Inspection support device and inspection support method

Abstract

A challenge when injecting liquid using an injection container is to efficiently determine the quality of any remaining liquid. [Solution] The inspection support device 10 captures an image using the imaging device 13. The inspection support device 10 then turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14, irradiates with ultraviolet light, and captures a fluorescence image. The inspection support device 10 then divides the two images, the image and the fluorescence image, to generate a divided image. Subsequently, the inspection support device 10 binarizes the divided image to generate a judgment image, and determines the quality of the remaining liquid L from the judgment image. Specifically, if the diameter D is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the remaining liquid L is determined to be defective, and if the diameter D is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the remaining liquid L is determined to be good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection support device and an inspection support method capable of efficiently determining the quality of residual liquid when injecting a liquid using an injection container.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique is known that captures an image using the fluorescence phenomenon of an inspection object and detects the inspection object from the captured image. For example, in Patent Document 1, excitation light that generates fluorescence of an inspection object is irradiated onto a liquid containing microalgae as an inspection object, the fluorescence of the microalgae is detected, and a filter that absorbs the fluorescence of bacteria contained in the liquid is provided to detect only the microalgae.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for irradiating excitation light onto oil that has flowed out to the sea, acquiring an image in which the oil fluoresces, detecting the oil outflow area, and removing the influence of the reflected light image of the sea surface by turning on / off the excitation light and acquiring the difference between the respective images with the excitation light turned on / off. In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for capturing only an excitation image by excluding the reflected light of the excitation light.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3 detect the object to be inspected using an image of fluorescence excited by excitation light, and do not determine whether the detected object is good or bad. For example, when filling a storage battery with electrolyte using an electrolyte injection container, it is necessary to determine whether the electrolyte has been properly filled based on the amount of electrolyte remaining in the injection container, but the above-mentioned Patent Documents cannot perform such a determination.

[0006] The present invention was made to solve the problems (issues) of the above-mentioned prior art, and aims to provide an inspection support device and inspection support method that can efficiently determine the quality of residual liquid when injecting liquid using an injection container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides an inspection support device for determining the quality of residual electrolyte when an electrolyte is injected into a predetermined storage battery using an injection container, the device comprising: an imaging unit for capturing an image of the residual electrolyte; an excitation light irradiation unit for irradiating the residual electrolyte with excitation light to cause fluorescence; a wavelength transmission filter that blocks the excitation light irradiated by the excitation light irradiation unit while transmitting the fluorescence wavelength of the residual electrolyte; and a determination unit for determining the quality of the residual electrolyte based on an image captured in a white light environment and a fluorescence image captured in an environment irradiated with the excitation light.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention further comprises a division processing unit that performs division between an image captured in a white light environment and a fluorescence image captured in an environment irradiated with excitation light, and a binarization processing unit that generates a binary image based on the image after the division processing, wherein the determination unit determines the quality of the remaining liquid based on the binary image.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the division processing unit divides the pixel value of the pixel that forms the fluorescence image captured in the environment irradiated with the excitation light by the pixel value of the pixel that forms the image captured in the white light environment corresponding to the pixel that forms the fluorescence image.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the determination unit calculates the diameter of the region in which the pixel value of the pixels forming the binary image is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold based on the number of pixels, and determines that the residual liquid L is good if the diameter is less than or equal to a predetermined diameter threshold, and determines that the residual liquid L is poor if the diameter is greater than the predetermined diameter threshold.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention further comprises, in the above invention, a background image data set by dividing the pixel values ​​of pixels that form the fluorescence image, which is captured in an environment where the excitation light is irradiated without injecting the electrolyte into the injection container, by the pixel values ​​of pixels that form an image captured in a white light environment corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image, and an image processing unit that divides the divided image data generated by the division processing unit by the background image data, wherein the binarization processing unit performs binarization processing based on the image generated by the image processing unit.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an inspection support method for an inspection support device that determines the quality of residual liquid when an electrolyte is injected into a predetermined storage battery using an injection container, the method comprising: an imaging means for capturing an image of the residual liquid; an excitation light irradiation means for irradiating the residual liquid with excitation light to cause fluorescence; and a determination means for determining the quality of the residual liquid based on an image captured in a white light environment and a fluorescence image captured in an environment irradiated with excitation light, using a wavelength transmission filter that transmits the fluorescence wavelength of the residual liquid while blocking the excitation light irradiated by the excitation light irradiation means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, when injecting a liquid using an injection container, the quality of the remaining liquid can be efficiently determined.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an inspection support apparatus according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the wavelength transmission filter shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the transmission band of the wavelength transmission filter shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining image processing of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the quality of the remaining liquid of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an inspection support apparatus according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining image processing of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining generation of a determination image of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the inspection support apparatus shown in FIG. 9.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of an inspection support apparatus and an inspection support method according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0016] [Embodiment 1] <Overview of Inspection Support Device 10> An overview of the inspection support device 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the inspection support device 10 according to Embodiment 1. Here, the case in which ultraviolet light is used as the excitation light will be described.

[0017] The inspection support device 10 according to this embodiment 1 is a device that determines whether or not the electrolyte has been correctly filled into the storage battery 60 when the electrolyte is being filled into the storage battery 60, based on the state of the remaining electrolyte L remaining in the injection container (hereinafter referred to as "container 50") used when filling the electrolyte. Specifically, the remaining electrolyte L is imaged by the imaging device 13, the state of the remaining electrolyte L is detected based on the imaged image, and the quality of the remaining electrolyte L is determined based on the state of the remaining electrolyte L.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1(a), the inspection support device 10 is connected to an imaging device 13 and an ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 (corresponding to the "excitation light irradiation unit" in the claim). The imaging device 13 has an imaging unit 13a and a wavelength transmission filter 13b. The imaging unit 13a is a camera capable of imaging light in multiple wavelength bands of visible light. The wavelength transmission filter 13b is an optical filter that transmits light in a specific wavelength band from the wavelength bands of visible light and blocks light in other wavelength bands. The ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is a device that irradiates ultraviolet light to be used as excitation light to fluoresce the electrolyte.

[0019] The inspection support device 10 captures an image using the imaging device 13 (S1). Then, the inspection support device 10 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 and irradiates with ultraviolet light (S2). After that, the inspection support device 10 captures a fluorescence image using the imaging device 13 (S3). Here, the fluorescence image is an image captured when the container 50 and the remaining liquid L have fluoresced due to irradiation with ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14.

[0020] The inspection support device 10 then divides the two images, the image and the fluorescence image, to generate a divided image (S4). Specifically, the pixel values ​​of the pixels forming the fluorescence image are divided by the pixel values ​​of the pixels in the image corresponding to the pixels in the fluorescence image. After that, the inspection support device 10 performs a binarization process on the divided image to generate a determination image (corresponding to the "binary image" in the claim) (S5). Binarization is a process in which, for example, if the pixel value ratio of each pixel in the divided image is greater than a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, the pixel value is set to 255, and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, the pixel value is set to 0.

[0021] Subsequently, the inspection support device 10 determines the quality of the remaining liquid L from the judgment image (S6). Specifically, it calculates the size of the region in the judgment image where the pixel value is greater than a predetermined threshold from the number of pixels. Here, the diameter D of the region where the pixel value is greater than a predetermined threshold is calculated.

[0022] Then, as shown in Figure 1(b), the inspection support device 10 determines that the residual liquid L is defective if the diameter D is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold Dth, and as shown in Figure 1(c), determines that the residual liquid L is good if the diameter D is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold Dth.

[0023] <Configuration of the inspection support device 10> Next, the configuration of the inspection support device 10 shown in Figure 1 will be described. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection support device 10 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the inspection support device 10 has a storage unit 15 and a control unit 16, and is connected to a display unit 11, an input unit 12, an imaging device 13, and an ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14. The display unit 11 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various information. The input unit 12 is an input device such as a mouse or keyboard.

[0024] The imaging device 13 comprises an imaging unit 13a and a wavelength transmission filter 13b. The imaging unit 13a is a camera capable of capturing light in multiple wavelength bands of visible light using an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor).

[0025] The wavelength transmission filter 13b is an optical filter that transmits light in a specific wavelength range within the visible light spectrum and blocks light in other wavelength ranges. The wavelength transmission filter 13b is realized by applying an optical thin film to optical glass or colored glass.

[0026] The ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is a device for irradiating light in the ultraviolet wavelength range as excitation light to cause the container 50 and the remaining liquid L to fluoresce. For example, an LED can be used as the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14. Alternatively, discharge lamps such as high-pressure mercury lamps and low-pressure mercury lamps may be used.

[0027] The storage unit 15 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and stores image data 15a, fluorescence image data 15b, division image data 15c, and judgment image data 15d. Image data 15a is data of an image captured using the imaging unit 13a when white light (ambient light) is irradiated. Fluorescence image data 15b is data of an image captured using the imaging unit 13a when the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is turned on.

[0028] The division image data 15c is image data generated by calculating the pixel value ratio by dividing the pixel values ​​of multiple pixels that make up the fluorescence image data 15b by the pixel values ​​of the pixels in image data 15a that correspond to each pixel that makes up the fluorescence image data 15b. The judgment image data 15d is image data obtained by binarizing the pixel value ratio of multiple pixels that make up the division image data 15c.

[0029] The control unit 16 is a control unit that controls the entire inspection support device 10, and includes an irradiation control unit 16a, an imaging processing unit 16b, a division processing unit 16c, a binarization processing unit 16d, and a determination unit 16e. In practice, by loading these programs into the CPU and executing them, the irradiation control unit 16a, the imaging processing unit 16b, the division processing unit 16c, the binarization processing unit 16d, and the determination unit 16e are made to execute the processes corresponding to each of them.

[0030] The irradiation control unit 16a is a control unit that controls the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 to turn the irradiation of ultraviolet light on and off. The imaging processing unit 16b is a processing unit that captures images using the imaging unit 13a of the imaging device 13. Specifically, when the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is off, the captured image is stored as image data 15a in the storage unit 15, and when the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is on, the captured image is stored as fluorescence image data 15b.

[0031] The division processing unit 16c is a processing unit that calculates a pixel value ratio by dividing the pixel value of each of the multiple pixels that make up the fluorescence image data 15b by the pixel value of the pixel that makes up the corresponding image data 15a that makes up each pixel that makes up the fluorescence image data 15b, and stores the resulting divided image data 15c in the storage unit 15. If the image data 15a and the fluorescence image data 15b are monochrome images, the division processing unit 16c performs the division using the pixel values ​​of the pixels that make up each respective image.

[0032] Furthermore, if the image data 15a and the fluorescence image data 15b are color images, the division processing unit 16c may calculate the pixel values ​​using the pixel values ​​(R, G, B) of all pixels in the color image and then perform the division. Here, the pixel values ​​can be calculated, for example, using the NTSC (National Television Standard Committee) coefficients, with the formula pixel = 0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B.

[0033] The binarization processing unit 16d reads the division image data 15c from the storage unit 15, binarizes the pixel value ratio of each pixel forming the division image data 15c based on a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, and stores it in the storage unit 15 as judgment image data 15d.

[0034] The determination unit 16e is a processing unit that determines the quality of the remaining liquid L based on the determination image data 15d. Specifically, it calculates the diameter of the region where the pixel value of the pixels forming the determination image data 15d is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, based on the number of pixels. If the diameter is less than or equal to a predetermined diameter threshold, it determines that the remaining liquid L is in good condition. If the diameter is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold, it determines that the remaining liquid L is in poor condition.

[0035] Furthermore, the determination unit 16e may use the divided image data 15c to calculate the diameter of the region where the pixel value ratio of the pixels forming the divided image data 15c is equal to or greater than a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, based on the number of pixels. If the diameter is less than or equal to a predetermined diameter threshold, it may determine that the residual liquid L is good. If the diameter is greater than the predetermined diameter threshold, it may determine that the residual liquid L is poor.

[0036] <Overview of Wavelength Transmission Filter 13b> Next, we will describe the overview of the wavelength transmission filter 13b shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the overview of the wavelength transmission filter 13b shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the wavelength transmission filter 13b is a filter that transmits light in a specific wavelength band and blocks light in other wavelength bands. Here, we will describe the case when the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 is ON and ultraviolet light is being irradiated.

[0037] The wavelength transmission filter 13b does not transmit light in the wavelength range of reflected light R1, which is reflected off the surface of the container 50 from ultraviolet light U1 irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14. On the other hand, the wavelength transmission filter 13b transmits light in the wavelength range of fluorescence F1 emitted by the residual liquid L due to ultraviolet light U2 irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14, and this light is captured by the imaging unit 13a.

[0038] Furthermore, the wavelength transmission filter 13b transmits light in the fluorescence F2 wavelength band, which is different from the fluorescence F1 wavelength band of the residual liquid L emitted from the container 50 by ultraviolet light U3 irradiated from the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14, but which is the same as the fluorescence F1 wavelength band, and is imaged by the imaging unit 13a.

[0039] Therefore, the bandwidth of the wavelength transmission filter 13b is set to transmit the wavelength band of fluorescence F1 of the residual liquid L, as shown in Figure 4. Here, it is set to transmit light in the wavelength band from wavelength λ1 to wavelength λ2 and block light in other wavelength bands. As a result, the wavelength transmission filter 13b transmits light in the wavelength band of fluorescence F1 of the residual liquid L, allowing the imaging unit 13a to capture an image of the residual liquid L, while blocking fluorescence F2 in the region with a large fluorescence amount among the light in the wavelength band of fluorescence F2 emitted from the container 50, etc.

[0040] <Image processing by the inspection support device 10> Next, the image processing of the inspection support device 10 shown in Figure 2 will be explained. Figure 5 shows an example of an image captured by the inspection support device 10 shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 5(a), the inspection support device 10 first captures an image of the container 50 and the remaining liquid L inside the container with the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 turned off.

[0041] Then, as shown in Figure 5(b), the inspection support device 10 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 and captures a fluorescence image of the container 50 and the remaining liquid L in a state of fluorescence due to ultraviolet light irradiation. The pixel value of each pixel that forms the fluorescence image when ultraviolet light is irradiated is higher than the pixel value of each pixel that forms the image when ultraviolet light is not irradiated, due to the fluorescence of the container 50 and the remaining liquid L.

[0042] Figure 6(a) shows the pixel value distribution of each image pixel in the X-axis direction along the vertical axis Yn, where the vertical direction is the Y-axis and the horizontal direction is the X-axis for the pixel positions of the captured image and the fluorescence image. Here, the pixel value of each pixel in the image is shown by a solid line, and the pixel value of each pixel in the fluorescence image is shown by a dotted line. The inspection support device 10 performs division processing based on the pixel values ​​of the image and the fluorescence image. As shown in Figure 6(b), the pixel value ratio has the characteristic of becoming larger near the center Xc of the container 50. The inspection support device 10 performs division processing on all pixels in the image and the fluorescence image.

[0043] <Determination of remaining liquid volume (L)> Next, the inspection support device 10's determination of the quality of the residual liquid L will be explained. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the quality of the residual liquid L as shown in Figure 2 by the inspection support device 10. As shown in Figure 7(a), the inspection support device 10 calculates the diameter D of the region where the pixel values ​​are greater than the predetermined threshold in the binary image obtained by performing a binarization process on the divided image based on a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold. The diameter D is calculated based on the number of pixels whose pixel values ​​are greater than the predetermined threshold.

[0044] The inspection support device 10 determines that the residual liquid L is defective if the diameter D is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold Dth. Also, as shown in Figure 7(b), the device determines that the residual liquid L is good if the diameter D is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold Dth.

[0045] <Processing procedure of inspection support device 10> Next, the processing procedure of the inspection support device 10 will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the inspection support device 10 as shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 8, the inspection support device 10 captures an image using the imaging device 13 when white light (ambient light) is irradiated (step S101).

[0046] Then, the inspection support device 10 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit and irradiates with ultraviolet light (step S102). After that, the inspection support device 10 uses the imaging device 13 to capture a fluorescence image (step S103). Then, the inspection support device 10 divides the pixel values ​​of all pixels that form the fluorescence image by the pixel values ​​of the image pixels corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image, and generates a divided image (step S104).

[0047] Subsequently, the inspection support device 10 performs a binarization process on all pixels of the division image to generate a determination image (step S105). Then, the inspection support device 10 determines the diameter based on the determination image (step S106). After that, the inspection support device 10 determines whether the diameter is less than or equal to a predetermined diameter threshold (step S107).

[0048] The inspection support device 10 determines that the residual liquid L is good if the diameter is below a predetermined diameter threshold (step S107: Yes) (step S108). Conversely, the inspection support device 10 determines that the residual liquid L is poor if the diameter is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold (step S107: No) (step S109).

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment 1, the inspection support device 10 captures an image using the imaging device 13. The inspection support device 10 then turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14, irradiates with ultraviolet light, and captures a fluorescence image. The inspection support device 10 then divides the two images, the image and the fluorescence image, to generate a divided image. Subsequently, the inspection support device 10 binarizes the divided image to generate a judgment image, and determines the quality of the remaining liquid L from the judgment image. Specifically, if the diameter D is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the remaining liquid L is determined to be defective, and if the diameter D is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the remaining liquid L is determined to be good.

[0050] In the above embodiment 1, the inspection support device 10 was described in the case of determining the diameter D of the residual liquid L. However, for the region in the judgment image where the pixel value is above a predetermined threshold, the maximum value of the dimension in the X-axis direction and the maximum value of the dimension in the Y-axis direction may be determined, and if the larger of the two dimension values ​​is less than or equal to the predetermined dimension threshold, the residual liquid L may be determined to be good, and if it is not less than or equal to the predetermined dimension threshold, the residual liquid L may be determined to be poor.

[0051] [Embodiment 2] By the way, in Embodiment 1 described above, the inspection support device 10 generates a judgment image by performing a binarization process on the division image and determines whether the remaining liquid L is good or bad based on the judgment image. However, in Embodiment 2, the inspection support device 20 removes the influence of the background by further dividing the division image by the background image, then performs a binarization process to generate a judgment image, and determines whether the remaining liquid L is good or bad based on the judgment image.

[0052] <Configuration of the inspection support device 20> Figure 9 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection support device 20 according to Embodiment 2. Parts equivalent to those in the inspection support device 10 according to Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0053] As shown in Figure 9, the inspection support device 20 has a storage unit 25 and a control unit 26, and is connected to a display unit 11, an input unit 12, an imaging device 13, and an ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14.

[0054] The storage unit 25 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and stores image data 15a, fluorescence image data 15b, division image data 15c, background image data 25a, processing image data 25b, and determination image data 25c. The background image data 25a is obtained by capturing an image under white light (ambient light) and a fluorescence image under ultraviolet light irradiation when the residual liquid L is not in the container 50, and dividing the pixel values ​​of multiple pixels that form the fluorescence image by the pixel values ​​of the pixels that form the image data corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image.

[0055] The processed image data 25b is data obtained by dividing the pixel value ratio of all pixels contained in the division image data 15c by the pixel value ratio of the pixels contained in the background image data 25a corresponding to the pixels in the division image data 15c. The determination image data 25c is data obtained by performing a binarization process on the pixel value ratio of all pixels contained in the processed image data 25b based on a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold.

[0056] The control unit 26 is a control unit that controls the entire inspection support device 10, and includes an irradiation control unit 16a, an imaging processing unit 16b, a division processing unit 16c, a determination unit 16e, an image processing unit 26a, and a binarization processing unit 26b. In practice, by loading these programs into the CPU and executing them, the irradiation control unit 16a, the imaging processing unit 16b, the division processing unit 16c, the determination unit 16e, the image processing unit 26a, and the binarization processing unit 26b are made to execute the processes corresponding to each of them.

[0057] The image processing unit 26a is a processing unit that divides the pixel value ratio of all pixels contained in the division image data 15c by the pixel value ratio of all pixels contained in the background image data 25a corresponding to the pixels in the division image data 15c, and stores the result as processed image data 25b in the storage unit 25.

[0058] The binarization processing unit 26b is a processing unit that performs binarization processing on the pixel value ratio of all pixels included in the processed image data 25b based on a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, and stores it in the storage unit 25 as judgment image data 25c.

[0059] <Image processing by the inspection support device 20> Next, the image processing of the inspection support device 20 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the image processing of the inspection support device 20 shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 10, the inspection support device 20 generates background image data 25a in advance. Specifically, the inspection support device 20 captures image data 15a in white light (ambient light) using the imaging device 13 when the residual liquid L is not in the container 50 (see Figure 10(a)).

[0060] Then, when the residual liquid L is not in the container 50, the inspection support device 20 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 and captures fluorescence image data 15b with the imaging device 13 (see Figure 10(b)). Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 calculates the pixel value ratio of all pixels by dividing the pixel values ​​of all pixels in the fluorescence image data 15b when the residual liquid L is not in the container 50 by the pixel values ​​of the pixels in the image data 15a when the residual liquid L is not present that correspond to the pixels in the fluorescence image data 15b when the residual liquid L is not in the container 50, and generates background image data 25a (see Figure 10(c)).

[0061] Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 injects electrolyte into the container 50 and fills the storage battery 60 with the electrolyte, and then captures image data 15a in white light (ambient light) with the imaging device 13 (see Figure 10(d)). Then, the inspection support device 20 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14 and captures fluorescence image data 15b with the imaging device 13 (see Figure 10(e)).

[0062] Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 calculates the pixel value ratio of all pixels by dividing the pixel value of all pixels contained in the fluorescence image data 15b by the pixel value of the corresponding pixel in the image data 15a, and generates the divided image data 15c (see Figure 10(f)).

[0063] The inspection support device 20 then divides the pixel value ratio of all pixels in the divided image data 15c by the pixel value ratio of the pixels in the background image data 25a corresponding to the pixels in the divided image data 15c, thereby generating processed image data 25b (see Figure 11(a)). Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 performs a binarization process on the pixel value ratio of the pixels in the processed image data 25b based on a predetermined pixel value ratio threshold, thereby generating judgment image data 25c (see Figure 11(b)).

[0064] <Processing procedure of the inspection support device 20> Next, the processing procedure of the inspection support device 20 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the inspection support device 20 shown in Figure 9. It is assumed that the background image data 25a has been generated in advance. As shown in Figure 12, the inspection support device 20 captures an image using the imaging device 13 in the state of white light (ambient light) (step S201).

[0065] Then, the inspection support device 20 turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit and irradiates with ultraviolet light (step S202). After that, the inspection support device 20 uses the imaging device 13 to capture a fluorescence image (step S203). Then, the inspection support device 20 divides the pixel values ​​of all pixels that form the fluorescence image by the pixel values ​​of the image pixels corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image, and generates a divided image (step S204).

[0066] Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 divides the pixel value ratio of all pixels included in the divided image data 15c by the pixel value ratio of the pixels in the background image data 25a corresponding to the pixels in the divided image data 15c, and generates processed image data 25b (step S205).

[0067] Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 performs binarization on all pixels included in the processed image data 25b to generate a determination image (step S206). Then, the inspection support device 20 determines the diameter based on the determination image (step S207). After that, the inspection support device 20 determines whether the diameter is less than or equal to a predetermined diameter threshold (step S208).

[0068] The inspection support device 20 determines that the residual liquid L is good if the diameter is below a predetermined diameter threshold (step S208: Yes) (step S209). Conversely, the inspection support device 20 determines that the residual liquid L is poor if the diameter is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold (step S208: No) (step S210).

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment 2, the inspection support device 20 generates a background image based on an image taken in white light (ambient light) when the container 50 is empty of residual liquid L and a fluorescence image taken when ultraviolet light is irradiated when the container 50 is empty of residual liquid L. The inspection support device 20 then takes an image using the imaging device 13. The inspection support device 20 then turns on the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 14, irradiates with ultraviolet light, and takes a fluorescence image. The inspection support device 20 then divides the two images, the image and the fluorescence image, to generate a divided image. Subsequently, the inspection support device 20 divides the divided image using the background image to generate a processed image. The inspection support device 20 then binarizes the processed image to generate a judgment image and determines whether the residual liquid L is good or bad from the judgment image. Specifically, if the diameter D is greater than a predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the residual liquid L is determined to be of poor quality, and if the diameter D is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold Dth, the residual liquid L is determined to be of good quality.

[0070] Although embodiments 1 and 2 described above describe the use of an electrolyte as the liquid, the present invention is not limited thereto and can also be applied to liquids that exhibit fluorescent properties. Furthermore, even if the liquid itself does not have fluorescent properties, the present invention can be applied by adding a fluorescent substance to the liquid to give it fluorescent properties.

[0071] The configurations illustrated in each of the above embodiments are functional schematics and do not necessarily have to be physically represented as shown. In other words, the distributed and integrated forms of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. [Industrial applicability]

[0072] The inspection support device and inspection support method according to the present invention are suitable for efficiently determining the quality of residual liquid when injecting a liquid. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0073] 10. Inspection support device 11 Display section 12 Input section 13 Imaging device 13a Imaging unit 13b Wavelength transmission filter 14 Ultraviolet light irradiation section 15 Storage section 15a Image data 15b Fluorescence image data 15c Processed image data 15d judgment image data 16 Control Unit 16a Irradiation control unit 16b Imaging Processing Unit 16c Division Processing Unit 16d Binarization Processing Unit 16e Judgment section 20 Inspection support device 25 Memory section 25a Background image data 25b Processed image data 25c judgment image data 26 Control Unit 26a Image Processing Unit 26b Binarization Processing Unit 50 containers 60 Battery L Residual liquid F1, F2 fluorescence R1 Reflected light U1, U2, U3 ultraviolet light

Claims

1. An inspection support device for determining the quality of residual electrolyte when injecting electrolyte into a predetermined storage battery using an injection container, using an image of the residual electrolyte remaining in the injection container, An imaging unit for capturing an image of the remaining liquid, An excitation light irradiation unit that irradiates the remaining liquid with excitation light to cause it to fluoresce, A wavelength-transmitting filter that blocks the excitation light irradiated by the excitation light irradiation unit while transmitting the fluorescence wavelength of the remaining liquid, A determination unit that determines the quality of the remaining liquid based on an image taken in a white light environment and a fluorescence image taken in an environment irradiated with the excitation light. An inspection support device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. A division processing unit that performs division between an image captured in the white light environment and a fluorescence image captured in the environment irradiated with the excitation light, A binarization processing unit that generates a binary image based on an image that has undergone division processing, and Furthermore, The determination unit, The inspection support device according to claim 1, characterized in that it determines the quality of the remaining liquid based on the binary image.

3. The division processing unit is, The pixel values ​​of the pixels that form the fluorescence image captured in the environment irradiated with the excitation light are divided by the pixel values ​​of the pixels that form the image captured in the environment of white light, corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image. The inspection support device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

4. The determination unit, The diameter of the region where the pixel value of the pixels forming the binary image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold is calculated based on the number of pixels. If the diameter is less than or equal to the predetermined diameter threshold, the residual liquid L is determined to be good. If the diameter is greater than the predetermined diameter threshold, the residual liquid L is determined to be poor. The inspection support device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

5. Background image data is set by dividing the pixel values ​​of the pixels that form the fluorescence image, captured in an environment where the excitation light is irradiated without injecting the electrolyte into the injection container, by the pixel values ​​of the pixels that form the image captured in the white light environment corresponding to the pixels that form the fluorescence image. The system further includes an image processing unit that divides the division image data generated by the division processing unit by the background image data, The binarization processing unit performs binarization processing based on the image generated by the image processing unit. The inspection support device according to claim 2, characterized by the following:

6. An inspection support method for an inspection support device that determines the quality of residual electrolyte when injecting electrolyte into a predetermined storage battery using an injection container, using an image of the residual electrolyte remaining in the injection container, An imaging means for capturing an image of the remaining liquid, An excitation light irradiation means for irradiating the remaining liquid with excitation light to cause fluorescence, A determination means for determining the quality of the remaining liquid based on an image captured in a white light environment and a fluorescence image captured in an environment irradiated with the excitation light, using a wavelength transmission filter that blocks the excitation light irradiated by the excitation light irradiation means while transmitting the fluorescence wavelength of the remaining liquid. A testing support method characterized by including the following.

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