Thin plate part processing equipment

Abstract

To provide an apparatus capable of efficiently inspecting thin plate-shaped parts.SOLUTION: A flat washer 40 thrown in from a γ direction is held between a guide plate 36 and a rotating disk 32. Since the rotating disk 32 is provided with a recess 34, the flat washer 40 is housed in the recess 34 as the rotating disk 32 rotates. The housed flat washer 40 is discharged to a moving passage 50. The flat washer 40 rolling on the moving passage 50 is imaged with a camera and inspected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for performing processing such as inspection on thin plate-like parts such as washers. [Background technology]

[0002] Devices are used to inspect a large number of parts, such as bolts, before they are used. By eliminating non-standard parts in advance, the robots that use these parts for automatic assembly, etc., can be prevented from malfunctioning or from producing defective products.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection device in which a recess 10 is provided on the outer periphery of a rotating disk 8, as shown in Fig. 20. A bolt 2 is fed into this recess 10 from a supply unit 4. The width of the recess 10 is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the bolt 2. The fed bolt 2 is held in the recess 10 by its head and transported by the rotating disk 8. Then, an image is captured by a camera 16 for inspection.

[0004] If it is a non-defective product, the bolt 2 is pushed out by the actuator 18 and dropped into a non-defective product passage 20. If it is a defective product, the bolt 2 is pushed out by the actuator 22 and dropped into a defective product passage 24.

[0005] Using such equipment, large numbers of bolts can be accurately inspected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent 5496930 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, conventional devices such as those described in Patent Document 1 can perform inspection and other processing on shaft-shaped parts with a head, such as bolts, but cannot process thin plate-shaped parts such as washers.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of treating thin plate-like parts by solving the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Several independently applicable features of the present invention are listed below.

[0010] (1) The thin plate part processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a rotating disk having a plurality of recesses which have step walls that abut against the outer edge of a thin plate part and are open in the outer circumferential direction, the rotating disk having a rotation axis direction tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of gravity, a holding and connecting section provided at the bottom of the rotating disk for holding a thin plate part that is not in a recess at the outer circumferential end of the rotating disk and for holding the thin plate part in the recess as the rotating disk rotates, an input section for inputting a thin plate part toward the connecting and holding section, a moving path configured to receive and move a thin plate part held in the recess at a position where the thin plate part is released in the outer circumferential direction by the open portion of the recess as the rotating disk rotates, and a processing section for performing a predetermined processing on the thin plate parts moving along the moving path.

[0011] Therefore, the thin plate-like parts can be moved along the moving path at predetermined intervals, and processing can be performed efficiently.

[0012] (2) The thin plate-like part processing apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the thin plate-like parts are disk-like parts.

[0013] Therefore, it can be moved while rolling along the moving path.

[0014] (3) The thin plate-like part processing device of the present invention is characterized in that the processing unit includes an imaging unit that images the thin plate-like parts moving along the moving path, and a judgment means that judges whether the parts are good or defective based on the images captured by the imaging unit.

[0015] Therefore, inspection for good and bad products can be performed along the path of movement.

[0016] (4) The thin plate-like part processing device of the present invention is characterized in that at least a portion of the moving path is made of a transparent material, and the imaging unit includes a first imaging member that images the front surface of the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a second imaging member that images the back surface of the thin plate-like part through the transparent material.

[0017] Therefore, both sides of the thin plate-like part can be imaged and inspected.

[0018] (5) The thin plate-like part processing device of the present invention is characterized in that the moving path is configured to invert the thin plate-like member from front to back as the thin plate-like member moves along the moving path, and a first imaging member for imaging the thin plate-like member is provided on the moving path before the inversion, and a second imaging member for imaging the thin plate-like member is provided on the moving path before the inversion.

[0019] Therefore, both sides of the thin plate-like part can be imaged and inspected.

[0020] (6) The thin plate part processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it further includes a thickness deficiency inspection unit configured to face two rotating rollers rotating upward in a close position at a predetermined distance corresponding to the thickness of the thin plate member, to feed a thin plate member from one end toward the facing portion, and to drop and remove thin plate members that are insufficient in thickness between the two rollers as the thin plate member moves to the other end, so that only thin plate members having a predetermined thickness or more are obtained at the other end.

[0021] Therefore, it is possible to inspect thin plate-like members having an excessive thickness.

[0022] (7) The thin plate part processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it further comprises an excess thickness inspection unit configured to face two rotating rollers rotating upward in a close position so that the distance between them gradually increases from one end to the other end based on a predetermined distance corresponding to the thickness of the thin plate member, to feed a thin plate member from one end toward the facing portion, to remove thin plate members that are too thick to be pushed to the other end, and to drop thin plate members that are not too thick between the two rollers.

[0023] Therefore, it is possible to inspect thin plate-like members that are insufficient in thickness.

[0024] The term "program" is a concept that includes not only programs that can be executed directly by a CPU, but also programs in source format, compressed programs, encrypted programs, and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 shows an external appearance of an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the rotating disk 32. FIG. [Diagram 3] 13 is a detailed view of the lower part of the rotating disk 32. FIG. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the structure of a rotating disk 32. [Diagram 5] 3 is a detailed view of a recess 34 of the rotating disk 32. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a flat washer 40 is housed in a recess 34 of a rotating disk 32. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing an opening 61 from the rotating disk 32 to the moving path 50. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the flat washer 40 housed in the rotating disk 32 moves along the movement path 50. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12]1 is a diagram showing a non-defective product passage 84 and a defective product passage 82. FIG. [Figure 13] This is the hardware configuration of the control circuit. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a sensor 108. [Figure 15] 3 is a flowchart of the control program 112. [Figure 16] 1 is an example of a captured image. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of an excess thickness inspection unit. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a thickness deficiency inspection unit. [Figure 19] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a configuration for inverting the flat washer 40. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional inspection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] 1. Configuration and Operation 1 shows the configuration of a thin plate part processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an example is shown configured as an apparatus for inspecting flat washers, which are thin plate parts.

[0027] A rotating disk 32 is provided which is coupled to a shaft 30 which is rotated by a motor (not shown). The rotating disk 32 is rotated in the direction of an arrow β. As shown in the side cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the rotating disk 32 is inclined at a predetermined angle α (preferably 5 degrees to 45 degrees, particularly preferably 35 degrees to 40 degrees, and most preferably 38 degrees) with respect to the direction of gravity G.

[0028] A guide plate 36 is provided on the outer periphery of approximately the lower half of the rotating disk 32 so as to be close to the outer periphery end at an angle from the upper surface of the rotating disk 32. Furthermore, a jump-out prevention plate 38 (made of a transparent acrylic material in this embodiment) is provided so as to cover this guide plate 36.

[0029] When the flat washer is inserted by the inserting portions 202, 204 from the direction of the arrow γ in FIG. 1, the flat washer 40 is held on the outer periphery of the rotating disk 32 by the guide plate 36 as shown in FIG.

[0030] Fig. 4A shows a view seen from the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2. A recess 34 that is open toward the outside is formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the rotating disk 32. As shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 4B, in this embodiment, the rotating disk 32 with the recess 34 is formed by stacking the cutout disk 32A on the base disk 32B.

[0031] 5 shows details of the recess 34 in the notched disk 32A (which is a notch when viewed by itself). The inside of the recess 34 is formed as an arc with a radius R slightly larger than the outer diameter φ of the flat washer. For example, it is preferable to form R to be approximately 2% to 5% larger than φ. In this embodiment, when the outer diameter φ of the flat washer is 13 mm, R is set to 13.3 mm.

[0032] The radius difference D between the circle 40 connecting the centers of the above-mentioned arcs and the outer circumferential circle 42 of the notched disk 32A is smaller (about 60%) than half (i.e., the radius) of the flat washer. In this embodiment, the radius of the flat washer is 6.5 mm, and the radius is 3.65 mm. Therefore, the flat washer fitted in the recess 34 protrudes slightly from the outer periphery of the rotating disk 32.

[0033] The recess 34 widens outward at a predetermined angle θ (10 degrees in this embodiment), which makes it easy to insert and remove the flat washer.

[0034] Returning to Fig. 3, a plurality of flat washers 40 that do not enter the recesses 34 are held by the guide plate 36 on the lower outer periphery of the rotating disk 32. As the rotating disk 32 rotates, these flat washers 40 are stored in the recesses 34, as shown by 40a in Fig. 6.

[0035] The flat washer 40 stored in the recess 34 is moved in the β direction by the rotation of the rotating disk 32 in the β direction while being held in the recess 34 by the guide plate 36. As shown in Fig. 1, when the guide plate 36 ends, a guard plate 42 is provided on the outer periphery. Therefore, the flat washer 40 is moved while being held in the recess 34 to the position 40b as shown in Fig. 6.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 1, a moving path 50 is provided on the left side of the rotating disk 32, where the guard member 42 and the guide member 36 are not provided. This moving path 50 is provided at a slight incline (about a few degrees) toward the left side of Fig. 1. This allows the flat washer 40 carried to the moving path 50 to roll to the left side.

[0037] 8A to 8D show details of the moving path 50. Fig. 8A is a front view, Fig. 8B is a side view, Fig. 8C is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC, and Fig. 8D is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD. As shown in Fig. 8A, the moving path 50 is configured to include a bottom plate 52, back plates 54, 56, 58, and a glass material 62.

[0038] 8A, an entrance plate 60 is provided at the left end of the moving path 50 (the portion facing the rotating disk 32), which serves as an entrance to the moving path 50. This entrance plate 60 is provided with an opening 61 large enough to allow the flat washer 40 to pass through.

[0039] 7, the back plate 54 of the moving path 50 is provided so as to have the same inclination as the rotating disk 32. Therefore, when the flat washer 40 held in the recess 34 comes to a position facing the moving path 50, the flat washer 40 is released from the recess 34 of the rotating disk 32 into the moving path 50.

[0040] This state is shown in Figures 9A and 9B. In the state shown in Figure 9A, the flat washer 40 is held in the recess 34. When the rotating disk 32 further rotates and reaches the state shown in Figure 9B (the inclination of the lower side of the recess 34 becomes downward to the left), the flat washer 40 starts to roll leftward from the recess 34. As a result, the flat washer 40 continues to roll and moves to the moving path 50 through the opening 61 of the entrance plate 60. Therefore, it is preferable that the opening 61 of the entrance plate 60 is provided at a height H (see Figure 9B) and position that does not interfere with the outer periphery of the flat washer 40 even when the flat washer 40 starts to roll from the recess 34 and has passed about halfway through the opening 61 of the entrance plate 60. In addition, it is preferable that the width W (see Figure 8B) is sufficient (several tens of times) compared to the thickness of the flat washer 40.

[0041] When the flat washer 40 enters the moving path 50, it rolls on the bottom plate 52 with its back surface in contact with the back plate 54. At this time, since the moving path 50 is inclined as shown in Fig. 7, the back surface of the flat washer 40 is securely received by the back plate 54, so that the flat washer 40 does not fall off.

[0042] The flat washer 40 rolling in contact with the back plate 54 reaches an imaging area in which a transparent glass material 62 is inserted in place of the back plate 54. The imaging area is shown in detail in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Fig. 10A is a plan view, and Fig. 10B is a front view. Fig. 11 shows a cross section taken along line XI-XI of Fig. 10A.

[0043] A light emitting element 120a is provided on the rear surface of the glass plate 62. Light from the light emitting element 120a is received by a light receiving element 120b provided on the front surface of the glass plate 62. When the flat washer 40 passes through the glass plate 62, the light is blocked and the light receiving element 120b does not receive any light, making it possible to detect the presence of the flat washer 40. The light emitting element 120a and the light receiving element 120b are provided at positions that do not interfere with imaging by a camera, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the sensor 120 is made up of the light emitting element 120a and the light receiving element 120b.

[0044] Furthermore, at the beginning of the back plate 56 immediately behind the glass plate 62, an optical sensor 122 is provided in a long hole provided in the back plate 56. In this embodiment, a reflective sensor is used as the optical sensor 122. Therefore, it receives reflected light by the flat washer 40 passing through the back plate 56 and detects the presence of the flat washer 40. By using the optical sensor 122 with a wide optical axis width, it is possible to detect flat washers 40 of different sizes.

[0045] The back plates 54, 56, 58 are fixed to the bottom plate 52, but the glass material 62 is configured to be removable. As shown in Fig. 11, a lower holding member 70 for holding the glass material 62 is provided at the rear end of the bottom plate 52. The rear surfaces of the left and right ends of the glass material 62 are supported by abutting against fixed blocks 68 fixed to the device housing.

[0046] An upper holding member 64 is provided straddling the upper end of the fixed block 68 and the upper end of the glass member 62. The front end of the upper holding member 64 is bent into an L shape and supports the front surface of the glass member 62. The upper holding member 64 is also held to the fixed block 68 by bolts 66. This holds the glass member 62 so that the front surfaces of the back panels 54, 56 and the front surface of the glass member 62 are flush with each other.

[0047] The glass member 62 can be replaced by removing the upper retaining member 64 by means of the bolts 66.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 11, cameras 72 and 76, which are imaging units, are provided on both sides of glass member 62. In front of camera 76, as shown in Fig. 10B, a rectangular parallelepiped 78 having a hollowed-out shape is provided. Lighting is provided inside rectangular parallelepiped 78, which is configured to improve the quality of the captured image. In front of camera 72, a rectangular parallelepiped 74 having the same configuration as rectangular parallelepiped 78 is also provided. Therefore, the front and back surfaces of flat washer 40 rolling past in front of glass member 62 can be captured by cameras 72 and 76.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 10A, the position of flat washer 40 is adjusted so that it can be detected by sensor 120 when flat washer 40 reaches the position where optical axis 77 of camera 72 (which is also the optical axis of camera 76) and the front surface of glass plate 62 intersect.

[0050] The flat washer 40 continues to rotate and rolls along the moving path 50 from the back plate 56 to the back plate 58. The back plate 58 is provided with an air nozzle 80 connected to an air compressor. Details of the vicinity of the air nozzle 80 are shown in Figures 12A and 12B.

[0051] 12A is a plan view, and FIG. 12B is a side cross-sectional view. A non-defective product passage 82 is provided at a position opposite the air nozzle 80. Flat washers 40 determined to be non-defective by imaging are blown away by the air nozzle 80, dropped into the non-defective product passage 82, and stored in a non-defective product collection box (not shown).

[0052] On the other hand, the air nozzle 80 is not applied to the flat washer 40 that is determined to be a defective product. Therefore, the flat washer 40 rolls as it is and falls into a defective product passage 84, where it is collected in a defective product collection box (not shown).

[0053] With the above-mentioned configuration, even if the air nozzle 80 is unable to blow out non-defective products, the non-defective products will simply be mixed in with the defective products, making it difficult for problems to occur. With this method, it is possible to avoid the undesirable situation of defective products being mixed in with non-defective products.

[0054] 13 shows a hardware configuration in which the control circuit is realized using a CPU. To the CPU 100, a memory 102, a touch display 104, a non-volatile memory 106, sensors 108, 120, and 122, an air nozzle 80, and cameras 72 and 76 are connected.

[0055] The non-volatile memory 106 stores an operating system 110 and a control program 112. The control program 112 cooperates with the operating system 110 to perform its functions.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 1, the sensor 108 is attached near the guard plate 42. Details of the vicinity of the sensor 108 are shown in Figs. 14A and 14B. As shown in Fig. 14A, if the flat washer 40 is housed in the recess 34, the sensor 108 (optical reflection sensor) receives reflected light of the emitted light. Also, as shown in Fig. 14B, if the flat washer 40 is not housed in the recess 34, the sensor 108 does not receive reflected light of the emitted light.

[0057] 15 shows a flowchart of the control program 112. The camera 72 captures moving images. The CPU 100 determines whether the sensor 120 detects the flat washer 40 (step S51).

[0058] When sensor 120 detects flat washer 40, CPU 100 turns on the light, captures an image of flat washer 40 with cameras 72 and 74, and records the still image in memory 102 (step S53). Fig. 16 shows an example of a still image of the front side of flat washer 40 captured and recorded by camera 72. A still image of the back side captured by camera 76 is similar.

[0059] Next, based on the still images of the front and back surfaces, CPU 100 inspects the outer diameter, inner diameter, circularity of the outer circumference, circularity of the inner circumference, concentricity of the outer diameter and inner diameter, surface scratches, etc. (Step S54). Then, the number of inspections N is incremented by 1 (Step S55).

[0060] If the inspection result shows that all items are within the tolerance range, the flat washer 40 is determined to be a non-defective product. If the CPU 100 determines that the flat washer 40 is a non-defective product, the CPU 100 determines whether the flat washer 40 has been detected by the sensor 122 (i.e., whether it has passed through the inspection area) (step S57).

[0061] When flat washer 40 is detected by sensor 122, CPU 100 turns on air nozzle 80 and starts blowing air (step S58). As a result, flat washer 40 that has come from the inspection area to the position of air nozzle 80 in FIG. 12A is blown away and dropped into non-defective passage 82.

[0062] The air blowing from the air nozzle 80 is turned off when the next flat washer 40 is detected by the sensor 120 (step S52).

[0063] If the inspection result shows that any item is outside the tolerance, the flat washer 40 is determined to be defective. If the CPU 100 determines that the flat washer 40 is defective, it keeps the air nozzle 80 OFF. Therefore, the defective flat washer 40 is not blown away by the air nozzle 80, but is dropped into the defective passage 84. Inspection of the flat washer 40 is performed in this manner.

[0064] In the above, the total number of inspections N is counted, but in addition to this, the number of non-defective products and the number of defective products may also be counted.

[0065] In parallel with the above process, the CPU 100 acquires a detection signal from the sensor 108 and detects whether there are too many recesses 34 in which flat washers 40 are not housed in relation to the rotation speed of the rotating disk. When the number of recesses 34 in which flat washers 40 are not housed reaches a predetermined ratio or more (e.g., 30% or more), a warning is displayed on the touch display 104. Alternatively, the amount of flat washers 40 supplied to the rotating disk 32 is controlled by controlling a parts feeder or the like.

[0066] In this embodiment, the thickness of the flat washer 40 is inspected before (or after) the above inspection.

[0067] Fig. 17 shows a configuration for eliminating flat washers 40 that exceed the upper limit thickness. Fig. 17A is a plan view, Fig. 17B is a front view, and Fig. 17C is a side view.

[0068] Flat washers 40 are supplied from a parts feeder (not shown) to the supply path 150. This supply path 150 is formed in a V-shape as shown in Fig. 17B, and flat washers 40 are fed to the tip while rolling.

[0069] At the tip, an opening 152 is provided downward. Also, at the tip, a stopper 154 is provided. Therefore, the flat washer 40 rolling along the supply path 150 hits the stopper 154 and falls downward from the opening 152.

[0070] Rotating rollers 160, 162 rotated by a motor (not shown) are provided below opening 152. Rotating rollers 160, 162 rotate in a direction that moves flat washer 40 upward at the top of the rollers, as shown by arrow γ in Fig. 17C. Rotating rollers 160, 162 are inclined downward from the base side, where supply path 150 is located, toward the tip side, as shown in Fig. 17B.

[0071] Therefore, the flat washer 40 dropped from the supply path 150 slides between the rotating rollers 160, 162 toward the tip side.

[0072] The gap between the rotating rollers 160, 162 is narrow at the base and gradually widens toward the tip. That is, as shown in Fig. 17A, the gap W2 is wider than the gap W1. The gaps W1 and W2 are adjusted so that flat washers 40 that do not exceed the upper limit thickness will fall out from between the rotating rollers 160, 162, and flat washers 40 that exceed the upper limit thickness (nonstandard) will not fall out from between the rotating rollers 160, 162 but will fall from the tip.

[0073] A defective product passage 172 is provided below the tip ends of the rotating rollers 160, 162. Therefore, non-standard flat washers 40 are dropped into the defective product passage 172 and collected in a defective product collection box (not shown).

[0074] Further, a V-shaped non-defective product passage 170 is provided below between the rotating rollers 160, 162. Therefore, flat washers 40 that are non-defective products and do not exceed the upper limit thickness drop from between the rotating rollers 160, 162 and are guided to the non-defective product passage 170. The non-defective product passage 170 is slightly inclined so that the tip direction (the left direction in the figure) is downward. Therefore, non-defective flat washers 40 move to the tip while rolling along the V-shaped non-defective product passage.

[0075] Fig. 18 shows a configuration for removing flat washers 40 that do not reach the lower limit thickness. Fig. 18A is a plan view, Fig. 18B is a front view, and Fig. 18C is a side view. Rotating rollers 180, 182 rotated by a motor (not shown) are provided at the lower end of the tip of the non-defective product passage 170. As shown by arrow ε in Fig. 18C, the rotating rollers 180, 182 rotate in a direction that moves the flat washer 40 upward at the upper part of the roller. As shown in Fig. 18B, the rotating rollers 180, 182 are inclined downward from the base side where the non-defective product passage 170 is located toward the tip side.

[0076] Therefore, the flat washer 40 supplied from the non-defective passage 170 slides between the rotating rollers 180, 182 toward the tip side.

[0077] The gap between the rotating rollers 180, 182 is formed to be the same width at the base and tip. The gap is adjusted so that flat washers 40 that do not reach the lower limit thickness (non-standard) fall between the rotating rollers 180, 182.

[0078] A defective product passage 190 is provided below the rotating rollers 180, 182. Therefore, non-standard flat washers 40 are dropped into the defective product passage 190 and collected in a defective product collection box (not shown).

[0079] Furthermore, a V-shaped non-defective product passage 200 is provided at the tip between the rotating rollers 180, 182. Therefore, flat washers 40 that are non-defective products and exceed the lower limit thickness drop from the tips of the rotating rollers 180, 182 and are guided to the non-defective product passage 200. The non-defective product passage 200 is slightly inclined so that the tip direction (the left direction in the figure) is downward. Therefore, the non-defective flat washers 40 move to the tip while rolling along the V-shaped non-defective product passage 200.

[0080] A direction restricting plate 202 and a stopper 204 are provided at the tip of the non-defective product passage 200. The direction restricting plate 202 and the stopper 204 constitute an input portion for the rotating disk 32, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1. The flat washer 40 hits the stopper 204 and falls downward. At this time, the direction restricting plate 202 prevents the flat washer 40 from going outside the jump-out prevention plate 38. Therefore, the flat washer 40 falls between the jump-out prevention plate 38 and the rotating disk 32.

[0081] 2.Other (1) In the above embodiment, a glass plate 62 is used. If the glass plate 62 becomes damaged during use, it may be sized so that it can be used upside down. Also, by making it square, it can be rotated 90 degrees and used four times.

[0082] (2) In the above embodiment, the glass plate 62, which is a transparent member, is used to capture images of both the back and front sides. However, as shown in Fig. 19A, the movement path 50 may be formed so that only one side is captured from the direction of the arrow, and the angle of the movement path 50 is gradually changed as shown in Figs. 19B, 19C, 19D, and 19E. Then, in the state of Fig. 19E, the other side is captured. In this way, it is possible to avoid using the glass material 62.

[0083] (3) Although the above describes the inspection of the flat washer 40, any thin, circular part can be inspected in the same way. Also, any non-circular, thin, plate-shaped part can be inspected in the same way if it is moved by sliding it on a flat surface rather than by rolling it.

[0084] (4) In the above embodiment, sensors are provided before and after the imaging area. However, a video may be captured by a camera, and the entry and exit of the flat washer 40 into and from the imaging area may be detected by the image. In this way, the sensors 120 and 122 may be omitted.

[0085] (5) In the above embodiment, the reflective optical sensor 122 is used to detect the flat washer 40. However, a transmissive optical sensor may be used. Also, sensors other than an optical sensor, such as a magnetic sensor or a weight sensor, may be used, and the determination may be made based on a camera image.

[0086] Similarly, a reflective optical sensor may be used instead of the transmissive optical sensor 120. Also, sensors other than an optical sensor, such as a magnetic sensor or a weight sensor, may be used, and the determination may be made based on a camera image.

[0087] (6) In the above embodiment, the air nozzle 80 is used. However, other actuators may be used. Also, a mechanism for switching paths depending on whether the product is good or bad may be provided.

[0088] (7) In the above embodiment, double-sided inspection is performed, but the present invention can also be used in the case of inspecting only one side.

[0089] (8) In the above embodiment, the thickness inspection shown in Figures 17 and 18 is performed. However, this may not be performed and the flat washers 40 from the parts feeder may be directly supplied to the rotary disk 32. Conversely, only the thickness inspection may be performed.

[0090] (9) In the above embodiment, inspection is performed by capturing images in the imaging area. However, processing other than inspection, such as painting or weighing, may be performed in a position corresponding to the imaging area.

[0091] (10) It is preferable to prepare a plurality of rotating disks 32 each having a recess 34 that matches the diameter of the flat washer 40 to be inspected, and to use them by replacing them. When using the configuration shown in Figure 4, it is only necessary to prepare a plurality of notched disks 32A.

Claims

1. a rotating disk having a step wall that contacts an outer edge of a thin plate-like part and a plurality of recesses that are open in an outer circumferential direction, the rotating disk having a rotation axis direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a gravity direction; a holding and coupling portion provided on a lower portion of the rotating disk, which holds a thin plate-like part not inserted in the recess at an outer peripheral end portion of the rotating disk and holds the thin plate-like part in the recess as the rotating disk rotates; An input section that inputs a thin plate-like part toward the holding joint section; a moving path configured to receive and move the thin plate-like part held in the recess at a position where the thin plate-like part is released in the outer circumferential direction by an opening of the recess as the rotary disk rotates; a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path; In a thin plate-like part processing apparatus comprising: the processing unit includes an imaging unit that images the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a determination means that determines whether the thin plate-like part is a good product or a defective product based on the image captured by the imaging unit, At least a portion of the movement path is made of a transparent member, The thin plate-like part processing device is characterized in that the imaging unit includes a first imaging member that images the surface of the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a second imaging member that images the back surface of the thin plate-like part through the transparent member.

2. a rotating disk having a step wall that contacts an outer edge of a thin plate-like part and a plurality of recesses that are open in an outer circumferential direction, the rotating disk having a rotation axis direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a gravity direction; a holding and coupling portion provided on a lower portion of the rotating disk, which holds a thin plate-like part not inserted in the recess at an outer peripheral end portion of the rotating disk and holds the thin plate-like part in the recess as the rotating disk rotates; An input section that inputs a thin plate-like part toward the holding joint section; a moving path configured to receive and move the thin plate-like part held in the recess at a position where the thin plate-like part is released in the outer circumferential direction by an opening of the recess as the rotary disk rotates; a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path; In a thin plate-like part processing apparatus comprising: the processing unit includes an imaging unit that images the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a determination means that determines whether the thin plate-like part is a good product or a defective product based on the image captured by the imaging unit, the moving path is configured so that the thin plate-like part is turned over by moving along the moving path, a first imaging member for imaging the thin plate-like part is provided on the moving path before the inversion; A thin plate-like part processing apparatus comprising: a second imaging member for imaging the thin plate-like part, said second imaging member being provided on said path of movement after said inversion.

3. 3. The thin plate part processing apparatus according to claim 1, 4. The thin plate part processing apparatus, wherein the thin plate part is a disk-shaped part.

4. a rotating disk having a step wall that contacts an outer edge of a thin plate-like part and a plurality of recesses that are open in an outer circumferential direction, the rotating disk having a rotation axis direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a gravity direction; a holding and coupling portion provided on a lower portion of the rotating disk, which holds a thin plate-like part not inserted in the recess at an outer peripheral end portion of the rotating disk and holds the thin plate-like part in the recess as the rotating disk rotates; An input section that inputs a thin plate-like part toward the holding joint section; a moving path configured to receive and move the thin plate-like part held in the recess at a position where the thin plate-like part is released in the outer circumferential direction by an opening of the recess as the rotary disk rotates; a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path; In a thin plate-like part processing apparatus comprising: the processing unit includes an imaging unit that images the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a determination means that determines whether the thin plate-like part is a good product or a defective product based on the image captured by the imaging unit, This thin plate-like part processing apparatus is characterized in that it further comprises a thickness deficiency inspection unit configured to face two rotating rollers rotating upward in a close position at a predetermined distance corresponding to the thickness of the thin plate-like part, feed the thin plate-like part from one end toward the facing portion, and as the thin plate-like part moves to the other end, drop and remove thin plate-like parts that are insufficient in thickness between the two rollers, thereby obtaining only thin plate-like parts that are thicker than the predetermined thickness at the other end.

5. a rotating disk having a step wall that contacts an outer edge of a thin plate-like part and a plurality of recesses that are open in an outer circumferential direction, the rotating disk having a rotation axis direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a gravity direction; a holding and coupling portion provided on a lower portion of the rotating disk, which holds a thin plate-like part not inserted in the recess at an outer peripheral end portion of the rotating disk and holds the thin plate-like part in the recess as the rotating disk rotates; An input section that inputs a thin plate-like part toward the holding joint section; a moving path configured to receive and move the thin plate-like part held in the recess at a position where the thin plate-like part is released in the outer circumferential direction by an opening of the recess as the rotary disk rotates; a processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path; In a thin plate-like part processing apparatus comprising: the processing unit includes an imaging unit that images the thin plate-like part moving along the moving path, and a determination means that determines whether the thin plate-like part is a good product or a defective product based on the image captured by the imaging unit, A thin plate-like part processing apparatus further comprising an excess thickness inspection unit configured to: face two rotating rollers rotating upward in a close position so that the distance between them gradually increases from one end to the other end, based on a predetermined distance corresponding to the thickness of the thin plate-like part; feed a thin plate-like part from one end toward the facing portion, remove thin plate-like parts that are too thick to the other end, and drop thin plate-like parts that are not too thick between the two rollers.

6. 6. The thin plate part processing apparatus according to claim 4, 4. The thin plate part processing apparatus, wherein the thin plate part is a disk-shaped part.

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