Visual Inspection Device for Rolling Bearings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional visual inspection methods for industrial products with glossy surfaces, such as rolling bearings, face accuracy issues due to the small difference in light reflection between defect-free and defective areas, leading to reduced detection accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A visual inspection device that uses a camera positioned perpendicular to the inspection surface and a lighting device emitting diffused light from a direction different from the camera's shooting direction, enhancing the contrast between reflective and non-reflective regions for improved defect detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a camera faces the inspection surface directly with light emitted in the same direction, then the inspection surface is most efficiently irradiated with light, but the proportion of reflected light into the camera is very high and the difference in light reflection between defective and non-defective regions is very small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the light source and camera at different angles relative to the inspection surface. Specifically, the light is emitted at an angle different from the camera's shooting direction, creating an asymmetric illumination configuration. This asymmetric arrangement reduces the proportion of directly reflected light entering the camera, thereby increasing the contrast between defective and non-defective regions while maintaining efficient surface illumination.
2Productivity
If light is emitted in the same direction as the camera shoots, then the inspection surface is most efficiently irradiated, but the difference in shades in the captured image is small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transitioning from a collinear light-source-camera configuration to an angular configuration where light and camera view directions differ. This dimensional change in the spatial arrangement creates additional contrast information in the captured image by exploiting the angular relationship between illumination and observation, thereby enhancing defect detectability while maintaining inspection efficiency.
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 configuration increases the difference in light reflection between defect-free and defective areas, resulting in higher accuracy of defect detection and improved image analysis for identifying irregularities on glossy surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
Light from a light source is thus emitted to the inspection surface in the same direction as the direction in which the camera shoots the inspection surface. The inspection surface is thus most efficiently irradiated with light. In this case, however, the proportion of the amount of light reflected from the inspection surface into the camera to the amount of light emitted to the inspection surface is very high.
Implementation Method 2
a lighting device that emits light from a light source as diffused light to the first inspection surface in a direction different from a direction in which the camera shoots the first inspection surface
Data Source
AI summary
A visual inspection device is an inspection device using an image obtained by shooting an inspection surface of an object to be inspected with a camera disposed so as to face the inspection surface. The object to be inspected is a rolling bearing and the inspection surface is a surface included in an outer ring of the rolling bearing. A lighting device emits light from a light source as diffused light to the inspection surface in a direction different from a direction in which the camera shoots the inspection surface, and the camera shoots the inspection surface irradiated with the diffused light.