Inspection equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides an inspection device that is advantageous for placing defective electronic components into a collection container from among several collection containers that corresponds to the specific defective item. [Solution] The inspection image analysis unit, based on the analysis of the inspection image, determines a representative defect item to be assigned to the electronic component from among the applicable defect items if at least one of the multiple defect items is found to be an electronic component (S7). If two or more defect items are found to be an electronic component, the representative defect item to be assigned to the electronic component is determined based on priority information that defines the priority of the multiple defect items. The device control unit controls the recovery device so that the electronic component is stored in the recovery container associated with the determined representative defect item from among the multiple recovery containers (S8-S12).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus for electronic components. [Background Art]

[0002] In the appearance inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, appearance inspection is performed based on captured images of six surfaces of a work conveyed in accordance with rotation of a conveying table, and the work is discharged into a storage box according to the result of the appearance inspection. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-165712 [Summary of Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] With the appearance inspection apparatus as described above, electronic components in which a defect is detected as a result of appearance inspection and electronic components in which no defect is detected can be discharged into separate storage boxes from each other.

[0005] However, since electronic components in which a defect is detected are discharged into a common storage box regardless of the type or location of the defect, it is not possible to grasp what kind of defect the electronic components in the storage box actually have.

[0006] It is also assumed that one electronic component corresponds to a plurality of defect items, and in such a case, it is not easy to determine how to associate the electronic component with the defect items.

[0007] The present disclosure provides an advantageous technique for accommodating an electronic component in which a defect is detected in a collection container corresponding to the relevant defect item among a plurality of collection containers. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus comprising: an inspection imaging unit that acquires an image of an electronic component as an inspection image; an inspection image analysis unit that analyzes the inspection image to detect whether the electronic component falls under at least one of a plurality of defect items; a recovery storage unit having a plurality of recovery storage containers; a recovery device that sends the electronic component toward the recovery storage unit; and a device control unit that controls the recovery device based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit, wherein the inspection image analysis unit determines a representative defect item to be assigned to the electronic component from among the applicable defect items if, as a result of the analysis of the inspection image, the electronic component falls under at least one of a plurality of defect items; if two or more defect items fall under the electronic component, the representative defect item to be assigned to the electronic component is determined based on priority information that defines the priority of the plurality of defect items; and the device control unit controls the recovery device so that the electronic component is stored in the recovery storage container associated with the determined representative defect item from among the plurality of recovery storage containers.

[0009] Multiple defect items are distinguished based on the type of defect and the location of the defect in the electronic component. The inspection imaging unit acquires multiple inspection images for each electronic component. The inspection image analysis unit analyzes each of the multiple inspection images. For each of the multiple inspection images, the device control unit, based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit, determines a representative image defect item based on priority information if at least one or more of the multiple defect items involve an electronic component. Alternatively, the device control unit may determine a representative defect item from among the representative image defect items for each of the multiple inspection images based on priority information.

[0010] The inspection device includes a component detection sensor that detects whether or not an electronic component is positioned in a reference location, and the multiple recovery containers include a recovery container for uninspected items. The device control unit may control the recovery device so that electronic components that the component detection sensor indicates are not positioned in the reference location are collected in the recovery container for uninspected items.

[0011] The inspection imaging unit acquires an image of the imaging area as an inspection image, and the multiple recovery containers include a recovery container for uninspected items. The inspection image includes an inspection image area, which is an image of the imaging inspection area within the imaging area, and a peripheral inspection image area, which is an image of the imaging peripheral area within the imaging area. The device control unit may control the recovery device so that the two or more electronic components are contained in the recovery container for uninspected items if the result of the inspection image analysis by the inspection image analysis unit indicates that the inspection image area contains inspection images of two or more electronic components. The device control unit may also control the recovery device so that the electronic components in the inspection image are contained in the recovery container for uninspected items if the result of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit indicates that the peripheral inspection image area contains an image of an electronic component or a foreign object.

[0012] The priority of multiple defective items, as determined by priority information, may be changeable by the user.

[0013] Multiple defective items may be determined by the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to this disclosure, it is advantageous to house the electronic component in which a defect has been detected in one of several recovery containers in the recovery container corresponding to the specific defect item. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of an inspection device. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a parts recovery device (particularly a pair of recovery devices and a recovery container). [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the inspection device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an inspection method performed by the inspection equipment shown in Figures 1 to 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the inspection method for the first modified example. [Figure 6] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a captured image (imaging area) for explaining the inspection method according to the first modification. [Figure 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a captured image (imaging area) for explaining the inspection method according to the first modification. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In the following description, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are based on the conveyance of a work (electronic component) W unless otherwise specified.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of the inspection apparatus 10.

[0019] The inspection apparatus 10 includes a conveyance device 12 that conveys a work W along a conveyance path P, inspection imaging units 21 to 26 that image the work W moving along the conveyance path P, a component recovery device 29 that recovers the work W from the conveyance device 12, and a control unit 50.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the work W is formed of an electronic component. For example, a capacitor such as an MLCC (Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor) is inspected as the work W by the inspection apparatus 10 and recovered by the component recovery device 29. The work W of this example has a rectangular parallelepiped (hexahedral) shape as a whole, and includes a non-metallic (specifically, ceramic) base body and metallic (for example, copper, nickel or tin) electrodes provided at both ends of the base body. However, the work W can be configured in any other shape and any other configuration (material).

[0021] The transport device 12 in this example has a transport drive shaft 12a and a transport table (a transparent glass table in this example) 12b that is continuously rotated by the transport drive shaft 12a. By rotating the transport table 12b around the transport drive shaft 12a, a large number of workpieces W are supplied to the transport device 12 by successively placing workpieces W from the parts supply unit 15 onto the upper surface (transport surface) of the transport table 12b.

[0022] The workpieces W placed on the transport table 12b are aligned on the transport path P by the part alignment device 18, and the part detection sensor 19 detects whether they are properly positioned on the transport path (reference position) P. The transport path P is a circular path set near the outer edge of the circular upper surface of the transport table 12b. The part alignment device 18 positions each workpiece W on the transport path P and corrects the position and orientation of each workpiece W on the transport table 12b immediately after being supplied to the transport table 12b from the part supply unit 15, so that each workpiece W takes on a desired orientation on the transport table 12b. The part alignment device 18 may also apply a voltage to each workpiece W and attract each workpiece W to the upper surface (transport path P) of the transport table 12b by electrostatic attraction.

[0023] The inspection imaging units 21-26 are located downstream of the parts alignment device 18 and the parts detection sensor 19, and acquire images of the workpieces W located on the transport path (reference position) P as inspection images used for visual inspection of the workpieces W. In this example, multiple (six) inspection imaging units (cameras; 1st inspection imaging unit 21 to 6th inspection imaging unit 26) are arranged along the transport path P from upstream to downstream, and images of each workpiece W located on the transport path (reference position) P are taken from multiple directions (up, down, left, right, front, and back), thereby acquiring images of the six faces of each workpiece W (multiple inspection images). The lower surface of each workpiece W (i.e., the surface in contact with the transport table 12b) is imaged through the transparent transport device 12 by an inspection imaging unit located below the transport device 12 (for example, the 6th inspection imaging unit 26).

[0024] The parts recovery device 29 includes a recovery and storage unit 30 equipped with a plurality of recovery containers 31 to 34, and recovery devices 36 to 39 that send each workpiece W on the transport device 12 to the corresponding recovery container 31 to 34 of the recovery and storage unit 30, and recovers the workpiece W on the transport table 12b. In this example, a good product box 31, a first defective product box 32, a second defective product box 33, and an uninspected product box 34 are provided as recovery containers, and a first recovery device 36 to a fourth recovery device 39 are provided, each of these recovery containers 31 to 34.

[0025] The first retrieval device 36 ejects air to selectively blow away workpieces W classified as "good products" (those without external defects) towards the good product box 31, based on the analysis of the inspection images. The second retrieval device 37 ejects air to selectively blow away workpieces W classified as "defective products (especially first-class defective products)" (those with external defects) towards the first-class defective product box 32, based on the analysis of the inspection images. The third retrieval device 38 instantaneously ejects air to selectively blow away workpieces W classified as "defective products (especially second-class defective products)" (those with external defects) towards the second-class defective product box 33, based on the analysis of the inspection images. The fourth retrieval device 39 ejects air to blow away workpieces W classified as uninspected products (those without inspection) towards the uninspected product box 34, based on the analysis of the inspection images.

[0026] Thus, the parts recovery device 29 is equipped with a recovery container 31 for good parts, recovery containers 32 and 33 for defective parts, and a recovery container 34 for uninspected parts.

[0027] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a parts recovery device 29 (particularly a pair of recovery devices (36-39) and a recovery container (31-34)).

[0028] In this example, all recovery containers 31-34 have a recovery path 30a and a recovery storage section 30b as shown in Figure 2. The workpiece W blown away by the corresponding recovery devices 36-39 is collected in the recovery storage section 30b of the corresponding recovery containers 31-34 via the recovery path 30a.

[0029] In other words, the first recovery device 36 instantaneously blows air at the moment when the corresponding workpiece W (i.e., a workpiece W classified as a good product) is transported by the transport table 12b and positioned at the corresponding blowing position, selectively blowing the workpiece W towards the corresponding good product box 31. The corresponding blowing position is located between the first recovery device 36 and the good product box 31. The workpiece W blown away in this way is collected in the recovery storage section 30b via the recovery path 30a of the good product box 31.

[0030] Similarly, the second retrieval device 37 instantaneously releases air when the corresponding workpiece W (i.e., the workpiece W classified as a first defective product) is transported by the transport table 12b and positioned at the corresponding blow-away position (between the second retrieval device 37 and the first defective product box 32), selectively blowing the workpiece W towards the corresponding first defective product box 32. The third retrieval device 38 also instantaneously releases air when the corresponding workpiece W (i.e., the workpiece W classified as a second defective product) is transported by the transport table 12b and positioned at the corresponding blow-away position (between the third retrieval device 38 and the second defective product box 33), selectively blowing the workpiece W towards the corresponding second defective product box 33.

[0031] Meanwhile, the fourth recovery device 39, located downstream of the other recovery devices 36-38, continuously sprays air to blow all workpieces W that reach the corresponding blow-away position (between the fourth recovery device 39 and the uninspected product box 34) towards the corresponding uninspected product box 34. As a result, all workpieces W located on the transport path P that were not recovered into the good product box 31 to the second defective product box 33 located upstream are recovered as uninspected products into the uninspected product box 34.

[0032] The multiple collection containers 31-34 of the collection and storage unit 30 may be provided integrally, partially or entirely, or spaced apart from other collection containers. For example, the uninspected product box 34 may be provided downstream of the good product box 31-2 defective product box 33, and at a distance from the good product box 31-2 defective product box 33. In this case, a guide (not shown) that guides workpieces W located on the transport drive shaft 12a side of the transport table 12b closer to the uninspected product box 34 side of the fourth collection device 39 (i.e., the outer edge side of the transport table 12b) may be provided upstream of the fourth collection device 39 (for example, between the third collection device 38 and the fourth collection device 39 with respect to the transport direction Dp of the workpiece W on the transport table 12b). In this case, workpieces W that are unintentionally placed on the transport drive shaft 12a side of the transport table 12b closer to the fourth collection device 39 can also be collected in the uninspected product box 34 as uninspected products.

[0033] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the inspection device 10.

[0034] Various devices of the inspection apparatus 10 (for example, various sensors, input devices and drive devices, etc.) are connected to the control unit 50. For example, the user interface 41, part detection sensor 19, transport drive device 12c, inspection imaging units 21-26 and retrieval devices 36-39 are connected to the control unit 50.

[0035] The user interface 41 functions as an input device that receives input from the user and an output device that outputs various information to the user. It transmits the information input by the user to the control unit 50 and outputs (presents) the information output from the control unit 50 to the user. The input device function and output device function of the user interface 41 may be implemented by a common device or by separate devices. The user interface 41 may be implemented by a device separate from the control unit 50 and connected to the control unit 50 by wire or wireless, or it may be implemented by the same device as the control unit 50. The user interface 41 may also function as a device for the user to check, correct, and delete various information such as the names of defective items (data stored in the data storage unit 60) as needed.

[0036] The transport drive device 12c is driven under the control of the control unit 50 (particularly the device control unit 52) ​​and can rotate the transport table 12b via the transport drive shaft 12a. In this example, the transport drive device 12c is configured as a power output device that can rotate the transport table 12b at a desired speed while grasping and controlling the rotational position of the transport table 12b, and may be configured as, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor. Based on the control information of the transport drive device 12c, the device control unit 52 can grasp the rotational position of the transport table 12b, and by extension, grasp the rotational position of each workpiece W on the transport table 12b.

[0037] The control unit 50 shown in Figure 3 includes an inspection image analysis unit 51, a device control unit 52, and a data storage unit 60.

[0038] The inspection image analysis unit 51 analyzes the inspection image to detect whether the workpiece W to be inspected corresponds to at least one of several defect items. The inspection image analysis unit in this embodiment analyzes each of the multiple (six in the example shown in Figure 1) inspection images for each workpiece W to be inspected to find the defect items that the workpiece W has. The image analysis method used by the inspection image analysis unit is not limited, but generally it is possible to find defect items based on image brightness (brightness of each pixel) and image size (pixel range size).

[0039] The "multiple defect items" referred to here are indicators for evaluating defects in the workpiece W, and are determined and can be changed by the user via the user interface 41. The "multiple defect items" can be determined from any perspective, for example, based on the "type of defect" and the "location of the defect in the workpiece W." The "type of defect" here may include, for example, scratches, cracks, chips, and / or stains on the workpiece W, and the "location of the defect in the workpiece W" may be determined based on whether the defect, such as a scratch, occurs on the body of the workpiece W or on the electrode. The "multiple defect items" may also be determined from other perspectives, for example, the "size" or "shape" of the defect may be determined in combination with the "type of defect" and the "location of the defect in the workpiece W."

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the inspection image analysis unit 51 in this example includes a corresponding defect item determination unit 55 and a representative defect item determination unit 56. The corresponding defect item determination unit 55 analyzes the inspection image of the workpiece W to be inspected and finds all the defect items to which the workpiece W belongs.

[0041] The representative defect item determination unit 56 determines a "representative defect item" to be assigned to the workpiece W if, as a result of the analysis of the inspection image by the relevant defect item determination unit 55, the workpiece W to be inspected falls under at least one of several defect items. The "representative defect item" here refers to one defect item selected from among the relevant defect items. Therefore, if, as a result of the analysis of the inspection image, only one relevant defect item is found in the workpiece W to be inspected, that single relevant defect item becomes the "representative defect item." On the other hand, if, as a result of the analysis of the inspection image, two or more relevant defect items are found in the workpiece W to be inspected, the representative defect item determination unit 56 determines the representative defect item to be assigned to the workpiece W to be inspected based on "priority information" that defines the priority of the multiple defect items.

[0042] The "priority information" referred to here defines the priority of multiple defective items and is determined and can be changed by the user via the user interface 41. The "priority information" is stored in the data storage unit 60 of the control unit 50 and can be read out and used as appropriate by the representative defective item determination unit 56, etc. Therefore, if the workpiece W to be inspected has two or more defective items, the representative defective item determination unit 56 refers to the priority information and determines the defective item with the highest priority among those two or more defective items as the "representative defective item".

[0043] In this embodiment, multiple inspection images are acquired for each workpiece W. For each of the multiple inspection images of each workpiece W, based on the results of analysis by the inspection image analysis unit 51 (corresponding defect item determination unit 55 and representative defect item determination unit 56), if the workpiece W to be inspected corresponds to at least one of the multiple defect items, a representative image defect item is determined based on priority information. The inspection image analysis unit 51 (representative defect item determination unit 56) then determines a representative defect item for the workpiece W to be inspected from among the representative image defect items for each of the multiple inspection images, based on the priority information.

[0044] The device control unit 52 controls the imaging of the inspection imaging units 21 to 26 to acquire inspection images, and controls the retrieval devices 36 to 39 based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit 51 to retrieve each workpiece W on the transport path P into a retrieval container 31 to 34 according to the inspection result (i.e., the result of the analysis of the inspection image).

[0045] In other words, workpieces W that are classified as good products as a result of the inspection are blown from the transport table 12b (transport path P) into the good product box 31 by the first recovery device 36.

[0046] Furthermore, the device control unit 52 controls the recovery devices 36 to 39 so that the workpieces W classified as defective are placed in the recovery containers 32 to 34 that are associated with the determined representative defective item, out of a plurality of recovery containers (recovery containers 32 to 34 that are particularly associated with defective products).

[0047] The representative defect items associated with each of the multiple recovery containers linked to the defective product (in this example, the first defective product box 32 and the second defective product box 33) are predetermined by the user via the user interface 41 and can be changed by the user as needed. The number of representative defect items associated with each recovery container may be one or multiple.

[0048] For example, one of the multiple recovery containers associated with a defective product (e.g., the first defective product box 32) may be associated with one or more defective items that have a relatively high priority in light of the priority information (i.e., the one or more defective items with the highest priority: priority defective items), while other defective items (defective items other than priority defective items) may be associated with the other recovery containers (e.g., the second defective product box 33).

[0049] On the other hand, workpieces W whose classification as good or bad or defective cannot be appropriately determined based on the analysis of the inspection image are classified as "uninspected items" and collected in the uninspected item box 34. For example, workpieces W that are not positioned in the desired state on the transport table 12b (transport path P) and for which the analysis of the inspection image itself cannot be appropriately performed are classified as "uninspected items". Specifically, workpieces W that are not positioned at the desired position and / or desired orientation (desired tilt) on the transport table 12b (transport path P) may be classified as "uninspected items". Also, if the inspection image (imaging area) contains multiple workpieces W (see Figures 6 and 7 described later), in order to avoid the risk of defective workpieces W being mixed into the good item box 31, the multiple workpieces W may be classified as "uninspected items". Also, if the inspection image (imaging area) contains foreign objects other than workpieces W (see Figures 6 and 7 described later), the workpieces W may be classified as "uninspected items". In this way, in the analysis of inspection images (image processing), one or more workpieces W in which defects caused by the transport condition of the workpiece W are detected may be classified as "uninspected items".

[0050] In this example, defects that are considered to have the potential to be false positives are designated as one or more defective items with a relatively low priority in the priority information (items to be re-inspected) and are linked to the uninspected items box 34. Therefore, in this example, workpieces W that are determined to have priority defective items as a result of the inspection are collected as first defective items in the first defective items box 32, workpieces W that are determined to have defective items with a priority between priority defective items and items to be re-inspected are collected as second defective items in the second defective items box 33, and workpieces W that are determined to have items to be re-inspected are collected as uninspected items (items to be re-inspected) in the uninspected items box 34.

[0051] The device control unit 52 may also control the operation of various devices of the inspection apparatus 10 that are not shown in Figure 3, for example, it may control the operation of the parts supply unit 15 (see Figure 1).

[0052] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an inspection method performed by the inspection device 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3.

[0053] The flowchart shown in Figure 4 illustrates the inspection process flow for each of the workpieces W to be inspected. In the inspection device 10 described above, inspection is basically performed on each of the multiple workpieces W (especially the multiple workpieces W arranged on the transport path P) that are successively supplied onto the transport table 12b. Therefore, the inspection process flow shown in Figure 4 is repeatedly executed under the control of the control unit 50 for each of these multiple workpieces W.

[0054] The workpiece W supplied onto the transport table 12b by the parts supply unit 15 (S1 in Figure 4) is then subjected to alignment processing by the parts alignment device 18, and then the parts detection sensor 19 detects whether or not it is properly positioned on the transport path (reference position) P (S2).

[0055] Workpieces W (N in S2) that were not detected as being properly positioned on the transport path P are collected downstream by the fourth recovery device 39 and placed in the uninspected item box 34 (S12).

[0056] Meanwhile, the workpiece W (Y in S2) detected as being properly positioned on the transport path P is transported in the transport direction Dp by the transport table 12b, and is imaged by the inspection imaging units 21-26, acquiring multiple inspection images of the workpiece W (S3).

[0057] The multiple inspection images acquired in this manner are sent from the inspection imaging units 21-26 to the control unit 50 (particularly the inspection image analysis unit 51) for analysis (S4), and the inspection image analysis unit 51 (corresponding defect item determination unit 55) determines whether or not the workpiece W to be inspected has any external defects (defect items) (S5).

[0058] If the workpiece W to be inspected is determined not to fall under any of the defect items and does not have any external defects (Y in S5), it is collected downstream by the first recovery device 36 into the good product box 31 (S6).

[0059] On the other hand, if the workpiece W to be inspected is determined to have an appearance defect due to at least one or more defective items (N in S5), the inspection image analysis unit 51 (representative defective item determination unit 56) determines a representative defective item from among the one or more defective items (S7).

[0060] Then, if the workpiece W to be inspected has a representative defect item that corresponds to a re-inspection defect item linked to the uninspected product box 34 (Y in S8), it is recovered downstream into the uninspected product box 34 by the fourth recovery device 39 (S12).

[0061] On the other hand, if the workpiece W to be inspected does not have a representative defect item that is a defect item that requires re-inspection (N in S8), but does have a priority defect item that is linked to the first defective product box 32 (Y in S9), it is recovered downstream into the first defective product box 32 by the second recovery device 37 (S10). On the other hand, if the workpiece W to be inspected does not have a priority defect item (N in S9), it is recovered downstream into the second defective product box 33 by the third recovery device 38 (S11).

[0062] Multiple workpieces W supplied to the transport table 12b undergo the series of processes described above (see S1 to S12) and are collected into recovery containers 31 to 34 according to the visual inspection results.

[0063] As described above, the inspection apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes inspection imaging units 21-26 that acquire images of workpieces W placed at a reference position (transport path P) as inspection images, an inspection image analysis unit 51 that analyzes the inspection images to detect whether workpieces W fall under at least one of a plurality of defect items, a recovery storage unit 30 having a plurality of recovery storage units 31-34, recovery devices 36-39 that send workpieces W toward the recovery storage unit 30, and a device control unit 52 that controls the recovery devices 36-39 based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit 51. If the inspection image analysis unit 51 determines, based on the analysis of the inspection image, that workpiece W is affected by at least one of several defective items, it will determine a representative defective item to be assigned to workpiece W from among the affected defective items. If two or more defective items are affected by workpiece W, it will determine a representative defective item to be assigned to workpiece W based on priority information that determines the priority of the multiple defective items. The device control unit 52 will then control the recovery devices 36-39 so that workpiece W is placed in the recovery container associated with the determined representative defective item from among the multiple recovery containers 31-34.

[0064] Such an inspection device 10 is advantageous for storing defective workpieces W in the collection containers corresponding to the relevant defect item from among the multiple collection containers 31 to 34. For example, the user can understand which defect item each defective workpiece W collected in the first defective box 32 and the second defective box 33 corresponds to, and it is also possible to feed back such defect information of workpiece W to adjust the various devices of the inspection device 10.

[0065] As described above, this embodiment provides a function to set priorities for multiple NG items (defective items) related to the inspection results, and a function to set a discharge box (recovery container) for each NG item. After visual inspection, the highest priority NG item can be determined based on the priority, and the workpiece (electronic component) W can be discharged into the discharge box set for the highest priority NG item. By classifying and recovering the defective workpiece W into the discharge boxes linked to the NG items in this way, it becomes possible to analyze the defective workpiece W for each NG item after recovery.

[0066] Furthermore, multiple defect items are distinguished based on the type of defect and the location of the defect on the workpiece W. The inspection imaging units 21-26 acquire multiple inspection images for one workpiece W (each workpiece W). The inspection image analysis unit 51 analyzes each of the multiple inspection images. For each of the multiple inspection images, the device control unit 52, based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit 51, determines a representative image defect item based on priority information if the workpiece W is affected by at least one of the multiple defect items. The device control unit 52 can then determine a representative defect item from among the representative image defect items for each of the multiple inspection images based on priority information.

[0067] In this case, defects in the workpiece W can be accurately detected using multiple inspection images, and the defective workpiece W can be stored in a corresponding recovery container based on the representative image defect item and the representative defect item.

[0068] Furthermore, the inspection device 10 is equipped with a component detection sensor 19 that detects whether or not the workpiece W is positioned in a reference position (transport path P), and the plurality of recovery containers 31 to 34 include a recovery container 34 for uninspected items, and the device control unit 52 can control the recovery devices 36 to 39 so that workpieces W that the detection result of the component detection sensor 19 indicates are not positioned in the reference position are stored in the recovery container 34 for uninspected items.

[0069] In this case, workpieces W that are difficult to inspect properly based on the analysis of inspection images due to being positioned outside the reference position can be collected as uninspected items. Thus, prior to the imaging process of the inspection imaging units 21-26 for the visual inspection (first inspection), an inspection by the part detection sensor 19 (second inspection) is performed. In the second inspection, for example, it is determined whether the workpiece W is positioned in a preset "reference position where imaging by the inspection imaging units 21-26 is possible". If it is determined that the workpiece W is not in the preset arrangement (position and orientation), the subsequent inspection (first inspection) of the workpiece W can be skipped, and the workpiece W can be discharged into the uninspected item box 34.

[0070] Furthermore, the priority of multiple defective items, as determined by priority information, can be changed by the user.

[0071] In this case, the user can change the priority of multiple defective items determined by priority information according to their needs, and can collect workpieces W corresponding to one or more desired defective items into different collection containers 32, 33 than workpieces W corresponding to other defective items.

[0072] Furthermore, the user can determine which of the predetermined defect items are to be considered.

[0073] In this case, the user can change the content of several predetermined defect items according to their needs, and it is possible to detect the desired defect items.

[0074] [First variation] The inspection device 10 can inspect and collect each workpiece W using a processing flow other than the inspection processing method described above (see Figure 4), and other arbitrary processing (inspection) may be performed at any arbitrary timing.

[0075] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the inspection method for the first modified example. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an image Mc (imaged area Rc) illustrating the inspection method for the first modified example. Figure 7 is a diagram showing another example of an image Mc (imaged area Rc) illustrating the inspection method for the first modified example.

[0076] In the first modified inspection method shown in Figures 5 to 7, between the acquisition of an inspection image of the workpiece W to be inspected (S3 in Figure 4) and the analysis of the inspection image to detect defects in appearance (S4 in Figure 4), a process is performed to determine whether or not the workpiece W depicted in the inspection image should be classified as an inspection target (target suitability determination process; S20 in Figure 5).

[0077] In other words, the captured image Mc acquired by each inspection imaging unit 21-26 includes an inspection image area Mt, which is the image of the imaging inspection area Rt within the imaging area Rc, and a peripheral image area Ms, which is the image of the imaging peripheral area Rs within the imaging area Rc. The imaging area Rc is the entire area captured by each inspection imaging unit 21-26. The imaging inspection area Rt constitutes a suitable position for placing the workpiece W, while the imaging peripheral area Rs adjacent to the imaging inspection area Rt constitutes an unsuitable position for placing the workpiece W. Therefore, the entire imaging inspection area Rt corresponds to the transport path P (see Figure 1).

[0078] The object suitability determination processing unit 57 (see Figure 3) of the inspection image analysis unit 51 analyzes the captured image Mc to determine whether or not an image of the workpiece W is present in the inspection image region Mt and the surrounding image region Ms. Whether the detected object present in the imaging inspection region Rt is the workpiece W or a foreign object (e.g., a fragment of the workpiece W) F may be determined, for example, based on the detection result of the component detection sensor 19.

[0079] The target suitability determination processing unit 57 then determines, based on the analysis of the captured image Mc, that the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W, and that the surrounding image region Ms does not contain an image of the workpiece W (see Figure 6), and classifies that single workpiece W as a target for inspection. On the other hand, if the analysis of the captured image Mc determines, for example, that "the inspection image region Mt contains images of multiple workpiece W" or that "the surrounding image region Ms contains images of workpiece W" (see Figure 7), the target suitability determination processing unit 57 classifies the workpiece W captured in the captured image Mc as a non-inspection target (i.e., an uninspected item).

[0080] In particular, the object suitability determination processing unit 57 of this embodiment analyzes the captured image Mc to determine the presence or absence of not only the workpiece W but also the foreign object F in the imaging area Rc. If, as a result of the analysis, the object suitability determination processing unit 57 determines that the inspection image area Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W but does not contain an image of the foreign object F, and that the surrounding image area Ms does not contain an image of the workpiece W or an image of the foreign object F (see Figure 6), then the object suitability determination processing unit 57 classifies the single workpiece W as an object to be inspected. On the other hand, in addition to the cases described above, "when the inspection image area Mt contains images of multiple workpiece W" and "when the surrounding image area Ms contains images of workpiece W," the object suitability determination processing unit 57 also classifies the workpiece W captured in the captured image Mc as an object not to be inspected if, for example, "the inspection image area Mt contains an image of the foreign object F" or "the surrounding image area Ms contains an image of the foreign object F" (see Figure 7).

[0081] The method of analyzing the captured image Mc by the target suitability determination processing unit 57 (image processing method) is not limited, and for example, the captured image Mc can be analyzed based on image brightness and image size (range size). That is, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 can determine the presence or absence of a detected object (i.e., workpiece W and foreign object F) in the captured image Mc based on the brightness value and size (range size) of the constituent pixels of the captured image Mc. For example, if the captured image Mc contains an image where the range (size) of constituent pixels showing a brightness value greater than a predetermined determination brightness value is larger than a predetermined determination range (determination size), the target suitability determination processing unit 57 may recognize that image as an image of a detected object. Furthermore, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 can also determine whether the detected object corresponds to workpiece W or foreign object F based on the size of the image of the detected object in the captured image Mc.

[0082] Furthermore, the object suitability determination processing unit 57 can perform image analysis on the inspection image region Mt and the surrounding image region Ms within the captured image Mc in any manner. For example, if the object suitability determination processing unit 57 is to analyze the presence or absence of a workpiece W without analyzing the presence or absence of a foreign object F in the captured image Mc, it may first determine whether or not an image of a single workpiece W is included in the inspection image region Mt, and only if it is determined that an image of a single workpiece W is included in the inspection image region Mt (i.e., the inspection image region Mt contains only an image of one workpiece W and does not contain images of multiple workpiece W), it may then determine whether or not an image of a workpiece W is included in the surrounding image region Ms.

[0083] Furthermore, when analyzing the presence or absence of workpieces W and foreign objects F in the captured image Mc, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 may first determine whether the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W and does not contain an image of a foreign object F (S20-1 in Figure 5). If it is determined that the inspection image region Mt contains images of two or more workpieces W or an image of a foreign object F (N in S20-1), the workpieces W in the captured image Mc are not classified as targets for inspection (i.e., classified as non-inspection targets) and may be collected downstream by the fourth recovery device 39 into the uninspected product box 34 (S12).

[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined that the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W and does not contain an image of a foreign object F (Y in S20-1), it may be determined whether or not the peripheral image region Ms contains an image of the workpiece W and an image of the foreign object F (S20-2). If it is determined that the peripheral image region Ms contains an image of the workpiece W and / or an image of the foreign object F (N in S20-2), the workpiece W in the captured image Mc is not classified as an inspection target (i.e., classified as a non-inspection target) and may be recovered downstream into the uninspected product box 34 by the fourth recovery device 39 (S12). On the other hand, if it is determined that the peripheral image region Ms does not contain an image of either the workpiece W or an image of the foreign object F (Y in S20-2), the workpiece W in the captured image Mc (i.e., the single workpiece W in the inspection image region Mt) is classified as an inspection target, and "analysis of the inspection image for detecting appearance defects (S4 in Figure 4)" and subsequent processing (see S5 to S12 in Figure 4) are performed.

[0085] As described above, according to this modified example, the inspection imaging units 21-26 acquire an image of the imaging region Rc as an inspection image, the multiple recovery containers 31-34 include a recovery container for uninspected items (uninspected item box 34), the inspection image includes an inspection image region Mt which is an image of the imaging inspection region Rt within the imaging region Rc, and a peripheral image region Ms which is an image of the imaging peripheral region Rs within the imaging region Rc, and the device control unit 52 controls the recovery devices 36-39 so that the two or more workpieces W are contained in the recovery container 34 for uninspected items when the result of the analysis of the inspection image by the inspection image analysis unit 51 (target suitability determination processing unit 57) indicates that the inspection image region Mt contains inspection images of two or more workpieces W, and when the result of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit 51 (target suitability determination processing unit 57) indicates that the peripheral image region Ms contains an image of a workpiece W or a foreign object F, the device control unit 52 controls the recovery devices 36-39 so that the workpiece W in the inspection image is contained in the recovery container 34 for uninspected items.

[0086] This allows for classifying workpieces W that are not nearby on the transport table 12b as targets for inspection, while preventing workpieces W that are nearby from being classified as targets for inspection. In this way, since no other workpieces W are present near workpieces W classified as targets for inspection on the transport table 12b, when collecting the workpieces W to be inspected into a collection container (e.g., good product box 31, first defective product box 32, or second defective product box 33), it is possible to prevent non-inspection workpieces W from being unintentionally collected into the same collection container as inspection workpieces W (especially workpieces W classified as good or defective (first defective product or second defective product)). As a result, the classification and collection of workpieces W based on inspection can be performed with greater reliability.

[0087] Furthermore, since it is effective to use an image of the workpiece W to be inspected taken from above as the image Mc of this modified example, this modified example (S20 in Figure 5) may be applied only to the image acquired by the inspection imaging unit among the inspection imaging units 21 to 26 that acquires an image of the workpiece W to be inspected taken from above.

[0088] Furthermore, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 analyzes the captured image Mc to determine the presence or absence of workpiece W and foreign object F in the imaging region Rc. If, as a result of the analysis, it is determined that the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W but does not contain an image of foreign object F, and the surrounding image region Ms does not contain an image of workpiece W or foreign object F, then the single workpiece W can be classified as a target for inspection.

[0089] This allows for classifying workpieces W that are not near other workpieces W and / or foreign objects F on the transport table 12b as inspection targets, while preventing workpieces W that are near other workpieces W and / or foreign objects F from being classified as inspection targets. In this way, since no other workpieces W and / or foreign objects F are present near workpieces W classified as inspection targets on the transport table 12b, it is possible to prevent non-inspection workpieces W and / or foreign objects F from being unintentionally collected in the same good box 31 or defective box 32 or 33 as the workpieces W to be inspected when they are collected into good box 31 or defective box 32 or 33.

[0090] Furthermore, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 may determine whether or not an image of a single workpiece W is included in the inspection image area Mt, and only if it is determined that an image of a single workpiece W is included in the inspection image area Mt, it may determine whether or not an image of the workpiece W is included in the surrounding image area Ms.

[0091] In this case, if it is not determined that "the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W," it is possible to omit the image analysis of the surrounding image region Ms, thereby effectively reducing the load required for the analysis of the acquired image Mc.

[0092] Furthermore, the target suitability determination processing unit 57 may determine whether the inspection image area Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W and does not contain an image of a foreign object F, and only if it is determined that the inspection image area Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W and does not contain an image of a foreign object F, it may determine whether the surrounding image area Ms does not contain an image of the workpiece W and an image of the foreign object F.

[0093] In this case, if it is not determined that "the inspection image region Mt contains an image of a single workpiece W and does not contain an image of a foreign object F," then the image analysis of the surrounding image region Ms can be omitted, effectively reducing the load required for the analysis of the captured image Mc.

[0094] [Other variations] In the above embodiment, two recovery containers (first defective product box 32 and second defective product box 33) are provided as recovery containers linked to defective products. However, three or more recovery containers may be provided as recovery containers linked to defective products. In such a case, one or more defective items (priority defective items) with relatively high priority according to priority information may be linked to one of the multiple recovery containers linked to a defective product, and one or more different defective items (defective items other than priority defective items) may be linked to each of the other two or more recovery containers. This makes it possible to appropriately classify and recover the workpiece W in which a defect has been detected into the recovery container corresponding to the relevant defective item from among the multiple recovery containers.

[0095] Furthermore, in the first modified example described above, the imaging unit (target classification imaging unit) that acquires "images for determining whether workpiece W should be classified as an inspection target or a non-inspection target" is composed of inspection imaging units 21-26 (see Figure 1) that acquire "images for determining whether workpiece W should be classified as a good product or a defective product," but it may be provided separately from the inspection imaging units 21-26. In this case, by providing the target classification imaging unit upstream of the inspection imaging units 21-26, it is possible to skip the inspection (imaging, etc.) by the inspection imaging units 21-26 for workpiece W that are classified as non-inspection targets based on the analysis results of the images acquired by the target classification imaging unit.

[0096] It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be construed restrictively. The embodiments and modifications described above may be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the embodiments and modifications described above may be combined in whole or in part, and other embodiments may be combined with the embodiments or modifications described above. Furthermore, the effects described herein are illustrative, and other effects may result.

[0097] The technical categories that embody the above-described technical concept are not limited. For example, the above-described technical concept may be embodied by a computer program that causes a computer to execute one or more steps included in a method for manufacturing or using the above-described device. Alternatively, the above-described technical concept may be embodied by a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium on which such a computer program is recorded. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0098] 10 Inspection device, 12 Transport device, 12a Transport drive shaft, 12b Transport table, 12c Transport drive device, 15 Parts supply unit, 18 Parts alignment device, 19 Parts detection sensor, 21 First inspection imaging unit, 22 Second inspection imaging unit, 23 Third inspection imaging unit, 24 Fourth inspection imaging unit, 25 Fifth inspection imaging unit, 26 Sixth inspection imaging unit, 29 Parts recovery device, 30 Recovery storage unit, 30a Recovery path, 30b Recovery storage unit, 31 Good product box, 32 First defective product box, 33 Second defective product box, 34 Uninspected product box, 36 First recovery device, 37 Second recovery device, 38 Third recovery device, 39 Fourth recovery device, 41 User interface, 50 Control unit, 51 Inspection image analysis unit, 52 Device control unit, 55 Corresponding defective item determination unit, 56 Representative defective item determination unit, 57 Target suitability determination processing unit, 60 data storage unit, Dp transport direction, F foreign object, Mc captured image, Ms peripheral image area, Mt inspection image area, P transport path, Rc imaging area, Rs imaging peripheral area, Rt imaging inspection area, W work

Claims

1. An inspection imaging unit that acquires images of electronic components as inspection images, An inspection image analysis unit analyzes the inspection image to detect whether the electronic component falls under at least one of multiple defective items, A recovery and containment unit having multiple recovery and containment containers, A recovery device that sends the electronic components toward the recovery and storage unit, The device includes a device control unit that controls the recovery device based on the results of the analysis performed by the inspection image analysis unit, The aforementioned inspection image analysis unit, If, as a result of the analysis of the inspection image, the electronic component is found to be affected by at least one of the multiple defective items, a representative defective item to be assigned to the electronic component is determined from among the affected defective items. If two or more defective items apply to the electronic component, the representative defective item to be assigned to the electronic component is determined based on priority information that defines the priority of the multiple defective items. The device control unit, The recovery device is controlled so that the electronic component is contained in the recovery container associated with the determined representative defective item among the plurality of recovery containers. Inspection device.

2. The aforementioned multiple defective items are distinguished based on the type of defect and the location of the defect in the electronic component. The inspection imaging unit acquires multiple inspection images for each electronic component. The aforementioned inspection image analysis unit analyzes each of the plurality of inspection images, The device control unit, For each of the aforementioned multiple inspection images, if, based on the results of the analysis by the inspection image analysis unit, the electronic component is found to be at least one of the aforementioned multiple defect items, a representative image defect item is determined based on the priority information. From among the representative image defect items for each of the plurality of inspection images, the representative defect item is determined based on the priority information. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The system includes a component detection sensor that detects whether or not the aforementioned electronic component is positioned in a reference location. The aforementioned plurality of recovery containers include a recovery container for uninspected items, The device control unit controls the recovery device such that the electronic component, which the detection result of the component detection sensor indicates is not located at the reference position, is stored in the recovery container for uninspected items. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The inspection imaging unit acquires an image of the imaging area as the inspection image, The aforementioned plurality of recovery containers include a recovery container for uninspected items, The inspection image includes an inspection image region which is an image of the imaging inspection region within the imaging region, and a peripheral inspection image region which is an image of the imaging peripheral region within the imaging region. The device control unit, If the result of the analysis of the inspection image by the inspection image analysis unit indicates that the inspection image region contains inspection images of two or more electronic components, the recovery device is controlled so that the two or more electronic components are contained in the recovery container for uninspected items. If the analysis results from the inspection image analysis unit indicate that the peripheral inspection image region contains an image of the electronic component or foreign object, the recovery device is controlled so that the electronic component in the inspection image is contained in the recovery container for uninspected items. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The priority of the multiple defective items determined by the aforementioned priority information can be changed by the user. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned multiple defective items can be determined by the user. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

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