JP6962658B2 - Visual inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of a work.

Conventionally, as an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of a work, a device in which a camera is attached to the tip of an arm of a multi-axis robot is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-75534

However, if such a multi-axis robot is installed on an inspection line and an attempt is made to visually inspect the inspection object from the surroundings, there is a problem that the equipment becomes large and the maintainability is not good. In addition, in order for the multi-axis robot to perform the desired movement, it is necessary to perform a work called teaching in which the movement path of the camera and the work movement (work procedure) are learned in advance, which causes a problem that the operation becomes complicated. there were.

Therefore, in view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a visual inspection apparatus capable of simplifying the structure and reducing the size, and improving maintainability and operability.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an appearance inspection device for inspecting the appearance of a work, which is provided on a rotating body that rotates and moves around the work and a rotating body for imaging the work. and an imaging apparatus, the rotating body is in a state in which the in the circumferential direction a portion of the region of possess an opening for loading and unloading the workpiece relative to the examination position, the opening is directed in a predetermined direction , The work is carried into the inspection position in the rotating body through the opening, and after the work is imaged by the imaging device, the work is carried out from the inspection position through the opening facing a direction different from the predetermined direction. I will provide a.

Since the image pickup device is provided on the rotating body that moves around the work, the image pickup device can be arranged at a desired position and the inspection portion of the work can be imaged by rotating the rotating body. As described above, according to the visual inspection device according to the present invention, the work can be efficiently imaged from its surroundings with a simple configuration in which the image pickup device is provided on the rotating body.

According to the present invention, the configuration of the visual inspection device can be simplified, and the device can be downsized. In addition, maintainability and operability are improved.

It is a front view of the appearance inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the visual inspection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a visual inspection apparatus. It is a flowchart of operation of a visual inspection apparatus. It is a top view which shows the state which carried in the engine to an inspection position. It is a top view which shows the state which rotated the rotating body for visual inspection. It is a front view which shows the state which raised the rotating body for visual inspection. It is a top view which shows the state which changed the rotating body to the carry-out posture. It is a top view which shows the state which carried out the engine from an inspection position.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the visual inspection device according to the present invention will be described by taking as an example a visual inspection device for inspecting the appearance of an automobile engine.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the visual inspection device 1 includes a conveyor 2 as a transport means, a plurality of cameras 3 as an image pickup device, a rotating body 4, a rotating mechanism 5 for rotating the rotating body 4, and the like. The main configuration is an elevating mechanism 6 for elevating and lowering the rotating body 4 and a base 7.

The conveyor 2 has two horizontally installed rails 8 and a conveyor 9 that moves along these rails 8. The transport table 9 is composed of a plate-shaped portion 10 movably provided on the rail 8 and a columnar portion 11 provided on the plate-shaped portion 10. When the engine E, which is a work (object to be inspected), is held on the upper part of the columnar portion 11, the transfer table 9 moves on the rail 8, so that the engine E moves from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 2) of the transfer path. It is transported to the downstream side (right side in FIG. 2). Further, the conveyor 2 is provided with a mechanism for allocating the engine E into a non-defective product and a defective product on the downstream side of the transport path (not shown).

The rotating body 4 is composed of a frame member formed in a C shape (ended ring shape or partial arc shape), and is horizontally supported on the transport path of the conveyor 2. Cameras 3 are provided on both ends 4a and 4b of the rotating body 4 in the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction), respectively. Each camera 3 is attached to the rotating body 4 via a swing arm 12 as a swing member. The base end of the swing arm 12 is swingably attached to the rotating body 4, and the camera 3 is swingably attached to the tip of the swing arm 12. The swing arm 12 and the camera 3 swing around their respective swing axes, so that the distance and angle of the camera 3 with respect to the engine E are adjusted to a distance and angle suitable for imaging.

In the present embodiment, two cameras 3 are provided, but the number of cameras 3 may be one or three or more. Further, the installation location of the camera 3 with respect to the rotating body 4 can be changed as appropriate. Further, the length of the rotating body 4 can be changed according to the number of cameras 3 and the installation location. For example, the rotating body 4 may have a semicircular shape or an arc shape shorter than the semicircle.

The elevating mechanism 6 is composed of a plurality of cylinder devices 13 provided on the base 7, and a pair of elevating plates 14 provided at the upper ends of the vertically moving piston rods 13a of the plurality of cylinder devices 13. .. A rotating body 4 is supported on the pair of elevating plates 14 so as to straddle the elevating plate 14, and when the piston rod 13a moves up and down, the rotating body 4 rises or falls together with the elevating plate 14.

The rotation mechanism 5 has a plurality of guide rollers 15 as rotation support members that rotatably support the rotating body 4. The plurality of guide rollers 15 are rotatably provided on each of the elevating plates 14, and are arranged so as to come into contact with the outer peripheral edge or the inner peripheral edge of the rotating body 4. In this way, the guide roller 15 is in contact with the outer peripheral edge or the inner peripheral edge of the rotating body 4, so that the rotating body 4 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side by the plurality of guide rollers 15. It is supported. Further, at least a part of the plurality of guide rollers 15 functions as a drive roller that is rotationally driven by a drive source such as a motor. When the drive roller is rotationally driven, the driving force is transmitted to the rotating body 4, and the rotating body 4 rotates in the direction of arrow A or the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. Further, as another embodiment from the present embodiment, a guide gear may be provided instead of the guide roller 15, and a gear portion that meshes with the guide gear may be provided on the outer peripheral edge and the inner peripheral edge of the rotating body 4.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the appearance inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 20 that controls the operations of the conveyor 2, the rotation mechanism 5, the elevating mechanism 6, the camera 3, and the swing arm 12, and an inspection target. An input unit 21 for inputting information such as the type of engine and its inspection location, a reference information storage unit 22 for storing information that serves as a reference for quality determination, a determination unit 23 for determining the quality of the engine, and a determination unit 23. It is provided with a determination result storage unit 24 for storing the determination result according to the above.

The control unit 20 controls the operations of the rotation mechanism 5, the elevating mechanism 6 and the swing arm 12 so that the inspection point input by the input unit 21 can be imaged by the camera 3, and arranges the camera 3 at a desired position. .. Further, the control unit 20 controls the distribution function of the conveyor 2 based on the quality determination result obtained from the determination unit 23. The determination unit 23 compares the reference information stored in the reference information storage unit 22 with the image captured by the camera 3, and determines the presence / absence of parts to be assembled to the engine, the number of assembled parts, and the orientation. , Check the layout, etc., and judge the quality of the engine. The information stored in the reference information storage unit 22 is, for example, image information of a non-defective product in which a portion corresponding to an inspection portion is imaged.

Hereinafter, the operation of the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the engine to which various parts are assembled is installed on the conveyor and the conveyor starts to convey the engine, a carry-in process of bringing the engine into an inspection position capable of visual inspection is performed (Step 1 in FIG. 4). ).

In the carry-in step, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating body 4 first waits for the opening 4c (a portion where a part of the ring is interrupted) in a carry-in posture facing the upstream side in the work transport direction. Further, at this time, the rotating body 4 is arranged at a height that does not interfere with the engine E and the transport base 9 even when the engine E is transported, specifically, at the most lowered position shown in FIG. In this state, when the engine E is transported downstream, the engine E and the transport base 9 pass through the opening 4c of the rotating body 4, and as shown in FIG. 5, the engine E is the inner circumference of the rotating body 4. It is delivered to the inspection position on the area.

When the engine is brought into the inspection position, the drive of the conveyor is temporarily stopped, and the process shifts to the step of imaging the inspection point by the camera (Step 2 in FIG. 4). In the imaging step, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotating body 4 is rotated clockwise, or as shown in FIG. 7, the rotating body 4 is raised, or both the rotating body 4 is rotated and raised. This moves the camera 3 to a position corresponding to the desired inspection position. Then, when the cameras are placed at positions corresponding to the desired inspection points, the swing arm moves the two cameras or one of them to adjust the distance and angle to an appropriate distance, and the inspection points are imaged by the cameras. It is said. The inspection location of the engine is input to the above input unit (see FIG. 3) by the operator in advance before the visual inspection is started, and the control unit operates the rotating body or the like based on the input information of the inspection location. Controls the movement of the swing arm.

Furthermore, when there are other inspection points (when "NO" in Step 3 of FIG. 4), the rotating body is rotated or raised or lowered to place the camera at a desired position, and the inspection points by the camera are similarly arranged. To take an image of. Then, such an imaging step is repeated until imaging of all the inspection points is completed.

When the imaging of all the inspection points is completed (when "YES" in Step 3 of FIG. 4), the unloading process of unloading the engine from the inspection position is performed (Step 4 of FIG. 4). In the unloading process, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotating body 4 is rotated until it is in a position inverted by 180 ° from the standby posture in the loading process, that is, the opening 4c is in the unloading posture facing the downstream side in the work transport direction. Further, the rotating body 4 is lowered to the same height as in the carrying-in process (see FIG. 1). In this state, the drive of the conveyor is restarted, and as shown in FIG. 9, the engine E is carried out from the inner peripheral region (inspection position) of the rotating body 4 to the downstream side. In the present embodiment, the carry-in route and the carry-out route of the engine are formed in a straight line, but the carry-in route and the carry-out route may be arranged at a relative angle.

Based on the result of the visual inspection, the carried-out engine is sorted into good or bad products on the conveyor. The result of the visual inspection is a quality judgment determined by the above-mentioned determination unit (see FIG. 3). When the imaging by the camera is completed, the image information is sent to the judgment unit, and the judgment unit compares the captured image information with the non-defective image information stored in the reference information storage unit to determine the quality of the engine. It is judged. As a result, when the engine is determined to be a non-defective product (when "YES" in Step 5 of FIG. 4), the engine is transported to the non-defective product transport path by the conveyor (Step 6 of FIG. 4). On the contrary, when the engine is determined to be defective (“NO” in Step 5 of FIG. 4), the engine is sorted from the non-defective product by the conveyor and transported to the defective product transport route (Step 7 of FIG. 4). ).

Further, the result determined by the determination unit is stored in the determination result storage unit (see FIG. 3). The judgment result stored in the judgment result storage unit is associated with the individual identification number assigned to each engine, and the operator sees the information stored in the judgment result storage unit when a defective product occurs. By doing so, it is possible to confirm the defective part and the content of the defect for each engine.

As described above, in the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the camera is provided on the rotating body that moves around the work (engine), the camera can be moved to a desired position simply by rotating the rotating body. It is possible to arrange and image the inspection site. Therefore, many inspection points can be efficiently imaged with a small number of cameras without installing many cameras around the work or using a multi-axis robot that moves in a complicated manner. As a result, the visual inspection device can be miniaturized and the structure can be simplified, and it is not necessary to install a large-scale device using a conventional multi-axis robot.

Further, according to the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the maintainability and operability are improved by simplifying the configuration. In the conventional visual inspection device using the multi-axis robot, it is necessary to perform the teaching work in advance, but in the visual inspection device according to the present embodiment, complicated operations such as the teaching work are not required. It can be controlled by a simple input operation using a control panel or the like, and can be handled even by a non-skilled operator.

Further, in the visual inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment, in order to further reduce the size, the size of the opening of the rotating body is made to correspond to the relatively wide upper portion of each part of the engine. Instead, it corresponds to the relatively narrow lower part and the columnar part of the transport table. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the width W1 of the opening 4c of the rotating body 4 is set to be larger than the width W2 of the lower part of the engine E and the width W3 of the columnar portion 11 of the transport table 9, so that the width is smaller. While allowing at least these parts to pass through, the width of the opening 4c is made as small as possible by making the width smaller than the width W4 (maximum width of the engine) of the upper part of the engine E, and the radial direction of the rotating body 4 The size of is reduced. As a result, the visual inspection device can be further miniaturized.

By the way, in general, in order to accurately image an inspection portion with a camera, it is desirable to create a dark room by surrounding the imaging area with a light-shielding member and perform imaging in the draft room in order to avoid the influence of external light. However, if such a dark room is provided, the equipment becomes large and it is difficult to see the inside when an abnormality occurs, so that there is a demerit in maintenance such as a long recovery work.

Therefore, in the visual inspection device according to the present embodiment, the camera can be swung by using the swing arm, so that the distance and angle of the camera with respect to the work can be adjusted to the optimum distance and angle, and a dark room is provided. It is possible to accurately image the inspection site without it. As a result, it is not necessary to arrange a light-shielding member around the imaging area, it is possible to prevent the equipment from becoming large in size, and it is possible to improve maintainability.

Further, in the visual inspection device according to the present embodiment, in order to reduce the size of the equipment, a laser scanner (not shown) is used as a sensor for safety measures to detect the approach of the worker to the visual inspection device. There is. A laser scanner has a rotating floodlight, and is a reflective optical sensor that detects the intrusion of a worker into a predetermined area by calculating the time it takes for the reflected light of the light beam emitted from the floodlight to return. For example, it is arranged on the floor surface or the like on which the visual inspection device is installed. By using such a laser scanner, a fence is not required as in the case of using a so-called light curtain area sensor in which a plurality of transmissive optical sensors are arranged, so that the equipment can be further miniaturized. Will be.

The visual inspection device according to the present invention has been described above by taking an visual inspection device for inspecting the appearance of an automobile engine as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to a device for inspecting the appearance of a work other than an engine.

1 Visual inspection device 2 Conveyor 3 Camera 4 Rotating body 5 Rotating mechanism 6 Elevating mechanism 7 Base 8 Rail 9 Conveyor 12 Swing arm 13 Cylinder device 14 Elevating plate 15 Guide roller E Engine (work)

Claims (1)

It is an appearance inspection device that inspects the appearance of the work.
A rotating body that rotates and moves around the work,
An image pickup device provided on the rotating body for imaging the work is provided.
The rotating body, have a opening for loading and unloading the workpiece relative to the examination position in some regions in the circumferential direction,
In a state where the opening faces a predetermined direction, the work is carried into the inspection position in the rotating body through the opening, and after imaging of the work by the imaging device, the work moves in the predetermined direction. A visual inspection apparatus characterized in that it is carried out from the inspection position through the opening facing in a different direction from the above.

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