Inspection system

Abstract

Provided is a system which inspects a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed by a lid, the system comprising a rotation unit which executes a first rotation step of rotating the container about a center axis of the container while the container is in a horizontally-laid posture and an acquisition unit which acquires an image obtained by a camera, which has the optical axis parallel with the center axis, imaging a rear side of the lid through a region outside the liquid in the container from a bottom portion side of the container during the rotation.

Description

Inspection System

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection system, an inspection method, and a recording medium.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Various devices have been proposed or put into practical use for inspecting containers filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, the movement trajectory of floating matter is calculated from multiple images obtained by vibrating the container and then holding the container still, and the liquid in the container is continuously photographed with a camera.Based on the characteristics of the movement trajectory, it is determined whether the floating matter is an air bubble or a foreign object.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses an inspection device that has a gripping unit that grips a container filled with liquid, a tilting unit that tilts the container around a first axis while the gripping unit is gripping the container, and a changing unit that changes the location on the container that is photographed by the photographing device by changing the relative orientation between the container and the photographing device around a second axis different from the first axis.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses an inspection device that photographs the bottom of a container while the container is held upright, then rotates the container to move any heavy foreign objects that have settled to the bottom, and then photographs the bottom of the container again, detecting foreign objects based on the differential image between the first and second photographed images.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 discloses an inspection device in which a light placed below the container illuminates the inside of the container from the bottom side while the container is held upright, and the liquid surface illuminated by direct light from the light and reflected light from the backside of the cap is photographed by a camera placed below the container.

[0007] WO2021 / 214994WO2022 / 059185JP 2018-205199A JP 2011-112415A

[0008] Incidentally, foreign matter may be found adhering to the underside of a lid of a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid. As described in Patent Document 4, foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid of a container can be photographed by illuminating the inside of the container from the bottom side with a light placed below the container and photographing the inside of the container with a camera placed below the container. However, because the photograph is taken through the liquid filled in the container, the quality of the image of the underside of the lid is reduced due to the influence of air bubbles contained in the liquid.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection system that solves the above-mentioned problems.

[0010] An inspection system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for inspecting a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, and is configured to include: a rotation unit that performs a first rotation step of placing the container on its side and rotating the container around the central axis of the container; and an acquisition unit that acquires an image of the back side of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to photograph the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is an inspection method for inspecting a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, which is configured to: perform a first rotation step in which the container is placed on its side and rotated around the central axis of the container; and acquire an image of the underside of the lid by photographing the area outside the liquid in the container from the bottom side of the rotating container using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis.

[0012] In addition, a computer-readable recording medium according to another aspect of the present invention is configured to record a program for causing a computer that inspects a container filled with liquid and whose opening is sealed with a lid to perform the following processes: controlling a first rotation process in which the container is placed on its side and rotated around the central axis of the container; and acquiring an image of the underside of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to photograph the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container.

[0013] By having the above-described configuration, the present invention can acquire an image of the underside of the lid without being affected by air bubbles contained in the liquid.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an inspection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing device in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of image information in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of inspection result information in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a rotation angle time line in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vial in an upright position is photographed by a camera device. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a vial in a sideways position is photographed by a camera device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in which a detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention detects foreign matter stuck to a bottle body and scratches on a bottle body. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in which a detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention detects matter attached to the back of the lid. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in which a detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention detects bottom scratches and bottom foreign matter. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of a rotation angle time line in the inspection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an inspection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when there are multiple elements having a common function with an element designated by the reference numeral "XXX," a subnumber will be added to the reference numeral "XXX" to distinguish them from one another. [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an inspection system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the inspection system 100 is a system for inspecting filled vials 110. The inspection system 100 includes, as its main components, a gripping and rotating device 200, an illumination device 300, a camera device 400, an information processing device 500, and a display device 600.

[0016] A filled vial (hereinafter simply referred to as a vial) 110 is, for example, a bottle that is filled with a medicinal liquid to preserve the medicinal liquid in a sterile environment, has its opening sealed with a rubber stopper, and is then capped with an aluminum cap to cover the rubber stopper. In the final process before product shipment, a plastic cap is fitted over the aluminum cap. The rubber stopper and the aluminum and plastic caps form the lid of the vial 110. The amount of liquid filled in the vial 110 in this example is approximately half the vial's capacity. That is, the liquid level R of the vial 110 in this example is approximately the center of the bottle body. However, the vials to which the present invention is applicable are not limited to the above. Furthermore, the amount of liquid filled in the vial 110 does not need to be approximately half the vial's capacity; it may be more than half or less than half. However, vials that are completely filled with liquid or vials that are completely empty are not suitable for inspection of foreign matter adhering to the bottle body. Furthermore, vials that are completely filled with liquid are not suitable for inspecting for deposits on the underside of the lid. The vial 110 may have various defects. For example, there is a possibility that foreign matter has been mixed into the vial 110. Examples of foreign matter include glass fragments, metal fragments, rubber fragments, hair, fiber fragments, soot, etc. The vial 110 may also have cracks, scratches, dirt, poor seaming, insufficient medicine, etc. The inspection system 100 is a system that inspects the vial 110 for various defects that may occur. The inspection system 100 according to this embodiment mainly inspects the following items:

[0017] (1) Foreign matter stuck to the bottle body (2) Scratches on the bottle body (3) Matter attached to the inside of the lid (4) Scratches on the bottom However, the items inspected by the inspection system 100 are not limited to those mentioned above. Items other than those mentioned above, such as foreign matter floating in the filled liquid, foreign matter settling on the bottom, insufficient medicine (insufficient filling), foreign matter floating on the liquid surface, poor seaming, scratches on the bottle top, etc. may also be inspected.

[0018] The vial 110, in an upright position, consists of, from top to bottom, a seam, a bottle head (container head), a truncated cone-shaped bottle shoulder (container shoulder), a cylindrical bottle body (container body), and a bottle bottom that closes the bottle body. Foreign matter adhered to the bottle body is foreign matter stuck to the inner wall surface of the bottle body of the vial 110. The main foreign matter adhered to the bottle body is fiber fragments. The fiber fragments are approximately tens of microns in diameter and several hundred microns to several millimeters in length. Bottle body scratches include cracks, scratches, and dirt on the bottle body of the vial 110. Lid back attachments are foreign matter attached to the back side of the lid of the vial 110 (the back side of the rubber stopper). Bottom scratches include cracks, scratches, and dirt on the bottom of the vial 110. The size of the bottle body scratches and bottom scratches to be detected is on the order of millimeters. This is because fine scratches are generally not considered a problem.

[0019] The gripping and rotating device 200 is a device that can rotate a vial 110 while gripping it. The gripping and rotating device 200 has two mutually perpendicular rotation axes (rotation axis A and rotation axis B), and is capable of rotating the gripped vial 110 about rotation axis A and also about rotation axis B. The gripping and rotating device 200 includes a flat plate-like member 201, an upper arm 202 connected to the upper end of the flat plate-like member 201, and a lower arm 203 connected to the lower end of the flat plate-like member 201. A lower gripping part 204 is connected to the end of the lower arm 203 opposite to the end connected to the flat plate-like member 201.

[0020] The lower gripping portion 204 functions as a base for placing the vial 110 and as a base for fixing an illumination device 300-2 and a camera device 400-2 for illuminating and photographing the vial 110 from its bottom side. A rotatable transparent plate 205 is attached to the upper surface of the lower gripping portion 204, and the illumination device 300-2 is attached to the underside of this transparent plate 205. The transparent plate 205 may have a hole slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the vial 110, or may have no such hole. The illumination device 300-2 is a ring light that illuminates the vial 110 placed on the transparent plate 205 from its bottom side. The camera device 400-2 is attached as a built-in part of the lower gripping portion 204 and is attached in a position and orientation that allows it to photograph the vial 110 from its bottom side.

[0021] A chuck mechanism 206 having chuck fingers 211 for chucking the vial 110 is provided at the end of the upper arm 202 opposite to the end to which the flat plate-like member 201 is connected. For example, the chuck mechanism 206 may be configured as, but is not limited to, a parallel open / close air chuck. The chuck fingers 211 are rotatable about a rotation axis A and are movable up and down along the rotation axis A. The chuck mechanism 206 closes, opens, rotates, and moves up and down the chuck fingers 211 in accordance with commands sent from the information processing device 500. When the vial 110 is placed on the transparent plate 205 in an upright position and the chuck fingers 211 are lowered to chuck the top of the vial 110, the vial 110 is gripped by the gripping / rotating device 200 so that its central axis (the axis passing through the center of the top and bottom, also referred to as the upright central axis) coincides with the rotation axis A. When the chuck fingers 211 are rotated in this state, the vial 110 rotates around the rotation axis A. A rotation angle detector 209 such as an encoder provided on the upper arm 202 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the chuck fingers 211, and therefore the rotation angle of the vial 110 chucked by the chuck fingers 211 about the rotation axis A, and output it to the information processing device 500.

[0022] Illumination device 300-1 is a surface light source that illuminates the bottle body of vial 110 chucked by chuck mechanism 206 of gripping and rotating device 200 from a direction perpendicular to rotation axis A, and is attached to flat plate-like member 201. Illumination device 300-1 is installed on the opposite side of vial 110 from camera device 400-1.

[0023] The flat plate-like member 201 is supported by a rotating shaft 208 that is rotated by a motor 207. The motor 207 is fixed by a support member (not shown). When the rotating shaft 208 is rotated by the motor 207, the flat plate-like member 201 rotates. Accordingly, all elements directly or indirectly connected or attached to the flat plate-like member 201, i.e., the upper arm 202, the lower arm 203, the lower gripping portion 204, the chuck fingers 211, the chuck mechanism 206, the transparent plate 205, the illumination device 300-2, the camera device 400-2, and the illumination device 300-1, rotate. Therefore, the vial 110 placed on the transparent plate 205 and chucked by the chuck mechanism 206 also rotates around the rotation axis B. The dimensions and mounting positions of each component of the gripping / rotating device 200 are determined so that the vial 110 rotates around an axis perpendicular to the rotation axis A and passing through the center of the vial 110. A rotation angle detector 210 such as an encoder provided on the flat plate-like member 201 is configured to detect the rotation angle of the rotating shaft 208, and therefore the rotation angle of the vial 110 chucked by the chuck finger 211 around the rotation axis B, and output it to the information processing device 500.

[0024] The camera device 400-1 has a wide-angle lens and is a high-speed camera that continuously captures images of the vial body of the vial 110 at a predetermined frame rate (100 fps or higher) from a predetermined position on the opposite side of the vial 110 from the side where the illumination device 300-1 is installed. The camera device 400-1 may have a telecentric lens instead of a wide-angle lens. The optical axis of the camera device 400-1 is parallel to the rotation axis B. The focus value of the camera device 400-1 is adjusted, for example, so that scratches on the outer wall of the bottle body close to the camera device 400-1 and foreign matter attached to the inner wall can be clearly captured. The camera device 400-1 may be configured to include, for example, a color camera or a monochrome camera equipped with a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor having a pixel capacity of approximately several million pixels. The camera device 400-1 is connected by wire or wirelessly to the information processing device 500. The camera device 400-1 is configured to transmit time-series images obtained by capturing images to the information processing device 500 together with information indicating the capture time, etc.

[0025] The camera device 400-2 is a high-speed camera equipped with a telecentric lens that continuously captures images of the vial 110 chucked by the chuck mechanism 206 from its bottom side at a predetermined frame rate (100 fps). The camera device 400-2 may have a wide-angle lens instead of a telecentric lens. The optical axis of the camera device 400-2 is parallel to the rotation axis A. The focus value of the camera device 400-2 is adjusted so that, for example, foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid of the vial 110 can be clearly captured. With the focus value adjusted in this manner, the camera device 400-2 captures scratches on the bottom of the vial 110 and foreign matter that has settled or adhered to the bottom as somewhat blurred dark areas. The camera device 400-2 may be configured to include, for example, a color camera or a monochrome camera equipped with a CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor with a pixel capacity of several million pixels. The camera device 400-2 is connected to the information processing device 500 via wired or wireless connection. The camera device 400-2 is configured to transmit the captured images in time series to the information processing device 500 together with information indicating the capture time.

[0026] The display device 600 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display device 600 is connected to the information processing device 500 by wire or wirelessly. The display device 600 is configured to display the results of an inspection of the vial 110 performed by the information processing device 500.

[0027] The information processing device 500 is a device that performs image processing on time-series images captured by the camera device 400 and inspects defects in the vial 110. The information processing device 500 is connected to the gripping / rotating device 200, the camera device 400, and the display device 600 by wire or wirelessly.

[0028] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the information processing device 500. Referring to FIG. 2, the information processing device 500 includes a communication I / F unit 510, an operation input unit 520, a storage unit 530, and an arithmetic processing unit 540.

[0029] The communication I / F unit 510 is composed of a data communication circuit and is configured to perform data communication with the gripping and rotating device 200, the lighting device 300, the camera device 400, the display device 600, and other external devices (not shown) via wired or wireless connections. The operation input unit 520 is composed of operation input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and is configured to detect operations by the operator and output the detected operations to the calculation processing unit 540.

[0030] The storage unit 530 is composed of one or more storage devices of one or more types, such as a hard disk or memory, and is configured to store processing information and programs 531 required for various processes in the arithmetic processing unit 540. The programs 531 are programs that are read into the arithmetic processing unit 540 and executed to realize various processing units, and are read in advance from an external device or recording medium (not shown) via a data input / output function such as the communication I / F unit 510 and stored in the storage unit 530. The main processing information stored in the storage unit 530 includes image information 532 and examination result information 533.

[0031] The image information 532 includes time-series images obtained by successively photographing the vial 110 with the camera device 400-1. The image information 532 also includes time-series images obtained by successively photographing the vial 110 with the camera device 400-2.

[0032] 3 shows an example of the configuration of image information 532. In this example, image information 532 is configured with entries each including a container ID 5321, a camera ID 5322, a capture time 5323, a rotation angle 5324, a rotation angle 5325, and a frame image 5326. In the container ID 5321 field, an ID that uniquely identifies the vial 110 gripped by the gripping / rotating device 200 is set. The container ID 5321 may be a serial number assigned to the vial 110, a barcode affixed to the vial 110, or Fingerprint of the Object information collected from the cap of the vial 110, etc. In the camera ID 5322 field, an ID that uniquely identifies the camera device 400 that captured the frame image is set. In the capture time 2323 field, the capture time is set with an accuracy (for example, in milliseconds) that allows the frame image to be distinguished from other adjacent frame images. The rotation angle 5324 field is set to the rotation angle of the vial 110 about the rotation axis A when the frame image was captured. The rotation angle 5325 field is set to the rotation angle of the vial 110 about the rotation axis B when the frame image was captured. The frame image 5326 field is set to the acquired frame image. The entries in the image information 532 are arranged in order of the camera ID 5322. Multiple entries with the same camera ID 5322 are arranged in order of the capture time 5323. In the example of Figure 3, a pair of a container ID and a camera ID is associated with each frame image 2326, but a pair of a container ID and a camera ID may also be associated with each group of multiple frame images 2326.

[0033] The inspection result information 533 includes information corresponding to the results of the inspection of the vial 110. FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the inspection result information 533. In this example, the inspection result information 533 is composed of the following entries: a container ID 5331, an inspection result 5332 for foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, an inspection result 5333 for scratches on the bottle body, an inspection result 5334 for material attached to the inside of the lid, an inspection result 5335 for scratches on the bottom, other inspection results 5336, and a final inspection result 5337. The entry for container ID 5331 is set with an ID that uniquely identifies the vial 110 being inspected. The entries for the inspection result 5332 for foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, the inspection result 5333 for scratches on the bottle body, the inspection result 5334 for material attached to the inside of the lid, and the inspection result 5335 for scratches on the bottom are set with an inspection result of either OK (passed the inspection) or NG (failed the inspection). In the entry for other inspection results 5336, if the inspection system 100 inspects the vial 110 to be inspected for items other than the four items of foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, scratches on the bottle body, deposits on the lid lining, and scratches on the bottom, either an OK (inspection passed) or NG (inspection failed) inspection result is set for each inspected item. If inspections for items other than the above four items are not performed, the entry for other inspection results 5336 is set to indicate that no inspection was performed. In the entry for final inspection result 5337, OK (inspection passed) is set for all entries for the inspection result for foreign matter stuck to the bottle body 5332, the inspection result for bottle body scratches 5333, the inspection result for deposits on the lid lining 5334, and the inspection result for scratches on the bottom 5335, and OK (inspection passed) is set for all inspected items in the entry for other inspection results 5336, or if the entry for other inspection results 5336 indicates that no inspection was performed. Otherwise, if NG (failed inspection) is set for at least one of the inspection results 5332 for foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, 5333 for scratches on the bottle body, 5334 for material adhering to the underside of the lid, 5335 for scratches on the bottom, and 5336, NG (failed inspection) is set.

[0034] The arithmetic processing unit 540 has a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits, and is configured to read and execute a program 531 from the storage unit 530, thereby realizing various processing units through cooperation between the above hardware and the program 531. The main processing units realized by the arithmetic processing unit 540 include a gripping / rotation control unit 541, an acquisition unit 542, a detection unit 543, and a display control unit 544.

[0035] The gripping / rotation control unit 541 is configured to control the gripping / rotating device 200. The gripping / rotation control unit 541 controls operations such as lowering, closing, rotating, opening, and raising of the chuck fingers 211 by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the chuck mechanism 206 of the gripping / rotating device 200 via the communication I / F unit 510. The gripping / rotation control unit 541 also controls the rotation of the vial 110 gripped by the gripping / rotating device 200 about the rotation axis B by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the motor 207 via the communication I / F unit 510. The gripping / rotation control unit 541 also monitors the rotation angles of the vial 110 gripped by the gripping / rotating control unit 541 about the rotation axes A and B by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the rotation angle detectors 209 and 210 via the communication I / F unit 510.

[0036] The acquisition unit 542 is configured to control the lighting device 300 and the camera device 400. The acquisition unit 542 controls the lighting device 300, such as turning on and off, by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the lighting device 300 via the communication I / F unit 510. The acquisition unit 542 also controls the photographing of the vial 110 held by the gripping and rotating device 200 and acquires time-series images obtained by photographing the vial 110 by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the camera device 400 via the communication I / F unit 510. The acquisition unit 542 also creates image information 532 based on the images acquired from the camera device 400 and information on the rotation angles of the vial 110 about the rotation axis A and the rotation axis B monitored by the rotation angle detectors 209 and 210, and stores the image information 532 in the storage unit 530.

[0037] The detection unit 543 is configured to inspect the presence or absence of defects in the vial 110 based on the image information 532 acquired by the acquisition unit 542. The detection unit 543 is also configured to create inspection result information 533 based on the inspection results and store it in the storage unit 530.

[0038] The display control unit 544 is configured to output the test result information 533 created by the detection unit 543 to the display device 600 .

[0039] Next, the operation of the inspection system 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the inspection system 100. The inspection system 100 performs the processing shown in Fig. 5 for each vial 110 to be inspected. Dust and the like that may adhere to the outside of the vial 110 to be inspected is blown away with air immediately before inspection.

[0040] When the process of FIG. 5 starts, the gripping / rotating device 200 is in an initial state. In the initial state, the chuck fingers 211 of the gripping / rotating device 200 are open, raised, and stopped from rotating. At this time, the rotation angle about the rotation axis A detected by the rotation angle detector 209 is set to 0°. The motor 207 of the gripping / rotating device 200 also stops the rotation of the flat plate-like member 201 about the rotation axis B at an angle where the rotation axis A coincides with the vertical. At this time, the rotation angle about the rotation axis B detected by the rotation angle detector 210 is set to 0°. In this initial state, the gripping / rotating device 200 of the inspection system 100 loads the vial 110 to be inspected (step S1). At this time, the gripping / rotating control unit 541 uses, for example, a robot arm (not shown) or a human hand to place the vial 110 in an upright position at a predetermined position on the transparent plate 205 of the gripping / rotating device 200. Next, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 controls the chuck mechanism 206 to lower the chuck fingers 211 and chuck the head of the vial 110. As a result, the vial 110 to be inspected is gripped in an upright position by the gripping / rotation device 200. At this time, the central axis of the vial 110 is aligned substantially vertically with the rotation axis A.

[0041] Next, the inspection system 100 rotates and photographs the vial 110 (step S2). In this step S2, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 controls the chuck mechanism 206 and the motor 207 to rotate the vial 110 around rotation axis A and rotation axis B according to a preset rotation angle timeline. When starting to rotate the vial 110 around rotation axis A, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 issues a rotation start command to the chuck mechanism 206 specifying the rotation direction, and when ending the rotation, issues a rotation end command to the chuck mechanism 206. Furthermore, when rotating the vial 110 around rotation axis B, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 issues a rotation start command to the motor 207 specifying the rotation direction, and when ending the rotation, issues a rotation end command to the motor 207. During rotation, the gripping and rotation control unit 541 also monitors the angles of rotation around the rotation axis A and the rotation axis B detected by the rotation angle detector 209 and the rotation angle detector 210 .

[0042] On the other hand, in step S2, when starting to photograph the vial 110 with the camera device 400-1, the acquisition unit 542 issues a turn-on command to the lighting device 300-1 and a start-of-photography command to the camera device 400-1. When ending the photographing, the acquisition unit 542 issues a turn-off command to the lighting device 300-1 and a stop-of-photography command to the camera device 400-1. Furthermore, when starting to photograph the vial 110 with the camera device 400-2, the acquisition unit 542 issues a turn-on command to the lighting device 300-2 and a start-of-photography command to the camera device 400-2. When ending the photographing, the acquisition unit 542 issues a turn-off command to the lighting device 300-2 and a stop-of-photography command to the camera device 400-2. However, the lighting devices 300-1 and 300-2 may be always on. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 542 may issue a command to control the zoom and / or focus to the camera device 400, thereby changing the zoom amount and / or focus value of the camera device 400 during photographing. When rotation and image capture are started simultaneously in step S2, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 and the acquisition unit 542 are configured to operate in synchronization. For example, when the vial 110 is rotated around the rotation axis A and image capture is started by the camera device 400-1 at the same time, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 issues a rotation start command to the chuck mechanism 206, and the acquisition unit 542 issues an image capture start command to the camera device 400-1 in synchronization with the rotation start command.

[0043] Also, in step S2, while the camera device 400 is capturing images, the acquisition unit 542 receives time-series images sent from the camera device 400 along with information indicating the capture time. The acquisition unit 542 also receives information on the monitored rotation angles around the rotation axis A and the rotation axis B from the rotation angle detectors 209, 210 via the grip / rotation control unit 541. The acquisition unit 542 then associates the time-series images received from the camera device 400 with the capture time and the rotation angles around the rotation axis A and the rotation axis B, and stores the associated information as image information 532 in the storage unit 530. In the above example, the acquisition unit 542 used information on the monitored rotation angles around the rotation axis A and the rotation axis B. However, since the rotation angle timeline is set in advance and known, processing may be performed assuming that rotation always starts and ends at fixed times. In other words, if the gripping / rotating mechanism 200 is configured to perform programmed operations in milliseconds in response to an operation start instruction from the information processing device 500, the acquisition unit 542 will automatically determine the programmed rotation angles of rotation axis A and rotation axis B from the time information of the operation start instruction from the information processing device 500, associate them with time-series images, and store them in the memory unit 530 as image information 532.

[0044] Next, the detection unit 543 of the inspection system 100 inspects the vial 110 for defects based on the acquired image information 532, creates inspection result information 533 based on the inspection results, and stores it in the storage unit 530 (step S3). Next, the display control unit 544 of the inspection system 100 displays the inspection result information 533 on the display device 600 and / or transmits it to an external device (not shown) via the communication I / F unit 510 (step S4). Next, the inspection system 100 removes the inspected vial 110 (step S5). At this time, the gripping / rotation control unit 541 controls the chuck mechanism 206 to release and then raise the chuck fingers 211, and moves the vial 110 on the transparent plate 205 of the gripping / rotation device 200 to a storage location corresponding to the inspection results using a robot arm or manual labor (not shown). In the above example, after the vial 110 is rotated and photographed (step S2), defect detection by image analysis (step S3) is performed. However, the rotation and photographing of the vial 110 (step S2) and the defect detection by image analysis (step S3) may be performed simultaneously (sequential processing).

[0045] Next, a specific example of the rotation angle timeline will be described.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a rotation angle timeline. In this example, the vial 110 is rotated as follows: Section 1 (time t0-t1): Stationary in an upright position Section 2 (time t1-t2): Rotated 360° around rotation axis A Section 3 (time t2-t3): Rotated 95° around rotation axis B Section 4 (time t3-t4): Stationary in the position of Section 3 Section 5 (time t4-t5): Rotated -5° around rotation axis B Section 6 (time t5-t6): Rotated -180° around rotation axis A in Section 5, i.e., in a sideways position Section 7 (time t6-t7): Rotated 180° around rotation axis A in a sideways position Section 8 (time t7-t9): Rotated -170° around rotation axis B, followed immediately by an 80° rotation Section 9 (time t9-t10): Stationary in the same position as Section 1 Section 10 (time t10-t11): Rotate -360° around rotation axis A. Section 11 (time t11-t12): Remain in the same position as in Section 1. The rotation angle of rotation axis A in Section 2 does not need to be 360°, and may be a value smaller than 360°, such as 355°, depending on the vial diameter and the thickness of the glass on the side of the vial. In this case, the rotation angle in Section 10 is an angle that returns the angle rotated in Section 2. Furthermore, the rotation angle of rotation axis B in Section 8 may be changed depending on the vial diameter and the amount of liquid content filled.

[0047] When the vial 110 is rotated along the rotation angle timeline shown in Fig. 6, for example, at time t0, the acquisition unit 542 sends a turn-on command to the lighting devices 300-1 and 300-2 and a start image capture command to the camera devices 400-1 and 400-2, and at time t12, sends a turn-off command to the lighting devices 300-1 and 300-2 and a stop image capture command to the camera devices 400-1 and 400-2. As a result, the camera devices 400-1 and 400-2 capture images of the vial 110 over the entire section of the rotation angle timeline in Fig. 6. However, image capture by the camera devices 400-1 and 400-2 may be limited to a certain section.

[0048] 7 is a schematic diagram showing how camera device 400-1 and camera device 400-2 capture images of vial 110 in an upright position in intervals 2 and 10. In interval 2, vial 110 rotates 360° around rotation axis A in an upright position, and in interval 10, vial 110 rotates −360° around rotation axis A in an upright position. Camera device 400-1 captures images of the barrel of vial 110 during the rotation from a direction perpendicular to rotation axis A, and camera device 400-2 captures images of vial 110 during the rotation from the bottom side of vial 110 in a direction parallel to rotation axis A.

[0049] 8 is a schematic diagram showing how camera device 400-1 and camera device 400-2 capture images of vial 110 in a sideways position in sections 6 and 7. In sections 6 and 7, vial 110 rotates -180° and 180° about rotation axis A in a sideways position. Camera device 400-1 captures an image of the vial body of vial 110 during this rotation from a direction perpendicular to rotation axis A. Meanwhile, camera device 400-2 captures an image of vial 110 during this rotation from a direction parallel to rotation axis A and from the bottom side of the vial.

[0050] Next, an example of a method for inspecting for foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, scratches on the bottle body, deposits on the back of the lid, scratches on the bottom, etc., based on images taken by the camera device 400 while the vial 110 is rotating along the rotation angle time line shown in Figure 6 will be described.

[0051] <Inspection of foreign matter stuck to the bottle body and scratches on the bottle body> The inventors of the present application discovered the following phenomenon while searching for a method for inspecting foreign matter stuck to the inner wall of a vial body. Specifically, they confirmed that when a vial is placed on its side and rotated around its central axis so that foreign matter stuck to the inner wall of the bottle body passes through the boundary between inside and outside the liquid, the position of the foreign matter stuck to the inner wall of the bottle body changes slightly. Furthermore, they confirmed that the foreign matter stuck to the inner wall of the vial body is mainly fibrous pieces, and that the shape of the stuck fibrous pieces changes when the vial is rotated in this manner. The reason for this phenomenon is thought to be that the rotation causes the foreign matter stuck to the inner wall of the vial body to be pulled by the surface tension of the liquid surface as it passes through the boundary between inside and outside the liquid. As described above, the amount of liquid filled into the vial is approximately half of the vial's capacity. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the liquid level R of the vial 110 in a sideways position is approximately near the center of the bottle body, with the lower half of the bottle body's inner wall submerged in the liquid and the upper half submerged. If the vial 110 is rotated by -180° or more around the rotation axis A in this state, foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the bottle body passes through the boundary between the submerged and non-submerged portions of the liquid as it rotates, and is affected by the surface tension of the liquid surface. Furthermore, by rotating the vial 110 in a sideways position around the rotation axis A, foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid or the bottom of the vial 110 also passes through the boundary between the submerged and non-submerged portions of the liquid as it rotates. Therefore, it is expected that the position and shape of not only the foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the bottle body, but also the foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid or the bottom will change. When the vial 110 is rotated around its central axis while lying on its side, foreign matter adhering to the inner wall may be completely detached, or foreign matter floating in the liquid may newly adhere to the inner wall. In this case, the foreign matter before detachment and the newly attached foreign matter will be detected as the difference between the images before and after rotation, just like the foreign matter that remains attached before and after rotation.

[0052] Therefore, in this embodiment, by comparing the images taken before and after rotation of the same area of ​​the bottle body of the vial 110 by the camera device 400-1 before and after sections 6 and 7 in which the vial 110 is rotated around the rotation axis A in a horizontal position, foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, scratches on the bottle body, etc. are detected separately.

[0053] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process performed by the detection unit 543 to detect foreign matter stuck to the bottle body and scratches on the bottle body. Referring to FIG. 9, the detection unit 543 acquires, as first entries, all entries containing the camera ID 5322 of the camera device 400-1 and the shooting time 5323 falling within section 2 from the image information 532 shown in FIG. 3 (step S11). The frame images included in these first entries correspond to the image before rotation described above. Furthermore, the detection unit 543 acquires, as second entries, all entries containing the camera ID 5322 of the camera device 400-1 and the shooting time 5323 falling within section 10 from the image information 532 shown in FIG. 3 (step S12). The frame images included in these second entries correspond to the image after rotation described above.

[0054] Next, the detection unit 543 generates all pairs of first and second entries having the same rotation angle 5324 of the rotation axis A (step S13). Next, the detection unit 543 focuses on one of the pairs (step S14) and compares the frame image 5326 of the first entry with the frame image 5326 of the second entry of the focused pair (step S15), determining whether the images of the bottle body in both frame images are the same or different (step S16). In steps S15 and S16, the detection unit 543 may, for example, find the difference between the image of the bottle body in the frame image 5326 of the first entry and the image of the bottle body in the frame image 5326 of the second entry, and determine that the images are different if there is a difference, or that the images are the same if there is no difference. However, the method for determining whether the images of the bottle body in both frame images are the same or different is not limited to the method based on the difference, and any other method may be used. Next, if there is a difference between the two frame images, the detection unit 543 determines that the difference is due to a foreign object stuck to the bottle body and increments the foreign object counter (initial value is 0) (step S17). In this example, if there is a difference between the two frame images, it is immediately determined that there is a foreign object stuck to the bottle body. However, when there is a difference between the two frame images, it may be possible to determine whether the dark area is a foreign object such as a fiber or a liquid droplet other than a foreign object based on appearance information such as the shape and color of the dark area in the frame image that caused the difference.

[0055] On the other hand, if there is no difference between the two frame images, the detection unit 543 determines whether or not there is a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size in the image of the bottle body of the frame image of the first or second entry of the pair under consideration (step S18). Note that, since the bottle body image shows the bottle wall and its vicinity as dark areas, it may be determined whether or not there is a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size in other locations (such as the center of the bottle body). If there is a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size, the detection unit 543 determines that the dark area is an unacceptable bottle body scratch and increments the bottle body scratch counter (initial value 0) (step S19). The threshold size is on the order of millimeters. This is because scratches smaller than the millimeter order are not considered problematic.

[0056] Next, the detection unit 543 shifts its focus to the next pair (steps S20 and S21), returns to step S15, and repeats the same process as described above. When the detection unit 543 has finished focusing on all necessary pairs (YES in step S21), it updates the inspection result information 533 (step S22). The "necessary pairs" in step S21 may be, for example, the minimum number of pairs that allow the entire area to be seen in front. In step S22, the detection unit 543 updates the bottle body foreign substance inspection result 5332 and the bottle body scratch inspection result 5333 in the inspection result information 533, in which the container ID 5331 of the vial 110 being inspected is set. When updating the bottle body foreign substance inspection result 5332, if the bottle body foreign substance counter value is 1 or greater, the detection unit 543 sets NG (inspection failed) and if it is less than 1, the detection unit 543 sets OK (inspection passed). Furthermore, when updating the bottle body damage inspection result 5333, the detection unit 543 sets NG (inspection failed) if the value of the bottle body damage counter is 1 or greater, and sets OK (inspection passed) if the value is less than 1. Note that the value of the bottle body foreign matter stuck counter, which is a measure of the number of foreign matter stuck to the bottle body, may be saved in the bottle body damage inspection result 5332. Similarly, the value of the bottle body damage counter, which is a measure of the number of scratches on the bottle body, may be saved in the bottle body damage inspection result 5333.

[0057] In the example shown in Figure 9, the process is repeated for all necessary sets, but it is also possible to immediately execute step S22 when the bottle body foreign matter counter and / or bottle body scratch counter reaches a value of 1 or more, and then terminate the process of Figure 9.

[0058] <Lid Underside Deposits> As described above, the amount of liquid filled into the vial 110 is approximately half the capacity of the vial 110. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 , the liquid level of the vial 110 in a sideways position is approximately at the center of the vial body, and at least the upper half of the vial body is free of liquid. The camera device 400-2 photographs the vial 110 in this state from a direction parallel to the rotation axis A and from the bottom side of the vial. Therefore, the camera device 400-2 can photograph a portion of the underside of the vial 110's lid without passing through the liquid (and therefore without being affected by air bubbles present in the liquid). In other words, the image captured by the camera device 400-2 captures a portion of the underside of the vial 110's lid without passing through the liquid. When the vial 110 is stationary, the area of ​​the underside of the lid that can be photographed without passing through the liquid is limited. However, in sections 6 and 7, vial 110 is rotated -180° around rotation axis A and then 180°, with camera device 400-2 capturing images during this rotation. Therefore, by collecting multiple frame images captured by camera device 400-2 in sections 6 and / or 7, the entire underside of the lid can be observed without passing through liquid. Detection unit 543 detects material adhering to the underside of the lid based on the images of the underside of the lid of vial 110 captured without passing through liquid as described above.

[0059] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process performed by the detection unit 543 to detect lid-under attachments. Referring to FIG. 10, the detection unit 543 acquires all entries containing the camera ID 5322 of the camera device 400-2 and the shooting time 5323 included in section 6 and / or section 7 from the image information 532 shown in FIG. 3 (step S31). Next, the detection unit 543 focuses on one entry (step S32). Next, the detection unit 543 compares the frame image 5326 of the entry being focused on with a reference image (not shown) stored in the storage unit 530 (step S33) and determines whether the two images are identical or different (step S34). The shape and color of the underside of the lid of the vial 110 are determined for each type of vial. The reference image is a pre-image taken by the camera device 400-2 of the underside of the lid of a vial of the same type as the vial 110 being inspected, but without any lid-under attachments, and stored in the storage unit 530. In step S33, detection unit 543 may, for example, calculate the difference between frame image 5326 and the reference image, and determine that they are different if there is a difference, and that they are identical if there is no difference. The range of frame image 5326 from which the difference with the reference image is calculated may be the entire frame image 5326, the entire range of the lid back in frame image 5326, or may be limited to the range of the lid back photographed without liquid. Furthermore, the method of determining whether frame image 5326 and the reference image are the same or different is not limited to the method using the difference, and any other method may be used.

[0060] Next, if there is a difference between the frame image 5326 and the reference image, the detection unit 543 determines that the difference is due to a lid back attachment and increments the lid back attachment counter (initial value is 0) (step S35). In this example, if there is a difference between the frame image 5326 and the reference image, it is immediately determined that there is a lid back attachment. However, when there is a difference between the frame image 5326 and the reference image, it may be possible to determine whether there is actually a foreign object in the difference area or whether it is a droplet other than a foreign object based on appearance information such as the shape and color near the difference area (difference area).

[0061] On the other hand, if there is no difference between the frame image 5326 and the reference image, the detection unit 543 skips step S35. Next, the detection unit 543 shifts its focus to the next entry (steps S36 and S37), returns to step S33, and repeats the same process as described above. Then, when the detection unit 543 has finished focusing on all entries (YES in step S37), it updates the inspection result information 533 (step S38). In step S38, the detection unit 543 updates the lid-back attachment inspection result 5334 in the inspection result information 533 in which the container ID 5331 of the vial 110 to be inspected is set. When updating the lid-back attachment inspection result 5334, the detection unit 543 sets NG (inspection failed) if the lid-back attachment counter value is 1 or greater, and sets OK (inspection passed) if it is less than 1. The value of the lid-back attachment counter, which serves as a guide to the number of lid-back attachments, may be stored in the lid-back attachment inspection result 5334.

[0062] In the example shown in Figure 10, the process is repeated for all entries, but it is also possible to immediately execute step S38 when the lid back deposit counter reaches a value of 1 or greater, and then terminate the process of Figure 10.

[0063] <Inspection for Bottom Scratches and Bottom Foreign Objects> Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the process performed by the detection unit 543 to detect bottom scratches and bottom foreign objects. Referring to Figure 11, the detection unit 543 acquires, as first entries, all entries containing the camera ID 5322 of the camera device 400-2 and the image capture time 5323 included in section 2 from the image information 532 shown in Figure 3 (step S41). The frame image included in this first entry corresponds to an image obtained by capturing an image of the vial 110 from the bottom side of the vial 110 using the camera device 400-2 before rotating the vial 110 in a sideways position around the rotation axis A. Furthermore, the detection unit 543 acquires, as second entries, all entries containing the camera ID 5322 of the camera device 400-2 and the image capture time 5323 included in section 10 from the image information 532 shown in Figure 3 (step S42). The frame image included in this second entry corresponds to an image obtained by rotating the vial 110 on its side about the rotation axis A and then photographing the vial 110 from the bottom side using the camera device 400-2.

[0064] Next, the detection unit 543 generates a pair of first and second entries having the same rotation angle 5324 of the rotation axis A (step S43). Next, the detection unit 543 focuses on one of the pairs (step S44) and compares the frame image 5326 of the first entry with the frame image 5326 of the second entry of the focused pair (step S45), determining whether the two frame images are the same or different (step S46). In step S45, the detection unit 543 may, for example, find the difference between the image of the bottle bottom in the frame image 5326 of the first entry and the image of the bottle bottom in the frame image 5326 of the second entry, and determine that the two frame images are different if there is a difference, or that the two frame images are the same if there is no difference. However, the method for determining whether the bottle bottom images of the two frame images are the same or different is not limited to the method based on the difference, and any other method may be used. Next, if there is a difference between the two frame images, the detection unit 543 determines that this is due to foreign matter settling or adhering to the bottom of the vial 110, and increments the bottom foreign matter counter (initial value is 0) (step S47). In this example, if there is a difference between the two frame images, it is immediately determined that there is a bottom foreign matter. However, when there is a difference between the two frame images, it may be possible to determine whether the dark part is a foreign matter such as a piece of metal or fiber, or a large bubble other than a foreign matter, based on appearance information such as the shape and color of the dark part of the frame image that caused the difference.

[0065] On the other hand, if there is no difference between the two frame images, the detection unit 543 determines whether or not a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size exists in the frame image of the first or second entry of the pair under consideration (step S48). Note that, since the image of the bottle bottom shows the bottle wall and its vicinity as dark areas, it may be determined whether or not a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size exists in other locations (such as the center of the bottle bottom). If a dark area of ​​a size equal to or larger than the threshold size exists, the detection unit 543 determines that the dark area is a bottom scratch of an unacceptable size and increments the bottom scratch counter (initial value 0) (step S49). The threshold size is on the order of millimeters. This is because scratches smaller than the millimeter order are not considered problematic.

[0066] Next, the detection unit 543 shifts its attention to the next pair (steps S50 and S51), returns to step S45, and repeats the same process as described above. Then, when the detection unit 543 has finished paying attention to all pairs (YES in step S51), it updates the inspection result information 533 (step S52). In step S52, the detection unit 543 updates the bottom scratch inspection result 5335 and other inspection results 5336 in the inspection result information 533 in which the container ID 5331 of the vial 110 to be inspected is set. When updating the bottom scratch inspection result 5335, the detection unit 543 sets NG (inspection failed) if the bottom scratch counter value is 1 or greater, and sets OK (inspection passed) if the value is less than 1. Furthermore, when updating other inspection results 5336, if the value of the bottom foreign matter counter is 1 or greater, detection unit 543 adds an inspection item for bottom foreign matter to other inspection results 5336 and sets NG (inspection failed), and if the value is less than 1, sets OK (inspection passed). Note that the values ​​of the bottom scratch counter and bottom foreign matter count, which serve as indicators of the number of bottom scratches and bottom foreign matter, may be saved in bottom scratch inspection results 5335 and the bottom foreign matter inspection item of other inspection results 5336.

[0067] In the example shown in Figure 11, the process is repeated for all pairs, but it is also possible to immediately execute step S52 when the bottom scratch counter and / or bottom foreign matter counter reaches a value of 1 or more, and then terminate the process of Figure 11.

[0068] As described above, the inspection system 100 according to this embodiment performs a process of rotating the vial 110 around its central axis (rotation axis A) while the vial 110 is in a sideways position (section 6 or 7 in FIG. 6 ). This induces a phenomenon in which foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the vial 110 is pulled by the surface tension of the liquid surface as it passes through the boundary between the liquid and the outside, thereby changing the position and shape of the foreign matter. In other words, the position of the foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the vial 110 can be changed. The inspection system 100 then acquires images of the same predetermined area, such as the vial body, of the vial 110 using the camera device 400 before and after the above process, respectively, to obtain pre-rotation images (images from section 2 in FIG. 6 ) and post-rotation images (images from section 10 in FIG. 6 ). Therefore, by providing a detection unit 543 that compares the pre-rotation image with the post-rotation image to detect foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the container, foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the vial 110 can be detected separately from scratches, the position and shape of which do not change even after the above process.

[0069] Furthermore, the inspection system 100 according to this embodiment places the vial 110 on its side, rotates the vial 110 around its central axis (rotation axis A), and acquires an image (image of section 6 or section 7 in FIG. 6 ) of the underside of the lid of the rotating vial 110 from the bottom side through an area outside the liquid using the camera device 400-2, which has an optical axis parallel to the central axis (rotation axis A). Therefore, the camera device 400-2 can capture a portion of the underside of the lid of the vial 110 without passing through the liquid. That is, the image captured by the camera device 400-2 captures a portion of the underside of the lid of the vial 110 without passing through the liquid. As a result, foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid can be accurately detected. Furthermore, the use of the camera device 400-2 with a telecentric lens allows the liquid surface to be minimized in the image (thinning the outline of the liquid surface in the image) and allows for a large image of the underside of the lid, which is the farthest from the camera.

[0070] This embodiment can be modified in various ways, such as the following.

[0071] Although vials were used as the test object, bottles and containers other than vials can also be used as the test object as long as they are transparent or translucent containers filled with liquid such as drinking water.

[0072] In the above description, the inspection system 100 rotates the vial 110 by −180° (half rotation) and then 180° (half rotation) around the rotation axis A in sections 6 and 7 of the rotation angle timeline in FIG. 6 , but this is merely an example. If the liquid volume is approximately half the vial capacity, the vial 110 only needs to be rotated by at least 180° (half rotation) in the positive or negative direction around the rotation axis A. This is because all areas of the inner wall of the bottle body pass through the boundary between the liquid and the outside at least once. Alternatively, the inspection system 100 may detect the amount of liquid filled and determine the amount of rotation in sections 6 and 7 based on the detected amount of liquid. For example, the inspection system 100 may detect the liquid level of the vial 110 in a sideways position by image analysis or the like, calculate the minimum rotation angle around the rotation axis A required for all areas of the inner wall of the vial body of the vial 110 to pass the boundary between the inside and outside of the liquid at least once from the detected liquid level, and rotate the vial 110 around the rotation axis A by at least this calculated minimum rotation angle. Alternatively, if the vial 110 is filled with liquid, rotating the vial 110 at least 360° (one rotation) in either the positive or negative direction around the rotation axis A will ensure that all areas of the inner wall of the vial body of the vial 110 pass the boundary between the inside and outside of the liquid at least once. Therefore, the vial 110 may be rotated at least 360° (one rotation) in either the positive or negative direction around the rotation axis A. 6, the inspection system 100 rotates the vial 110 once around the rotation axis A in sections 2 and 10, but may rotate the vial 110 one or more times (for example, two or more times). In section 8 of the rotation angle timeline of FIG. 6, the inspection system 100 rotates the vial 110 by −170° around the rotation axis B, and then immediately rotates it by 80°. This is mainly to suspend foreign matter in the vial 110 in the liquid, thereby increasing the efficiency of detecting floating foreign matter. Therefore, if detection of floating foreign matter is not being performed, the inspection system 100 may simply rotate the vial 110 by −90° around the rotation axis B.That is, in section 8, the inspection system 100 may simply return the vial 110 that is in a sideways position to an upright position again.

[0073] Furthermore, the inspection system 100 may use a section in which the vial 110 is turned on its side and rotated around its central axis (rotation axis A) as a section in which the camera device 400 captures images of the same predetermined area, such as the bottle body of the vial 110, before and after the step of turning the vial 110 on its side and rotating it around its central axis (rotation axis A) (section 6 or section 7 in FIG. 6 ). This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 12.

[0074] 12 is a diagram showing another example of a rotation angle timeline. In this example, the vial 110 is rotated as follows: Interval 1 (time t0-t1): Stationary in an upright position Interval 2 (time t1-t2): Rotated 90° around rotation axis B Interval 3 (time t2-t3): Rotated 360° around rotation axis A in a sideways position Interval 4 (time t3-t4): Rotated -360° around rotation axis A in a sideways position Interval 5 (time t4-t5): Rotated 360° around rotation axis A in a sideways position Interval 6 (time t5-t6): Rotated -90° around rotation axis B Interval 7 (time t6-t7): Stationary in the same position as Interval 1.

[0075] Section 4 in Figure 12 is a process in which the vial 110 is placed on its side and rotated at least once around its central axis (rotation axis A), and sections 3 and 5 are processes in which the same specified area, such as the bottle body of the vial 110, is photographed by the camera device 400 before and after this process.

[0076] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 1 in this embodiment. Referring to Fig. 13, the inspection system 1 is a system that inspects containers that are filled with liquid and have openings sealed with lids, and includes a rotation unit 2 and an acquisition unit 3.

[0077] The rotating unit 2 is configured to perform a first rotation step in which the container is placed in a sideways position and rotated around the central axis of the container. The rotating unit 2 can be configured similarly to, for example, the gripping and rotating device 200 shown in FIG. 1, but is not limited thereto.

[0078] The acquisition unit 3 is configured to acquire an image obtained by photographing the underside of the lid through the area outside the liquid in the container from the bottom side of the rotating container using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis. The acquisition unit 3 can be configured similarly to, for example, the acquisition unit 542 in FIG. 2, but is not limited thereto.

[0079] The inspection system 1 configured as described above operates as follows: The rotation unit 2 performs a first rotation step in which the container is placed on its side and rotated around its central axis. The acquisition unit 3 acquires an image of the underside of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to capture an image of the bottom side of the rotating container through the area outside the liquid in the container.

[0080] According to the inspection system 1 configured and operated as described above, the container is placed on its side and rotated around its central axis, and an image of the underside of the lid is acquired by photographing the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis. Therefore, the camera can photograph a portion of the underside of the container lid without passing through the liquid. In other words, the image captured by the camera includes a portion of the underside of the container lid photographed without passing through the liquid. As a result, foreign matter attached to the underside of the lid can be detected with high accuracy.

[0081] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of the CPU described above, the information processing device can use a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPU (Floating Number Processing Unit), a PPU (Physics Processing Unit), a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit), a quantum processor, a microcontroller, or a combination thereof.

[0082] The present invention can be used in the field of inspecting containers such as vials filled with liquid.

[0083] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. [Supplementary Note 1] An inspection system for inspecting a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, comprising: a rotation unit that performs a first rotation step of placing the container on its side and rotating the container about its central axis; and an acquisition unit that acquires an image of the underside of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to capture an image of the underside of the lid from the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container. [Supplementary Note 2] The inspection system according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising a detection unit that compares the image of the underside of the lid with a pre-registered reference image to detect foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid. [Supplementary Note 3] The inspection system according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the acquisition unit further acquires pre-rotation images and post-rotation images captured by the camera before and after the first rotation step, respectively. [Supplementary Note 4] The inspection system described in Supplementary Note 3, wherein the rotation unit performs a second rotation step of placing the container in an upright position and rotating it around the central axis before the first rotation step, and performs a third rotation step of placing the container in an upright position and rotating it around the central axis after the first rotation step, and the acquisition unit acquires the image before rotation from images captured by the camera during the second rotation step, and acquires the image after rotation from images captured by the camera during the third rotation step. [Supplementary Note 5] The inspection system described in Supplementary Note 3, wherein the rotation unit performs a second rotation step of placing the container in an upright position and rotating it around the central axis before the first rotation step, and performs a third rotation step of placing the container in an upright position and rotating it around the central axis after the first rotation step, and the acquisition unit acquires the image before rotation from images captured by the camera during the second rotation step, and acquires the image after rotation from images captured by the camera during the third rotation step. [Supplementary Note 6] The inspection system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 5, wherein the detection unit further compares the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the container.[Supplementary Note 7] The inspection system of any of Supplements 3 to 5, wherein the detection unit further compares the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect foreign matter that has settled on the bottom surface of the container. [Supplementary Note 8] The inspection system of any of Supplements 3 to 5, wherein the detection unit further compares the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect scratches on the bottom surface of the container. [Supplementary Note 9] The inspection system of any of Supplements 1 to 8, wherein the camera has a telecentric lens. [Supplementary Note 10] The inspection system of any of Supplements 1 to 9, wherein the rotation unit rotates the container in the first rotation step so that substantially the entire area of ​​the back side of the lid can be photographed from the bottom side through the area outside the liquid. [Supplementary Note 11] The inspection system of any of Supplements 1 to 10, wherein the rotation unit rotates the container at least halfway around the central axis of the container in the first rotation step. [Supplementary Note 12] The inspection system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 10, wherein the rotating unit rotates the container at least once around the central axis of the container in the first rotation step. [Supplementary Note 13] The inspection system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 10, wherein the rotating unit rotates the container at least halfway around the central axis of the container and then rotates it another halfway in the opposite direction in the first rotation step. [Supplementary Note 14] A method for inspecting a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, comprising: performing a first rotation step of rotating the container at least once around the central axis of the container in an inverted position; and acquiring an image of the underside of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to photograph the underside of the lid from the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container. [Supplementary Note 15] The inspection method according to Supplementary Note 14, further comprising comparing the image of the underside of the lid with a pre-registered reference image to detect foreign matter adhering to the underside of the lid. [Supplementary Note 16] The inspection method according to Supplementary Note 14 or 15, wherein the acquiring further includes acquiring pre-rotation images and post-rotation images captured by the camera before and after the first rotation step, respectively.[Supplementary Note 17] The inspection method according to Supplementary Note 16, further comprising: performing a second rotation step before the first rotation step, in which the container is placed in an upright position and rotated about the central axis; performing a third rotation step after the first rotation step, in which the container is placed in an upright position and rotated about the central axis; and, in the acquisition, acquiring the pre-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the second rotation step, and acquiring the post-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the third rotation step. [Supplementary Note 18] The inspection method according to Supplementary Note 16, further comprising: performing a second rotation step before the first rotation step, in which the container is placed in an upright position and rotated about the central axis; and, in the acquisition, acquiring the pre-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the second rotation step, and acquiring the post-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the third rotation step. [Appendix 19] The inspection method according to any one of Appendices 16 to 18, wherein the detection further comprises comparing the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect foreign matter adhering to the inner wall of the container. [Appendix 20] The inspection method according to any one of Appendices 16 to 18, wherein the detection further comprises comparing the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect foreign matter that has settled on the bottom of the container. [Appendix 21] The inspection method according to any one of Appendices 16 to 18, wherein the detection further comprises comparing the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect scratches on the bottom of the container. [Appendix 22] The inspection method according to any one of Appendices 14 to 21, wherein the camera has a telecentric lens. [Appendix 23] The inspection method according to any one of Appendices 14 to 22, wherein the rotating unit rotates the container in the first rotation step so that approximately the entire area of ​​the underside of the lid can be photographed from the bottom side through the area outside the liquid. [Supplementary Note 24] The inspection method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 14 to 22, wherein the rotating unit rotates the container at least half a turn around a central axis of the container in the first rotating step.[Supplementary Note 25] The inspection method according to any one of Supplements 14 to 22, wherein the rotation unit rotates the container at least once around the central axis of the container in the first rotation step. [Supplementary Note 26] The inspection method according to any one of Supplements 14 to 22, wherein the rotation unit rotates the container at least halfway around the central axis of the container and then rotates it another halfway in the opposite direction in the first rotation step. [Supplementary Note 27] A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer that inspects a container filled with liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid to perform the following steps: controlling a first rotation step of rotating the container at least once around the central axis of the container with the container in an inverted position; and acquiring an image of the underside of the lid by using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis to capture an image of the container from the bottom side through an area outside the liquid in the container during the rotation.

[0084] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Inspection system 2 Rotation unit 3 Acquisition unit 100 Inspection system 110 Vial 200 Gripping and rotation device 201 Flat plate-like member 202 Upper arm 203 Lower arm 204 Lower gripping unit 205 Transparent plate 206 Chuck mechanism 207 Motor 208 Rotating shaft 209, 210 Rotation angle detector 211 Chuck finger 300-1, 300-2 Lighting device 400-1, 400-2 Camera device 500 Information processing device 510 Communication I / F unit 520 Operation input unit 530 Memory unit 531 Program 532 Image information 533 Inspection result information 540 Arithmetic processing unit 541 Gripping and rotation control unit 542 Acquisition unit 543 Detection unit 544 Display control unit 600 Display device

Claims

1. An apparatus for inspecting a container filled with a liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, comprising: a rotating unit that performs a first rotation step of rotating the container around a central axis of the container in a sideways position; an acquisition unit that acquires an image of the back side of the lid by capturing an image of the back side of the lid from the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis; An inspection system comprising:

2. and a detection unit that compares an image obtained by photographing the back side of the lid with a reference image registered in advance to detect foreign matter attached to the back side of the lid. The inspection system of claim 1 .

3. The acquisition unit further acquires pre-rotation images and post-rotation images captured by the camera before and after the first rotation step, respectively.

3. The inspection system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the rotating unit performs a second rotation step of rotating the container around the central axis with the container in an upright position before the first rotation step, and performs a third rotation step of rotating the container around the central axis with the container in an upright position after the first rotation step, the acquisition unit acquires the pre-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the second rotation process, and acquires the post-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the third rotation process. The inspection system of claim 3 .

5. The rotating unit performs a second rotation step of turning the container sideways and rotating the container around a central axis of the container before the first rotation step, and performs a third rotation step of turning the container sideways and rotating the container around the central axis of the container after the first rotation step, the acquisition unit acquires the pre-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the second rotation process, and acquires the post-rotation image from images captured by the camera during the third rotation process. The inspection system of claim 3 .

6. The detection unit further compares the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect foreign matter attached to the inner wall of the container. The inspection system of claim 3 .

7. The detection unit further compares the image before the rotation with the image after the rotation to detect foreign matter that has settled on the bottom surface of the container. The inspection system of claim 3 .

8. The detection unit further compares the image before rotation with the image after rotation to detect scratches on the bottom surface of the container. The inspection system of claim 3 .

9. 1. A method for inspecting a container filled with a liquid and having an opening sealed with a lid, comprising the steps of: A first rotation step is performed in which the container is placed in a sideways position and rotated at least once around a central axis of the container; acquiring an image of the back side of the lid from the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis; Testing method.

10. A computer inspects containers that are filled with liquid and have a sealed lid at the opening. A process of controlling a first rotation step in which the container is placed in a sideways position and rotated at least once around a central axis of the container; A process of acquiring an image of the back side of the lid by photographing the bottom side of the rotating container through an area outside the liquid in the container using a camera having an optical axis parallel to the central axis; A program to carry out the above.