Suction sorting device and article inspection system

Abstract

To provide a suction sorting device which can reliably execute pin-point suction exclusion operation capable of suppressing decrease in product yield within a required exclusion period and reliably prevents defective products from flowing to a passing side of good products, and to provide an article inspection system comprising the suction sorting device.SOLUTION: In a suction sorting device that sucks up, by a suction nozzle 31a, an exclusion object article Pj which has a specific inspection result among a plurality of articles P on a conveyance path 11, and excludes outside the conveyance path 11, a horizontal movement direction D2 of the suction nozzle 31a is set according to an inspection image shape of the exclusion object article Pj, and an opening center position Cn of the suction nozzle 31a at the start of suction of the exclusion object article Pj is set on one side with respect to a central part Cp of the exclusion object article Pj. The suction sorting device sucks and excludes the exclusion object article Pj while moving an opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side toward the other side with respect to the central part Cp.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a suction sorting device and an item inspection system, and in particular to a suction sorting device that sucks up items being transported and removes them from an item transport system, and an item inspection system that operates the suction sorting device in accordance with the inspection results of an item inspection device that inspects items being transported. [Background technology]

[0002] In an item inspection system that performs a predetermined method of item inspection while transporting multiple small-sized items at a small transport pitch, even if defects occur frequently enough that multiple defective items (which may be items whose quality state falls outside the range of a specific rank) occur within a narrow transport section, it is necessary to reliably prevent defective items from flowing downstream.

[0003] A known example of this type of product inspection system is one that inspects products in predetermined areas on the product conveyance path, and removes inspected products within a predetermined conveyance section from the product conveyance path at intervals of a fixed conveyance distance corresponding to the inspection area, depending on whether or not there are any defective products. However, because some non-defective products are also removed from the system when defective products are removed, this creates a problem of reduced product yield.

[0004] Therefore, a conventional method is known in which inspection light is irradiated from below the conveyor onto small lump-shaped inspection objects dispersed on a translucent conveyor, and the distribution of transmitted light is captured by a camera above the conveyor to detect foreign matter that reduces the amount of transmitted light.The inspection objects containing the foreign matter are then sucked up by a suction device that can move in three dimensions within the downstream section of the conveyor, and removed from the article conveying system (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] In addition, there is also known a system in which granular objects to be inspected are spread out on a conveyor and transported, while an X-ray inspection device is used to check for the presence of foreign matter such as metal fragments in the granular objects being transported; if any foreign matter is detected, a robot moves a vacuum head with a small suction area relative to the width of the granular object according to the coordinates at the time of detection and the subsequent transport distance, and the foreign object and the surrounding granular object are locally sucked up and removed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2001-70891 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2002-1231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the above-mentioned conventional article inspection systems and the suction sorting devices used in those systems, the central axis of the suction nozzle is directed toward the center of the defective inspected item to suck and remove the inspected item.Furthermore, when removing contaminants, the opening diameter of the suction nozzle is set to be relatively small compared to the diameter of the object to be rejected so as not to suck in more loose inspected items than necessary.

[0008] Therefore, if the object to be inspected is non-circular and its long diameter is larger than the diameter of the suction nozzle, there is a concern that the object to be inspected may get caught on the edge of the suction nozzle opening at both ends of its long diameter, making it impossible to properly suck out and remove defective products within the required period of time.

[0009] Furthermore, if the objects to be inspected overlap during transport, or if they are bent, cracked or chipped (hereinafter simply referred to as cracks or chips), the upper object may be sucked out as a contaminated product, but the object below it may still contain the foreign matter, or after the main part of the cracked or chipped product is sucked out, the remaining part separated from the main part by the crack or chip may contain the foreign matter. Therefore, there was concern that using the vacuum sorting device alone could result in defective products flowing out downstream.

[0010] The present invention solves such unresolved problems, and aims to provide a suction sorting device that can reliably perform pinpoint suction and exclusion operations within the required exclusion period, which can suppress a decline in product yield, and can reliably prevent defective products from flowing to the side where good products pass, and also to provide an item inspection system that can reliably perform normal suction and exclusion operations according to the inspection results within the required exclusion period, and can reliably prevent a decline in product yield and the outflow of defective products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] (1) To achieve the above-mentioned object, the suction sorting device of the present invention is a suction sorting device that uses a suction nozzle to suck up items to be excluded from among multiple items on a conveying path and removes them from the conveying path, and is characterized in that the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle is set according to the shape of the items to be excluded, and the center position of the opening of the suction nozzle at the start of suction of the items to be excluded is set to one side of the center of the items to be excluded, and the items to be excluded are sucked and removed by moving the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center.

[0012] With this configuration, the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle is set based on the shape of the object to be removed, and the center of the suction nozzle opening when suction of the object to be removed is set to one side of the center of the object to be removed, for example, the center of gravity of the planar shape. The suction nozzle opening is then moved from one side of the center toward the other side to perform a suction removal operation, sucking up the object to be removed and removing it from the transport path. Therefore, the object to be removed is subjected to a suction force that causes it to float up while tilting in a direction that makes it easier for it to be sucked into the suction nozzle. This makes it less likely for the object to be removed to get caught or clogged on the edge of the suction nozzle opening, ensuring that the suction removal operation can be performed normally within the required removal period.

[0013] (2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a control unit may be configured to identify the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed based on an inspection image of the object to be removed and to move the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center in the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed. This configuration allows the object to be tilted in a direction that makes it easier to suck into the suction nozzle, while accurately generating a suction force that lifts the object to be removed, making it less likely that the object to be removed will get caught on the edge of the suction nozzle opening.

[0014] (3) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may be configured to move the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center in the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed when the outer diameter of the object to be removed in the longitudinal direction is larger than the diameter of the opening of the suction nozzle. In this case, even if the object to be removed has a diameter relatively large compared to the suction nozzle, a suction force can be appropriately generated to lift the object to be removed while tilting it in a direction that makes it easier to suck it into the suction nozzle.

[0015] (4) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may be configured to determine whether the inspection image shape of the object to be excluded based on the inspection image is a normal shape when transported, and, if the inspection image shape of the object to be excluded deviates from the normal shape when transported, move the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center of the object to be excluded when suctioning and removing the object to be excluded. In this way, if the inspection image shape of the object to be excluded deviates from the normal shape when transported due to overlapping, cracks, chips, etc., the opening of the suction nozzle can be moved in a longitudinal direction specified based on the inspection image shape when suctioning and removing the object to be excluded. Note that, for objects with a fixed shape, whether or not the shape deviates from the normal shape when transported can be easily determined by differences in the inspection image shape, for example, differences in the longitudinal dimension.

[0016] (5) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus may include a nozzle tilting device that tilts the suction nozzle away from the center on one side of the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed with respect to the line of sight of the inspection image when the object to be removed is removed by suction. In this case, the timing at which the object to be removed is tilted in a direction that makes it easier to suck the object into the suction nozzle is accelerated, the tilt angle relative to the suction nozzle when the object is lifted can be stably ensured, and the movement of the object to be removed in the falling direction can be effectively restricted within the suction nozzle, thereby enabling a stable suction removal operation. Note that the line of sight of the inspection image means the front view direction of the inspection image.

[0017] (6) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection image has an image density corresponding to the thickness or mass distribution of the object to be removed, and the control unit may be configured to move the suction nozzle opening in the lateral direction of the object to be removed so as to approach the center when moving the suction nozzle opening from one side to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed. This enables a more accurate suction removal operation that takes into account the center of gravity of the object to be removed.

[0018] (7) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed is determined based on the inspection image, an inertia equivalent ellipse corresponding to the inspection image shape of the object to be removed is calculated based on the data of the inspection image, and the major axis direction of the inertia equivalent ellipse is set to the longitudinal direction. In this case, the object to be removed is approximated by an inertia equivalent ellipse having an equivalent moment of inertia, so that the conditions for the suction removal operation by the suction nozzle can be set quickly and accurately.

[0019] (8) The item inspection system of the present invention comprises an item inspection device that inspects items during transport, and a suction sorting device having any of the above-mentioned configurations that is provided downstream of the item inspection device, and operates the suction sorting device according to the inspection results of the item inspection device.

[0020] With this configuration, in the item inspection system of the present invention, when an item to be rejected is identified based on the inspection results of the item inspection device, the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle is set based on the shape of the item to be rejected, and the center position of the suction nozzle opening when suction of the item to be rejected is set to one side of the center of the item to be rejected, for example, the center of gravity of the planar shape. Then, a suction removal operation is performed in which the suction nozzle opening is moved from one side of the center to the other side, sucking up the item to be rejected and removing it from the transport path. The item to be rejected is subjected to a suction force that causes it to float up while tilting in a direction that makes it easier to suck into the suction nozzle, making it less likely to get caught on the edge of the suction nozzle opening. As a result, the operation of suctioning and removing items to be rejected based on the item inspection results can be performed reliably. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a suction sorting device that can reliably perform pinpoint suction and exclusion operations within the required exclusion period, thereby preventing a decrease in product yield and reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side where good products pass, and it is also possible to provide an item inspection system that can reliably perform normal suction and exclusion operations according to the inspection results within the required exclusion period, thereby reliably preventing a decrease in product yield and the outflow of defective products. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pinpoint exclusion device in an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration of an ejector-type suction duct side of the pinpoint exclusion device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams showing two positions of the suction nozzle in the pinpoint exclusion device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the suction nozzle in the pinpoint removal device shown in FIG. 3 when suction removal begins, where (a) is an explanatory diagram of the general shape of the inspection image of the item to be removed during transport, (b) is an explanatory diagram of the set position of the suction nozzle relative to the item to be removed when suction removal begins, and (c) is an explanatory diagram of the inclined posture of the suction nozzle when suction removal begins. [Figure 7] 4(a) is an explanatory diagram of the start position and completion confirmation position of the suction removal by the suction nozzle in the pinpoint removal device shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4(b) is an explanatory diagram of the change in state of the object to be removed when suction removal by the suction nozzle begins. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram of a comparative example illustrating a case where the transport shape of the object to be removed is a normal shape and the object to be removed is sucked at a midpoint in its longitudinal direction, where (a) shows an object to be removed that has a diameter larger than the opening diameter at the tip of the suction nozzle, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the suction nozzle is tilted to suck at a midpoint. [Figure 9](a) is an explanatory diagram of the suction and removal operation in the item inspection system of the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating an example of an item to be removed in which the transport shape deviates from the normal shape, where multiple inspected transported items are stacked and sucked as they are moved from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction; (b) is an explanatory diagram of the suction and removal operation of a comparative example, illustrating a problem that occurs when the multiple inspected transported items in (a) are stacked and sucked in the middle in the longitudinal direction. [Figure 10] (a) is an explanatory diagram of the suction removal operation when an inspected transported item in a cracked or chipped state is moved and sucked from one end of its length to the other end as another example in which the transport shape of an item to be removed deviates from the normal shape in the item inspection system of the first embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the suction removal operation of a comparative example, illustrating a problem when the cracked or chipped item in (a) is sucked in mid-way along its length. [Figure 11] 1 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of a pinpoint exclusion device on a conveyor of an article inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a time when a first sorting condition is met. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of the pinpoint exclusion device on the conveyor of the article inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing an example when the first sorting condition is not met. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the sorting operation range of the pinpoint exclusion device on the conveyor of the article inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing another example when the first sorting condition is not met. [Figure 14] 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the processing procedure of the suction exclusion operation of the pinpoint exclusion device in the article inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of the structure of an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an article inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18]FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the configuration of an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an article inspection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] (First embodiment) 1 to 14 show the configuration and operation procedure of a suction sorting device and an article inspection system having the same according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] First, the configuration will be described.

[0026] 1 to 3, in the article inspection system 1 according to this embodiment, articles P being conveyed on an article conveying path 11 such as a conveyor arranged in an article production line (not shown) are sequentially inspected by an article inspection device 10, while articles P determined to be defective by the article inspection device 10 are set as articles to be rejected Pj and are removed from the article conveying path 11 downstream of the article inspection device 10 by pinpoint rejection (removal operation in the figure) by a first sorting device 30, which is a suction sorting device, or by area discharge in a predetermined conveying section by a second sorting device 40. The articles P are, for example, articles to be ingested by humans or animals, such as food (fresh foods or processed foods) or medicines, or articles manufactured as products to be worn on or come into contact with humans or animals, but are not limited to any particular article.

[0027] The item inspection system 1 includes an X-ray inspection machine, for example an X-ray foreign object detector, as an item inspection device 10, and is capable of inspecting the quality condition of each item P passing through a predetermined inspection section Z1 on the item conveying path 11 using a predetermined inspection method, and determining whether the item is, for example, an OK item (i.e., a good product) or an NG item (i.e., a defective product) based on predetermined judgment conditions.

[0028] In the article inspection system 1, the inspection control unit 15 (see FIG. 2) built into the article inspection device 10, the controller of the first sorting device 30, and the drive control unit (described later) of the second sorting device 40 are connected via a LAN to a control unit 20 (control device) configured as a management PC or PLC (described later) via a predetermined communication method. The LAN here is configured as, for example, 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).

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the item inspection device 10 specifically irradiates X-rays from an X-ray irradiation unit 12 onto each item P to be inspected that is being transported along an item transport path 11, 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 as the item P passes through the inspection area, thereby enabling the inspection control unit 15 to obtain X-ray inspection image data Pim that shows the distribution of transmitted X-ray doses of the item P.

[0030] The inspection control unit 15 has a processor and memory, and various control programs that can be used to perform specified functions.It is composed of an image processing unit 16 that performs image processing functions based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim from the image memory 14, a quality judgment unit 17 that performs the function of judging the quality status of the item P based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, and 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.

[0031] 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 the item to be inspected based on the detection signal, and operates the X-ray irradiation unit 12 while the entire area of ​​the item P in the conveying direction D1 passes through a specific position within the inspection section Z1 (e.g., the detection position of the line sensor 13).

[0032] The quality judgment unit 17 can judge, for example, the quality state of the item P for each predetermined inspection unit area (each of multiple inspection areas equally divided in any direction within a predetermined conveying distance section that is equal to or greater than the length of the item P in the conveying direction) based on the image processing results by the image processing unit 16, and is configured to judge, for example, whether or not foreign matter has been mixed into each inspection unit area. Therefore, depending on the size of the item P and the conveying interval, multiple items P may fall within the area that serves as the unit for inspection and judgment, or only a single item P may fall within that area.

[0033] The control unit 20 is configured with a management PC, a PLC (programmable logic controller), etc., and has various built-in control programs that can be used to perform predetermined functions. The control unit 20 may also include a tablet-type information terminal that works in cooperation with the management PC as a programming tool for the PLC and as a setting input switch.

[0034] In addition, the control unit 20 monitors the status of the item inspection system 1, manages the inspection results of the item inspection device 10 associated with the production plan, and performs drive control of the first sorting device 30 and the second sorting device 40, etc.

[0035] A rotary encoder (not shown) is attached to the conveyor that makes up the item conveying path 11, and the control unit 20 acquires encoder pulses at regular intervals of conveyance distance on the item conveying path 11 to calculate the position in the conveying direction D1 of the item P to be inspected, the period during which the item enters a predetermined conveying section Z2 (for example, a number determination area E, described below, or a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a therein) where pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is possible, and the conveying position during that period. The pinpoint removal operation referred to here is a localized removal operation for multiple or spread items P that have entered a predetermined conveying section Z2 on the item conveying path 11, and is, for example, a removal operation that removes, from the item conveying path 11, a single item (individual) or a small number of items that are part of the multiple items, or part of the items P spread on the item conveying path 11.

[0036] The control unit 20 also acquires the inspection judgment results and position information of each inspected item P by the quality judgment unit 17 from the inspection control unit 15 of the item inspection device 10, and acquires the X-ray inspection image data Pim together with its coordinate reference data.The control unit 20 then links the coordinates of the item P judged as defective or the inspection unit area in the X-ray inspection image data Pim with the change in position associated with the transportation for the specific transport section through which the inspected item P is transported between the inspection section Z1 by the item inspection device 10 and the predetermined transport section Z2 which is the pinpoint removal operation area by the first sorting device 30, and executes control to synchronize the operations of the item inspection device 10 and the first sorting device 30 so that the pinpoint removal operation position of the item judged as defective by the first sorting device 30 coincides with the coordinates of the NG judgment area in the quality judgment unit 17 of the item inspection device 10.

[0037] The first sorting device 30 pinpoints and rejects an item P that has been inspected by the item inspection device 10, in accordance with the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10, provided that a preset first sorting condition is met. This first sorting device 30 can move a vacuum head 31, which is an ejector-type suction sorting head, by an articulated robot arm 32 at least in the conveying path width direction (the longitudinal direction of the line sensor 13) perpendicular to the item conveying direction, or in both the item conveying direction and the conveying path width direction by the horizontally articulated robot arm 32, and can discharge the item to a defective item receptacle 34 outside the item conveying path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system).

[0038] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ejector-type vacuum head 31 includes, for example, a lift-up suction nozzle 31a having a downward opening Sc at its lower end, a head body 35 that supports the suction nozzle 31a so that it can be raised and lowered via a lift-up drive shaft 35a, a flexible suction duct 33 connected to the upper end of the suction nozzle 31a, a drive fluid spray unit 37 having an ejector function that sprays high-pressure drive fluid (compressed air in this case) from around the outlet of the suction duct 33 toward the downstream side 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 drive fluid spray unit 37 and forming a diffuser passage whose internal cross-sectional area gradually increases toward the defective product receiver 34. The vacuum head 31 is configured to suck defective articles P from the suction nozzle 31a into the suction duct 33 and discharge them from the discharge duct 36 into the defective article receiver 34.

[0039] 3 or 4, when a defective article P is sucked into the suction nozzle 31a or is sucked and passes through its entrance, the article P is detected by a small passage detection sensor 31s such as a reflective laser sensor attached to the upstream end of the suction nozzle 31a or the suction duct 33. When a defective article P is sucked into the suction duct 33 and passes to the discharge side, the article P 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.

[0040] The suction nozzle 31a of the vacuum head 31 can be inclined with respect to the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 5(a) or can be oriented so as to extend in the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 5(b), but the suction duct 33 and the discharge duct 36 are inclined and curved so that the end connected to the driving fluid ejection unit 37 is at the upper end as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the suction nozzle 31a of the vacuum head 31 specifically has a tapered inner passage 31b whose diameter gradually increases from the diameter of the opening Sc toward the innermost part (downstream side), and the inner diameters of the suction duct 33 and the discharge duct 36 are set to be equal to or larger than the maximum inner diameter of the inner passage 31b.

[0041] Here, the suction nozzle 31a can be raised and lowered between an elevated position shown by a solid line in Figure 3 and a lowered position shown by a virtual line in Figure 3 via the 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 items can be pinpointedly sucked in at the lowered position and removed outside the item conveying path 11 (hereinafter also referred to as outside the system).

[0042] 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 vacuum head 31, and the robot controller 39 servo-controls the geared motors 32c and 32d to control the drive angle positions of the geared motors 32c and 32d to target values, thereby moving the suction nozzle 31a to any coordinate position within its movable range.

[0043] Of course, the robot arm 32 may be equipped with a holding means for holding the suction 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 suction nozzle 31a, but also functions as a nozzle tilting means for tilting the suction nozzle 31a, for example, to one side (one end side) of the longitudinal direction of the object to be removed Pj, away from the center Cp, with respect to the line of sight (e.g., vertical direction V) of the X-ray inspection image, when removing the object to be removed Pj by suction, using a joint mechanism or the like on the wrist side.

[0044] In this way, in the first sorting device 30, among the multiple items P on the item conveying path 11, items Pj to be removed that have been subjected to a specific inspection result through the judgment process of the X-ray inspection image data Pim can be sucked up by a suction nozzle 31a having a height, horizontal position, and posture according to the X-ray inspection image data Pim and removed from the item conveying path 11.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control unit 20 determines the longitudinal direction of the object Pj to be removed that may intersect with the item conveying direction D1 as shown in Figures 6(b) and 6(c) based on the inspection image shape (planar shape) corresponding to the X-ray inspection image data Pim of the object Pj to be removed as shown in Figure 6(a), and sets this longitudinal direction as the horizontal movement direction D2 of the suction nozzle 31a during the pinpoint removal operation. Note that Figure 6(b) illustrates the horizontal movement direction D2 that forms an angle ψ with the item conveying direction D1.

[0046] 6(a) and 6(b), the control unit 20 sets the horizontal position (opening center position) of the center Cn of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a at the start of suction of the object Pj to be removed, for example, at a predetermined height z above one end point A (x11, y11) of the longitudinal direction of the object Pj to be removed. The control unit 20 then sequentially sets target coordinates (x, y, z) of the destination of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a according to the coordinates of the object Pj to be removed during transport, so that the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a moves in a horizontal movement direction D2 from one end point A of the longitudinal direction to the other end point B of the longitudinal direction (x13, y13). The control unit 20 then causes the driving fluid ejection unit 37 to perform an ejector function while moving the suction nozzle 31a in the horizontal movement direction D2 to the target coordinates, thereby removing the object Pj to be removed by suction (see FIG. 6(c)).

[0047] More specifically, the control unit 20 determines the longitudinal direction D2 of the item Pj to be excluded based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim representing the inspection image, and then sets an end point A on one side of the longitudinal direction of the item Pj to be excluded on the left side in Figures 6(b) and 7(a), which is one side of the longitudinal direction relative to the center Cp(x12, y12) of the item Pj to be excluded in Figure 6(a), and sets an end point B on the other side of the longitudinal direction of the item Pj to be excluded on the right side in Figures 6(b) and 7(a), which is the other side of the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded, and moves the center Cn of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from the end point A on one side of the center Cp in the longitudinal direction D2 of the item Pj to be excluded to the end point B on the other side.

[0048] For example, for an object Pj to be excluded, the X-ray inspection image data Pim of the object Pj to be excluded is binarized, and an image obtained by labeling (hereinafter simply referred to as an inspection image) is used to create an ellipse that approximates the inspection image in terms of area and second moment of inertia, i.e., the inertia equivalent ellipse Ei shown in Figure 8(a), and the longitudinal length, width in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal length, center of gravity, and inclination of the widthwise center line (major axis) of the object Pj to be excluded relative to the item conveying direction D1 of the inspection image of the object Pj to be excluded are measured, and points A and B can be set as the positions of both ends of the major axis dp1 of the inertia equivalent ellipse in the longitudinal direction D2. Note that a calculation formula for the main feature quantities of the inertia equivalent ellipse is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-105371 (hand shape recognition method).

[0049] Here, the X-ray inspection image data Pim is binarized, but it is also possible to measure the thickness and calculate the center of gravity position taking into account the density distribution of the X-ray transmission image, and it is also possible to change the height position of the opening Sc when the suction nozzle 31a moves in the horizontal movement direction D2, or to set the setting positions of the end points A, B and the center Cp of the horizontal movement direction D2, for example, toward the center of gravity, so that the movement direction and path of the center of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a are set to a preferred movement direction and / or a movement path that is biased toward the center of gravity depending on the center of gravity position.

[0050] In other words, when the inspection image based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim has an image density corresponding to the thickness t or mass distribution of the item Pj to be excluded, when the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a is moved from one side of the longitudinal direction D2 of the item Pj to be excluded to the other side (the direction of the arrow D2 in Figures 6 and 7), the position of the suction start side can be selected to be closer to or farther from the center of gravity than the end points A and B depending on the shape of the item, or the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a can be moved not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the lateral direction of the item Pj to be excluded so as to approach the center Cp toward the center of gravity.

[0051] 8(a), the control unit 20 may selectively set the movement conditions of the suction nozzle 31a so that the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a moves from one side to the other with respect to the center Cp of the object Pj in the longitudinal direction only when the outer diameter dp1 of the object Pj in the longitudinal direction is larger than the opening diameter dni of the suction nozzle 31a, or may selectively set the central axis Cps of the suction nozzle 31a to be inclined by an angle θ with respect to the vertical. Note that in the comparative example shown in FIG. 8(b), the central axis Cps of the suction nozzle 31a is inclined to one side (the left side in the figure) with respect to the center Cp of the object Pj to be excluded, so that the center Cn of the opening Sc is positioned to the left of the center Cp of the object Pj in the horizontal direction. However, in the present invention, "one side with respect to the center Cp" means that the position where the central axis Cps of the suction nozzle 31a intersects with the top surface of the object Pj to be excluded is positioned to one side of the center Cp.

[0052] The control unit 20 can also determine whether the inspection image shape of the item Pj to be excluded based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim is the normal shape when transported, and, if the inspection image shape of the item Pj to be excluded deviates from the normal shape when transported, move the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side to the other side of the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded when suctioning and removing the item Pj to be excluded.

[0053] If the object P has a fixed shape, whether or not it deviates from its normal shape during transportation can be easily determined by looking at the inspection image of the object in an abnormal state during transportation, such as overlapping contact, creases, cracks, or chips, and looking at differences in the dimensions and area in the main directions of the shape of the inertia equivalent ellipse Ei, the product center (center of gravity), etc.

[0054] Specifically, for example, if an unacceptable item Pj to be rejected is transported with another item P partially overlapping it, as shown in Figure 9(a), or if an unacceptable item Pj to be rejected is transported with a crack (the two broken parts Pja and Pjb are shown as examples in the figure) or with a partial chip (details not shown), as shown in Figure 10(a), then the shape will deviate from the normal shape when transported.

[0055] In these cases, the control unit 20, for example, regards multiple items Pk that partially overlap the item Pj to be excluded and whose inspection image shape is substantially integrated as one with the item Pj to be excluded, or regards multiple adjacent cracked or chipped items Pja, Pjb, etc. that have been created by cracks or chips in the item Pj to be excluded as a single item Pj to be excluded, calculates the corresponding inertia equivalent ellipse and its major axis and other characteristic quantities, and moves the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side to the other of the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded, from the end point A on one side of the longitudinal direction to the end point B on the other side of the longitudinal direction.

[0056] Whether multiple items Pk are considered to be a single item including the item Pj to be excluded, or whether multiple adjacent cracked or chipped items Pja, Pjb, etc. are considered to be a single item Pj to be excluded, when determining the longitudinal direction of the item Pj to be excluded based on the shape of the inspection image corresponding to the X-ray inspection image data Pim, the long axis direction of the inertia equivalent ellipse can be accurately set to the longitudinal direction by calculating an inertia equivalent ellipse that approximates the shape of the inspection image of the item Pj to be excluded based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim.

[0057] Thus, the item inspection system 1 comprises a first sorting device 30 capable of pinpoint rejection of items Pj to be rejected, and an item inspection device 10 that inspects items P being transported at an inspection position upstream of the first sorting device 30, and is configured to operate the first sorting device 30 according to the inspection results of the item inspection device 10. The system further comprises a second sorting device 40 capable of area sorting rejection to complement the pinpoint rejection by the first sorting device 30.

[0058] The second sorting device 40 is positioned downstream of the first sorting device 30 in the predetermined conveying direction D1, and is configured to remove items P after inspection by the item inspection device 10 in units of sorting sections Z3 of a predetermined conveying distance, depending on the results of inspection by the item inspection device 10 and predetermined second sorting conditions.

[0059] 2, the second sorting device 40 has an up-and-down swingable conveyor 41 having a sorting section Z3 in the conveying direction that is shorter than the predetermined conveying section Z2, which is the pinpoint rejection section used by the first sorting device 30, an up-and-down drive actuator 42 such as an air cylinder that raises the conveyor 41 at one end in the conveying direction, for example, the upstream end 41a, and a defective product receiver 43. The up-and-down drive actuator 42 is connected to an air supply source via a directional control valve, an air supply control valve, and a filter regulator (not shown), and switching the directional control valve switches the control direction of the air supply and exhaust to the up-and-down drive actuator 42, thereby controlling the switching of the operating direction of the up-and-down sorter.

[0060] This second sorting device 40 is designed so that when the conveyor 41 is tilted to rise at the upstream end 41a, the item P that has passed through a predetermined conveying section Z2 of the item conveying path 11 falls and is discharged into a defective item receptacle 43 outside the item conveying path 11.

[0061] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 20 has multiple functional units realized by a predetermined control program using a management PC or PLC, including an inspection information acquisition unit 21, a selection condition determination unit 22, and a selection request output unit 23.

[0062] The inspection information acquisition unit 21 can acquire the judgment results from the image processing unit 16 and the quality judgment unit 17 of the item inspection device 10, information on the coordinates and coordinate references of the item P or the inspection unit area, and sensor information from the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has failed. The sensor information indicating that the pinpoint removal operation has failed here indicates that at least one of the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s did not detect the passage of a defective item P within a predetermined time from the sorting command to the first sorting device 30 (the output of the pinpoint removal request Ra shown in FIG. 2), and the pinpoint removal operation by suction has failed, or indicates that the elapsed time from the detection of the passage of the item P by the passage detection sensor 31s attached to the suction nozzle 31a to the detection by the passage detection sensor 36s attached to the downstream end of the suction duct 33 exceeds a preset allowable suction time.

[0063] The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not the first sorting condition is met based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, depending on the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 and the transport state of the inspected item P, and also determines whether or not the second sorting condition is met based on whether or not the first sorting condition is met and whether or not pinpoint exclusion by the first sorting device 30 was successful (whether or not it was successful).

[0064] Furthermore, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful. The first sorting condition is a condition under which all items P (defective items) that do not meet predetermined quality conditions within the predetermined conveying section Z2 can be excluded within a predetermined sorting period by the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30, and in this case, the number of defective items P within the number determination area E as shown in Fig. 11 does not reach a preset upper limit number.

[0065] If it becomes uncertain whether all defective items within the number determination area E will be removed due to variations in the position or posture of the defective items P within the number determination area E, failure of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint removal operation due to clogging of items within the suction nozzle 31a, etc., it is possible to determine that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has failed, and to have the second sorting device 40 perform reliable removal.

[0066] When the first sorting device 30 is primarily used, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can establish the second sorting condition and operate the second sorting device 40 when the first sorting condition is not established, or when the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 fails or its success within a specified time is uncertain.

[0067] Furthermore, when the frequency of pinpoint rejection operations is low and the second sorting device 40 is mainly used, the sorting condition determination unit 22 can be set to determine that the second sorting condition is not met for a certain period of time, on the condition that the first sorting condition is met and / or the pinpoint rejection operation by the first sorting device 30 is successful. For example, the sorting condition determination unit 22 may determine that the second sorting condition is not met for a certain period of time, on the condition that the first sorting condition is met due to items P becoming loose and falling off the product, etc.

[0068] Of course, whether the first sorting device 30 or the second sorting device 40 is primarily used may be variably set manually or by automatic mode setting according to the type of item P.

[0069] The ejector-type vacuum head 31 in the first sorting device 30 is a pinpoint removal means that sucks in specific items, such as defective items, among the inspected items P whose inspection results deviate from the predetermined quality conditions, and removes them from the item conveying path 11. In addition, by being supported by the robot arm 32, this vacuum head 31 operates as a removal head that moves in at least a direction perpendicular to the predetermined conveying direction D1, in this case both in the conveying direction D1 of the item conveying path 11 and in the width direction w perpendicular to this, depending on the inspection results when the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the predetermined quality conditions.

[0070] The sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the number of items P (NG items) whose inspection results by the item inspection device 10 at a predetermined determination period deviate from the predetermined quality conditions is contained in a number determination area E of a predetermined area, such as that shown in Figure 11, and determines that the second sorting condition is met if the number is contained in a number determination area E of a predetermined area, such as the number shown in Figure 11.

[0071] The number determination area E shown in Figure 11 is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center O1 located on one side of the width direction w of the item conveying path 11, since a robot arm 32 is used for the first sorting device 30.

[0072] This number determination area E is set as a range in which a set number of items P (defective items) that do not meet specified quality conditions can be removed within a specified time period set as a pinpoint removal period. However, if it becomes uncertain whether the removal operation of all defective items within the number determination area E will be completed due to variations in the transport position or posture of the items P, failure of the removal operation, delays due to clogging, etc., the second sorting device 40 can be used to ensure reliable removal.

[0073] Furthermore, the specified radius R1 is set larger than the width of the road surface of the item conveying path 11, and is established so that at each time the sorting conditions are determined by the sorting condition determination unit 22, the sorting determination section Z2a of the conveying path 11d downstream of the item inspection device 10 for a specified conveying distance (corresponding to the sorting section Z3 of the second sorting device 40) is always completely contained within the number determination area E for a specified number of items.

[0074] Then, on the condition that a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a of a predetermined conveying distance have been established within the number judgment area E, the control unit 20 executes control to pinpoint and eliminate, using the first sorting device 30, items P (NG items) judged as defective that are in a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a within the number judgment area E, and also NG items that are in a subsequent area Z2a'' within the number judgment area E, so that no items P (NG items) judged as defective remain in the preceding section Z2a' that has partially or completely extended downstream from the number judgment area E.

[0075] Furthermore, the number determination area E may partially overlap with the preceding area that was set as the number determination area during the previous determination and that has undergone pinpoint elimination, and the number count of items P that have undergone pinpoint elimination can be reduced for the following number determination area. Therefore, if an NG item that was in a subsequent area Z2a" following a predetermined number of sorting determination sections Z2a within the number determination area E is removed, the number count of the NG item can be reduced when that subsequent area Z2a" changes to a sorting determination section Z2a.

[0076] More specifically, the control unit 20 sets the number and order of pinpoint rejection based on the coordinates in the X-ray inspection image of the defective items P (NG items) that are in a predetermined number of sorting judgment sections Z2a within the number judgment area E and the change in their position due to conveyance. The number of items to be pinpoint rejected here is less than a set number (for example, five), and if the set number or more of defective items P (NG items) are contained within the range of the multiple number judgment areas Z2a shown as a pair in Fig. 11, the control unit 20 determines that the second sorting condition is met based on this condition.

[0077] The sorting judgment section Z2a may be set even narrower so as to have an area smaller than the sorting section Z3. In other words, the sorting condition judgment unit 22 may determine that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items P whose inspection results by the item inspection device 10 do not meet the predetermined quality conditions is equal to or greater than a set number in any of multiple number judgment areas divided in the predetermined conveying direction so as to have a predetermined area equal to or smaller than the sorting section Z3.

[0078] Next, the operation will be described.

[0079] In this embodiment configured as described above, in a production line for a product containing multiple items P, an item inspection device 10 sequentially performs item inspections using a predetermined inspection method on items P on an item conveying path 11, and the inspected items P are pinpoint-rejected by a first sorting device 30 depending on the inspection results, or are rejected from the system in sorting section units of a predetermined conveying distance by a second sorting device 40 downstream of the first sorting device 30 depending on the inspection results and second sorting conditions.

[0080] At this time, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the first sorting condition is met based on the inspection results and the transport state of the inspected item P, and determines whether the second sorting condition is met based on whether the first sorting condition is met and whether the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 is successful.Depending on the determination result, either an exclusion request Ra by pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 30 or an out-of-system discharge request Rb by up-out discharge for a predetermined transport distance by the second sorting device 40 is output, and the sorting conditions are switched.

[0081] Therefore, by performing pinpoint rejection operations by the first sorting device 30 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of rejection operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably reject defective products but also reject some good products along with the defective products. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P, while reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side where good products pass.

[0082] Whether to perform pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 in response to exclusion request Ra or to perform exclusion operation by area discharge by the second sorting device 40 in response to exclusion request Rb can be switched by executing processing such as that shown in Figure 14 in the control unit 20.

[0083] This process begins when an item P is determined to be defective by the item inspection device 10 and the item P is set as an item Pj to be excluded for pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 30, and an exclusion request Ra is output.

[0084] As shown in Figure 14, first, X-ray inspection image data Pim of the item Pj to be excluded is obtained along with time information related to the inspection, etc. (step S11), and an inertial equivalent ellipse Ei is created based on the inspection image after binarization and labeling of the X-ray inspection image data Pim of the item Pj to be excluded, and feature quantities such as the longitudinal direction, major axis dp1, center of gravity, and inclination ψ of the widthwise center line (major axis) relative to the conveying direction D1 of the item Pj to be excluded are measured, and points A and B are set as the positions of both ends of the major axis dp1 of the inertial equivalent ellipse Ei (step S12).

[0085] Next, it is checked whether the major axis dp1 of the inertial equivalent ellipse Ei, which is the longitudinal outer diameter of the item Pj to be removed, is larger than the opening diameter dni of the suction nozzle 31a (step S13). If it is larger (NO in step S13), the relative displacement amount of the suction nozzle 31a with respect to the item Pj to be removed is sequentially set according to the coordinates of the end points A and B for each predetermined time period, which changes according to the item conveying speed, and the required nozzle inclination angle θ is set (step S14).

[0086] Next, sequential target coordinates (x, y, z) of the suction nozzle 31a are set so that the opening center Cn of the suction nozzle 31a is moved relatively from end point A to end point B when necessary in accordance with the movement of the item Pj to be removed in the conveying direction during the suction sorting period (step S15), and the suction nozzle 31a is moved to the set coordinates (step S16).

[0087] Next, it is determined from the detection information of the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s whether the item Pj to be removed has already been removed (step S17), and it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the removal request Ra was output (step S18).If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S18), the processing from the sequential setting of the target coordinates onwards is executed again (steps S15 to S17).

[0088] At this time, if it is determined from the detection information of the passage detection sensors 31s, 36s that the object Pj to be excluded has been excluded (YES in step S17), the process ends. Also, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the exclusion request Ra was output (YES in step S18), an exclusion request Rb for area sorting is issued (step S19), and the process is switched to area discharge by the second sorting device 40.

[0089] In this embodiment, when an exclusion request Ra for pinpoint exclusion is issued, the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle 31a (whether or not a change in height is involved) is first set based on the shape of the inspection image of the item Pj to be excluded, and the center Cn of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31 at the start of suction of the item Pj to be excluded is set to be on one end point A of the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded, for example, the center of gravity of the X-ray transmission image. Then, a suction exclusion operation is performed in which the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a is moved from one side to the other of the center Cp in the longitudinal direction D2 of the item Pj to be excluded, sucking up the item Pj to be excluded and removing it from the item conveying path 11.

[0090] Therefore, when the driving fluid ejection section 37 performs the ejector function, as shown in Figure 6(c), the item Pj to be removed is subjected to a suction force so that it floats up while tilting in a direction that makes it easier to suck into the suction nozzle 31a, making it less likely that the item Pj to be removed will get caught on the peripheral edge of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a.

[0091] In this embodiment, the control unit 20 determines the longitudinal direction D2 of the object Pj to be removed from the shape of the inspection image based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim, and then moves the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a in the longitudinal direction of the object Pj to be removed. Therefore, by clarifying the longitudinal direction D2, it is possible to more accurately generate a suction force that tilts the object Pj to be removed in a direction that makes it easier to suck it into the suction nozzle 31a and lifts it up.

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the outer diameter dp1 of the object to be removed in the longitudinal direction is larger than the opening diameter dni of the suction nozzle, the control unit 20 moves the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side to the other with respect to the center Cp of the object to be removed in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, even if the object to be removed Pj has a diameter larger than that of the suction nozzle 31a, a suction force is appropriately generated to lift the object to be removed while tilting it in a direction that makes it easier to suck into the suction nozzle 31a, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the object to be removed Pj at the position passing through the opening Sc can be kept small, effectively preventing clogging of the suction nozzle 31a.

[0093] Additionally, in this embodiment, the control unit 20 determines whether the inspection image shape of the object Pj to be excluded based on the inspection image represented by the X-ray inspection image data Pim is a normal shape as it is being transported, and, if the inspection image shape of the object Pj to be excluded deviates from the normal shape as it is being transported, moves the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side to the other with respect to the center Cp of the object Pj to be excluded when suctioning and removing the object Pj to be excluded. Therefore, if the inspection image shape of the object Pj to be excluded deviates from the normal shape as it is being transported due to bending of the object Pj to be excluded, overlapping with another object, cracks, chips, etc., the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a can be moved in the longitudinal direction D2 specified based on the shape of the inspection image when suctioning and removing the object Pj to be excluded. Incidentally, as shown in Figure 9(a), if multiple items Pk are considered to be one with the exclusion target item Pj, and the suction removal operation is performed at the center of gravity of the corresponding inertia equivalent ellipse Ei, there is a concern that, particularly if there is a large overlap, the upper item P of the overlap will be sucked and removed, leaving the exclusion target item Pj below it, as shown in Figure 9(b). Also, as shown in Figure 10(a), even if multiple adjacent cracked or chipped items Pja, Pjb, etc., caused by cracks or chips in the exclusion target item Pj are considered to be a single exclusion target item Pj, if the suction removal operation is performed at the center of gravity of the corresponding inertia equivalent ellipse Ei, there is a concern that after the main portion Pja of the exclusion target item Pj, which is a cracked or chipped item containing foreign matter, is sucked and removed, foreign matter will remain in the remaining portion Pjb away from the main portion Pja, as shown in Figure 10(b). This embodiment can eliminate such concerns.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the robot arm 32 serves as nozzle tilting means for tilting the suction nozzle 31a by a predetermined angle θ away from the center Cp on one side of the longitudinal direction D2 of the object to be removed Pj with respect to the line of sight of the inspection image when removing the object to be removed Pj by suction. This accelerates the timing at which the object to be removed Pj is tilted in a direction that makes it easier to suck the object to be removed Pj into the suction nozzle 31a, ensuring a stable tilt angle when the object to be removed Pj floats up relative to the suction nozzle 31a, and effectively restricting the movement of the object to be removed Pj in the falling direction within the suction nozzle 31a, thereby enabling a stable suction removal operation.

[0095] Furthermore, when the inspection image represented by the X-ray inspection image data Pim has an image density corresponding to the thickness t or mass distribution of the object Pj to be excluded, when the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a is moved from one side to the other in the longitudinal direction D2 of the object Pj to be excluded, the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a can also be moved in the lateral direction of the object Pj to approach the center of gravity, and the suction start position can also be set in an advantageous direction. Therefore, a more accurate suction removal operation that takes into account the center of gravity of the object Pj to be excluded can be performed.

[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the longitudinal direction D2 of the object Pj to be removed is determined based on the inspection image Pim, an inertia equivalent ellipse corresponding to the inspection image shape of the object Pj to be removed is calculated based on the X-ray inspection image data Pim, and the major axis direction of the inertia equivalent ellipse can be set to the longitudinal direction. Therefore, since the object Pj to be removed is approximated by an inertia equivalent ellipse having an equivalent moment of inertia, the conditions for the suction removal operation by the suction nozzle 31a can be set quickly and accurately.

[0097] As described above, the item inspection system 1 of this embodiment includes an item inspection device 10 that inspects items P during transport, a first sorting device 30 that operates in accordance with the inspection results of the item inspection device 10, and a control unit 20 (control device) that controls the operation of the first sorting device 30. The first sorting device 30 moves the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a from one side to the other in the longitudinal direction D2 when at least the dimension in the longitudinal direction D2 of the item Pj to be removed becomes larger than the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a. By approximating the item Pj to be removed by an inertia equivalent ellipse having an equivalent moment of inertia, the conditions for the suction removal operation by the suction nozzle 31a can be set quickly and accurately.

[0098] That is, in the item inspection system 1, when an item Pj to be excluded is identified based on the inspection results of the item inspection device 10, the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle 31a is set based on the shape of the inspection image of the item Pj to be excluded, and the position of the opening center Cn of the suction nozzle 31a at the start of suction of the item Pj to be excluded is set to the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded, e.g., the end point A on one side of the center Cp of the item Pj to be excluded, e.g., the center of gravity of the X-ray transmission image. Then, a suction removal operation is performed in which the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a is moved from one side to the other side of the center Cp to suck up the item Pj to be excluded. Therefore, the item Pj to be excluded is subjected to a suction force that causes it to float up while tilting in a direction that makes it easier to suck into the suction nozzle 31a, making it less likely to get caught on the periphery of the opening Sc of the suction nozzle 31a or become clogged. As a result, the operation of suctioning and removing the item Pj to be excluded based on the item inspection results can be stably performed.

[0099] 11 shows a case where the number of defective items P in a predetermined number of number determination areas Z2a within the number determination area E does not reach a preset upper limit number (set number), so that the first sorting condition is met and pinpoint removal operation is performed by the first sorting device 30. The numbers (1, 2, 3) attached to the defective items in the number determination area E exemplify the order of removal.

[0100] In contrast, Figure 12 shows a case where the number of defective items P contained within a predetermined number of quantity determination areas Z2a within the quantity determination area E reaches a predetermined set number, for example, five, so that the first sorting condition is met and a pinpoint removal operation is performed by the first sorting device 30.

[0101] On the other hand, Figure 13 shows a case where the number of defective items P in a predetermined number of quantity determination areas Z2a within the quantity determination area E does not reach a preset number, for example, 5, but defective items P remain in the preceding area Z2a' where pinpoint exclusion has been performed once, i.e., the time for determining the next sorting conditions has arrived with the defective items remaining.

[0102] In this case, the first sorting condition is not met because defective items P remain in the preceding area Z2a', causing the distance between defective items in the number determination area E to exceed a certain value, and the second sorting condition is met. However, as shown in the figure, the number of items is small, and there is only one defective item P in the number determination area Z2a in the number determination area E adjacent to the preceding area Z2a' (hatched area) in the number determination area E, so it is also possible to perform pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 under this condition.

[0103] If it becomes uncertain whether all defective items within the quantity determination area E will be removed due to variations in the position or posture of the defective items P within the quantity determination area E, failure of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30, or delay in the pinpoint removal operation due to clogging of items within the suction nozzle 31a, etc., it is possible to determine that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 has failed, and to have the second sorting device 40 perform reliable removal.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 30 is unsuccessful. Therefore, by mainly operating the first sorting device 30, it is possible to effectively reduce the frequency of sorting in which non-defective products are discharged from the system along with defective products, and improve the yield of products made up of the items P to be inspected.

[0105] Furthermore, when the sorting condition determination unit 22 establishes the second sorting condition on the condition that the success of the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 30 within a specified time is not confirmed, the sorting condition determination process can be carried out quickly while accurately determining the sorting conditions.

[0106] In addition, in this embodiment, the first sorting device 30 is configured to include a vacuum head 31 (pinpoint exclusion means) that sucks in specific items P among the inspected items P whose inspection results do not meet the specified quality conditions and removes them from the conveying path 11, thereby ensuring the required yield of products made up of multiple items P while accurately removing defective items that do not meet the specified quality conditions from the system.

[0107] In addition, in this embodiment, the vacuum head 31 constitutes a removal head that moves at least in the conveying path width direction w in accordance with the inspection results when the results of the inspection by the item inspection device 10 deviate from the specified quality conditions.Therefore, by moving the vacuum head 31 along the shortest path in accordance with the item conveying speed and the spacing and position of the items P that deviate from the specified quality conditions, efficient pinpoint removal operation is possible.

[0108] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines that the second sorting condition is met on the condition that the number of items P whose inspection results by the item inspection device 10 do not meet the predetermined quality conditions is contained within a number determination region of a predetermined area or more. Therefore, the number determination region E of a predetermined area is set within a range where items P that do not meet the predetermined quality conditions can be reliably removed regardless of variations in the location where they occur, and when the number exceeds the set number that makes it uncertain, reliable removal can be performed by the second sorting device.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number determination area E is set within a predetermined radius R1 from the center located on one side of the conveyance path width direction w. In this case, a robot arm 32 or the like can be effectively used for the first sorting device 30. In this case, the number determination area E is set at predetermined time intervals and may partially overlap with the number determination area set immediately before and for which pinpoint removal has been completed, and the number of items for which pinpoint removal has been completed can be reduced.

[0110] In this embodiment, the sorting condition determination unit 22 further determines that the second sorting condition is met if the number of items P whose inspection results by the item inspection device 10 do not meet the predetermined quality conditions is contained in a set number or more of multiple number determination areas Z2a divided in the predetermined conveying direction D1 to have a predetermined area equal to or smaller than the sorting section Z3. Therefore, it is easy to set the number determination areas Z2a that are equally divided in the conveying direction, and the shape of the sorting area for the pinpoint removal operation is contained in the sorting section Z3 for the predetermined conveying distance, effectively ensuring the required yield of products including the inspected items.

[0111] As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide a suction sorting device that can reliably perform a suction removal operation that can suppress a decrease in product yield within a required removal period and reliably prevent defective products from flowing out to the side through which good products pass, using the first sorting device 30. In addition, it is possible to provide an article inspection system 1 that can reliably perform a normal suction removal operation according to the inspection results within a required removal period and reliably prevent a decrease in product yield and the outflow of defective products.

[0112] (Second embodiment) 15 to 17 show a suction sorting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention and an article inspection system having the same.

[0113] In the following description, the same components as those in the embodiment already described will be designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0114] As shown in Figures 15 to 17, in the item inspection system 2 of this embodiment, multiple items P are fed in parallel onto multiple rows of alignment conveyors 52 via an input device 51 from a previous manufacturing device not shown, and a weighing conveyor 53, which is a scale, is provided downstream of each of the multiple rows of alignment conveyors 52, and an item detection sensor 54 is installed to detect the entry of items P onto each weighing conveyor 53.

[0115] Each item P fed from the feeding device 51 has its widthwise (widthwise) position determined within a predetermined range by a guard 52a on the alignment conveyor 52, and then its timing of entry is detected by an item detection sensor 54 at the entrance of each weighing conveyor 53.

[0116] In addition, downstream of the multiple rows of weighing conveyors 53, there are provided a first sorting device 60 which is a pinpoint rejection device, a second sorting device 40 which performs sorting for discharge outside the system in units of a sorting section Z3 of a predetermined conveying distance, and a conveyor 80 for transporting to a subsequent boxing device or the like.

[0117] In this embodiment, the first sorting device 60, which is a pinpoint rejection device, has an article-grasping robot hand 61 attached to the tip end of a robot arm 62, which supports a suction nozzle 31a and a suction duct 33 similar to those used in the first embodiment, and is capable of pinpoint rejection by identifying the coordinates of individual articles P on the pinpoint rejection conveyor 63. The suction duct 33 is connected to a discharge duct 36 via a drive fluid ejection unit 37 having an ejector function, and the article Pj to be rejected can be sucked into the suction duct 33 from the suction nozzle 31a and then discharged from the discharge duct 36 to a defective article receptacle 34 outside the article conveying path 11, which is generally similar to the first embodiment.

[0118] The robot arm 62 includes, for example, a first arm 62a whose base end is rotatably supported on a support base 62b and which can be rotated via a geared motor (not shown), and a second arm 62c which can be rotated via a joint having a geared motor at the tip of the first arm 62a. A robot hand 61 is attached to the tip of the second arm 62c. Such workpiece gripping robots are well known, and a detailed description will be omitted here. However, by using a robot controller 69 to control the drive position by servo control of the geared motor and to control the workpiece gripping of the robot hand 61, it is possible to perform a pinpoint removal operation for an item P at any coordinate position within the range of motion.

[0119] Each weighing conveyor 53 has a load sensor unit 53c that detects the weight from a conveyor unit 53a equipped with a weighing platform 53b, and sequential load detection signals are output from the load sensor unit 53c depending on the number of items P passing on the weighing conveyor 53 and the passing state.

[0120] In addition, the successive load detection signals output from the load sensor unit 53c for each row of the multiple rows of weighing conveyors 53 are taken in by the weighing unit 55, and a weighing signal corresponding to the successive detected load, for example, obtained by subtracting the tare load from the load detection signal of the load sensor unit 53c of the nth row, is output from the weighing unit 55.

[0121] Then, based on the weighing signal output from each weighing conveyor 53, the quality judgment unit 56 checks whether the mass of the item P on the conveyor is within the allowable range, judges whether the quality condition of the item P is good or bad, and displays the judgment result (for example, the good or bad judgment result Jn output from the nth weighing conveyor 53 and its output timing Tn) on the operation display unit 19 at a predetermined timing.

[0122] In addition, the judgment result information (Jn, Tn) from the quality judgment unit 56 is input into the inspection information acquisition unit 21, and the judgment result, for example, the pass / fail judgment result Jn output from the nth row of the weighing conveyor 53 and its output timing Tn, are grasped as the judgment result and the coordinate information of the corresponding item P.

[0123] The inspection information acquisition unit 21 is also capable of acquiring feedback information from the robot controller 69 indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 has failed.

[0124] The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not a first sorting condition is met based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, depending on the results of the inspection by the weighing conveyor 53 and the transport state of the inspected item P, and also determines whether or not a second sorting condition is met based on whether or not the first sorting condition is met and whether or not the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful.

[0125] The first sorting condition is the same as in the first embodiment, and is a condition under which all items P (defective items) that do not meet the specified quality conditions within the specified conveying section Z2 can be removed within a specified sorting period by the first sorting device 60.In this case, the condition is that the number of defective items P within the number judgment area for the sorting section Z3 within the specified conveying section Z2 as shown in Figure 16, which can be discharged outside the system by the second sorting device 40, does not reach a predetermined upper limit number.

[0126] Moreover, the second sorting condition is determined to be met if the first sorting condition is not met or if the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is unsuccessful.

[0127] In this embodiment, too, the sorting condition determination unit 22 determines whether the first sorting condition is met based on the inspection results from weighing and the transport state of the inspected item P, and determines whether the second sorting condition is met based on whether the first sorting condition is met and whether the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful.Depending on the determination result, either an exclusion request Ra by pinpoint removal by the first sorting device 60 or an out-of-system discharge request Rb by up-out discharge for a predetermined transport distance by the second sorting device 40 is output, and the sorting conditions are switched.

[0128] Therefore, by performing pinpoint rejection operations by the first sorting device 60 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of rejection operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably reject defective products but also reject some good products along with the defective products. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent defective products from flowing out to the good product passing side while effectively suppressing a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P.

[0129] (Third embodiment) 18 to 20 show a suction sorting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention and an article inspection system having the same.

[0130] As shown in Figures 18 and 19, in the item inspection system 3 of this embodiment, multiple items P are fed onto an inspection conveyor 72 from a previous manufacturing device (not shown) via an input conveyor 71, and a camera 73 for monitoring the conveying state is positioned above the inspection conveyor 72, and a magnetization means 74 using a magnet is provided at the upstream end of the inspection conveyor 72.

[0131] The items P to be inspected are foods such as retort foods and confectioneries that use aluminum foil as packaging material, and the item inspection system 3 is a so-called DC metal detection system that forcibly magnetizes (magnetizes) metal foreign matter that may be mixed into such foods during the manufacturing process using a magnetization means 74, and detects the magnetized foreign matter using a magnetic sensor 75 such as a pickup coil installed in the inspection conveyor 72.

[0132] In this embodiment, the coordinates of each item P on the pinpoint rejection conveyor 63 are identified based on two-dimensional image data acquired by the camera 73, thereby enabling the first sorting device 60 to perform pinpoint rejection.

[0133] Although details are not shown, in this embodiment, the inspection information acquisition unit 21 is also capable of acquiring feedback information from the robot controller 69 indicating that the pinpoint removal operation by the first sorting device 60 has failed.

[0134] In addition, the position of the item P on the conveyor is identified based on the sensor signals from each magnetic sensor 75, the coordinate information of each item P identified by the camera image processing unit 76, and encoder information according to the conveyor conveying speed, and the quality judgment unit 56 checks whether the quality condition is within the acceptable range, i.e., whether it is a good quality item with no detected foreign matter or a bad quality item with mixed in foreign matter, and the judgment result is displayed on the operation display unit 19 at a predetermined timing.

[0135] Furthermore, the inspection information acquisition unit 21 receives the judgment result information from the quality judgment unit 56 and the coordinate information of each item P identified by the camera image processing unit 76 .

[0136] The sorting condition determination unit 22 is a sorting condition determination means that determines whether or not the first sorting condition is met based on the information acquired by the inspection information acquisition unit 21, depending on the results of the inspection by the inspection conveyor 72 and the transport state of the inspected item P, and also determines whether or not the second sorting condition is met based on whether or not the first sorting condition is met and whether or not the pinpoint exclusion operation by the first sorting device 60 is successful.

[0137] In this embodiment, too, by performing pinpoint rejection operations by the first sorting device 60 as much as possible, it is possible to reduce the frequency of sorting operations by the second sorting device 40, which can reliably reject defective products but also reject some good products along with the defective products. As a result, as in the first and second embodiments described above, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the yield of products made up of multiple items P, while reliably preventing defective products from flowing out to the side through which good products pass.

[0138] In the above-described embodiments, the control unit 20 is a control device independent of the inspection control unit 15 of the item inspection device 10 and the robot controller 39 (or 69) of the first sorting device 30 (or 60), but it goes without saying that the control device referred to in the present invention may have its functions distributed to the inspection control unit 15, robot controller 39, etc., or may not have an independent control unit. Also, the second sorting device 40, which discharges items P within the sorting section Z3 for a predetermined conveying distance out of the system depending on the inspection results, is an up-and-out discharge type, but other types, such as a drop-down type, shuttle type, or chute type, may also be used.

[0139] As described above, the present invention has the effect of providing a suction sorting device that can reliably perform suction removal within a required removal period to suppress a decrease in product yield and reliably prevent defective products from flowing to the side through which good products pass, and also provides an article inspection system that can reliably perform normal suction removal operation according to the inspection results within the required removal period to reliably prevent a decrease in product yield and the outflow of defective products. The present invention is useful for suction sorting devices that perform pinpoint removal operation according to the article inspection results, and for article inspection systems in general that have both an article inspection device and a suction sorting device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0140] 1, 2, 3 Item Inspection System 10. Item inspection equipment 11 Goods conveyance route (conveyance route) 11d Conveyor path downstream of the inspection section 12 X-ray irradiation section 13 X-ray line sensor 14 Image Memory 15 Inspection control section 16 Image processing section 17 Quality Judgment Department 19 Operation display section 20 Control unit (control device) 21 Examination information acquisition unit 22 Selection condition determination unit (selection condition determination means) 23 Selection request output unit 30, 60 First sorting device 31 Vacuum head (pinpoint removal means, removal head) 31a Suction nozzle 31b inner passage 31s, 36s Passage detection sensor 32, 62 Robot arm (nozzle tilting means) 32a, 62a 1st arm 32b, 62b support stand 32c, 32d geared motor 32e, 62c Second arm 32f Lifting drive mechanism 33 Suction duct 35 Head body 35a Lifting drive shaft 36 Exhaust duct 37 Driving fluid injection unit 38 Diffuser 39, 69 Robot Controller 40 Second sorting device 41, 80 Conveyor 41a Upstream end 42 Up-out drive actuator 51 Feeding device 52 Alignment conveyor 52a Guard 53 Weighing Conveyor 53a Conveyor unit 53b Weighing Platform 53c Load sensor section 54 Item detection sensor 55 Measuring part 56 Quality Judgment Department 61 Robot Hand 63 Pinpoint Rejection Conveyor 71 Input conveyor 72 Inspection conveyor 73 Camera 74 Magnetization means 75 Magnetic Sensor 76 Camera image processing unit Point A (end point on one side of the center, end point on the other side) Point B (end point on the other side of the center, end point on the other side) Cn center (opening center, opening center position) Cp center (product center, center of gravity) Cpa Width direction center line (long axis) Cs aperture D1 Item conveying direction (predetermined conveying direction) D2 Horizontal movement direction (longitudinal direction, from one side to the other) E Number judgment area Jn Pass / fail judgment result O1 center P Goods Pj Excluded items Pja Cracked / chipped item (main part) Pjb cracked / chipped parts (remaining parts) R1 Predetermined radius Tn Output Timing Z1 Inspection section Z2: Predetermined transport section (pinpoint removal operation area) Z2a Sorting judgment section (quantity judgment area) Z2a´ preceding section Z2a″ subsequent region Z3 selection section? θ Nozzle inclination angle (predetermined angle) ψ horizontal angle

Claims

1. A suction sorting device that sucks up an object to be removed (Pj) among a plurality of objects (P) on a conveying path (11) using a suction nozzle (31a) and removes it from the conveying path, A suction sorting device characterized in that the horizontal movement direction of the suction nozzle is set according to the shape of the item to be excluded, the center position (Cn) of the opening of the suction nozzle at the start of suction of the item to be excluded is set to one side of the center of the item to be excluded, and the item to be excluded is sucked and removed by moving the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center.

2. The suction sorting device described in claim 1, characterized in that it has a control unit (20) that identifies the longitudinal direction (D2) of the item to be rejected based on an inspection image (Pim) of the item to be rejected and moves the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center in the longitudinal direction of the item to be rejected.

3. The suction sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that when the outer diameter (dp1) of the item to be excluded in the longitudinal direction is larger than the opening diameter (dni) of the suction nozzle, the control unit moves the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side relative to the center in the longitudinal direction of the item to be excluded.

4. The suction sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that the control unit determines whether the inspection image shape of the item to be excluded based on the inspection image is the normal shape when transported, and, when the inspection image shape of the item to be excluded deviates from the normal shape when transported, moves the opening of the suction nozzle from one side to the other side of the center of the item to be excluded when suctioning and removing the item to be excluded.

5. The suction sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that it has a nozzle tilting means (32) that tilts the suction nozzle toward one side of the longitudinal direction of the item to be removed, away from the center, relative to the line of sight of the inspection image, when suctioning and removing the item to be removed.

6. The suction sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that the inspection image has an image density corresponding to the thickness (t) or mass distribution of the item to be rejected, and when the control unit moves the suction nozzle opening (Sc) from one side of the longitudinal direction of the item to be rejected to the other side, it also moves the suction nozzle opening in the short direction of the item to be rejected so as to approach the center.

7. The suction sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that when the longitudinal direction of the item to be rejected is identified based on the inspection image, an inertia equivalent ellipse corresponding to the inspection image shape of the item to be rejected is calculated based on the data of the inspection image, and the major axis direction of the inertia equivalent ellipse is set to the longitudinal direction.

8. an article inspection device (10) for inspecting articles during transportation; a suction sorting device (30) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is provided downstream of the article inspection device; An article inspection system characterized in that the suction sorting device is operated in accordance with the inspection results of the article inspection device.

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