourth conveyance device disposed downstream of the second conveyance device on the workpiece conveyance path, which picks up and conveys the workpiece conveyed by the second conveyance device from the side opposite the second conveyance device, and a second imaging device which captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being conveyed by the fourth conveyance device, thereby enabling the image for inspection of the workpiece to be captured from both sides of the workpiece.

[0014] Furthermore, a judgment device may be provided that judges whether the workpiece is acceptable or not based on the inspection image of the workpiece, thereby enabling efficient judgment of whether the workpiece is acceptable or not using the image of the workpiece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pitch indexing device and an inspection device that can be applied to workpieces of various shapes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pitch indexing device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an inspection device 2 to which the pitch indexing device 1 is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a workpiece 3 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pitch indexing device 4 according to a second embodiment of the present invention and an inspection device 2 to which a pitch indexing device 5 is applied. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a workpiece 6 (cap) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between the positional relationship of the workpieces 6 and the spacing according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention in all respects. Needless to say, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, when implementing the present invention, specific configurations according to the embodiment may be appropriately adopted. Note that, although data appearing in this embodiment is described in natural language, more specifically, it may be specified in any of computer-recognizable pseudo-language, commands, parameters, or machine language, but is not limited to these.

[0018] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pitch indexing device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an inspection device 2 to which the pitch indexing device 1 is applied. The inspection device 2 is a device that performs an appearance inspection of a workpiece 3 in a factory or the like. The inspection device 2 uses a camera to capture an image of the appearance of the workpiece 3 being transported on a conveyor, and determines whether the workpiece 3 passes or fails based on the captured image. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the workpiece 3. The workpiece 3 may be, for example, a container cap or a container for food, seasoning, or daily necessities. Examples of caps include a common screw-type cap used on a plastic bottle (FIG. 2(A)), a hinge cap (B) used on a seasoning bottle, and a push-type cap (C) used on a container for detergent or the like. Examples of containers include a food pack (D) used to serve prepared foods or ingredients, a tray (E) used to serve lunch boxes or dishes, and a cup (F) used to serve ingredients or seasonings. The workpiece 3 may be of a size and weight that allows it to be transported while being adsorbed by an adsorption mechanism such as a vacuum mechanism. For example, caps (A to C) may have a diameter of several centimeters and a thickness of several millimeters to several centimeters. Furthermore, containers (E to F) may have a width and depth of up to approximately 15 centimeters and a thickness of several centimeters. In this embodiment, both opposing sides of the workpiece 3 are adsorbed, and an image for inspection is taken from the side opposite the adsorbed side, so it is desirable for the workpiece 3 to have a structure that allows adsorption on both sides in the thickness direction.

[0019] The pitch indexing device 1 is equipped with an entrance vacuum conveyor 12 (first conveying device), a top vacuum conveyor 13 (second conveying device), an exit vacuum conveyor 14 (fourth conveying device), an entrance chute 15, an entrance guide 16, and an entrance ceiling guide 17. The entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and the top vacuum conveyor 13 face each other and have an overlapping section arranged to sandwich the workpiece 3 from both sides. In addition, the top vacuum conveyor 13 and the exit vacuum conveyor 14 face each other and have an overlapping section arranged to sandwich the workpiece 3 from both sides.

[0020] The pitch indexing device 1 aligns and transports the workpieces 3 using the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, top vacuum conveyor 13, and exit vacuum conveyor 14. At this time, the pitch (spacing) of the workpieces 3 is calculated by adjusting the transport speed of each conveyor. In this embodiment, the transport speed of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 is S1, the transport speed of the top vacuum conveyor 13 is S2, and the transport speed of the exit vacuum conveyor 14 is S3. Furthermore, S2 > S1. In particular, in this embodiment, S2 = S3 = 2 × S1.

[0021] The entrance vacuum conveyor 12, top surface vacuum conveyor 13, and exit vacuum conveyor 14 are conveying devices that transport the workpieces 3 while sucking them. The entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and exit vacuum conveyor 14 are arranged to suck the underside of the workpieces 3, and the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 is arranged to suck the upper side of the workpieces 3. The entrance vacuum conveyor 12 is arranged to transport the workpieces 3 to the suction area of ​​the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, and the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 is arranged to transport the workpieces 3 to the suction area of ​​the exit vacuum conveyor 14.

[0022] The inlet chute 15 is a mechanism for supplying the workpieces 3 to the suction area of ​​the inlet vacuum conveyor 12. The workpieces 3 pass through the inlet chute 15 by airflow or the like and are supplied to the suction area of ​​the inlet vacuum conveyor 12. The inlet guide 16 is a mechanism for preventing the workpieces 3 supplied from the inlet chute 15 from protruding in the width direction (the direction in which the workpieces 3 move is the longitudinal direction). The inlet ceiling guide 17 is a mechanism for preventing the workpieces 3 supplied from the inlet chute 15 from protruding in the height direction. Note that if the shape of the workpieces 3 does not cause them to protrude in the height direction, the inlet ceiling guide 17 may be omitted. Note that if there is no pressure or the pressure is sufficiently small when the inlet chute 15 supplies the workpieces 3 to the inlet vacuum conveyor 12, the inlet vacuum conveyor 12 may not have a mechanism for suctioning the workpieces 3.

[0023] The inspection device 2 has the same configuration as the pitch indexing device 1, as well as cameras 21 and 22 and a discharge mechanism 23. The camera 21 (first imaging device) captures an image of the underside of each workpiece 3 while the workpiece 3 is being transported by the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. The camera 22 (second imaging device) captures an image of the upper side of each workpiece 3 while the workpiece 3 is being transported by the exit vacuum conveyor 14. The discharge mechanism (determination device) 23 is a mechanism that removes from the exit vacuum conveyor 14 any workpiece 3 that has been determined to be unacceptable based on the image captured by the camera 21 or camera 22.

[0024] Next, a detailed description will be given of the operations of the pitch indexing device 1 and the inspection device 2. The workpiece 3 is, for example, a cylindrical cap of a PET bottle or the like, as shown in Fig. 2(A). The workpieces 3 to be visually inspected by the inspection device 2 are supplied in a single file from the entrance chute 15 by airflow or the like to the suction area of ​​the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. At this time, the movement of the workpieces 3 in the width and height directions is restricted by the entrance guide 16 and the entrance ceiling guide 17, so the workpieces 3 are supplied to the suction area of ​​the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 in a precisely aligned state in a straight line.

[0025] When the workpieces 3 reach the suction area of ​​the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, they are transported at the transport speed (S1) of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 with their undersides being sucked onto the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. When the workpieces 3 reach the suction area of ​​the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, their upper sides are sucked onto the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 and they are transferred from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. The workpieces 3 that have been transferred onto the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 are transported at the transport speed S2 of the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. Because S2 is faster than S1, when transferring from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 3 becomes wider depending on the difference in speed between S1 and S2. That is, while being transported by the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the works 3 are lined up in a tightly packed state with almost no space between them, but after being transferred to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, they are transported with a space between them according to the speed difference.

[0026] While the workpieces 3 are being transported by the top vacuum conveyor 13, the camera 21 captures an image of the underside of the workpieces 3. The pass / fail judgment of the workpieces 3 is based on the image captured by the camera 21, but for accurate judgment, it is necessary to capture only one workpiece 3 in one image. Therefore, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 3 when capturing images must be at least a certain distance. In this embodiment, as described above, when the workpieces 3 transfer from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top vacuum conveyor 13, the spacing between the preceding and following workpieces 3 increases due to the speed difference between the conveyors. Therefore, the required spacing can be determined (ensured) when capturing images. Specifically, for example, the speed S2 of the top vacuum conveyor 13 may be set to twice the speed S1 of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. The timing of capturing images by the camera 21 can be controlled by a sensor or the like provided on the top vacuum conveyor 13.

[0027] Furthermore, when the workpieces 3 reach the suction area of ​​the exit vacuum conveyor 14, the bottom side of the workpieces 3 is sucked onto the exit vacuum conveyor 14, and the workpieces 3 are transferred from the top vacuum conveyor 13 to the exit vacuum conveyor 14. The workpieces 3 transferred to the exit vacuum conveyor 14 are transported at the transport speed S3 of the exit vacuum conveyor 14. Since S3 is the same speed as S2, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 3 does not change even when they transfer from the top vacuum conveyor 13 to the exit vacuum conveyor 14. Note that if S2 and S3 are different, the spacing changes depending on the speed difference.

[0028] While the workpieces 3 are being transported by the exit vacuum conveyor 14, an image of the appearance of the upper side is taken by the camera 22, and the pass / fail of the workpieces 3 is judged based on the taken image. As with the camera 21, the camera 22 also requires that the row of workpieces 3 be spaced apart by a certain amount or more when taking an image. As described above, the spacing when the workpieces were being transported by the top vacuum conveyor 13 is maintained, so the spacing required for imaging can be ensured.

[0029] Furthermore, the discharge mechanism 23 discharges the workpieces 3 that have been determined to have failed the inspection. Specifically, an image processing inspection is performed based on the lower image captured by the camera 21 and the upper image captured by the camera 22, and a pass / fail determination is made. The discharge mechanism 23 removes the workpieces 3 that have been determined to have failed from the suction of the exit vacuum conveyor 14 and removes them.

[0030] As described above, according to this embodiment, by making the conveying speed of the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 faster than the conveying speed of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 3 is increased when the workpieces 3 are transferred from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. This makes it possible to easily increase the pitch (spacing) of the rows of workpieces 3 simply by changing the speed settings of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and the top surface vacuum conveyor 13.

[0031] Furthermore, compared to the method of spacing workpieces using star wheels, this method has the following advantages. First, when using star wheels, it is necessary to change the star wheels to match the size and shape of the workpieces 3 (caps), but with the present invention, there is no need to change the vacuum conveyor depending on the shape of the caps. Also, in the case of particularly thin caps, it may not be possible to manufacture a star wheel that matches the cap, but a vacuum conveyor can accommodate thin caps. Furthermore, it also eliminates the problem of caps getting caught in the star wheels.

[0032] (Embodiment 2) 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pitch indexing device 4 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and an inspection device 5 to which the pitch indexing device 4 is applied. The same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 indicate the same or corresponding configurations. The pitch indexing device 4 according to the second embodiment is equipped with a pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 (third transport device) before the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. The entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 have an overlapping section that faces each other and is arranged to sandwich the workpiece 3 from both sides.

[0033] The pre-treatment vacuum conveyor 18 is a transport device that transports the workpieces 6 while suctioning them. The pre-treatment vacuum conveyor 18 is located before the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and is positioned so as to suction the upper side of the workpieces 6. The pre-treatment vacuum conveyor 18 is positioned so as to transport the workpieces 6 to the suction area of ​​the entrance vacuum conveyor 12.

[0034] The inlet chute 15 supplies the workpieces 6 to the suction area of ​​the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18. The workpieces 6 pass through the inlet chute 15 by airflow or the like and are supplied to the suction area of ​​the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18. The inlet guide 16 is a mechanism for preventing the workpieces 6 supplied from the inlet chute 15 from protruding in the width direction (the direction in which the workpieces 6 travel is the longitudinal direction). The pre-processing vacuum conveyor ceiling guide 19 is a mechanism for preventing the workpieces 6 supplied from the inlet chute 15 from protruding in the height direction. Note that if the shape of the workpieces 6 does not cause them to protrude in the height direction, the pre-processing vacuum conveyor ceiling guide 19 may be omitted. Note that if there is no pressure or if the pressure is sufficiently small when the inlet chute 15 supplies the workpieces 6 to the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18, the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 may not have a mechanism for suctioning the workpieces 3.

[0035] The conveying speeds of the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18, the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, and the exit vacuum conveyor 14 are set to S0, S1, S2, and S3, respectively. S1, S2, and S3 are set to be faster than S0. In particular, in this embodiment, S1 = 1.3 x S0, and S2 = S3 = 2.6 x S0.

[0036] Next, the operation of the pitch indexing device 4 and the inspection device 5 will be described in detail. The workpieces 6 are, for example, caps with a cylindrical body 61 and a flange 62, as shown in Figure 4. The workpieces 6 are supplied in a single line from the inlet chute 15 to the suction area of ​​the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 by airflow or the like. At this time, the movement of the workpieces 6 in the width and height directions is restricted by the inlet guide 16 and the pre-processing vacuum conveyor ceiling guide 19, so the workpieces 6 are supplied to the suction area of ​​the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 in a precisely aligned straight line.

[0037] The workpiece 3 that has reached the suction area of ​​the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 is transported at the transport speed (S0) of the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 with its upper side being sucked onto the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18. When the workpiece 6 reaches the suction area of ​​the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, its lower side is sucked onto the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and it is transferred from the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. The workpiece 6 that has been transferred onto the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 is transported at the transport speed S1 of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. Since S1 is a faster speed than S0, when the workpieces 6 transfer from the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 6 becomes wider depending on the difference in speed between S0 and S1. However, if the workpieces 6 have a shape with a flange 62 as shown in Figure 4, the spacing may or may not become wider depending on the positional relationship between the workpieces 6 in front and behind.

[0038] The relationship between the positional relationship of the workpieces 6 and the spacing between them will be explained using Figure 5. As shown in Figures 5(A) and (B), when two workpieces 6 are overlapping with the flange 62 of the leading workpiece 6 under the body 61 or flange 62 of the trailing workpiece 6, when the leading workpiece 6 transfers from the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18 to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the leading workpiece 6 is pulled downward and adsorbed to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, separating it from the trailing workpiece 6. This increases the spacing between the trailing workpiece 6 depending on the speed difference. In this embodiment, the transport speed S1 of the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 is set to 1.3 times the transport speed S0 of the pre-processing vacuum conveyor 18, but this speed difference can be set so that the workpieces 6 are separated from each other depending on the shape of the workpieces 6 (such as the length of the flange 62).

[0039] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 5(C) and (D), if the flange 62 of the rear workpiece 6 is overlapping with the body 61 or flange 62 of the front workpiece 6, when the front workpiece 6 is transferred to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12, the flange 62 of the rear workpiece 6 is also adsorbed along with the front workpiece 6, and the two workpieces 6 are transported to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 without being separated.

[0040] As described above, when the workpieces 6 have a shape with a flange 62 as shown in FIG. 4, the workpieces 6 may be transported to the inlet vacuum conveyor 12 while still overlapping, depending on how the front and rear workpieces 6 overlap.

[0041] When the workpieces 6 reach the suction area of ​​the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, the top side of the workpieces 6 is sucked onto the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 and the workpieces 6 are transferred from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. The workpieces 6 transferred to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13 are transported at the transport speed S2 of the top surface vacuum conveyor 13. Since S2 is faster than S1 (twice as fast in this embodiment), when the workpieces 6 are transferred from the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 6 becomes wider depending on the difference in speed between S1 and S2.

[0042] As described above, when the flange 62 of the rear workpiece 6 is under the front workpiece 62 and they are overlapping, the two workpieces are transported without being separated when they are transferred to the entrance vacuum conveyor 12. On the other hand, when two workpieces 6 in this state are transferred to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, the front workpiece 6 is pulled upward and adsorbed to the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, so it is separated from the rear workpiece 6. As a result, the gap between the front workpiece 6 and the rear workpiece 6 becomes wider depending on the speed difference.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the workpieces 6 are aligned in a state where they overlap at the flange 62, by adsorbing them at two stages with a speed difference between the entrance vacuum conveyor 12 and the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, it is possible to separate adjacent workpieces 6 and widen the gap between the rows, regardless of how the workpieces 6 are overlapped.

[0044] As in the first embodiment, while the workpiece 6 is being transported by the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, an image of the appearance of the underside is taken by the camera 21. As described above, when the workpiece 6 is transported onto the top surface vacuum conveyor 13, there is a sufficient gap between the workpiece 3 in front and behind it, so that the necessary pitch can be determined (ensured) when taking the image.

[0045] Furthermore, when the workpieces 6 reach the suction area of ​​the exit vacuum conveyor 14, the bottom side of the workpieces 6 is sucked onto the exit vacuum conveyor 14, and the workpieces 6 are transferred from the top vacuum conveyor 13 to the exit vacuum conveyor 14. The workpieces 6 transferred to the exit vacuum conveyor 14 are transported at the transport speed S3 of the exit vacuum conveyor 14. Since S3 is the same speed as S2, the spacing between the rows of workpieces 6 does not change even when they transfer from the top vacuum conveyor 13 to the exit vacuum conveyor 14. Note that if S2 and S3 are different, the spacing changes depending on the speed difference.

[0046] While the workpieces 6 are being transported by the exit vacuum conveyor 14, an image of the upper appearance is taken by the camera 22, and the pass / fail of the workpieces 3 is determined based on the taken image. As with the camera 21, the camera 22 also requires that the row of workpieces 3 be spaced apart by a certain amount or more when taking an image. As described above, the spacing when the workpieces were being transported by the top vacuum conveyor 13 is maintained, so the spacing required for imaging can be ensured.

[0047] Furthermore, the discharge mechanism 23 discharges the workpieces 3 that have been determined to have failed the inspection. Specifically, an image processing inspection is performed based on the lower image captured by the camera 21 and the upper image captured by the camera 22, and a pass / fail determination is made. The discharge mechanism 23 removes the workpieces 6 that have been determined to have failed from the suction of the exit vacuum conveyor 14 and removes them.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect, and it goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0049] The attraction mechanism is not limited to the vacuum mechanism as in the above embodiment. For example, if the workpiece is a magnetic body, a conveyor that attracts the workpiece by magnetic force can also be applied.

[0050] Note that part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) a first conveying device that conveys the workpiece at a first speed; a second conveying device that is disposed downstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a second speed; The second speed is set to be faster than the first speed. (Appendix 2) The pitch indexing device according to claim 1, wherein the second conveying device has an overlapping section arranged opposite the first conveying device so as to sandwich the workpiece from both sides. (Appendix 3) 2. The pitch indexing device according to claim 1, further comprising an inlet guide for supplying the workpieces to the first conveying device in an aligned state. (Appendix 4) a third conveyance device that is disposed upstream of the first conveyance device on the conveyance path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece from a side facing the first conveyance device and conveys it at a third speed; the first conveying device adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the third conveying device from a side facing the third conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a first speed; 2. The pitch indexing device of claim 1, wherein the first speed is set to be faster than the third speed. (Appendix 5) a first conveying device that conveys the workpiece at a first speed; a second conveying device that is disposed downstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a second speed; a first imaging device that captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being transported by the second transport device; The second speed is set to be faster than the first speed. (Appendix 6) 6. An inspection device as described in Appendix 5, wherein the first conveying device is provided with an entrance guide that supplies the workpiece in an aligned state. (Appendix 7) a third conveyance device that is disposed upstream of the first conveyance device on the conveyance path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece from a side facing the first conveyance device and conveys it at a third speed; the first conveying device adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the third conveying device from a side facing the third conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a first speed; 6. The inspection device of claim 5, wherein the first speed is set faster than the third speed. (Appendix 8) a fourth conveying device that is disposed downstream of the second conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs and conveys the workpiece conveyed by the second conveying device from a side facing the second conveying device; 6. The inspection device according to claim 5, further comprising: a second imaging device that captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being transported by the fourth transport device. (Appendix 9) An inspection device as described in Appendix 5, comprising a judgment device that judges whether the workpiece passes or fails based on an inspection image of the workpiece. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1,4...Pitch indexing device, 2,5...Inspection device, 3,6...Workpiece, 12...Inlet vacuum conveyor, 13...Top surface vacuum conveyor, 14...Outlet vacuum conveyor, 15...Inlet chute, 16...Inlet guide, 17...Inlet ceiling guide, 18...Pre-processing vacuum conveyor, 19...Pre-processing vacuum conveyor ceiling guide, 21,22...Camera, 23...Discharge mechanism, 61...Main body, 62...Brim

Claims

1. a first conveying device that conveys the workpiece at a first speed; a second conveying device that is disposed downstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a second speed; The second speed is set to be faster than the first speed.

2. The pitch indexing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second conveying device has an overlapping section disposed opposite the first conveying device so as to sandwich the workpiece from both sides.

3. 2. The pitch indexing device according to claim 1, further comprising an inlet guide for supplying the workpieces to the first transport device in an aligned state.

4. a third conveying device that is disposed upstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a third speed; the first conveying device adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the third conveying device from a side facing the third conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a first speed; 2. The pitch indexing device of claim 1, wherein the first speed is set faster than the third speed.

5. a first conveying device that conveys the workpiece at a first speed; a second conveying device that is disposed downstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the first conveying device from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a second speed; a first imaging device that captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being transported by the second transport device, The second speed is set to be faster than the first speed.

6. 6. The inspection device according to claim 5, wherein the first transport device is provided with an entrance guide for supplying the workpieces in an aligned state.

7. a third conveying device that is disposed upstream of the first conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs the workpiece from a side facing the first conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a third speed; the first conveying device adsorbs the workpiece conveyed by the third conveying device from a side facing the third conveying device and conveys the workpiece at a first speed; The inspection device according to claim 5 , wherein the first speed is set to be faster than the third speed.

8. a fourth conveying device that is disposed downstream of the second conveying device on the conveying path of the workpiece, and that adsorbs and conveys the workpiece conveyed by the second conveying device from a side facing the second conveying device; The inspection device according to claim 5 , further comprising: a second imaging device that captures an image for inspection of the workpiece being transported by the fourth transport device.

9. 6. The inspection device according to claim 5, further comprising a judgment device that judges whether the workpiece is acceptable or not based on the inspection image of the workpiece.

Images