Visual inspection equipment

Abstract

To suppress vibration of a camera while the camera is photographing a subject. [Solution] The visual inspection device includes a moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction, first and second traveling devices capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, a scanning direction moving device attached to the guide rails and movable in the scanning direction, a camera unit attached to the scanning direction moving device and including a camera capable of photographing an object placed on the surface on which an object is placed, and a controller. The controller operates the scanning direction moving device to cause the camera to photograph the object while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an appearance inspection apparatus that inspects the appearance of an object to be inspected. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses an inspection device for inspecting the appearance of an object. This inspection device has a moving frame placed on an object placement surface, a plurality of rollers attached to the moving frame, and an imaging device (camera) attached to the moving frame. The moving frame has a beam extending in the horizontal Y direction, a first leg extending downward from one end of the beam in the horizontal Y direction, and a second leg extending downward from the other end of the beam in the horizontal Y direction. A roller capable of rolling in the horizontal X direction is provided below the first leg. Furthermore, a roller capable of rolling in the horizontal X direction is provided below the second leg. The imaging device (camera) is provided on the beam of the moving frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-161354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the movement direction of the imaging device (camera) is limited to the X direction, and if the object to be inspected also extends widely in the horizontal Y direction perpendicular to the horizontal X direction, it is not possible to capture an image of the entire exterior of the object. In other words, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for cases where the size of the object to be inspected is large relative to the imaging range of the imaging device (camera). In this way, if the size of the object to be inspected is large relative to the imaging range of the imaging device (camera), the camera vibrates as it moves in the horizontal direction, causing the camera to lose focus and reducing the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the object to be inspected.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an appearance inspection device that can suppress vibration of a camera while the camera is photographing an object to be inspected, thereby improving the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the object to be inspected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an appearance inspection apparatus according to one aspect thereof comprises: The apparatus includes a moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction, first and second traveling machines capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, a scanning direction moving machine attached to the guide rails and movable in the scanning direction along the guide rails, a camera unit attached to the scanning direction moving machine and including a camera capable of photographing the object placed on the surface on which an object is placed and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera, and a controller capable of controlling operations of the first traveling machine, the second traveling machine, the scanning direction moving machine, and the camera. The moving frame supports an end of a scanning first side, which is one side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails, and moves in a vertical direction. Towards a first leg extending in a direction having a vertical component, and the guide rail supports an end of a second scanning side opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction, and the first leg extends in the vertical direction; Towards and a second leg extending in a direction having a component. The first traveler is attached to a lower end of the first leg. The second traveler is attached to a lower end of the second leg. The controller operates the scanning direction mover to cause the camera to capture an image of the subject while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction. The apparatus further includes a first mark sensor and a second mark sensor that are provided on the specimen placement surface and are capable of detecting a position in the scanning direction of a travel direction mark that extends in the travel direction. The first traveler and the second traveler each have drive wheels. The first mark sensor is arranged on a first travel side, which is one side in the travel direction, of one of the drive wheels of the first traveler and the drive wheel of the second traveler. The second mark sensor is arranged on a second travel side, which is opposite to the first travel side in the travel direction, of the one drive wheel. The controller is capable of controlling a drive amount of the drive wheels of the first traveler and a drive amount of the drive wheels of the second traveler, in accordance with a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the first mark sensor and a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the second mark sensor. Another aspect of the visual inspection apparatus for achieving the above object is to The present invention includes a moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction, first and second traveling mechanisms capable of traveling on a subject placement surface in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, a scanning direction moving mechanism attached to the guide rails and movable in the scanning direction along the guide rails, a camera unit attached to the scanning direction moving mechanism and including a camera capable of photographing a subject placed on the subject placement surface and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera, and a controller capable of controlling the operations of the first traveling mechanism, the second traveling mechanism, the scanning direction moving mechanism, and the camera. The moving frame has a first leg supporting an end of a first scanning side, which is one side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg supporting an end of a second scanning side, which is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component. The first traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the first leg. The second traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the second leg. The controller has an image processing unit that operates the scanning direction mover to cause the camera to photograph the object while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction, and determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on the photographed data obtained by the camera. The image processing unit identifies a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on photographed data of an effective photographed area within the photographed area of ​​the camera where the illumination intensity by the illuminator is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity. The camera unit has a marker that can mark a suspected defect mark on a part of the surface of the object. The controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in an area on the surface of the object that includes the suspected defect portion determined by the image processing unit. A plurality of divided areas are predetermined for an area on the object placement surface that can be photographed by the camera unit as the camera unit moves in the traveling direction and the scanning direction. The controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in an area of ​​the plurality of divided areas on the surface of the object placed on the object placement surface that overlaps with the divided area in which the suspected defect portion is located. In still another aspect of the visual inspection apparatus for achieving the above object, The present invention includes a moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction, first and second traveling mechanisms capable of traveling on a subject placement surface in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, a scanning direction moving mechanism attached to the guide rails and movable in the scanning direction along the guide rails, a camera unit attached to the scanning direction moving mechanism and including a camera capable of photographing a subject placed on the subject placement surface and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera, and a controller capable of controlling the operations of the first traveling mechanism, the second traveling mechanism, the scanning direction moving mechanism, and the camera. The moving frame has a first leg supporting an end of a first scanning side, which is one side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg supporting an end of a second scanning side, which is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component. The first traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the first leg. The second traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the second leg. The controller has an image processing unit that operates the scanning direction shifter to cause the camera to photograph the object while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction, and determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on the photographed data obtained by the camera. The image processing unit identifies a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on photographed data of an effective photographed area within the photographed area of ​​the camera where the illumination intensity by the illuminator is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity. The camera unit has a marker that can mark a suspected defect mark on a part of the surface of the object. The controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in an area on the surface of the object that includes the suspected defect portion determined by the image processing unit. The controller causes the camera to photograph the object when the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side, and causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark when the camera unit moves to the second scanning side after moving to the first scanning side. In still another aspect of the visual inspection apparatus for achieving the above object, The present invention includes a moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction, first and second traveling mechanisms capable of traveling on a subject placement surface in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, a scanning direction moving mechanism attached to the guide rails and movable in the scanning direction along the guide rails, a camera unit attached to the scanning direction moving mechanism and including a camera capable of photographing a subject placed on the subject placement surface and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera, and a controller capable of controlling the operations of the first traveling mechanism, the second traveling mechanism, the scanning direction moving mechanism, and the camera. The moving frame has a first leg supporting an end of a first scanning side, which is one side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg supporting an end of a second scanning side, which is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction, by the guide rails and extending in a direction having a vertical component. The first traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the first leg. The second traveling mechanism is attached to a lower end of the second leg. The controller operates the scanning direction mover to cause the camera to photograph the subject while the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side, and the camera unit is positioned on the first scanning side of the camera and has a wiper that is in contact with the surface of the subject and can remove foreign matter on the surface.

[0007] In this embodiment, the moving frame and camera unit can be moved in the traveling direction by the operation of the first and second traveling machines, and the camera unit can be moved in the scanning direction perpendicular to the traveling direction by the operation of the scanning direction moving machine, so that even if the size of the object to be inspected is large compared to the camera's shooting area, it is possible to inspect the appearance of the object.

[0008] The surface on which the subject is placed may have distortions or small irregularities. Therefore, when the moving frame and the camera unit move in the travel direction due to the operation of the first and second travellers, the camera unit vibrates due to the distortions or small irregularities on the surface on which the subject is placed. In this aspect, the camera unit is caused to capture an image of the subject while moving in the scanning direction along the guide rail. Therefore, in this aspect, it is possible to suppress vibrations of the camera while the camera is capturing an image of the subject, thereby improving the accuracy of the visual inspection of the subject. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress vibration of the camera while the camera is capturing an image of the subject, thereby improving the accuracy of the visual inspection of the subject. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a visual inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of a visual inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 3] 1 is a front view of a visual inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of a visual inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a front view of a camera unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relative positional relationship between each camera, its imaging area, and the illumination area of ​​each illuminator in one embodiment according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of a marker in one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the elevator during movement in the travel direction of the camera unit toward the first scanning side in the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are plan views of the visual inspection device illustrating a process of moving a camera unit to the first scanning side in an embodiment according to the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are plan views of the visual inspection device illustrating a process of moving the camera unit to the second scanning side in the embodiment according to the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are plan views of the visual inspection device illustrating a process of moving the camera unit to the first travel side in an embodiment according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of a visual inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the visual inspection apparatus IE in this embodiment is an apparatus for inspecting the surface of a rectangular plate-shaped inspection object O placed on an inspection object placement surface S.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the visual inspection device IE includes a movable frame 10, a first traveling machine 15a, a second traveling machine 15b, a pair of first jack casters 20a, a pair of second jack casters 20b, a scanning direction moving machine 25, an elevator 26, a camera unit 30, a cable reel 55, and a controller 60.

[0014] The movable frame 10 has a guide rail 11 extending in the scanning direction Ds, a first upper beam 12a extending in a running direction Dt perpendicular to the scanning direction Ds, a first lower beam 13a extending in the running direction Dt, a second upper beam 12b extending in the running direction Dt, a second lower beam 13b extending in the running direction Dt, a pair of first legs 14a extending in the vertical direction Dv, and a pair of second legs 14b extending in the vertical direction Dv.

[0015] Here, one side in the scanning direction Ds is referred to as the first scanning side Ds1, and the opposite side of the first scanning side Ds1 in the travel direction Dt is referred to as the second scanning side Ds2. Also, one side in the travel direction Dt is referred to as the first traveling side Dt1, and the opposite side of the first traveling side Dt1 in the travel direction Dt is referred to as the second traveling side Dt2.

[0016] The first upper beam 12a is fixed to the end of the first scanning side Ds1 of the guide rail 11. Of the pair of first legs 14a, one first leg 14a extends from the end of the first running side Dt1 of the first upper beam 12a to the vertically lower side Dvd. Of the pair of first legs 14a, the other first leg 14a extends from the end of the second running side Dt2 of the first upper beam 12a to the vertically lower side Dvd. Thus, the pair of first legs 14a support the end of the first scanning side Ds1 of the guide rail 11. The first lower beam 13a connects the lower portions of the pair of first legs 14a to each other.

[0017] The second upper beam 12b is fixed to the end of the second scanning side Ds2 of the guide rail 11. Of the pair of second legs 14b, one second leg 14b extends from the end of the first running side Dt1 of the second upper beam 12b to the vertically lower side Dvd. Of the pair of second legs 14b, the other second leg 14b extends from the end of the second running side Dt2 of the second upper beam 12b to the vertically lower side Dvd. Thus, the pair of second legs 14b support the end of the second scanning side Ds2 of the guide rail 11. The second lower beam 13b connects the lower portions of the pair of second legs 14b to each other.

[0018] Both the first travelling machine 15a and the second travelling machine 15b can travel in a travelling direction Dt. The first travelling machine 15a is attached to the lower end of the pair of first legs 14a. The second travelling machine 15b is attached to the lower end of the pair of second legs 14b.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 10 , each of the first and second travelling machines 15a and 15b includes a driving wheel 16, a driven wheel 17, a driving machine 16d that rotates the driving wheel 16, and a travel cover 18 that covers these. The driven wheel 17 is disposed on the first travel side Dt1 of the driving wheel 16. The driving wheel 16, the driven wheel 17, and the driving machine 16d are all attached to the travel cover 18. A first mark sensor 24a and a second mark sensor 24b are disposed within the travel cover 18 of one of the first and second travelling machines 15a and 15b. The first and second mark sensors 24a and 24b are both provided on the subject placement surface S and are capable of detecting the position in the scanning direction Ds of a travel direction mark TM extending in the travel direction Dt. Specifically, the travel direction mark TM is a magnetic tape. The first and second mark sensors 24a and 24b are both magnetic sensors. The first mark sensor 24a is disposed on a first traveling side Dt1 of the driven wheel 17. The second mark sensor 24b is disposed on a second traveling side Dt2 of the drive wheel 16.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the pair of first jack casters 20a includes a pair of first casters 21a each having wheels 22 that can roll on the subject placement surface S, and a pair of first jacks 23a. Of the pair of first casters 21a, one first caster 21a is disposed on the first running side Dt1 of the first running device 15a, and the other first caster 21a is disposed on the second running side Dt2 of the first running device 15a. Of the pair of first jacks 23a, one first jack 23a can lift the first leg 14a on the first running side Dt1 relative to the first caster 21a on the first running side Dt1. Furthermore, the other first jack 23a can lift the first leg 14a on the second running side Dt2 relative to the first caster 21a on the second running side Dt2.

[0021] The pair of second jack casters 20b includes a pair of second casters 21b having wheels 22 that can roll on the subject placement surface S, and a pair of second jacks 23b. Of the pair of second casters 21b, one second caster 21b is disposed on the first running side Dt1 of the second running machine 15b, and the other second caster 21b is disposed on the second running side Dt2 of the second running machine 15b. Of the pair of second jacks 23b, one second jack 23b can lift the second leg 14b on the first running side Dt1 relative to the second caster 21b on the first running side Dt1. Furthermore, the other second jack 23b can lift the second leg 14b on the second running side Dt2 relative to the second caster 21b on the second running side Dt2.

[0022] The scanning direction mover 25 is attached to the guide rail 11 and is movable in the scanning direction Ds along the guide rail 11. The elevator 26 has a vertical operation unit 27 that is movable in the vertical direction Dv, and an elevator actuator 28 that moves the vertical operation unit 27 in the vertical direction Dv. The elevator actuator 28 is attached to the scanning direction mover 25. A camera unit 30 is attached to the vertical operation unit 27. Therefore, the elevator 26 can move the camera unit 30 in the vertical direction Dv relative to the scanning direction mover 25.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the camera unit 30 has a first camera 31a, a second camera 31b, a first illuminator 35a, a second illuminator 35b, a wiper 41, a rangefinder 46, a marker 47, a unit base 51, a first camera mount 53a, a second camera mount 53b, a first illuminator mount 54a, and a second illuminator mount 54b.

[0024] The unit base 51 is fixed to the vertical operating part 27 of the elevator 26 (see FIG. 4). The first camera mount 53a, the first illuminator mount 54a, the second camera mount 53b, and the second illuminator mount 54b are all attached to the unit base 51 so as to be movable relative to the unit base 51 in the travel direction Dt.

[0025] The first camera 31a is attached to the first camera mount 53a so that its optical axis 32a gradually moves toward the second scanning side Ds2 as it moves toward the vertically downward side Dvd within a virtual plane extending in the scanning direction Ds and the vertical direction Dv, and is movable in the direction in which the optical axis 32a extends. The first illuminator 35a can illuminate the imaging area 33a of the first camera 31a. The first illuminator 35a is attached to the first illuminator mount 54a so that its optical axis 36a gradually moves toward the second scanning side Ds2 as it moves toward the vertically downward side Dvd, and is movable in the direction in which the optical axis 36a extends. The optical axis 32a of the first camera 31a and the optical axis 36a of the first illuminator 35a are substantially parallel to each other.

[0026] The second camera 31b is attached to the second camera mount 53b so that its optical axis 32b gradually moves toward the scanning first side Ds1 as it moves toward the vertically lower side Dvd within a virtual plane extending in the scanning direction Ds and the vertical direction Dv, and is movable in the direction in which the optical axis 32b extends. The second camera 31b is disposed on the scanning second side Ds2 and the traveling first side Dt1 relative to the first camera 31a. The second illuminator 35b can illuminate the imaging area 33b of the second camera 31b. The second illuminator 35b is attached to the second illuminator mount 54b so that its optical axis 36b gradually moves toward the scanning first side Ds1 as it moves toward the vertically lower side Dvd, and is movable in the direction in which the optical axis 36b extends. As described above, the second illuminator mount 54b is disposed closer to the scanning second side Ds2 than the first illuminator mount 54a. As described above, since the second illuminator mount 54b is attached to the second base 52b, the second illuminator 35b is disposed on the second scanning side Ds2 with respect to the first illuminator 35a. Note that the optical axis 32b of the second camera 31b and the optical axis 36b of the second illuminator 35b are substantially parallel to each other.

[0027] In this embodiment, two different areas in the traveling direction Dt can be imaged by the two cameras 31a and 31b in a single movement of the camera unit 30 in the scanning direction Ds. Therefore, in this embodiment, the surface of the object O can be efficiently inspected.

[0028] The movement adjustment of the first camera mount 53a, the first illuminator mount 54a, the second camera mount 53b, and the second illuminator mount 54b relative to the unit base 51 in the travel direction Dt is performed by an operator before inspecting the inspected object O with this appearance inspection device IE. The movement adjustment of the first camera 31a relative to the first camera mount 53a, the movement adjustment of the second camera 31b relative to the second camera mount 53b, the movement adjustment of the first illuminator 35a relative to the first illuminator mount 54a, and the movement adjustment of the second illuminator 35b relative to the second illuminator mount 54b are also performed by an operator before inspecting the inspected object O with this appearance inspection device IE.

[0029] As described above, due to the arrangement of the first camera 31a, the second camera 31b, the first illuminator 35a, and the second illuminator 35b, the photographing area 33b of the second camera 31b is located on the first scanning side Ds1 and the first traveling side Dt1 relative to the photographing area 33a of the first camera 31a, as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, the illumination area 37b of the second illuminator 35b that can illuminate the photographing area 33b of the second camera 31b is located on the first scanning side Ds1 and the first traveling side Dt1 relative to the illumination area 37a of the first illuminator 35a that can illuminate the photographing area 33a of the first camera 31a.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the wiper 41 is disposed closer to the scanning first side Ds1 than the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b. The wiper 41 comes into contact with the surface of the subject O when the camera unit 30 moves toward the scanning first side Ds1 and can remove foreign matter from the surface. The wiper 41 includes a wiper base 42, a wiper arm 43, a sheet mounting rubber plate 44, and a wiping sheet 45. The wiper base 42 is fixed to the unit base 51 so as to be located closer to the scanning first side Ds1 than the first camera 31a. The wiper arm 43 is fixed to the wiper base 42. The sheet mounting rubber plate 44 is attached to the wiper arm 43 so that it gradually expands toward the scanning second side Ds2 as it extends toward the vertically lower side Dvd. The wiping sheet 45 is attached to the sheet mounting rubber plate 44 so as to cover it.

[0031] The range finder 46 can measure the distance to the surface of the subject O on the subject placement surface S. The range finder 46 is, for example, a laser distance sensor. The range finder 46 is fixed to a unit base 51. The range finder 46 is disposed between the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b in the traveling direction Dt and between the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b in the scanning direction Ds.

[0032] The marker 47 includes a marking pen 48 capable of marking a suspected defect mark on the surface of the object, and a pen lift actuator 49 capable of moving the marking pen 48 in the vertical direction Dv. The marking material of the marking pen 48 is formed from a material that allows the suspected defect mark marked on the object O to be removed without using a solvent and does not damage the object O. Therefore, in this embodiment, an operator can easily remove the suspected defect mark on the surface of the object O without damaging the object O. The pen lift actuator 49 is attached to a unit base 51.

[0033] The cable reel 55 has a power cable that can be electrically connected to a power outlet in the examination room having the subject placement surface S. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable reel 55 is attached to one of the first leg 14a and the second leg 14b.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 60 is attached to the other of the first leg 14a and the second leg 14b. As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 60 includes a travel control unit 61, a scanning direction movement control unit 62, a lift control unit 63, a camera control unit 64, an illumination control unit 65, a marker control unit 66, an image processing unit 67, a communication unit 68, an input / output unit 69, and an integrated control unit 60i. The travel control unit 61 controls the operation of the first traveler 15a and the second traveler 15b. The scanning direction movement control unit 62 controls the operation of the scanning direction mover 25. The lift control unit 63 controls the operation of the elevator 26. The camera control unit 64 controls the shooting operation of the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b. The illumination control unit 65 controls the illumination operation of the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b. The marker control unit 66 controls the operation of the pen lift actuator 49. The image processing unit 67 determines suspected defect portions on the surface of the specimen O based on the imaging data obtained by the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b. The communication unit 68 outputs the imaging data obtained by the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b and the suspected defect portions determined by the image processing unit 67 to the outside. The input / output unit 69 has a display, input keys, etc. The integrated control unit 60i manages the above-mentioned control units, etc. in an integrated manner and controls the operation of the above-mentioned control units, etc.

[0035] Next, the handling of the visual inspection device IE described above and the operation of this visual inspection device IE will be described.

[0036] 10, first, an operator places the object O on the object placement surface S. At this time, the operator positions the object O along the running direction marks TM provided on the object placement surface S, and so that the longitudinal direction of the rectangular plate-shaped object O is in the direction in which the running direction marks TM extend.

[0037] Next, the worker operates the first jack 23a to jack up the first leg 14a with the first jack 23a, and operates the second jack 23b to jack up the second leg 14b with the second jack 23b. As a result, the drive wheels 16 and driven wheels 17 of the first travelling device 15a and further the drive wheels 16 and driven wheels 17 of the second travelling device 15b move upward away from the specimen placement surface S. Then, the worker pushes the appearance inspection device IE to move it to a desired position on the specimen placement surface S. At this time, the wheels 22 of the first caster 21a and the wheels 22 of the second caster 21b roll on the specimen placement surface S. Here, the target position is a position where the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b can capture images of the longitudinal ends of the inspected object O, and where the first mark sensor 24a and the second mark sensor 24b are positioned on the traveling direction mark TM. Next, the worker operates the first jack 23a to jack down the first leg 14a with the first jack 23a, and operates the second jack 23b to jack down the second leg 14b with the second jack 23b. As a result, the drive wheels 16 and driven wheels 17 of the first traveling device 15a and the drive wheels 16 and driven wheels 17 of the second traveling device 15b come into contact with the inspected object placement surface S. In this state, the travel direction Dt of the visual inspection device IE coincides with the longitudinal direction of the rectangular plate-shaped inspected object O, and the scanning direction Ds of the visual inspection device IE coincides with the lateral direction of the rectangular plate-shaped inspected object O.

[0038] In this embodiment, the visual inspection device IE is provided with the first jack caster 20a and the second jack caster 20b, so that the visual inspection device IE can be easily moved to a desired position on the object placement surface S.

[0039] This completes the preparation for inspection.

[0040] When the preparation for the inspection is completed, the operator operates the input / output unit 69 of the controller 60 to cause the visual inspection device IE to start visual inspection of the inspection object O.

[0041] The illumination control unit 65 of the controller 60 controls the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b to perform illumination, and the camera control unit 64 of the controller 60 controls the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b to perform photography. Furthermore, the scanning direction movement control unit 62 operates the scanning direction mover 25 to move the camera unit 30 from the second scanning side Ds2 to the first scanning side Ds1.

[0042] As described above, the wiper 41 is disposed closer to the scanning first side Ds1 than the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b. Therefore, as the camera unit 30 moves toward the scanning first side Ds1, the imaging areas 33a and 33b of the cameras 31a and 31b on the surface of the inspected object O are cleaned by the wiper 41. Therefore, in this embodiment, when detecting a suspected defect portion of the inspected object O based on image data obtained by the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection of a suspected defect portion due to a foreign substance.

[0043] During the movement of the camera unit 30 toward the first scanning side Ds1, the rangefinder 46 detects the distance to the surface of the object O. The detection result is sent to the elevator control unit 63 of the controller 60. Based on the distance detected by the rangefinder 46, the elevator control unit 63 controls the elevator 26 so that the distance from each camera 31a, 31b to the location on the surface of the object O that is imaged by the camera 31a, 31b is a predetermined distance. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, even if the surface of the object O is displaced in the vertical direction Dv depending on the position in the scanning direction Ds, the focus of each camera 31a, 31b is matched with the surface of the object O, and the illumination intensity within the illumination areas 37a, 37b (see FIG. 6) on the surface of the object O is constant. Furthermore, the contact pressure between the wiper 41 and the surface of the object O is also constant.

[0044] The image processing unit 67 of the controller 60 sequentially analyzes the image data obtained by the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b during the above scanning. At this time, the image processing unit 67 determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object O based on the imaging data of the effective imaging area 34a in the imaging area 33a of the first camera 31a, where the illumination intensity by the first illuminator 35a is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity, as shown in FIG. 6 . Furthermore, the image processing unit 67 determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object O based on the imaging data of the effective imaging area 34b in the imaging area 33b of the second camera 31b, where the illumination intensity by the second illuminator 35b is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection of a suspected defect portion.

[0045] In this embodiment, the effective imaging areas 34a, 34b are 50 to 70% of the imaging areas 33a, 33b of the cameras 31a, 31b. The illumination intensity of the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b can be adjusted by scanning the input / output unit 69 of the controller 60. However, if the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b each have an adjustment knob for adjusting the illumination intensity, the adjustment knob may be operated to adjust the illumination intensity of the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b.

[0046] The image processing unit 67 has threshold values ​​for each of a plurality of defect types. The image processing unit 67 extracts feature data for each defect type from the photographed data, and if this feature data exceeds the threshold value, it determines that this feature data is data that is likely to be a defect. The position where this feature data is obtained is then determined to be a suspected defect portion.

[0047] When the camera unit 30 reaches the limit position on the first scanning side Ds1 in the guide rail 11, the illumination control unit 65 causes the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b to stop the illumination operation, and the camera control unit 64 causes the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b to stop the photographing operation. Furthermore, the scanning direction movement control unit 62 operates the scanning direction mover 25 to move the camera unit 30 from the first scanning side Ds1 to the second scanning side Ds2.

[0048] During the process of moving the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2, the marker control unit 66 of the controller 60 operates the pen lift actuator 49 of the marker 47 to cause the marking pen 48 to mark a suspected defect mark FM in an area on the surface of the inspected object O that includes the suspected defect portion f determined by the image processing unit 67, as shown in FIG. 11 . Therefore, in this embodiment, an operator can easily recognize the area on the inspected object O where the suspected defect portion f exists. Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the cameras 31a and 31b capture an image of the inspected object O and the camera unit 30 moves to the first scanning side Ds1, it is necessary to return the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2. In this embodiment, by causing the marker 47 to mark the suspected defect mark FM during the process of returning the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2, it is not necessary to move the camera unit 30 unnecessarily to mark the suspected defect mark FM.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 11 , a plurality of divided regions dr are predefined for regions on the object placement surface S that the camera unit 30 can capture as it moves in the travel direction Dt and the scanning direction Ds. The integrated control unit 60i or the marker control unit 66 of the controller 60 stores the plurality of divided regions dr. The marker control unit 66 causes the marker 47 to mark a suspected defect mark FM at approximately the center of a region of the plurality of divided regions dr that overlaps with a divided region dr in which a suspected defect portion f is located on the surface of the object O placed on the object placement surface S. In this embodiment, even if a plurality of suspected defect portions f are located in one divided region dr among the plurality of divided regions dr, a single suspected defect mark FM is marked at the center of the region that overlaps with the one divided region dr. Therefore, in this embodiment, there is no need to mark each of the plurality of suspected defect portions f, and marking can be performed efficiently, thereby reducing the marking time.

[0050] When the camera unit 30 reaches the limit position on the second scanning side Ds2 in the guide rail 11 and returns to the scanning start position, the travel control unit 61 operates the first traveller 15a and the second traveller 15b. With the operation of the first traveller 15a and the second traveller 15b, the appearance inspection device IE moves to the first traveling side Dt1, as shown in FIG. 12 . While the appearance inspection device IE moves to the first traveling side Dt1, the first mark sensor 24a and the second mark sensor 24b detect the position of the traveling direction mark TM in the scanning direction Ds. The travel control unit 61 of the controller 60 controls the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the first traveller 15a and the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the second traveller 15b in accordance with the amount of deviation in the scanning direction Ds from the traveling direction mark TM detected by the first mark sensor 24a and the amount of deviation in the scanning direction Ds from the traveling direction mark TM detected by the second mark sensor 24b so that each deviation amount falls within a predetermined range. Therefore, in the process of movement of the visual inspection device IE to the first travel side Dt1, it is possible to minimize the deviation of the visual inspection device IE in the scanning direction Ds.

[0051] The travel control unit 61 stops the first travelling machine 15a and the second travelling machine 15b when the appearance inspection device IE moves a distance corresponding to the width of the effective shooting area 34a of the first camera 31a in the travel direction Dt or the width of the effective shooting area 34b of the second camera 31b in the travel direction Dt.

[0052] When the first travelling machine 15a and the second travelling machine 15b stop, as described above, the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b begin to illuminate the surface of the inspected object O, and the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b begin to photograph the surface of the inspected object O. Then, the scanning direction mover 25 operates, and the camera unit 30 moves to the scanning first side Ds1. That is, scanning in the scanning direction Ds is performed by the camera unit 30. The image processing unit 67 sequentially analyzes the image data obtained by the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b during the above scanning, and determines a suspected defect portion f on the surface of the inspected object O.

[0053] When the camera unit 30 reaches the limit position on the first scanning side Ds1 on the guide rail 11, the first illuminator 35a and the second illuminator 35b are turned off, and the first camera 31a and the second camera 31b stop photographing, as described above. Then, the scanning direction shifter 25 operates to move the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2. During this movement of the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2, the marker 47 marks a suspected defect mark FM on the surface of the object O in an area including the suspected defect portion f determined by the image processing unit 67.

[0054] When the camera unit 30 reaches the limit position on the second scanning side Ds2 in the guide rail 11 and returns to the scanning start position, the first traveling machine 15a and the second traveling machine 15b operate, and the appearance inspection device IE moves to the first traveling side Dt1.

[0055] As described above, scanning of the inspection object O in the scanning direction Ds, marking of the inspection object O, and movement of the visual inspection apparatus IE in the traveling direction Dt are repeatedly performed, and visual inspection of the entire surface of the inspection object O is completed.

[0056] The communication unit 68 of the controller 60 sequentially outputs to the outside the information on the suspected defect portion f in the surface of the object O obtained by the image processing unit 67. Note that the communication unit 68 may output to the outside the information on the suspected defect portion f in the surface of the object O obtained by the image processing unit 67 after the appearance inspection of the entire surface of the object O is completed.

[0057] As described above, in this embodiment, the moving frame 10 and the camera unit 30 can be moved in the traveling direction Dt by the operation of the first traveling machine 15a and the second traveling machine 15b, and the camera unit 30 can be moved in the scanning direction Ds perpendicular to the traveling direction Dt by the operation of the scanning direction moving machine 25. Therefore, even if the size of the object O is large compared to the shooting areas 33a, 33b of the cameras 31a, 31b, it is possible to perform an external inspection of the object O.

[0058] The subject placement surface S may have distortions or small irregularities. Therefore, while the moving frame 10 and the camera unit 30 are moving in the traveling direction Dt due to the operation of the first traveller 15a and the second traveller 15b, the camera unit 30 vibrates due to the distortions or small irregularities on the subject placement surface S. In this embodiment, while the camera unit 30 is moving in the traveling direction Dt in which it vibrates, the cameras 31a and 31b do not capture an image of the subject O, but while the camera unit 30 is moving in the scanning direction Ds along the guide rail 11, the cameras 31a and 31b capture an image of the subject O. Therefore, in this embodiment, vibrations of the cameras 31a and 31b while the cameras 31a and 31b are capturing an image of the subject O can be suppressed, thereby improving the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the subject O.

[0059] "Variations" The arrangement of the first camera 31a, the second camera 31b, the first illuminator 35a, the second illuminator 35b, and the like in the camera unit 30 is not limited to that in this embodiment.

[0060] The appearance inspection apparatus IE in the above embodiment is equipped with two cameras 31a, 31b and two illuminators 35a, 35b. However, the number of cameras and illuminators may be three or more or just one. However, in order to efficiently inspect the surface of the inspection object O, it is preferable to have multiple cameras and illuminators.

[0061] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various additions, modifications, substitutions, partial deletions, etc. are possible within the scope of the conceptual idea and spirit of the present invention as derived from the content defined in the claims and their equivalents.

[0062] "Addendum" The appearance inspection apparatus IE in the above embodiment and modified examples can be understood, for example, as follows. (1) The visual inspection device IE in the first aspect is The apparatus comprises a moving frame 10 having guide rails 11 extending in a scanning direction Ds, a first traveling machine 15a and a second traveling machine 15b capable of traveling on a subject placement surface S in a traveling direction Dt perpendicular to the scanning direction Ds, a scanning direction moving machine 25 attached to the guide rails 11 and movable in the scanning direction Ds along the guide rails 11, a camera unit 30 attached to the scanning direction moving machine 25 and including cameras 31a, 31b capable of photographing a subject O placed on the subject placement surface S, and illuminators 35a, 35b capable of illuminating photographing areas 33a, 33b of the cameras 31a, 31b, and a controller 60 capable of controlling the operations of the first traveling machine 15a, the second traveling machine 15b, the scanning direction moving machine 25, and the cameras 31a, 31b. The moving frame 10 has a first leg 14a that supports an end of a first scanning side Ds1, which is one side in the scanning direction Ds, by the guide rails 11 and extends in a direction having a component of the vertical direction Dv, and a second leg 14b that supports an end of a second scanning side Ds2, which is opposite the first scanning side Ds1 in the scanning direction Ds, by the guide rails 11 and extends in a direction having a component of the vertical direction Dv. The first traveler 15a is attached to a lower end of the first leg 14a, and the second traveler 15b is attached to a lower end of the second leg 14b. The controller 60 operates the scanning direction mover 25 to cause the cameras 31a and 31b to capture images of the object O while the camera unit 30 is moving in the scanning direction Ds.

[0063] In this embodiment, the moving frame 10 and the camera unit 30 can be moved in the traveling direction Dt by the operation of the first traveling machine 15a and the second traveling machine 15b, and the camera unit 30 can be moved in the scanning direction Ds perpendicular to the traveling direction Dt by the operation of the scanning direction moving machine 25. Therefore, even if the size of the object O is large compared to the shooting areas 33a, 33b of the cameras 31a, 31b, it is possible to perform an external inspection of the object O.

[0064] The subject placement surface S may have distortions or small irregularities. Therefore, while the moving frame 10 and the camera unit 30 are moving in the travel direction Dt due to the operation of the first traveller 15a and the second traveller 15b, the camera unit 30 vibrates due to the distortions or small irregularities on the subject placement surface S. In this embodiment, while the camera unit 30 is moving in the scanning direction Ds along the guide rail 11, the cameras 31a and 31b capture an image of the subject O. Therefore, in this embodiment, vibrations of the cameras 31a and 31b while the cameras 31a and 31b are capturing an image of the subject O can be suppressed, thereby improving the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the subject O.

[0065] (2) The visual inspection device IE in the second aspect is In the first mode, the controller 60 operates the first running machine 15a and the second running machine 15b to cause the cameras 31a and 31b to stop photographing the subject O while the moving frame 10 and the camera unit 30 are moving in the traveling direction Dt.

[0066] In this embodiment, as described above, the cameras 31a and 31b do not capture images of the object O while the camera unit 30 is moving in the traveling direction Dt in which it vibrates, but the cameras 31a and 31b capture images of the object O while the camera unit 30 is moving in the scanning direction Ds along the guide rail 11. Therefore, in this embodiment, vibration of the cameras 31a and 31b while the cameras 31a and 31b are capturing images of the object O can be suppressed, and the accuracy of the appearance inspection of the object O can be improved.

[0067] (3) The appearance inspection device IE in the third aspect is The visual inspection apparatus IE according to the first or second embodiment includes a first mark sensor 24a and a second mark sensor 24b capable of detecting the position in the scanning direction Ds of a traveling direction mark TM provided on the specimen placement surface S and extending in the traveling direction Dt. The first travelling machine 15a and the second travelling machine 15b each have a drive wheel 16. The first mark sensor 24a is arranged on a first travel side Dt1, which is one side in the traveling direction Dt, of one of the drive wheels 16 of the first travelling machine 15a and the second travelling machine 15b. The second mark sensor 24b is arranged on a second travel side Dt2, which is opposite the first travel side Dt1 in the traveling direction Dt, of the one of the drive wheels 16. The controller 60 can control the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the first traveling machine 15a and the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the second traveling machine 15b according to the amount of deviation of the scanning direction Ds from the traveling direction mark TM detected by the first mark sensor 24a and the amount of deviation of the scanning direction Ds from the traveling direction mark TM detected by the second mark sensor 24b.

[0068] In this embodiment, the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the first traveling machine 15a and the drive amount of the drive wheels 16 of the second traveling machine 15b are controlled in accordance with the amount of deviation in the scanning direction Ds from the travel direction mark TM detected by the first mark sensor 24a and the amount of deviation in the scanning direction Ds from the travel direction mark TM detected by the second mark sensor 24b. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to minimize the deviation of the appearance inspection device IE in the scanning direction Ds during the process of movement of the appearance inspection device IE in the travel direction Dt.

[0069] (4) In the fourth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection apparatus IE according to any one of the first to third aspects, the controller 60 causes the cameras 31a and 31b to capture an image of the inspected object O when the camera unit 30 is moving to the first scanning side Ds1. The camera unit 30 is disposed closer to the first scanning side Ds1 than the cameras 31a and 31b, and has a wiper 41 that is in contact with the surface of the inspected object O and can remove foreign matter on the surface.

[0070] In this embodiment, when the cameras 31a and 31b are moving to the first scanning side Ds1, foreign matter in the area photographed by the cameras 31a and 31b on the surface of the object O can be removed in advance by the wiper 41. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection of a suspected defect portion f due to foreign matter.

[0071] (5) In the fifth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is The appearance inspection apparatus IE according to any one of the first to fourth aspects includes an elevator 26 capable of moving the camera unit 30 in the vertical direction Dv. The camera unit 30 is attached to the scanning direction mover 25 via the elevator 26. The camera unit 30 has a rangefinder 46 capable of measuring the distance to the surface of the object O. The controller 60 operates the elevator 26 based on the distance to the surface of the object O measured by the rangefinder 46 so that the distance from the cameras 31 a, 31 b to the points on the surface of the object O that are photographed by the cameras 31 a, 31 b becomes a predetermined distance.

[0072] In this embodiment, even if the surface of the object O is displaced vertically depending on its position in the scanning direction Ds, the cameras 31a and 31b are focused on the surface of the object O, and the illumination intensity within the illumination areas 37a and 37b on the surface of the object O is constant.

[0073] (6) In the sixth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection device IE according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the cameras 31a and 31b include a first camera 31a and a second camera 31b. The second camera 31b is disposed on the first traveling side Dt1 relative to the first camera 31a so that the second camera 31b has a photographing area 33b on one side in the traveling direction Dt of the photographing area 33a of the first camera 31a.

[0074] In this embodiment, two different areas in the traveling direction Dt can be photographed by the two cameras 31a and 31b with one movement of the camera unit 30 in the scanning direction Ds. Therefore, in this embodiment, the surface of the object O can be inspected efficiently.

[0075] (7) In a seventh aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection apparatus IE according to the sixth embodiment, the illuminators 35a and 35b include a first illuminator 35a and a second illuminator 35b. The first illuminator 35a is disposed at a position where it can illuminate the photographing area 33a of the first camera 31a. The second illuminator 35b is disposed at a position where it can illuminate the photographing area 33b of the second camera 31b.

[0076] (8) In the eighth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection apparatus IE in any one of the first to seventh embodiments, the controller 60 has an image processing unit 67 that determines a suspected defect portion f on the surface of the specimen O based on the photographic data obtained by the cameras 31a, 31b.

[0077] (9) In the ninth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection device IE in the eighth aspect, the image processing unit 67 identifies a suspected defect portion f on the surface of the specimen O based on the photographic data of the effective photographic areas 34a, 34b within the photographic areas 33a, 33b of the cameras 31a, 31b, where the illumination intensity by the illuminators 35a, 35b is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity.

[0078] In this embodiment, it is possible to reduce false detection of the suspected defect portion f.

[0079] (10) In a tenth aspect, the visual inspection device IE includes: In the appearance inspection apparatus IE of the eighth or ninth embodiment, the camera unit 30 has a marker 47 capable of marking a suspected defect mark FM on a part of the surface of the inspected object O. The controller 60 causes the marker 47 to mark the suspected defect mark FM in an area on the surface of the inspected object O that includes the suspected defect part f determined by the image processing unit 67.

[0080] In this embodiment, the operator can easily recognize the area in the inspection object O where the suspected defect portion f exists.

[0081] (11) In an eleventh aspect, the visual inspection device IE includes: In the visual inspection apparatus IE of the tenth aspect, a plurality of divided areas dr are predetermined for areas on the specimen placement surface S that can be photographed by the camera unit 30 as the camera unit 30 moves in the traveling direction Dt and the scanning direction Ds. The controller 60 causes the marker 47 to mark the suspected defect mark FM in an area of ​​the surface of the specimen O placed on the specimen placement surface S that overlaps with the divided area dr in which the suspected defect portion f is located, among the plurality of divided areas dr.

[0082] In this embodiment, the suspected defect mark FM is marked in an area that overlaps with the divided area dr in which the suspected defect portion f is located on the surface of the object O. Therefore, in this embodiment, there is no need to mark each of the multiple suspected defect portions f, and this marking can be performed efficiently, thereby reducing the marking time.

[0083] (12) In a twelfth aspect, the visual inspection device IE includes: In the appearance inspection apparatus IE in the tenth or eleventh embodiment, the controller 60 causes the cameras 31a, 31b to photograph the inspected object O when the camera unit 30 is moving to the first scanning side Ds1, and causes the marker 47 to mark the suspected defect mark FM when the camera unit 30 moves to the second scanning side Ds2 after moving to the first scanning side Ds1.

[0084] In this embodiment, after the cameras 31a and 31b capture an image of the object O and the camera unit 30 moves to the first scanning side Ds1, it is necessary to return the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2. In this embodiment, by having the marker 47 mark the suspected defect mark FM in the process of returning the camera unit 30 to the second scanning side Ds2, it is no longer necessary to move the camera unit 30 unnecessarily when marking the suspected defect mark FM.

[0085] (13) In a thirteenth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the appearance inspection apparatus IE in any one of the eighth to twelfth embodiments, the controller 60 has a communication unit 68 capable of outputting data indicating the position of the suspected defect portion f on the surface of the specimen O determined by the image processing unit 67 to the outside.

[0086] In this embodiment, information about the suspected defect portion f can be conveyed not only to workers present at the site where the test object placement surface S is located, but also to people who are not present at the site.

[0087] (14) In a fourteenth aspect, the visual inspection device IE is In the visual inspection apparatus IE according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the illuminators 35a and 35b are capable of adjusting illumination intensity.

[0088] By appropriately adjusting the illumination intensity of the illuminators 35a and 35b, it is possible to reduce false detection of the suspected defect portion f.

[0089] (15) In a fifteenth aspect, the visual inspection device IE includes: In the visual inspection device IE in any one of the first to fourteenth embodiments, the device is provided with a first caster 21a having a wheel 22 that can roll on the specimen placement surface S, a first jack 23a that can lift the first leg 14a relative to the first caster 21a, a second caster 21b having a wheel 22 that can roll on the specimen placement surface S, and a second jack 23b that can lift the second leg 14b relative to the second caster 21b.

[0090] In this embodiment, the visual inspection device IE can be easily moved to a desired position on the object placement surface S. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10: Moving frame 11: Guide rail 12a: First upper beam 12b:Second upper beam 13a: First lower beam 13b:Second lower beam 14a: First leg 14b:Second leg 15a: First traveling machine 15b:Second traveling machine 16: Drive wheel 16d: Drive unit 17: Driven wheel 18: Travel cover 20a: First jack caster 20b: Second jack caster 21a: First Caster 21b: Second Caster 22: Wheels 23a: First jack 23b: Second jack 24a: First mark sensor 24b: Second mark sensor 25: Scanning direction mover 26: Elevator 27: Vertical movement part 28: Lifting actuator 30: Camera unit 31a: First camera 31b: Second camera 32a: Optical axis of the first camera 32b: Optical axis of the second camera 33a: First camera's shooting area 33b: Second camera's shooting area 34a: Effective shooting area of ​​the first camera 34b: Effective shooting area of ​​the second camera 35a: First illuminator 35b:Second illuminator 36a: Optical axis of the first illuminator 36b: Optical axis of the second illuminator 37a: Illumination area of ​​the first illuminator 37b: Illumination area of ​​the second illuminator 41: Wiper 42: Wiper base 43: Wiper arm 44: Seat mounting rubber plate 45: Wipe sheet 46: Distance meter 47: Marker 48: Marking pen 49: Pen lift actuator 51: Unit Base 53a: First camera mount 53b: Second camera mount 54a: First illuminator mount 54b: Secondary illuminator mount 55: Cable reel 60: Controller 60i: Integrated control unit 61: Driving control unit 62: Scanning direction movement control section 63: Lift control section 64: Camera control unit 65: Lighting control unit 66: Marker control unit 67: Image processing unit 68: Communications Department 69: Input / output section IE: Visual inspection equipment O: Subject S: Subject placement surface dr: divided area TM: Travel direction mark FM: Suspected defect mark f: Suspected defect section Ds: Scanning direction Ds1: First scanning side Ds2: Second scanning side Dt: Direction of travel Dt1: First traveling side Dt2: Second traveling side Dv: Vertical direction Dvu: Vertically above DVD: Vertical bottom

Claims

1. A moving frame having guide rails extending in a scanning direction; a first travelling device and a second travelling device that are capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; a scanning direction mover attached to the guide rail and movable along the guide rail in the scanning direction; a camera unit attached to the scanning direction mover, the camera unit including a camera capable of photographing an object placed on the object placement surface, and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera; a controller capable of controlling operations of the first travelling device, the second travelling device, the scanning direction mover, and the camera; Equipped with the moving frame has a first leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a first scanning side that is one side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a second scanning side that is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having the vertical component, the first running machine is attached to a lower end of the first leg, the second running machine is attached to a lower end of the second leg, the controller operates the scanning direction mover to cause the camera to capture an image of the subject while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction; a first mark sensor and a second mark sensor provided on the subject placement surface and capable of detecting a position in the scanning direction of a travel direction mark extending in the travel direction; The first traveling machine and the second traveling machine each have a drive wheel, the first mark sensor is disposed on a first traveling side, which is one side in the traveling direction, of one of the driving wheels of the first traveling machine and the driving wheels of the second traveling machine; the second mark sensor is disposed on a second traveling side opposite to the first traveling side in the traveling direction with respect to the one driving wheel, the controller is capable of controlling a drive amount of the drive wheels of the first traveling machine and a drive amount of the drive wheels of the second traveling machine in accordance with a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the first mark sensor and a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the second mark sensor. Visual inspection equipment.

2. A moving frame having guide rails extending in the scanning direction; a first travelling device and a second travelling device that are capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; a scanning direction mover attached to the guide rail and movable along the guide rail in the scanning direction; a camera unit attached to the scanning direction mover, the camera unit including a camera capable of photographing an object placed on the object placement surface, and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera; a controller capable of controlling operations of the first travelling device, the second travelling device, the scanning direction mover, and the camera; Equipped with the moving frame has a first leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a first scanning side that is one side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a second scanning side that is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having the vertical component, the first running machine is attached to a lower end of the first leg, the second running machine is attached to a lower end of the second leg, the controller has an image processing unit that operates the scanning direction shifter to cause the camera to photograph the object while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction, and determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on the photographed data obtained by the camera; the image processing unit identifies a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on photographing data of an effective photographing area in the photographing area of ​​the camera, where the illumination intensity by the illuminator is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity; the camera unit has a marker capable of marking a suspected defect mark on a part of the surface of the object; the controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in a region on the surface of the object that includes the suspected defect portion determined by the image processing unit; a plurality of divided regions are previously determined for a region on the object placement surface that can be photographed by the camera unit when the camera unit moves in the traveling direction and the scanning direction; the controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in an area of ​​the plurality of divided areas on the surface of the object placed on the object placement surface, the area overlapping with the divided area in which the suspected defect portion is located; Visual inspection equipment.

3. A moving frame having guide rails extending in the scanning direction; a first travelling device and a second travelling device that are capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; a scanning direction mover attached to the guide rail and movable along the guide rail in the scanning direction; a camera unit attached to the scanning direction mover, the camera unit including a camera capable of photographing an object placed on the object placement surface, and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera; a controller capable of controlling operations of the first travelling device, the second travelling device, the scanning direction mover, and the camera; Equipped with the moving frame has a first leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a first scanning side that is one side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a second scanning side that is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having the vertical component, the first running machine is attached to a lower end of the first leg, the second running machine is attached to a lower end of the second leg, the controller has an image processing unit that operates the scanning direction shifter to cause the camera to photograph the object while the camera unit is moving in the scanning direction, and determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on the photographed data obtained by the camera; the image processing unit identifies a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on photographing data of an effective photographing area in the photographing area of ​​the camera, where the illumination intensity by the illuminator is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity; the camera unit has a marker capable of marking a suspected defect mark on a part of the surface of the object; the controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in a region on the surface of the object that includes the suspected defect portion determined by the image processing unit; the controller causes the camera to photograph the object when the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side, and causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark when the camera unit is moving to the second scanning side after having moved to the first scanning side. Visual inspection equipment.

4. A moving frame having guide rails extending in the scanning direction; a first travelling device and a second travelling device that are capable of traveling on a surface on which an object is placed in a traveling direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; a scanning direction mover attached to the guide rail and movable along the guide rail in the scanning direction; a camera unit attached to the scanning direction mover, the camera unit including a camera capable of photographing an object placed on the object placement surface, and an illuminator capable of illuminating an imaging area of ​​the camera; a controller capable of controlling operations of the first travelling device, the second travelling device, the scanning direction mover, and the camera; Equipped with the moving frame has a first leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a first scanning side that is one side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having a vertical component, and a second leg that supports an end of the guide rail on a second scanning side that is opposite to the first scanning side in the scanning direction and extends in a direction having the vertical component, the first running machine is attached to a lower end of the first leg, the second running machine is attached to a lower end of the second leg, the controller operates the scanning direction mover to cause the camera to capture an image of the subject while the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side; the camera unit is disposed on the first scanning side of the camera, and has a wiper that is in contact with the surface of the subject and can remove foreign matter on the surface. Visual inspection equipment.

5. 5. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, the controller operates the first travelling device and the second travelling device to cause the camera to stop photographing the subject while the moving frame and the camera unit are moving in the travelling direction; Visual inspection equipment.

6. In the appearance inspection device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, a first mark sensor and a second mark sensor provided on the subject placement surface and capable of detecting a position in the scanning direction of a travel direction mark extending in the travel direction; The first traveling machine and the second traveling machine each have a drive wheel, the first mark sensor is disposed on a first traveling side, which is one side in the traveling direction, of one of the driving wheels of the first traveling machine and the driving wheels of the second traveling machine; the second mark sensor is disposed on a second traveling side opposite to the first traveling side in the traveling direction with respect to the one driving wheel, the controller is capable of controlling a drive amount of the drive wheels of the first traveling machine and a drive amount of the drive wheels of the second traveling machine in accordance with a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the first mark sensor and a deviation amount in the scanning direction from the travel direction mark detected by the second mark sensor. Visual inspection equipment.

7. 4. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, the controller causes the camera to capture an image of the subject while the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side; the camera unit is disposed on the first scanning side of the camera, and has a wiper that is in contact with the surface of the subject and can remove foreign matter on the surface. Visual inspection equipment.

8. 5. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, an elevator capable of moving the camera unit in a vertical direction; the camera unit is attached to the scanning direction mover via the elevator; the camera unit has a rangefinder capable of measuring a distance to a surface of the object; the controller operates the elevator based on the distance to the surface of the object measured by the rangefinder so that the distance from the camera to a point on the surface of the object that is photographed by the camera is a predetermined distance. Visual inspection equipment.

9. 5. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, the camera includes a first camera and a second camera; The second camera is disposed on the first traveling side with respect to the first camera so that the first traveling side, which is one side in the traveling direction, becomes a photographing area of ​​the first camera. Visual inspection equipment.

10. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 9, the illuminator includes a first illuminator and a second illuminator; the first illuminator is disposed at a position capable of illuminating a photographing area of ​​the first camera, the second illuminator is disposed at a position capable of illuminating a photographing area of ​​the second camera; Visual inspection equipment.

11. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 1 or 4, the controller has an image processing unit that determines a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on the photographed data obtained by the camera. Visual inspection equipment.

12. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 11, the image processing unit identifies a suspected defect portion on the surface of the object based on photographed data of an effective photographed area within the photographed area of ​​the camera, where the illumination intensity by the illuminator is equal to or greater than a predetermined illumination intensity. Visual inspection equipment.

13. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 11, the camera unit has a marker capable of marking a suspected defect mark on a part of the surface of the object; the controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in a region on the surface of the object that includes the suspected defect portion determined by the image processing unit; Visual inspection equipment.

14. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 13, a plurality of divided regions are previously determined for a region on the object placement surface that can be photographed by the camera unit when the camera unit moves in the traveling direction and the scanning direction; the controller causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark in an area of ​​the plurality of divided areas on the surface of the object placed on the object placement surface, the area overlapping with the divided area in which the suspected defect portion is located; Visual inspection equipment.

15. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 13, the controller causes the camera to photograph the object when the camera unit is moving to the first scanning side, and causes the marker to mark the suspected defect mark when the camera unit is moving to the second scanning side after having moved to the first scanning side. Visual inspection equipment.

16. In the appearance inspection device according to claim 11, the controller has a communication unit capable of outputting data indicating the position of the suspected defect portion on the surface of the object to an external device, the data being determined by the image processing unit. Visual inspection equipment.

17. 5. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, The illuminator has adjustable illumination intensity. Visual inspection equipment.

18. 5. The visual inspection apparatus according to claim 1, a first caster having a wheel capable of rolling on the subject placement surface; a first jack capable of lifting the first leg relative to the first caster; a second caster having a wheel capable of rolling on the subject placement surface; a second jack capable of lifting the second leg relative to the second caster; Equipped with Visual inspection equipment.

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