JP6749869B2 - Goods inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

According to the present invention, an object to be inspected is conveyed by two conveyors arranged in a housing having a shield structure with a predetermined gap, and an object to be inspected passing through the gap to transfer the conveyor is irradiated with an electromagnetic wave for inspection. The present invention relates to an article inspection apparatus, and more particularly, to an article inspection apparatus having high accuracy of inspection by electromagnetic waves because the posture of an object to be inspected that moves between two conveyors is stable.

The X-ray foreign matter detection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below irradiates an X-ray onto a conveyor 8 that conveys an inspection object W in a predetermined conveyance direction Y and an inspection object W that is conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 8. An X-ray generation unit 21 and an X-ray detection unit 22 that detects X-rays that have passed through the inspection object W are provided. The conveyor 8 is divided into an upstream conveyor 8a located upstream of the X-ray detection area A in the carrying direction Y and a downstream conveyor 8b located downstream. The X-ray generation unit 21 and the X-ray detection unit 22 are arranged above and below the X-ray detection area A, respectively. The inspected object W enters the X-ray detection area A in order to transfer from the upstream conveyor 8a to the downstream conveyor 8b, and is irradiated with X-rays by the X-ray generation unit 21 to pass through the inspected object W. Is detected by the X-ray detection unit 22. The X-ray foreign matter detection device includes an air blowing unit 31 that constantly blows air toward the X-ray detection area A, and drops from an object to be inspected that falls through a gap between the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor. It is supposed that an object can be prevented from entering the X-ray detection area.

JP 2012-163485 A

According to the X-ray foreign matter detection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the object W to be inspected is transferred from the upstream conveyor 8a to the downstream conveyor 8b, and the X-ray detection area A corresponding to the gap between the conveyors is moved. The inspection object W is irradiated with X-rays for inspection. Therefore, when the inspection object W having a relatively short length in the transfer direction is conveyed compared to the size of the gap between the upstream conveyor 8a and the downstream conveyor 8b in the X-ray detection area A, the inspection object is W easily loses its balance and changes its posture when transferring the conveyor. In particular, if there is a difference in the levelness of both conveyors, or if there is a step between both conveyors, the posture tends to change, and the conveyance becomes unstable and the accuracy of article inspection is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems in the conventional technique described above, and conveys the inspection object by two conveyors arranged side by side, and irradiates the inspection object with electromagnetic waves in the gap between the two conveyors. In an article inspection device that inspects, by adjusting the height on the installation surface of one or both conveyors arbitrarily, the difference in level difference and levelness of the two conveyors is eliminated, and stable inspection of the inspected object is achieved. The purpose is to achieve delivery and to achieve high product inspection accuracy.

The article inspection device 1 according to claim 1 is
Housing 2;
A first conveyor 5a and a second conveyor 5b arranged in the casing with a gap 10 in the transport direction T, T',
An electromagnetic wave source 25 that is disposed above or below the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b in the housing 2 and emits an electromagnetic wave to an object to be inspected passing through the gap 10.
A detection unit 26 that is disposed above and below the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b in the housing 2 and detects an electromagnetic wave that has passed through an object to be inspected that passes through the gap 10.
A horizontal adjustment mechanism 20, which is provided on at least one of the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b, supports the conveyors 5a and 5b with respect to the housing 2, and adjusts the levelness of the conveyors 5a and 5b. 30
An article inspection device 1 comprising:
The horizontal adjustment mechanisms 20 and 30 are attached to reference points of the conveyors 5a and 5b to define a height of the reference points with respect to the housing 2, and a plurality of adjustments of the conveyors 5a and 5b. It has the adjustment support part 20 attached to each location and adjusting the height with respect to the said housing|casing 2 of each said adjustment location.

The article inspection device 1 according to claim 2 is the article inspection device 1 according to claim 1,
The reference support portion 30 is a disk that is in contact with the housing 2 at a part of its circumference.

The article inspection device 1 according to claim 3 is the article inspection device 1 according to claim 2,
Of the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b, the conveyors 5a and 5b provided with the horizontal adjusting mechanisms 20 and 30 are
A first frame 12 provided with the reference support section 30 and the adjustment support section 20 and installed on the housing 2, a plurality of supports 40 provided on the first frame 12, and a belt 16 are hung. The driven roller 14 and the driving roller 15 which are rotated, and the driven roller 14 and the driving roller 15 are rotatably mounted and placed on the reference support portion 30 and the support body 40 of the first frame 12. The second frame 13 is provided.

The article inspection device 1 according to claim 4 is the article inspection device 1 according to claim 3,
The housing 2 has a structure in which two side surfaces corresponding to the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction T, T′ of the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b and the front side are releasable,
The reference location is characterized in that one of the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b faces the other and is located on the back side of the housing 2.

According to the article inspection apparatus described in claim 1, at least one of the first conveyor and the second conveyor, which are arranged adjacent to each other with a gap in the housing, has the reference support portion and the plurality of adjustment support portions. It is supported on the housing by the horizontal adjustment mechanism that it has, and while the height of the reference location with respect to the housing is fixed, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the height of the adjustment location different from the reference location with respect to the housing. .. For this reason, the levelness of the first conveyor and the second conveyor can be adjusted so that there is no step between the two conveyors, so that the transfer of the inspected object from the first conveyor to the second conveyor is stabilized, and at the time of transfer The accuracy of the inspection to be performed is improved.

According to the article inspection apparatus described in claim 2, since the reference support portion of the conveyor is a disk and is always in contact with the housing at one point on the circumference, the height of the reference location of the conveyor with respect to the housing is high. Is always constant regardless of the posture of the conveyor. Therefore, even if the heights of the plurality of adjustment points with respect to the housing are adjusted, the height of the reference point of the conveyor with respect to the housing does not change, and the overall posture of the conveyor is adjusted with reference to the height of the reference point. it can. Therefore, it is possible to easily and surely adjust the levelness of the first conveyor and the second conveyor and eliminate the step.

According to the article inspection apparatus of the third aspect, the first frame of the conveyor is installed on the housing in a state in which the height and the levelness are accurately adjusted with the height of the reference point as a reference. Then, the second frame on which the drive mechanism such as the drive roller and the driven roller is mounted is mounted on the reference support portion and the plurality of supports of the first frame mounted on the housing. Here, since the reference support portion supports the second frame at one point on the circumference, no matter which posture the second frame is placed on the first frame, the reference support portion is supported by a plurality of other supports. Together with this, the support state of the second frame becomes stable. Therefore, each of the transport mechanisms of the first conveyor and the second conveyor can stably maintain a good state in which the level difference is adjusted and the level difference is minimized.

According to the article inspection apparatus described in claim 4, in the substantially U-shaped casing in which the two side surfaces of the casing and the front surface of the casing corresponding to the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveyor are releasable, A reference support portion was provided with each conveyor being near the center of the housing adjacent to the other conveyor and using a predetermined location on the back side of the housing as a reference location. This reference point is a position where it is difficult for an operator to insert his/her hand into the work even if both side surfaces and the front surface of the housing are released, and thus it is suitable for providing a reference support portion that does not require adjustment. .. Further, the adjustment support portions provided at adjustment locations other than the above are easily accessible, and the work of eliminating the step between the two conveyors by adjusting the relative horizontality of the two conveyors can be easily performed.

It is the perspective view which looked at the article inspection device of the embodiment of the present invention from the front side. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the conveyor in FIG. 1. It is a top view of the conveyor vicinity of the article inspection device of an embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the AA cutting line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the BB cutting line of FIG. It is a perspective view in the C arrow view of FIG.

The article inspection apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The article inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 supports a housing 2 that is a base body (frame) for installing or attaching various components that configure the apparatus in a predetermined arrangement, and the housing 2 on an installation surface. And a leg portion 3 for The housing 2 is made of a shielding structure and material that does not allow electromagnetic waves used for inspection to pass through to the outside. Inside the housing 2, in order to carry the inspection object into the housing 2 and to carry it out of the housing 2 after the inspection, an internal space S opened upstream and downstream in the transport direction of the inspection object. Is provided. Then, as will be described later, the conveyor 5 (the upstream conveyor 5a and the downstream conveyor 5b) that conveys the object to be inspected is arranged in this internal space S, and among the openings on the upstream side and the downstream side of the internal space S, The portions above the conveyor 5 are an inlet 6 and an outlet 7 through which the object to be inspected passes.

Although not shown, a shielding means such as a shielding door or a flexible shielding curtain that shields electromagnetic waves is attached to the entrance 6 and the exit 7 of the internal space S opened to the outside. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a cover 8 having a shielding structure is openably and closably attached to the front side of the housing 2, and by opening the lid 8, the internal space S of the housing 2 is opened. Then, the conveyor 5 (5a, 5b) can be removed to clean the inside of the housing 2 and perform maintenance and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the inner space S of the housing 2, an upstream conveyor 5a, which is a first conveyor, is horizontally arranged in the front half of the entrance 6 side in the conveyance direction of the inspection object. There is. Further, the downstream side conveyor 5b, which is the second conveyor, is horizontally arranged in the latter half of the exit 7 side in the conveyance direction of the inspection object. The upstream-side conveyor 5a and the downstream-side conveyor 5b are placed on the upper surface of the housing 2 that defines the lower part of the internal space S so that they are located substantially in the same plane with a gap 10 having a predetermined size. ing. The object to be inspected placed on the upstream conveyor 5a from the inlet 6 is transported in the internal space S by the upstream conveyor 5a, passes through the gap 10 and transfers to the downstream conveyor 5b, is transported downstream, and is transported from the outlet 7 to the casing. It is sent out of the body 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upstream-side conveyor 5a and the downstream-side conveyor 5b are configured as a conveyor unit including a plurality of components, and are detachable from the housing 2 as a unit. That is, each of the conveyors 5a and 5b is a pair of frames that are locked to the side plate 11 connected to the lower housing 2 so that the position or posture can be adjusted via a locking structure (not shown). The side plates 12 and 12, the pedestals 13 attached to the side plates 12 and 12, the driven roller 14 and the drive roller 15 rotatably mounted on one end and the other end of each pedestal 13 in the transport direction (see FIG. 2 includes a belt 16 wound around the driven roller 14 and the drive roller 15, and a motor 17 for driving the drive roller 15. Here, a pair of side pieces is formed on the pedestal 13, and the pair of side pieces of the pedestal 13 are attached to the pair of side plates 12, 12 to form a conveyor unit. In the upstream conveyor 5a, the upstream roller is the driving roller 15 and the downstream roller is the driven roller 14. In the downstream conveyor 5b, the upstream roller is the driven roller 14 and the downstream roller is the drive roller 15.

As described above, since the upstream conveyor 5a and the downstream conveyor 5b are configured as a conveyor unit composed of a plurality of components, they can be easily attached to and detached from the housing 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, at the time of cleaning or maintenance, if the lid 8 on the front surface of the housing 2 is opened to access the internal space S, it can be easily removed from the housing 2 and carried out of the housing 2. It is easy to clean, maintain, and reattach.

Further, by opening the lid portion 8 to access the internal space S and operating the horizontal adjustment mechanism described below, the heights of the upstream side conveyor 5a and the downstream side conveyor 5b placed on the housing 2 can be increased. Also, the tilted state can be adjusted, whereby the levelness of both conveyors can be adjusted and the level difference between both conveyors can be reduced as much as possible.

The horizontal adjustment mechanism is provided with one reference support portion 30 that is attached to one reference point for each of the pair of side plates 12 and 12 and that regulates the height to a constant value for each of the conveyors 5a and 5b, and for each pair of side plates. It is provided with three adjustment support portions 20 that are respectively attached to the three adjustment points and that adjust the height of each adjustment point with respect to the housing 2. That is, in the horizontal adjustment mechanism of each conveyor, the height is fixed at one of the four locations and the height can be adjusted at three locations.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 2 includes two side surfaces corresponding to the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction T of the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b, and the front side. (The side of the lid 8 shown in FIG. 1) is a releasable substantially U-shaped structure. Further, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the upstream side conveyor 5a and the downstream side conveyor 5b arranged in the transport direction T. Therefore, first, with reference to FIG. 3, a rough arrangement of the horizontal adjustment mechanism in the structure of the housing 2 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reference location is a side where one of the upstream-side conveyor 5a and the downstream-side conveyor 5b faces the other in the outer shape of each of the conveyors 5a and 5b having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and the casing. It is near the corner located on the back side of 2. That is, when the position of the housing 2 in the internal space S shown in FIG. 2 is shown, it is near the center of the carrying direction T, and in the direction orthogonal to the carrying direction T, from the opening on the front side of the housing 2. This is the farthest position in the back.

In FIG. 3, the reference support portion 30 does not appear in the figure in the plan view, but the reference position is indicated by a dot-dash line circle P. In FIG. 3, in each of the conveyors 5a and 5b, if one of the four corners of the rectangle indicated by the circle P is the reference point, then the three adjustment points are near the remaining three corners of the rectangle. As shown in the figure, the adjustment support portions 20 are provided here.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the reference support portion 30 provided on the downstream side conveyor 5a, which is one of the two conveyors 5a and 5b, will be described.
On one side plate 12 of the downstream conveyor 5b, which is the inner side of the internal space S, a reference support portion 30 is provided at one adjustment position adjacent to the upstream conveyor 5a. The reference support portion 30 has a disk shape having a diameter close to the outer diameter of the rollers 14 and 15, and is attached to the inner surface of the side plate 12 so that a part of the reference support portion 30 projects downward from the lower edge of the side plate 12. The reference location of the downstream conveyor 5b is supported on the housing 2 by the reference support portion 30, so that the distance from the upper surface of the housing 2 is kept constant.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the adjustment support unit 20 provided on the downstream side conveyor 5b will be described.
Each of the pair of side plates 12, 12 of the downstream side conveyor 5b is provided with an adjustment support portion 20 at each of the above-mentioned three adjustment positions. The adjustment support portion 20 includes a substantially L-shaped plate portion 21 attached to the outer surface of the side plate 12, and a screw portion 22 screwed into the cantilever portion of the plate portion 21 so as to be vertically movable downward. According to the adjustment supporter 20, the height of the downstream conveyor 5b at the adjustment location can be arbitrarily set by adjusting the downward projection length of the screw portion 22.

The three supports 40 provided on the downstream conveyor will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
As described above, the reference support portion 30 of the horizontal adjustment mechanism is a member that regulates the height of one reference point provided on the side plate 12 of the downstream side conveyor 5b to a constant value, but also has other roles or functions. ing. That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the downstream conveyor 5b is a constituent element of a unit structure in which a plurality of frames and the like are combined, and a horizontal adjustment mechanism (reference support portion 30 and adjustment support portion 20). The side plate 12 is supported on the housing 2 by the, and the pedestal 13 on which the rollers 14, 15 and the like are mounted is supported on the side plate 12. Here, the member that supports the pedestal 13 at one point is the reference support portion 30, and the member that supports the other three points is the three support bodies 40.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the support body 40 is attached to the inner surface side of the side plate 12 in the vicinity of the adjustment support section 20 in each of the conveyors 5a and 5b. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the support 40 does not appear as a figure like the reference support 30.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support body 40 is a disk-shaped member having a diameter of a fraction of the reference support portion 30. Further, the height of the support 40 attached to the side plate 12 is such that when the side plate 12 is installed substantially horizontally on the housing 2 and the pedestal 13 is placed on the side plate 12, the belts 16 of the conveyors 5a and 5b. The height is such that is substantially horizontal.

The reference support portion 30 and the adjustment support portion 20 of the horizontal adjustment mechanism provided on the downstream conveyor 5b and the support body 40 that supports the pedestal 13 together with the reference support portion 30 have been described above. As described above, the upstream side conveyor 5a is also provided with the same reference support portion 30, adjustment support portion 20, and support body 40 as those of the downstream side conveyor 5b. Therefore, the reference points of the upstream side conveyor 5a and the downstream side conveyor 5b, which face each other with the gap 10 therebetween, have substantially the same height.

As shown in FIG. 2, an electromagnetic wave source 25 is provided in the housing 2 immediately above the gap 10 between the upstream conveyor 5a and the downstream conveyor 5b. The electromagnetic wave source 25 emits an electromagnetic wave to the inspection object which is passed from the upstream conveyor 5a to the downstream conveyor 5b and passing through the gap 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a detection unit 26 that detects electromagnetic waves is provided in the housing 2 immediately below the gap 10 between the upstream conveyor 5a and the downstream conveyor 5b. The detection unit 26 detects an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the upstream conveyor 5a to the downstream conveyor 5b and transmitted through the inspection object passing through the gap 10.

It should be noted that the type of electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic wave generation principle of the electromagnetic wave source 25, the electromagnetic wave detection principle of the detection unit 26, and the like are arbitrary, and the radiation mode thereof is not limited to the rectangular radiation area X as shown in FIG. At least a part of the electromagnetic waves applied to the object to be inspected passes through the gap 10 between the upstream side conveyor 5a and the downstream side conveyor 5b so that the belt 16 does not suffer deterioration in inspection accuracy, and the detection unit below the conveyor. Anything that can be detected by 26 can be used. For example, when using X-rays as electromagnetic waves, an ordinary X-ray generator can provide an X-ray irradiation surface that spreads out in a substantially triangular shape around the focal point of the anode, and the X-rays that pass through the object to be inspected It is possible to inspect the object to be inspected by detecting with a detection unit such as a line sensor.

Next, operations and effects of the horizontal adjustment mechanism and the like in the article inspection device 1 of the embodiment will be described.
The reference support portions 30 of the conveyors 5a and 5b are disks having the same outer diameter and are attached to the side plate 12 at the same position. Since the reference support portion 30 is always in contact with the housing 2 at one point on the circumference, the heights of the reference points of the conveyors 5a and 5b with respect to the housing 2 are the same. Here, if one or both of the conveyors 5a and 5b is operated as necessary, the adjustment support portions 20 are operated with respect to the reference points of the conveyors 5a and 5b facing each other with the gap 10 therebetween. The height of each of the three adjusting points on each of the conveyors 5a and 5b can be adjusted appropriately. At this time, the heights of the reference points of the conveyors 5a and 5b with respect to the housing 2 do not change, so that the postures of the conveyors 5a and 5b can be adjusted with reference to the height of the reference point. As a result, the levelness of both conveyors 5a and 5b is adjusted, and the step between both conveyors 5a and 5b can be made as small as possible, so that the inspected object can stably transfer between both conveyors 5a and 5b. As a result, the accuracy of the inspection performed at the time of transfer is improved.

Further, according to the article inspection apparatus 1, the side plate 12 of the conveyor is installed on the housing 2 in a state in which the height and the levelness are accurately adjusted with the height of the reference point as a reference. The pedestal 13 having a driving mechanism such as the driving roller 15 and the driven roller 14 mounted thereon is mounted on the reference support portion 30 and the plurality of supports 40 of the side plate 12 mounted on the housing 2. .. Here, since the reference support portion 30 supports the pedestal 13 at one point on the circumference, no matter which posture the pedestal 13 is placed on the side plate 12, the reference support portions 30 are supported by the plurality of other support members 40. Along with the support, the support state of the cradle 13 is stable. Therefore, it is possible to stably hold the respective transport mechanisms of the respective conveyors 5a and 5b in a favorable state in which the levelness is adjusted and the level difference is minimized.

The housing 2 of the article inspection apparatus 1 has two side surfaces corresponding to the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveyors 5a and 5b in the transport direction T, and the front surface of the housing 2. It has a U-shaped structure. In the housing 2 having such a structure, a predetermined location on the back side of the housing 2 near the center of the housings 2 where the two conveyors 5a and 5b are adjacent to each other is used as a reference location, and no adjustment is required here. The support portion 30 is provided. This reference point is a position where it is difficult for an operator to insert his/her hand even when both side surfaces and the front surface of the housing 2 are released, and thus it is suitable to provide the reference support portion 30 that does not require adjustment. ing. Further, since the operator can easily reach the adjustment support portion 20 provided at the adjustment portion other than the above, the relative levelness of the two conveyors 5a and 5b is adjusted so that the step between the two conveyors 5a and 5b can be prevented. The work to solve can be easily performed.

In the embodiment described above, the horizontal adjustment mechanism is provided on both conveyors 5a and 5b, but even if it is provided on only one of the two conveyors 5a and 5b, a corresponding effect is obtained regarding the horizontal adjustment of the conveyors 5a and 5b. can get.
In addition, the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b are lined up in the transport direction T, the first conveyor 5a is on the upstream side and the second conveyor 5b is on the downstream side, but the first conveyor 5a and the second conveyor 5b are The second conveyors 5b may be arranged upstream in the transport direction T'and the first conveyor 5a may be arranged downstream.

1... Article inspection device 2... Housing 2
5a... upstream conveyor as a first conveyor 5b... downstream conveyor as a second conveyor 10... gap between upstream conveyor and downstream conveyor 12... side plate as frame 13... pedestal as frame 14... driven roller 15... Drive roller 16... Belt 20... Adjusting support 21... Plate 20... Screw 25... Electromagnetic wave source 26... Detecting unit 30... Reference support 40... Support S... Internal space of case 2... Electromagnetic radiation region T , T'... Transport direction

Claims (4)

A housing (2),
Transport direction before Kikatami body (T, T ') and the first conveyor (5a) and a second conveyor arranged with a gap (10) to (5b),
An electromagnetic wave source (25), which is arranged above or below the first conveyor and the second conveyor in the housing, and emits an electromagnetic wave to the inspection object passing through the gap;
A detection unit (26) which is disposed on the other of the upper and lower sides of the first conveyor and the second conveyor in the housing, and which detects an electromagnetic wave transmitted through the inspection object passing through the gap;
A horizontal adjustment mechanism (20, 30) that is provided on at least one of the first conveyor and the second conveyor, supports the conveyor with respect to the housing, and adjusts the levelness of the conveyor;
An article inspection device (1) comprising:
The horizontal adjustment mechanism is attached to a reference point of the conveyor to define a height of the reference point with respect to the housing, and a reference support section (30) attached to a plurality of adjustment points of the conveyor. An article inspection device (1), comprising: an adjustment support part (20) for adjusting a height of an adjustment point with respect to the housing. The article inspection device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the reference support portion (30) is a disk that contacts the housing (2) at a part of a circumference thereof. Of the first conveyor (5a) and the second conveyor (5b), the conveyor provided with the leveling mechanism (20, 30) is
A first frame (12) provided with the reference support part (30) and the adjustment support part (20) and installed on the housing (2), and a plurality of supports provided on the first frame. (40), a driven roller (14) around which a belt (16) is wound, and a drive roller (15), and the driven roller and the drive roller are rotatably mounted to support the reference of the first frame. The article inspection device (1) according to claim 2, further comprising a part and a second frame (13) mounted on the support. The casing (2) has two side surfaces corresponding to the upstream side and the downstream side of the first conveyor (5a) and the second conveyor (5b) in the transport direction (T, T'), and the front side. Is a releasable structure,
The article inspection apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein the reference point is located on the side where one of the first conveyor and the second conveyor faces the other and on the back side of the housing. ).

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