Workpiece quantity inspection system

Abstract

To avoid in advance the situation where, before the number of workpieces stored in a present stage reaches a predetermined stage number, an operator stops the storage work of the present stage halfway and mistakenly starts the storage work of the next stage.SOLUTION: A quantity inspection system for workpieces 8 inspects quantities of the workpieces loaded on a plurality of stages in packaging boxes 7 of a predetermined capacity. The system includes: an imaging part 3a for imaging the inside of each packaging box; a number count part for counting the number of the workpieces stored in a present stage by performing image analysis on the picked-up image; a stage number count part 11a for counting the number of the stages based on the counted number of workpieces; a determination part 11b for determining whether or not storage work of a present stage is finished and the storage work of a next stage is started before the number of the workpieces reaches a predetermined stage number; and an alarm output control part 11c for outputting an alarm from an alarm outputting part 14 when it is determined that the present storage work is finished halfway before the number reaches the predetermined stage number and the storage work of the next stage is started.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a workpiece quantity inspection system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the process of storing workpieces in a packing box of a specified capacity, a system has been provided that captures an image of the inside of the packing box from directly above the box, analyzes the captured image, determines whether the number of workpieces stored in the packing box is a predetermined number, and inspects the quantity of workpieces stored in the packing box (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-282705 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-100798 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When workpieces are stored in a packaging box, they may be stacked in multiple layers. In this case, for example, workpieces are stored in the first layer one by one, and when the number of workpieces stored in the first layer reaches a predetermined number, workpieces are stored in the second layer one by one, and thereafter, the storing operation is repeated until a predetermined number of layers are reached.

[0005] However, in such a case where workpieces are stacked in multiple tiers in a packing box, there is a possibility that, for example, a worker may stop storing the first tier and start storing the second tier before the number of workpieces stored in the first tier reaches a predetermined number. In such a case, it is desirable for the system to output an alarm because the number of workpieces stored in the first tier has not reached the predetermined number, but the configurations in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take into account a case where workpieces are stacked in multiple tiers and are therefore unable to output an alarm.

[0006] The embodiment has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a work quantity inspection system that can prevent a situation in which, in a configuration in which workpieces are stacked in multiple tiers in a packing box of a predetermined capacity, an operator ends the storage work on the current tier and mistakenly starts the storage work on the next tier before the number of workpieces stored on the current tier reaches the predetermined number. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The workpiece quantity inspection system according to the embodiment is a system for inspecting the quantity of workpieces stacked across multiple tiers in a packing box of a predetermined capacity, and includes an imaging unit that takes images of the inside of the packing box at a predetermined cycle during a storing operation in which the workpieces are sequentially stored in the packing box, a number counting unit that performs image analysis on the images taken by the imaging unit and counts the number of workpieces stored in the current tier, a tier number counting unit that counts the number of tiers based on the number of workpieces counted by the number counting unit and the current number of tiers, a determination unit that determines whether the storing operation of the current tier will be terminated and the storing operation of the next tier will be started before the number of workpieces reaches a predetermined number, and a determination unit that determines whether the storing operation of the current tier will be terminated and the storing operation of the next tier will be started before the number of workpieces reaches a predetermined number. memberand an alarm output control unit that causes an alarm output unit to output an alarm when the determination unit determines that the storage work on the current tier will be interrupted and storage work on the next tier will be started before the number of works reaches the predetermined number, and when the current number of works is zero and the previous number of works has reached the predetermined number, the tier number counting unit sets the number of tiers to zero and resets it if the current number of tiers has reached the predetermined number, and counts up the number of tiers if the current number of tiers has not reached the predetermined number, and when the determination unit determines that the number of works counted by the number counting unit is zero, the number of works previously counted by the number counting unit is not the predetermined number, and the number of works previously counted by the number counting unit is not zero, it determines that the storage work on the current tier will be interrupted and storage work on the next tier will be started before the number of works reaches the predetermined number. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Functional block diagram of a workpiece quantity inspection system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Plan view of the partition [Figure 3] FIG. 10 shows how the iron cores are loaded. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an arrangement of the iron core on the partition plate; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an arrangement of the iron core on the partition plate; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 shows how the number of members and the number of rows are displayed. [Figure 7] Process flow diagram DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment applied to an inspection system for inspecting the number of iron cores in a stator or rotor will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the inspection system 1 includes a programmable logic controller (hereinafter referred to as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)) 2, a camera unit 3, and a monitor 4. The PLC 2 and the camera unit 3 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate data via a data communication line 5 such as Ethernet. The PLC 2 and the monitor 4 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate data via a data communication line 6 such as Ethernet.

[0010] The camera unit 3 is placed directly above the box stand on which the packing box 7 is placed, and is held in a position where the imaging direction is directly downward. The packing box 7 is, for example, a cardboard box of a predetermined capacity, and with the top open, iron cores 8 as workpieces can be placed inside it from above. When the packing box 7 is placed on the box stand and the top of the packing box 7 is open, the camera unit 3 captures an image of the inside of the packing box 7. In other words, as a worker performs the storage work of sequentially storing iron cores 8 into the packing box 7, the camera unit 3 captures an image of the iron cores 8 being stored in the packing box 7.

[0011] The packing box 7 uses partition plates 9, allowing the iron cores 8 to be stacked in multiple layers. As shown in Fig. 2, multiple recesses 10 are regularly formed in the partition plates 9 at predetermined intervals. The cross section of the recesses 10 is circular and slightly larger than the outer diameter of the iron core 8, so that the iron core 8 does not rattle when inserted.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3 , cores 8 are loaded into the packing box 7 by separating each tier with a partition plate 9. A worker who stores the cores 8 can store the cores 8 without touching each other by sequentially fitting the cores 8 into the available recesses 10. Furthermore, once the worker has finished fitting cores 8 into all of the recesses 10, he or she can place a new partition plate 9 on top of the cores 8 that have already been fitted. This allows the worker to sequentially fit cores 8 into the available recesses 10 in the next tier, storing the cores 8 without touching each other. If the number of recesses 10 formed in one partition plate 9, i.e., the number of cores 8 that can be stored in one tier, is, for example, 20, and the number of tiers that can be stacked is, for example, 5, then one packing box 7 can store 100 cores. The number of cores 8 that can be stored in one tier is a predetermined number, and the number of tiers that can be stacked is a predetermined number.

[0013] The camera unit 3 has an image sensor 3a as an imaging unit and a number counter 3b. The image sensor 3a is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and performs imaging operations at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 5 seconds). The number counter 3b analyzes the images captured by the image sensor 3a using a predetermined image analysis algorithm and counts the number of iron cores 8 housed in the current row.

[0014] Specifically, the number counting unit 3b counts the number of cores 8 stored in the current row by counting the number of black areas identified by image analysis based on the difference in color between the partition plate 9 and the cores 8. For example, if the partition plate 9 is white and the cores 8 are black, the number counting unit 3b counts the number of cores 8 stored in the current row as "5" if the number of black areas identified by image analysis is "5," as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, if the number of black areas identified by image analysis is "12," as shown in FIG. 5, the number counting unit 3b counts the number of cores 8 stored in the current row as "12." Note that the area ratios of the black and white areas identified by image analysis are related to the number of cores 8, so the number counting unit 3b may also count the number of cores 8 stored in the current row by calculating the area ratios of the black and white areas. That is, since the ratio of the black area to the entire area increases stepwise each time the number of iron cores 8 stored in the current row increases, the number counting unit 3b may count the number of iron cores 8 stored in the current row by determining the stepwise increase in the ratio of the black area to the entire area. After the number of iron cores 8 is counted in this way by the number counting unit 3b, the camera unit 3 transmits the counted number of iron cores 8 to the PLC 2 via the data communication line 5.

[0015] The PLC 2 has a control unit 11. The control unit 11 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), I / O (Input / Output), etc. A control program for controlling the PLC 2 is stored in the ROM, and the control unit 11 controls the operation of the PLC 2 by reading and executing the control program using the CPU.

[0016] The control unit 11 has a row counting unit 11a, a determination unit 11b, and an alarm output control unit 11c. When the row counting unit 11a receives the number of cores 8 transmitted from the camera unit 3, it counts the number of rows based on the received number of cores 8. The determination unit 11b determines whether the storage work for the current row will be interrupted and the storage work for the next row will start before the number of cores 8 reaches a predetermined number. The alarm output control unit 11c determines whether an alarm is present when the determination unit 11b determines that the storage work for the current row will be interrupted and the storage work for the next row will start before the number of cores 8 reaches a predetermined number. The PLC 2 transmits the number of cores 8 transmitted from the camera unit 3, the number of rows counted by the row counting unit 11a, and alarm presence / absence information indicating whether an alarm is present or absent to the monitor 4 via the data communication line 6.

[0017] The monitor 4 has a number display unit 12, a stage number display unit 13, and an alarm output unit 14. As shown in Fig. 6, the number display unit 12 has a number count value display unit 12a that displays the count value of the number of iron cores 8, and a predetermined number display unit 12b that displays the predetermined number. The stage number display unit 13 has a stage count value display unit 13a that displays the count value of the number of stages, and a predetermined stage number display unit 13b that displays the predetermined number of stages. The numerical values ​​displayed on the displays 12a, 12b, 13a, and 13b may be the same color or different colors.

[0018] When monitor 4 receives the number of cores 8 and the number of stages transmitted from PLC 2, it displays the received number of cores 8 on number count value display unit 12a and the received number of stages on stage count value display unit 13a. Monitor 4 displays a predetermined specified number on specified number display unit 12b and a predetermined specified number of stages on specified number of stages display unit 13b. That is, when a worker performs the storage work of storing cores 8 one after another into a packaging box 7, the numerical value of the specified number displayed on specified number display unit 12b and the numerical value of the specified number of stages displayed on specified number of stages display unit 13b are fixed values, but as the number of cores 8 stored in one stage increases, the count value of the number of cores 8 displayed on number count value display unit 12a counts up, and as the number of stages increases, the count value of the number of stages displayed on stage count value display unit 13a counts up.

[0019] Furthermore, when the monitor 4 receives alarm presence / absence information transmitted from the PLC 2, if the received alarm presence / absence information indicates an alarm presence, it causes the alarm output unit 14 to output an alarm, and if the received alarm presence / absence information indicates no alarm, it does not cause the alarm output unit 14 to output an alarm. The manner in which the alarm is output may be, for example, a visual output such as displaying an alarm screen, an auditory output such as sounding an alarm, or a combination of a visual output and an auditory output.

[0020] Next, the operation of the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The camera unit 3 performs an image capturing operation at a predetermined cycle using the image sensor 3a, analyzes the captured image, and counts the number of iron cores 8 stored in the current row using the number counting unit 3b (A1). After counting the number of iron cores 8, the camera unit 3 transmits the counted number of iron cores 8 to the PLC 2 via the data communication line 5 (A2).

[0021] When PLC2 receives the number of iron cores 8 transmitted from camera unit 3 (B1), it determines whether the received number of iron cores 8 is "0" or not (B2). When PLC2 determines that the received number of iron cores 8 is not "0" (B2: NO), it determines that there is no alarm (B9), and transmits the number of iron cores 8 at that time (number of cores = count value), the number of stages (number of stages = count value), and alarm presence / absence information indicating there is no alarm to PLC2 via data communication line 5 (B10).

[0022] If PLC2 determines that the received number of cores 8 is "0" (B2: YES), it determines whether the number of cores 8 reached the predetermined number at the time of previous reception (B3). If PLC2 determines that the number of cores 8 reached the predetermined number at the time of previous reception (B3: YES), it determines whether the number of stages reached the predetermined number at the time of previous reception (B4). If PLC2 determines that the number of stages reached the predetermined number at the time of previous reception (B4: YES), it resets the number of stages to "0" (B6), and transmits the number of cores 8 at that time (number = 0), the number of stages (stages = 0), and alarm presence / absence information indicating the absence of an alarm to PLC2 via data communication line 5 (B10). If PLC2 determines that the number of stages did not reach the specified number of stages at the time of previous reception (B4: NO), it counts up the number of stages by "1" and transmits the number of cores 8 at that time (number of stages = 0), the number of stages (number of stages = count value), and alarm presence / absence information indicating the absence of an alarm to PLC2 via data communication line 5 (B10).

[0023] If PLC2 determines that the number of iron cores 8 did not reach the predetermined number at the time of previous reception (B3: NO), it determines whether the number of iron cores 8 at the time of previous reception was other than "0" (B5). If PLC2 determines that the number of iron cores 8 at the time of previous reception was other than "0", that is, the number of iron cores 8 at the time of previous reception was "0" (B5: NO), it transmits the number of iron cores 8 at that time (number = 0), the number of stages (number of stages = count value), and alarm presence / absence information indicating the absence of an alarm to PLC2 via data communication line 5 (B10).

[0024] In response to this, if PLC2 determines that the number of cores 8 was other than "0" when it received the data last time (B5: YES), it transmits the number of cores 8 at that time (number = 0), the number of rows (number of rows = count value), and alarm presence / absence information indicating the presence of an alarm to PLC2 via data communication line 5 (B10). That is, if PLC2 determines that the received number of cores 8 is "0" (B2: YES), determines that the number of cores 8 did not reach the predetermined number when it received the data last time (B3: NO), and determines that the number of cores 8 was other than "0" when it received the data last time (B5: YES), it determines that cores 8 were not fitted into all of the recesses 10 of the partition plate 9 during the storage operation of the current row, and that a new partition plate 9 will be placed and storage operation for the next row will begin. In this way, if PLC2 determines that the storage operation of the current row will be interrupted and storage operation for the next row will begin before the number of cores 8 reaches the predetermined number, it determines that it is necessary to output an alarm.

[0025] When monitor 4 receives the number of cores 8, the number of stages, and alarm presence / absence information transmitted from PLC 2 (C1), it determines the received alarm presence / absence information (C2). If monitor 4 determines that the received alarm presence / absence information indicates no alarm (C2: NO), it displays the received number of cores 8 on number count value display unit 12a and the received stage number on stage count value display unit 13a (C4). If monitor 4 determines that the received alarm presence / absence information indicates an alarm (C2: YES), it outputs an alarm from alarm output unit 14. By noticing the alarm output, the worker can recognize that he or she has erroneously stopped storing the current stage and started storing the next stage.

[0026] According to the present embodiment described above, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. In the inspection system 1, if it is determined that the storage work on the current row will be interrupted and the storage work on the next row will be started before the number of iron cores 8 reaches the predetermined number, an alarm is output. By outputting an alarm, the worker is made aware that the storage work on the current row will be interrupted and the storage work on the next row will be started by mistake, and the worker is encouraged to perform the storage work appropriately. This makes it possible to prevent products from being shipped with less than the specified quantity, to prevent problems caused by shipping errors, and to establish a stable production system.

[0027] Furthermore, if it is determined that the counted number of iron cores 8 is "0", the number of iron cores 8 counted previously is not the predetermined number, and the number of iron cores 8 counted previously is not "0", it is determined that the storage work for the current row will be interrupted and the storage work for the next row will be started before the number of iron cores 8 reaches the predetermined number of rows. By counting the number of rows indirectly by counting the number of iron cores 8 instead of counting the number of rows directly, there is no need for equipment that directly counts the number of rows, and this can be achieved simply by installing camera unit 3 that counts the number of iron cores 8.

[0028] Although the embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. Although the iron core 8 of a stator or rotor is exemplified as the workpiece, the present invention can be applied to any workpiece that is stacked in multiple layers in a packing box of a predetermined capacity. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] In the drawing, 1 is a workpiece quantity inspection system, 2 is a PLC, 3a is an image sensor (imaging unit), 3b is a number counting unit, 4 is a monitor (alarm output unit), 8 is an iron core (workpiece), 11 is a control unit, 11a is a step counting unit, 11b is a judgment unit, and 11c is an alarm output control unit.

Claims

1. A system for inspecting the quantity of workpieces stacked in multiple stages in a packing box of a predetermined capacity, an imaging unit that images the inside of the packing box at a predetermined cycle during a packing operation in which the workpieces are sequentially packed into the packing box; a workpiece number counting unit that counts the number of workpieces stored in the current stage by analyzing the image captured by the imaging unit; a stage number counting unit that counts the number of stages based on the number of works counted by the number counting unit and the current number of stages; a determination unit that determines whether or not the storing operation of the current stage will be terminated and the storing operation of the next stage will be started before the number of the works reaches a predetermined number; an alarm output control unit that outputs an alarm from an alarm output unit when the determination unit determines that the storing operation on the current stage will be terminated and the storing operation on the next stage will be started before the number of the workpieces reaches a predetermined number, When the current number of workpieces is zero and the previous number of workpieces has reached a predetermined number, the stage number counting unit resets the number of stages to zero if the current number of stages has reached the predetermined number, and counts up the number of stages if the current number of stages has not reached the predetermined number, When the determination unit determines that the number of works counted by the number counting unit is zero, the number of works previously counted by the number counting unit is not a predetermined number, and the number of works previously counted by the number counting unit is not zero, the determination unit determines that the storage work on the current tier will be terminated and the storage work on the next tier will be started before the number of works reaches the predetermined number.

2. 2. The workpiece quantity inspection system according to claim 1, further comprising a quantity display unit that simultaneously displays the number of works stored in the current tier and the predetermined tier number.

3. 3. The workpiece quantity inspection system according to claim 1, further comprising a tier number display unit that simultaneously displays the current tier number and a predetermined tier number in which works can be loaded in the packaging box.

4. 4. The workpiece quantity inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is a stator or a rotor core.

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