Inspection Machine Transit Zone Lighting for Fault Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional inspection machines are inefficient in detecting diverse types of faults in products, often penalizing productivity when trying to improve fault detection, and struggle to balance efficiency with productivity in packaging lines.
Innovation Solution
The inspection machine employs a dual lighting system with oblique and incident lighting, combined with linear video cameras, to acquire images of products from a transit zone, allowing for efficient detection of various faults by alternating lighting conditions and reconstructing images to highlight faults that may not be visible under single lighting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the rotation speed of the rollers is reduced to optimise the exposure time of products to the video cameras, then the detection efficiency of faults is improved, but the productivity of the packaging line is penalised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using strobe lighting that flashes at specific intervals synchronized with the roller rotation. This allows multiple images to be captured at different illumination conditions (oblique and incident lighting alternating) without requiring the roller to slow down, thus maintaining productivity while improving fault detection capability through varied lighting angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the lighting parameter by alternating between oblique and incident lighting modes. This allows the same product to be imaged under different lighting conditions, enhancing the detection of various fault types (surface faults with oblique light, color/impurity faults with incident light) without modifying the mechanical speed parameters of the system.
2Measurement precision
If traditional single lighting system is used, then the device complexity is low, but the detection efficiency for diverse fault types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic switching between oblique and incident lighting modes rather than maintaining both simultaneously. This temporal multiplexing approach allows the detection of diverse fault types with enhanced capability while keeping the physical device complexity manageable through time-based separation of lighting functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system is designed to serve multiple functions by alternating between oblique and incident illumination modes. A single lighting apparatus performs the work of what would traditionally require separate specialized lighting systems, achieving multi-functionality without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the detection of different types of faults, improving the machine's efficiency and productivity while maintaining a simple and reliable operation, enabling effective identification of surface and color/impurity faults simultaneously without compromising packaging line speed.
Implementation Method 1
at least one first and one second lighting system respectively of the transit zone arranged and configured for the acquisition from the transit zone of a first and a second image respectively
Implementation Method 2
the lighting of said transit zone is piloted stroboscopically alternating the switching on of said first and second lighting system
Data Source
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AI summary
The inspection machine (1) for inspecting the conformity of products (4) comprises a first roller (2) equipped with first housings (3) for positioning the products (4), a second roller (7) parallel and opposite to the first roller (2) equipped with second housings (8) for positioning the products (4), transfer means (10) for transferring the products (4) into an overturned position from the first housings (3) to the second housings (8), a first device (11) for checking the conformity of the products (4) positioned in the first housings(3), a second device (12) for checking the conformity of the products (4) positioned in the second housings (8), at least one of said first and second checking devices (11, 12) comprising an image acquisition system from a transit zone (28, 29) of the products (4) and at least one first and one second lighting system respectively of the transit zone (28, 29) arranged and configured for the acquisition from the transit zone (28, 29) of a first and a second image respectively in each of which the products (4) are positioned substantially at the same spatial coordinates.