Sorting and inspection equipment

Abstract

To provide a sorting device that is able to securely sort out an inspected object determined to be abnormal as a result of an inspection, by jetting air even if the supply pressure of air from a supply source decreases.SOLUTION: A sorting device of the present invention includes: a plurality of jetting means that jet air based on a result of inspection performed on inspected objects being conveyed by conveying means to sort the inspected objects; a channel that introduces compressed air supplied from a supply source into the injection means; an air tank provided in the channel and storing the compressed air; and a check valve provided upstream of the air tank in the channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting device and an inspection device which inspect an object based on electromagnetic waves which are irradiated onto the object and detected after passing through the object, and which sort the object based on the inspection results. [Background technology]

[0002] An inspection device is known in which a conveyor transporting granular material to be inspected is divided into multiple regions separated at regular intervals in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction, an air injection means is provided for each region, X-rays are irradiated onto the granular material transported on the conveyor, an area containing foreign matter that needs to be removed is identified from an X-ray transmission image generated based on the detection signal of the transmitted X-rays, and the injection means corresponding to that area is operated at the right time for the foreign matter to reach the injection means, thereby removing the granular material containing foreign matter (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-164723 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-130483 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When an air jet method is adopted as the ejection means, that is, a method of ejecting the test object by blowing air onto the test object, if the frequency of air ejection increases, the supply pressure of air from the compressed air supply source decreases, and for a while until the supply pressure is restored, the ejection pressure of air from the ejection means is insufficient, and it may become impossible to eject the test object containing foreign matter. In particular, the problem becomes more pronounced as the number of ejection means to which air is supplied from the supply source increases, because the frequency of air ejection increases.

[0005] To address such problems, the invention of Patent Document 1 provides a second sorting section downstream of the first sorting section, which is an ejection means, to further remove objects containing foreign matter by a drop method, thereby increasing the reliability of removing foreign matter. However, providing two sorting sections in this way makes the device larger, which has a significant impact on costs. In addition, the method using the ejection means employed by the first sorting section allows objects containing foreign matter to be removed from each area on the conveyor, but the drop method employed by the second sorting section removes objects present in all areas when a foreign matter is present in any area, resulting in a reduced yield.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a sorting device and an inspection device that can reliably sort objects determined to have abnormalities as a result of inspection by injecting air, even if the air supply pressure from the air supply source drops. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The sorting device of the present invention comprises a plurality of injection means for injecting air to select the objects to be inspected based on the results of inspection performed on the objects to be inspected while they are being transported by the transport means, a flow path for introducing compressed air supplied from a supply source from the supply source to the injection means, an air tank provided in the flow path for storing the compressed air, and a check valve provided in the flow path upstream of the air tank.

[0008] According to the sorting device configured in this manner, since the compressed air is stored in the air tank, even if the supply pressure of air from the compressed air supply source drops, the pressure of the air remaining in the air tank can slow the drop in the air injection pressure from each injection means. This makes it possible to keep the drop in injection pressure until the supply pressure of air from the supply source starts to recover to a level that does not interfere with sorting.

[0009] A portion of the flow path may be divided into multiple paths, and the multiple paths may include at least one direct path that directly connects both ends of the path, an air tank, and an air tank path provided with a check valve upstream of the air tank and a speed controller that limits the flow of compressed air into the air tank.

[0010] After the supply pressure of air from the supply source drops, the pressure of the air stored in the air tank also drops gradually due to the injection of air. If the air tank is simply inserted into the flow path connecting the supply source and the injection means, in the process of recovering the supply pressure of air from the supply source, the recovery of the supply pressure is reflected in the recovery of the air pressure in the air tank first, and the reflection in the recovery of the injection pressure of air from the injection means downstream is delayed accordingly. Therefore, by making a part of the flow path into two paths, providing an air tank and a speed controller that limits the inflow of air from the supply source to the air tank in one path, and directly connecting the other path to the injection means, the recovery of the supply pressure of air from the supply source can be quickly reflected in the recovery of the injection pressure of air from the injection means, and the pressure of air in the air tank can be gradually recovered.

[0011] A pressure reducing valve may be provided to reduce the pressure of compressed air to a constant level when the compressed air is supplied from the supply source to the flow path, and a check valve may be provided upstream of the speed controller in the air tank path.

[0012] By providing such a pressure reducing valve, the pressure of the air supplied to the flow path is stabilized, preventing the check valve from closing due to instability in the air supply pressure from the supply source, and allowing the air pressure in the air tank to be restored more efficiently.

[0013] A check valve may be provided on the downstream side of the air tank of the air tank path and on the direct path.

[0014] By providing a check valve in this manner, the effects of the present invention can be obtained more reliably.

[0015] The inspection apparatus of the present invention comprises a transport means for transporting the object to be inspected in a predetermined direction, an irradiation means for irradiating the object to be inspected with a predetermined electromagnetic wave, a detection means for detecting the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the object to be inspected and outputting detection data, an inspection means for inspecting the detection data and outputting inspection results, any one of the sorting devices described above, and a sorting control means for controlling the injection of air from the injection means of the sorting apparatus based on the inspection results of the inspection means.

[0016] According to the inspection device of the present invention, even if the supply pressure of air from the compressed air source drops, the pressure of the air remaining in the air tank can slow the drop in the air injection pressure from the injection means. This makes it possible to keep the drop in injection pressure until the supply pressure of air from the supply source starts to recover to a level that does not interfere with sorting, so that inspection objects determined to have abnormalities as a result of the inspection can be reliably sorted by injecting air. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection device 100. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an inspection device 100. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a sorting device 160. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the sorting device 160. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing differences in the recovery process of the injection pressure due to differences in the flow path configuration between the supply source and the injection means group. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] 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.

[0019] An example of the configuration of an inspection device 100 of the present invention is shown in a front view in Fig. 1 and a plan view in Fig. 2. The inspection device 100 includes a conveying means 110, an irradiating means 120, a detecting means 130, an inspecting means 140, a sorting control means 150, and a sorting device 160.

[0020] The transport means 110 is a conveyor of any type that transports the placed inspection object W in a predetermined transport direction. When viewed from the front, the transport means 110 has a depth in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction (transverse direction).

[0021] The irradiation means 120 irradiates a predetermined electromagnetic wave toward the inspection object W transported by the transport means 110. The type of electromagnetic wave to be irradiated may be appropriately selected according to the content of the inspection, such as X-rays, visible light, or infrared light.

[0022] The detection means 130 is disposed at a position where it can detect the electromagnetic waves irradiated from the irradiation means 120 and transmitted through the object W to be inspected, detects the electromagnetic waves that have passed through the object W or have reached it directly, and outputs detection data at predetermined intervals. In Fig. 1, an example is shown where the detection means 130 is disposed opposite the irradiation means 120 to enable detection of the electromagnetic waves that have passed through the object W to be inspected.

[0023] The detection means 130 includes a plurality of detection elements arranged in the transverse direction, and each detection element detects a predetermined electromagnetic wave and outputs detection data. The detection elements are arranged in a number such that the length is equal to or greater than the transverse range in which the inspection object W can be placed on the conveying means 110, thereby making it possible to thoroughly inspect the inspection object W placed on the conveying means 110.

[0024] In the inspection device 100, based on the inspection result of the detection data in the detection means 130, the ejection means of the sorting device 160 provided downstream of the detection means 130 performs sorting by ejecting air.

[0025] Specifically, for example, when selecting objects W to be inspected that are within a transverse range in which the objects W to be inspected can be placed on the conveying means 110, if the selection can be shared among a plurality of jetting means arranged in the transverse direction, the air injection from each jetting means is controlled based on detection data from each portion obtained by dividing a plurality of detection elements constituting the detection means 130 located upstream of each jetting means by the number of jetting means.

[0026] That is, for example, when the number of detection elements arranged, which corresponds to the length of the transverse range that can be placed on the conveying means 110, is 80, and this range is divided and selected by eight injection means, the injection of air from each injection means is controlled based on the detection data from 10 detection elements in each of eight portions obtained by dividing the 80 detection elements, which are located upstream of each injection means.

[0027] Each of the parts obtained by dividing the multiple detection elements by the number of ejection means will be referred to as a "sensor" below. In other words, the detection means 130 has the same number of sensors as the ejection means. With this configuration, it becomes possible to distribute the detection data of each sensor to the corresponding ejection means according to the inspection results.

[0028] Each sensor detects electromagnetic waves arriving at the object W from the irradiation means 120, either directly or via the object W, and outputs detection data at predetermined intervals. Fig. 2 shows an example in which eight sensors, L1 to L8, are arranged in series.

[0029] The cycle in which each sensor detects electromagnetic waves and accumulates and outputs the detection data may be, for example, the time required for the sensor to travel a distance equivalent to the width in the transport direction at the transport speed of the transport means 110. By setting the cycle in this way, the entire object W to be inspected that passes through the detection means 130 can be inspected without omission.

[0030] The sensor constituting the detection means 130 may be appropriately configured using one or more line sensors. For example, if there are eight sensors, the detection means 130 may be configured by dividing seven or less line sensors, or may be configured one-to-one using eight line sensors, or may be configured using two or more line sensors. Also, each sensor may be arranged in multiple rows in the transport direction to configure a TDI sensor.

[0031] The inspection means 140 inspects the detection data output from each sensor of the detection means 130, and identifies the detection data indicating an abnormality based on the magnitude of the value, etc., to determine whether or not an abnormality has been detected in each sensor as the inspection result.

[0032] When the sensor includes two or more detection elements, the test result of the detection data in the sensor is obtained by comprehensively evaluating the detection data output from each detection element. For example, the test result may be obtained by testing each of the detection data values ​​output from each detection element using an arbitrary criterion and then comprehensively evaluating each test result using an arbitrary criterion, or by testing the sum of the detection data values ​​output from each detection element using an arbitrary criterion.

[0033] The sorting control means 150 controls whether or not to inject air from each injection means of the sorting device 160 corresponding to each sensor, based on whether or not an abnormality has been detected in each sensor, identified by inspection by the inspection means 140 of the detection data output by each sensor, after the time required for transport from the detection means 130 to the sorting device 160 has elapsed since the output of detection data from each sensor of the detection means 130. The control may be such that air is injected when an abnormality is detected and is not injected when no abnormality is detected, or vice versa.

[0034] The sorting device 160 sprays air under the control of the sorting control means 150 to sort the objects W to be inspected, based on the results of the inspection performed by the inspection means 140 on the objects W to be inspected while being transported by the transport means 110.

[0035] The sorting device 160 includes a flow path F, an ejection means group 170, an air tank 180, and a check valve C1. An example of the arrangement of the ejection means group 170 in the inspection device 100 is shown in Fig. 2, and an example of a specific configuration of the sorting device 160 is shown in Fig. 3.

[0036] Flow path F is a pipe connecting supply source A such as a compressor and the group of jetting means 170, and is used to introduce compressed air supplied from supply source A such as a compressor to the group of jetting means 170. Flow path F branches into a plurality of paths just before the group of jetting means 170, and is connected to each of the jetting means.

[0037] The ejection means group 170 includes a plurality of ejection means that ejects air that has passed through the flow path F under the control of the selection control means 150.

[0038] The injection means includes an injection hole for injecting air, and a solenoid valve that is provided upstream of the injection hole and opens and closes the flow path F under the control of the sorting control means 150. The injection hole may be provided literally as a hole, or may be provided in the form of a nozzle. The solenoid valve injects air by opening it, and stops the injection of air by closing it.

[0039] 2 and 3 show an example in which the ejection means group 170 includes ejection means 171-178, and the detection means 130 includes corresponding sensors L1-L8. The ejection means 171-178 include ejection holes S1-S8, respectively, and solenoid valves V1-V8 upstream of the ejection holes S1-S8. The positions and directions of the ejection holes S1-S8 are set so that when each ejects air, the air hits the objects W to be inspected that have been transported downstream of the sensors L1-L8, respectively, and a sufficient change in the direction of travel is provided for sorting.

[0040] 1, the conveying means 111 is provided downstream of the end of the conveying means 110 in the conveying direction, with a gap and a step through which the object W can pass. More specifically, the conveying means 111 is provided at a position where the object W conveyed by the conveying means 110 falls from the end of the conveying means 110 in the conveying direction and lands, for conveying the landed object W in a certain direction. In addition, the positions and directions of the injection holes S1 to S8 are set so that the traveling direction of the object W is oriented toward the gap between the conveying means 110 and the conveying means 111 when the injected air hits the target.

[0041] By ejecting air from the thus provided injection holes at an appropriate timing and hitting the falling object W, the traveling direction of the object W changes to the gap direction, and the object W falls into a tray or the like (not shown) at the end of the gap. That is, the object W that has reached the end of the conveying direction of the conveying means 110 falls onto the conveying means 111 and continues to be conveyed if air is not ejected, and falls into a tray or the like if air is ejected, so that the object W can be selected. Here, an example is shown in which the conveying means 111 continues to convey the object W when air is not ejected, but if conveying is not necessary, a tray or the like may be provided at the position where the object W falls when air is not ejected, and the dropped object W may be collected. In addition, another conveying means may be provided at the position where the object W falls so that the conveying of the object W to which air is ejected can be continued separately.

[0042] The air tank 180 is inserted into the flow path F and stores the compressed air supplied from the supply source A.

[0043] The check valve C1 is provided on the upstream side of the air tank 180 of the flow path F. When the supply pressure of air from the supply source A is sufficient, the check valve C1 opens and allows the air to pass directly to the downstream side. On the other hand, when the supply pressure of air from the supply source A drops and becomes lower than the pressure on the downstream side, the check valve C1 closes and prevents air from flowing out from the air tank 180 provided on the downstream side to the upstream side. As a result, the air stored in the air tank 180 is supplied to the injection means group 170.

[0044] According to the sorting device 160 configured as above, compressed air is stored in the air tank 180, so even if the supply pressure of air from the supply source A drops, the pressure of the air jetting means can be made to drop gradually due to the pressure of the air remaining in the air tank 180. This makes it possible to keep the drop in jetting pressure until the supply pressure of air from the supply source A starts to recover to a level that does not impede sorting.

[0045] Note that a portion of the flow path F may be divided into multiple paths, and the multiple paths may include at least one each of a direct path F1 that directly connects both ends of the path, an air tank 180, and an air tank path F2 provided with a check valve C1 and a speed controller 190 that limits the inflow of air into the air tank 180 on the upstream side of the air tank 180. Fig. 4 shows an example including one each of a direct path F1 and an air tank path F2.

[0046] After the supply pressure of air from supply source A drops, the pressure of the air stored in air tank 180 also gradually drops due to the injection of air. If air tank 180 were simply inserted into the flow path connecting supply source A and ejection means group 170, in the process of recovering the supply pressure of air from supply source A, the recovery of the supply pressure would be reflected first in the recovery of the air pressure inside air tank 180, and as a result, there would be a delay in reflecting the recovery of the injection pressure of air injected from ejection means group 170 downstream.

[0047] Therefore, in a part of the section of the flow path F, an air tank path F2 is provided in parallel with the direct path F1 that directly connects both ends of the section. Since a speed controller 190 that limits the amount of air flowing in is inserted in the air tank path F2, the air supplied from the supply source A is preferentially supplied to the ejection means group 170 via the direct path F1, and a small amount of air also flows into the air tank path F2 and is supplied to the air tank 180. Therefore, in the process of recovering the supply pressure from the supply source A, the recovery of the supply pressure of the air from the supply source A is quickly reflected in the recovery of the ejection pressure of the air from the ejection means group 170, and the pressure of the air in the air tank 180 can also be gradually recovered. Note that the degree of the restriction of the amount of air flowing in to the air tank path F2 by the speed controller should be set so that the pressure of the air in the air tank 180 is sufficiently increased before the supply pressure decreases again after the supply pressure of the air from the supply source A is recovered.

[0048] Fig. 5 is a graph showing the change over time from the drop in the injection pressure of the air injected from the injection means group 170 to its recovery in each of the cases where the air tank 180 is not provided (dash line), where the air tank 180 is simply inserted as shown in Fig. 3 (dashed line), and where a direct connection path F1 and an air tank path F2 are provided in a part of the flow path F as shown in Fig. 4 (solid line). As can be seen from this graph, by providing the air tank 180, it is possible to keep to a small degree the drop in the injection pressure of the air from the injection means group 170 during the period from when the supply pressure of air from the supply source A drops to when it starts to recover, and by providing the air tank 180 as shown in Fig. 4, it is possible to quickly recover the injection pressure of the air injected from the injection means group 170 compared to the case where the air tank 180 is provided as shown in Fig. 3.

[0049] In the configuration of FIG. 4, a pressure reducing valve R may be provided for reducing the pressure of compressed air from the supply source A to a constant pressure when the compressed air is supplied to the flow path F.

[0050] If the pressure reducing valve R is not provided, when the supply pressure of air from the supply source A is unstable, the check valve C1 may open and close due to fluctuations in the supply pressure. If such a phenomenon occurs during the recovery of the air pressure in the air tank 180, the supply of air to the air tank 180 becomes intermittent, causing a delay in the recovery of the pressure. By providing the pressure reducing valve R, even if the supply pressure of air from the supply source A is unstable, the pressure of air supplied to the flow path F can be set to a predetermined value that is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the fluctuation range of the supply pressure of air from the supply source A. This stabilizes the pressure of air supplied to the flow path F and prevents the check valve from closing due to instability in the supply pressure of air from the supply source, thereby allowing the air pressure in the air tank to be recovered more efficiently.

[0051] When the pressure reducing valve R is provided, it is preferable to provide the check valve C1 upstream of the speed controller 190.

[0052] The configuration of FIG. 4 may further include a check valve C2 whose forward direction is the downstream direction on the downstream side of the air tank 180 of the air tank path F2, and a check valve C3 whose forward direction is the downstream direction on the direct path F1.

[0053] By providing the check valves C2 and C3, the effect of the present invention can be obtained more reliably. Specifically, when the supply pressure of air from the supply source A is sufficient, air is supplied to the injection means group 170 at sufficient pressure, and the air filled in the air tank 180 is prevented from flowing out by the reverse pressure applied to the check valve C2, so that the injection of air from the injection means group 170 at sufficient injection pressure and the gradual filling of air into the air tank 180 are both achieved. When the supply pressure of air from the supply source A decreases due to repeated injections, the reverse pressure applied to the check valve C2 weakens, and the presence of the check valves C1 and C3 allows the supply of air from the air tank 180 to the injection means group 170 at sufficient pressure to begin. Subsequently, when the supply pressure of air from supply source A recovers, both the air from supply source A and the air from air tank 180 are supplied to the jetting means group 170, and due to the presence of speed controller 190, the recovery of the supply pressure of air from supply source A is quickly reflected in the recovery of the air jetting pressure from the jetting means group 170, and air is slowly supplied to the air tank 180 from which air has been consumed, gradually recovering the air pressure inside the air tank 180. Through this process, the state returns to one in which the supply of air from supply source A is sufficient and the jetting pressure of air from the jetting means group 170 is sufficient.

[0054] As described above, according to the inspection device 100 and sorting device 160 of the present invention, even if the supply pressure of air from the compressed air supply source A drops, the amount of drop in the air injection pressure from the jetting means group 170 until the supply pressure starts to recover can be kept to a level that does not interfere with sorting, so that inspected objects determined to have abnormalities as a result of the inspection can be reliably sorted by injecting air. Also, by arranging the air tank 180 as shown in Fig. 4, the air injection pressure from the jetting means group 170 can be quickly restored.

[0055] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 100 Inspection Equipment 110, 111 Transportation means 120 Irradiation means 130 Detection means 140 Testing methods 150 Selection control means 160 Sorting Equipment 170 Injection means group 171~178 Injection means 180 Air Tank 190 Speed ​​Controller A source C1~C3 Check valve F flow path F1 direct route F2 Air tank route L1~L8 sensors R Pressure Reducing Valve S1~S8 injection hole V1~V8 solenoid valves W Inspection item

Claims

1. a plurality of ejection means for ejecting air to select the objects to be inspected based on the results of an inspection performed on the objects to be inspected while being transported by the transport means; a flow path for introducing compressed air supplied from a supply source into the ejection means; an air tank provided in the flow path and configured to store the compressed air; a check valve provided in the flow path upstream of the air tank; Equipped with A sorting device in which some sections of the flow path are divided into multiple paths, and the multiple paths each include at least one direct path directly connecting both ends of the section, the air tank, and an air tank path in which the check valve and a speed controller that limits the flow of the compressed air into the air tank are provided upstream of the air tank.

2. a pressure reducing valve that reduces the pressure of the compressed air to a constant pressure when the compressed air is supplied from the supply source to the flow path; 2. The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the check valve is provided upstream of the speed controller in the air tank path.

3. The sorting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a check valve provided on a downstream side of the air tank in the air tank path and on the direct connection path.

4. A conveying means for conveying the object to be inspected in a predetermined direction; an irradiation means for irradiating the object to be inspected with a predetermined electromagnetic wave; a detection means for detecting the electromagnetic wave that has passed through the object to be inspected and outputting detection data; an inspection means for inspecting the detection data and outputting the inspection result; A sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; A selection control means for controlling the injection of air from the injection means based on the result of the inspection; An inspection device comprising:

Images