Conveyance rotor and appearance inspection device

Abstract

Provided is a conveyance rotor 1 comprising a disk member 10 having a main surface 10a, and a plurality of accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f that are provided in the main surface 10a of the disk member 10 and are used for accommodating components, the conveyance rotor 1 being characterized in that: the main surface 10a of the disk member 10 is provided with an accommodation hole row 20 in which the plurality of accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f are lined up in a straight line; a radiation line R and the accommodation hole row 20 intersect at a point A, where the point A is the end point of the accommodation hole row 20 on the side nearest to the center of the disk member 10, and the radiation line R is a line extending from the center O of the disk member 10 so as to pass through the point A; and the acute angle formed by the radiation line R and the accommodation hole row 20 at the point A is at least 1° and less than 90°.

Description

Conveying rotor and visual inspection device

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer rotor and an appearance inspection device.

[0002] As a method for handling electronic components, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which a disk-shaped test plate having component stands, which are through-holes capable of accommodating electronic components, arranged radially is rotated, and the electronic components are attached and held on the component stands.

[0003] Special Publication No. 2000-501174

[0004] However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, the number of component tables occupying the disk-shaped test plate is insufficient, and the number of components handled per unit time is small, so a faster handling method is desired.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a transfer rotor and an appearance inspection device that can handle parts at higher speeds than conventional ones.

[0006] The conveying rotor of the present invention is a conveying rotor comprising a disk member having a main surface and a plurality of accommodating holes for accommodating parts, the main surface of the disk member being provided with an accommodating hole row in which the plurality of accommodating holes are aligned in a straight line, and when the end point of the accommodating hole row closest to the center of the disk member is defined as point A and a ray is imagined extending from the center of the disk member through point A, the ray and the accommodating hole row intersect at point A, and the acute angle formed by the ray and the accommodating hole row at point A is greater than or equal to 1° and less than 90°.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transfer rotor and an appearance inspection device that can handle parts at higher speeds than conventional ones.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a transport rotor of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing an example of an accommodation hole. FIG. 4 is a top view schematically showing another example of an accommodation hole. FIG. 5 is a top view schematically showing yet another example of an accommodation hole. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing another example of a transport rotor of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an appearance inspection device of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view of the appearance inspection device shown in FIG. 7.

[0009] The visual inspection device of the present invention will be described below. However, the present invention is not limited to the following configuration, and can be appropriately modified and applied within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention. Note that a combination of two or more of the individual desirable configurations of the present invention described below also constitutes the present invention.

[0010] In this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements (e.g., "opposite," "orthogonal," etc.) and terms indicating the shape of elements (e.g., "rectangular," etc.) are not expressions that express only a strict meaning, but are expressions that include a substantially equal range, for example, a difference of a few percent.

[0011] The drawings shown below are schematic diagrams, and the dimensions, aspect ratios, and other scales may differ from those of the actual product.

[0012] [Conveying rotor] The conveying rotor of the present invention is a conveying rotor comprising a disk member having a main surface and a plurality of accommodating holes for accommodating components, the plurality of accommodating holes being arranged in a straight line on the main surface of the disk member, wherein when the end point of the accommodating hole row closest to the center of the disk member is defined as point A and a ray is imagined extending from the center of the disk member through point A, the ray and the accommodating hole row intersect at point A, and the acute angle formed by the ray and the accommodating hole row at point A is greater than or equal to 1° and less than 90°.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of an example of a transport rotor according to the present invention. The transport rotor 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a disk member 10 and a plurality of accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f provided in a main surface 10a of the disk member 10.

[0014] The plurality of receiving holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are aligned in a straight line to form a receiving hole row 20. Each of the receiving holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above.

[0015] The row of accommodating holes 20 is regarded as a single straight line, and the end point of the row of accommodating holes 20 closest to the center O of the disk member 10 is designated as point A. A ray R is assumed to extend from the center O of the disk member 10 and pass through point A. In this case, the ray R and the row of accommodating holes 20 intersect at point A. As shown in Figure 1, in the transport rotor 1, the acute angle (the angle indicated by θ in Figure 1) formed between the ray R and the row of accommodating holes 20 at point A is equal to or greater than 1° and less than 90°, specifically 40°.

[0016] By extending the accommodation hole row 20 in a direction such that the acute angle is 1° or more and less than 90°, point A is extended to the circumference 10c of the disk member along the row direction of the accommodation hole row 20, and point C on the circumference 10c is ２ From point A to point C when assuming ２ Straight-line distance to AC ２ Point A is extended along the radial line R to the circumference 10c of the disk member, and point C on the circumference 10c is １ From point A to point C when assuming １ Straight-line distance to AC １ It will be longer than that.

[0017] Therefore, compared to when the accommodation hole row 20 is extended along the radial line R from the point A, the length of the accommodation hole row 20, and therefore the number of accommodation holes constituting the accommodation hole row 20, can be increased. Therefore, the number of parts that can be accommodated in the accommodation holes per unit time increases, enabling faster handling than before.

[0018] As a result, by satisfying the above configuration, the length of the hole row and, in turn, the number of holes that make up the hole row can be increased, which increases the number of parts that can be accommodated in the holes per unit time, enabling faster handling than before.

[0019] The row of accommodating holes is considered to be a single line using the following method. First, the center of gravity of each accommodating hole is determined based on the external shape of each accommodating hole when viewed from the thickness direction of the transport rotor. Next, an approximate line connecting each center of gravity is determined using the least squares method. Finally, this approximate line is extended to the end point (point A) closest to the center of the disk member of the accommodating holes that make up the row of accommodating holes. Using the above method, the row of accommodating holes is considered to be a single line, and the acute angle formed by this line and the ray R at point A is determined.

[0020] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are aligned in a straight line. The direction in which the accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are aligned in a straight line is the column direction (the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow L in Figure 2). Furthermore, the accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f all open to the main surfaces 10a and 10b of the disk member 10. Therefore, the accommodation holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f are through-holes that penetrate the disk member 10 in the thickness direction.

[0021] (Disk Member) The disk member is a flat plate having a main surface and a substantially circular shape in a plan view.

[0022] The diameter of the circle is preferably 300 mm or more and 600 mm or less.

[0023] The thickness of the disk member is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and is preferably at least greater than the maximum length of the component to be accommodated in the accommodation hole.

[0024] Examples of materials that can be used to form the disk member include glass epoxy resin and metal.

[0025] (Accommodation Hole Row) An accommodation hole row is provided on the main surface of the disk member, with a plurality of accommodation holes aligned in a straight line.

[0026] The transport rotor of the present invention is characterized by the arrangement of the hole array. Specifically, when the end point of the hole array closest to the center of the disk member is defined as point A, and a ray is imagined extending from the center of the disk member through point A, the acute angle formed by the ray and the hole array at point A where the ray intersects with the hole array is 1° or more and less than 90°.

[0027] At the point A where the radial line intersects with the row of receiving holes, the acute angle formed by the radial line and the row of receiving holes may be equal to or greater than 1° and less than 90°.

[0028] When the length of the radial line extending from the center of the disk member to the circumference of the disk member is taken as 100, the length from the center of the disk member to point A is preferably 22 or more and 30 or less.

[0029] (Accommodating Holes) A ​​plurality of accommodating holes for accommodating components are provided on the main surface of the disk member. The plurality of accommodating holes are aligned in a straight line to form an accommodating hole row.

[0030] The accommodation holes may or may not penetrate the disk member, but are preferably penetrated. That is, the accommodation holes are preferably through-holes. If the accommodation holes are through-holes, the transport rotor can be placed on a support table (described later) to prevent components from falling out of the accommodation holes, and an opening / closing mechanism provided on the support table can easily adjust the holding and ejection of components.

[0031] The shape of the receiving hole may be substantially cylindrical or substantially rectangular.

[0032] When the receiving hole is substantially cylindrical, the diameter of the circle is preferably 0.05 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

[0033] The receiving hole is preferably a substantially cylindrical through-hole.

[0034] The receiving hole preferably has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0035] When the receiving hole has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, it is preferable that the dimension of one side of the rectangular parallelepiped is 0.05 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

[0036] When the shape of the receiving hole is a rectangular parallelepiped, it is preferable that the dimension of the receiving hole in the direction in which the receiving hole row extends (row direction) is larger than the dimension of the receiving hole in the normal direction perpendicular to the row direction.

[0037] If the receiving hole has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the four corners of the receiving hole may have recesses that bulge outward when viewed from above. If the four corners of the receiving hole have recesses, the component is less likely to get caught when being placed in the receiving hole. Note that the recesses are not taken into consideration when determining the center of gravity of the receiving hole.

[0038] When the shape of the accommodation hole is a rectangular parallelepiped, it is preferable that the accommodation hole be a through hole. When the accommodation hole is a rectangular parallelepiped and a through hole, the transport rotor can be placed on a support table (described later) to prevent components from falling out of the accommodation hole, and an opening / closing mechanism provided on the support table can easily adjust the holding and ejection of components.

[0039] If the receiving hole is not a through-hole, the component received in the receiving hole may be removed from the transport rotor by a method such as vacuum suction.

[0040] The number of receiving holes constituting the receiving hole row is preferably a multiple of 16. When the number of receiving holes constituting the receiving hole row is a multiple of 16, it is compatible with the hexadecimal number system commonly used in computers, and it becomes easier to manage component information obtained from the image sensor by a computer.

[0041] An example of the shape of the accommodation hole will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a top view showing a schematic diagram of an example of the accommodation hole. The accommodation hole 21a shown in Figure 3 is a cylindrical accommodation hole with a diameter D.

[0042] Fig. 4 is a top view showing another example of the accommodation hole 21b, which is a rectangular accommodation hole in plan view, with a longitudinal dimension of 1 and a width dimension of w.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a top view showing another example of a receiving hole. The receiving hole 21c shown in Fig. 5 is a receiving hole having a generally rectangular shape in plan view, with outwardly bulging depressions 121 provided at the four corners. Providing depressions at the four corners of a generally rectangular receiving hole in plan view reduces the likelihood of component improper placement due to component getting caught when the component is placed in the receiving hole.

[0044] There may be a plurality of rows of accommodation holes. If a plurality of rows of accommodation holes are provided, the number of accommodation holes formed in the main surface of the disk member can be increased.

[0045] Fig. 6 is a plan view schematically showing another example of a transport rotor of the present invention. The transport rotor 2 shown in Fig. 6 includes a disk member 10 and a plurality of accommodating hole rows 20 provided in a main surface 10a of the disk member 10. The accommodating hole row 20 constituting the transport rotor 2 is composed of a plurality of accommodating holes 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f aligned in a straight line, similar to the accommodating hole row 20 constituting the transport rotor 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0046] When determining the acute angle between each hole row and the radial line at point A, the end point (point A) closest to the center of the disk member and the radial line extending from the center of the disk member through point A are determined individually for each hole row. In the transfer rotor 2 shown in Figure 6, the acute angles formed by the radial line (not shown) and the hole row 20 at point A are both 20°.

[0047] When the transport rotor has multiple rows of storage holes, the acute angles formed by the radial lines and the rows of storage holes at point A may be the same or different for the multiple rows of storage holes, but are preferably the same.

[0048] The plurality of rows of receiving holes are preferably arranged at approximately equal intervals. Here, "equally spaced" means that when one reference row of receiving holes is rotated around the center O of the disk member, the rotation angle until the adjacent rows of receiving holes overlap is approximately equal for each adjacent row of receiving holes.

[0049] For example, in the transport rotor 2 shown in Fig. 6, one accommodating hole row 20 can be rotated in increments of 14.4° around the center O of the disk member 10 to overlap with an adjacent accommodating hole row 20. Therefore, in the transport rotor 2 shown in Fig. 6, multiple accommodating hole rows 20 can be said to be provided at equal intervals of 14.4°.

[0050] 6 is a circle formed by rotating point A shown in FIG. 1 around the center O of the disk member 10. Therefore, the end points of the row of receiving holes 20 are on circle B, and the receiving holes are provided only outside circle B.

[0051] The arrangement interval (angle) between adjacent rows of receiving holes is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1° or more and 30° or less.

[0052] (Components) Components to be inspected by the visual inspection device of the present invention will be described. The components to be inspected by the visual inspection device of the present invention are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include electronic components such as multilayer ceramic capacitors, resistors, inductors, and thermistors.

[0053] The components are not limited to electronic components, but may be components that do not have internal electrodes, electronic components in the middle of manufacturing, etc.

[0054] The shape of the component is not particularly limited, but is preferably a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The component may be provided with external electrodes.

[0055] The part may have, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a width dimension (W dimension) and a thickness dimension (T dimension) of 0.1 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less, and a length dimension (L dimension) of 0.2 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less.

[0056] [Visual Inspection Apparatus] The visual inspection apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising the transport rotor of the present invention, a rotation mechanism that rotates and drives the transport rotor, a vibration mechanism that vibrates the transport rotor, and an image sensor that inspects the parts accommodated in the accommodation holes. Because the visual inspection apparatus of the present invention is equipped with the transport rotor of the present invention, it is possible to handle parts at higher speeds than conventional, and thus enable faster visual inspection than conventional.

[0057] Fig. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the appearance inspection apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a side view of the appearance inspection apparatus shown in Fig. 7. The appearance inspection apparatus 100 includes a transport rotor 2, a rotation mechanism 15 that rotates the transport rotor 2, a vibration mechanism 40 that vibrates the transport rotor 2, and an image sensor 50 that inspects the components housed in the housing holes. The transport rotor 2 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the image sensor 50 side (the curved arrow in Fig. 7 indicates the direction in which the transport rotor 2 rotates). The transport rotor 2 is the transport rotor of the present invention described in Fig. 6.

[0058] A storage plate 35 is provided on the main surface of the transport rotor 2. The storage plate 35 forms a storage section in which the components 5 are stored. However, the storage plate 35 is fixed in a predetermined position regardless of the rotation of the transport rotor 2, and does not rotate in accordance with the rotation of the transport rotor 2. Therefore, the position of the storage section is also fixed. When a storage hole provided in the transport rotor 2 passes under the storage section, the component 5 is stored in the storage hole.

[0059] The components 5 accommodated in the accommodation holes are transported to an inspection area A where the components 5 are inspected by an image sensor 50 as the transport rotor 2 rotates. ｉ Inspection Area A ｉ In the step 10, information about the component 5 is acquired by an image sensor, and the external shape is inspected.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation mechanism 15 has a drive unit (not shown), a shaft 15 a that transmits power from the drive unit, and a connection unit 15 b that connects the shaft 15 a to the transport rotor 2 .

[0061] 8, the transport rotor 2 is supported by a support table 30. However, the support table 30 is not connected to the shaft 15a and does not rotate together with the transport rotor 2. Therefore, the transport rotor 2 slides on the surface of the support table 30.

[0062] A vibration mechanism 40 is provided around the rotation axis of the transport rotor 2. By applying vibration to the transport rotor 2 by the vibration mechanism 40, the components 5 are more easily accommodated in the accommodation holes.

[0063] A plate-like member 70 and a light source 60 are disposed at a position facing the image sensor 50 across the transport rotor 2. The light source 60 emits light toward the transport rotor 2, thereby improving the inspection accuracy of the image sensor 50. Note that the inspection area A shown in FIG. ｉ The support table 30 and the plate-like member 70 at the positions corresponding to the positions are made of a light-transmitting material, and the light emitted from the light source 60 can reach the receiving hole.

[0064] After the component 5 has been inspected by the image sensor 50, it is ejected below the transport rotor 2 and the support table 30 (in the direction of gravity) by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) provided on the support table 30. The ejected component 5 passes through the plate-like member 70 and the chute 80 and is housed in a case (not shown).

[0065] (Transport rotor) The visual inspection device of the present invention includes the transport rotor of the present invention. The main surface of the transport rotor is preferably inclined at an angle of 45° or more and less than 90° with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the main surface of the transport rotor is preferably inclined at an angle of more than 0° and less than 45° with respect to the horizontal direction. When the inclination angle of the main surface of the transport rotor with respect to the vertical or horizontal direction is within the above range, components are easily accommodated in the accommodation holes of the transport rotor. Note that the main surface of the transport rotor is the same as the main surface of the disk member that constitutes the transport rotor.

[0066] (Storage section) It is preferable that a storage section for storing components is provided on the main surface of the transport rotor. As the transport rotor rotates, the components are stored in the storage holes when the storage holes pass under the storage section. The provision of the storage section makes it easier to store components in the storage holes.

[0067] (Rotation Mechanism) The rotation mechanism is a mechanism that drives the transport rotor to rotate, and includes, for example, a drive unit, a shaft that transmits power from the drive unit, and a connection unit that connects the shaft and the transport rotor.

[0068] The driving unit may be, for example, a motor.

[0069] The rotation speed of the transfer rotor by the rotation mechanism is preferably 3 rpm or more and 100 rpm or less.

[0070] The direction of rotation of the transport rotor by the rotation mechanism is not particularly limited. For example, when the transport rotor is viewed from the image sensor side, if the acute angle formed by the radial line and the row of accommodation holes at point A on the transport rotor is located to the right of the radial line, and if rotating the transport rotor to the right (clockwise) is defined as the forward direction and rotating the transport rotor to the left (counterclockwise) is defined as the reverse direction, then the rotation direction of the transport rotor may be either the forward direction or the reverse direction.

[0071] (Vibration mechanism) The vibration mechanism is a mechanism that vibrates the transport rotor. By vibrating the transport rotor with the vibration mechanism, it becomes easier for components to be accommodated in the accommodation holes. In addition, by vibrating the transport rotor with the vibration mechanism, components that have stuck to the surface of the transport rotor can be shaken off.

[0072] The vibration direction applied to the transport rotor by the vibration mechanism is preferably substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation applied to the transport rotor by the rotation mechanism. When the vibration direction applied to the transport rotor by the vibration mechanism is in this direction, components are more likely to be accommodated in the accommodation holes.

[0073] The vibration mechanism preferably includes a cam mechanism, which converts rotary motion into linear motion (vibration) using, for example, a rotary plate cam that is elliptical in plan view.

[0074] The rotation axis of the rotary plate cam is perpendicular to the direction of vibration generated by the rotary plate cam. Therefore, by bringing the rotation axis of the rotary plate cam into contact with the rotation axis of the transport rotor so that it is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the transport rotor, the transport rotor can be vibrated in a direction approximately parallel to the rotation axis of the transport rotor.

[0075] The amplitude of the vibration by the vibration mechanism is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less. Furthermore, the amplitude of the vibration by the vibration mechanism is preferably, for example, 150% or more and 300% or less of the longest dimension of the component.

[0076] The frequency of the vibration generated by the vibration mechanism is preferably 10 Hz or more and 25 Hz or less.

[0077] The driving method of the vibration mechanism is not particularly limited, and examples include the cam mechanism described above, a magnet type, a piezoelectric element type, etc. Among these, the piezoelectric element type is preferred.

[0078] The vibration mechanism may vibrate the transport rotor directly, or may vibrate the transport rotor indirectly via a support table, which will be described later.

[0079] (Support Table) The visual inspection device of the present invention may be provided with a support table that supports the bottom surface of the transport rotor. By providing a support table that supports the transport rotor at its bottom surface, deformation of the transport rotor can be prevented. By combining a support table that supports the transport rotor at its bottom surface with a transport rotor whose accommodation holes are through holes, components can be held in the accommodation holes. Note that if the accommodation holes are blind holes, the support table is not required.

[0080] The support table is preferably configured to slide relative to the transport rotor, in which case the support table does not rotate like the transport rotor.

[0081] The shape of the support table is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the support table has substantially the same shape as the transport rotor, for example, a substantially circular flat plate shape in plan view.

[0082] The material of the support table is not particularly limited, but the same material as the transport rotor can be preferably used. However, the portion of the support table that overlaps the area where the image sensor is used to inspect the appearance of the component is preferably made of a light-transmitting material. This configuration makes it possible to irradiate light toward the component from the side opposite the image sensor when inspecting the component's appearance with the image sensor.

[0083] (Image Sensor) The image sensor is preferably provided at a position where it can acquire information about the components accommodated in the accommodation holes of the transport rotor.

[0084] By acquiring information about the components accommodated in the accommodation holes of the transport rotor using an image sensor, it is possible to perform an appearance inspection of the components and detect (inspect) cracks or chips in the components.

[0085] The information about the component acquired by the image sensor depends on the type and arrangement of the image sensor, but may include, for example, the outer shape.

[0086] By comparing the external shape of the part acquired by the image sensor with a predetermined external shape of the part, it is possible to determine whether the part has cracks, chips, etc. In addition, it is also possible to count the number of parts.

[0087] Examples of the image sensor include a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor and a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, and the like. A plurality of these may be included.

[0088] The image sensor is preferably a line sensor, which is a sensor in which a plurality of image pickup elements are arranged in a line.

[0089] (Light Source) The visual inspection device of the present invention may further include a light source that irradiates the transport rotor with light.

[0090] The light source is preferably positioned opposite the image sensor across the transport rotor. In this case, light emitted from the light source and transmitted through the support table is blocked by the transport rotor and the components accommodated in the accommodation holes. Therefore, light from the light source passes through the gap between the accommodation hole and the component, making it easier to recognize the external shape of the component and improving the inspection accuracy of the visual inspection. In addition, counting the number of components is also easier.

[0091] As the light source, various types of lighting such as dome lighting and ring lighting can be used, but bar lighting (also called line lighting) is preferred.

[0092] When the light source is a bar light (line light), it is preferable to arrange the light source so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the direction in which the row of accommodating holes extends (row direction). In this case, it is preferable that the length of the light source in the longitudinal direction is equal to or greater than the length of the row of accommodating holes.

[0093] The light source preferably includes at least a portion of the wavelength range, for example, from 400 nm to 1200 nm.

[0094] The light source may be any light source that emits at least some of the wavelengths described above, and examples thereof include a light emitting diode, a halogen lamp, an HID lamp, a low pressure discharge lamp, and a xenon lamp.

[0095] (Hopper) A hopper for supplying parts to the storage section of the transport rotor may be installed near the storage section of the transport rotor.

[0096] The approximate number of parts in the storage section of the transfer rotor may be detected by a camera or sensor, and when the number decreases, parts may be supplied from the hopper.

[0097] (Opening / Closing Mechanism) In the visual inspection apparatus of the present invention, the support table may be equipped with an opening / closing mechanism. The opening / closing mechanism is a mechanism that adjusts the holding and ejection of components accommodated in the accommodation holes of the transport rotor by opening and closing. For example, the components accommodated in the accommodation holes can be ejected by opening the opening / closing plate, and the components accommodated in the accommodation holes can be held by closing the opening / closing plate. Therefore, by opening and closing the opening / closing plate, it is possible to selectively hold and eject components that have completed inspection. The holding and ejection of components may be determined taking into account the results of component inspection by the image sensor.

[0098] (Case) The visual inspection device of the present invention may further include a case, which is a container for accommodating the parts ejected by the opening / closing mechanism of the support table.

[0099] The shape of the case is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a sliding lid on the surface.

[0100] The sliding lid may be linked to the placement of the case in a predetermined position. For example, the sliding lid may be closed before the case is placed in the predetermined position, but may be configured to open when the case is placed in the predetermined position. This configuration can prevent impurities other than the components from entering the case.

[0101] An RFID tag may be attached to the case, and information about the components (model number, dimensions, quantity, etc.) may be written on the RFID tag as needed.

[0102] When an RFID tag is attached to the case, the visual inspection device preferably further includes an RFID reader / writer. The RFID reader / writer is preferably located near the case. Information about the components to be housed in the case may be written in advance, and this information may be read after the case is set up, or information about the housed components (model number, dimensions, quantity, etc.) may be written.

[0103] (Chute) A chute may be disposed between the support table and the case to collect the parts discharged by the opening / closing mechanism of the support table and guide them to the case. By disposing the chute between the support table and the case, the parts discharged by the opening / closing mechanism of the support table can be reliably accommodated in the case.

[0104] The chute is preferably funnel-shaped with a large opening at the entrance located on the support table side and a small opening at the exit located on the case side.

[0105] The chute may have a vibration mechanism, which can prevent clogging of the chute with parts.

[0106] When a chute is provided between the support table and the case, multiple cases may be installed. When multiple cases are installed, once all of the components to be accommodated in a first case have been accommodated, the first case that has been accommodated may be moved, the connection between the chute and the first case may be disconnected, and another empty case (second case) may be moved and connected to the chute. Alternatively, the chute may be moved instead of the first case, the connection between the chute and the first case may be disconnected, and the chute may be connected to the second case.

[0107] (Plate-like Member) The visual inspection device of the present invention may further include a light-transmitting plate-like member.

[0108] The plate-like member is configured to guide the parts ejected by the opening and closing mechanism of the support table to the chute or case described above.

[0109] The plate-like member is preferably disposed between the light source and the image sensor, so that the plate-like member does not prevent the light emitted from the light source from reaching the support table and the transport rotor.

[0110] The plate-like member is preferably provided below the support table. It is also preferably provided between the support table and the chute, or between the support table and the case. By providing a light-transmitting plate-like member in the above position, parts ejected by the support table's opening / closing mechanism can be guided to the chute or case without having to locate the chute or case directly below the support table. Furthermore, the light emitted from the light source is not prevented from reaching the support table and the transport rotor.

[0111] The material constituting the plate-like member may be any light-transmitting material, such as resin or glass.

[0112] It is preferable that a coating layer be provided on the surface of the plate-like member that comes into contact with the component. When a coating layer is provided on the surface, the sliding property between the surface of the plate-like member and the component is improved, and the transportation (movement) of the component can be stabilized. In addition, even if dirt adheres to the surface of the plate-like member, it can be easily removed.

[0113] (Guide Plate) A guide plate may be further provided on the outer peripheral edge of the transport rotor to rotate the outer peripheral edge of the transport rotor along the outer periphery of the support table.

[0114] The guide plate can adjust the position of the transport rotor so that it rotates along the support plate, and can also suppress warping of the transport rotor.

[0115] The shape of the guide plate is not particularly limited, but examples include a shape that protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the transport rotor toward the support plate and further covers the outer peripheral edge of the support plate from the outside, or a shape that not only covers the outer peripheral edge of the support plate but also covers part of the main surface of the support plate on the side that does not face the transport rotor from the outside.

[0116] The guide plate may be provided on the outer circumferential edge of the support plate, rather than on the outer circumferential edge of the transport rotor.

[0117] This specification discloses the following inventions:

[0118] The present disclosure (1) is a conveying rotor comprising: a disk member having a main surface; and a plurality of accommodating holes for accommodating components, the plurality of accommodating holes being provided on the main surface of the disk member; a row of accommodating holes being formed on the main surface of the disk member, the row of accommodating holes being arranged in a straight line; and when the end point of the row of accommodating holes closest to the center of the disk member is set to point A, and a ray is assumed to extend from the center of the disk member through point A, the ray and the row of accommodating holes intersect at point A, and the acute angle formed by the ray and the row of accommodating holes at point A is greater than or equal to 1° and less than 90°.

[0119] The present disclosure (2) is the transport rotor according to the present disclosure (1), wherein the accommodation hole is a substantially cylindrical through-hole.

[0120] The present disclosure (3) is a conveying rotor described in the present disclosure (1), in which the shape of the accommodating hole is approximately rectangular, the dimension of the accommodating hole in the row direction, which is the direction in which the row of accommodating holes extends, is larger than the dimension of the accommodating hole in the normal direction perpendicular to the row direction, and when the accommodating hole is viewed from above, a recess that bulges outward is provided at the four corners of the accommodating hole.

[0121] The present disclosure (4) is the transport rotor according to the present disclosure (3), in which the accommodation hole is a through hole.

[0122] The present disclosure (5) is a conveying rotor that is an arbitrary combination with any of the present disclosures (1) to (4), in which the number of the accommodation holes that make up the accommodation hole row is a multiple of 16.

[0123] The present disclosure (6) is a conveying rotor in any combination with any of the present disclosures (1) to (5), in which a plurality of rows of the accommodation holes are provided on the main surface of the disk member.

[0124] The present disclosure (7) is an appearance inspection device characterized by comprising a conveying rotor that is any combination of any of the present disclosures (1) to (6), a rotation mechanism that rotates the conveying rotor, a vibration mechanism that vibrates the conveying rotor, and an image sensor that inspects the parts housed in the housing hole.

[0125] The present disclosure (8) is an appearance inspection device described in the present disclosure (7), wherein the vibration direction applied to the conveying rotor by the vibration mechanism is a direction approximately parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation applied to the conveying rotor by the rotation mechanism.

[0126] The present disclosure (9) is an appearance inspection device according to the present disclosure (7) or (8), wherein the main surface of the disk member is inclined at an angle of 45° or more and less than 90° with respect to the vertical direction.

[0127] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 2 Conveying rotor 5 Part 10 Disk member 10a, 10b Main surface of disk member 10c Circumference of disk member 15 Rotation mechanism 15a Shaft 15b Connection portion 20 Accommodating hole row 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f, 21a, 21b, 21c Accommodating hole 30 Support table 35 Storage plate 40 Vibration mechanism 50 Image sensor 60 Light source 70 Plate-shaped member 80 Shooter 100 Appearance inspection device 121 Depression A End point of the accommodating hole row closest to the center of the disk member A ｉ Inspection area B Circle created by rotating point A around the center of the disk member C １ Point C extends from point A along a radial line to the circumference of the disk member. ２ Point extending from point A along the row direction of the accommodation hole row to the circumference of the disc member L: Direction in which the accommodation holes constituting the accommodation hole row are aligned (row direction) O: Center of the disc member R: Radial line l: Longitudinal dimension of the accommodation hole D: Diameter of the accommodation hole w: Shortitudinal dimension of the accommodation hole

Claims

1. A transport rotor comprising: a disk member having a main surface; and a plurality of accommodating holes for accommodating components, the main surface of the disk member being provided with an accommodating hole row in which the accommodating holes are aligned in a straight line; when the end point of the accommodating hole row closest to the center of the disk member is defined as point A, and a ray is imagined extending from the center of the disk member through point A, the ray and the accommodating hole row intersect at point A, and the acute angle formed by the ray and the accommodating hole row at point A is greater than or equal to 1° and less than 90°.

2. The transport rotor according to claim 1, wherein the accommodation hole is a substantially cylindrical through-hole.

3. A transport rotor as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of the accommodating hole is approximately rectangular, the dimension of the accommodating hole in the row direction in which the row of accommodating holes extends is larger than the dimension of the accommodating hole in a normal direction perpendicular to the row direction, and when the accommodating hole is viewed from above, depressions that bulge outward are provided at the four corners of the accommodating hole.

4. The transport rotor according to claim 3, wherein the accommodation hole is a through hole.

5. A transport rotor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number of said accommodation holes constituting said accommodation hole row is a multiple of 16.

6. A transport rotor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of rows of the accommodation holes are provided on the main surface of the disk member.

7. An appearance inspection device comprising: a transport rotor according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a rotation mechanism for driving the transport rotor to rotate; a vibration mechanism for vibrating the transport rotor; and an image sensor for inspecting components accommodated in the accommodation holes.

8. The visual inspection device according to claim 7, wherein the vibration direction applied to the transport rotor by the vibration mechanism is a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis applied to the transport rotor by the rotation mechanism.

9. The visual inspection device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the main surface of the disk member is inclined at an angle of 45° or more and less than 90° with respect to the vertical direction.

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