Product Inspection Equipment

Abstract

An article inspection device is provided that has a sensor on the test piece itself. [Solution] An item inspection device 1 that inspects items transported on an inspection line stores a test piece 2 having a motion sensor 12 that detects acceleration and angular velocity in each axial direction in a storage location, and is equipped with a diagnosis unit 25c that diagnoses the installation environment of the item inspection device 1 based on the acceleration and angular velocity data in each axial direction obtained from the test piece 2.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection apparatus that inspects articles transported on an inspection line by a transport device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, known object inspection devices that inspect objects transported on an inspection line by a conveying device include, for example, metal detection devices and X-ray foreign object detection devices that detect foreign objects in objects, and weight sorters that sort objects by weight.

[0003] In this type of article inspection device, in order to reduce false positives and maintain detection accuracy, a test piece is used to check the operation of the article inspection device before inspecting an article. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a foreign object detection device that uses a test piece.

[0004] The test piece in Patent Document 1 has a foreign substance test piece stored in a storage member and an information recording section in which identification information for identifying the foreign substance test piece is recorded as optically readable information.The foreign substance detection device in Patent Document 1 transports the test piece on an inspection line using a transport device, optically reads the identification information from the test piece, identifies the test piece based on the read identification information, and checks the operation based on the identification result.

[0005] Thus, in the past, test specimens for checking the operation of item inspection equipment included those that had foreign objects of a certain size (test foreign object pieces disclosed in Patent Document 1) or were composed of a certain weight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-107357 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, there have been no specimens used in conventional article inspection devices that have sensors on the specimen itself. Therefore, in order to detect inspection malfunctions caused by the dynamic behavior of an article during transportation, such as when transferring between conveyors, a skilled service technician must diagnose and adjust the transportation system of the article inspection device at the actual production site, and there remains a problem that inspection malfunctions caused by the dynamic behavior of an article due to the transportation system of the article inspection device cannot be easily diagnosed.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE ... The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide an article inspection device having a sensor in the test piece itself. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, an article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is an article inspection apparatus 1 for inspecting an article transported on an inspection line, comprising: A test specimen 2 having a motion sensor 12 for detecting acceleration and angular velocity in each axial direction is stored in a storage location dedicated to the test specimen provided in the article inspection device; Stored in the storage location The apparatus is characterized by comprising a diagnosis unit 25c that diagnoses the installation environment of the article inspection device based on the data of acceleration and angular velocity in each axial direction obtained from the test piece.

[0010] The article inspection apparatus according to claim 2 is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, The test specimen is characterized by further comprising a sensor for detecting at least any one of temperature, humidity, air pressure, pressure, wind speed, sound, and magnetism.

[0011] The article inspection apparatus according to claim 3 is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, The diagnostic unit 25c performs diagnosis by acquiring the data stored in the storage unit 14 of the test object 2 via a medium.

[0012] The article inspection apparatus according to claim 4 is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, The diagnostic unit 25c performs diagnosis by acquiring the data from the communication unit 15 of the test piece 2 via wireless transmission.

[0013] The article inspection device according to claim 5 is any one of the article inspection devices according to claims 1 to 4, The diagnostic unit 25c has a memory unit 25b that stores diagnostic results, and is characterized by having a predictive maintenance function that monitors the progress of the diagnostic results stored in the memory unit and estimates performance degradation or deterioration. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to use a test specimen as a sensor for sensing the installation environment characteristics (for example, temperature, humidity, vibration, wind speed, etc.) of the article inspection device during operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an article inspection device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a test specimen being transported by a transport device toward an article inspection device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the test specimen. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of each axis on a transport device for a test specimen. [Figure 4] (a) A diagram showing an example of a package product to be inspected, (b) A diagram showing an example of a holding member in a test specimen corresponding to the test specimen in (a), (c) A diagram showing an example of a container product to be inspected, and (d) A diagram showing an example of a holding member in a test specimen corresponding to the test specimen in (c). [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a transfer between transport devices on an inspection line. [Figure 6] FIG. 13A is a waveform diagram showing an example of a change in rotation angle per unit time in the Y-axis direction, and FIG. 13B is a waveform diagram showing an example of a change in rotation angle per unit time in the Z-axis direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state in which a test piece is transported when there is no shield curtain in the X-ray inspection device, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a state in which a test piece is transported when there is a shield curtain in the X-ray inspection device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the waveform of acceleration in the transport direction of the test specimen in FIG. 7(b). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform of a conveying speed obtained from the waveform of acceleration in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of the target passing time and the actual passing time of the test piece relative to the target conveying distance. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case where the transport speed of the test specimen falls within the allowable range. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case where the transport speed of the test specimen is outside the allowable range. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in acceleration in the Z-axis direction. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in angular velocity in the pitch axis direction. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a test piece having a motion sensor provided thereon is transported by a transport device. [Figure 16] 13 is a diagram showing an example of tilt detection data for correcting data in each axial direction of a test piece having a motion sensor attached to the test object; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the object inspection device 1 of this embodiment is composed of, for example, a metal detection device, an X-ray foreign object detection device, a weight sorting machine, etc., which inspect objects (inspected objects) transported from upstream of an inspection line, and has the function of acquiring data from a test object 2 and diagnosing the transport system of the inspection line.

[0018] [Test specimen configuration] The test specimen 2 is used when diagnosing the conveying system of the inspection line on which the article inspection device 1 is arranged. When diagnosing the conveying system of the inspection line, as shown in Fig. 2(a), the test specimen 2 accommodates a motion sensor 12, an environment diagnosis sensor 13, a memory unit 14, and a communication unit 15 shown in Fig. 2(b) in a holding member 11 having a bottom surface that contacts a conveying surface 3a of a conveying device 3 such as a belt conveyor that conveys articles toward the article inspection device 1 on the inspection line.

[0019] To transport the specimen 2 in the correct position, an identifier 11a, for example an arrow mark, is provided on one surface of the holding member 11 as shown in Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 3. When the specimen 2 is to be properly positioned, it is placed on the transport surface 3a of the transport device 3 with the surface with the identifier 11a facing up and the arrow mark of the identifier 11a aligned with the transport direction A. This makes it possible to prevent the specimen 2 from being transported in the wrong direction on the transport surface 3a of the transport device 3 when a user uses the specimen 2 to perform a diagnosis.

[0020] It is preferable that the holding member 11 is configured with a shape and material that imitates the structural and physical characteristics of the object (article) to be inspected.

[0021] The structural and physical characteristics include, for example, the position of the center of gravity, the degree of freedom of the position of the center of gravity, mechanical stability, the shape and area of ​​the reference surface in contact with the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3, the hardness of the reference surface, and the friction coefficient of the reference surface.

[0022] Specifically, for example, when the object W to be inspected is a packaged product as shown in Fig. 4(a), a holding member 11 as shown in Fig. 4(b) is used. The holding member 11 in Fig. 4(b) is made of metal or resin in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with its center of gravity G located at the same height as the object W to be inspected in Fig. 4(a), and with its bottom side cut out to form a reference surface 11b (shaded portion in the figure) of the same shape and area as the reference surface Wa (shaded portion in the figure) of the object W to be inspected that comes into contact with the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3.

[0023] Furthermore, for example, when the object W to be inspected is a container product as shown in Fig. 4(c), a holding member 11 as shown in Fig. 4(d) is used. The holding member 11 in Fig. 4(d) is made of metal or resin in a substantially cylindrical shape, with its center of gravity G located at the same height as the object W to be inspected in Fig. 4(c), and with its bottom side cut out to form a reference surface 11b (shaded portion in the figure) of the same shape and area as the reference surface Wa (shaded portion in the figure) of the object W to be inspected that comes into contact with the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3.

[0024] The test piece 2 may be constructed by using the test piece W to be actually inspected as the holding member 11 and providing the test piece W with the motion sensor 12, memory unit 14, and communication unit 15. Alternatively, a master workpiece in which representative characteristics such as dimensions, shape, and density are defined in accordance with the test piece W to be actually inspected may be used as the holding member 11, and the test piece 2 may be constructed by providing the motion sensor 12, memory unit 14, and communication unit 15 on this master workpiece. In this case, an environmental diagnosis sensor 13 may also be provided as necessary.

[0025] The motion sensor 12 is composed of a triaxial acceleration sensor and a triaxial angular velocity sensor, and outputs six-axis data. The triaxial acceleration sensor detects acceleration in each of the axial directions of the X-axis (conveying direction A of the conveying surface 3a), the Y-axis (direction perpendicular to the X-axis of the conveying surface 3a), and the Z-axis (vertical direction of the conveying surface 3a) in FIG. 3. The triaxial angular velocity sensor detects angular velocity in each of the axial directions of the roll axis (conveying direction A of the conveying surface 3a), the pitch axis (direction perpendicular to the X-axis of the conveying surface 3a), and the yaw axis (vertical direction of the conveying surface 3a) in FIG. 3. The motion sensor 12 digitizes the detected data into a voltage proportional to the acceleration detected by the triaxial acceleration sensor and a voltage proportional to the angular velocity detected by the triaxial angular velocity sensor, and outputs the digitalized data.

[0026] The motion sensor 12 is disposed at a predetermined position in the holding member 11 depending on the purpose of detection. For example, when the purpose is to detect an impact during a transfer, the motion sensor 12 is disposed at a position near the bottom surface of the holding member 11 close to the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3. In this case, it is preferable to dispose the motion sensor 12 at the center of the position near the bottom surface of the holding member 11 or at multiple positions on the front, back, left and right sides in the conveying direction A.

[0027] When the purpose is to detect stability, the motion sensor 12 is disposed near the center of gravity of the holding member 11 .

[0028] When the purpose is to detect shaking, the motion sensor 12 is disposed near the upper surface of the holding member 11. In this case, it is preferable to dispose the motion sensors 12 at the center of the position near the upper surface of the holding member 11 or at multiple locations on the front, back, left and right sides in the conveying direction A.

[0029] The environmental diagnosis sensor 13 is a sensor that detects physical quantities of the surrounding environment of the test piece 2, such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, pressure, wind speed, microphone (sound), and magnetism. For example, sound data can be used to diagnose abnormal sounds during transportation, and air pressure and air volume data can be used to diagnose the environment, such as wind. The environmental diagnosis sensor 13 is provided inside the holding member 11 as needed, combining one or more sensors. The data detected by the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 is output by digitizing the values ​​(voltages) detected and output by each sensor.

[0030] In addition, if the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 can be installed inside the holding member 11 together with the motion sensor 12, it is preferable to place it at an optimal position determined by experiment or the like where the information that the motion sensor 12 wants to detect (for example, impact, stability, shaking, etc. during transfers) can be obtained.

[0031] The storage unit 14 acquires and stores the data output by the motion sensor 12 in time series at a predetermined cycle (for example, 5 ms cycle, 200 Hz), and has a FIFO structure that stores data for a predetermined period.

[0032] The storage unit 14 also stores the data output by the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 in association with the time axis of the motion sensor 12 .

[0033] The communication unit 15 as an external interface wirelessly transfers data in the memory unit 14 to the outside at a predetermined timing together with information on the test piece 2 that identifies the communication unit 15. The communication unit 15 enables wireless communication using, for example, a specific low-power radio for industrial use such as the international wireless communication standard "Wi-SUN (Wireless Smarty Utility Network)", short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless LAN.

[0034] The communication unit 15 may transfer all the data in the memory unit 14 at once, for example, by wired communication using various wired communication methods via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard communication cable (USB cable), or may transfer data via a medium such as a USB memory as an external interface unit.

[0035] In addition, the storage and transfer of data may be restarted by detecting the transport of the test specimen 2 (detecting the acceleration in the X-axis direction (transport direction A)), or an operation switch may be provided on the test specimen 2 and the data may be stored and transferred when the operation switch is in the ON (restart) state.

[0036] [Configuration of the item inspection device] As shown in FIG. 1, the article inspection device 1 is generally configured to include a conveying unit 21, an inspection unit 22, a display operation unit 23, a determination unit 24, and an inspection control unit 25.

[0037] The conveying unit 21 sequentially conveys items W to be inspected, which are selected from a variety of items such as raw meat, fish, processed foods, and medicines, and are set in advance on the display operation unit 23, and is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor arranged horizontally relative to the main body of the device.

[0038] The conveying section 21 is driven by a drive motor not shown, and as shown in FIG. 1, conveys the inspection object W transported from the conveying device 3 (3A) upstream of the inspection line on the conveying surface 21a in the direction A (rightward: conveying direction) of FIG. 1 at a preset conveying speed, and conveys it to the downstream conveying device 3 (3B).

[0039] The inspection unit 22 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the type or size of a foreign matter contained in the object W to be inspected, or a detection signal corresponding to the weight of the object W to be inspected, as a signal representing the type state of the object W to be inspected.

[0040] To explain further, when the item inspection device 1 is configured as a metal detection device, the inspection unit 22 is configured to generate an alternating magnetic field of a predetermined frequency and output a signal whose amplitude and phase change in response to changes in the magnetic field caused by the object W to be inspected passing through the alternating magnetic field.

[0041] Alternatively, the metal contained in the inspection object W may be magnetized by a magnet or the like, and the residual magnetism of the magnetized metal may be detected by a magnetic sensor.

[0042] Furthermore, when the object inspection apparatus 1 is configured as an X-ray inspection apparatus, the inspection section 22 is composed of an X-ray generating source and an X-ray detector, and is configured so that when X-rays are irradiated from the X-ray generating source, the X-ray detector detects the X-rays that pass through the object to be inspected W, and outputs a detection signal according to the amount of transmission.

[0043] The X-ray detector may be, for example, an array-shaped line sensor including a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction A of the inspection object W transported by the transport unit 21, and a scintillator provided on the photodiodes. In this type of X-ray detector, the scintillator receives the X-rays that have passed through the inspection object W and converts them into light, and the photodiode arranged below converts the light into an electrical signal and outputs it. That is, an electrical signal according to the amount of transmitted X-rays is output.

[0044] In addition, when the item inspection device 1 is configured as a weight measuring device, the inspection section 22 is configured so that part of the conveying section 21 serves as a weighing platform, and a load sensor consisting of a weighing mechanism such as an electromagnetic balance mechanism is arranged below the weighing platform to measure the load of the inspected item W placed on the weighing platform and output a signal corresponding to the load.

[0045] The load sensor may be any weighing mechanism capable of measuring weight, and may be, for example, a differential transformer mechanism, a strain gauge mechanism, or other such weighing mechanism.

[0046] An entrance sensor 26 is provided upstream of the inspection unit 22 to detect the passage of the inspection object W transported by the transport unit 21. The entrance sensor 26 is composed of a transmission type photoelectric sensor, which is made up of a pair of light-emitting and light-receiving parts (not shown) that are arranged opposite each other so as to straddle the transport unit 21 in the width direction (front and rear directions in FIG. 1).

[0047] When the object W passes between the light projecting section and the light receiving section, the light receiving section is blocked by the object W, and thus the carry-in sensor 26 detects that the object W has passed and has started to be carried into the inspection section 22. A detection signal from the carry-in sensor 26 is output to the inspection control section 25.

[0048] The display operation unit 23 is composed of a touch panel that has both an input operation function and a display function. The input operation of the display operation unit 23 receives an operation for setting the type of the inspection object W transported by the transport unit 21, and various setting operations and instruction operations related to the detection of foreign objects in the inspection object W, weighing, and operation confirmation.

[0049] In addition, the display function of the display operation unit 23 includes various displays such as the setting value when the type of the test object W is set, the instruction value when an instruction operation is performed, various judgment results, individual display and history display of the data of the motion sensor 12 and the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 of the test specimen 2 acquired by the data acquisition unit 25a, and display of diagnostic results and graphs by the diagnosis unit 25c.

[0050] The display operation unit 23 may have an independent configuration for the input operation function and the display function. In this case, the input operation function may be provided with a plurality of keys, switches, etc. for receiving input operations such as settings and instructions, and the display function may be provided with a liquid crystal display, etc.

[0051] Based on the detection signal from the inspection unit 22, the judgment unit 24 makes a pass / fail judgment as to whether the object W to be inspected contains a foreign object or whether the weight of the object W to be inspected is within a predetermined range, and displays a screen including the judgment result on the display operation unit 23.

[0052] The inspection control unit 25 controls the entire article inspection device 1, and includes a data acquisition unit 25a, a storage unit 25b, a diagnosis unit 25c, an axis correction unit 25d, and a control unit 25e.

[0053] The data acquisition unit 25a acquires data from the motion sensor 12 and the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 that are wirelessly output from the test piece 2 via a network such as a wireless LAN.

[0054] The data from the test specimen 2 may be acquired directly from the test specimen using short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a specific low-power industrial wireless communication such as the international wireless communication standard "Wi-SUN (Wireless Smarty Utility Network)," or the data may be acquired on a server or PC connected to a network and the acquired data may be acquired via a medium such as a USB memory. Also, if the test specimen 2 has a USB standard port, the data may be acquired from the USB port of the test specimen via a wire or medium.

[0055] The memory unit 25b stores various programs used by the control unit 25e to control the item inspection device 1, various parameters used by the judgment unit 24 to judge the pass / fail quality of the inspected object W, data and diagnosis results obtained from the motion sensor 12 and the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 of the test piece 2, etc.

[0056] The diagnosis unit 25c diagnoses the transportation system of the inspection line based on the data of the motion sensor 12 of the specimen 2 acquired by the data acquisition unit 25a (each of which is also referred to as diagnosis data). For example, the measurement value of each axis of the motion sensor 12 of the specimen 2 is compared with the standard value of each axis of the motion sensor 12 previously measured under optimal setting conditions to diagnose whether the height of the transportation surface 3a, 21a of the transportation device 3 and the transportation unit 21, and the gap with the transportation unit 21 (gap with the bridge plate) are appropriately adjusted. In addition, the transportation device 3 transports the specimen 2 on which the motion sensor 12 (including the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 as necessary) is attached to an inspection master work of dimensions defined for each model of the article inspection device 4, and the amount of displacement from the reference in the inspection area (the wave height value in the case of a waveform) is obtained from the data acquired from the specimen 2, and the amount of displacement from the reference in the inspection area (the wave height value in the case of a waveform) is compared with the standard value to diagnose whether it is within a predetermined range and whether it is pass or fail. A specific example of the diagnosis by the diagnosis unit 25c will be described later.

[0057] Furthermore, when data of the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 is included in the data acquired by the data acquisition unit 25a, the diagnosis unit 25c diagnoses the inspection accuracy and characteristics of the inspection unit 22 from the data of the environmental diagnosis sensor 13. Furthermore, the diagnosis unit 25c graphs the data (diagnosis data) of the motion sensor 12 and the environmental diagnosis sensor 13 of the test object 2 stored in the memory unit 25b in chronological order, and generates a waveform showing the change in the data over time. Note that the graph can also be made by adding various threshold values ​​stored in the memory unit 25b. If the diagnosis result and graph by the diagnosis unit 25c are displayed on the display operation unit 23, the user can visually check the diagnosis result and its status.

[0058] The control unit 25e executes the programs stored in the storage unit 25b to change the parameters of the determination unit 24, perform various controls of the article inspection device 1, and the like.

[0059] As described below, the axis correction unit 25d is a necessary component when the object to be inspected W is used as the holding member 11 and the motion sensor 12 is attached and held by the object to be inspected W and used as the test piece 2, and the processing content thereof will be described later.

[0060] [Specific examples of diagnosis] Next, examples 1 to 3 will be described as specific examples of diagnosis of a transportation system of an inspection line using the test piece 2. In the following description, waveform graphs (FIGS. 6 and 8 to 14) generated by the diagnosing unit 25c from the diagnosis data will be used.

[0061] [Example 1: Posture change when transferring between transport devices] As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), an upstream conveying device 3A and a conveying section 21 of a downstream item inspection device 1 are arranged side by side in the conveying direction A, and the posture change during transfer when the test specimen 2 is handed over from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21 will be described.

[0062] The article inspection device 1 determines whether or not the waveform of the test specimen 2 in the transfer section from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21 is within a predetermined range of crest value (amount of displacement). Specifically, with respect to the change in angular velocity in the Y-axis direction from the data detected by the motion sensor 12 of the test specimen 2, if there is no rotation due to the angular velocity Gy in the Y-axis direction when the test specimen 2 transfers from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21, a waveform with a small amplitude as shown by the solid line in FIG. 6(a) is obtained, and it is determined that there is almost no change in the posture of the test specimen 2 due to the rotation in the Y-axis direction. In contrast, as shown by the arrow C in FIG. 5(a), if there is rotation due to the angular velocity Gy in the Y-axis direction when the test specimen 2 transfers from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21, a waveform with a larger amplitude than when there is no rotation due to the angular velocity Gy in the Y-axis direction is obtained as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6(a), and it is determined that there is a change in the posture of the test specimen 2 due to the rotation in the Y-axis direction.

[0063] Furthermore, with regard to the change in angular velocity in the Z-axis direction from the data detected by the motion sensor 12 of the test object 2, if there is no rotation due to the angular velocity Gz in the Z-axis direction when the test object 2 transfers from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21, a waveform with almost no change in amplitude is obtained as shown by the solid line in Fig. 6(b), and it is determined that there is almost no change in the posture of the test object 2 due to rotation in the Z-axis direction. In contrast, if there is rotation due to the angular velocity Gz in the Z-axis direction when the test object 2 transfers from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 6(b), a waveform with a change in amplitude corresponding to the time when the test object 2 transfers from the conveying device 3A to the conveying section 21 is obtained, and it is determined that there is a change in the posture of the test object 2 due to rotation in the Z-axis direction.

[0064] In this way, it is possible to diagnose a change in the posture of the test specimen 2 during transfer between the conveying device 3A and the conveying section 21 from data detected by the motion sensor 12 of the test specimen 2, i.e., the magnitude of the amplitude (amount of displacement) of the waveform accompanying rotation at angular velocity Gy in the Y-axis direction and angular velocity Gz in the Z-axis direction. This diagnosis result makes it possible to diagnose, for example, the tension state of the conveying belts of the conveying device 3A and the conveying section 21, the adjustment state of the horizontality of the conveying belts of the conveying device 3A and the conveying section 21, and the like, which makes it possible to assist in adjustment work when installing or maintaining the article inspection device 1.

[0065] [Example 2: Disturbance in transport when passing through the shield curtain of an X-ray inspection device] As shown in Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), disturbances in transport when the X-ray inspection device serving as the article inspection device 1 does not have a shield curtain 1a and when it does have one will be described.

[0066] When the X-ray inspection device 1 does not have a shielding curtain 1a, as shown in Figure 7(a), when the conveying belt of the conveying section 21 is driven at a speed Vc, the test specimen 2 at the entrance P0 of the conveying section 21 is conveyed in the conveying direction A to the exit P1 of the conveying section 21 while maintaining the speed V0.

[0067] On the other hand, when the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 has the shield curtain 1a, as shown in Fig. 7(b), when the conveyor belt of the conveying unit 21 is driven at a speed Vc, the specimen 2 at the inlet P0 of the conveying unit 21 is conveyed in the conveying direction A while maintaining a speed V0 until it reaches the shield curtain 1a. However, when the specimen 2 passes through the shield curtain 1a, it receives resistance and its speed drops to V1 (<V0), and it is conveyed to the outlet P1 of the conveying unit 21 in a state where a delay due to passing through the shield curtain 1a has occurred.

[0068] When the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 has the shield curtain 1a, as shown in Fig. 8, it acquires data in which the fluctuation of the acceleration Ax occurs with respect to the conveying direction A, and calculates the conveying speed of the specimen 2 from the integral value of the acceleration of this acquired data (the area of the acceleration waveform). At this time, Fig. 9 shows the waveform of the conveying speed of the specimen 2 calculated (generated) from the acceleration data in Fig. 8.

[0069] Then, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10, the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 calculates the conveying distance Lx in the time from when the specimen 2 reaches the outlet P1 from the inlet P0 based on the data of the conveying speed of the specimen 2 in Fig. 9.

[0070] Here, if there is no acceleration fluctuation in the specimen 2, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 10, the time required for the specimen 2 to move the distance from the inlet P0 to the outlet P1 of the conveying unit 21 (the conveying distance L1 in Fig. 10) is T1.

[0071] On the other hand, when there is the acceleration fluctuation shown in Fig. 8 in the specimen 2, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10, the time required for the specimen 2 to reach the distance from the inlet P0 to the outlet P1 of the conveying unit 21 (the conveying distance L1 in Fig. 10) is calculated as T1', and a delay time (displacement amount) t occurs with respect to the time T1 when there is no acceleration fluctuation in the specimen 2.

[0072] Then, as shown in Fig. 11, when the delay time (displacement amount) t is within the allowable + and allowable - (allowable range), the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 diagnoses that the conveying delay (conveying disturbance) when the specimen 2 passes through the shield curtain 1a is within the allowable range.

[0073] In response to this, as shown in FIG. 12, if the delay time (displacement amount) t is not between allowable + and allowable - (allowable range), the X-ray inspection device 1 diagnoses that the transport delay (transport disturbance) when the test piece 2 passes through the shield curtain 1a exceeds the allowable range.

[0074] In this way, the actual speed fluctuation of the test piece 2 relative to the target conveying speed V0 can be calculated, and it can be determined in which section of the conveying section 21 the cause of the conveying delay (conveying disturbance) is occurring, and it can be diagnosed whether the conveying delay is within the acceptable range.

[0075] [Example 3: Predictive maintenance] A case will be described in which the transport system of the article inspection device 1 is periodically monitored using data from the test piece 2 for predictive maintenance.

[0076] The item inspection device 1 has a function of storing data and diagnostic results acquired from the motion sensor 12 and the environmental diagnostic sensor 13 of the test piece 2 in the memory unit 25b, and performing predictive maintenance based on the stored data and diagnostic results.

[0077] Specifically, a test in which the test specimen 2 is transported is performed periodically on a daily basis, and data acquired from the motion sensor 12 of the test specimen 2 during the test is stored in the memory unit 25b. The item inspection device 1 then reads out the acceleration in the Z-axis direction for each date from the data stored in the memory unit 25b, and displays the history of the acceleration in the Z-axis direction together with a threshold value (Z-axis: dotted line in the figure) on the display operation unit 23, as shown in Fig. 13. In the display example of Fig. 13, it can be seen that the acceleration in the Z-axis direction gradually increases over the course of time, approaching the threshold value.

[0078] Furthermore, the item inspection device 1 reads out the angular velocity in the pitch axis direction for each date from the data stored in the memory unit 25b, and displays the history of the angular velocity in the pitch axis direction together with a threshold value (pitch axis: dotted line in the figure) on the display operation unit 23, as shown in Fig. 14. In the display example of Fig. 14, it can be seen that the angular velocity in the pitch axis direction increases with the date, and exceeded the threshold value at a certain time t1.

[0079] In this way, the data and diagnostic results of the motion sensor 12 (including the environmental diagnostic sensor 13) of the test specimen 2 stored in the memory unit 25b can be monitored, and from the results, performance degradation and deterioration associated with the conveying system of the item inspection device 1 can be estimated and predictive maintenance can be performed.

[0080] [About modified examples] 15, a test specimen 2 can be constructed by using an object to be actually inspected W as a holding member 11 and attaching (sticking) a motion sensor unit in which a communication unit 15 and a motion sensor 12 are integrated to the object to be inspected W and holding it. By using this test specimen 2, when the article inspection device 1 is a weight sorting machine, it is possible to measure not only the flatness and horizontality of the transport device 3 and the weighing conveyor, but also the shaking at the time of transfer between the transport device 3 and the weighing conveyor and the vibration and fluctuation value of each axis of the motion sensor 12, and determine the correlation with the weight waveform from the frequency, amplitude, and waveform shape to determine the proportion of the transfer factor that affects the weighing accuracy, thereby performing a diagnosis.

[0081] However, when performing diagnosis using a test piece 2 having this motion sensor 12 attached to an object to be measured W, as shown in Fig. 15, each axis of the motion sensor 12 differs from the axes when the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3 and the conveying direction A are used as references, as in the holding member 11 housing the motion sensor 12 in Fig. 2. For this reason, the inspection control unit 25 of the article inspection device 1 is equipped with an axis correction unit 25d that corrects the axes in each axial direction for data in each axial direction obtained from the test piece 2 having the motion sensor 12 attached to the object to be measured W, to obtain diagnostic data.

[0082] When the motion sensor 12 attached to the object W detects a DC component and outputs data, the axis correction unit 25d uses the tilt detection data (data in FIG. 16) of the acceleration sensor (DC detection type) of the motion sensor 12 housed in the holding member 11 to grasp the mounting orientation of the motion sensor 12 attached to the object W and corrects the axes in each axial direction. That is, the axis correction unit 25d detects and corrects the gravitational acceleration component when the motion sensor 12 is attached to the object W and placed on the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3 in a stopped state. For example, in FIG. 15, when the flow direction of the test piece 2 with the motion sensor 12 attached to the object W is Z+, the gravitational acceleration component in the Y-axis direction of the acceleration sensor is corrected to +1g as shown in the tilt detection data in FIG. 16.

[0083] In addition, when the motion sensor 12 attached to the object W detects the AC component and outputs data, the axis correction unit 25d places the motion sensor 12 that has acquired data in advance on the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3 in a stopped state in a regular arrangement. Then, the acceleration data in the X-axis direction when the conveying device 3 is operated at a predetermined speed from a stopped state is resolved into three-axis resolved data by gradually shifting the XY angle and the XZ angle by a predetermined angle. Then, in this three-axis resolved data, the test piece 2 with the motion sensor 12 attached to the object W is placed on the conveying surface 3a of the conveying device 3 in a stopped state, and the conveying device 3 is operated under the same conveying conditions. As a result, the XY angle and the XZ angle when the acceleration data in each axis direction obtained are closest are obtained as the correction amount, and the axes are corrected.

[0084] In this way, according to this embodiment, by acquiring sensing results (data) during the transport of the test specimen 2 having sensors (motion sensor 12, environmental diagnosis sensor 13), it is possible to easily diagnose inspection function failure caused by the dynamic behavior of the item due to the transport system of the inspection line, and it becomes possible to individually verify and validate the static and dynamic characteristics of the inspection performance of the item inspection device.

[0085] In addition, by analyzing the data acquired from the test specimen 2 as diagnostic data using the item inspection equipment 1, it is possible to diagnose the state of the conveying system of the item inspection equipment 1 (such as the transfer adjustment state between the conveying device 3 and the conveying section 21, the adjustment state of the horizontality of the conveying surface of the conveying belt, etc.), making it possible to assist with adjustment work when installing or maintaining the item inspection equipment 1.

[0086] This enables correct installation and adjustment even by users, maintenance personnel from overseas distributors, or people with low equipment and maintenance skills, rather than experienced service personnel.In addition, by making it possible to identify the cause of accuracy impairment when an accuracy problem occurs, the effect of reducing downtime is expected.

[0087] Furthermore, by comparing the inspection performance results when using test specimen 2 with the results of actual production, it is possible to understand the variation in the structural and physical characteristics of the inspected products that are actually produced.

[0088] Furthermore, by using the test specimen 2 as a master work for confirming operation, it is possible to check changes in the conveying state of the conveying device 3 and the conveying unit 21 since installation, and it can also be used as a predictive maintenance function by detecting performance degradation or deterioration early.

[0089] Furthermore, when the test specimen 2 is used to check its operation, it can be determined from data from the sensors (motion sensor 12, environmental diagnosis sensor 13) of the test specimen 2 that the test specimen 2 has been rejected as an NG workpiece, and whether or not the test specimen 2 has been selected can be confirmed on the item inspection device 1 side instead of by a human, making it possible to realize an unmanned line.

[0090] Furthermore, if the item inspection device 1 is provided with a dedicated storage location for the test specimen 2, it can be used as a sensor for sensing the installation environment characteristics (e.g., temperature, humidity, vibration, wind speed, etc.) of the item inspection device 1 during operation.

[0091] Although the best mode of the object inspection device according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the description and drawings of this mode. In other words, all other modes, embodiments, and operating techniques made by those skilled in the art based on this mode are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1. Product inspection equipment 2. Test specimen 3(3A,3B) Transport device 3a Conveying surface 11 Retaining member 11a Identifier 11b Reference plane 12 Motion Sensor 13 Environmental diagnostic sensors 14 Storage section 15 Communications Department 21 Conveyor 21a Conveying surface 22 Inspection Department 23 Display operation section 24 Judgment section 25 Inspection control section 25a Data Acquisition Section 25b Storage section 25c Diagnostics Department 25d Axis correction section 25e Control section 26 Entry sensor A Conveying direction W Inspected object (article) Wa Reference Plane t delay time

Claims

1. In an article inspection device (1) for inspecting articles transported on an inspection line, An article inspection device characterized by storing a test piece (2) having a motion sensor (12) that detects acceleration and angular velocity in each axial direction in a storage location dedicated to the test piece provided in the article inspection device, and comprising a diagnosis unit (25c) that diagnoses the installation environment of the article inspection device based on the acceleration and angular velocity data in each axial direction obtained from the test piece stored in the storage location.

2. 2. The article inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting at least one of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, pressure, wind speed, sound, and magnetism.

3. The object inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the diagnosis unit (25c) performs diagnosis by acquiring the data stored in a memory unit (14) possessed by the test object (2) via a medium.

4. The object inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the diagnosis unit (25c) performs diagnosis by acquiring the data via wireless transmission from a communication unit (15) possessed by the test object (2).

5. The object inspection device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the diagnostic unit (25c) has a memory unit (25b) that stores diagnostic results, and is equipped with a predictive maintenance function that monitors the progress of the diagnostic results stored in the memory unit and estimates performance degradation or deterioration.

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