Inspection and sorting equipment, inspection and sorting equipment

Abstract

To correctly select an inspection object in accordance with inspection results.SOLUTION: The present invention comprises: conveyance means for conveying inspection objects on a plurality of conveyance paths in a prescribed conveyance direction; irradiation means for irradiating an electromagnetic wave toward the inspection objects; detection means provided with a plurality of sensors installed for each conveyance path, with each sensor detecting an arrived electromagnetic wave and outputting detection data in each of prescribed periods; sequence identification means for associating the detection data with the sequence of output periods and outputting selection period information that indicates the sequence of periods before several periods that are equivalent to a required conveyance time from the detection means to a selection mechanism; inspection means for applying prescribed inspection to each detection data; selection data storage means for storing the inspection result of detection data in association with the sequence of output periods of the detection data; and selection means with which a selection mechanism corresponding to each sensor carries out a selection process of the sequence of periods indicated by selection period information acquired referring to the selection data storage means upon input of selection period information, in accordance with the inspection result of detection data of each sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection and sorting device that inspects an object based on electromagnetic waves that are irradiated onto the object and detected after passing through the object, and performs a predetermined sorting process depending on the inspection results. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a commonly known inspection device that irradiates electromagnetic waves such as X-rays onto an object to be inspected as it is transported horizontally along a predetermined transport path by transport means such as various conveyors, inspects the inside or surface of the object based on the strength of the electromagnetic waves that have passed through or been reflected from the object, and performs a sorting process based on the inspection results (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-128231 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The electromagnetic waves transmitted through or reflected from the object to be inspected are detected by the detection means, and the detection data is sent to the inspection means, where the inspection is carried out. Meanwhile, the object to be inspected continues to be transported along a predetermined transport path by the transport means in parallel with the execution of the inspection. In conventional inspection devices, after the inspection by the inspection means is completed, it is estimated that the object to be inspected will reach the sorting means after a certain time lag, and the sorting means is made to carry out a sorting process (for example, a process of removing the object from the transport path if it is not good) according to the inspection result of the object to be inspected (typically a pass / fail judgment result).

[0005] However, since the time required for inspection by the inspection means depends on the state of the object to be inspected and is not necessarily constant, it is necessary to continue the state in which the transported object is removed by the sorting means for a certain period before and after the estimated arrival time of the object to be inspected at the sorting means so that the object can be reliably removed from the transport path if the inspection result is negative. Therefore, when objects to be inspected are transported one after another on the same transport path at short intervals, there is a risk that other objects before and after the object to be rejected may be rejected together regardless of their inspection results.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide an inspection and sorting device, an inspection device, and a sorting device that are capable of correctly sorting each inspected object according to the inspection results. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The inspection and sorting device of the present invention includes a transport means for transporting objects to be inspected on each of a plurality of transport paths arranged in parallel in a predetermined transport direction, an irradiation means for irradiating the objects to be inspected with a predetermined electromagnetic wave, and a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction and provided corresponding to each of the transport paths, each sensor detecting the predetermined electromagnetic wave that has arrived and outputting detection data at a predetermined cycle, and a detection means for associating the detection data with information indicating the order of the cycles in which the detection data is output from the detection means, and outputting detection data for a cycle a number of cycles before the cycle in which the detection data is output that corresponds to the required transport time between the detection means and the sorting mechanism. the order of the detection data is determined by an order determination means, which outputs sorting period information indicating the order of the detection data; an inspection means which performs a predetermined inspection on the detection data and outputs the inspection results; a sorting data storage means which stores the inspection results of the detection data in correspondence with information indicating the order of the periods in which the detection data was output from the detection means; and a sorting mechanism for each conveying path which is arranged in a direction perpendicular to a predetermined conveying direction, and which, upon input of the sorting period information, refers to the sorting data storage means and executes a predetermined sorting process in the sorting mechanism corresponding to each sensor based on the inspection results of the detection data of each sensor in the order of the periods indicated by the sorting period information.

[0008] The apparatus may further include a detection data storage means for storing the detection data output by the detection means in association with the information indicating the order of the periods in accordance with the association by the order identification means of the information indicating the order of the periods, and the inspection means may perform a predetermined inspection on the detection data for the multiple periods each time the detection data for the multiple periods is stored in the detection data storage means, the number of periods being less than the number of periods corresponding to the required transport time.

[0009] The inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises a conveying means for conveying objects to be inspected on each of a plurality of conveying paths arranged in parallel in a predetermined conveying direction, an irradiation means for irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave toward the object to be inspected, a detection means having a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and corresponding to each of the conveying paths, each of the sensors detecting the predetermined electromagnetic wave that reaches the sensor and outputting detection data at a predetermined period, an order identification means for matching the detection data with information indicating the order of the periods in which the detection data was output from the detection means, and outputting sorting period information indicating the order of the period the number of periods before the period in which the detection data was output corresponds to the time required for conveying between the detection means and the sorting mechanism, and an inspection means for performing a predetermined inspection on each detection data and outputting the inspection results.

[0010] The sorting device of the present invention includes a conveying means for conveying objects to be inspected on each of a plurality of parallelly arranged conveying paths in a predetermined conveying direction, an irradiating means for irradiating the objects to be inspected with a predetermined electromagnetic wave, and a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveying direction and provided corresponding to each of the conveying paths, each of the sensors detecting the predetermined electromagnetic wave that has arrived and outputting detection data at each predetermined cycle, and a detecting means for associating the detection data with information indicating the order of the cycles in which the detection data was output from the detecting means, and for outputting sorting cycle information indicating the order of the cycle the number of cycles before the cycle in which the detection data was output corresponds to the time required for conveying between the detecting means and the sorting mechanism. the sorting mechanism for each conveying path arranged in a direction perpendicular to a predetermined conveying direction, and which executes a predetermined sorting process in the sorting mechanism corresponding to each sensor based on the inspection results of the detection data at each sensor in the order of periods indicated by the sorting period information, which is obtained by referring to the sorting data storage means upon input of sorting period information. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the inspection and sorting device, inspection apparatus, and sorting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform correct sorting for each inspected object in accordance with the inspection result. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection and sorting device 100. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection and sorting device 100. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram (1 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram (2 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram (3 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram (4 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a diagram (5 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 / 9 is a diagram for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a diagram (7 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 / 9 is a diagram for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. [Figure 11] FIG. 9 is a diagram (9 / 9) for explaining the sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same members are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of members that have already been described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0014] A configuration example of an inspection and sorting device 100 of the present invention is shown in a front view in Fig. 1 and a plan view in Fig. 2. The inspection and sorting device 100 includes a conveying means 101, an irradiating means 102, a detecting means 103, an order specifying means 104, a detected data storage means 105, an inspecting means 106, a sorting data storage means 107, and a sorting means 108.

[0015] The transport means 101 transports the inspection objects W present on each of a plurality of transport paths arranged in parallel in a predetermined transport direction. The transport means 101 may be a conveyor of any type as long as it can transport the inspection objects W placed thereon in a fixed direction.

[0016] In the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the conveying means 101 conveys the object W to be inspected in the Y-axis direction. When viewed from the front, the conveying means 101 has a depth in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the Y-axis, and can place a plurality of objects W to be inspected at any position in the X-axis direction and convey them in the Y-axis direction. In other words, a conveying path can be conceived in the Y-axis direction for each position in the X-axis direction where the object W to be inspected is placed. However, since the inspection and sorting device 100 inspects the object W to be inspected and performs sorting according to the inspection result, the number of conveying paths that can actually be conceived is the number of rows of sensors that detect electromagnetic waves that have passed through the object W to be inspected arranged in the X-axis direction. Fig. 2 shows an example in which the detection means 103 has four sensors L1 to L4 that correspond to the objects W to be inspected, and four rows of conveying paths C1 to C4 are conceived corresponding to the sensors.

[0017] In Figures 1 and 2, the sorting means 108 is shown inserted midway through the conveying means 101; however, the conveying means 101 is actually configured to be capable of continuous conveying, including the position where the sorting means 108 is present, and the notation of the sorting means 108 means that a predetermined sorting process can be performed on the inspection objects W being conveyed at the notated position.

[0018] The irradiation means 102 is disposed opposite to the detection means 103, and irradiates a predetermined electromagnetic wave onto the inspection object W transported by the transport means 101. The type of electromagnetic wave to be irradiated may be appropriately selected according to the contents of the inspection, such as, for example, X-rays, visible light, or infrared light.

[0019] The detection means 103 includes a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means 101 and corresponding to each conveying path, and each sensor detects a predetermined electromagnetic wave that has arrived and outputs detection data at predetermined intervals. Fig. 2 shows an example in which the detection means 103 includes four sensors L1 to L4 corresponding to four conveying paths C1 to C4.

[0020] Each sensor of the detection means 103 is a sensor in which one or more detection elements capable of detecting a predetermined electromagnetic wave are arranged in a row in the X-axis direction, and in reality, each detection element constituting the sensor outputs detection data. The width of each transport path in the X-axis direction is specified as the product of the length in the X-axis direction of the detection element constituting each sensor and the number of the arranged detection elements.

[0021] The multiple sensors of the detection means 103 may be appropriately configured using one or more line sensors each having multiple detection elements. For example, if there are four sensors, they may be configured by dividing three or less line sensors, or they may be configured one-to-one using four line sensors, or one sensor may be configured using two or more line sensors.

[0022] Furthermore, the multiple sensors of the detection means 103 may be configured as one or multiple line sensors arranged in a row in the X-axis direction as described above, or may be configured as a TDI sensor arranged in multiple rows in the Y-axis direction.

[0023] The predetermined period during which each sensor detects electromagnetic waves and accumulates and outputs the detection data may be, for example, the time required for the line sensor to pass through the width in the Y-axis direction at the conveying speed of the conveying means 101. By setting the predetermined period in this way, it is possible to inspect all of the objects W to be inspected that pass the sensors.

[0024] The order identification means 104 writes the detection data into the detection data storage means 105 every time the detection means 103 outputs detection data from each sensor at a predetermined cycle. At this time, the detection data for each predetermined cycle is written in association with information indicating the sequence of the cycles in which it was output. The information indicating the sequence of the cycles may be any information that can identify the sequence, and may be, for example, simple integer information such as 1, 2, 3, .... When the sensor is made up of multiple detection elements, the detection data of the sensor may be written by writing the detection data of each detection element individually or by writing the sum of the detection data of each detection element, depending on the inspection method of the inspection means 106, etc.

[0025] Furthermore, each time the order identification means 104 writes detection data in association with a certain order in the detection data storage means 105, it notifies the sorting means 108 of information indicating that sorting processing will be performed using the inspection results of the detection data associated with an order that is a number of periods earlier than the associated order, which is equivalent to the required transport time.

[0026] The time required for transport between the detection means 103 and the sorting mechanism of the sorting means 108 is determined from the distance between the detection means 103 and the sorting means 108 and the transport speed by the transport means 101. If the detection means 103 outputs detection data of the object W in a certain period, the object W will reach the sorting means 108 in a period that is a number of periods after that period that corresponds to the time required for transport between the detection means 103 and the sorting means 108. Therefore, by completing the inspection of the object W during transport from the detection means 103 to the sorting means 108, the sorting means 108 can perform a predetermined sorting process on the object W based on the inspection result.

[0027] In each period, the sorting means 108 performs sorting processing based on the inspection result of the detection data associated with which order is uniquely determined based on the order associated with the detection data output from the detection means 103 in the same period. For example, in a case where the detection data reaches the sorting means 108 four periods after it is output from the detection means 103, and the detection data output from the detection means 103 in a certain period is stored in association with order 1 in the detection data storage means 105 employing a ring buffer of six periods, the sorting means 108 performs sorting processing in that period based on the inspection result of the detection data output from the detection means 103 four periods earlier and associated with order 3.

[0028] Therefore, every time the order specifying means 104 writes the detection data to the detection data storage means 105 in association with a certain order, it notifies the sorting means 108 of information indicating that sorting processing will be performed using the inspection results of the detection data associated with the order that is the number of cycles before the associated order, which corresponds to the required transport time. For example, in a case where a ring buffer of 6 cycles is adopted in the detection data storage means 105 and the required transport time corresponds to 4 cycles, when the detection data output in a certain cycle by the detection means 103 is written to the detection data storage means 105 in association with order 1, the sorting means 108 is notified of order 3, which is 4 cycles before. This makes it possible to perform sorting processing based on the inspection results of the data at the timing when the inspection object W, whose data was detected by the detection means 103 4 cycles ago, arrives at the sorting means 108.

[0029] The detection data storage means 105 is any storage medium capable of electromagnetically storing the detection data output by the detection means 103. Any data structure may be used for storing the data, but in the present invention, it is sufficient that the inspection data is stored for the time required for processing, so that by employing, for example, a ring buffer, the function of the detection data storage means 105 can be realized with a small storage area.

[0030] The inspection means 106 reads out the detection data stored in the detection data storage means 105, executes a predetermined inspection, and outputs the inspection result. The predetermined inspection may be, for example, an inspection of the presence or absence of the object W to be inspected and the presence or absence of a foreign object, which are grasped based on the magnitude of the value of the detection data, but the type of inspection is not limited as long as the state of the object W to be inspected can be evaluated from the detection data of the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the object W to be inspected.

[0031] When a sensor consists of multiple detection elements, the inspection results of the detection data of the sensor may be obtained, for example, by inspecting each of the detection data from each detection element and making a comprehensive evaluation based on each inspection result using any judgment criteria, or by inspecting the sum of the detection data of each detection element.

[0032] The inspection of the detection data in the inspection means 106 may be performed, for example, by reading out the detection data of each sensor each time it is written to the detection data storage means 105 at a predetermined period, or, considering that it is sufficient if the detection data is completed before the sorting process in the sorting means 108, the detection data may be read out and performed all at once each time the detection data is written for a number of periods that is less than the number of periods corresponding to the transport time required from the detection means 103 to the sorting means 108.

[0033] Furthermore, the inspection means 106 writes the inspection results of the detection data of each sensor for each predetermined period outputted to the selected data storage means 107. At this time, the inspection results of the detection data of each sensor for each predetermined period are stored in association with information indicating the same period order as that associated in the detection data storage means 105. That is, the inspection results of the detection data stored in association with order 1 in the detection data storage means 105 are stored in association with order 1 in the selected data storage means 107. Note that the inspection results of the detection data of each sensor for each predetermined period may be written directly to the selected data storage means 107, or may be copied to the selected data storage means 107 after overwriting the storage area of ​​the detection data in the detection data storage means 105, for example.

[0034] The selected data storage means 107, like the detection data storage means 105, is any storage medium capable of electromagnetically storing data, and by adopting, for example, a ring buffer as a data structure for storing data, the function of the selected data storage means 107 can be realized with a small storage area.

[0035] The sorting means 108 includes sorting mechanisms arranged in a direction perpendicular to a predetermined conveying direction for each conveying path. In Fig. 1, an example is shown in which sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 are provided downstream of sensors L1 to L4 provided on the conveying paths C1 to C4, respectively.

[0036] The sorting means 108, upon receiving notification of the sorting cycle information from the order identification means 104, executes a predetermined sorting process in a sorting mechanism corresponding to each sensor based on the inspection results of the detection data of each sensor in the order of the cycles indicated by the sorting cycle information, which is obtained by referring to the sorting data storage means 107.

[0037] For example, when a ring buffer of six cycles is adopted in the detection data storage means 105 and the time required for transport corresponds to four cycles, if the detection data output in a certain cycle by the detection means 103 is written in the detection data storage means 105 in association with order 1, the sorting means 108 is notified of order 3, which is four cycles earlier. When there are four transport routes, C1 to C4, the sorting means 108 refers to the sorting data storage means 107 and performs a predetermined sorting process in the sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 corresponding to the sensors L1 to L4, respectively, based on the inspection results of the detection data in the sensors L1 to L4 stored in association with order 3.

[0038] The predetermined sorting process in the sorting means 108 may be, for example, sorting between pass and fail items based on the inspection result indicating whether the inspected object W passes or fails. In this case, the sorting mechanism functions to allow pass items to continue to be transported along the transport path, and to remove fail items from the transport path. Any type of sorting mechanism may be used, and examples of such a type include an air jet type, a flipper type, and a drop type.

[0039] The sorting process in the inspection and sorting device 100 will be specifically described with reference to Figs. 2 to 11. Figs. 2 to 11 show an example of a process in a time series in which a plurality of objects W to be inspected are transported one after another in an inspection system provided with four sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 and four sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 of the sorting means 108 corresponding to the four transport paths C1 to C4 of the transport means 101. The objects W to be inspected are marked in advance with white if they pass the inspection and black if they fail the inspection. In this example, the number of cycles corresponding to the time required for transport between the detection means 103 and the sorting mechanism of the sorting means 108 is set to four cycles. The inspection in the inspection means 106 is performed collectively every time three cycles of detection data are stored in the detection data storage means 105. The inspection results in the inspection means 106 are written directly into the sorting data storage means 107. The detection data storage means 105 and the selection data storage means 107 employ a ring buffer with six cycles, the order of which is expressed by 1 to 6. In the detection data storage means 105, a storage position where detection data is not written is marked with 0, and a storage position where detection data is written is marked with V. In the selection data storage means 107, a storage position where the inspection result is a failure is marked with 1, and other storage positions are marked with 0. For data stored in each storage position of the detection data storage means 105 and the selection data storage means 107, the storage position where inspection and selection have been completed is reset to 0. In addition, the detection means 103 notifies the selection means 108 of the storage order in the selection data storage means 107 of the detection results to be used for the selection process, every time the detection data for each cycle is output.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a state in which a plurality of objects to be inspected W are transported in the Y-axis direction by the transport means 101 on four transport paths C1 to C4, and two objects in the first row have arrived just before the detection means 103.

[0041] Figure 3 shows a state in which multiple inspection objects W have moved one cycle in the transport direction from the state shown in Figure 2, and two inspection objects W in the first row are positioned above the detection means 103, and sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 detect the electromagnetic waves that reach them during one cycle in which the two inspection objects W in the first row pass, and accumulate the detection data.

[0042] Figure 4 shows the state in which the multiple objects to be inspected W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Figure 3, and two objects to be inspected W in the first row have passed over the detection means 103, and two objects to be inspected W in the second row are positioned above the detection means 103.

[0043] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves of the first cycle when the first row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that have arrived during one cycle when the two objects W to be inspected in the second row pass, and accumulate the detection data. The sequence identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with sequence 1 to the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of sequence 3 four cycles ago, which corresponds to the time required for transportation. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection results associated with sequence 3 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since all are 0, the sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 function to continue the transportation of the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C1 to C4. However, since there are no arriving transported objects at the time of FIG. 4, no specific movement or state occurs.

[0044] Figure 5 shows a state in which the multiple objects to be inspected W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Figure 4, and two objects to be inspected W in the second row have passed over the detection means 103, and one object to be inspected W in the third row is positioned above the detection means 103.

[0045] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves of the second cycle when the second row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that have arrived during one cycle when one inspection object W of the third row passes, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with the order 2 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of the order 4 four cycles ago, which corresponds to the transportation required time. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection results associated with the order 4 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since all are 0, the sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 function to continue the transportation of the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C1 to C4. However, since there are no arriving transported objects at the time of FIG. 5, no specific movement occurs.

[0046] Figure 6 shows a state in which the multiple inspection objects W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Figure 5, and one inspection object W in the third row has finished passing over the detection means 103, and three inspection objects W in the fourth row are positioned above the detection means 103.

[0047] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves of the third cycle when the third row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that have arrived during one cycle in which one inspected object W of the fourth row passes, and accumulate the detection data. The sequence identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with sequence 3 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of sequence 5, which is four cycles before and corresponds to the transport required time. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection results associated with sequence 5 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since all are 0, the sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 function to continue transporting the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C1 to C4. However, since there are no arriving transported objects at the time of FIG. 6, no specific movement or state occurs.

[0048] Figure 7 shows a state in which the multiple objects to be inspected W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Figure 6, and the three objects to be inspected W in the fourth row have passed over the detection means 103, and one object to be inspected W in the fifth row is positioned above the detection means 103.

[0049] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves of the fourth cycle when the fourth row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that have arrived during one cycle during which the three objects W to be inspected in the fifth row pass, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with the order 4 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of the order 6 four cycles ago, which corresponds to the time required for transportation. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection results associated with the order 6 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since all are 0, the sorting mechanisms S1 to S4 function to continue the transportation of the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C1 to C4. However, since there are no arriving transported objects at the time of FIG. 7, no specific movement or state occurs.

[0050] Furthermore, since the detection data storage means 105 stores the detection data of the sensors L1 to L4 for three cycles in the orders 1 to 3, the inspection means 106 reads out the detection data for these three cycles from the detection data storage means 105, executes a predetermined inspection, and writes the inspection results of the detection data for the sensors L1 to L4 for each cycle in correspondence with the orders 1 to 3, respectively, in the selection data storage means 107. In these three cycles, the inspection results of the detection data for the sensor L2 in the order 1, the sensor L3 in the order 2, and the sensor L4 in the order 3 are unacceptable, so a 1 is written in the corresponding storage location.

[0051] Figure 8 shows the state in which the multiple inspection objects W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Figure 7, and one inspection object W in the fifth row has finished passing over the detection means 103, and two inspection objects W in the sixth row are positioned above the detection means 103.

[0052] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves in the fifth cycle when the fifth row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that arrive during one cycle during which the two objects W in the sixth row pass, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with order 5 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of order 1, which is four cycles earlier and corresponds to the transport required time. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection result associated with order 1 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since the sensor L2 is 1 and the sensors L1, L3, and L4 are 0, the sorting mechanism S2 corresponding to the sensor L2 functions to remove the arriving object W from the transport path C2. Meanwhile, the sorting mechanisms S1, S3, and S4 corresponding to the sensors L1, L3, and L4 function to continue the transport of the arriving transported object on the transport paths C1, C3, and C4. In this example, since the inspection object W has arrived at the sorting mechanism S3, the transport of the inspection object W on the transport path C3 is continued.

[0053] Fig. 9 shows a state where the multiple inspection objects W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Fig. 8, and the two inspection objects W in the sixth row have passed over the detection means 103, and the two inspection objects W in the seventh row are positioned above the detection means 103. Note that the inspection objects W in the first row that were on the conveying path C2 in Fig. 8 have already been removed from the conveying path C2.

[0054] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves in the sixth cycle when the sixth row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that arrive during one cycle during which the two objects W in the seventh row pass, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with the order 6 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of the order 2 four cycles earlier, which corresponds to the transport required time. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection result associated with the order 2 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since the sensor L3 is 1 and the sensors L1, L2, and L4 are 0, the sorting mechanism S3 corresponding to the sensor L3 functions to remove the arriving object W from the transport path C3. Meanwhile, the sorting mechanisms S1, S2, and S4 corresponding to the sensors L1, L2, and L4 function to continue the transport of the arriving transported object on the transport paths C1, C2, and C4. In this example, since the inspection object W has arrived at the sorting mechanism S1, the transport of the inspection object W on the transport path C1 is continued.

[0055] Fig. 10 shows a state in which the multiple inspection objects W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Fig. 9, two inspection objects W in the seventh row have passed over the detection means 103, and one inspection object W in the eighth row is positioned above the detection means 103. Note that the inspection object W in the third row that was on the conveying path C3 in Fig. 9 has already been removed from the conveying path C3.

[0056] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the seventh cycle of the electromagnetic waves when the seventh row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that arrive during one cycle in which one inspection object W in the eighth row passes, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with order 1 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of order 3, which is four cycles earlier and corresponds to the transport required time. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection result associated with order 3 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since the sensor L4 is 1 and the sensors L1, L2, and L3 are 0, the sorting mechanism S4 corresponding to the sensor L4 functions to remove the arriving inspection object W from the transport path C3. On the other hand, the sorting mechanisms S1, S2, and S3 corresponding to the sensors L1, L2, and L3 function to continue the transport of the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C1, C2, and C3. In this example, since no inspection object W has arrived at the sorting mechanisms S1, S2, and S3, no specific movement occurs.

[0057] Furthermore, since the detection data storage means 105 stores the detection data of the sensors L1 to L4 for three cycles of orders 4 to 6, the inspection means 106 reads out the detection data for these three cycles from the detection data storage means 105, executes a predetermined inspection, and writes the inspection results of the detection data for the sensors L1 to L4 for each cycle in correspondence with orders 4 to 6, respectively, in the selection data storage means 107. In these three cycles, the inspection results of the detection data for the sensor L1 for order 4 and the sensor L3 for order 6 are unacceptable, so a 1 is written in the corresponding memory location.

[0058] Fig. 11 shows a state where the plurality of inspection objects W have moved one more period in the conveying direction from the state shown in Fig. 10, one inspection object W in the eighth row has passed over the detection means 103, and two inspection objects W in the ninth row are positioned above the detection means 103. Note that the inspection object W in the fourth row on the conveying path C4 in Fig. 10 has already been removed from the conveying path C4.

[0059] The sensors L1 to L4 of the detection means 103 finish detecting the electromagnetic waves in the eighth cycle when the eighth row has passed, and output the detection data accumulated in each of the sensors L1 to L4, while detecting the electromagnetic waves that arrive during one cycle during which the two objects W to be inspected in the ninth row pass, and accumulate the detection data. The order identification means 104 writes the detection data output from the detection means 103 in association with order 2 in the detection data storage means 105, and notifies the sorting means 108 of order 4, which is four cycles earlier and corresponds to the time required for conveyance. The sorting means 108 refers to the inspection result associated with order 4 in the sorting data storage means 107, and since the sensor L1 is 1 and the sensors L2, L3, and L4 are 0, the sorting mechanism S1 corresponding to the sensor L1 functions to remove the arriving object W to be inspected from the conveyance path C1. Meanwhile, the sorting mechanisms S2, S3, and S4 corresponding to the sensors L2, L3, and L4 function to continue the transport of the arriving transported objects on the transport paths C2, C3, and C4. In this example, since the inspection objects W have arrived at the sorting mechanisms S2 and S4, the transport of the two inspection objects W on the transport paths C2 and C4 continues.

[0060] The same process is repeated for the following periods.

[0061] According to the inspection and sorting device of the present invention described above, it is possible to correctly sort each inspected object according to the inspection result.

[0062] The inspection and sorting device of the present invention may be configured as an integrated inspection and sorting device, or may be divided into, for example, an inspection device equipped with a conveying means 101, an irradiation means 102, a detection means 103, an order identification means 104, a detection data storage means 105 and an inspection means 106, and a sorting device equipped with a sorting data storage means 107 and a sorting means 108.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. The above-mentioned embodiment is an example, and anything that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and exhibits similar effects is included in the technical scope of the present invention. In other words, appropriate modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea expressed in the present invention, and forms with such modifications and improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0064] For example, the number of sensors and conveying paths, the number of periods corresponding to the distance between the detection means and the sorting means, the number of sequences in one rotation in the ring buffer, the number of periods for which inspection is performed collectively, etc. may be realized with the same concept as the above embodiment even if they are not the quantities shown in the above embodiment. In addition, the way in which the components of the present invention are allocated to each means is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea expressed in the present invention.

[0065] In addition, in consideration of the fact that there may be an object to be inspected that spans multiple periods and / or multiple sensors, for example, the inspection means may identify the range of the object to be inspected and the abnormal parts based on the detection data of multiple periods and / or multiple sensors, and then it may be determined based on a predetermined rule which parts correspond to which periods and sensors the sorting mechanism should be operated for, and the sorting mechanism may be operated based on this as the inspection result. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100 Inspection and sorting equipment 101 Means of transport 102 Irradiation means 103 Detection means 104 Order identification means 105 Detection data storage means 106 Testing methods 107 Selection data storage means 108 Selection methods C1~C4 Transport route L1~L4 Sensor S1~S4 Sorting mechanism W Inspection item

Claims

1. a conveying means which is a conveyor for conveying objects to be inspected along a plurality of parallel conveying paths in a predetermined conveying direction; an irradiation means for irradiating the object to be inspected while being transported by the conveyor with a predetermined electromagnetic wave; a detection means including a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveying direction and corresponding to each of the conveying paths, each of the sensors detecting the predetermined electromagnetic waves that have arrived and outputting detection data at predetermined intervals; an order specifying means for associating the detection data with information indicating the order of the cycle in which the detection data was output from the detection means, and outputting sorting cycle information indicating the order of the cycle that is a number of cycles before the cycle in which the detection data was output, the number of cycles corresponding to a required transport time between the detection means and the sorting mechanism; an inspection means for executing a predetermined inspection on the detection data and outputting an inspection result; a selection data storage means for storing the inspection results of the detection data in association with information indicating the order of periods in which the detection data is output from the detection means; a sorting means for executing a predetermined sorting process in the sorting mechanism corresponding to each of the sensors based on the inspection results of the detection data of each of the sensors in the order of the cycles indicated by the sorting cycle information, the inspection results being acquired by referring to the sorting data storage means in response to an input of the sorting cycle information; An inspection and sorting device comprising:

2. a detection data storage means for storing the detection data output by the detection means in association with the information indicating the sequence of the cycles according to the association of the information indicating the sequence of the cycles by the sequence identification means, The inspection means performs the predetermined inspection on the detection data for a plurality of periods each time the detection data storage means stores the detection data for a plurality of periods, the number of periods being less than the number of periods corresponding to the required transport time.

2. The inspection and sorting device according to claim 1.

3. a conveying means which is a conveyor for conveying objects to be inspected along a plurality of parallel conveying paths in a predetermined conveying direction; an irradiation means for irradiating the object to be inspected while being transported by the conveyor with a predetermined electromagnetic wave; a detection means including a plurality of sensors arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveying direction and corresponding to each of the conveying paths, each of the sensors detecting the predetermined electromagnetic waves that have arrived and outputting detection data at predetermined intervals; an order specifying means for associating the detection data with information indicating the order of the cycle in which the detection data was output from the detection means, and outputting sorting cycle information indicating the order of the cycle that is a number of cycles before the cycle in which the detection data was output, the number of cycles corresponding to a required transport time between the detection means and the sorting mechanism; an inspection means for executing a predetermined inspection on each of the detection data and outputting an inspection result; An inspection device comprising:

4. a transport means which is a conveyor which transports objects to be inspected on each of a plurality of transport paths arranged in parallel in a predetermined transport direction; an irradiation means which irradiates a predetermined electromagnetic wave towards the objects to be inspected being transported by the conveyor; a detection means which is provided with a plurality of sensors which are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined transport direction and which are provided corresponding to each of the transport paths, each of which detects the predetermined electromagnetic wave which has arrived at the sensor and outputs detection data for each predetermined period; a sequence specifying means which associates the detection data with information which indicates the sequence of the period in which the detection data is output from the detection means, and which outputs sorting period information which indicates the sequence of a period which is a number of periods before the period in which the detection data is output, which corresponds to the sequence of the period in which the detection data is output, the number of periods corresponding to the transport time between the detection means and the sorting mechanism; and an inspection means which performs a predetermined inspection on the detection data and outputs the inspection result. a sorting means for carrying out a predetermined sorting process in the sorting mechanism corresponding to each of the sensors based on the inspection results of the detection data in the sequence of the cycles indicated by the sorting cycle information, by referring to the sorting data storage means in response to an input of the sorting cycle information; A sorting device comprising:

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