Inspection Equipment

Abstract

To provide an inspection apparatus which can quickly inspect inspection objects even when plural types of inspection objects are mixed.SOLUTION: An inspection apparatus stores feature data indicating a feature of a product package 9a in first storage means 5a in advance for each type of product package 9a when inspecting the printing state of the plural types of product packages 9a in the same shape that are mixed, acquires feature data of the product package 9a from the image acquired by a camera 3, reads out reference data stored in association with the feature data from second storage means 5b, and inspects the state of the product package 9a in comparison to data based on the entire image acquired by the camera 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device that can inspect the surface condition of an object, for example, an inspection device that can inspect the printing condition of a mixture of multiple types of product packages. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, product packages are printed with images of the product and text and symbols explaining the product.

[0003] Incidentally, such product packages may be printed in multiple types for the same type of content. For example, when considering product packages for hair dyes and the like, there are many products corresponding to different hair colors, and the product packages are printed in different colors and designs accordingly. When considering product packages for food and the like, there are many products with different flavors, such as seasonal or regional limited products, for the same type of product, and the corresponding product packages are printed to have the respective images.

[0004] When inspecting the printing condition of objects such as multiple types of product packages, it is common to store reference data for each object, and then compare data based on an image of the object taken by a camera with the reference data to inspect the printing condition of the object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-160039 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when inspecting a plurality of types of inspection objects by comparing them with their respective reference data, the following problems arise.

[0007] For example, when inspecting the printing condition of multiple types of inspection objects, each type must be separated and the data based on the image obtained from the inspection object must be compared with the reference data corresponding to the type of inspection object. Also, when changing the type of inspection object, the reference data that serves as the inspection standard must be changed in advance, and when inspecting each of dozens or more types of inspection objects, this work becomes very troublesome.

[0008] On the other hand, if these inspection objects are mixed and placed on a conveyor, and the inspection objects are photographed by a camera to compare with the reference data, it is necessary to inspect them against all types of reference data, which takes time. Also, if the inspection results in a defective product, it is not clear which reference data was used to inspect the product and determine that it is defective, and it becomes impossible to determine whether the product was determined to be defective based on a different type of reference data, or whether the product was determined to be defective based on the corresponding type of reference data.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an inspection device that can quickly inspect objects to be inspected, even when multiple types of objects to be inspected are mixed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] That is, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides The system includes a camera for acquiring an image of a transported product package, a positioning means for aligning the image acquired by the camera using a specified shape and extracting an image having the same shape that has been aligned, a first storage means for storing in advance feature data indicating features of the product package for each of the multiple types of product packages having the same shape, a second storage means for storing reference data of an entire image for each of the multiple types of product packages having the same shape, a feature data extraction means for acquiring the feature data of the product package from the image having the same shape extracted by the positioning means, and an inspection means for reading from the first storage means a type of product package that matches the feature data acquired by the feature data extraction means, reading from the second storage means the reference data of the product package of that type, and comparing it with data based on the entire image of the product package acquired by the camera to inspect the condition of the product package. . Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, For product packages of the same shape, it will be possible to inspect the printing condition of multiple types of product packages that differ, for example, by color. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic diagram of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Functional block diagram of the inspection device in the same configuration. [Diagram 3] A memory map diagram for storing feature data and reference data in the same form. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 shows characteristic data of an object to be inspected in the same form. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 shows a flow for registering feature data in the same form. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the inspection process in the embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing an inspection process according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The inspection device 1 in this embodiment is capable of inspecting the printing state of multiple types (e.g., types with different colors) of products (e.g., hair dye) enclosed in the same shaped product package 9a, and characteristically registers and stores in the first storage means 5a some characteristic data of the product's characters, figures, and symbols printed on the product package 9a that can be distinguished from other product packages 9a, and stores the characteristic data in the second storage means 5b in association with the reference data for the overall inspection of the product package 9a, extracts the characteristic data from an image captured by the camera 3, determines which product package 9a it is, reads out the reference data associated with the characteristic data, and compares it with the data based on the image of the product package 9a for inspection. The inspection device 1 in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0015] First, the camera 3 for acquiring an image of the inspection object 9 is composed of a line sensor, a CCD sensor, or the like, and acquires a color image from the inspection object 9 conveyed by the conveyor 2, as shown in Fig. 1. This camera 3 is provided so as to be able to capture an image of the entire inspection object 9, and a lighting device is provided at a predetermined position corresponding to this camera 3. Since the inspection state changes depending on the angle of the light, this lighting device may be configured to irradiate light from a plurality of angles, and may also be configured so as to be able to adjust the illuminance, color, and the like.

[0016] The image captured by this camera 3 is output to the alignment means 4 (see the block diagram in FIG. 2), where it is rotated, translated, and otherwise aligned. At this time, since the objects 9 to be inspected have the same shape, alignment is performed using a specified shape. Then, the image is oriented in a certain direction so that it can be compared with reference data, etc. Note that, although the alignment means 4 is used to align the images here, if an object 9 to be inspected that has a completely different shape or if overlapping objects 9 to be inspected are conveyed, alignment cannot be performed, and an error message may be displayed.

[0017] Next, feature data is extracted from the image thus aligned by the alignment means 4. This feature data has features that can be distinguished from other types of inspection objects 9 (product packages 9a), and part of the product image and part of the product's explanatory characters and symbols from the product packages 9a are used. For example, part of characters, figures, symbols, etc. that are not easily affected by rotation are used as such feature data, and the image and position of the characteristic part are stored as feature data in the first storage means 5a by the operator.

[0018] 4, for the first type of product package 9a, an image of the apex area of ​​the letter "A" written thereon is stored as feature data, and for the second type of product package 9a, an image of the center area of ​​the letter "B" written thereon is stored as feature data. For the third type of product package 9a, an image of the upper opening area of ​​the letter "C" written thereon is stored as feature data, and for the fourth type of product package 9a, an image of the upper left corner area of ​​the letter "D" written thereon is stored as feature data in the first storage means 5a.

[0019] On the other hand, the second storage means 5b stores reference data corresponding to the feature data stored in the first storage means 5a, as shown in FIG. 4. This reference data is data to be compared with data based on the whole image of the product package 9a to be inspected, and is generated from image data from a product package 9a that is a good product in advance, data created when the product package 9a is designed, etc. Specifically, information such as outline shape patterns of characters, figures, symbols, etc., and colors is used as the reference data, and is linked to the feature data of the product package 9a of that type and stored in the second storage means 5b. Note that when the feature data and the reference data are stored in pairs in the storage means in this way, if the number of product packages 9a becomes very large, there is a possibility that the feature data will coincide with the feature data of the product package 9a that has already been registered. In such a case, the following method can be adopted.

[0020] 5, when an operator sets feature data (step R1), the feature data is compared with feature data already stored in the first storage means 5a (step R2) to determine whether there is reference data with a matching rate higher than a predetermined threshold. If the matching rate is lower than the predetermined threshold, the feature data is stored in the first storage means 5a (step R3), and if the matching rate is higher than the predetermined threshold, the feature data is displayed so that it cannot be registered (step R4), and the operator is prompted to register other feature data.

[0021] Alternatively, as another method, regardless of whether the feature data matches or not, the feature data registered by the operator may be stored as is in the first storage means 5a, and inspection may be performed using all the reference data stored in association with the feature data. Then, if the result of inspection using all the reference data matching the feature data indicates that the data is appropriate, the data is passed through the inspection as a "good product." However, when inspection is performed using multiple pieces of inspection data in this way, for example, a display may be displayed indicating that the inspection was performed using multiple pieces of inspection data, or a display may be displayed indicating which type of inspection target 9 the reference data was used for.

[0022] The feature data extraction means 6 extracts feature data from an image of the inspection object 9 captured by the camera 3. When extracting this feature data, an image of an area stored in the first storage means 5a as an area of ​​feature data is extracted in advance, and data based on the image is compared with the feature data to extract a type of feature data having a matching rate higher than a predetermined threshold. Then, the discrimination means 61 discriminates a type of the inspection object 9 similar to the feature data, and reads out reference data that is linked to and stored with this type of feature data from the second storage means 5b.

[0023] Based on the reference data thus read out, the inspection means 7 compares it with data based on the entire image acquired from the inspection object 9, and judges whether the inspection object 9 is good or bad. Specifically, a method of extracting data such as characters, figures, and symbols from the acquired entire image and inspecting whether this data matches the reference data, or a method of extracting RGB luminance values ​​for a specific area and comparing them with the RGB luminance values ​​of the reference data to inspect color, etc. may be used. Of course, inspection may be performed by other methods, such as inspecting for faint printing, peeling of paper, etc.

[0024] The output means 8 notifies the operator of the inspection results. Alternatively, if the system is equipped with a function for automatically separating defective products, it outputs information indicating that the product is "defective" to the separating device, and the defective products are collected separately.

[0025] Next, a flow chart for inspecting the inspection target 9 using the inspection device 1 configured as above will be described with reference to Fig. 6. It is assumed that the printing state of multiple types of product packages 9a for the same product is to be inspected, and the product packages 9a are randomly placed on the conveyor with the same side facing up, and are photographed by the camera 3 for inspection.

[0026] First, when a product package 9a is placed on the conveyor 2 and conveyed, an image of the entire product package 9a is captured by the camera 3 (step S1). Then, the image is output to the positioning means 4, where it is positioned by rotation, translation, etc., and corrected to face a fixed direction (step S2).

[0027] Next, from the image corrected by the positioning in this way, the feature data of a part of the image is extracted using the feature data extraction means 6 (step S3). At this time, an image of an area previously stored as feature data in the first storage means 5a is acquired, and it is determined whether the data based on the image matches the feature data stored in the first storage means 5a (step S4). Then, the type of the product package 9a with the feature data having the highest match rate that is higher than a predetermined value is determined, and the reference data in the second storage means 5b linked to the feature data is read out (step S5). On the other hand, as a result of comparing with all the feature data (step S6), if there is no feature data with a match rate higher than the predetermined threshold, it is possible that the product package 9a is placed face down or that the product packages 9a are transported overlapping each other, and an error is output (step S7).

[0028] When the reference data is read out in this way (step S5), the data based on the entire image acquired in step S1 is compared with the reference data to inspect the state of the inspection object 9 (step S8). When the matching rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the inspection object 9 is deemed to be a "good product" (step S9), and when the matching rate is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, the inspection object 9 is deemed to be a "defective product" (step S10), and a message to that effect is output via the output means 8.

[0029] Next, as a second embodiment, a test method in the case where the same feature data is unconditionally registered will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0030] As in FIG. 6, when a product package 9a is placed on a conveyor and conveyed along, an image of the entire product package 9a is captured by the camera 3 (step T1), and the image is aligned by rotation, translation, etc., and corrected to face in a fixed direction (step T2).

[0031] Next, from the image aligned in this way, the feature data extraction means 6 extracts a part of the image feature data (step T3). At this time, an image of an area previously stored as feature data in the first storage means 5a is acquired, and it is determined whether the data based on the image matches the feature data stored in the first storage means 5a (step T4). Then, all types of feature data with a matching rate higher than a predetermined threshold are extracted, and all reference data linked to the feature data are read from the second storage means 5b (step T5). At this time, if there are multiple extracted feature data, multiple reference data corresponding to the feature data are read. On the other hand, as a result of comparing with all the feature data (step T6), if there is no feature data with a matching rate higher than the predetermined threshold, it is possible that the product package 9a is placed face down or that the product packages 9a are transported overlapping each other, so an error is output (step T7).

[0032] When multiple reference data are read out in this way (step T5), the data based on the overall image acquired in step T1 is compared with each of the reference data, and the state of the inspection target 9 is inspected (step T8). Then, for the reference data whose matching rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, a message indicating that the data is a "good product" along with its type is output (step T9), and otherwise, a message indicating that the data is a "defective product" is output. Output Do this (step T10).

[0033] Thus, according to the above embodiment, The system is provided with a camera 3 which captures an image of the transported product package 9a, an alignment means 4 which aligns the image captured by the camera 3 using a specified shape and extracts an image of the same shape which has been aligned, a first storage means 5a which stores in advance feature data indicating the features of the product package 9a for each of the multiple types of product packages 9a having the same shape, a second storage means 5b which stores reference data of an entire image for each of the multiple types of product packages 9a having the same shape, a feature data extraction means 6 which captures the feature data of the product package 9a from the image of the same shape extracted by the alignment means 4, and an inspection means 7 which reads out from the first storage means 5a a type of product package 9a which matches the feature data captured by the feature data extraction means 6, reads out from the second storage means 5b the reference data for that type of product package 9a, and compares it with data based on the entire image of the product package 9a captured by the camera 3 to inspect the condition of the product package 9a. This makes it possible to inspect the printing conditions of multiple types of product packages of the same shape, for example, by differences in color.

[0034] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in various forms.

[0035] For example, in the above embodiment, the case of inspecting the printing state of the product package 9a has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to inspecting the printing state of books, flyers, etc., and inspecting the shape and surface state of the product itself. However, when inspecting these inspection objects 9, it is preferable that they all have the same shape.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the type of the inspection object 9 is specified using some of the feature data, and the reference data associated with it is extracted, but when inspecting a huge variety of inspection objects 9, multiple types of feature data may be set. Alternatively, before extracting the feature data, the product group may be roughly selected and, for example, sorted into certain product groups based on the average luminance value of the acquired overall image, and feature data may be extracted from the product groups in a narrowed-down manner.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the feature data is stored in the first storage means 5a and the reference data is stored in the second storage means 5b, but these may be stored in the same storage means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Inspection equipment 3. Camera 4. Alignment means 5a, 5b...Storage means 6. Feature data extraction method 61...Discrimination means 7. Inspection method 9. Inspection object (9a Product packaging)

Claims

[Claim 1] A camera for capturing images of delivered product packages; A registration means for performing registration using a specified shape from the images acquired by the camera and extracting images having the same shape that have been registered; a first storage means for storing in advance characteristic data indicating characteristics of the product package for each of the plurality of types of product packages having the same shape; a second storage means for storing reference data of an entire image for each of the plurality of types of product packages having the same shape; a feature data extraction means for acquiring feature data of a product package from the images having the same shape extracted by the positioning means; an inspection means for reading out from the first storage means a type of product package that matches the characteristic data acquired by the characteristic data extraction means, reading out reference data for the product package of that type from the second storage means, and comparing the data with data based on the overall image of the product package acquired by the camera to inspect the state of the product package; An inspection device comprising:

Images