JP2010054231A - Device and system for inspecting foreign matter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for inspecting a foreign matter for accurately and speedily inspecting a foreign matter even when the foreign matter mixes with beverage filled into a vessel having ribs longitudinally and laterally. <P>SOLUTION: The device 1 for inspecting the foreign matter acquires an image from a side surface side of the vessel B having transmission filled with a content, and inspects existence of the foreign matter in the vessel B based on the image. The device 1 includes a center camera 4b for imaging it from the perpendicular direction with respect to the center axis AX of the vessel B, an upper camera 4a for imaging it from a position displaced upward by a predetermined angle with respect to the imaging direction of the center camera 4b, a lower camera 4c for imaging it from a position displaced downward by the predetermined angle with respect to the imaging direction of the center camera 4b, and a light source 3 disposed on the opposite side to each camera 4 with respect to the vessel B. Each camera 4 has an optical system 5 for simultaneously imaging a front image F of the vessel B, a left side image L displaced left side by the predetermined angle with respect to the front image F, a right side image R displaced right side by the predetermined angle with respect to the front image F. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a foreign matter inspection apparatus and a foreign matter inspection system for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter mixed in a beverage filled in a container.

There is known a foreign substance inspection apparatus that inspects the presence or absence of foreign substances mixed in a beverage filled in a container (for example, Patent Document 1 or 2). In these apparatuses, the container is imaged using one or a plurality of cameras, and the presence or absence of foreign matter is inspected based on the captured image.
JP 2003-315280 A JP 2006-308437 A

  In the container, ribs are formed on the body portion to ensure strength. However, depending on the position of the ribs in one camera, a foreign object may not be captured. Since the ribs are provided in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, if the two cameras are installed side by side in the horizontal direction, the horizontal ribs may become blind spots and foreign matter may not be imaged. In addition, if a large number of cameras are installed according to the vertical and horizontal ribs, the number of images to be captured increases, which imposes a burden on image processing.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a foreign matter inspection apparatus and a foreign matter inspection system that can inspect even a foreign matter mixed in a beverage filled in a container provided with ribs vertically and horizontally with high accuracy and high speed.

  The foreign matter inspection apparatus of the present invention acquires an image from the side surface of a permeable container (B) filled with contents, and checks the presence or absence of opaque foreign matter in the container based on the image. In the apparatus (1), a first image pickup means (4b) for picking up an image from a direction perpendicular to the central axis (AX) of the container, and a predetermined angle upward with respect to the image pickup direction of the first image pickup means A second imaging means (4a) for imaging from a shifted position, a third imaging means (4c) for imaging from a position shifted downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the imaging direction of the first imaging means, Illumination means (3) provided opposite to the first, second and third imaging means across a container, and each of the first, second and third imaging means includes the By changing the optical path between each imaging means and the container, a front image of the container (F And a left side image (L) shifted to the left by a predetermined angle around the central axis of the container with respect to the front image, and a right angle shifted to the right by a predetermined angle around the central axis of the container with respect to the front image. The above problem is solved by providing the optical path changing means (5) for simultaneously capturing the right side image (R).

  According to the foreign matter inspection apparatus of the present invention, images of different imaging directions in the vertical direction can be obtained by imaging the container with the first, second, and third imaging means having different installation angles in the vertical direction. When the container has a rib in the horizontal direction, imaging from one direction cannot cope with the phenomenon that the foreign matter existing around the rib disappears or the foreign matter is imaged small, but the angle is different in the vertical direction. Therefore, a foreign object can be captured with an image from either direction. In addition, since each imaging unit images the front image, the left side image, and the right side image of the container at the same time, images with different imaging directions in the left and right directions can be obtained. Even when the container is provided with longitudinal ribs, foreign objects can be captured by images from either direction for the same reason as the lateral ribs. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from being overlooked by the ribs with the images of the containers with a total of nine different imaging directions. Since images having different imaging directions in the left-right direction can be obtained as a single image by the optical path changing unit, the number of imaging units can be reduced, and image processing can be simplified. Therefore, the presence / absence of a foreign substance in the container can be inspected with high accuracy and high speed.

  In one form of the foreign matter inspection apparatus of the present invention, the optical path changing means includes a front optical system (6) having a plurality of mirrors that projects the front image, and a left side optical that has a plurality of mirrors that project the left side image. A system (7) and a right side optical system (8) having a plurality of mirrors that reflect the right side image may be provided. According to this aspect, it is possible to adjust the position, size, imaging direction, and the like of the front image, the left side image, and the right side image captured by each imaging unit by each optical system.

  One form of the foreign material inspection apparatus of this invention WHEREIN: The said illumination means may irradiate the illumination light of an infrared region. According to this aspect, by using the illumination light in the infrared region, the illumination light is transmitted through the container including the contents that are difficult to transmit visible light, and foreign matters can be captured.

  In one form of the foreign matter inspection apparatus of the present invention, the containers are sequentially conveyed by the conveying means (2) that supports the bottom surface of the container, and the first, second, and third imaging means are set at predetermined inspection positions (P You may image the container which reached | attained simultaneously. According to this aspect, in the transport means that supports the bottom surface of the container, since the foreign matter is floating as it is without applying the rotational force to the container, the phenomenon described above due to the influence of the ribs provided vertically and horizontally is present. Although it may occur, since images of a total of nine containers with different imaging directions can be obtained by each imaging means, it is possible to prevent oversight of foreign matter.

  The foreign matter inspection system of the present invention solves the above-described problems by installing the foreign matter inspection device (1) described above on both sides in the transport direction of the transport means (2). According to the foreign matter inspection system of the present invention, the presence or absence of foreign matters can be inspected around the entire circumference of the container by installing the foreign matter inspection devices described above on both side surfaces of the conveying means. Therefore, it is possible to inspect the presence or absence of foreign matter with high accuracy without missing the foreign matter.

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, in the foreign matter inspection apparatus and foreign matter inspection system of the present invention, the container is imaged in the vertical direction by imaging the container with the first, second, and third imaging means having different installation angles in the vertical direction. Images with different imaging directions are obtained. When the container has a rib in the horizontal direction, imaging from one direction cannot cope with the phenomenon that the foreign matter existing around the rib disappears or the foreign matter is imaged small, but the angle is different in the vertical direction. Therefore, a foreign object can be captured with an image from either direction. In addition, since each imaging unit images the front image, the left side image, and the right side image of the container at the same time, images with different imaging directions in the left and right directions can be obtained. Even when the container is provided with longitudinal ribs, foreign objects can be captured by images from either direction for the same reason as the lateral ribs. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from being overlooked by the ribs with the images of the containers with a total of nine different imaging directions. Since images having different imaging directions in the left-right direction can be obtained as a single image by the optical path changing unit, the number of imaging units can be reduced, and image processing can be simplified. Therefore, the presence / absence of a foreign substance in the container can be inspected with high accuracy and high speed.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a foreign substance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The foreign object inspection apparatus 1 is an apparatus that images a container B filled with a liquid such as a beverage and inspects the presence or absence of a foreign object mixed in the container B. The container B is, for example, a plastic bottle that has permeability and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The mouth of the container B filled with the beverage is sealed with a cap CP. The foreign substance inspection apparatus 1 is installed around a conveyor 2 as a conveying means for conveying the container B. The conveyor 2 can transport the containers B along a predetermined transport path, can support the containers B in an upright state without concealing the containers B, and only needs to be able to transport the containers B in a row. The conveyor 2 conveys the container B without applying a rotational force.

  The foreign matter inspection apparatus 1 includes a light source 3 as an illuminating unit that illuminates the container B from the side, and 3 as second, first, and third imaging units that image the container B from three directions, upper, center, and lower. The cameras 4a, 4b, and 4c (represented by reference numeral 4 unless otherwise distinguished) and the container B and each camera 4 are provided between each camera 4 and the front and left sides of the container B. And an optical system 5 as optical path changing means for imaging from the three directions on the right side. The light source 3 may use various known techniques. For example, the light source 3 may be configured as a surface illumination in which a large number of infrared LEDs that irradiate infrared illumination light are arranged.

  The same type of camera is applied to the upper camera 4a that captures images from above, the central camera 4b that captures images from the center, and the lower camera 4c that captures images from below. The camera 4 includes a lens and an image sensor using semiconductor elements such as a CCD and a CMOS, and is a well-known camera that outputs an image signal corresponding to the luminance distribution of the imaging range set in the field of view of the lens. As the camera 4, for example, a CCD camera is used. The imaging direction of the central camera 4b is determined so as to be perpendicular to the central axis AX of the container B and perpendicular to the conveyance direction d (see FIG. 2) of the conveyor 2. In the upper camera 4a, the imaging direction is determined in a direction shifted upward by a predetermined angle from the imaging direction of the central camera 4b, with the center point of the center axis line AX of the container B and the imaging direction of the central camera 4b intersecting. Similarly, in the lower camera 4c, the imaging direction is determined in a direction shifted downward by a predetermined angle from the imaging direction of the central camera 4b around the point where the axis line AX and the imaging direction of the central camera 4b intersect. For example, these predetermined angles are set to ± 7.8 degrees.

  FIG. 2 shows a layout of the optical system 5. FIG. 2 shows the optical system 4 of the central camera 4b. The optical system 5 is provided in each camera 4, and the upper camera 4 a and the lower camera 4 c also have the same optical system 5 as in FIG. 2, and thus description thereof will be omitted, and the optical system 5 of the central camera 4 b will be representatively described. The optical system 5 includes a front image F viewed from the front of the central camera 4b, a left side image L that is shifted to the left by a predetermined angle around the central axis AX of the container B with respect to the front image F, and the front image F. Thus, a plurality of mirrors are provided so that the right side image R shifted rightward by a predetermined angle around the central axis AX of the container B can be simultaneously imaged. Note that these predetermined angles are set to ± 35 degrees as an example.

  The optical system 5 includes a first front mirror 6a that reflects the front image F, a second front mirror 6b that reflects the image reflected on the first front mirror 6a, and a third front mirror 6c that reflects the image reflected on the second front mirror 6b. And a first left side mirror 7a that projects the left side image L, an image that appears on the second left side mirror 7b and an image that appears on the second left side mirror 7b. A left-side optical system 7 having a third left-side mirror 7c for projecting, a first right-side mirror 8a for projecting a right-side image R, a second right-side mirror 8b for projecting an image reflected on the first right-side mirror 8a, and a second 2 and a right side optical system 8 having a third right side mirror 8c for projecting an image reflected on the right side mirror 8b.

  A third front mirror 6c, a third left side mirror 7c, and a third right side mirror 8c are arranged so as to fall within the visual field range A of the central camera 4b. The third front mirror 6c, the third left side mirror 7c, and the third right side mirror 8c are installed with their positions adjusted to divide the visual field range A into approximately three equal parts. Since the same number of mirrors are used for the front optical system 6, the left side optical system 7, and the right side optical system 8, and the optical path lengths are adjusted to be substantially equal, the container B imaged by the central camera 4b. The sizes of the front image F, the left side image L, and the right side image R are substantially the same. The mirrors used in the left side optical system 7 and the right side optical system 8 may be provided symmetrically with respect to the imaging direction of the central camera 4b. The mirror used for each optical system 6, 7, 8 is provided so that the position and angle can be adjusted. The number of mirrors used in each of the optical systems 6, 7, and 8 is not limited to three and may be changed as appropriate.

  The foreign matter inspection apparatus 1 is provided with an image processing apparatus 10. The image processing apparatus 10 is configured as a computer unit having a microprocessor as an example. The image picked up by each camera 4 is output to the image processing apparatus 10 and predetermined processing is executed.

  A foreign matter inspection method using the foreign matter inspection apparatus 1 will be described. It is assumed that the container B is filled with contents having a property of transmitting illumination light from the light source 3. However, it does not matter whether the contents are colored as long as the illumination light is transmitted. Examples of such contents include drinking water, tea, fruit juice, carbonated beverages, and the like. When the containers B sequentially conveyed on the conveyor 2 reach the inspection position P, a front image F, a left side image L, and a right side image R of the containers B are simultaneously captured by the cameras 4. Illumination light from the light source 3 enters the container B, and a transmitted light image of the container B is captured by each camera 4. The captured image is output to the image processing apparatus 10. If the illumination light is irradiated by the light source 3, the illumination light is transmitted through the container B even when the container B is filled with contents that are difficult to transmit visible light, and foreign matter can be captured.

  FIG. 3 shows an image taken by the upper camera 4a, FIG. 4 shows an image taken by the central camera 4b, and FIG. 5 shows an image taken by the lower camera 4c. The image of each camera 4 has a front image Fa obtained by capturing the front image F, a left image La obtained by capturing the left image L, and a right image Ra obtained by capturing the right image R. 3 to 5 are images of the same container B. FIG. When the opaque foreign matter X1 exists in the vicinity of the lateral rib Ba provided in the center of the container B, the foreign matter X1 disappears due to the lateral rib Ba in the image of the central camera 4b shown in FIG. In the image of the lower camera 4c shown in FIG. 3 to 5, a line extending from the foreign object X1 is for supporting the foreign object X1 inside the container B. The images in FIGS. 3 to 5 are examples, and the cameras that capture the foreign matter are different depending on the positional relationship between the foreign matter and the lateral rib. In this way, when the container B is imaged by the cameras 4a, 4b, and 4c having different installation angles in the vertical direction, the foreign matter disappears due to the influence of light refraction by the lateral rib, or the foreign matter is imaged small. Can prevent foreign objects from being overlooked.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of an image captured by the central camera 4b. In the image of FIG. 6, due to the unevenness of the longitudinal rib Bb provided on the body portion of the container B, the opaque foreign matter X2 present in the vicinity of the longitudinal rib Bb is captured small in the front image Fa. On the other hand, in the left side image La captured by changing the angle in the left-right direction, the foreign object X2 is captured with a size that can be sufficiently recognized. In this way, by imaging the container B while changing the angle of the imaging direction in the left-right direction, the horizontal direction can also be applied to a phenomenon in which foreign matter disappears due to the influence of light refraction by the longitudinal ribs or the foreign matter is imaged small. Corresponding to the rib, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from being overlooked. Note that the influence of the longitudinal ribs does not cause a difference even if the imaging directions are different in the vertical direction, so that it is possible to deal with the disappearance of foreign matters due to the longitudinal ribs using the image captured by the central camera 4b. . That is, using the images of a total of three containers B in which the front image F, the left side image L, and the right side image R of the container B are captured by each camera 4, It is possible to inspect foreign objects while preventing oversight. When a foreign object is found in any one of a total of nine container B images included in a total of three images, it is evaluated that there is a foreign object. If no foreign matter is found in all the images, it is evaluated that there is no foreign matter.

  Various known techniques may be used to detect the foreign matter. For example, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of foreign matter by setting a threshold value between the brightness of the foreign matter and the brightness of other portions to binarize the image and inspecting the presence or absence of black spots in the binarized image. The inspection can be automated by executing such foreign object detection processing by the image processing apparatus 10.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described form and can be implemented in various forms. For example, in this embodiment, one side of the conveyor 2 in the conveying direction and the inspection area for a half circumference of the container B are covered, but a similar device may be installed on the other side. By providing the two foreign matter inspection devices 1 symmetrically with respect to the conveyor 2, the presence or absence of foreign matter can be inspected around the entire container B. Further, the present invention is not limited to the conveyor 2, and may be applied to conveying means such as a star wheel device as long as the inspection region of the container B is not hidden from each camera 4. In this embodiment, the example in which the front optical system 6 is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the front image F is directly captured from between the third left side mirror 7c and the third right side mirror 8c. The adjustment may be performed without providing the front optical system 6.

1 is a schematic diagram of a foreign substance inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The layout of an optical system. The figure which shows an example of the image imaged with an upper camera. The figure which shows an example of the image imaged with a center camera. The figure which shows an example of the image imaged with a downward camera. The figure which shows an example of the image imaged with a center camera.

Explanation of symbols

1 Foreign object inspection device 2 Conveyor (conveyance means)
3 Light source (illumination means)
4a Upper camera (second imaging means)
4b Central camera (first imaging means)
4c Lower camera (third imaging means)
5 Optical system (light path changing means)
10 Image processing apparatus AX Center axis B Container F Front image L Left side image R Right side image

Claims (5)

In a foreign matter inspection apparatus that acquires an image from the side surface of a permeable container filled with contents and inspects for the presence or absence of opaque foreign matter in the container based on the image,
First imaging means for imaging from a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the container;
Second imaging means for imaging from a position shifted upward by a predetermined angle with respect to the imaging direction of the first imaging means;
Third imaging means for imaging from a position shifted downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the imaging direction of the first imaging means;
Illumination means provided opposite the first, second and third imaging means across the container;
With
In each of the first, second and third imaging means, the optical path between each imaging means and the container is changed, and the front image of the container and the front image of the container are changed. Optical path changing means for simultaneously capturing a left side image shifted to the left by a predetermined angle around the central axis and a right side image shifted to the right by a predetermined angle around the central axis of the container with respect to the front image A foreign matter inspection apparatus characterized by comprising:   The optical path changing means includes a front optical system having a plurality of mirrors that project the front image, a left side optical system that has a plurality of mirrors that project the left side image, and a plurality of mirrors that project the right side image. The foreign matter inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a right side optical system.   The foreign matter inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination unit irradiates infrared illumination light.   2. The container is sequentially transported by a transport unit that supports a bottom surface of the container, and the first, second, and third imaging units simultaneously image the container that has reached a predetermined inspection position. The foreign matter inspection device according to any one of?   5. The foreign matter inspection system according to claim 4, wherein the foreign matter inspection device according to claim 4 is installed on each side surface of the transport means in the transport direction.