Appearance sorting device

Abstract

To provide an appearance selection device which prevents workpiece from remaining on a conveyance table.SOLUTION: An appearance selection device 10 includes: a disk-like conveyance table 11 which is rotated in a state where a component W is mounted; a camera 21 which is provided on an annular path 17 where the component W is conveyed on the rotated conveyance table 11, and images the conveyed component W; and a sensor 31 which scans the conveyance table 11 in a region other than the annular path 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an appearance sorting device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus that arranges hexahedral workpieces on a conveying table, captures images of the workpieces on the conveying table with a camera, and inspects their appearance. Paragraph 0075 of Patent Document 1 also describes a method for discharging the workpieces by ejecting compressed air from the inner periphery of the conveying table, which sends the workpieces to the outer periphery of the conveying table and leads them to a storage box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2013-148362 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because this discharge method is not mechanical, foreign matter adhering to the compressed air nozzle can change the compressed air's jetting path, preventing the workpiece from being discharged reliably and resulting in the workpiece being discharged, for example, to the center of the conveyor table. It is also possible that a workpiece on a worker's sleeve could fall to the center of the conveyor table. Because the center of the conveyor table is outside the workpiece transport path, such workpieces will remain on the conveyor table even if the lot is replaced. As a result, such workpieces may be returned to the transport path in the event of equipment trouble and be mixed into the lot.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide an appearance sorting device that does not leave works on the conveying table. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The appearance sorting device of the present invention is an appearance sorting device that includes a disk-shaped conveying table that rotates with parts placed on it, a camera that is provided on a circular path along which the parts are conveyed on the rotating conveying table and that captures images of the parts being conveyed, and a sensor that scans the conveying table in areas other than the circular path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an appearance sorting device that does not leave works on the conveying table. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an appearance sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the respective scanning areas of the camera of the appearance inspection unit and the sensor of the work residue inspection unit in the appearance sorting device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The appearance sorting device of the present invention will be described below. However, the present invention is not limited to the following configurations, and can be appropriately modified and applied within the scope of the present invention. Note that the present invention also includes a combination of two or more of the individual desirable configurations described below.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an appearance sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The appearance sorting device 10 shown in Figure 1 inspects the appearance of workpieces W, which are parts to be sorted, and sorts the workpieces W based on the inspection results.It is equipped with a conveying table 11, a hopper 12, a bowl feeder 13, a linear feeder 14, an alignment guide 15, multiple appearance inspection units 20, a workpiece discharge unit 16, and a workpiece residue inspection unit 30.

[0012] Here, the workpieces W are rectangular parallelepiped (hexahedral) chip components such as capacitors and inductors, but the types and shapes of components to be sorted by the appearance sorting device 10 are not particularly limited.

[0013] The conveying table 11 is in the shape of a transparent disk. It is preferably made of glass (glass table), but may also be made of transparent resin such as polycarbonate. The conveying table 11 is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal plane around the center O of the disk as an axis, and rotates with the workpiece W placed on it. The conveying table 11 may also convey the workpiece W intermittently.

[0014] The hopper 12 receives workpieces W and determines the amount of workpieces remaining on the ball feeder 13 based on the detection results of a sensor (not shown) attached to the ball feeder 13. Then, based on the determination results, a certain amount of workpieces W is fed into the ball feeder 13. For example, an optical sensor or the like is used as the sensor attached to the ball feeder 13, and the optical sensor is set to react to the workpieces W, and if the optical sensor does not react for a certain period of time, it is determined that the amount of workpieces W fed in is small.

[0015] A lid (not shown) may be provided on the hopper 12, and the work W may be fed into the ball feeder 13 by opening and closing the lid, or a piezoelectric element (not shown) may be connected to the hopper 12, and the work W may be transported to the ball feeder 13 by the piezoelectric element.

[0016] The bowl feeder 13 is vibrated by a piezoelectric element or the like, and conveys the workpieces W to the linear feeder 14, which will be described later. The bowl feeder 13 is provided with a sensor as described above, and the amount of workpieces W is determined by the reaction of the sensor.

[0017] A piezoelectric element (not shown) is connected to the linear feeder 14, and the workpiece W is transported to the transport table 11 by vibrations applied by the piezoelectric element. The linear feeder 14 and the transport table 11 are not in contact with each other, and the linear feeder 14 is disposed above the transport table 11 at a fixed interval. The workpiece W is pushed out from the linear feeder 14 and placed on the transport table 11.

[0018] By adjusting the vibration of the piezoelectric element of the linear feeder 14 and the rotation speed of the conveying table 11, the works W are arranged on the conveying table 11 at equal intervals.

[0019] The alignment guide 15 is disposed at a distance from the conveying table 11, but is disposed so as to interfere with the workpiece W and keep the posture of the workpiece W constant.

[0020] Although not shown, a sensor that reacts to the workpiece W may be disposed before and after the alignment guide 15. The amount of workpiece W to be supplied to the conveying table 11 may be determined by this sensor.

[0021] Each appearance inspection unit 20 is composed of a camera 21 such as an image sensor. The camera 21 is provided on a circular path (workpiece transport path) 17 along which the workpiece W placed on the rotating conveyor table 11 is transported. The camera 21 of each appearance inspection unit 20 captures images of different surfaces of the transported workpiece W. Each appearance inspection unit 20 also has a light source (not shown). For example, a ring light or the like is used as the light source. Image data from each appearance inspection unit 20 is transferred to a PC (not shown), which determines whether the workpiece W is good or bad and ejects the workpiece W based on these results. In this way, the circular path 17 along which the workpiece W is transported corresponds to the circular area scanned by the camera 21 for visual inspection of the workpiece W, and is usually located at the outermost periphery of the disk-shaped conveyor table 11.

[0022] In the workpiece discharge section 16, nozzles (not shown) that blow out compressed air are arranged from the inner periphery side toward the outer periphery side of the conveying table 11, and the compressed air blows the workpieces W out of the conveying table 11. A storage box (BIN, not shown) is provided outside the conveying table 11 to receive the blown-out workpieces W, and the workpieces W are selected and discharged based on the discrimination results.

[0023] As described above, the workpiece W supplied from the linear feeder 14 onto the conveying table 11 is conveyed in a circular manner as the conveying table 11 rotates, and the conveying path 17 of the workpiece W becomes a circular path. However, based on the inspection results by the visual inspection unit 20, the workpiece W is usually discharged from the conveying table 11 by the work discharge unit 16 before making one full rotation on the conveying table 11. In other words, the trajectory of the workpiece W properly discharged from the conveying table 11 by the work discharge unit 16 becomes an arc. However, because the work discharge unit 16 blows away the workpiece W with compressed air, it is possible for workpiece W1 to pass through the work discharge unit 16 without being discharged by the work discharge unit 16. The trajectory of such workpiece W1 becomes a circular path. In addition, it is possible for workpiece W2 to remain in an area other than the conveying path 17 of the workpiece W (for example, the center of the conveying table 11) without being stored in a storage box. The trajectory of this remaining workpiece W2 also becomes a circular path.

[0024] In order to detect such a workpiece W2, a workpiece residue inspection unit 30 is provided. The workpiece residue inspection unit 30 consists of two parts. One is a sensor 31, which is set to react to the workpiece W2. The other is an actuator 32 connected to the sensor 31.

[0025] The sensor 31 scans the conveying table 11. The sensor 31 is arranged in an area other than the annular path 17 along which the workpiece W is conveyed, and scans this area from above the conveying table 11. By using the sensor 31 to scan the conveying table 11 in an area other than the annular conveying path 17 of the workpiece W in this way, it is possible to detect workpiece W2 remaining in an area other than the conveying path 17 of the workpiece W. Therefore, it is possible to prevent workpiece W from remaining on the conveying table 11. Here, it is preferable that the sensor 31 scans the inside of the conveying path 17 of the workpiece W (the side closer to the center O of the conveying table 11).

[0026] Furthermore, the sensor 31 can scan the conveying table 11 in a circular shape by rotating the conveying table 11. This allows the area on the disk-shaped conveying table 11 to be scanned efficiently.

[0027] An image sensor such as a camera or a line sensor is suitable as the sensor 31. The resolution of the image sensor is preferably 508 dpi or more and 1270 dpi or less, and more preferably 1270 dpi or more and 2540 dpi or less.

[0028] The actuator 32 moves the sensor 31 in the radial direction of the conveying table 11. This allows the sensor 31 to scan a desired area of ​​the conveying table 11. More specifically, the actuator 32 is configured to be capable of linear movement, and is disposed from the center O of the conveying table 11 toward the outside of the conveying table 11. By operating the actuator 32, the sensor 31 moves in the radial direction of the conveying table 11. The sensor 31 can move in a direction toward the outer periphery of the conveying table 11, or conversely, in a direction toward the inner periphery of the conveying table 11.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the respective scanning areas of the camera of the appearance inspection unit and the sensor of the work residue inspection unit in the appearance sorting device shown in FIG.

[0030] 2, the sensor 31 is moved in the radial direction of the conveying table 11 by an actuator 32, thereby scanning a plurality of annular areas 33 on the conveying table 11. This makes it possible to capture an image of the entire disc-shaped conveying table 11 without omission, even if an inexpensive, ordinary image sensor with a certain degree of resolution is used as the sensor 31. On the other hand, even if such an ordinary image sensor captures an image of the entire conveying table 11, there is a risk that it will not be able to capture the workpiece W2 due to insufficient resolution.

[0031] More specifically, the actuator 32 moves the position of the sensor 31 in the radial direction of the conveying table 11, and the sensor 31 scans while the sensor 31 is fixed, repeatedly, thereby scanning a plurality of annular regions 33. The plurality of annular regions 33 have the same center (which coincides with the center O of the disk-shaped conveying table 11), but have different radii. The width of each annular region 33 is normally the same. In other words, the width of the imaging region for each revolution of the image sensor serving as the sensor 31 is normally the same. Here, "width" refers to the length in the radial direction of the conveying table 11.

[0032] Unlike FIG. 2, the transport table 11 may be rotated while the actuator 32 moves the sensor 31, thereby scanning the transport table 11 in a spiral pattern.

[0033] In either case, the scanning ranges of the sensor 31 for each revolution may overlap each other. That is, in the case shown in Fig. 2, adjacent annular regions 33 may overlap each other.

[0034] 2, the area scanned by the sensor 31 (area imaged by the image sensor) is preferably inside the annular area 22 scanned by the camera 21 of the appearance inspection unit 20. This allows the sensor 31 to efficiently detect the remaining workpiece W2 that cannot be detected by the camera 21 of the appearance inspection unit 20.

[0035] However, the area scanned by the sensor 31 may include the area 22 scanned by the camera 21 of the appearance inspection unit 20. In other words, the image sensor serving as the sensor 31 may capture at least a portion of the area captured by the camera 21 of the appearance inspection unit 20. For example, the outermost annular area 34 shown in FIG. 2 may overlap with the annular area 22 scanned by the camera 21.

[0036] If workpiece W2 remains here, an alarm connected to the appearance sorting device 10 is sounded or another method is used to notify the worker and have them remove the workpiece W2. The position of the remaining workpiece W2 may be displayed on a display (not shown) connected to the appearance sorting device 10. Also, an air nozzle (not shown) may be attached to the actuator 32, and the remaining workpiece W2 may be blown away by the air nozzle. Alternatively, the remaining workpiece W2 may be sucked by the air nozzle. When the workpiece W2 is removed by the worker or by the air nozzle, the conveying table 11 is scanned again to check for any remaining workpiece W2.

[0037] As a result, the lot can be replaced without the workpieces W remaining on the conveying table 11, and the workpieces W can be prevented from being mixed into the lot.

[0038] The workpiece W1 that is not discharged by the workpiece discharge unit 16 and remains on the conveying path 17 for the workpiece W can be detected by the camera 21 of the appearance inspection unit 20.

[0039] The present specification discloses the following:

[0040] <1> a disc-shaped conveying table that rotates with parts placed on it; a camera provided on a circular path along which the parts on the rotating conveying table are conveyed, the camera capturing an image of the parts being conveyed; a sensor that scans the conveying table in an area other than the annular path.

[0041] <2> an actuator coupled to the sensor and configured to move the sensor in the radial direction of the conveying table; <1> The appearance sorting device according to claim 1.

[0042] <3> the sensor is moved in the radial direction by the actuator to scan a plurality of annular areas on the conveying table; <2> The appearance sorting device according to claim 1.

[0043] <4> The area scanned by the sensor is inside the annular area scanned by the camera. <1> from <3> 10. The appearance sorting device according to claim 9, wherein the appearance sorting device is a

[0044] <5> the sensor is an image sensor; <1> from <4> 10. The appearance sorting device according to claim 9, wherein the appearance sorting device is a [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Appearance sorting device 11 Transport table 12 Hopper 13 Bowl Feeder 14 Linear feeder 15 Alignment Guide 16 Work discharge section 17 Circular path along which the workpiece is transported (workpiece transport path) 20 Visual Inspection Department 21 Camera 22 Circular area scanned by the camera in the visual inspection section 30 Work Residue Inspection Department 31 Sensors 32 Actuator 33 Circular area scanned by the sensor 34 The outermost circular area scanned by the sensor W, W1, W2 Work (parts) O Center of transport table

Claims

1. a disc-shaped conveying table that rotates with parts placed on it; a camera provided on a circular path along which the parts on the rotating conveying table are conveyed, the camera capturing an image of the parts being conveyed; a sensor that scans the conveying table in an area other than the annular path.

2. The appearance sorting device according to claim 1 , further comprising an actuator connected to the sensor and configured to move the sensor in a radial direction of the conveying table.

3. The appearance sorting device according to claim 2 , wherein the sensor is moved in the radial direction by the actuator to scan a plurality of annular areas on the conveying table.

4. 3. The appearance sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the area scanned by the sensor is inside a circular area scanned by the camera.

5. 3. The appearance sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an image sensor.

Images