Product Inspection Equipment

Abstract

To provide an item inspection device that can sensitively and stably detect a change of a spectrum when an unspecified foreign material is mixed, and select a defective item.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a carrying unit for carrying a tablet W for an inspection to an item inspection position P5; a light irradiation unit 31 for irradiating the tablet W carried to the item inspection position P5 with light L; a light detection unit 32 for detecting light that has passed through the tablet W; and an item inspection unit 3 for inspecting the quality of the tablet W on the basis of the spectral characteristic of the light detected by the light detection unit 32. The item inspection unit 3 standardizes a measured value of the spectrum of the spectral characteristic of the light detected by the light detection unit 32 for each wavelength, and determines whether the tablet W is defective on the basis of the standardized value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a tablet inspection device that irradiates a tablet with light from a light source and inspects the quality of the tablet according to the spectral characteristics of the light transmitted through the tablet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-60536 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this way, when inspecting an item based on the spectral characteristics of the transmitted or reflected light of the item, for example, in NIR (Near-InfraRed) analysis, spectral conversion processes such as absorbance calculations, smoothing processes, and differentiation processes are performed from the spectral information, and a judgment is made as to whether the item is normal or defective based on the results of calculation processes that create a calibration curve using the size of specific peaks or machine learning, etc.

[0005] However, it may not be clear whether a particular peak is the most suitable peak for detecting an abnormality, and if a foreign object is mixed in, it may not be possible to detect that the product is defective using that peak.

[0006] Even in the case of processing using a calibration curve, it is possible to specialize in detecting a specific substance, but there is a problem in that the detection ability cannot be guaranteed for other substances.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an article inspection apparatus that can sensitively and stably detect a change in spectrum when an unspecified foreign matter is mixed in, and can determine that the article is defective. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The article inspection device of the present invention is an article inspection device including a conveying unit that conveys an article for inspection to an article inspection position, a light irradiating unit that irradiates light onto the article conveyed to the article inspection position, and a light detecting unit that detects the light transmitted through the article, and is equipped with an article inspection unit that inspects the presence of foreign matter as the quality of the article based on the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detecting unit, and the article inspection unit converts measured values ​​for each wavelength in a measurement range of the spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detecting unit into Calculate the average value and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measured values ​​for each wavelength in the measurement range obtained by measuring a normal product that is known to be normal, and subtract the average value from each measured value for each wavelength in the measurement range of the product, divide the difference by the standard deviation to obtain the measured values. The measurement range is divided in the wavelength direction, and the measured value is standardized. A threshold value is set for each range obtained by dividing the measurement range in the wavelength direction. Whether it exceeds Based on this, it is determined whether the article is a normal product without any foreign matter being mixed in or a defective product with any foreign matter being mixed in.

[0009] With this configuration, The average value and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measured values ​​for each wavelength in the measurement range obtained by measuring a normal product that is known to be normal, are calculated. The measured values ​​for each wavelength in the measurement range of the measured spectrum are , subtract the mean from each measurement and divide the difference by the standard deviation Standardization is performed, and threshold values ​​are set for each range obtained by dividing the measurement range in the wavelength direction. Whether it exceeds Based on this, it is possible to judge whether the product is a normal product without any foreign matter being mixed in or a defective product with the presence of foreign matter. Therefore, when an unspecified foreign matter is mixed in, the change in the spectrum can be detected sensitively and stably, and the product can be determined to be defective.

[0014] In addition, in the product inspection device of the present invention, the product inspection unit sets, as threshold values ​​for the standardized value, an upper threshold which is the upper limit value for determining that the standardized value is normal, and a lower threshold which is the lower limit value for determining that the standardized value is normal.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to easily and accurately determine whether an article is normal or defective based on the upper and lower threshold values.

[0016] In the article inspection device of the present invention, the article inspection unit determines whether the article is No foreign matter is mixed in Is it normal? Foreign matter was mixed in This is used to determine whether the product is defective or not.

[0017] With this configuration, the article is determined based on a threshold value for the absolute value of the standardized value. No foreign matter is mixed in Is it normal? Foreign matter was mixed in Therefore, by combining the upper and lower threshold values ​​into one, it is possible to easily determine whether an article is normal or defective.

[0020] In the article inspection device of the present invention, the article inspection unit determines a range of wavelengths in which the threshold value is not used to determine whether the article is a normal product without any foreign matter being mixed in or a defective product with any foreign matter being mixed in. In the measurement range It is something that should be established.

[0021] With this configuration, the wavelength range in which the threshold value is not used to determine whether an article is a normal product without foreign matter or a defective product with foreign matter is eliminated. Measurement range Therefore, the range of wavelengths that are not relevant to determining whether an article is normal or defective can be set as a range in which determination of whether an article is normal or defective is not performed, and the influence of values ​​in the range of wavelengths that are not relevant to the determination can be suppressed, making it possible to accurately determine whether an article is normal or defective.

[0022] In the article inspection device of the present invention, the threshold value is set to a value obtained by multiplying the measured values ​​of a plurality of normal articles that are determined to be free of foreign matter. The above It is set based on standardized values.

[0023] With this configuration, the article is free of foreign matter. Several The threshold value is set based on a standardized value of the measurement value of a normal product. Therefore, the threshold value can be set to reflect the characteristics of the normal product, and it is possible to accurately determine whether an article is normal or defective.

[0024] In the article inspection device of the present invention, the article inspection unit Regarding the above normal productA spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit is converted into a spectrum The measurement Value The average value and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measured values, are calculated, and the average value is subtracted from the measured value to obtain a difference, which is then divided by the standard deviation to obtain the value. Standardize for each wavelength in the measurement range, Applicable By standardized values determining the threshold value; Whether the item is a normal product without any foreign matter or a defective product with foreign matter The above It is something that makes judgments.

[0025] With this configuration, About normal products The spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit is converted into the spectrum measurement value The average and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measurement, are calculated, and the difference obtained by subtracting the average from the measurement is divided by the standard deviation to obtain the measurement. Standardized for each wavelength in the measurement range, using standardized values A threshold is determined, The system judges whether the product is a normal product without any foreign matter mixed in or a defective product with some foreign matter mixed in. Therefore, when an unspecified foreign matter is mixed in, the system can detect the change in the spectrum sensitively and stably and determine that the product is defective. In addition, in the object inspection device of the present invention, the object is a cylindrical molded product whose height is small compared to its diameter, and is a tablet that can be transported individually to the object inspection position by the transport section. With this configuration, light is irradiated onto the tablet, which is a cylindrical molded product with a height smaller than its diameter and which can be individually transported to the article inspection position by the transport unit, and whether or not a foreign object is mixed in is determined based on the spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light transmitted through the molded product. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the presence of a foreign object in a tablet, which is a cylindrical molded product with a height smaller than its diameter and which can be individually transported to the article inspection position by the transport unit. In the article inspection apparatus of the present invention, the standardized value is The color is determined based on whether the item is a normal product without any foreign matter or a defective product with foreign matter. Display the graph in . This configuration results in a standardized value of The color is determined based on whether the item is a normal product without foreign objects or a defective product with foreign objects. This allows for accurate detection of tablet contamination. Effect of the Invention

[0026] The present invention can provide an article inspection device that can sensitively and stably detect a change in spectrum when an unspecified foreign matter is mixed in, and can determine that the article is defective. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a supply container of an object inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention taken along line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the groove and the storage section of the outer transport section of the object inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3, seen obliquely from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an article inspection unit provided at an article inspection position of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of standardization of the spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of threshold values ​​of standardized values ​​of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of threshold values ​​based on absolute values ​​of standardized values ​​in an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the threshold values ​​of standardized values ​​of an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention are divided in the wavelength direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of providing a wavelength range within which a determination as to whether an item is normal or defective is not performed based on the threshold value of the standardized value in an item inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0029] In Figure 1, an item inspection device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention aligns items to be inspected and transports them individually while irradiating light at a predetermined item inspection position, and inspects the quality of the items based on the spectral characteristics of the light that passes through the items as the light is irradiated.

[0030] The objects to be inspected are small-diameter objects in which the light irradiation area is relatively close to the diameter of the irradiation port through which light is irradiated onto the object to be inspected, and include objects with an outer diameter φ of a few mm to a few tens of mm that can be transported individually without packaging, bite-sized objects, as well as objects and molded products of a predetermined shape manufactured in existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without inspection capabilities, and particularly objects whose shape does not change during transportation.

[0031] Examples of the object include preparations such as tablets, capsules, lozenges, drops, candies, chocolates, etc. In the following, an object to be inspected will be described taking as an example a tablet W that is circular in plan view and approximately cylindrical in side view with a height (thickness) smaller than its diameter. The tablet W in this embodiment constitutes the object.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the article inspection device 1 includes an article conveying device 2 that conveys tablets W along a circular conveying course, and an article inspection unit 3 that inspects the tablets W at an article inspection position P5 along the conveying course.

[0033] 2, the supply container 10 is formed in a circular shape with an open top and a cross-sectional area that gradually decreases from the top downward. The supply container 10 is a horizontal annular flange provided with a predetermined width around the entire circumference of the opening 10a on the top, and includes an outer conveying section 12 that serves as a conveying path for the tablets W, a circular bottom wall 13 that has a through hole 13b in one part and has a smaller diameter than the outer conveying section 12, and a cylindrical side wall 14 that connects the outer conveying section 12 and the bottom wall 13.

[0034] The inner conveying section 11 in this embodiment is provided radially inward of the outer conveying section 12. In other words, the outer conveying section 12 is provided radially outward of the inner conveying section 11 so as to surround the periphery of the inner conveying section 11 when viewed from above the item conveying device 2.

[0035] Supply container 10 is rotatably attached to a main body frame (not shown). The rotation axis of supply container 10 passes through the center of bottom wall 13 and coincides with a line perpendicular to bottom wall 13. An annular internal gear 10b is fixed to the lower surface of bottom wall 13 of supply container 10 with its center coinciding with bottom wall 13.

[0036] A first motor 21 is attached to the main body frame, and a pinion 22 provided on a drive shaft 21a of the first motor 21 meshes with the internal gear 10b. When the first motor 21 is driven, the supply container 10 (outer conveying section 12) rotates around its central axis of rotation in a rotation direction A (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the rotation direction A of the supply container 10 is a counterclockwise direction when the article conveying device 2 is viewed in a plan view.

[0037] 1 and 2, inner conveying section 11 is disposed at an angle inside supply container 10. The diameter of inner conveying section 11 is larger than the diameter of bottom wall 13 of supply container 10, so inner conveying section 11 can be accommodated at an angle inside supply container 10. That is, supply container 10 is formed in a circular shape with an open top and a cross-sectional area that decreases from the top toward bottom wall 13, so inner conveying section 11 can be accommodated at an angle inside supply container 10.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the upper end 11b of the inclined direction of the inner conveying section 11 faces the upper edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10, and the lower end 11c of the inclined direction, which is located 180° opposite the upper end 11b in the circumferential direction of the inner conveying section 11, faces the lower edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10.

[0039] That is, the portion of the lower end 11c in the inclined direction of the inner conveying section 11 facing the lower edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10 is the lowest, and the portion of the upper end 11b in the inclined direction of the inner conveying section 11 facing the upper edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10 is the highest. A drive shaft 11a (see FIG. 2) is fixed perpendicular to the inner conveying section 11 at the center of the lower surface of the inner conveying section 11, and the drive shaft 11a is inserted through a through hole 13b in the bottom wall 13 of the supply container 10 in an inclined state and connected to a second motor 23 (see FIG. 2).

[0040] Second motor 23 is attached to a main body frame that supports supply container 10, and when second motor 23 is driven, inside supply container 10, inner conveying unit 11 rotates around drive shaft 11a in rotation direction B (see FIG. 1). Rotation direction B of inner conveying unit 11 and rotation direction A of outer conveying unit 12 are the same direction.

[0041] 1, the article conveying apparatus 2 includes an article supply section 24, which is installed above the article conveying apparatus 2. When tablets W of molded products manufactured by existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without an inspection function are input, the article supply section 24 accumulates the input tablets W and discharges the accumulated tablets W from a discharge port 24a to an article input position P1, and supplies them to the inner conveying section 11 at the article input position P1.

[0042] The article supply unit 24 transports the inserted tablets W to the inner transport unit 11, and is composed of, for example, a linear feeder or a conveyor.

[0043] The article supplying section 24 has a function of supplying the tablets W in accordance with the capacity of the inner conveying section 11 and the outer conveying section 12 to convey the tablets W. In other words, the article supplying section 24 sets the supply amount of the tablets W to the inner conveying section 11 in accordance with the capacity of the article conveying device 2 to convey the tablets W (e.g., the number of tablets W conveyed per unit time, etc.).

[0044] In the article conveying device 2, tablets W are fed from the article supply section 24 to the inner conveying section 11 while the first motor 21 and the second motor 23 are driven in the same direction at the same speed or at different speeds, and the inner conveying section 11 and the supply container 10 are rotated at the same speed in rotation directions A and B, respectively. The tablets W that fall to the lowest part of the article supply section 24 (the lower end 11c side in the inclined direction) move to the highest part of the inner conveying section 11 (the upper end 11b side in the inclined direction) as the inner conveying section 11 rotates, and are placed on the outer conveying section 12.

[0045] 1 and 3, the outer conveying section 12 is provided with a groove portion 12A and a storage groove 12B. As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the groove portion 12A is recessed downward from the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12 and extends in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12. The storage groove 12B in this embodiment constitutes a storage section.

[0046] The grooves 12A are arranged in a row at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer conveying section 12, and these grooves 12A are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the outer conveying section 12 with the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12 in between.

[0047] 3, the groove 12A is formed so that its circumferential width gradually narrows from the inner end 12n toward the outer end 12m in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12. The circumferential width of the inner end 12n of the groove 12A is formed so that it is smaller than the width when two tablets W are lined up in the circumferential direction, that is, smaller than twice the width of the diameter of the tablets W (or smaller than the width when two tablets W are lined up vertically and horizontally in the circumferential direction), and is formed into a shape that makes it difficult for two tablets W to enter at the same time.

[0048] The tablet W that has been lifted onto the outer conveying section 12 by the rotation of the inner conveying section 11 enters the groove section 12A from the radial inner end section 12n of the groove section 12A, and is guided from the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the outer conveying section 12 and the item guide section 27 described later, and is stored in the storage groove 12B.

[0049] 3 and 4, the storage groove 12B is located radially outward of the groove portion 12A of the outer conveying portion 12. The storage groove 12B is formed in a circular shape slightly larger than the tablet W in a plan view, and is recessed below the bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A, or may be at the same height as the groove portion 12A.

[0050] Specifically, the storage groove 12B includes a bottom wall 12C having an annular mounting surface 12d located below the bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A. The bottom wall 12C is formed with a circular opening 12c located inside the mounting surface 12d and through which the inspection light passes. That is, the mounting surface 12d is provided radially outward of the circular opening 12c so as to surround the circular opening 12c, and the tablet W is placed on the annular mounting surface 12d so as to close the opening 12c from above.

[0051] The storage groove 12B has a peripheral wall 12D that extends upward from a bottom wall 12C and surrounds the outer peripheral side surface Wa of the tablet W, and the tablet W is stored in a fitted state in the storage groove 12B.

[0052] Specifically, a peripheral wall 12D of the accommodating groove 12B is formed by a step between a bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A and a mounting surface 12d of the accommodating groove 12B and a step between an upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A and a mounting surface 12d of the accommodating groove 12B.

[0053] Since the opening 12c is formed with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the tablet W when viewed in a plane of the outer conveying section 12, when the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the opening 12c cannot be seen from above, and the tablet W can be prevented from falling through the opening 12c.

[0054] The distance from the rotation central axis of the outer conveying section 12 to the center of all the storage grooves 12B is the same, and when the tablets W are stored in the storage grooves 12B, the tablets W are aligned in a line in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12. That is, a line connecting the centers of the storage grooves 12B (centers of the openings 12c) in the rotation direction forms a circle. As a result, when the outer conveying section 12 rotates, the tablets W stored in the storage grooves 12B are aligned in a line in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

[0055] In addition, when the tablet W is accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B, the gap between the outer peripheral side surface Wa of the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D becomes extremely small. This makes it possible to prevent light from leaking from the gap between the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D and light from entering the gap between the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D. That is, the peripheral wall 12D blocks light incident from the outer peripheral side surface Wa of the tablet W to the light detection unit 32 described later. In this embodiment, the peripheral wall 12D constitutes a light-shielding portion, and the outer peripheral side surface Wa of the tablet W constitutes the outer peripheral side surface of the article.

[0056] The condition is that the gap between the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D, and the gap between the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W and the bottom wall 12C are set to a size such that the peripheral wall 12D can prevent light from leaking from the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W or light from entering from the outer peripheral side Wa, and the tablet W is securely accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, when tablet W is contained in storage groove 12B, the height dimension a of tablet W, i.e., the dimension a from mounting surface 12d of storage groove 12B to the upper surface of tablet W, is greater than the height dimension b from mounting surface 12d of storage groove 12B to the upper surface 12a of groove portion 12A.

[0058] As a result, when the tablet W is contained in the containing groove 12B, the upper surface of the tablet W protrudes upward from the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A.

[0059] In addition, in a state where the tablet W is accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B, the dimension a in the height direction of the tablet W may be smaller than the dimension b in the height direction from the placement surface 12d of the accommodation groove 12B to the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A. In this case, in a state where the tablet W is accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B, the upper surface of the tablet W is located lower than the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A.

[0060] 1, the article conveying device 2 is provided with an article regulating section 25. The article regulating section 25 regulates the number of tablets W supplied so that only one tablet W is supplied to the groove section 12A, and aligns the tablets W in a single row in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

[0061] The article regulating section 25 is composed of a guide plate that extends in a curved shape at a certain length in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12 and also extends in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

[0062] The article regulating section 25 is provided at a regulating position P2 downstream of the article input position P1 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12. In other words, the article input position P1 is installed upstream of the article regulating section 25 in a plan view of the article conveying device 2. Here, the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and the conveying direction of the tablets W are the same direction.

[0063] When one tablet W is supplied from the inner conveying section 11 to the groove section 12A through the radial inner end 12n of the groove section 12A, the radial outer end of the tablet W comes into contact with the article regulating section 25. That is, the radial dimension of the outer conveying section 12 at the article regulating section 25 and the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A is set to the same dimension as the diameter of the tablet W, a dimension slightly larger than the diameter of the tablet W, or a dimension slightly smaller than the diameter of the tablet W so that the tablet W does not fall from the groove section 12A to the inner conveying section 11. As a result, the number of tablets W supplied is regulated by the article regulating section 25 so that only one tablet W is supplied to the groove section 12A.

[0064] Further, the tablet W supplied to the groove portion 12A is restricted from moving radially outward of the outer conveying portion 12 by the article restricting portion 25, and is conveyed toward the article inspection position P5 while being aligned in a row in the rotation direction of the outer conveying portion 12. The outer conveying portion 12 in this embodiment constitutes a conveying portion.

[0065] The article conveying device 2 is provided with an article adjustment section 26. The article adjustment section 26 is provided at an article adjustment position P3 downstream of the article regulation section 25 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and returns tablets W that are not positioned in the groove section 12A in the correct position to the correct position in the groove section 12A, and removes tablets W protruding from the groove section 12A from the groove section 12A. Here, the correct position of the tablets W is, for example, a position in which the tablets W can be smoothly moved from the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B and stored sideways in the storage groove 12B.

[0066] The item adjustment section 26 is composed of a brush, air, an exclusion plate, etc., and when a tablet W supplied to the groove section 12A rides up on the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12, it adjusts the tablet to a normal position in the groove section 12A or excludes it from the groove section 12A.

[0067] Moreover, when one of the tablets W has a poor posture (vertical orientation), the tablet W is removed from the groove portion 12A. The tablet W removed from the groove portion 12A is returned to the inside conveying portion 11.

[0068] Specifically, when tablet W is positioned above the upper surface of tablet W that would be in the correct position in groove portion 12A, item adjustment section 26 adjusts (corrects or removes) tablet W that is in the wrong position by supplying air above the upper surface of tablet W or by using an exclusion plate.

[0069] The article conveying device 2 is provided with an article guide section 27. The article guide section 27 is provided at an article guide position P4 downstream of the article adjustment section 26 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and guides the tablets W supplied to the groove section 12A along the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B. The article guide section 27 is configured from a guide plate that extends in a curved manner at a constant length in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and also extends in the up-down direction, and is fixed to a main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

[0070] The article guide section 27 is composed of a guide plate extending in the vertical direction and a constant length from the inner end 12n to the outer end 12m of the groove section 12A in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12. The upstream end 27a of the article guide section 27 is located closer to the inner conveying section 11 than the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12, and the downstream end 27b is located closer to the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A than the storage groove 12B in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12, and is located near the outer end 12m of the groove section 12A.

[0071] The article guide section 27 moves the tablets W, which are aligned in a row on the inner end 12n side of the storage groove 12B in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12 at the regulating position P2, along the groove section 12A toward the storage groove 12B as the outer conveying section 12 rotates, and stores them in the storage groove 12B.

[0072] The tablets W accommodated in the accommodation grooves 12B are transported to the article inspection unit 3 by the rotation of the outer transport unit 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the article inspection unit 3 is provided at an article inspection position P5 downstream of the article guiding position P4 in the rotation direction of the outer transport unit 12.

[0073] The article transport device 2 is provided with an article blocking section 28. The article blocking section 28 is provided from midway in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12 of the article guide section 27 to downstream of the article inspection position P5 in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12.

[0074] The item blocking section 28 is composed of a guide plate that curves in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, extends a certain length, and extends in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

[0075] The article blocking portion 28 blocks the tablets W accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B by the article guiding portion 27 from moving radially outward from the accommodation groove 12B due to centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the outer conveying portion 12.

[0076] 6, the article inspection unit 3 is composed of a light irradiator 31 and a light detector 32. At the article inspection position P5, the article inspection unit 3 irradiates broadband light L from the light irradiator 31 onto the tablet W accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B from the opening 12c side, and detects the light transmitted through the tablet W by the light detector 32.

[0077] The light irradiation unit 31 includes a light source 31a, a light guide 31b, and a condenser lens 31c. The light source 31a is composed of, for example, a halogen lamp in order to irradiate a wide band of light onto the tablet W to be inspected. The light source 31a, the light guide 31b, and the condenser lens 31c constitute a light source unit integrally assembled with a case (not shown) on which a heat dissipation fin (not shown) is formed, and the light source unit is attached to a main body frame supporting the supply container 10. The light source unit includes an optical sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of light from the light source 31a, and a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the light source 31a.

[0078] The light guide 31b is configured by bundling a number of glass optical fibers, and guides the light from the light source 31a to a condenser lens 31c that condenses the light. The condenser lens 31c condenses the light from the light guide 31b onto the tablet W at the article inspection position P5.

[0079] The light irradiation unit 31 emits broadband light from the light source 31a to the focusing lens 31c via the light guide 31b, and adjusts the magnification of the focusing lens 31c (the positions of the focusing lens 31c, the light source 31a and the tablet W) so that the focusing lens 31c covers the entire top surface of the tablet W at the item inspection position P5, thereby efficiently irradiating the light from the light source 31a onto the tablet W at the item inspection position P5.

[0080] The light detection section 32 is an integrally assembled light detection unit equipped with an optical fiber 32a and a spectrometer 32b, and is attached to a main body frame that supports the supply container 10 while being integrally held by a holding means not shown.

[0081] In the light detection unit 32, the light transmitted through the tablet W at the article inspection position P5 enters from an end face (incident opening) of the incident surface serving as a light receiving unit of the optical fiber 32a. When the light entering from the end face of the incident surface passes through the optical fiber 32a and reaches the spectroscope 32b, the spectroscope 32b performs spectrometry using a grating that utilizes the difference in diffraction angle due to the wavelength of the light.

[0082] The article inspection unit 3 processes the signal of the spectroscopic characteristics obtained by the light detection unit 32, and judges the quality of the tablets W from the result of the signal processing.

[0083] At the article inspection position P5, a light shielding plate 39 having an opening 39a through which light passes may be installed between the storage groove 12B and the light detection unit 32 (the light shielding plate 39 is shown by a virtual line in FIG. 6). In this way, the light entering the light detection unit 32 from the outer peripheral side surface Wa (see FIG. 4) of the tablet W can be more reliably blocked by the peripheral wall 12D and the light shielding plate 39, and appropriate light analysis can be more reliably performed by the light detection unit 32.

[0084] As shown in Figure 1, downstream of the item inspection position P5 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, a defective item recovery section 35, a full item recovery section 36 and a OK item recovery section 37 are provided at a predetermined interval in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

[0085] When the article inspection section 3 determines that a tablet W is a defective product (NG product), when the tablet W determined to be a defective product is transported to a NG product sorting position P6 downstream in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 relative to the article inspection section 3, the article conveying device 2, for example, blows air onto the tablet W from the radially inner side of the outer conveying section 12 and discharges it from the storage groove 12B to the NG product recovery section 35. Note that the tablet W may be sucked from the radially outer side of the outer conveying section 12 at the NG product sorting position P6 and discharged from the storage groove 12B to the NG product recovery section 35.

[0086] On the other hand, when the article inspection unit 3 judges the tablet W to be a normal product (OK product), when the tablet W judged to be a normal product is transported from the NG product sorting position P6 to the OK product sorting position P7, for example, air is blown onto the tablet W from the radially inner side of the outer conveying unit 12, and the tablet W is discharged from the storage groove 12B to the OK product recovery unit 37. Note that the tablet W may be sucked from the radially outer side of the outer conveying unit 12 at the OK product sorting position P7, and discharged from the storage groove 12B to the OK product recovery unit 37.

[0087] The full-item recovery section 36 is provided at a full discharge position P8 between the NG product sorting position P6 and the OK product sorting position P7 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

[0088] The all-item recovery section 36 recovers tablets W that could not be properly inspected or that have failed to be discharged, such as tablets W that have failed to be discharged when the item inspection device 1 starts operating, after a recovery operation following an emergency stop, or tablets W that have failed to be discharged.For example, air is blown onto the tablets W from the radially inner side of the outer conveying section 12, and the tablets are discharged from the storage groove 12B to the all-item recovery section 36.

[0089] At the full discharge position P8, the tablets W may be sucked from the radially outer side of the outer conveying section 12 and discharged from the storage grooves 12B to the full recovery section .

[0090] Also, a confirmation sensor 38 may be provided at a confirmation position P9 downstream of the defective product recovery section 35 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and the confirmation sensor 38 may confirm whether or not a defective product has been discharged at the defective product sorting position P6. In this way, the reliability of sorting of defective products can be improved.

[0091] The spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics obtained by the light detection unit 32 of the article inspection unit 3 is as shown in the upper part of Fig. 7. In Fig. 7, the spectra of multiple tablets W are overlapped to form a graph. In this spectrum, the black spectrum indicated by A is the spectrum of a defective product, and the white area indicated by B is the spectrum of a normal product.

[0092] In this embodiment, the product inspection unit 3 standardizes the measurement value for each wavelength of the measured spectrum, and judges whether the product is normal or defective based on the standardized value.

[0093] The product inspection unit 3 calculates statistical values ​​such as the average, maximum, minimum and standard deviation for each wavelength of the measured values ​​at wavelengths at a predetermined interval within the measurement range, and standardizes them by calculation such as (measurement value-average value) / standard deviation, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 7. There are various standardization methods, but a method is selected that calculates statistical values ​​using the results of measurements made using OK products, and when standardization calculations are performed from the statistical values, does not result in large deviations in the values ​​when the measured values ​​of OK products that were not used in the calculation are standardized.

[0094] The calculation for standardization may be (measured value-average value) / (maximum value-minimum value) or (measured value-maximum value) / standard deviation. In this case, the statistical value is obtained from the result of measurement using a normal product that is known to be normal. The statistical value may be that of a normal product, or, if the spectroscopic spectrum of the normal product has changed due to a change in lot, etc., the statistical value may be calculated by adding the latest measured value of the normal product to the measured value of the same tablet W inspected in the past. In addition, if a numerical value that can be used for standardization, such as the spectroscopic characteristics and their variation, is known as a known value instead of a statistical value, the standardization may be performed using that value.

[0095] By performing this type of standardization, the spectrum shown in the upper part of Fig. 7 is converted to the one shown in the lower part. In this figure, the black parts indicated by A' are the standardized values ​​for defective products, and the white parts indicated by B' are the standardized values ​​for normal products, making it easier to determine whether a product is normal or defective by comparing with the case of spectra.

[0096] Note that the graph display format shown in Fig. 7 is just an example, and various display formats are possible, such as a radar chart, a representation using color shading, etc. The radar chart displays the results of the calibration curve, standardized values ​​for each spectral wavelength, and thickness values, for example, measured by other measuring devices.

[0097] In addition, the color, line thickness, and display style (for example, solid line, dashed line, dashed dot line, circle, square, etc.) may be changed depending on whether the judgment is OK or NG, or the level of NG.

[0098] Also, the number of data items to be displayed (for example, the latest 1 item, the latest 100 items, etc.) and the type of data to be displayed (for example, only OK items, only NG items, all items, etc.) may be combined and displayed.

[0099] The product inspection unit 3, for example, sets one predetermined threshold value over the entire wavelength range of the measurement, and if the standardized value of the measurement value exceeds the threshold value at any wavelength, it determines the product to be defective.

[0100] The predetermined threshold value is determined, for example, by calculating a standardized value from the spectra of multiple normal products as shown in the lower part of Fig. 7. For example, the predetermined threshold value may be set to twice the maximum value or twice the minimum value of the normal products after standardization, or to an intermediate value between the maximum value of normal products and the minimum value of defective products, or to a value that can identify defective products. These values ​​may also be set automatically.

[0101] In addition, the user may be allowed to select the display data that is to be judged as OK, and the threshold value may be automatically readjusted so that the data is judged as OK. At this time, the user may be allowed to select whether or not to recalculate the statistical values ​​used for standardization.

[0102] Also, the display data that has been judged as NG may be selected, and the threshold value may be automatically readjusted so that the display data is judged as OK.

[0103] The spectrum of a normal product for determining the predetermined threshold value may be the result of spectrum conversion processing such as spectroscopic information, absorbance calculation, smoothing processing, and differential calculation (which may be multiple stages).

[0104] Absorbance calculation is a process in which the spectral characteristics of the light used to measure tablet W or the spectral characteristics when the master is measured are used as a reference, and the spectral characteristics when tablet W is measured are used as the work result, and the attenuation of the work result is calculated from the reference.

[0105] Smoothing is the process of averaging or filtering the data of adjacent wavelengths ( weighted This is a process of smoothing the data using methods such as the moving average method.

[0106] Differential calculation is a method to calculate the difference between adjacent wavelength data or wavelength data at specific intervals according to specific rules. rule It is the process of processing the differences between data at fixed intervals.

[0107] A plurality of spectra resulting from such conversion processing may be used to determine whether the product is normal or defective. In this case, the predetermined threshold value may be different depending on the conversion processing.

[0108] In addition, since the spectral information changes due to environmental changes such as the ambient temperature, the temperature of the spectrometer 32b, the temperature of the device, and the amount of light from the light source 31a, the predetermined threshold may be switched based on information other than the spectrum, such as the ambient temperature, the temperature of the spectrometer 32b, the temperature of the device, and the amount of light from the light source 31a.

[0109] For example, when switching based on temperature, the normalized value and limit for 20 to 30°C and the normalized value and limit for 30 to 35°C are measured and calculated in advance, and the temperature change is observed during inspection. The normalized value and limit are switched according to the value, and it is determined whether the product is good or defective.

[0110] In addition, the predetermined threshold may be an upper threshold and a lower threshold as shown in FIG. 8, and the item inspection unit 3 may determine that the item is defective when the standardized value of the measurement value of any wavelength exceeds the upper threshold or when the standardized value of the measurement value of any wavelength is below the lower threshold.

[0111] The upper and lower thresholds may be set, for example, to twice the maximum value of the normal product after standardization, and twice the minimum value of the normal product after standardization, or may be set by other methods. These values ​​may also be set automatically.

[0112] Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the standardized values ​​may be converted into absolute values, thereby eliminating the lower threshold and consolidating the threshold into one.

[0113] Also, the wavelength direction may be divided and a predetermined threshold may be set for each divided wavelength range. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the wavelength may be divided at C in the figure, and the thresholds for the shorter wavelengths are set as the first upper threshold and the first lower threshold, and the thresholds for the longer wavelengths are set as the second upper threshold and the second lower threshold. The number of divisions may be two or more.

[0114] By doing this, for example, if there are areas where the influence value is large and areas where it is small even in a normal product, the threshold value can be set higher in the areas where the influence value is large and lower in the areas where the influence value is small, making it possible to accurately determine whether the product is normal or defective.

[0115] Also, a range may be set in which no judgment is made based on the threshold value. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, in the wavelength range indicated by D in the figure, judgment based on the threshold value is not made, and when the operator judges that, for example, a spectrum measured in a specific wavelength range shows a waveform with a different tendency from that measured in other wavelength ranges, and there is a risk that a value for distinguishing between normal and defective products cannot be obtained or that normal and defective products may not be distinguished correctly, the standardized values ​​of the measured values ​​in this range are set not to be used for judgment.

[0116] As described above, in the embodiment described above, the product inspection unit 3 standardizes the measurement value for each wavelength of the measured spectrum, and judges whether the product is normal or defective based on the standardized value.

[0117] This standardizes the measured values ​​for each wavelength of the spectrum, and the standardized values ​​are used to determine whether the product is good or defective. Therefore, when an unspecified foreign object is mixed in, the change in the spectrum can be detected sensitively and stably, and the product can be determined to be defective.

[0118] Furthermore, the article inspection unit 3 calculates statistics of the measurement values ​​for each wavelength of the spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit 32, and standardizes the measurement values ​​for each wavelength based on the statistics.

[0119] This allows calculation of statistical values ​​of the measured values ​​for each wavelength of the spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit 32, and standardization of the measured values ​​for each wavelength based on the statistical values. Therefore, when an unspecified foreign object is mixed in, it is possible to detect the change in the spectrum sensitively and stably, and to determine that the product is defective.

[0120] Furthermore, the article inspection unit 3 judges whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on a threshold value for the standardized value.

[0121] In this way, it is possible to judge whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on the threshold value for the standardized value. Therefore, it is possible to easily judge whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0122] In addition, the item inspection unit 3 sets, as thresholds for the standardized value, an upper threshold which is the upper limit value at which the standardized value is determined to be normal, and a lower threshold which is the lower limit value at which the standardized value is determined to be normal.

[0123] In this way, it is possible to judge whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on the upper threshold value and the lower threshold value. Therefore, it is possible to easily and accurately judge whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0124] Furthermore, the article inspection unit 3 judges whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on a threshold value for the absolute value of the standardized value.

[0125] As a result, a judgment is made as to whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on the threshold value for the absolute value of the standardized value. Therefore, by combining the upper and lower threshold values ​​into one, it is possible to easily judge whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0126] Furthermore, the article inspection unit 3 sets a threshold value for the standardized value for each range divided in the wavelength direction.

[0127] As a result, a threshold value is set for each range divided in the wavelength direction. Therefore, the normal range can be narrowed or widened for each wavelength range depending on the characteristics of the tablet W, and it is possible to accurately determine whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0128] Furthermore, the product inspection unit 3 provides a wavelength range within which the tablet W is not judged as being normal or defective using a threshold value.

[0129] This provides a range of wavelengths in which the threshold value does not determine whether the tablet W is normal or defective. Therefore, the range of wavelengths that is not related to the determination of whether the tablet W is normal or defective can be set as the range in which the determination of whether the tablet W is normal or defective is not performed, and the influence of the values ​​in the range of wavelengths that are not related to the determination can be suppressed, and it is possible to accurately determine whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0130] Moreover, the threshold value is set based on a standardized value of the measurement value of a normal tablet W. As a result, the threshold value is set based on the standardized measured value of the normal tablet W. Therefore, the threshold value can be set to reflect the characteristics of the normal tablet, and it is possible to accurately determine whether the tablet W is normal or defective.

[0131] In addition, the product inspection unit 3 standardizes the values ​​resulting from a spectral conversion process performed on the spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit 32 for each wavelength, and determines whether the tablet W is normal or defective based on the standardized values.

[0132] As a result, the value resulting from the spectrum conversion process performed on the spectrum of the spectroscopic characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit 32 is standardized for each wavelength, and the standardized value is used to determine whether the tablet W is normal or defective. Therefore, when an unspecified foreign object is mixed in, the change in the spectrum can be detected sensitively and stably, and the tablet can be determined to be defective.

[0133] In this embodiment, the case where the light from the light irradiation unit 31 is transmitted through the tablet W and the quality of the tablet W is inspected based on the spectral characteristics of the transmitted light is shown, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where the light from the light irradiation unit 31 is reflected by the tablet W and the quality of the tablet W is inspected based on the spectral characteristics of the reflected light.

[0134] In addition, the measured spectroscopic information can be stored, and after measurement, spectral conversion processing such as absorbance calculation, smoothing processing, and differentiation processing can be performed from the spectroscopic information. Calculation processing can be performed to create a calibration curve based on the size of specific peaks and machine learning, and a complex judgment process can be performed, such as a discrimination method using the calibration curve.

[0135] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention, and all such modifications and equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 1. Product inspection equipment 2. Item transport device 3. Goods Inspection Department 12 Outer conveying section (conveying section) 12B Storage groove (storage section) 31 Light irradiation unit 31a light source 31b Light Guide 31c Condenser lens 32 Light detection unit 32a Optical Fiber 32b spectrometer P5 Item Inspection Position

Claims

1. a conveying section (12) for conveying an object (W) for inspection to an object inspection position (P5); An article inspection device (1) including a light irradiation unit (31) that irradiates light onto the article transported to the article inspection position, and a light detection unit (32) that detects light transmitted through the article, and an article inspection unit (3) that inspects the quality of the article for the presence of foreign matter based on the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit, The article inspection unit calculates an average value and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measurement values ​​for each wavelength in the measurement range obtained by measuring a normal product that is known to be normal, from the measurement values ​​for each wavelength in the measurement range of the spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit for the article, standardizes the measurement values ​​by subtracting the average value from each measurement value for each wavelength in the measurement range of the article and dividing the difference by the standard deviation, and determines whether the article is a normal product free of foreign matter or a defective product due to foreign matter being contaminated, based on whether the standardized measurement values ​​exceed a threshold value set for each range obtained by dividing the measurement range in the wavelength direction.

2. The item inspection device of claim 1, wherein the item inspection unit sets, as thresholds for the standardized value, an upper limit threshold which is the upper limit value for determining that the standardized value is normal, and a lower limit threshold which is the lower limit value for determining that the standardized value is normal.

3. 2. The object inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the object inspection unit determines whether the object is a normal item containing no foreign matter or a defective item containing foreign matter, based on a threshold value for an absolute value of the standardized value.

4. The object inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the object inspection unit sets a wavelength range within the measurement range within which the threshold value is not used to determine whether the object is a normal item without any foreign matter contamination or a defective item with any foreign matter contamination.

5. 5. The object inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set based on the standardized value of the measurement values ​​of a plurality of normal objects among the objects that are determined to be free of foreign matter.

6. 6. The object inspection device according to claim 5, wherein the object inspection unit calculates an average value and standard deviation, which are statistical values ​​of the measurement values ​​obtained by performing a spectral conversion process on the spectrum of the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit for the normal product, subtracts the average value from the measurement value, divides the difference obtained by subtracting the average value by the standard deviation, standardizes the value for each wavelength in the measurement range, determines the threshold value based on the standardized value, and makes the judgment as to whether the object is a normal product free from foreign matter or a defective product due to foreign matter being contaminated.

7. 7. The object inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the object is a cylindrical molded product having a height smaller than its diameter, and is a tablet that can be transported individually to the object inspection position by the transport unit.

8. 8. An object inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit that displays the standardized value in a graph in a color corresponding to whether the object is a normal object without any foreign matter or a defective object with any foreign matter.

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