Product Inspection System

Abstract

To provide an article inspection system having excellent reliability which can reduce work loads required in additional processing such as manual check and correction processing, while enhancing reliability on automatic additional processing by a work machine to sufficiently reduce loads on the additional processing.SOLUTION: An article inspection system comprises an article inspection part 10 that inspects an article P being conveyed, and an additional processing control part 20 that executes additional processing to an inspected article Pj in accordance with an inspected result by the article inspection part 10. The additional processing control part 20 has: a quality state determination part 21 that determines whether the inspected result by the article inspection part 10 corresponds to any of a plurality of preset quality states; and processing request selection means 22 that selects and outputs either of first processing request information Ra for requesting work for the first additional processing by a work machine 30 and second processing request information Rb for requesting manual work for the second additional processing by outputting a notification, in accordance with a determined result by the quality state determination part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article inspection system, and more particularly to an article inspection system having an article inspection unit and an additional processing control unit that executes additional processing on inspected articles in accordance with the inspection results. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an item inspection system is known that sequentially inspects conveyed items within a predetermined range in the conveying direction and a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and performs additional processing to eliminate specific items or parts that have failed the inspection, thereby maintaining the quality of manufactured items.

[0003] For example, there is an item inspection system that incorporates an X-ray inspection machine into the production line, obtains location information of foreign objects based on the detected image data, and is equipped with a cutting means that can cut out and partially remove parts containing foreign objects from raw meat, hydrated grain flour, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] In addition, an item inspection system is known in which an X-ray analyzer detects foreign objects such as individual pieces of bone within food pieces and identifies their coordinates, and a water jet cutting tool assembly operates based on this coordinate information to spray water from a water jet nozzle positioned above the foreign object as it passes through a gap area between specific conveyors, thereby perforating the food piece and removing the foreign object (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0005] Furthermore, there is a system that includes an X-ray inspection means that performs X-ray inspection on food transported on the conveyor within an inspection area to determine whether the food passes the inspection, multiple sorting means that are arranged on the side of the conveyor downstream of the X-ray inspection area and are able to alternately eject rejected products out of the conveying path, and multiple work tables that correspond to the multiple sorting means, so that rejected products are evenly distributed onto each work table and rejected products ejected onto each work table can be corrected by an operator (for example, removing bones from chicken), thereby increasing the safety level of food (see, for example, Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5524598 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6660894 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6412034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in conventional product inspection systems such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, as the requirements for the safety of food and other products become more sophisticated, there is a concern that mechanical additional processing such as cutting out or drilling holes using a work machine alone may result in insufficient additional processing or omissions depending on the manner in which defective areas occur, so workers are sometimes assigned to visually check products after mechanical additional processing or to perform additional corrective processing by hand, which can result in a heavy workload despite the additional processing being automatic using a work machine.

[0008] Furthermore, in the conventional product inspection systems described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, additional processing was performed using the same method on all defective products regardless of the type of defect. As a result, depending on the type of defect, although it was easy to identify the location of the defective part in the inspected product from the inspection result information and additional processing by a work machine was easily possible, there were cases where rough removal work by a work machine resulted in a lot of waste, and there were cases where if the location of the defective part in the inspected product could be identified, additional processing could be performed by hand without waste, but the location of the defective part could not be easily identified just by visually inspecting the inspected product, resulting in a heavy workload for manual corrective processing, etc.

[0009] The present invention solves the unresolved problems of the past, such as those described above, and aims to provide a highly reliable item inspection system that increases the reliability of automatic additional processing by work machines while reducing the burden of manual checks and corrective processing, thereby sufficiently reducing the burden of additional processing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the item inspection system of the present invention is an item inspection system comprising an item inspection unit that inspects items being transported, and an additional processing control unit that performs additional processing on inspected items depending on the inspection results of the item inspection unit, and the additional processing control unit has a judgment means that judges which of a plurality of pre-set quality states the inspection results of the item inspection unit correspond to, and a processing request selection means that selects and outputs either first processing request information that requests first additional processing work by a work machine or second processing request information that requests second additional processing work by hand by outputting an alarm to an alarm depending on the judgment result of the judgment means.

[0011] With this configuration, in the present invention, the determination means of the additional processing control unit determines which of a plurality of preset quality states the inspection results of the item inspection unit correspond to, and the processing request selection means selects, according to the determination result of the determination means, either first processing request information requesting a first additional processing operation by a work machine or second processing request information requesting a second manual additional processing operation by outputting an alarm to an alarm, and outputs the additional processing request. Therefore, if the quality state is sufficiently manageable by automatic additional processing by a work machine, reliable additional processing can be performed to sufficiently reduce the burden of manual additional processing, and if the quality state is such that manual checks or corrective processing are desirable, automatic additional processing by a work machine can be omitted or reduced to preliminary processing, allowing accurate manual additional processing to be performed with low burden.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing request selection means may be configured to preset conditions for selecting the first processing request information or the second processing request information for a plurality of inspection items that can be inspected by the article inspection unit. In this way, it is possible to accurately select and set whether to prioritize the additional processing request information based on the inspection results of each of the plurality of inspection items, with a priority on work machines or manual labor.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the judgment means can be configured to judge, when the item inspection unit detects an abnormality in at least the quality condition of the item, which of a plurality of defective aspects the item falls under based on the quality condition of the item.

[0014] In this case, it is possible to accurately determine the type of defect corresponding to the abnormality in the quality state of the defective product, and to quickly and accurately select the additional treatment required for that type of defect.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination means can be configured to, when a foreign matter is detected in the article, determine which of the plurality of defective aspects the foreign matter falls under based on the type, size, shape, density, or location of the foreign matter.

[0016] In this case, it becomes possible to accurately select a selection setting suitable for additional processing such as partial exclusion for a defective feature including a foreign substance.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination means can be configured to determine, when an excess or shortage of the content volume of the item is detected, which of the plurality of defective aspects the item falls under based on the excess or shortage state of the content volume.

[0018] In this case, it is possible to quickly and accurately select the additional processing that is appropriate for the excess or deficiency of the content volume.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing request selection means stores priority setting information in a memory, which selects either the first processing request information or the second processing request information based on which of a plurality of different quality states that may occur for each inspection item the inspection results of the item inspection unit correspond to.

[0020] In this case, when the processing request selection means selects an additional processing request, it is quickly and accurately determined whether priority is given to an automated process or manual processing based on the information stored in the selection setting memory.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the processing request selection means selects the first processing request information, the additional processing control unit can cause the work machine to perform a predetermined work operation for removing an abnormal portion of quality from an item in which an abnormality has been detected in the quality state, and when the processing request selection means selects the second processing request information, can cause the additional processing control unit to output a notification of a work request for second additional processing by manpower based on the second processing request information.

[0022] In this case, the reliability of additional processing by the work machine can be improved and the burden of additional processing by humans can be reduced. Moreover, when a quality condition that requires manual check or corrective action occurs, it can be notified to the worker quickly and accurately.

[0023] When a work machine is used for additional processing to remove or correct defective parts from defective products, it is possible not only to have the work machine perform mechanical removal of the defective parts, but also to have the work machine perform preliminary additional processing such as marking the defective parts in accordance with the first processing request information, and then to perform the main additional processing such as manual correction processing after the preliminary additional processing. In other words, the first processing request information and second processing request information referred to in the present invention may be any information that allows the selection of automatic or manual work by the work machine during additional processing, and allows inspected items to be appropriately assigned to the work machine or the worker, and additional processing that combines preliminary processing by the work machine and main manual processing may be performed to achieve both improved reliability of the additional processing and reduced workload. For example, in cases where defective parts of inspected items that are used as ingredients for processed foods, etc., are not exposed on the outer surface of the item and are therefore difficult to identify visually, it is possible to use a work machine to carry out preliminary additional processing work, such as cutting or marking, to expose the defective parts on the surface of the item, thereby making it easier to carry out additional processing work by hand. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an item inspection system that can increase the reliability of automatic additional processing by work machines while reducing the burden of manual checks and corrective processing, thereby sufficiently reducing the burden of additional processing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system in the article inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of an article inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic front view of an article inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an arrangement of an article inspection process and automatic and manual processes for additional processing. [Figure 4]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the arrangement of an item inspection device, a robotic work machine that performs mechanical additional processing, and a workbench that performs manual additional processing in an item inspection system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a selection setting screen that allows selection of whether additional processing should be performed mechanically or manually for processing-required items that require additional processing to correct their quality status based on the results of item inspection in an item inspection system according to one embodiment of the present invention, depending on the item's quality status. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the flow of signals from an article inspection unit, a control unit, and a drive output unit in an article inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transport section in an automatic process in which a robotic work machine performs partial removal of defective parts in an article inspection system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a plan view of a transport section in a manual process in which partial removal of defective portions is performed manually in an article inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a robotic work machine that performs a partial removal operation of a defective portion in an article inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] (One embodiment) 1 to 9 show an article inspection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] First, the configuration will be described.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the item inspection system 1 of this embodiment includes an item inspection device 10 (item inspection unit) that sequentially inspects items P being transported on an item transport path 11, such as multiple conveyors, arranged in an item production line (not shown), and an additional processing control unit 20 that, based on the inspection results of the item inspection device 10, executes a specified additional processing on items P (hereinafter referred to as additional processing-required items Pj) that have variations, biases, defective parts, etc. in their quality state and require specified additional processing to correct them.

[0030] The article inspection device 10 in this article inspection system 1 includes an inspection machine capable of inspecting at least one type of article, for example, some or all of an X-ray foreign object detector, a metal detector, and a weighing machine, and this article inspection device 10 inspects the quality state of each article P passing through a predetermined inspection section Z1 on the article conveying path 11 in the direction D1 in Figures 3 and 4 using a predetermined inspection method, and is able to determine, for example, whether the article is an OK item (i.e., a non-defective item) or an NG item (i.e., a defective item) based on preset judgment conditions. Note that the article P here is, for example, an item spread or expanded in a predetermined shape on the article conveying path 11 that is intended to be ingested by humans or animals, such as a food ingredient, processed food, or pharmaceutical, or a product manufactured to come into contact with humans or animals, but is not limited to a specific article.

[0031] The product inspection device 10 is also capable of generating X-ray inspection image data that can identify the position and range of a defective part of an NG product by, for example, its center coordinates and radius, using the function of an X-ray inspection machine.

[0032] Specifically, Figure 2 , Figures 6 and 8 As shown in the figure, the item inspection device 10 irradiates each inspection target item P transported along an item transport path 11 with X-rays from an X-ray irradiation unit 12, detects the amount of transmitted X-rays at predetermined intervals using an X-ray line sensor 13, and sequentially stores the detected values ​​in an image memory 14 while the item P passes through the inspection area, thereby enabling an inspection control unit 15 to obtain X-ray inspection image data Xi that shows the distribution of transmitted X-ray doses of the item P.

[0033] The inspection control unit 15 has a processor and memory, and also has various control programs built in that can use these to perform specified functions.The inspection control unit 15 is composed of an image processing unit 16 that performs an image processing function based on the X-ray inspection image data Xi from the image memory 14, a quality judgment unit 17 that performs a judgment function for the quality condition of the item P based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, an operation / display unit 19 such as a touch panel that can display the judgment results of the quality judgment unit 17 and input operations, and a setting unit 18 that can set the operating conditions of the image processing unit 16, the quality judgment unit 17, and the operation / display unit 19 based on operation input from the operation / display unit 19.

[0034] In addition, for example, when an item P being transported onto the item conveying path 11 is detected by an item detection sensor (not shown), the inspection control unit 15 sets the item P as an item to be inspected based on the detection signal, and operates the X-ray irradiation unit 12 while the item P passes through a specific position within the inspection section Z1 (e.g., the detection position of the line sensor 13).

[0035] The quality judgment unit 17 can judge, for example, the quality condition of the item P for each predetermined inspection unit area (item P within a predetermined conveying distance section) based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, and can determine, for example, whether any foreign matter has been mixed in for each inspection unit area.

[0036] The additional processing control unit 20 has a quality condition determination unit 21 (determination means) that determines the quality condition, for example, whether the item P whose inspection result is not a pass or fail and whether it is defective, a processing request selection unit 22 (processing request selection means) that controls whether the additional processing described below is performed by a work machine or manually depending on the determination result of the quality condition determination unit 21, a selection setting memory 23 (memory) that stores and stores the conditions for the additional processing selection by the processing request selection unit 22, and a drive processing unit 24 that outputs a drive control signal Sa that serves as a work command to the robot work machine 30 that mechanically performs the additional processing described below or outputs a display drive control signal Sb to a display 42 on the manual process workbench 40 based on the control signal Ra or Rb from the processing request selection unit 22.

[0037] The additional processing control unit 20 is configured, for example, with a management PC and a PLC (programmable logic controller), and has various built-in control programs that can be used to perform predetermined functions. The additional processing control unit 20 also monitors the status of the article inspection system 1, manages the inspection results of the article inspection device 10 associated with the production plan, and controls the drive of the robotic work machine 30 and the drive of the display on the manual process workbench 40 in accordance with the inspection results of the article inspection device 10. Furthermore, the additional processing control unit 20 may include a tablet-type information terminal that works in cooperation with the management PC as a programming tool for the PLC and a setting input switcher.

[0038] The quality condition determination unit 21 identifies the position coordinates and range of the defective portion of the processing-requested item Pj from the inspection image data Xi, and detects, for example, the type, size, shape, density, position, number, and presence or absence of foreign matter of the defective portion to determine which of a plurality of preset defect modes the defective portion corresponds to. Furthermore, when a foreign matter is detected in the item P, the quality condition determination unit 21 determines which of a plurality of defect modes the item corresponds to based on the type, size, shape, density, or inclusion position of the foreign matter. Furthermore, when weighing or mass inspection is performed by the item inspection device 10, when an excess or shortage of the content volume of the item P is detected, the quality condition determination unit 21 can determine which of a plurality of defect modes the item P corresponds to based on the detection information of the excess or shortage of the content volume.

[0039] The processing request selection unit 22 acquires the judgment result of the quality condition judgment unit 21 along with the inspection image data Xi and the quality judgment result Ji for each inspected item P, and has the function of judging whether each item P having a quality judgment result Ji indicating that it has been judged to be outside the range of a good product in terms of the required specified quality condition is a processing request item Pj that requires additional processing such as corrective processing of defective parts depending on its type and processing state.

[0040] Furthermore, the processing request selection unit 22 determines which of a plurality of preset types of defectiveness the defective part of each processing request item Pj corresponds to, and depending on the determination result, determines whether the defectiveness is suitable for further processing in an automatic process, for example, by a robotic work machine 30 described later, or whether the defectiveness is suitable for further processing in a manual process on a manual process workbench 40 described later, and outputs different control signals Ra, Rb depending on the determination result.

[0041] Specifically, the processing request selection unit 22 has the function of selecting, depending on the judgment result of the defective nature of the defective part in the processing request item Pj, whether to perform additional processing of an automatic process using a robot work machine 30 (work machine) in a first additional processing section Z2 downstream of a predetermined inspection section Z1 on the item conveying path 11, or to perform additional processing manually using a manual process workbench 40 in a second additional processing section Z3 downstream of the first additional processing section Z2, and has a first control means 22a and a second control means 22b that output control commands corresponding to the additional processing to the selected additional processing process side.

[0042] Here, the first control means 22a outputs a control signal Ra requesting additional processing in the automatic process by the robot work machine 30, and the second control means 22b outputs a control signal Rb notifying additional processing in the manual process on the manual process workbench 40.

[0043] Specifically, the first control means 22a is connected to the robot controller 39 of the robot work machine 30 via the first drive means 24a of the drive processing unit 24 that constitutes the drive circuit, and by outputting a control signal Ra requesting additional processing in the automatic process to the first drive means 24a, the first drive means 24a can output a drive control signal Sa to the robot controller 39 corresponding to additional processing in the automatic process by the robot work machine 30.

[0044] Furthermore, when a control command is not output from the first control means 22a for a processing-requested item Pj, and the processing-requested item Pj has not been subjected to additional processing in an automated process by the robotic work machine 30 in the first additional processing section Z2 and enters the second additional processing section Z3, the second control means 22b outputs a control signal Rb to the second drive means 24b of the drive processing unit 24 to notify that additional processing in a manual process using the manual process workbench 40 is required. The second control means 22b then outputs a display drive control signal Sb to the display 42 on the manual process workbench 40 via the second drive means 24b, thereby executing at least a screen display output on the display 42 as a notification output requesting the execution of additional manual processing. Note that the notification output referred to in the following description includes not only the notification output from an alarm such as the display 42 to the workers Wk1 and Wk2, but also the control signal Rb from the second control means 22b to the second drive means 24b of the drive processing unit 24, which are the basis of the output, and the display drive control signal Sb from the second drive means 24b.

[0045] The processing request selection unit 22 also stores priority setting information in the selection setting memory 23, which selects either the first processing request information or the second processing request information based on which of multiple different defect modes that may occur for each inspection item the inspection results of the item inspection device 10 correspond to.

[0046] This selection setting memory 23 is incorporated into the processing request selection unit 22, and when the processing request selection unit 22 selects additional processing according to the quality state of the inspected item P, it can extract setting information for the additional processing process that is prioritized according to that quality state.

[0047] Specifically, based on the setting input from the setting unit 18, the selection setting memory 23 stores selection setting information for each type of item P, for example as shown in Figure 5, for multiple inspection items, such as whether to prioritize additional processing in an automatic process by a robotic work machine 30 or whether to prioritize additional processing in a manual process on a manual process workbench 40, depending on the inspection results for each inspection item, in a manner that can be displayed as a list at least on the operation and display unit 19 of the item inspection device 10 and / or on the display 42 on the manual process workbench 40, and in a manner that allows the settings to be changed.

[0048] The drive processing unit 24 has a first drive means 24a that outputs an automatic process work command to the robot work machine 30 as a drive control signal Sa based on a control signal Ra from the processing request selection unit 22, and a second drive means 24b that outputs a display drive control signal Sb to the display 42 on the manual process workbench 40 based on a control signal Rb from the processing request selection unit 22.

[0049] When the first additional control condition preset by the setting unit 18 is met based on the results of inspection by the item inspection device 10, the drive processing unit 24 operates the first drive means 24a using a control signal Ra, and outputs a control command to the robot work machine 30 to automatically and mechanically remove defective parts of the item Pj to be processed.

[0050] A rotary encoder (not shown) is attached to the conveyor that makes up the item conveying path 11, and the additional processing control unit 20 can acquire encoder pulses at regular intervals of conveyance along the item conveying path 11 to calculate the position of each inspection target or inspected item P in the conveying direction D1, along with the position coordinates of any defective parts that should be partially removed by the robotic work machine 30. Furthermore, while the inspected item P that has been determined to be an item requiring processing Pj is within the first additional processing zone Z2, where defective parts can be partially removed by the robotic work machine 30, the additional processing control unit 20 can sequentially calculate the conveying position of the item requiring processing Pj and its horizontal position relative to the tip of the robotic work machine 30, etc.

[0051] 9, the robot work machine 30 has a cutting head 31 that also serves as a suction sorting head, and the cutting head 31 can be moved by an articulated robot arm 32 at least in the conveyance path width direction (the longitudinal direction of the line sensor 13) perpendicular to the article conveyance direction, or in both the article conveyance direction and the conveyance path width direction by a horizontally articulated robot arm 32, and can discharge articles into a defective article receptacle 34 outside the article conveyance path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system). The cutting head 31 has a nozzle 31a with a cylindrical cutting blade, and can cut out or scrape off the defective part of the processing-requested article Pj by lowering the nozzle 31a so as to surround the defective part of the processing-requested article Pj.

[0052] The actuator that performs automatic additional processing, such as that of the robotic work machine 30, is selected according to the shape and characteristics of the item P being handled, and is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a motor that drives the robot hand, an electromagnetic valve that applies pneumatic suction force to the tip of the nozzle 31a, an air cylinder that moves one end of the belt conveyor up and down, or something else.

[0053] When a second additional control condition preset by the setting unit 18 is met based on the results of inspection by the article inspection device 10, the drive processing unit 24 operates the second drive means 24b using a control signal Rb on this condition, and causes at least a display 42 (indicator, alarm) on the manual process workbench 40 to issue a display drive output to notify that manual additional processing is required. Of course, when notifying by the display 42, other notification outputs such as audio output may also be used.

[0054] Here, the manual process workbench 40 is positioned downstream of the robot work machine 30 in the predetermined conveying direction D1, and when a notification is output on the display 42 or the like that additional manual processing is required, additional processing such as partial removal of defective parts can be performed manually on the item P after inspection by the notified item inspection device 10 within a second additional processing section Z3 of a predetermined conveying distance based on the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 and the display of the item Pj requested to be processed and its defective parts on the inspection image data Xi.

[0055] This manual process workbench 40 has, for example, a two-person workbench 41 located on one side of the second additional processing section Z3 on the item conveying path 11, a display 42 located on the other side of the second additional processing section Z3, and a pusher 43 that pushes the processing-requested item Pj that has entered the second additional processing section Z3 without being subjected to additional processing of the automatic process by the robot work machine 30 in the first additional processing section Z2 to the upstream end side of the workbench 41 (towards the worker Wk1 performing the additional processing) immediately after it enters.

[0056] When displaying defective portions of the object P pushed onto the work table 41 on the display 42, reference lines or a grid display may be added to the work table 41 to facilitate location identification. Even if the robotic work machine 30 does not perform additional automated processing within the first additional processing section Z2, the lowering position of the boring head 31 of the robotic work machine 30 may be limited to a predetermined marking height, and the processing-requested object Pj that has undergone preliminary marking may be moved onto the work table 41. Furthermore, a rotationally indexable mechanism or hand may be mounted on the tip of the robotic work machine 30 to which the boring head 31 is attached, allowing the boring head 31 and a dedicated marking head to be switched between use. Needless to say, the type of marking and whether or not suction is applied to the boring head 31 during marking can be easily controlled by valve control.

[0057] In the article inspection system 1, the additional processing control unit 20 is connected to the robot controller 39 of the robot work machine 30 and the display 42 of the manual process workbench 40 via a LAN using a predetermined communication method so that it can input the inspection image data Xi and quality judgment results Ji for each inspected article P from the inspection control unit 15 built into the article inspection device 10, and output control commands to these via the drive processing unit 24. The LAN here is configured, for example, with an Ethernet-based field bus, and enables digital communication between controllers (communication for exchanging control information at lower layers, and for monitoring the operating status of lower layers and events in each device by upper layers, etc.).

[0058] The cutting out or removal of defective parts by the cutting head 31 of the robot work machine 30 is a local removal operation for items P that have spread within the first additional processing section Z2 on the item conveying path 11, and is a removal operation that removes part of the items P that have spread on the item conveying path 11 outward from the item conveying path 11.

[0059] When the robotic work machine 30 partially removes this defective part, the additional process control unit 20 obtains the inspection result and position information of the processing-requested item Pj by the quality judgment unit 17 from the inspection control unit 15 of the item inspection device 10, and also obtains the X-ray inspection image data Xi together with its coordinate reference data. Then, while the processing-requested item Pj moves from the inspection zone Z1 by the item inspection device 10 to the first additional processing zone Z2, which is the operating area for partial removal by the robotic work machine 30, the additional process control unit 20 links the coordinates of the portion determined to be defective or the inspection unit area including it in the X-ray inspection image data Xi of the processing-requested item Pj with the change in position accompanying the transport, and executes control to synchronize the operations of the item inspection device 10 and the robotic work machine 30 so that the partial removal operation position by the robotic work machine 30 coincides with the coordinates of the defective part determined to be defective by the quality judgment unit 17 of the item inspection device 10.

[0060] 5, 6, and 9, the cutting head 31 includes, for example, an elevation nozzle 31a having a downward opening and a cylindrical cutting blade at its lower end, a head body 35 that supports the nozzle 31a so that it can be raised and lowered via an elevation drive shaft 35a, a flexible suction duct 33 connected to the upper end of the nozzle 31a, a driving fluid ejection unit 37 having an ejector function that ejects high-pressure driving fluid (here, compressed air) downstream from around the outlet of the suction duct 33 to generate negative pressure in the suction duct 33, and a flexible discharge duct 36 connected to the outlet sides of the suction duct 33 and the driving fluid ejection unit 37 and forming a diffuser passage whose internal cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the defective product receptacle 34. The cutting head 31 is configured to suck defective portions of the processing-requested item Pj from the nozzle 31a into the suction duct 33 and eject them from the discharge duct 36 into the defective product receptacle 34.

[0061] 3 or 4, when a rejected portion including a defective portion of the processing-requested item Pj is sucked into the nozzle 31a or is sucked and passes through its entrance, the rejected portion is detected by a small passage detection sensor 31s such as a reflective laser sensor attached to the upstream end of the nozzle 31a or the suction duct 33. Furthermore, when the rejected portion is sucked into the suction duct 33 and passes to the discharge side, the rejected portion is detected by a passage detection sensor 36s attached to the downstream end of the suction duct 33 or near the driving fluid ejection unit 37.

[0062] The nozzle 31a of the cutting head 31 can be raised and lowered between an elevated position shown by a solid line in Figure 9 and a lowered position shown by a virtual line in the same figure via an elevation drive shaft 35a by an elevation drive mechanism 32f supported integrally on the second arm 32e together with the head body 35, and the height of the lowered position is set for each type of item P so that defective parts of the item Pj to be processed can be pinpointed and partially removed outside the item conveying path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system) at the lowered position.

[0063] The robot arm 32 has, for example, a first arm 32a rotatably supported at its base end on a support base 32b and rotatably driven via a geared motor 32c, and a second arm 32e rotatably supported at the tip of the first arm 32a via a joint having a geared motor 32d. The second arm 32e integrally supports the boring head 31, and the robot controller 39 servo-controls the geared motors 32c and 32d to control the drive angle positions of the second arm 32e to target values, thereby moving the nozzle 31a to any coordinate position within its range of motion.

[0064] Of course, the robot arm 32 may be equipped with a holding means for holding the nozzle 31a in any position on the hand side of the second arm 32e. That is, the robot arm 32 not only functions as a moving means for moving the nozzle 31a, but may also use a joint mechanism on the wrist or the like to slightly tilt the nozzle 31a with respect to the line of sight (for example, the vertical direction V) of the X-ray inspection image when sucking and removing a defective part of the processing-requested item Pj.

[0065] In this way, in the robot work machine 30, defective parts of the processing-requested item Pj, which has a specific inspection result that indicates it is not a good item based on the judgment process of the X-ray inspection image data Xi, among the multiple items P on the item conveying path 11, can be cut out using a nozzle 31a having a height, horizontal position, and posture according to the X-ray inspection image data Xi, and sucked up and removed from the item conveying path 11.

[0066] Furthermore, the additional processing control unit 20 sets the horizontal position of the center of the opening of the nozzle 31a (opening center position) at a predetermined height on the coordinates of the defective portion of the processing-requested item Pj when suction of the processing-requested item Pj begins. The additional processing control unit 20 then sequentially sets target coordinates (x, y, z) of the destination of the processing-requested item Pj according to the coordinates of the processing-requested item Pj during transport, and causes the driving fluid ejection unit 37 to perform its ejector function while horizontally moving the nozzle 31a, which has a cylindrical cutting blade function, to the target coordinates and then lowering it to near the height of the transport path surface, thereby partially removing the defective portion of the processing-requested item Pj by, for example, cutting it into a circular shape together with the surrounding portion, sucking it up, and removing it. Note that this partial removal can be performed multiple times for the same processing-requested item Pj depending on the range and number of defective portions of the processing-requested item Pj.

[0067] The additional processing control unit 20 also has the function of performing, when identifying defective parts of the processing-requested item Pj, noise removal filter processing to perform noise reduction processing such as smoothing on the X-ray inspection image data Xi, edge enhancement filter processing to detect sudden changes in the transmitted X-ray density around a defective part if one is present in the item P, and belt conveyor speed setting processing to determine the work transport speed.

[0068] Alternatively, depending on the type and inspection items of the item P, the additional processing control unit 20 can perform binarization and labeling processing of the X-ray inspection image data Xi, measure the thickness and calculate the center of gravity position taking into account the density distribution of the X-ray transmission image, and can set an exclusion target range for partially excluding defective parts after taking these results into consideration.

[0069] The item inspection system 1 thus comprises an item inspection device 10 that inspects items P being transported within a predetermined inspection section Z1, and an additional processing control unit 20 that selectively performs predetermined additional processing on inspected processing-requested items Pj depending on the inspection results of the item inspection device 10.When a processing-requested item Pj is encountered for which the inspection results of the item inspection device 10 deviate from a pass / fail judgment, the additional processing control unit 20 has an additional processing control function that determines and selects whether the defective aspect of the processing-requested item Pj is suitable for mechanical additional processing by a robotic work machine 30 or for manual additional processing using a manual process workbench 40.

[0070] Furthermore, the item inspection system 1 can perform automatic mechanical corrective processing to pinpoint and partially remove areas of the item Pj within a predetermined radius of the first additional processing section Z2, including defective areas, by operating the robotic work machine 30 in response to a control signal Ra from the additional processing control unit 20, and can drive a display 42 on the manual process workbench 40 in response to a control signal Rb from the additional processing control unit 20 to notify the workers Wk1 and Wk2 that additional manual processing is required. The latter of the workers Wk1 and Wk2, worker Wk2, can be assigned depending on the manual workload, for example, as a person to monitor the manual process during additional processing or check the additionally processed items.

[0071] In this way, in the item inspection system 1 of this embodiment, when the processing request selection unit 22 selects first processing request information that requests additional processing of an automatic process, it causes the robotic work machine 30 to perform a predetermined work operation to remove an abnormal part in the quality state from the processing request item Pj in which an abnormality has been detected in the quality state, while when the processing request selection unit 22 selects second processing request information that requests additional processing of a manual process, it causes the display 42 to notify and output a work request for second additional manual processing based on the second processing request information.

[0072] The processing request selection unit 22 references the selection setting conditions stored in the selection setting memory 23 in accordance with the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 and the quality state of the inspected item P, such as priority setting information for whether to perform an automatic process or a manual process, which is set for each inspection item in accordance with the inspection results, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The processing request selection unit 22 then determines whether a first additional control condition prioritizing an automatic process is satisfied, and if the first additional control condition is not satisfied, determines whether a second additional processing condition prioritizing a manual process is satisfied based on the selection setting conditions stored in the selection setting memory 23. If neither the first nor the second additional control condition is satisfied, this means that a system error or the like has occurred, or the quality state of the inspected item P is good and no additional processing is required. If an abnormality such as a system error occurs, the system is stopped. If the quality state of the item P is good and no additional processing is required, for example, the automatic process is not performed, and monitoring by a worker Wk2 is performed in the manual process.

[0073] The first additional control condition referred to here is a condition under which the robotic work machine 30 can accurately perform partial removal of cutouts within the automatic additional processing area E where pinpoint partial removal of cutouts is possible, particularly within a plurality of predetermined transport sections Z2a whose entire area falls within the automatic additional processing area E, or even within a plurality of predetermined transport sections Z2a' before and after which the entire width in the transport direction falls within the automatic additional processing area E. The second additional processing condition is a condition under which manual additional processing is possible when the first additional processing condition is not met.

[0074] 5, "priority setting" refers to the process that is prioritized when multiple inspection items for the same processing request item P produce conflicting inspection results, and the prioritized process is, for example, a manual process, and the prioritized device as the item inspection device 10 is, for example, a metal detector indicated as MD in the figure. The symbol XR in this figure stands for an X-ray inspection system such as an X-ray foreign object detector, and CW stands for a checkweigher.

[0075] When there is no need to dynamically select and set the priority additional process during operation, it is possible to variably set whether to primarily use the robot work machine 30 or the manual process work bench 40 by manually or automatically setting the mode depending on the type of item P.

[0076] The boring head 31 of the robot work machine 30 can also function as a pinpoint rejection means that sucks in specific items P that have been inspected and whose inspection results deviate from predetermined quality conditions, such as defective items, and rejects them from the item conveying path 11. This boring head 31 is supported by the robot arm 32, and when the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from predetermined quality conditions, it operates as a rejection head that moves in at least a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveying direction D1 in accordance with the inspection results, in this case in both the conveying direction D1 of the item conveying path 11 and the width direction w perpendicular thereto.

[0077] 7 uses a robot arm 32 for the robot work machine 30, and is therefore set within a predetermined radius R1 from a center O1 located on one side in the width direction w of the article conveying path 11. This predetermined radius R1 is set larger than the width of the road surface of the article conveying path 11, and is established so that at each time the processing request selection unit 22 determines the additional processing conditions, a predetermined number of processing determination sections Z2a downstream of the article inspection device 10 are always completely included within the automatic additional processing area E.

[0078] Then, on the condition that a predetermined number of processing judgment sections Z2a have been established within the automatic additional processing area E, the additional processing control unit 20 executes control to pinpoint and remove, using the robot work machine 30, any items P (NG items) that have been determined to be defective that are in a predetermined number of processing judgment sections Z2a within the automatic additional processing area E, and any NG items that are in a subsequent section Z2a" within the automatic additional processing area E, so that no items P (NG items) that have been determined to be defective remain in the preceding section Z2a' that has partially or completely extended downstream from the automatic additional processing area E.

[0079] Next, the operation will be described.

[0080] In this embodiment configured as described above, in a production line for a product including a plurality of items P, the item inspection device 10 sequentially performs item inspection using a predetermined inspection method on the items P on the item conveying path 11, and depending on whether a first additional processing condition is met, defective parts of the item Pj that has been requested to be processed are partially removed by pinpoint cutting in an automatic additional processing process using the robotic work machine 30, or depending on whether a second additional processing condition is met downstream of the robotic work machine 30, defective parts of the item Pj that has been requested to be processed are partially removed by manual additional processing or other corrective processing is performed in a manual process on the manual process workbench 40.

[0081] At this time, the processing request selection unit 22 of the additional processing control unit 20 determines whether or not the first additional control condition is met based on the selection setting conditions for the prioritized additional processing stored in the selection setting memory 23, and if the first additional control condition is not met, determines whether or not the second additional processing condition is met.Depending on either of the determination results, a control signal Ra requesting pinpoint partial removal by an automatic process using the robot work machine 30, or a control signal Rb requesting additional processing by manual work on the manual process workbench 40 is output, and the additional processing conditions are switched depending on the inspection results of each item P.

[0082] In the product inspection system 1 of this embodiment, the quality condition determination unit 21, which is the determination means of the additional processing control unit 20, determines which of multiple pre-set quality conditions the inspection result of the product inspection device 10 corresponds to, and the processing request selection unit 22 selects either first processing request information requesting a first additional processing operation by the robotic work machine 30 or second processing request information requesting a second additional processing operation by hand by an alarm output, depending on the determination result of the quality condition determination unit 21, and outputs an additional processing request.

[0083] Therefore, if the quality condition is such that automatic additional processing by the robotic work machine 30 can adequately handle the job, highly reliable additional processing can be carried out, thereby significantly reducing the burden of manual additional processing. On the other hand, if the quality condition is such that manual checking or corrective processing is desirable, the automatic additional processing by the robotic work machine 30 can be omitted or reduced to preliminary processing, allowing accurate manual additional processing to be carried out at a low burden on the manual process workbench 40.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing request selection unit 22 has pre-set conditions for selecting the first processing request information or the second processing request information for multiple inspection items that can be inspected by the item inspection device 10 and stored in the selection setting memory 23, so that it is possible to accurately select and set the additional processing request information according to each inspection result for multiple inspection items, whether to prioritize automatic processing by the robotic work machine 30 or manual additional processing by a human on the manual processing workbench 40.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an abnormality is detected in at least the quality state of an item by the item inspection device 10, the quality state determination unit 21 is configured to determine which of a plurality of preset defect modes the item falls under based on its quality state. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the defect mode corresponding to the abnormality in the quality state of the processing-requested item Pj, and quickly and accurately select the additional processing required for that defect mode.

[0086] Additionally, in this embodiment, when a foreign object is detected in the product P, the quality condition determination unit 21 can determine which of the above-mentioned multiple defective aspects the foreign object falls under based on the type, size, shape, density, or location of the foreign object. Therefore, when the processing-requested product Pj is defective and contains a foreign object, it is possible to accurately select a selection setting suitable for additional processing such as partial rejection.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when an excess or shortage of the content volume of the item P is detected, the quality condition determination unit 21 can also determine which of a plurality of defect modes the excess or shortage state of the content volume corresponds to. Therefore, it is possible to quickly and accurately select additional processing appropriate for the excess or shortage of the content volume.

[0088] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing request selection unit 22 stores priority setting information in the selection setting memory 23, which selects either the first processing request information or the second processing request information by giving priority to it, depending on which of a plurality of different quality states that can occur for each inspection item the inspection results of the article inspection device 10 correspond to. Therefore, when the processing request selection unit 22 selects a request for additional processing, it can quickly and accurately determine whether an automated process or manual processing is to be given priority, based on the information stored in the selection setting memory 23.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the processing request selection unit 22 selects and outputs the control signal Ra, which is the first processing request information, the additional processing control unit 20 causes the robot work machine 30 to perform a predetermined work operation to remove an abnormal part in the quality state from the processing request item Pj, in which an abnormality has been detected in the quality state, while when the processing request selection unit 22 selects and outputs the control signal Rb, which is the second processing request information, the additional processing control unit 20 causes the display 42 on the manual process workbench 40 to notify and output a work request for a second manual additional processing based on the second processing request information.

[0090] This increases the reliability of additional processing by the robotic work machine 30 and reduces the burden of manual additional processing on the manual process work bench 40. Furthermore, when a quality condition occurs that requires manual check or corrective processing, the worker can be notified promptly and accurately.

[0091] In this embodiment, the additional processing in the automatic process performed by the robotic work machine 30 is a partial removal operation in which defective parts are cut out, but when the work machine is used for additional processing to remove or correct defective parts of quality from processing request items Pj such as defective products, the work machine can not only perform mechanical removal operations of the defective parts, but also perform preliminary additional processing such as marking the defective parts or cutting to expose the defective parts to the outside in response to the control signal Ra, which is the first processing request information, and after this preliminary additional processing, the main additional processing such as manual correction of the defective parts can be performed.

[0092] In other words, the first processing request information and second processing request information referred to in the present invention are sufficient as long as they are capable of selecting automatic work by a work machine or manual work when performing additional processing, and accurately allocating inspected items P to a work machine or a worker, and in order to achieve both improved reliability of additional processing and reduced burden, additional processing may be performed that combines preliminary processing by a work machine with main processing such as manual corrective processing.

[0093] For example, if a defective part of an inspected item P that is to be used as an ingredient for processed food, etc., is not exposed on the outer surface of the item P and therefore it is not easy for an operator to visually identify the defective part, it is possible to carry out preliminary additional processing work using a work machine, such as cutting or marking to expose the defective part on the surface of the item, thereby performing preparatory work to make manual additional processing easier.

[0094] As described above, the item inspection system of this embodiment can provide an item inspection system that can increase the reliability of mechanical additional processing in the automatic process using the robotic work machine 30, while reliably reducing the burden of manual checks and corrective processing on the manual process workbench 40, thereby sufficiently reducing the burden of additional processing.

[0095] In the above-described embodiment, the additional processing control unit 20 is a control unit independent of the inspection control unit 15 of the item inspection device 10 and the robot controller 39 of the robot work machine 30, but it goes without saying that the control unit referred to in the present invention may be configured as an integrated control unit in which functions are distributed to the inspection control unit 15, robot controller 39, etc., or may not have individual independent control units. In addition, the manual process work table 40, which discharges items P within the second additional processing section Z3 a predetermined conveying distance out of the system depending on the inspection results, is made to be a part of a conveyor on the item conveying path 11, and processing-requested items Pj that enter the second additional processing section Z3 within the first additional processing section Z2 without being subjected to additional processing in the automatic process by the robot work machine 30 are pushed onto the work table 41 by a pusher 43.However, it goes without saying that the manual distribution means for workers can take any form, and for example, it may be an up-and-out discharge method, a drop-down method, a shuttle method, a chute method, etc., which drops processing-requested items Pj to be manually processed onto the work table 41 and returns them to the item conveying path 11 after additional processing.

[0096] As described above, the article inspection system 1 includes an additional processing control unit 20 that receives inspection information from the article inspection device 10 and controls additional processing, a processing request selection unit 22 that outputs control information Ra and Rb requesting additional processing based on control settings, a drive processing unit 24 that receives the control information Ra and Rb and outputs predetermined actuator drive control signals Sa and display drive control signals Sb, and a selection setting memory 23 that causes the processing request selection unit 22 to set and store selection setting information, and the processing request selection unit 22 outputs control signals Ra and Rb requesting setting of an output form of the control information according to the inspection information to the drive processing unit 24. The drive processing unit 24 that receives the control signals Ra and Rb then outputs a first drive control signal Sa for actuator drive control via first drive means 24a that receives one of the control signals Ra, and outputs a second drive control signal Sb for display drive control of the display 42 via second drive means 24b of the drive processing unit 24 that receives the other control signal Rb. In other words, depending on whether the first control information Sa or the second control information Sb is output for multiple defective aspects of multiple inspection items inspected by the item inspection device 10, the setting can be dynamically switched between additional processing in an automatic process or additional processing in a manual process.

[0097] In addition, when multiple defective items are detected as product inspection results, selection conditions for the additional processing steps and inspection steps to be prioritized are further set and stored in the selection setting memory 23 so that either the first control information Ra or the second control information Rb can be output preferentially depending on the control settings.

[0098] Therefore, it is possible to send out to destinations that have been set in advance as a priority for each defective item, items Pj that can be processed by automated processes such as robots or sorting devices, and items Pj that require manual processes such as visual inspection or removal, and it is possible to set different additional processing processes for different items Pj that need to be processed, and it is also possible to optimize the allocation of workers based on this setting. It is also possible to gradually introduce manufacturing equipment to promote labor savings, and it is expected that investment efficiency will also improve.

[0099] As described above, the present invention can provide a highly reliable item inspection system that increases the reliability of automatic additional processing by work machines while reducing the burden of manual checking and corrective processing, and sufficiently reduces the burden of additional processing.This invention is useful for item inspection systems in general that are equipped with an item inspection unit and an additional processing control unit that performs additional processing on inspected items based on the inspection results. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 1. Product Inspection System 10. Item inspection equipment 11 Goods transport route 12 X-ray irradiation section 13 X-ray line sensor (X-ray detector) 14 Image Memory 15 Inspection control section 16 Image processing section 17 Quality Judgment Department 18 Setting section 19 Operation / display section 20 Additional processing control section 21 Quality condition determination unit (means for determining quality condition, means for determining defective state) 22 Processing request selection unit (processing request selection means) 22a First control means 22b Second control means 23 Selection setting memory (memory, means for storing selection setting information of prioritized additional processing) 24 Drive processing unit 24a First driving means 24b Second driving means 30 Robotic Work Machine 31 Hollowed-out head 31a Nozzle (cylindrical cutting blade) 31s Passage detection sensor 32 Robot Arm 32a First Arm 32b Support stand 32c, 32d geared motor 32e Second Arm 32f Lifting drive mechanism 33 Suction duct 35 Head body 35a Lifting drive shaft 36 Exhaust duct 36s Passage detection sensor 37 Driving fluid injection unit 39 Robot Controller 40 manual process workbench 41 Workbench 42 Display (indicator, alarm) 43 Pusher D1 Conveying direction (predetermined conveying direction) O1 center (rotation center of the robot work machine arm) R1 Predetermined radius (radius of the robot work area) Ra control signal (first processing request information, additional processing request for automatic process, selection request for automatic additional processing by work machine) Rb control signal (second processing request information, additional processing request for manual process, selection request for additional manual processing) Wk1 Worker (Additional processing worker) Wk2 Workers (monitoring and checking personnel) Z1 Inspection section (prescribed inspection section) Z2 First additional processing section Z2a Specific transport section Z2a´ Leading area Z2a" subsequent region Z3 Second additional processing section

Claims

1. An article inspection system comprising an article inspection unit (10) that inspects an article (P) being transported, and an additional processing control unit (20) that executes additional processing on the inspected article in accordance with the inspection result of the article inspection unit, The additional processing control unit a quality condition determination unit (21) that, when an abnormality is detected in at least the quality condition of the product by the product inspection unit, determines which of a plurality of defect modes the product falls under based on the quality condition of the product; and a processing request selection means (22) for selecting and outputting either first processing request information (Ra) requesting a first additional processing operation by a work machine (30) or second processing request information (Rb) requesting a second additional processing operation by hand by outputting an alarm to an alarm (42) according to the defect mode determined by the quality condition determination unit.

2. The product inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing request selection means has pre-set selection setting conditions for preferentially selecting either the first processing request information or the second processing request information for each of the defect types that may occur for a plurality of inspection items that can be inspected by the product inspection unit.

3. 3. An article inspection system according to claim 2, further comprising a setting section (18) into which the selection setting conditions are input for the type (P) of the article.

4. The object inspection system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when a foreign object is detected in the object, the quality condition determination unit determines which of the plurality of quality conditions the foreign object falls into based on the type, size, shape, density, or location of the foreign object.

5. The product inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the quality condition determination unit, when an excess or shortage of the content volume of the product is detected, determines which of the plurality of defect modes the product falls under based on the excess or shortage state of the content volume.

6. 3. An article inspection system according to claim 2, wherein said processing request selection means stores said selection setting conditions in a memory (23).

7. The additional processing control unit When the processing request selection means selects the first processing request information, the processing machine is caused to perform a predetermined work operation for removing an abnormal part in quality state from the product in which an abnormality in quality state has been detected; The object inspection system described in claim 3, characterized in that when the processing request selection means selects the second processing request information, a notification is output of a work request for second additional processing by manual operation based on the second processing request information.

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