Inspection device, inspection system, and inspection method

Abstract

 An inspection device according to the present disclosure is a device for inspecting the assembly state of a component assembled onto a substrate from the front side, the inspection device comprising: a camera for capturing an image of the substrate from the rear side; and a determination unit for determining the quality of the assembly state of the component on the basis of the captured image from the camera.

Description

Inspection device, inspection system, and inspection method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection device, an inspection system, and an inspection method.

[0002] Snap-fit ​​locking pins with a pair of hooks at their tips are widely used as components for assembling components to substrates. When assembling components using this type of locking pin, the component is first aligned with the substrate, and the locking pin is inserted into a through hole that penetrates from the front surface of the component to the back surface of the substrate. The pair of hooks at the tip of the locking pin contract against the inner circumferential wall of the through hole as it passes through the through hole. When the tip of the locking pin passes through the through hole and reaches the back side of the substrate, the pair of hooks at the tip expand due to a restoring force, preventing the locking pin from withdrawing from the through hole, thereby securing the component to the substrate. However, if the locking pin is inserted into the through hole with an improper depth or orientation, the hooks at the tip of the locking pin may not open properly and may easily withdraw from the through hole. Therefore, a visual inspection of the insertion status of the locking pin is required after the assembly process of inserting the locking pin into the through hole. However, in the visual inspection process, the product is removed from the line, which lengthens the manufacturing lead time, and there are cases where inspection is missed due to human error. Therefore, technologies have been proposed to automatically inspect the insertion and removal of fixation pins and their insertion status (for example, see Patent Document 1). For example, it is possible to use a laser displacement meter to measure the height of the fixation pin and determine whether the fixation pin is inserted properly. However, the tolerance of the part significantly affects the result of the pass / fail judgment, and the part where the fixation pin is measured is not necessarily flat, so it is not possible to determine the insertion status of the fixation pin with high accuracy.

[0003] Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 05-034509

[0004] There is a need to propose a technique for inspecting with high precision the assembly state of a component that is assembled to a base material using a fixture such as a fixing pin.

[0005] The inspection device according to the present disclosure is a device for inspecting the assembly state of parts assembled to a substrate from the front side, and is equipped with a camera that photographs the substrate from the back side, and a judgment unit that judges whether the assembly state of the parts is good or bad based on the image captured by the camera.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an inspection system including an inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of inspection processing for an inspection target product by the inspection system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an inspection target product to be inspected by the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional configuration diagram of the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a determination processing result by the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a determination processing result by the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a determination processing result by the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of an inspection system including the inspection device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of inspection processing by the inspection system of FIG. 11.

[0007] The inspection device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

[0008] 1 shows an example of an inspection system including an inspection device according to this embodiment. The inspection system 1 has an inspection device 6 that inspects the assembly state of a component that has been assembled to a substrate using a fixing pin inserted from the surface side. The inspection device 6 is composed of a photographing device 7 that photographs an article (an inspection target) in which the component has been assembled to the substrate, and a judgment device 8 that judges whether the assembly state of the component to the substrate in the inspection target is good or bad based on the image photographed by the photographing device 7.

[0009] The inspection system 1 also includes a carry-in robot 2 that carries an item to be inspected into the imaging device 7, a control device 3 that controls the carry-in robot 2, an infrared sensor 9 that detects that the item to be inspected has been set in the imaging device 7, an unloading robot 4 that carries the item to be inspected that has been set in the imaging device 7 to a position according to the determination result by the determination device 8, a control device 5 that controls the unloading robot 4, and an overall control device 10. The imaging device 7 (inspection device 6) is disposed between the carry-in robot 2 and the unloading robot 4. In other words, the carry-in robot 2 and the unloading robot 4 are disposed so as to face each other with the inspection device 6 in between.

[0010] The inspection procedure for the inspection target item by the inspection system 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 . The overall control device 10 controls the carry-in robot 2, the infrared sensor 9, the inspection device 6, and the carry-out robot 4 in an overall manner. As shown in FIG. 2 , the overall control device 10 transmits an instruction to the control device 3 of the carry-in robot 2 to carry the inspection target item into the inspection device 6 (S11). The overall control device 10 waits for a predetermined waiting time to elapse to receive a signal from the infrared sensor 9 indicating that the inspection target item has been set in the inspection device 6 (S12; No, S13; No). If the signal is not received even after the predetermined waiting time elapses (S13; Yes), the overall control device 10 resends the carry-in instruction to the control device 3 of the carry-in robot 2. Upon receiving a signal from the infrared sensor 9 indicating that the inspection target item has been set in the inspection device 6 (S12; Yes), the overall control device 10 transmits an instruction to the inspection device 6 to determine whether the inspection target item is good or bad (S14). When the judgment result input from the inspection device 6 is "good" (S15; Yes), the overall control device 10 transmits an instruction to the control device 5 of the carry-out robot 4 to carry out the inspection target from the inspection device 6 to the first position (S16). On the other hand, when the judgment result input from the inspection device 6 is not "good" (S15; No), the overall control device 10 transmits an instruction to the control device 5 of the carry-out robot 4 to carry out the inspection target from the inspection device 6 to the second position (S17). The processes of steps S11 to S17 are repeatedly executed as long as there are uninspected inspection target items remaining (S18; Yes). When there are no more uninspected inspection target items (S18; No), the inspection process of the inspection target items by the inspection system 1 is terminated. Note that when the judgment result is not "good" (S15; No), the overall control device 10 may notify the operator that the inspection target item is defective and temporarily suspend the inspection process. As a means for notifying the worker, various notification means are employed, such as emitting a warning sound, displaying a warning screen, turning on a warning light, etc.

[0011] In addition, the inspection system 1 may have one robot, and the one robot may be configured to perform the operation of transporting the inspection target item to the imaging device 7 and the operation of transporting the inspection target item from the imaging device 7.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an inspection target 100 to be inspected by the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , the inspection target 100 has a component 120 attached to the surface of a substrate 110 using a fixing pin 90. Specifically, the substrate 110 and the component 120 have through holes that penetrate from the surface to the back surface. By aligning the component 120 with the substrate 110, the through holes in the substrate 110 and the component 120 communicate with each other, forming an assembly hole that penetrates from the surface of the component 120 to the back surface of the substrate 110. The fixing pin 90 is inserted into this assembly hole. The fixing pin 90 has a hook portion at its tip that has an umbrella-like shape and serves as a snap-fit ​​structure. When the fixing pin 90 is inserted into the assembly hole, its tip reaches beyond the back surface of the substrate 110, and the umbrella-shaped hook portion spreads outward beyond the assembly hole, thereby hooking onto the back surface of the substrate 110 and preventing the fixing pin 90 from coming out of the assembly hole. As a result, the position of the component 120 relative to the substrate 110 is fixed.

[0013] Specifically, the fixing pin 90 has a shaft portion 91, a head portion 92 connected to the rear end of the shaft portion 91, a connecting portion 93 extending forward from the tip of the shaft portion 91, and a hook portion 94 provided at the tip of the connecting portion 93. The shaft portion 91 is configured as a cylinder having a diameter approximately equal to that of an assembly hole into which the fixing pin 90 is inserted. The head portion 92 is configured as a disk having a diameter longer than that of the shaft portion 91. The connecting portion 93 is configured as a cylinder having a diameter shorter than that of the shaft portion 91. The hook portion 94 is composed of a pair of hook pieces 95, 96. The pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are provided at the tip of the connecting portion 93 toward the rear end of the connecting portion 93, symmetrically with respect to the center line of the shaft portion 91. Each of the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 is configured to be elastically deformable in a direction toward the center line of the shaft portion 91. Each of the hook pieces 95, 96 is formed as a plate-like member and is provided at the tip of the connecting portion 93, extending toward the rear end of the connecting portion 93. Steps 95a, 96a, respectively, are provided on the outer surfaces of the hook pieces 95, 96 as fitting portions. The pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are in an open state in a steady state where no load is applied, and the distance between the tips of the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 is longer than the diameter of the assembly hole into which the fixing pin 90 is inserted. When the fixing pin 90 is inserted into the assembly hole, the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are pressed toward the center line of the shaft portion 91 by the inner circumferential wall of the assembly hole and elastically deform. At this time, the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are in a closed state. When the tip of the fixing pin 90 passes through the assembly hole, the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are released from the restriction imposed by the inner circumferential wall of the assembly hole and open due to their restoring force. At this time, the steps 95 a and 96 a serving as locking portions provided on the pair of hook pieces 95 and 96, respectively, fit onto the periphery of the assembly hole, preventing the fixing pin 90 from slipping out of the assembly hole. As a result, the component 120 is fixed to and assembled on the base material 110.

[0014] The camera 65 photographs the inspection target from its rear side. The image captured by the camera 65 includes an area corresponding to the tip of the fixing pin 90. The area corresponding to the tip of the fixing pin 90 is extracted from the photographed image, and the degree of opening of the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 is determined based on the area corresponding to the tip of the fixing pin 90, thereby determining whether the component 120 is properly assembled to the substrate 110. Note that the type of fixing tool used for the inspection target is not limited to this embodiment, as long as the fastening state of the fixing tool, i.e., the assembly state of the inspection target, can be determined based on the area corresponding to the tip of the fixing tool that appears in the photographed image, more specifically, based on at least one of the shape and area of ​​the area corresponding to the tip of the fixing tool that appears in the photographed image. For example, an umbrella-shaped hook portion having a snap-fit ​​structure may have three or more hook pieces arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the fixing tool may be a rivet, a grommet, or the like, which deforms its tip to prevent it from coming loose. The fastener may be a ball lock pin or other such pin that is provided on the peripheral surface near the tip of the pin and has a radially movable member that protrudes from the peripheral surface of the pin to prevent it from coming loose. The fastener may also be a pin called a phase lock pin or index pin that determines the fastening state based on the phase of rotation. The fastener may also be a split pin or snap pin that uses a separate anti-slip member that is separate from the fastening pin.

[0015] The appearance of the inspection device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a perspective view and a front view, respectively, of the inspection device (photography device). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inspection device 6 (photography device 7) has a frame 60. The frame 60 is supported by a plurality of legs 64. The upper portion of the frame 60 is provided with a stage 61 for placing the inspection target 100 and a plurality of guides 62 for positioning the inspection target 100 placed on the stage 61. An infrared sensor 9 is attached to the back surface of the stage 61 to detect that the inspection target 100 has been placed on the stage 61. The stage 61 has an opening so that a portion of the back surface of the inspection target 100 (including the assembly hole) is exposed downward. Here, the stage 61 is composed of four stage sections, which are positioned to support the four corners of the inspection target 100. As a result, the central portion of the back surface of the inspection target 100 is exposed downward.

[0016] A camera 65 for capturing an image of the rear surface of the inspection target 100 and a movement mechanism 70 for moving the camera 65 along two orthogonal axes that define a horizontal plane are provided in the lower portion of the frame 60, below the stage 61. Typically, the movement mechanism 70 is configured with a biaxial actuator having two sets of slider / rail mechanisms. The biaxial actuators correspond to the two orthogonal axes (X-axis and Y-axis) that define the horizontal plane. Specifically, a first support plate 71 is attached to the frame 60 parallel to the horizontal plane. A first rail 72 constituting a first slider / rail mechanism is attached to the first support plate 71 along the X-axis, and a second support plate 74 is attached parallel to the horizontal plane to a first slider block 73 that is movable on the first rail 72. A second rail 75 constituting a second slider-rail mechanism is attached to the second support plate 74 along the Y-axis, and a third support plate 77 is attached to a second slider block 76 that is movable on the second rail 75, perpendicular to the horizontal plane. A camera 65 is attached to the third support plate 77 so that its imaging axis faces vertically upward. The camera 65 preferably has a telecentric lens. This reduces image changes due to positioning errors of the inspection target 100 and parallax caused by bending due to its own weight, thereby preventing a decrease in inspection accuracy.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the inspection device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the inspection device 6 includes a processor 21. The processor 21 includes a RAM 22, a ROM 23, a storage device 24, and an interface 25 via a system bus 20. A camera, a movement mechanism, and a control device are connected to the processor 21 via the interface 25. The processor 21 is configured, for example, with a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The RAM 22 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the processor 21. The ROM 23 stores a basic input output system (BIOS) and an operating system program (OS) executed by the processor 21. The storage device 24 stores various data required for inspection processing, such as an imaging control program for the camera 65, a movement control program for the movement mechanism 70, a judgment program for judging the quality of the assembly state of components on the substrate of the inspection target product, and data on images captured by the camera 65. The various data stored in the storage device 24 may be recorded on a removable medium (non-temporary storage medium) such as a USB and distributed to the user, or may be distributed by being downloaded to the inspection device via a network.

[0018] The functional configuration of the inspection device according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the processor 21 executes a judgment program stored in the storage device 24, thereby functioning as an overall control unit 111 that comprehensively controls the processing of each unit involved in the judgment processing, a preprocessing unit 113 that performs preprocessing such as image resizing, resolution conversion, and color correction on an image of the back surface of the inspection target 100 captured by the camera 65, a judgment unit 115 that judges whether the assembly state of the component 120 on the substrate 110 is good or bad based on the image of the back surface of the inspection target 100 preprocessed by the preprocessing unit 113, and a transmission processing unit 117 that transmits the judgment result by the judgment unit 115 to the overall control device 10.

[0019] The determination process by the determination unit 115 will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the determination process result by the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the inspection target item 100, an image portion including the tip region of the fixing pin 90 in the captured image 200, and an enlarged view of the image portion including the tip region of the fixing pin 90.

[0020] 8A is a photographed image showing a state in which the steps 95a, 96a corresponding to the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 are fitted onto the periphery of the assembly hole, and the fixing pin 90 is correctly inserted into the assembly hole. FIG. 8A shows an image when the evaluation process result is "good."

[0021] 8B is a photographed image corresponding to a state in which neither of the steps 95 a, 96 a provided on the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 is fitted onto the periphery of the assembly hole, and the fixing pin 90 is not properly inserted into the assembly hole. FIG. 8B shows an image when the determination process result is “No.”

[0022] 8C is a photographed image corresponding to a state in which only the step 95a on one hook piece 95 of the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 is fitted into the periphery of the assembly hole, and the step 96a on the other hook piece 96 is not fitted into the periphery of the assembly hole, that is, the fixing pin 90 is not properly inserted into the assembly hole. FIG. 8C shows an image when the determination process result is "no."

[0023] The determination unit 115 extracts the tip region 90' of the fixing pin 90 corresponding to the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 from the captured image 200, and determines whether the assembly state of the component 120 to the substrate 110 is good or bad based on the state of the tip region 90'. More specifically, the determination unit 115 determines whether the assembly state of the component 120 to the substrate 110 is good or bad based on the area of ​​the tip region 90'. For example, the determination unit 115 identifies a circular frame 150 corresponding to the periphery of the assembly hole from the captured image 200. The determination unit 115 then calculates the areas of two partial regions of the tip region 90' that extend to the left and right of the circular frame 150, and compares the areas of the two partial regions with a threshold. If the areas of both partial regions are equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 115 determines that the assembly state of the component 120 to the substrate 110 is "good." When the area of ​​at least one of the two partial regions is less than the threshold value, the determination unit 115 determines that the assembly state of the component 120 on the substrate 110 is "not good."

[0024] As shown in FIG. 8A , the tip region 90′ extends beyond the frame line 150 on both the left and right sides. Of the tip region 90′, two partial regions 95′ and 96′ extending beyond the frame line 150 on both the left and right sides represent the tip portions of a pair of hook pieces 95 and 96, respectively. The determination unit 115 calculates the areas of the two partial regions 95′ and 96′ and compares them with a threshold value. When the areas of the two partial regions 95′ and 96′ are both equal to or greater than the threshold value, the determination unit 115 determines that the pair of hook pieces 95 and 96 of the fixing pin 90 are fully open and engaged with the periphery of the assembly hole, preventing the fixing pin 90 from coming out of the assembly hole, and determines that the assembly condition of the component 120 on the substrate 110 is “good.”

[0025] 8( b), the tip region 90′ does not protrude beyond the frame line 150. The determination unit 115 calculates the areas of the two partial regions 95′, 96′ and compares them with a threshold value. When the areas of the two partial regions 95′, 96′ are both zero and less than the threshold value, the determination unit 115 determines that the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 of the fixing pin 90 are not fully opened, and there is a possibility that the fixing pin 90 may come out of the assembly hole, and determines that the assembly state of the component 120 to the base material 110 is “not good.”

[0026] As shown in Figure 8(c) , the tip region 90' protrudes from the frame line 150 on only one side. Of the tip region 90', one partial region 95' protruding from the frame line 150 on one side represents one of the hook pieces 95. The determination unit 115 calculates the areas of the two partial regions 95', 96' and compares them with a threshold value. When the area of ​​the partial region 96' is zero and less than the threshold value, the determination unit 115 determines that the pair of hook pieces 95, 96 of the fixing pin 90 are not fully opened, and there is a possibility that the fixing pin 90 may come out of the assembly hole, and determines that the assembly state of the component 120 to the substrate 110 is "not good."

[0027] Of course, the method of determination is not limited to this embodiment as long as it is possible to determine whether the assembly state of the component 120 on the base material 110 is good or bad. In the above, the area of ​​the partial region where the tip region 90' of the fixing pin 90 protrudes outward from the circular frame line 150 corresponding to the periphery of the assembly hole is used, but the area of ​​the tip region 90' may also be used. Furthermore, the quality of the assembly state of the component 120 on the base material 110 may be determined based on the length of protrusion of the tip region 90' of the fixing pin 90 outward from the circular frame line 150 corresponding to the periphery of the assembly hole in the captured image.

[0028] Furthermore, determination unit 115 may determine whether the state of assembly of component 120 to substrate 110 is good or bad based on the shape of the tip region of the fastener. For example, pattern matching processing is one method of using the shape of the tip region of the fastener that appears in the captured image.

[0029] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing other examples of the results of the determination process performed by the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 shows an example in which a rivet 130 is used as a fastener instead of the fixing pin 90. Fig. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the inspection target 100, a captured image 200 of the inspection target 100 taken from the backside, and an enlarged view of an image portion in the captured image 200 that includes the tip region of the rivet 130.

[0030] The captured image 200 shows a tip region 131' corresponding to the tip portion 131 of the rivet 130. The determination unit 115 extracts the tip region 131' from the captured image 200 and performs pattern matching processing on the shape of the tip region 131'. If the shape of the tip region 131' matches or is highly similar to a shape pattern corresponding to a "good" assembly state that has been registered in advance, the determination unit 115 determines that the assembly state of the component 120 with respect to the base material 110 is "good."

[0031] 9( a), for example, when the shape of tip region 131' corresponding to tip portion 131 of rivet 130 shown in photographed image 200 is close to a circular circle, it is determined that tip portion 131 of rivet 130 has been properly crushed and that rivet 130 will not come out of the assembly hole, and determination unit 115 determines the assembly state of component 120 to base material 110 to be "good." As shown in FIG. 9( b), for example, when tip region 131' corresponding to tip portion 131 of rivet 130 shown in photographed image 200 is elliptical, it is determined that tip portion 131 of rivet 130 has not been properly crushed and that there is a possibility that rivet 130 may come out of the assembly hole, and determination unit 115 determines the assembly state of component 120 to base material 110 to be "bad."

[0032] Fig. 10 shows an example in which a fixture 140 having four claws (hook pieces) is used instead of the fixing pin 90. Fig. 10 shows a captured image 200 of the inspection target product 100 photographed from the backside, and an enlarged view of an image portion in the captured image 200 that includes the tip region of the fixture 140.

[0033] Captured image 200 shows four regions 141', 142', 143', and 144' corresponding to four hook pieces 141, 142, 143, and 144 of fastener 140, respectively. Determination unit 115 extracts four regions 141', 142', 143', and 144' from captured image 200 and performs pattern matching processing on the shapes of four regions 141', 142', 143', and 144'. If the shapes of four regions 141', 142', 143', and 144' match or are highly similar to a shape pattern corresponding to a pre-registered assembly state of "good," it is determined that the four hook pieces 141, 142, 143, and 144 of fastener 140 are fully open and engaged with the periphery of the assembly hole, and the assembly state of component 120 to substrate 110 is "good."

[0034] As shown in Figure 10 (a), for example, when the overall shape of the four areas 141', 142', 143', and 144' corresponding to the four hook pieces 141, 142, 143, and 144 of the fixing device 140, which appear in the captured image 200, is a circular ring shape, the judgment unit 115 judges that the assembly status of the part 120 to the substrate 110 is "good." As shown in Figure 10 (b), for example, when the overall shape of the four regions 141', 142', 143', and 144' corresponding to the four hook pieces 141, 142, 143, and 144 of the fixing device 140 shown in the captured image 200 is deformed from a circular ring shape, the four hook pieces 141, 142, 143, and 144 of the fixing device 140 are not fully opened, and there is a possibility that the fixing device 140 may come out of the assembly hole, the judgment unit 115 judges that the assembly state of the part 120 to the substrate 110 is "not good."

[0035] There are cases where it is not possible to determine whether the state of assembly of component 120 to substrate 110 is good or bad based solely on the area of ​​the tip region of the fastener that appears in photographed image 200. In such cases, it is effective to use the shape of the tip region of the fastener that appears in photographed image 200. Of course, both the area and the shape may be used in the above determination.

[0036] Machine learning may be used as a method for determining whether the assembly state of the component 120 on the substrate 110 is good. For example, the quality of the assembly state of the component 120 on the substrate 110 may be determined using a trained model that has been trained using, as labeled training data, a plurality of captured images of the component 120 when the assembly state of the component 120 on the substrate 110 is good.

[0037] The inventors discovered that the assembly state of an inspection target 100 using a fixing pin 90 having a snap-fit ​​structure at its tip can be inspected based on the state of a hook portion 94 provided at the tip of the fixing pin 90 on the back side of the inspection target 100. Specifically, the inventors discovered that if the hook portion 94 provided at the tip of the fixing pin 90 used for assembly opens outward from the assembly hole on the back side of the inspection target 100, the assembly state of the inspection target 100 is good, and if the hook portion 94 provided at the tip of the fixing pin 90 used for assembly does not open outward from the assembly hole or does not open enough, the assembly state of the inspection target 100 is bad. This discovery led the inventors to invent the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment.

[0038] According to the inspection device 6 of this embodiment, the assembly state of the inspection target 100 assembled using the fixing pins 90 having snap-fit ​​structures at their tips can be inspected based on a captured image of the back surface of the inspection target 100. One feature of the present application is that the assembly state of the inspection target 100, in which the component 120 is assembled on the front surface side of the substrate 110, can be inspected based on an image captured from the back surface side, rather than an image captured from the front surface side. This feature allows the camera 65 in the inspection device 6 to be positioned below the stage 61 so that the imaging direction faces upward. In other words, during the process of assembling the component 120 on the substrate 110, the assembly state of the inspection target 100 can be inspected while maintaining the orientation at which the fixing pins 90 were inserted. This eliminates the need to turn the component 120 upside down after the assembly process, thereby shortening the overall manufacturing time. Furthermore, even if the assembly state of the product to be inspected is defective, because the component 120 is placed on the substrate 110, the component 120 will not fall to the floor, preventing damage to the component 120. Furthermore, because the camera 65 can be placed below the stage 61, the risk of the carry-in robot 2 and the carry-out robot 4 colliding with the camera 65 can be reduced compared to when the camera 65 is placed in a position overlooking the stage 61.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1 , an inspection system 1 has been described in which an inspection device 6 according to this embodiment is combined with a carry-in robot 2 and a carry-out robot 4. However, the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment is also suitable for use in combination with a robot for assembly work. FIG. 11 shows another example of an inspection system including the inspection device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11 , the inspection system 1′ includes the inspection device 6 according to this embodiment, an assembly robot 11 equipped with a pushing hand as an end effector, and a control device 13 that controls the assembly robot 11. An inspection target 100 is set on the stage 61 of the inspection device 6 with its front surface facing upward. In the inspection target 100 set on the stage 61, a component 120 is assembled on the surface of a substrate 110. Therefore, the robot 11 can re-press the fixing pins 90 used in the inspection target 100 from the front surface while the inspection target 100 remains set in the inspection device 6.

[0040] The inspection procedure for the inspection target 100 by the inspection system 1' will be described below with reference to FIG. 12 . The overall control device 10' controls the assembly robot 11, the infrared sensor 9, and the inspection device 6 in an overall manner. As shown in FIG. 12 , the overall control device 10' waits until it receives a signal from the infrared sensor 9 indicating that the inspection target 100 has been set in the inspection device 6 (S31; No). Upon receiving the signal (S31; Yes), the overall control device 10' transmits a pass / fail determination instruction to the inspection device 6 (S32). When it receives a signal indicating a "fail" determination result from the inspection device 6 (S33; No), the overall control device 10' transmits an instruction to the control device 13 of the assembly robot 11 to push in the fixing pin 90 again (S34), and the process returns to step S32. When it receives a signal indicating a "pass" determination result from the inspection device 6 (S33; Yes), the inspection process for the inspection target 100 by the inspection system 1' is terminated.

[0041] According to the inspection system 1', if the assembly state of the inspection target 100 is defective, the assembly robot 11 can repeatedly perform the work of pushing in the fixing pin 90 until the assembly state is determined to be good. This makes it possible to reduce the number of inspection target 100 with defective assembly states. Furthermore, the inspection target 100 whose inspection result is determined to be defective by the inspection device 6 can be inspected again by the assembly robot 11 to push in the fixing pin 90 while it is still set in the inspection device 6 without being moved, thereby reducing the time required for redoing the inspection.

[0042] The inspection system 1' shown in FIG. 11 may be configured to add the carry-in robot 2 and the carry-out robot 4 that constitute the inspection system 1 shown in FIG.

[0043] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding this embodiment and its modified examples. (Supplementary Note 1) The inspection device 6 inspects the assembly state of a component assembled to a substrate from the front side. The inspection device 6 includes a camera 65 that photographs the substrate from the back side, and a determination unit 115 that determines whether the assembly state of the component is good or bad based on the image captured by the camera 65. (Supplementary Note 2) In the inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 1, a component is inserted into the substrate from the front side and fixed by a fixing pin whose tip extends beyond the back side, and the determination unit 115 determines whether the assembly state of the component is good or bad based on the state of the tip region of the fixing pin extracted from the captured image. (Supplementary Note 3) In the inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 2, the determination unit 115 determines whether the assembly state of the component is good or bad based on at least one of the area and shape of the tip region of the fixing pin extracted from the captured image. (Supplementary Note 4) The inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 1 further includes a stage 61 on which an inspection target, which is formed by assembling components onto a substrate from the front side, is placed with the front side facing upward, and a camera 65 is disposed below the stage 61 and facing upward. (Supplementary Note 5) The inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 4 further includes a movement mechanism 70 that moves the camera 65 along two orthogonal axes in a horizontal plane. (Supplementary Note 6) An inspection system 1 includes the inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 5, a first robot 2 that carries an inspection target, which is formed by assembling components onto a substrate from the front side, into the inspection device 6, and a second robot 4 that carries the inspection target out of the inspection device 6. The first robot 2 and the second robot 4 face each other across the inspection device 6. (Supplementary Note 7) The inspection system 1 includes the inspection device 6 described in Supplementary Note 4 or Supplementary Note 5, and a robot 11 that assembles components onto a substrate. The robot 11 repeats the work of assembling parts onto the inspection target placed on the stage 61 until the result of the judgment by the judgment unit 115 is good. (Appendix 8) This is an inspection method for inspecting the assembly state of parts assembled onto a substrate from the front side, in which the substrate is photographed from the back side with a camera 65, and the quality of the assembly state of the parts is judged based on the image photographed by the camera 65.

[0044] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention or the concept and spirit of the present invention derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0045] 1...inspection system, 2...carry-in robot, 3...control device, 4...carry-out robot, 5...control device, 6...inspection device, 7...imaging device (inspection device main body), 8...determination device, 9...infrared sensor, 10...overall control device, 90...fixing pin, 91...shaft portion, 93...connecting portion, 94...hook portion, 95, 96...hook pieces, 95a, 96a...fitting portion (step), 100...item to be inspected, 110...substrate, 111...overall control device, 113...pre-processing portion, 115...determination portion, 117...transmission processing portion, 120...component

Claims

1. An inspection device that inspects the assembly state of a part that has been assembled to a substrate from the front side, comprising: a camera that photographs the substrate from the back side; and a judgment unit that judges whether the assembly state of the part is good or bad based on the image photographed by the camera.

2. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the component is inserted into the base material from the front side and fixed by a fixing pin whose tip reaches beyond the back side, and the judgment unit judges whether the assembly state of the component is good or bad based on the state of the tip area of ​​the fixing pin extracted from the captured image.

3. The inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the judgment unit judges whether the assembly state of the component is good or bad based on at least one of the area and shape of the tip region of the fixing pin extracted from the captured image.

4. The inspection device of claim 1, further comprising a stage for placing an inspection object, which is formed by assembling the component onto the substrate from the front surface side, with the front surface facing upward, and the camera is disposed below the stage, facing upward.

5. The inspection device according to claim 4, further comprising a movement mechanism for moving the camera along two orthogonal axes in a horizontal plane.

6. An inspection system comprising: an inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a first robot that carries an inspection object, which is formed by assembling the component onto the surface side of the base material, into an inspection position of the inspection device; and a second robot that carries the inspection object out of the inspection device, the first robot and the second robot facing each other with the inspection device in between.

7. An inspection system comprising: the inspection device according to claim 4 or 5; and a robot that assembles the parts onto the base material, wherein the robot repeats the work of assembling the parts onto the inspection target product placed on the stage until the result of the judgment by the judgment unit is good.

8. An inspection method for inspecting the assembly state of a part assembled to a substrate from the front side, comprising: photographing the substrate from the back side with a camera; and judging whether the assembly state of the part is good or bad based on the image photographed by the camera.

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