Appearance Inspection Route Planning for Pre-Adjusted Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing appearance inspection systems lengthen inspection time due to the need to adjust imaging conditions after arriving at each target position, as they do not consider changes in imaging conditions when moving between multiple inspection positions.
Innovation Solution
An appearance inspection system that includes a robot with an imaging device, an imaging position decision unit, an imaging condition decision unit, and a control part, which sets a route allowing the imaging device to change conditions before arriving at each position, ensuring instantaneous imaging by pre-adjusting focus, zoom, diaphragm, shutter speed, resolution, gain, or illumination based on pre-decided correlations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the imaging condition is changed after arrival at the imaging position, then the imaging position and posture optimization is achieved, but the inspection time is lengthened due to temporary stop of imaging device operation
Solution Approach 1:
The control part starts changing the imaging condition (focus position, zoom magnification, diaphragm, shutter speed, resolution, gain, or illumination luminescent color) before the imaging device arrives at the next imaging position. This preliminary action ensures that the imaging condition is already optimized when the device reaches the position, eliminating the need to stop for condition changes and thereby reducing inspection time while maintaining imaging precision.
2Measurement precision
If the imaging condition is changed for each inspection target position, then the imaging quality is optimized, but the operation complexity increases due to multiple condition adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The control part merges the imaging condition change process with the movement process by initiating condition changes during the transit between imaging positions. This consolidation of operations reduces the number of separate steps required, simplifying the overall operation while maintaining optimized imaging quality at each position.
3Loss of time
If the route is set to allow condition change during movement, then the inspection time is shortened, but the system complexity increases due to coordinated control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The control part uses feedback from the imaging device's position and movement status to dynamically adjust the timing and progression of imaging condition changes. This feedback mechanism ensures that condition changes are synchronized with the device's movement along the route, enabling time optimization without requiring overly complex manual coordination.
Data Source
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AI summary
An appearance inspection system (1) includes a setting part (67), a movement mechanism (30), and a control part (14, 16). The setting part (67) sets a route passing through imaging positions in order. The setting part (67) sets the route so that a first time necessary for the movement mechanism (30) to move an imaging device (10) from a first imaging position to a second imaging position is longer than a second time necessary for a process of changing a first imaging condition corresponding to the first imaging position to a second imaging condition corresponding to the second imaging position by the control part (14, 16). The control part (14, 16) starts the process of changing the first imaging condition to the second imaging condition earlier by the second time or more than a scheduled time at which the imaging device (10) arrives at the second imaging position.