Method for producing cable, appearance inspection device, and appearance inspection system

Abstract

To provide a method for producing a cable capable of detecting irregularity on a surface of a cable more accurately, an appearance inspection device, and an appearance inspection system.SOLUTION: A cable producing method includes a cable forming step of forming a sheath 12 around a core material 100 to form a cable 10, an image forming step of forming a scanned image by scanning the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 with a plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43 while moving the cable 10 in the longitudinal direction, a detection step for detecting irregularities on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 by the scanned image, and a defect determination step of determining whether the detected irregularities correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable 10. In the image forming step, a composite scanned image 40 covering the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10, obtained by combining the distance measurement results from the plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43, is formed as the scanned image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable manufacturing method, an appearance inspection device, and an appearance inspection system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known cable manufacturing method and visual inspection device is described in Patent Document 1. The cable manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1 includes a preparation step of preparing a cable, and an inspection step of irradiating laser light onto the surface of the cable using multiple laser sensors while moving the cable in the longitudinal direction, receiving the light reflected from the cable, and measuring the unevenness of the cable surface based on changes in the light-receiving position of the reflected light. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-147803 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When scanning a cable with multiple laser sensors, in order to detect all irregularities on the cable surface, the ends of the laser beam irradiation ranges of each laser sensor must overlap in the circumferential direction of the cable. If the laser beam irradiation ranges overlap, there is a risk that irregularities present in the overlapping area will be double-counted. Furthermore, at the ends of the laser beam irradiation range, the angle of the laser beam relative to the cable surface becomes shallow, which may result in small depressions not being detected.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a cable manufacturing method and visual inspection device that can more accurately detect unevenness on the surface of a cable. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable manufacturing method, visual inspection device, and visual inspection system that can appropriately determine whether the detected unevenness is a defect that requires cable repair, estimate the cause of the unevenness, or select a repair method for the defect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a cable manufacturing method comprising: a cable forming process for forming a cable by molding an outer sheath around a core material; an image forming process for forming a scanned image by scanning the outer surface of the cable with a plurality of laser sensors while moving the cable in the longitudinal direction; a detection process for detecting irregularities on the outer surface of the cable using the scanned image; and a defect determination process for determining whether the irregularities detected in the detection process correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable, wherein the image forming process is a process for forming a synthetic scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer surface of the cable by combining the distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors as the scanned image.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of a cable, comprising: a plurality of laser sensors that scan the outer surface of the cable as it moves in a longitudinal direction; an image forming unit that forms a scanned image of the outer surface from information obtained by the plurality of laser sensors; a surface condition analysis processing unit that detects irregularities on the outer surface by analyzing the scanned image; and a defect determination unit that determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable, wherein the image forming unit forms as the scanned image a composite scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer surface of the cable, combining the distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a plurality of appearance inspection devices each having an image forming unit that forms a scanned image of the outer peripheral surface from information obtained by a plurality of laser sensors that scan the outer peripheral surface of an inspection object moving in a longitudinal direction, a surface condition analysis processing unit that detects irregularities on the outer peripheral surface by analyzing the scanned image, and a defect determination unit that determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the inspection object, and an appearance inspection management device that is communicably connected to the plurality of appearance inspection devices via a communication network, and The image forming unit forms the scanned image as a composite scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer surface of the cable by combining the distance measurement results obtained from the multiple laser sensors, the visual inspection management device has an image data acquisition processing unit that acquires composite scanned image data representing the scanned image from the multiple visual inspection devices and stores it in a memory unit, and the multiple visual inspection devices, when a transmission request is received from the visual inspection management device, transmit the composite scanned image data representing the scanned image including at least the unevenness that the defect determination unit has determined to correspond to the defect to the visual inspection management device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The cable manufacturing method, visual inspection device, and visual inspection system according to the present invention can improve the accuracy of detecting irregularities on the surface of an object to be inspected, such as a cable. In addition, the improved accuracy of detecting irregularities makes it possible to appropriately determine whether the detected irregularities are defects that require repair or the like on the object to be inspected, estimate the cause of the irregularities, or select a method of repairing the defects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a manufacturing facility for manufacturing and inspecting a cable according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]1 is a cross-sectional view of a cable manufactured and inspected by a manufacturing facility. [Figure 3] 1A is a perspective view showing a plurality of laser sensors and a cable of a scanning unit, and FIG. 1B is a configuration diagram of the scanning unit showing a plurality of laser sensors as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the cable. [Figure 4] (a) shows the appearance of the cable, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 4(a), and (c) is a partially enlarged view of (b). [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information processing device. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing procedure for a cable. [Figure 7] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a first scanned image obtained from the distance measurement results by a first laser sensor, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a second scanned image obtained from the distance measurement results by a second laser sensor, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a third scanned image obtained from the distance measurement results by a third laser sensor. [Figure 8] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a composite scanned image obtained by combining a first scanned image, a second scanned image, and a third scanned image, over the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of a cable. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the contents of a data set stored in a storage unit. [Figure 10] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display when an output processing unit displays the processing results of a defect determination unit, a defect cause estimation unit, and a repair means selection unit in a list format on a display. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage mode of the visual inspection device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a visual inspection system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a manufacturing facility 1 for manufacturing and inspecting a cable according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a cable 10 manufactured and inspected by the manufacturing facility 1. The manufacturing facility 1 has a manufacturing device 2 that manufactures the cable 10, and an appearance inspection device 3 that inspects the appearance of the cable 10 manufactured by the manufacturing device 2. The shape of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is circular, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the cable 10 has a core material 100 made up of a plurality of insulated wires 11 and a sheath 12 as an outer covering formed around the core material 100. Each insulated wire 11 has a core wire 111 and an insulator 112 covering the core wire 111. The core wire 111 is formed, for example, by twisting together a plurality of conductor wires. The insulator 112 is made, for example, of fluororesin. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the core material 100 is made up of three insulated wires 11. However, the number of insulated wires 11 constituting the core material 100 is not limited to this, and may be one, two, or four or more. Furthermore, a bind tape may be wrapped around the plurality of insulated wires 11.

[0013] The sheath 12 is made of cross-linked polyurethane or polyolefin resin. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the sheath 12 has a solid structure, but this is not limiting and the sheath 12 may be hollow tubular. Furthermore, if the sheath 12 is hollow tubular, an inclusion may be placed inside the sheath 12 to maintain the circular cross-sectional shape of the cable 10.

[0014] The manufacturing apparatus 2 includes a feeder 20 that feeds out the core material 100, a die 21 into which the core material 100 is fed, an extruder 22 that extrudes a resin material containing a vulcanizing agent into the die 21, a splice box (connecting pipe) 23, a superheated steam vulcanizing pipe 24, a pressurized / superheated steam supply device 25 that supplies pressurized / superheated steam to the superheated steam vulcanizing pipe 24, a water cooling pipe 26, a water seal 27, and a pair of front guide rollers 28 and a pair of rear guide rollers 29 that guide the cable 10. The resin material supplied from the extruder 22 to the die 21 is crosslinked in the superheated steam vulcanizing pipe 24 to become the sheath 12 of the cable 10.

[0015] The cable 10 that has passed through the appearance inspection device 3 is wound onto a winding machine 200. The pair of front guide rollers 28 are arranged on the front side (toward the manufacturing device 2) of the appearance inspection device 3, and the pair of rear guide rollers 29 are arranged on the rear side (toward the winding machine 200) of the appearance inspection device 3. The cable 10 is supported linearly between the pair of front guide rollers 28 and the pair of rear guide rollers 29. One of the pair of front guide rollers 28 is provided with an encoder 281 for detecting the moving speed of the cable 10 based on the rotation speed of the guide roller 28. Note that an encoder may be provided on either of the pair of rear guide rollers 29. The cable 10 wound onto the winding machine 200 is subjected to a shipping inspection, such as a voltage resistance test, by a shipping inspection device not shown, and is shipped if the shipping inspection passes.

[0016] The appearance inspection device 3 has a scanning unit 4 having a plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43, and an information processing device 5, and inspects the appearance of the cable 10, which is the object to be inspected. The plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43 are arranged between a pair of front guide rollers 28 and a pair of rear guide rollers 29, and scan the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 moving in the longitudinal direction from the manufacturing device 2 toward the winding machine 200. A display 6 and an input device 7 are connected to the information processing device 5. The information processing device 5 is, for example, a computer, and the input device 7 is, for example, a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse.

[0017] Fig. 3(a) is a perspective view showing the multiple laser sensors 41-43 of the scanning unit 4 and the cable 10. Fig. 3(b) is a configuration diagram of the scanning unit 4 showing the multiple laser sensors 41-43 as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the cable 10. In Fig. 3(a), the arrow indicates the movement direction of the cable 10 relative to the laser sensors 41-43. In Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), the scanning ranges of each of the multiple laser sensors 41-43 are indicated by dashed lines.

[0018] In this embodiment, the scanning unit 4 has three laser sensors 41 to 43. The laser sensors 41 to 43 irradiate the cable 10 to be inspected with laser light to measure the distance between the laser sensors 41 to 43 and the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10, and scan the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10. The method for measuring the distance by the laser sensors 41 to 43 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a triangulation method, a TOF (Time of Flight) method, or a phase difference detection method. Hereinafter, the three laser sensors 41 to 43 may be referred to as a first laser sensor 41, a second laser sensor 42, and a third laser sensor 43, respectively.

[0019] The laser sensors 41 to 43 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis O of the cable 10. In this embodiment, the number of laser sensors 41 to 43 is three, and therefore the laser sensors 41 to 43 are arranged at intervals of 120° around the central axis O of the cable 10. The distance from the central axis O of the cable 10 to each of the laser sensors 41 to 43 is the same. If the number of laser sensors is four, the laser sensors are arranged at intervals of 90° around the central axis O of the cable 10. The more laser sensors there are, the narrower the scanning range of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 that each laser sensor is responsible for. However, a large number of laser sensors increases costs, so the number of laser sensors is preferably between three and six, and more preferably three or four.

[0020] Fig. 4(a) shows the appearance of the cable 10. Fig. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 4(a). Fig. 4(c) is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 4(b).

[0021] The cable 10 delivered from the manufacturing apparatus 2 has irregularities on its outer surface 10a due to various factors. Here, "irregularities" refers to irregularities where the distance from the central axis O to the outer surface 10a differs from the surrounding area. These irregularities refer collectively to convex portions that protrude radially from the surrounding area and concave portions that are recessed radially from the surrounding area. If the protruding height of a convex portion or the depth of a concave portion is significant and significantly affects the appearance of the cable 10, even if the cable 10 passes the shipping inspection in terms of performance, repair of the irregularities or partial excision of the cable 10 is necessary. Here, "repair" refers to, for example, removing the convex portion or smoothing the periphery of the concave portion to make the boundary with the surrounding area less noticeable. Furthermore, "partial excision" refers to cutting the cable 10 longitudinally before and after the irregular portion so that the irregular portion is not included in the shipped product.

[0022] Hereinafter, irregularities that require repair or partial excision of cable 10 are referred to as "defects." In other words, not all irregularities are defects, and irregularities whose protruding height or depth is small relative to the specified dimensions (the outer diameter of cable 10) and do not require repair or the like are not considered defects. Conventionally, an inspector may have determined whether an irregularity occurring on outer surface 10a of cable 10 requires repair or the like, i.e., whether it corresponds to a defect. However, such subjective judgment is likely to result in variations in the appearance quality of cable 10 and to lead to unevenness being overlooked. In this embodiment, cable 10 is manufactured by performing an appearance inspection using appearance inspection device 3, thereby improving the appearance quality of cable 10 and reducing the number of workers required.

[0023] 4(a) to 4(c) show, as an example of unevenness, a recess 120 generated in the sheath 12. In Fig. 4(a), the depth of the recess 120 is expressed by shades of gray. In Fig. 4(c), an imaginary circle C centered on the central axis O of the cable 10 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the maximum depth D of the recess 120 relative to this imaginary circle C is shown.

[0024] FIG. 4(b) shows the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41, the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42, and the scanning range R3 of the third laser sensor 43. The scanning ranges R1, R2, and R3 are arc-shaped with their centers on the central axis O of the cable 10. One end of the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 in the circumferential direction of the cable 10 overlaps with the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42, and the other end of the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 overlaps with the scanning range R3 of the third laser sensor 43. The scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42 and the scanning range R3 of the third laser sensor 43 also overlap at their respective ends. A recess 120 is generated in the area where the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 and the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42 overlap. The scanning ranges R1, R2, and R3 overlap, so that the entire outer circumferential surface 10a of the cable 10 can be scanned without omission.

[0025] 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 5. The information processing device 5 has a control unit 51 realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits, and a storage unit 52 consisting of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SDD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 52 stores a program 521 executed by the CPU, as well as composite scanned image data 522 (described later), surface condition analysis data 523, defect determination data 524, defect cause estimation data 525, repair method selection data 526, and a data set 527 used in the processing executed by the control unit 51. When the CPU executes the program 521, the control unit 51 functions as an image forming unit 511, a surface condition analysis processing unit 512, a defect determination unit 513, a defect cause estimation unit 514, a repair method selection unit 515, and an output processing unit 516.

[0026] The image forming unit 511 forms a scanned image of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 from information obtained by scanning the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 with the multiple laser sensors 41-43. The information obtained from the laser sensors 41-43 includes measurement results of the distance between the laser sensors 41-43 and the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10, and in this embodiment, the image forming unit 511 forms a scanned image based on these distance measurement results. The scanned image formed by the image forming unit 511 is a composite scanned image spanning the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10, which is a composite of the distance measurement results obtained from each of the multiple laser sensors 41-43. A method for forming this composite scanned image will be described later. Data representing the composite scanned image formed by the image forming unit 511 is stored in the storage unit 52 as composite scanned image data 522.

[0027] The surface condition analysis processing unit 512 detects irregularities on the outer surface 10a of the cable 10 by analyzing the scanned image formed by the image forming unit 511. The irregularities detected by the analysis by the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 are stored in the memory unit 52 as surface condition analysis data 523. The defect determination unit 513 determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable 10. The determination result by the defect determination unit 513 is stored in the memory unit 52 as defect determination data 524. The defect cause estimation unit 514 estimates the cause of occurrence of irregularities determined by the defect determination unit 513 to correspond to defects. The estimation result by the defect cause estimation unit 514 is stored in the memory unit 52 as defect cause estimation data 525. The repair means selection unit 515 selects repair means for the irregularities determined by the defect determination unit 513 to correspond to defects. The repair means selected by the repair means selection unit 515 is stored in the storage unit 52 as repair means selection data 526. The output processing unit 516 outputs, based on the processing results of the defect determination unit 513, the defect cause estimation unit 514, and the repair means selection unit 515, the estimated cause of occurrence of the irregularities determined by the defect determination unit 513 to correspond to defects and the selected repair means, for example, by displaying them on the display unit 6.

[0028] 6 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing procedure for cable 10. The manufacturing of cable 10 by manufacturing equipment 1 is performed by performing an appearance inspection by appearance inspection device 3 having information processing device 5 on pre-inspection cable 10 in which sheath 12 is formed around core material 100 by manufacturing device 2. That is, the manufacturing method of cable 10 includes a cable forming process (step S1) in which cable 10 is formed by molding sheath 12 around core material 100; an image forming process (step S2) in which the outer surface 10a of cable 10 is scanned by multiple laser sensors 41 to 43 while moving cable 10 longitudinally and a composite scanned image is formed from the distance measurement results obtained by the scanning; a detection process (step S3) in which irregularities on the outer surface 10a of cable 10 are detected using the scanned image; a defect determination process (step S4) in which it is determined whether the irregularities detected in the detection process correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of cable 10; a defect cause estimation process (step S5) in which the cause of the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination process is estimated; a repair means selection process (step S6) in which a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination process is selected; and a repair process (step S7) in which the repair is performed using the repair means selected by the repair means selection process. The image formation process, detection process, defect determination process, defect cause estimation process, and repair method selection process are performed by the image formation unit 511, surface condition analysis processing unit 512, defect determination unit 513, defect cause estimation unit 514, and repair method selection unit 515 of the information processing device 5, respectively.

[0029] The image forming process forms a composite scanned image (composite scanned image 40 shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later) covering the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10, based on at least the distance measurement results obtained from each of the multiple laser sensors 41 to 43. Furthermore, when the image forming unit 511 detects, based on the distance measurement results obtained from the multiple laser sensors 41 to 43, that the cable 10 is eccentric with respect to the central positions of the multiple laser sensors 41 to 43 (positions at equal distances from the multiple laser sensors 41 to 43), the image forming unit 511 corrects the amount of eccentricity and forms a scanned image.

[0030] Fig. 7(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a first scanned image 410 obtained from the distance measurement results by the first laser sensor 41. Fig. 7(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a second scanned image 420 obtained from the distance measurement results by the second laser sensor 42. Fig. 7(c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a third scanned image 430 obtained from the distance measurement results by the third laser sensor 43. The first scanned image 410, the second scanned image 420, and the third scanned image 430 are represented by point clouds made up of a plurality of distance measurement points 411, 421, and 431 that indicate the distance measurement results by the first to third laser sensors 41 to 43, respectively.

[0031] In the first scanned image 410, the second scanned image 420, and the third scanned image 430, the up-down direction in the drawing corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the cable 10, and the left-right direction in the drawing corresponds to the circumferential direction of the cable 10. The image forming unit 511 acquires distance measurement results from the first to third laser sensors 41-43 at time intervals inversely proportional to the moving speed of the cable 10, based on the moving speed of the cable 10 obtained from the encoder 281. As a result, distance measurement results at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10 are obtained from the first to third laser sensors 41-43, regardless of the moving speed of the cable 10. Then, the first scanned image 410, the second scanned image 420, and the third scanned image 430 can be formed based on the distance measurement results.

[0032] Furthermore, the image forming unit 511 takes into consideration the curvature of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 and performs correction to eliminate the influence of the curvature of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 about the central axis O of the cable 10 on the distance measurement results, and forms the first scanned image 410, the second scanned image 420, and the third scanned image 430. Note that the image forming unit 511 actually forms the first to third scanned images 410, 420, and 430 using even more distance measurement points 411, 421, and 431, but in Figures 7(a) to 7(c) , for clarity of illustration, the first to third scanned images 410, 420, and 430 are represented using fewer distance measurement points 411, 421, and 431 than the actual number.

[0033] 7(a) to 7(c) show measurement results after correction to eliminate the influence of curvature of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 on the distance measurement results. The specified cable diameter is used as the diameter, and the difference in the radial distance measurement results for a virtual circle centered on the central axis O of the cable 10 is represented by the color intensity of multiple distance measurement points 411, 421, and 431. The dark portions 410a and 420a in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) indicate the recesses 120 (see FIG. 4) in the outer peripheral surface 10a. As described above, the recesses 120 occur in the overlapping portion between the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 and the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42, and therefore the dark portions 410a and 420a appear in the first scanned image 410 and the second scanned image 420, respectively.

[0034] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a composite scanned image 40 that covers the entire circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 10a of the cable 10, obtained by combining a first scanned image 410, a second scanned image 420, and a third scanned image 430. The image forming unit 511 combines distance data representing distance measurement results obtained from each of the multiple laser sensors 41 to 43 to form a single planar composite scanned image 40 in which the outer circumferential line 10b (see FIG. 3(a)) along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 10a of the cable 10 is extended linearly. As a result of this combination, dark-colored portions 410a and 420a in the first scanned image 410 and the second scanned image 420, which show the recess 120 occurring in the overlapping portion of the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 and the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42, are integrated into a single dark-colored portion 40a. Based on the composite scanned image 40, the control unit 51 can determine the size of the recess 120, i.e., the length of the recess 120 in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10, the width of the recess 120 in the circumferential direction of the cable 10, and the maximum depth of the recess 120. Furthermore, if the irregularities occurring on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 are convex portions, the control unit 51 can determine their maximum height.

[0035] The composite scanned image 40 is represented by a point cloud consisting of a plurality of distance measurement points 400. In the overlapping portion of the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 and the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42, the measurement result of the first laser sensor 41 at the distance measurement point 411 of the first scanned image 410 and the measurement result of the second laser sensor 42 at the distance measurement point 421 of the second scanned image 420 are taken into consideration to calculate the numerical value of the difference in the radial distance between the outer circumferential surface 10a of the cable 10 indicated by each distance measurement point 400 and an imaginary circle centered on the central axis O. The same applies to the overlapping portion of the scanning range R1 of the first laser sensor 41 and the scanning range R3 of the third laser sensor 43, and the overlapping portion of the scanning range R2 of the second laser sensor 42 and the scanning range R3 of the third laser sensor 43. In the areas where the scanning ranges R1, R2, R3 of the first to third laser sensors 41 to 43 do not overlap, the distance measurement points 411, 421, 431 of the first to third scanned images 410, 420, 430 become the distance measurement point 400 of the composite scanned image 40.

[0036] The surface condition analysis processing unit 512 of the information processing device 5 detects irregularities on the outer surface 10a of the cable 10 by analyzing the composite scanned image 40 formed by the image forming unit 511. Specifically, if the absolute value of the difference between the numerical value indicated by a certain distance measurement point 400 in the composite scanned image 40 and the numerical value indicated by the surrounding distance measurement points 400 exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that irregularities exist in that portion. In the detection process of this surface condition analysis processing unit 512, irregularities are detected, including minute irregularities that would not be determined as defects by the defect determination unit 513, so as to avoid any missed detections.

[0037] The processes of the defect determination unit 513, the defect cause estimation unit 514, and the repair means selection unit 515 are performed with reference to a data set 527 stored in the storage unit 52. Next, the contents of the data set 527 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the contents of the dataset 527 stored in the storage unit 52. The storage unit 52 stores, for example, tens to hundreds of datasets. Here, five datasets with serial numbers 1 to 5 are shown as examples. Each dataset stores data on the length of the irregularities in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10, the width of the irregularities in the circumferential direction of the cable 10, the maximum depth / maximum height (maximum depth or maximum height) of the irregularities, images of the irregularities, the results of the assessment, the estimated cause of the irregularities, and the recommended repair method. The light-colored portions in the images of datasets No. 2 and No. 3 indicate convex portions. The repair method "impossible" in dataset No. 3 indicates that repair is impossible and that partial cutting of the cable 10 is required.

[0039] Here, the length of the irregularities, the width of the irregularities, the maximum depth / maximum height of the irregularities, and the image of the irregularities are explanatory variables in each data set. Also, the length of the irregularities, the width of the irregularities, and the maximum depth / maximum height of the irregularities are feature quantities corresponding to the image of the irregularities. The judgment result, the cause of occurrence, and the repair method are objective variables in each data set.

[0040] Based on this data set, the defect determination unit 513 determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 correspond to defects. That is, the defect determination unit 513 compares the composite scanned image 40 of the irregularities and the size of the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 with the length of the irregularities, the width of the irregularities, the maximum depth / maximum height of the irregularities, and the image of the irregularities in each data set, and determines the determination result in the data set with the highest match as the determination result as to whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 correspond to defects.

[0041] Furthermore, based on this data set, the defect cause estimation unit 514 estimates the cause of occurrence of the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination unit 513. In other words, the defect cause estimation unit 514 determines that the cause of occurrence in the data set that most closely matches the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination unit 513 is the cause of occurrence of the irregularities.

[0042] Furthermore, based on this data set, the repair means selection unit 515 selects a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination unit 513. In other words, the repair means selection unit 515 selects the repair method in the data set that most closely matches the irregularities determined to correspond to defects by the defect determination unit 513 as the recommended repair method (repair means) for the irregularities.

[0043] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display in which the output processing unit 516 displays the processing results of the defect determination unit 513, the defect cause estimation unit 514, and the repair method selection unit 515 in list form on the display 6. This list includes, for irregularities determined by the defect determination unit 513 to correspond to defects, the position of the irregularity from the longitudinal end of the cable 10, the moving speed of the cable 10 at the time of detection of the irregularity, the length of the irregularity in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10, the width of the irregularity in the circumferential direction of the cable 10, the maximum depth / maximum height of the irregularity, the estimated cause of the irregularity, and the repair method selected by the repair method selection unit 515 as display items. Images of the areas surrounding the irregularities in the composite scanned image 40 and words describing the shapes of the irregularities (e.g., "dent," "pick," "surface roughness," "surface crack," etc.) may also be added as list items. If the information processing device 5 can acquire information on processing conditions from the manufacturing device 2, information on the processing conditions at the time the irregularities were detected may also be added as list items.

[0044] Furthermore, a visible light camera may be installed adjacent to the plurality of laser sensors 41-43 to capture an image of the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 at the scanning positions of the plurality of laser sensors 41-43 when irregularities are detected, and the captured image may be stored in the storage unit 52 as captured image data and displayed as an item in the list. Note that the output processing unit 516 may display the list shown in Fig. 10 on the display unit 6, or may print it out using a printer connected to the information processing device 5, or may output it by sending it to another information processing device or a storage medium.

[0045] After the entire length of cable 10 has been wound by winding machine 200, the worker looks at the list displayed on display 6, and if there are any irregularities determined to be defects, they locate the irregularities from their positions on the list and repair them as necessary. If the list includes images of the irregularities taken by the visible light camera, it will be easier for the worker to find the irregularities.

[0046] The worker may also add information about the irregularities displayed in the list to the storage unit 52 as a new data set. In this case, if a different cause of occurrence than the cause displayed in the list is considered to be the cause of occurrence or if a repair method different from the repair method displayed in the list is considered appropriate, the worker's judgment of the cause of occurrence and the repair method are stored in the data set 527 of the storage unit 52. This improves the processing accuracy of the defect cause estimation unit 514 and the repair method selection unit 515. Furthermore, if the worker determines that an irregularity determined to be a defect by the defect determination unit 513 does not actually correspond to a defect, the worker may add information about the irregularity to the storage unit 52 as a new data set with the determination result being "not a defect." This improves the accuracy of the determination result by the defect determination unit 513. The work of adding this new data set can be performed by operating the input device 7 connected to the information processing device 5.

[0047] Furthermore, when a worker disassembles an irregularity determined to be a defect and examines the shape of the irregularity in detail, an image showing the disassembled state may be stored as disassembly image data in the storage unit 52. It is desirable that this disassembly image data be linked to a data set corresponding to the irregularity and stored in the storage unit 52. Recording such disassembly image data can serve as a reference when a worker who manufactures the cable 10 later performs repair work, etc., and can contribute to improving workability, etc.

[0048] (Effects of the first embodiment) According to the first embodiment described above, the image forming unit 511 forms the composite scanned image 40, and the surface condition analysis processing unit 512 detects unevenness using this composite scanned image 40, thereby making it possible to accurately detect unevenness on the outer surface 10a of the cable 10. Furthermore, the defect determination unit 513, the defect cause estimation unit 514, and the repair means selection unit 515 perform their respective processes based on the data set 527 stored in the storage unit 52, making it possible to appropriately determine whether the detected unevenness is a defect that requires repair of the cable 10, estimate the cause of the unevenness, and select a repair means for the defect.

[0049] [Modification of the first embodiment] In the first embodiment, the case where the defect determination step, defect cause estimation step, and repair measure selection step are respectively performed by the defect determination unit 513, defect cause estimation unit 514, and repair measure selection unit 515 of the information processing device 5 has been described, but these determinations, estimations, and selections may also be performed by a person (for example, a manager in the manufacturing or quality control department, or an experienced skilled worker who performs repair work etc. at the manufacturing site). Hereinafter, such a "person" will be referred to as a skilled person.

[0050] Furthermore, the defect determination unit 513 may determine whether or not the irregularities detected in the detection process correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal, and the results of this determination may be verified by an expert, who may then make the final determination as to whether or not the irregularities correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal. In this case, by setting strict criteria for the determination made by the defect determination unit 513 (making it easier to determine that a defect is present), it is possible to prevent defects that require repair or partial removal from being overlooked.

[0051] Alternatively, when the defect determination unit 513 determines whether or not the irregularities detected in the detection process correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal, the initial setting of the defect determination unit 513 may be such that the determination criteria are strict that most of the irregularities detected in the detection process are determined to be "defects," and then the determination criteria performed by the defect determination unit 513 may be gradually relaxed (making it easier to determine that the irregularities are "not defects") depending on the subsequent determination results (verification results) by the skilled person. This prevents defects that require repair or partial removal from being overlooked, and gradually improves the accuracy of the automatic determination by the defect determination unit 513.

[0052] [Second embodiment] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage state of the appearance inspection device 3 according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the appearance inspection device 3 is disposed between the manufacturing device 2 and the winding machine 200, and the appearance inspection of the cable 10 is performed in-line. However, in the second embodiment, the appearance inspection device 3 performs the appearance inspection of the cable 10 offline.

[0053] In the second embodiment, the appearance inspection device 3 is disposed between the payout machine 81 and the winding machine 82, and performs an appearance inspection of the cable 10 that is paid out from the payout machine 81 toward the winding machine 82. A pair of front guide rollers 28 is disposed between the appearance inspection device 3 and the payout machine 81, and a pair of rear guide rollers 29 is disposed between the appearance inspection device 3 and the winding machine 82. The configuration of the appearance inspection device 3 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0054] In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which an operator checks for irregularities and performs repair work after the entire length of cable 10 has been wound by winding machine 200, but in the second embodiment, visual inspection device 3 performs visual inspection of cable 10 offline, so that if irregularities corresponding to defects are detected, movement of cable 10 can be stopped and repair work can be performed in that state. This second embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0055] [Third embodiment] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an appearance inspection system 9 according to a third embodiment. The appearance inspection system 9 includes a plurality of appearance inspection devices 3 and an appearance inspection management device 90 communicatively connected to the plurality of appearance inspection devices 3 via a communication network N. The communication network N is, for example, an Internet communication network. Note that while FIG. 12 shows five appearance inspection devices 3 connected to the communication network N, it is possible to connect fewer than five (for example, one) appearance inspection devices 3 to the communication network N, or more than five appearance inspection devices 3. The appearance inspection system 9 also includes a management terminal 900 configured to be able to communicate with the appearance inspection management device 90 via the communication network N. The management terminal 900 is a terminal device for configuring the appearance inspection management device 90 via the communication network N, and is configured, for example, by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. The inspection results of the appearance inspection devices 3 may also be confirmed on the management terminal 900.

[0056] Each appearance inspection device 3 has the same functions as those described in the first embodiment with reference to Fig. 5, and includes a scanning unit 4 and an information processing device 5, and inspects the appearance of the cable 10, which is the object to be inspected. In addition, the information processing device 5 of each appearance inspection device 3 stores in the memory unit 52 composite scanned image data 522 indicating the composite scanned image 40 formed by the image forming unit 511 of the control unit 51.

[0057] The appearance inspection management device 90 has an image data acquisition processing unit 91 and a storage unit 92 consisting of an HDD or an SSD. The image data acquisition processing unit 91 acquires composite scanned image data 522 representing composite scanned images 40 stored in the storage units 52 of multiple appearance inspection devices 3 from the storage units 52 of the appearance inspection devices 3 via the communication network N, and stores the composite scanned image data 521 in its own storage unit 92. When a transmission request is received from the image data acquisition processing unit 91 of the appearance inspection management device 90, the information processing device 5 of each appearance inspection device 3 transmits the composite scanned image data 522 representing the composite scanned image 40 stored in the storage unit 52 to the appearance inspection management device 90.

[0058] The information processing device 5 of each visual inspection device 3 stores in the storage unit 52 composite scanned image data 522 indicating a composite scanned image 40 including at least irregularities determined by the defect determination unit 513 to have a defect requiring repair or partial removal, among the composite scanned images 40 formed by the image forming unit 511, and transmits this when a transmission request is received from the image data acquisition processing unit 91 of the visual inspection management device 90. Furthermore, the information processing device 5 of each visual inspection device 3 may store in the storage unit 52 a determination result as to whether or not an irregularity included in the composite scanned image 40 is a defect requiring repair or partial removal, an estimation result of the cause of the irregularity, and a selection result of a repair method for the defect, as related data associated with the composite scanned image 40, and transmit the related data indicating these determination results, estimation results, and selection results to the visual inspection management device 90 together with the composite scanned image data 522, which is data indicating the composite scanned image 40.

[0059] A user such as an administrator using the management terminal 900 can check what defects in the cable 10 have been found by each of the appearance inspection devices 3 by, for example, displaying on the display of the management terminal 900 the composite scanned image 40 represented by the composite scanned image data 921 collected from the multiple appearance inspection devices 3, and can make improvements, such as reviewing the manufacturing conditions of the manufacturing device 2. Furthermore, as described above, when the multiple appearance inspection devices 3 transmit related data indicating the determination results, estimation results, and selection results in association with the composite scanned image 40, the appearance inspection management device 90 can utilize this data as big data to improve the manufacturing conditions of the manufacturing device 2 and to improve the accuracy of the determination results, estimation results, and selection results.

[0060] (Summary of the embodiment) Next, the technical ideas grasped from the first to third embodiments explained above will be described by using the reference numerals and the like in the first to third embodiments. However, the reference numerals in the following description do not limit the components in the claims to the members and the like specifically shown in the first to third embodiments.

[0061] [1] A cable manufacturing method comprising: a cable forming step of forming a cable (10) by forming an outer jacket (sheath 12) around a core material; an image forming step of forming a scanned image by scanning the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) with a plurality of laser sensors (41 to 43) while moving the cable (10) in the longitudinal direction; a detection step of detecting irregularities on the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) using the scanned image; and a defect determination step of determining whether the irregularities detected in the detection step correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable (10), wherein the image forming step is a step of forming a synthetic scanned image (40) over the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) by synthesizing distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors (41 to 43) as the scanned image.

[0062] [2] In the defect determination process, the image and feature quantities of the irregularities are used as explanatory variables, and it is determined whether the irregularities detected in the detection process correspond to the defect based on a dataset (527) including the determination result of whether or not there is a defect as a target variable.

[0063] [3] A method for manufacturing a cable according to [1] or [2] above, further comprising a defect cause estimation step of estimating the cause of the irregularities determined by the defect determination step to correspond to the defect, wherein the defect cause estimation step estimates the cause of the irregularities determined by the defect determination step to correspond to the defect based on a dataset (527) including an image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and an estimated cause of the irregularities as a dependent variable.

[0064] [4] A method for manufacturing a cable as described in [1] or [2] above, further comprising a repair means selection step of selecting a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to the defects by the defect determination step, wherein the repair means selection step uses the image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and selects a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to the defects by the defect determination step based on a dataset (527) including the repair means as a target variable.

[0065] [5] A visual inspection device (3) for inspecting the appearance of a cable, the visual inspection device (3) comprising: a plurality of laser sensors (41-43) for scanning an outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) moving in the longitudinal direction; an image forming unit (511) for forming a scanned image of the outer peripheral surface (10a) from information obtained by the plurality of laser sensors (41-43); a surface condition analysis processing unit (512) for detecting irregularities on the outer peripheral surface (10a) by analyzing the scanned image; and a defect determination unit (513) for determining whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit (512) correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable (10), wherein the image forming unit (511) forms a composite scanned image (40) of the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) by combining distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors (41-43) as the scanned image.

[0066] [6] The appearance inspection device (3) described in [5] above, wherein the defect determination unit (513) determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit (512) correspond to the defects based on a dataset (527) including an image and feature quantities of irregularities as explanatory variables and a determination result of whether or not there is a defect as a target variable.

[0067] [7] The visual inspection device (3) according to the above [5] or [6], further comprising a defect cause estimation unit (514) that estimates the cause of occurrence of the irregularities that have been determined by the defect determination unit (513) to correspond to the defect, and the defect cause estimation unit (514) estimates the cause of occurrence of the irregularities that have been determined by the defect determination unit (513) to correspond to the defect based on a dataset (527) that uses the image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and includes the estimated cause of occurrence of the irregularities as a target variable.

[0068] [8] The visual inspection device (3) described in [5] or [6] above, further comprising a repair means selection unit (515) that selects a repair means for the irregularities that have been determined by the defect determination unit (513) to correspond to the defects, and the repair means selection unit (515) selects a repair means for the irregularities that have been determined by the defect determination unit (513) to correspond to the defects based on a dataset (527) that uses the image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and includes the repair means as a target variable.

[0069] [9] A visual inspection management device (90) is provided with a plurality of visual inspection devices (3) each having an image forming unit (511) that forms a scanned image (synthetic scanned image 40) of an outer peripheral surface (10a) of an inspection object (cable 10) moving in a longitudinal direction from information obtained by a plurality of laser sensors (41 to 43) that scan the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the inspection object (10), the outer peripheral surface (10a) being scanned, a surface condition analysis processing unit (512) that detects irregularities on the outer peripheral surface (10a) by analyzing the scanned image (40), and a defect determination unit (513) that determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit (512) correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the inspection object (10), and a visual inspection management device (90) that is communicably connected to the plurality of visual inspection devices (3) via a communication network (N), wherein the image forming unit (511) a visual inspection system (9) in which a composite scanned image (40) of the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface (10a) of the cable (10) is formed as the scanned image by combining distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors (41 to 43); the visual inspection management device (90) has an image data acquisition processing unit (91) that acquires composite scanned image data (522) representing the scanned image (40) from the plurality of visual inspection devices (3) and stores it in a memory unit (92); and the plurality of visual inspection devices (3), when receiving a transmission request from the visual inspection management device (90), transmit to the visual inspection management device (90) the composite scanned image data (522) representing the scanned image (40) including at least the irregularities that the defect determination unit (513) has determined to correspond to the defects.

[0070] Although the first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the first to third embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the first to third embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

[0071] Furthermore, the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 is scanned by a plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43, but this is not a limitation. Alternatively, a visible light camera may be used in combination with the plurality of laser sensors 41 to 43 to detect irregularities on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10. In this case, irregularities occurring on the outer peripheral surface 10a of the cable 10 can be detected more reliably. In addition, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the object to be inspected by the appearance inspection device 3 is the cable 10, but this is not a limitation. A manufactured product other than the cable 10 may also be inspected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10...Cable (test object) 100...Core material 10a...Outer surface 12...Sheath (outer jacket) 2... Manufacturing equipment 3... Visual inspection equipment 40...Synthetic scanning image 41~43...Laser sensor 511: Image forming unit 512: Surface condition analysis processing unit 513: Defect determination unit 514: Defect cause estimation unit 515: Repair means selection unit 516: Output processing unit 522...Synthetic scanned image data 9...Appearance inspection system 91...Image data acquisition processing unit 92...Storage unit

Claims

1. a cable forming step of forming a cable by molding an outer jacket around a core material; an image forming step of forming a scanned image by scanning the outer peripheral surface of the cable with a plurality of laser sensors while moving the cable in a longitudinal direction; a detecting step of detecting irregularities on the outer peripheral surface of the cable using the scanned image; a defect determination step of determining whether the irregularities detected in the detection step correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable, the image forming step is a step of forming a composite scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer surface of the cable by combining distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors as the scanned image; Cable manufacturing method.

2. In the defect determination step, it is determined whether the irregularities detected in the detection step correspond to the defects based on a data set including an image of the irregularities and a feature amount as explanatory variables and a determination result of whether or not the irregularities are defects as a response variable. A method for manufacturing the cable according to claim 1.

3. a defect cause estimation step of estimating a cause of occurrence of the irregularities determined to correspond to the defects in the defect determination step, In the defect cause estimation step, the image and feature quantities of the irregularities are used as explanatory variables, and the cause of the irregularities determined to correspond to the defect in the defect determination step is estimated based on a data set including the estimated cause of the irregularities as a response variable. A method for manufacturing the cable according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a repair means selection step of selecting a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to the defects in the defect determination step, In the repair means selection step, a repair means for the irregularities determined to correspond to the defects in the defect determination step is selected based on a data set including the image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and the repair means as a response variable. A method for manufacturing the cable according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A visual inspection device for inspecting the visual appearance of a cable, a plurality of laser sensors that scan the outer peripheral surface of the cable as it moves in the longitudinal direction; an image forming unit that forms a scanned image of the outer peripheral surface from information obtained by scanning the outer peripheral surface with the plurality of laser sensors; a surface condition analysis processing unit that detects irregularities on the outer peripheral surface by analyzing the scanned image; a defect determination unit that determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the cable, the image forming unit forms, as the scanned image, a composite scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cable, by combining distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors; Visual inspection equipment.

6. the defect determination unit determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit correspond to the defects based on a data set including an image of irregularities and a feature amount as explanatory variables and a determination result of whether or not the irregularities are defects as a response variable. The visual inspection device according to claim 5.

7. a defect cause estimation unit that estimates a cause of occurrence of the irregularities that are determined by the defect determination unit to correspond to the defects, the defect cause estimation unit estimates a cause of occurrence of the irregularities determined by the defect determination unit to correspond to the defect, based on a data set including an image of the irregularities and a feature amount as explanatory variables and an estimated cause of occurrence of the irregularities as a response variable; 7. The visual inspection device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. a repair means selection unit that selects a repair means for the irregularities that are determined by the defect determination unit to correspond to the defects, the repair means selection unit selects a repair means for the irregularities determined by the defect determination unit to correspond to the defect, based on a data set including an image and feature quantities of the irregularities as explanatory variables and a repair means as a response variable; 7. The visual inspection device according to claim 5 or 6.

9. a plurality of appearance inspection devices each having an image forming unit that forms a scanned image of the outer peripheral surface from information obtained by a plurality of laser sensors that scan the outer peripheral surface of an inspection object moving in a longitudinal direction; a surface condition analysis processing unit that detects irregularities on the outer peripheral surface by analyzing the scanned image; and a defect determination unit that determines whether the irregularities detected by the surface condition analysis processing unit correspond to defects that require repair or partial removal of the inspection object; a visual inspection management device communicably connected to the plurality of visual inspection devices via a communication network, the image forming unit of each of the plurality of visual inspection devices forms, as the scanned image, a composite scanned image of the entire circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cable, which is a composite of distance measurement results obtained from the plurality of laser sensors; the visual inspection management device has an image data acquisition processing unit that acquires composite scanned image data representing the scanned images from the plurality of visual inspection devices and stores the composite scanned image data in a storage unit; When a transmission request is received from the management device for visual inspection, the plurality of visual inspection devices transmit to the management device for visual inspection the composite scanned image data indicating the scanned image including at least the irregularities that the defect determination unit has determined to correspond to the defects. Visual inspection system.

Images