JP6596290B2 - Inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an abnormality in the seal area of an object to be inspected in which the contents are wrapped in a translucent packaging material (for example, the contents, the contents are debris, the foreign matter is bitten, the seal is poor (adhesion failure due to wrinkles) And the like).

  For example, in the case of a product in which contents are stored in a bag-shaped packaging material, the opening portion is sealed after the contents are stored in the packaging material. At this time, the contents, the contents of the contents, or foreign matter may be caught in the seal area of the packaging material, and this defective seal product needs to be excluded as a defective product.

  In particular, as a seal part defect detection device for inspecting the presence or absence of a seal failure of a test object by using a product in which the contents are wrapped in a translucent packaging material and sealed. For example, what is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known.

  The seal portion defect detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a light projecting unit and a plurality of light intensity detection units, and uses a difference image based on outputs from the two light intensity detection units.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the seal portion defect detection device 51 disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a light projecting means 52, a plurality of light intensity detecting means 53 (53a, 53b), a reference value setting means 54, Difference detection means 55 and comparison determination means 56 are provided. The light projecting means 52 projects light onto the seal portion 58 of the package 57. The plurality of light intensity detecting means 53 (53a, 53b) are provided at positions facing the light projecting means 52 with the seal portion 58 of the package 57 therebetween. The light intensity detecting means 53 (53a, 53b) detects light transmitted through the seal portion 58 of the package 57 by the projection of light from the light projecting means 52. The reference value setting means 54 sets in advance a reference value for determining whether or not the contents are caught in the seal portion 58 of the package 57. The difference detection means 55 calculates the difference in output from two of the plurality of light intensity detection means 53a, 53b. The comparison determination unit 56 includes an integration circuit 56a and a comparator 56b, integrates the output from the difference detection unit 55 by the integration circuit 56a, and compares this integration output with the reference value from the reference value setting unit 54. If the integrated output is larger than the reference value from the reference value setting means 54, it is determined that the contents are caught in the seal portion 58 of the package 57.

  As described above, in the seal portion defect detection device 51 disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the difference detection unit 55 calculates the difference between the outputs from two of the plurality of light intensity detection units 53a and 53b, and performs comparison and determination. The means 56 compares the reference value from the reference value setting means 54 with the output from the difference detection means 55, and determines whether or not the contents are caught in the seal portion 58 of the package 57 based on the comparison result. Yes.

JP 7-146251 A

  However, the seal portion defect detection device 51 disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above has a plurality of light intensity detection units 53a and 53b at a specific height (position) in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the package 57. In this configuration, the presence / absence of biting of the contents in the seal portion 58 is determined based on a comparison between the difference between the two outputs and the reference value. It was not possible to inspect the presence of biting of the contents in the entire seal area by specifying the seal area.

  Therefore, the inventors of the present invention use an imaging technique using a light source and a line sensor in order to specify the seal area of the above-described seal portion of the object to be conveyed W and to check whether or not the contents are bitten in the entire seal area. The test of bite inspection was attempted using two types of light sources, a surface light source and a line light source, having different light emission areas with respect to the inspection object W (conveying surface on which the inspection object W is conveyed). An example of a transmission image obtained by this experiment is shown in FIGS. The surface light source irradiates the inspection object W with planar light, and the line light source irradiates the inspection object W with linear light having a light emission area smaller than that of the surface light source. FIG. 5A is a transmission image when the light source is a surface light source, and FIG. 5B is a transmission image when the light source is a linear ray. When the light source is a surface light source, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the contents Wb of the object W to be inspected and the foreign matter Wd caught in the seal area of the seal portion Wc are clearly visible, but the packaging material Wa It has been found that the boundary We of the seal portion Wc is difficult to understand. On the other hand, when the light source is a line light source, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the seal portion Wc of the inspection object W is clearly visible and the boundary We of the seal region can be clearly distinguished, whereas the seal portion It was found that the foreign matter Wd caught in the Wc seal region and the line-shaped noise X are difficult to distinguish.

  By the way, the above-described imaging technique can be employed when inspecting a transport line while transporting an object to be inspected with a seal portion in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. In that case, generally, the surface light diffused to the object to be inspected is irradiated to reduce the influence of the unevenness of the seal portion for improving the sealing property, thereby improving the accuracy of foreign object detection. However, as can be seen from the experimental results showing the characteristics of the surface light source described above, the boundary of the seal portion is difficult to understand and the seal region cannot be specified. On the other hand, when a line light source is used so that the seal area of the object to be inspected can be identified, the detection accuracy of the abnormality in the seal area is lowered this time, as can be seen from the experimental results showing the characteristics of the line light source. Arise.

  For this reason, in inspecting the entire seal area of the inspection object with high accuracy, it is possible to use both the surface light source and the line light source and take advantage of the features of both of the above, but each of the surface light source and the line light source A plurality of line sensors for receiving the light from the light source are also required, and there are problems in terms of the captain (device size) and cost.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an article inspection apparatus capable of accurately inspecting the entire seal area of an object to be inspected while solving the problems of the length and cost. The purpose is that.

In order to achieve the above object, an article inspection apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention transports an inspection object W in which a content Wb is wrapped in a packaging material Wa, and irradiates the inspection object with light. , An article inspection apparatus 1 that performs an inspection in a sealing region of the packaging material based on a transmission image obtained by detecting the transmitted light,
A line sensor 4 in which a plurality of elements for detecting the transmitted light are arranged in a direction intersecting a transport direction A of the inspection object;
The transport surface including the reference plane centered on the reference plane and a plane perpendicular to the transport plane 2c on which the object to be inspected is transported. A light source unit 3 that emits light so as to be incident at a plurality of different angles with respect to
Drive control for selectively turning on / off the light source unit so that light is selectively emitted from a plurality of different angles including the reference plane and at least light corresponding to the reference plane L is lit longer than other lights. Part 6;
The seal region is specified based on detection information obtained from the line sensor in accordance with light emitted from the light source unit that is on / off controlled by the drive control unit, and whether there is an abnormality in the seal region is determined. And a processing unit 7 for determination.

The article inspection apparatus according to claim 2 is the article inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The processing unit 7 is characterized in that the seal region is specified from detection information when the line sensor 4 receives only light of the reference surface L.

The article inspection apparatus according to claim 3 is obtained by conveying the inspection object W in which the contents Wb are wrapped in the packaging material Wa, irradiating the inspection object with light, and detecting the transmitted light. An article inspection apparatus 1 that performs an inspection in a sealing region of the packaging material based on a transmission image,
A line sensor 4 in which a plurality of elements for detecting the transmitted light are arranged in a direction intersecting a transport direction A of the inspection object;
The transport surface including the reference plane centered on the reference plane and a plane perpendicular to the transport plane 2c on which the object to be inspected is transported. A light source unit 3 that emits light so as to be incident at a plurality of different angles with respect to
A drive control unit 6 for controlling on / off of the light source unit so as to selectively irradiate light from a plurality of different angles including the reference plane;
The seal region is specified based on detection information obtained from the line sensor in accordance with light emitted from the light source unit that is on / off controlled by the drive control unit, and whether there is an abnormality in the seal region is determined. And a processing unit 7 for determining,
The processing unit 7 is characterized in that the seal region is specified from detection information when the line sensor 4 receives only light of the reference surface L.

  According to the article inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the light source section has a reference plane that is a plane that traverses each element of the line sensor and that is perpendicular to the conveyance plane on which the inspection object is conveyed. The light is irradiated so as to be incident at a plurality of different angles with respect to the transport surface including the reference surface. Of the light emitted from the light source unit, the light along the reference surface is scattered by the unevenness of the seal region of the seal part of the object to be inspected and the amount of transmitted light is reduced. Identify the seal area. In addition, the light emitted from the entire light emitting region of the light source unit reduces the influence of the unevenness of the seal region of the seal portion, and is received only when there is a foreign object in the seal region of the seal portion, and the light received by the element of the line sensor An abnormality in the seal area of the seal portion is detected by utilizing the decrease in the amount. With this configuration, it is not necessary to prepare a line sensor for each type of light source section (line light source, surface light source), and the length of the apparatus is shortened to avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus, while reducing costs, and to seal the inspection object The entire area can be inspected with high accuracy.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the article inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A), (b) It is explanatory drawing of the switching operation | movement of the light source part in the article inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a timing chart of operation of a light source part and line sensor data acquisition in an article inspection device concerning the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows one structural example of the seal | sticker part defect detection apparatus disclosed by patent document 1 as a prior art. (A) It is a figure which shows an example of the transmitted image when a line light source is used as a light source part. (B) It is a figure which shows an example of the permeation | transmission image when a surface light source is used as a light source part.

  The article inspection apparatus according to the present invention is incorporated in a part of a conveyance line or a packaging apparatus, and irradiates light while conveying an object (article) whose contents are wrapped in a packaging material, and detects the transmitted light. Based on the transmission image obtained in this way, the presence or absence of abnormalities in the seal area of the packaging material (for example, contents, content debris, foreign matter biting, seal failure (adhesion failure or breakage due to wrinkles), etc.) is inspected. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the article inspection apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 2, a light source unit 3, a line sensor 4, an operation unit 5, a drive control unit 6, a processing unit 7, and a display unit 8.

  The conveyance unit 2 is configured by, for example, a belt conveyor, and the introduction-side conveyor 2a and the discharge-side conveyor 2b are arranged on the conveyance line with a predetermined gap S therebetween. The conveyance unit 2 introduces and conveys the inspection object W to be inspected by the introduction side conveyor 2a, and discharges and conveys the inspection object W after the inspection by the discharge side conveyor 2b.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the inspected object W to be inspected contains the content Wb in a packaging material Wa having translucency through which light emitted from the light source unit 3 can pass. The The inspected object W seals the inner part by a predetermined width from the opposite ends of the packaging material Wa, and the area from the both ends of the packaging material Wa to the sealing part is used as a sealing area of the seal portion Wc. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection object W is transported by the transport unit 2 in a state where both sides of the packaging material Wa are sealed in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction A (the depth direction on the paper surface).

  Note that the inspection object W to be inspected may be a so-called continuous package in which a plurality of packaging materials Wa containing the contents Wb are continuously arranged via the seal portion Wc.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the light source unit 3 is provided above the transport unit 2 so as to face the line sensor 4 through the gap S, and close to the inspection object W transported by the transport unit 2, for example. Irradiate light such as infrared light and visible light. The light source unit 3 may be configured by, for example, bundling a plurality of optical fibers that receive light from a halogen lamp to form a rectangular light emitting surface (equivalent to a light emitting region E: region E1 and region E2 described later). it can.

  The light source unit 3 has a surface in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface 2c on which the inspection object W passing through a line traversing each element (all elements) in the longitudinal (element arrangement) direction of the line sensor 4 is defined as a reference plane L. 2 (surface shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2), the light having a different angle (incident angle θ with respect to the conveyance surface 2c in FIG. 1) including the reference surface L is irradiated with the reference surface L as the center.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIG. 3, the light source unit 3 includes a light emitting region E composed of a region E1 and a region E2, and a central portion of the light emitting region E is defined as a region E1. Both sides are defined as a region E2. 2A and 2B and FIG. 3 indicate that the areas are in a light emitting state. The light from only the region E1 of the light source unit 3 indicated by the oblique lines in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3 has a predetermined center around the reference plane L that can specify the seal region of the seal portion Wc of the inspection object W. It functions as a linear light source in the incident angle range. Further, the light from both the region E1 and the region E2 of the entire light emitting region E of the light source unit 3 indicated by the oblique lines in FIG. 2B and FIG. 3 causes abnormalities in the seal region of the seal portion Wc of the inspection object W. It functions as a surface light source in a predetermined incident angle range for discrimination.

  Note that the surface light source and the line light described above have different light emission areas of light emitted toward the inspection object W, and the line light source emits linear light having a light emission area smaller than that of the surface light source. The light transmitted through W reaches the light receiving surface 4 a of the line sensor 4.

  The light source unit 3 is ON / OFF controlled by the drive control unit 6 so that the region E1 and the region E2 emit light at a predetermined irradiation timing. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 3 is on-controlled by the drive control unit 6 at the irradiation timing at which the region E1 of the light emitting region E is always lit. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 3 is ON / OFF controlled by the drive control unit 6 at an irradiation timing in which the region E2 of the light emitting region E is repeatedly turned off and on every time t1. Thereby, the time for irradiating light from the region E1 of the light emitting region E is longer than the time for irradiating light from the region E2.

  In this way, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 3 divides the light emitting region E into the region E1 and the region E2 with respect to the transport direction A, the time T1 for irradiating light only from the region E1, and the entire light emitting region E. The drive control unit 6 performs on / off control so as to periodically repeat the time T2 during which light is emitted from both the region E1 and the region E2.

  In addition, the light source part 3 may comprise the part (the whole or part of the region E2) functioning as the above-described surface light source by a plurality of line light sources. In that case, an arbitrary number of line light sources can be provided at arbitrary positions within the range of the region E2 according to the inspection conditions. The length in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction A of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 may be at least equal to or longer than the detection region of the inspection object W.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the line sensor 4 is provided below the transport unit 2 so as to face the light source unit 3 with a gap S therebetween. The line sensor 4 includes a plurality of elements including, for example, a condensing lens and a photodiode (phototransistor), and is orthogonal to the direction in which the inspection object W is conveyed (arrow A in FIG. 1) (conveyed by the conveying unit 2). A plurality of elements are arranged in a line at a predetermined pitch in a plane (reference plane L) direction orthogonal to the plane 2c.

  The line sensor 4 detects light passing through the inspection object W at a detection timing synchronized with the irradiation timing of the light source unit 3 from the drive control unit 6. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when light is emitted only from the area E1 of the light emitting area E, the detection timing is synchronized with the irradiation timing when the area E2 of the light emitting area E is turned off and then turned on. Light passing through the inspection object W is received, and a detection signal based on the amount of transmitted light is output. Further, the line sensor 4 is irradiated at a detection timing synchronized with an irradiation timing at which the area E2 of the light emitting area E is turned on and then turned off when light is emitted from both the areas E1 and E2 of the light emitting area E. Light passing through the inspection object W is received, and a detection signal based on the amount of transmitted light is output.

  The operation unit 5 includes, for example, a plurality of keys and switches operated by the user, soft keys on the display screen of the display unit 9, and the like. The operation unit 5 instructs to start or stop the operation of the article inspection apparatus 1, sets the type and number of inspections of the inspection object W, sets the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 2, and starts the drive control unit 6 and the processing unit 7. It is operated when performing etc.

  The drive control unit 6 performs on / off control of the light source unit 3 so that light is selectively emitted from the region E1 and the region E2 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, for the region E <b> 1 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3, the light source unit 3 is on-controlled at an irradiation timing that is always lit. In addition, for the region E2 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3, the light source unit 3 is controlled to be turned on and off so as to be repeatedly turned off and on at the irradiation timing at the interval of time t1.

  The drive control unit 6 controls the line sensor 4 at a detection timing synchronized with the irradiation timing of the light source unit 3. Specifically, the time t1 in FIG. 3 is set to be one frame capturing period (for example, 250 μsec (4 kHz)) of the line sensor 4, and the region E2 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 is turned off. It passes through the inspection object W at the detection timing synchronized with the irradiation timing to be turned on after being turned off (in the example of FIG. 3, the detection timing from when the region E2 is turned off until it is turned on). The line sensor 4 is controlled to receive light. In addition, when the region 2 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 is lit, the detection timing synchronized with the irradiation timing when the region E2 is turned off from being turned on (in the example of FIG. 3, the middle while the region E2 is lit) The line sensor 4 is controlled so as to receive the light passing through the inspection object W at the detection timing from when the light is turned off until the light is turned off.

  It is preferable to set the switching cycle of turning on and off the region E2 in the light source unit 3 as short as possible in consideration of the response time of the light source unit 3 and the capture period of one frame of the line sensor 4. That is, the switching cycle of turning on and off the area E2 in the light source unit 3 will be described later until the inspection object W passes between the light source unit 3 and the line sensor 4 and is discharged by the transport unit 2. It is preferable to set the capturing period of the line sensor 4 so that two types of transmission images can be obtained. It should be noted that the capture period of one frame of the line sensor 4 is set to be short if the conveyance speed of the inspection object W is fast and long if it is slow.

  The processing unit 7 acquires two types of transmission images based on the detection signal from the line sensor 4, specifies the seal region of the seal portion Wc in the inspection object W, determines whether there is an abnormality in the seal region, and displays the inspection result. The storage unit 7a, the image acquisition unit 7b, the seal area specifying unit 7c, the abnormality determination unit 7d, and the display control unit 7e are provided.

  The storage unit 7a sequentially stores detection information based on the detection signal from the line sensor 4. That is, the storage unit 7 a uses the amount of transmitted light when receiving light emitted only from the region E 1 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 as the line light source detection information of the line sensor 4, and the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3. The amount of transmitted light when the line sensor 4 receives light emitted from both the region E1 and the region E2 is sequentially stored as surface light source detection information of the line sensor 4.

  The image acquisition unit 7b separately acquires two types of transmission images from the detection information (line light source detection information and surface light source detection information) of the line sensor 4 stored in the storage unit 7a. The two types of transmission images are a line light source image for specifying the seal area of the seal portion Wc in the inspection object W, and an abnormality (content Wb, content Wb in the seal area of the seal portion Wc in the inspection object W. It is a surface light source image for determining the presence or absence of defects such as fogging, foreign object biting, and sealing failure due to wrinkling. The image acquisition unit 7b acquires the line light source image by reading the line light source detection information stored in the storage unit 7a and imaging it. Moreover, the image acquisition part 7b acquires a surface light source image by reading the surface light source detection information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 7a, and imaging it.

  The seal area specifying unit 7c specifies the seal area of the seal part Wc in the inspection object W from the line light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b. Specifically, the gray value (luminance) of each pixel of the line light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b (an image in which the horizontal direction is the transport direction and the vertical axis is the direction perpendicular to the transport direction and parallel to the transport surface 2c). (Value) is binarized, the contour and boundary line of the inspection object W are obtained, and the region from the contour to the boundary line is specified as the seal region of the seal portion Wc. For example, when the seal area is at both ends in the horizontal direction, the vertical lines drawn inward from the innermost vertical line by a predetermined distance (boundary adjustment value) among the vertical lines appearing in the contour are obtained as boundary lines. To identify the seal area.

  The abnormality determination unit 7d detects an abnormal portion from the surface light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b, and determines whether or not the detected abnormal portion exists in the seal region of the seal portion Wc of the inspection object W. The presence or absence of abnormality is determined. Specifically, the gray value (luminance value) of each pixel of the surface light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b is binarized, and the area of the pixel “1” is detected as an abnormal portion, and the line light source image is detected. In the superimposed image obtained by superimposing the image in which the seal area is specified and the surface light source image, an abnormality in the seal area is determined based on whether or not the abnormal part exists in the seal area specified by the seal area specifying unit 7c. The presence or absence of is determined.

  Note that when the abnormality determination unit 7d determines whether there is an abnormality in the seal area of the seal portion Wc in the inspection object W, the threshold value, boundary adjustment value, and seal portion Wc for specifying the seal area of the seal portion Wc are determined. In order to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the seal region, a determination reference value corresponding to the abnormality content can be set in advance and stored in the storage unit 7a. In this case, the seal area specifying unit 7c compares the gray value (luminance value) of each pixel of the line light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b with a threshold value, and the contour of the inspection object W from the image of the pixel exceeding the threshold value. The vertical line appearing in the contour is extracted, the inner side of the innermost vertical line is obtained as the boundary line by the boundary adjustment value, and the region from the contour to the boundary line is specified as the seal region of the seal portion Wc. Then, the abnormality determination unit 7d is specified by the seal region specifying unit 7c in the superimposed image obtained by superimposing the image in which the seal region is specified from the line light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b and the surface light source image. The presence / absence of abnormality in the seal area is determined based on whether or not there is a pixel exceeding the determination reference value in the seal area. The boundary adjustment value may be calculated by a statistical method (average, maximum value, median value, etc.) from the interval between vertical lines appearing in the contour.

The display control unit 7e includes, for example, two types of transmission images (line light source image and surface light source image) of the inspection object W acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b, the inspection result of the inspection object W based on the determination of the abnormality determination unit 7d, The display of the display unit 8 is controlled so as to display various information such as the total number of inspections, the number of non-defective products, and the total number of NG.

The display unit 8 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays various types of information including the inspection result of the inspection object W under the control of the display control unit 7e.

  Next, an operation in the case of inspecting the seal portion Wc of the inspection object W by the article inspection apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.

  When the inspection object W to be inspected is introduced and conveyed by the introduction-side conveyor 2a of the conveyance unit 2, the light source unit 3 emits light to the inspection object W. At that time, under the control of the drive control unit 6, the light source unit 3 always turns on the region E1 of the light emitting region E, and the light source unit 3 repeats turning off and on at intervals of the time t1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emission of the light source unit 3 is performed on the inspection object W in the conveyance process in which the sample W is introduced and conveyed by the introduction-side conveyor 2a of the conveyance unit 2 and discharged and conveyed by the discharge-side conveyor 2b. The light from the region E1 of the region E and the light from the region E1 and the region E2 are repeatedly irradiated at intervals of one frame capturing period t1 of the line sensor 4.

  Then, when the light from the light source unit 3 is irradiated on the inspection object W, the line sensor 4 receives the light passing through the inspection object W and processes a detection signal based on the transmission amount of the received light. Output to unit 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the line sensor 4 has a period from when the light source unit 3 emits light only from the region E1 of the light emitting region E until the region E2 of the light emitting region E is turned off until it is turned on. In the meantime, light passing through the inspection object W is received, and a detection signal based on the transmission amount of the received light is output to the processing unit 7. In addition, the line sensor 4 irradiates light from both the area E1 and the area E2 of the entire light emitting area E of the light source unit 3, and after the area E2 of the light emitting area E is turned on until it is turned off. Light passing through the inspection object W is received, and a detection signal based on the amount of transmission of the received light is output to the processing unit 7.

  In the processing unit 7, the amount of light transmitted when the line sensor 4 receives light that is irradiated only from the region E 1 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 and passes through the inspection object W is determined by the line light source of the line sensor 4. The detection information is sequentially stored in the storage unit 7a. Further, the transmission amount of light when the line sensor 4 receives the light irradiated from both the region E1 and the region E2 of the light emitting region E in the light source unit 3 and passing through the inspection object W is measured on the surface of the line sensor 4. The information is sequentially stored in the storage unit 7a as light source detection information.

  And the image acquisition part 7b acquires a line light source image from the line light source detection information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 7a, and acquires a surface light source image from the surface light source detection information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 7a.

  Subsequently, the seal area specifying unit 7c specifies the seal area of the seal part Wc in the inspection object W from the line light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b.

  Next, the abnormality determination unit 7d detects an abnormal part from the surface light source image acquired by the image acquisition unit 7b, and the detected abnormal part exists in the seal region of the seal unit Wc specified by the seal region specifying unit 7c. Whether or not there is an abnormality in the seal area is determined based on whether or not it is present.

Then, the display control unit 7e controls the display of the display unit 8 so as to display information such as the inspection result of the inspection object W based on the determination of the abnormality determination unit 7d , the total number of inspections, the number of non-defective products, and the total number of NG.

  As described above, in the article inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting area E of one light source unit 3 is divided into the area E1 and the area E2 with respect to the transport direction A, and the time T1 during which the light is irradiated only from the area E1. And time T2 which irradiates light from both the area | region E1 and the area | region E2 is repeated periodically. One line sensor 4 receives the light irradiated from the light source unit 3 and passing through the inspection object W in synchronization with the irradiation timing of the light source unit 3, and is detected based on the transmission amount of the received light. The signal is output to the processing unit 7. Subsequently, the processing unit 7 separately images the line light source image and the surface light source image from the detection information based on the detection signal from the line sensor 4, and acquires two types of transmission images. Then, the processing unit 7 specifies the seal region of the seal portion Wc in the inspection object W using these two types of transmission images, and determines whether there is an abnormality in the seal region. This eliminates the need to prepare a line sensor for each type of light source (line light source, surface light source), shortens the length of the device, avoids an increase in the size of the apparatus, and reduces costs, while also reducing the cost of the inspection object seal area. The inspection can be performed with high accuracy.

  At that time, among the light irradiated from the light source unit 3, the amount of light transmitted in the region E1 along the reference plane L is scattered and transmitted by the unevenness of the seal region of the seal portion Wc of the object W to be inspected ( Since the light does not reach the element of the line sensor 4 and becomes dark), the seal region of the seal portion Wc can be specified with high accuracy.

  Further, the seal region of the seal portion Wc is irradiated with light from a plurality of angular directions including the reference plane L emitted from the light source unit 3, that is, light of the entire light emission region E of the light source unit 3 (light of the region E1 and the region E2). The effect of the unevenness of the seal portion Wc is reduced, and only when there is a foreign object in the seal region of the seal portion Wc, the light is received and the amount of light received by the element of the line sensor 4 is reduced. It is possible to detect whether or not there is an abnormality in the entire seal region.

  The best mode of the article inspection apparatus according to the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited by the description and drawings according to this mode. That is, it is a matter of course that all other forms, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this form are included in the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Item inspection apparatus 2 Conveyance part 2a Introduction side conveyor 2b Discharge side conveyor 2c Conveyance surface 3 Light source part 4 Line sensor 4a Light-receiving surface 5 Operation part 6 Drive control part 7 Processing part 7a Storage part 7b Image acquisition part 7c Seal area | region identification part 7d Abnormality determination unit 7e Display control unit 8 Display unit A Transport direction E Light emission area E1, E2 area L Reference plane S Air gap t1 Line sensor capture period T1 Time to irradiate light only from area E1 T2 Total light emission area E Time to irradiate light from both area E1 and area E2 W Inspection object Wa Packaging material Wb Contents Wc Sealing part Wd Foreign object We Boundary X Noise θ Incident angle with respect to transport surface

Claims (3)

The inspection object (W) in which the contents (Wb) are wrapped in the packaging material (Wa) is conveyed to irradiate the inspection object with light, and the transmitted light is detected based on the transmitted image. An article inspection apparatus (1) for inspecting a sealing area of a packaging material,
A line sensor (4) in which a plurality of elements for detecting the transmitted light are arranged in a direction crossing a transport direction (A) of the inspection object;
A surface that traverses each element of the line sensor and is perpendicular to the transport surface (2c) on which the inspection object is transported is defined as a reference surface (L), and the reference surface is centered on the reference surface. A light source unit (3) that emits light so as to be incident at a plurality of different angles with respect to the transport surface, including:
On / off control of the light source unit is performed so that light is selectively emitted from a plurality of different angles including the reference plane and at least light corresponding to the reference plane (L) is lit longer than other lights. A drive controller (6);
The seal region is specified based on detection information obtained from the line sensor in accordance with light emitted from the light source unit that is on / off controlled by the drive control unit, and whether there is an abnormality in the seal region is determined. An article inspection apparatus comprising: a processing unit (7) for determining. The article inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (7) specifies the seal region from detection information when the line sensor (4) receives only light of the reference surface (L). . The inspection object (W) in which the contents (Wb) are wrapped in the packaging material (Wa) is conveyed to irradiate the inspection object with light, and the transmitted light is detected based on the transmitted image. An article inspection apparatus (1) for inspecting a sealing area of a packaging material,
A line sensor (4) in which a plurality of elements for detecting the transmitted light are arranged in a direction intersecting a transport direction (A) of the inspection object;
A surface that traverses each element of the line sensor and is perpendicular to the transport surface (2c) on which the inspection object is transported is defined as a reference surface (L), and the reference surface is centered on the reference surface. A light source unit (3) that emits light so as to be incident at a plurality of different angles with respect to the transport surface, including:
A drive control unit (6) for controlling on / off of the light source unit so as to selectively irradiate light from a plurality of different angles of light including the reference plane;
The seal region is specified based on detection information obtained from the line sensor in accordance with light emitted from the light source unit that is on / off controlled by the drive control unit, and whether there is an abnormality in the seal region is determined. And a processing unit (7) for determining,
Wherein the processing unit (7), the line sensor (4) is an object goods inspection apparatus you and identifies the seal regions from the detected information when the received only the light of the reference surface (L).

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