JP7569256B2 - Product Inspection Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item inspection device.

Patent document 1 describes a method of inspecting whether the ingredients and other qualities of a molded product such as a tablet are appropriate by irradiating the molded product with light from a light source and analyzing the light that passes through the molded product.

JP 2019-112199 A

When inspecting objects using light from a light source, it is ideal for the light from the light source not to change. Changes in the light from a light source are unlikely to occur in a short period of time, but in the case of a halogen light source, for example, if inspection is continued for a long period of time, changes in the light will occur, degrading the accuracy of the inspection results.

To prevent such changes in light from deteriorating the accuracy of test results, conventionally, the user would operate the light source to emit reference light, which is a standard light, at the timing intended by the user, to measure whether any changes in the light have occurred, and if any changes in the light have occurred, the changes in the light would be calibrated.

However, when carrying out such calibration work, the inspection work had to be stopped, reducing work efficiency.

The present invention aims to provide an object inspection device that can improve the efficiency of inspection work while maintaining inspection accuracy by calibrating the light source during inspection work.

The object inspection device of the present invention is an object inspection device including a transport section that stores one object for inspection in a storage section and transports it to an inspection position, a light irradiation section that irradiates light onto the object transported to the inspection position, and a light detection section that detects light transmitted through the object, and an object inspection section that inspects the quality of the object based on the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection section, the object inspection device including an object presence/absence detection section that detects the presence or absence of the object upstream of the inspection position in the transport direction of the object, and an object inspection section that detects the presence or absence of the object upstream of the inspection position in the transport direction of the object. and an item removal section which removes an item from the storage section when a predetermined condition is met, and the item removal section removes one of the items stored in the storage section from the storage section when a predetermined condition is met, and the item inspection section is configured so that when one of the items stored in the storage section is removed by the item removal section and the storage section without the item comes to the inspection position, the light detection section directly detects the light irradiated by the light irradiation section as a reference light serving as a standard, and calibrates the light source of the light irradiation section according to the measurement result of the reference light directly detected by the light detection section .

With this configuration, when a specific condition is met, the item is removed and the light source is calibrated. This allows calibration to be performed reliably, and by calibrating the light source during the inspection process, the efficiency of the inspection process can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

In addition, in the item inspection device of the present invention, the item removal unit determines that the specified condition is met when a predetermined time is reached.

With this configuration, at a predetermined time, the item is removed and the light source is calibrated. This allows for reliable calibration, and by calibrating the light source during the inspection process, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the inspection process while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

In addition, in the item inspection device of the present invention, the item removal unit determines that the specified condition is met when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous removal of the item.

With this configuration, the item is removed and the light source is calibrated at a predetermined time interval. This allows for reliable calibration, and by calibrating the light source during the inspection process, the efficiency of the inspection process can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

In addition, in the item inspection device of the present invention, the item removal unit determines that the predetermined condition is met when the fluctuation in the amount of light from the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold.

With this configuration, when the fluctuation in the light intensity of the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold, the item is removed and the light source is calibrated. This ensures that calibration can be performed reliably, and by calibrating the light source during the inspection process, the efficiency of the inspection process can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

In addition, in the item inspection device of the present invention, the item removal unit determines that the predetermined condition is met when the amount of fluctuation in the temperature of the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold.

With this configuration, when the temperature fluctuation of the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold, the item is removed and the light source is calibrated. This ensures that calibration can be performed reliably, and by calibrating the light source during the inspection process, the efficiency of the inspection process can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

The present invention provides an object inspection device that can improve the efficiency of inspection work while maintaining inspection accuracy by calibrating the light source during the inspection of the object being inspected.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a supply container of an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of a groove and a storage portion of an outer conveying device of an object inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3, seen from obliquely above. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an article inspection unit provided at an article inspection position of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the amount of variation in luminance of the light source of the article inspection unit of the article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a conceptual side view of the vicinity of an article inspection unit of an article inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a conceptual side view of the vicinity of an article inspection unit of an article inspection device according to a first alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a conceptual side view of the vicinity of an article inspection unit of an article inspection device according to a second alternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a conceptual side view of the vicinity of an article inspection unit of an article inspection device according to a third alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an article inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, an article inspection device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention aligns the articles to be inspected and transports them individually while irradiating light at a predetermined article inspection position, and inspects the quality of the articles based on the spectral characteristics of the light transmitted through the articles as the light is irradiated.

The objects to be inspected are small-diameter objects in which the light irradiation area is relatively close to the diameter of the irradiation port that irradiates the object to be inspected, and include objects with an outer diameter φ of several mm to several tens of mm that can be transported individually without packaging, bite-sized objects, objects of a given shape or molded products manufactured in existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without inspection capabilities, and especially objects whose shape does not change during transportation.

Examples of such articles include preparations such as tablets, capsules, lozenges, and drops, as well as candy and chocolate. Below, an example of an article to be inspected will be described, in which a tablet W is circular in plan view, has a height (thickness) smaller than its diameter, and is roughly cylindrical in side view. In this embodiment, the tablet W constitutes an article.

As shown in FIG. 1, the product inspection device 1 includes a product conveying device 2 that conveys tablets W along a circular conveying course, and a product inspection unit 3 that inspects the tablets W at a product inspection position P5 along the conveying course.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supply container 10 is formed in a circular shape with an open top and a cross-sectional area that gradually decreases from the top downward. The supply container 10 is a horizontal annular flange with a predetermined width provided around the entire circumference of the opening 10a on the top, and is equipped with an outer conveying section 12 that serves as a conveying path for the tablets W, a circular bottom wall 13 that has a through hole 13b in one part and has a smaller diameter than the outer conveying section 12, and a cylindrical side wall 14 that connects the outer conveying section 12 and the bottom wall 13.

In this embodiment, the inner conveying section 11 is provided radially inward of the outer conveying section 12. In other words, the outer conveying section 12 is provided radially outward of the inner conveying section 11 so as to surround the periphery of the inner conveying section 11 when viewed from above the item conveying device 2.

The supply container 10 is rotatably attached to a main body frame (not shown). The rotation axis of the supply container 10 passes through the center of the bottom wall 13 and coincides with a line perpendicular to the bottom wall 13. An annular internal gear 10b is fixed to the underside of the bottom wall 13 of the supply container 10 with its center coinciding with the bottom wall 13.

A first motor 21 is attached to the main body frame, and a pinion 22 provided on the drive shaft 21a of the first motor 21 meshes with the internal gear 10b. When the first motor 21 is driven, the supply container 10 (outer conveying section 12) rotates around its central axis of rotation in a rotation direction A (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the rotation direction A of the supply container 10 is counterclockwise when viewed from above the item conveying device 2.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inner conveying section 11 is disposed at an angle inside the supply container 10. The diameter of the inner conveying section 11 is larger than the diameter of the bottom wall 13 of the supply container 10, so the inner conveying section 11 can be accommodated at an angle inside the supply container 10. That is, the supply container 10 is formed in a circular shape with an open top and a cross-sectional area that decreases from the top to the bottom wall 13, so the inner conveying section 11 can be accommodated at an angle inside the supply container 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper end 11b of the inner conveying section 11 in the inclined direction faces the upper edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10, and the lower end 11c of the inclined direction, which is located 180° opposite the upper end 11b in the circumferential direction of the inner conveying section 11, faces the lower edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10.

That is, the lower end 11c of the inner conveying section 11 in the inclined direction is lowest at the portion facing the lower edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10, and the upper end 11b of the inner conveying section 11 in the inclined direction is highest at the portion facing the upper edge of the side wall 14 of the supply container 10. A drive shaft 11a (see FIG. 2) is fixed perpendicularly to the inner conveying section 11 at the center of the lower surface of the inner conveying section 11, and the drive shaft 11a is inserted through a through hole 13b in the bottom wall 13 of the supply container 10 in an inclined state and connected to a second motor 23 (see FIG. 2).

The second motor 23 is attached to a main frame that supports the supply container 10. When the second motor 23 is driven, the inner conveying section 11 inside the supply container 10 rotates around the drive shaft 11a in a rotation direction B (see FIG. 1). The rotation direction B of the inner conveying section 11 and the rotation direction A of the outer conveying section 12 are the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the item conveying device 2 includes an item supply section 24, which is installed above the item conveying device 2. When tablets W, which are molded products manufactured by existing manufacturing equipment or manufacturing equipment without an inspection function, are input, the item supply section 24 accumulates the input tablets W and discharges the accumulated tablets W from the discharge port 24a to the item input position P1, and supplies them to the inner conveying section 11 at the item input position P1.

The item supply unit 24 transports the tablets W inserted to the inner transport unit 11 and is composed of, for example, a linear feeder or a conveyor.

The item supply unit 24 has the function of supplying tablets W in accordance with the capacity of the inner conveying unit 11 and the outer conveying unit 12 to convey tablets W. In other words, the item supply unit 24 sets the amount of tablets W supplied to the inner conveying unit 11 in accordance with the capacity of the item conveying device 2 to convey tablets W (e.g., the number of tablets W conveyed per unit time).

In the article conveying device 2, while tablets W are being fed from the article supply section 24 to the inner conveying section 11, the first motor 21 and the second motor 23 are driven in the same direction at the same speed or at different speeds to rotate the inner conveying section 11 and the supply container 10 in rotation directions A and B at the same speed, respectively. As the inner conveying section 11 rotates, the tablets W that have fallen to the lowest part of the article supply section 24 (the lower end 11c side in the inclined direction) move to the highest part of the inner conveying section 11 (the upper end 11b side in the inclined direction) and are placed on the outer conveying section 12.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the outer conveying section 12 is provided with a groove portion 12A and a storage groove 12B. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the groove portion 12A is recessed downward from the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12 and extends in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12. In this embodiment, the storage groove 12B constitutes a storage section.

The grooves 12A are arranged in a row at equal intervals around the circumference of the outer conveying section 12, and these grooves 12A are adjacent to each other around the circumference of the outer conveying section 12, sandwiching the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the groove 12A is formed so that its circumferential width gradually narrows from the inner end 12n to the outer end 12m in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12. The circumferential width of the inner end 12n of the groove 12A is smaller than the width when two tablets W are lined up in the circumferential direction, i.e., twice the diameter of the tablets W (or smaller than the width when two tablets W are lined up vertically and horizontally in the circumferential direction), and is formed in a shape that makes it difficult for two tablets W to enter at the same time.

The tablet W that has been pushed onto the outer conveying section 12 by the rotation of the inner conveying section 11 enters the groove section 12A from the radial inner end 12n of the groove section 12A, and is guided from the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the outer conveying section 12 and the item guide section 27 described below, and is stored in the storage groove 12B.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the storage groove 12B is located radially outward of the outer conveying section 12 with respect to the groove portion 12A. The storage groove 12B is formed in a circular shape that is slightly larger than the tablet W in a plan view, and is recessed below the bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A, or may be at the same height as the groove portion 12A.

Specifically, the storage groove 12B has a bottom wall 12C with an annular mounting surface 12d located below the bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A. The bottom wall 12C has a circular opening 12c located inside the mounting surface 12d and through which inspection light passes. In other words, the mounting surface 12d is provided radially outward from the circular opening 12c so as to surround the circular opening 12c, and the tablet W is placed on the annular mounting surface 12d so as to close the opening 12c from above.

The storage groove 12B has a peripheral wall 12D that extends upward from the bottom wall 12C and surrounds the outer peripheral side surface Wa of the tablet W, and the tablet W is stored in a fitted state in the storage groove 12B.

Specifically, the peripheral wall 12D of the storage groove 12B is formed by the step between the bottom surface 12b of the groove portion 12A and the mounting surface 12d of the storage groove 12B, and the step between the top surface 12a of the groove portion 12A and the mounting surface 12d of the storage groove 12B.

The opening 12c is formed with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the tablet W when viewed from above the outer conveying section 12. Therefore, when the tablet W is stored in the storage groove 12B, the opening 12c cannot be seen from above, and the tablet W can be prevented from falling through the opening 12c.

The distance from the central axis of rotation of the outer conveying unit 12 to the center of all storage grooves 12B is the same, and when the tablets W are stored in the storage grooves 12B, the tablets W are aligned in a line in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying unit 12. In other words, a line connecting the centers of the storage grooves 12B (the centers of the openings 12c) in the direction of rotation forms a circle. As a result, when the outer conveying unit 12 rotates, the tablets W stored in the storage grooves 12B are aligned in a line in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying unit 12.

In addition, when the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the gap between the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D is extremely small. This prevents light from leaking out of the gap between the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D, and prevents light from entering the gap between the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D. In other words, the peripheral wall 12D blocks light that enters the light detection unit 32 described below from the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W. In this embodiment, the peripheral wall 12D constitutes a light-shielding portion, and the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W constitutes the outer peripheral side of the article.

The condition is that the gap between the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W and the peripheral wall 12D, and the gap between the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W and the bottom wall 12C are set to a gap that can prevent light from leaking from the outer peripheral side Wa of the tablet W or from entering from the outer peripheral side Wa by the peripheral wall 12D, and that allows the tablet W to be securely accommodated in the accommodation groove 12B.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the height dimension a of the tablet W, i.e., the dimension a from the mounting surface 12d of the storage groove 12B to the upper surface of the tablet W, is greater than the height dimension b from the mounting surface 12d of the storage groove 12B to the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A.

As a result, when the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the upper surface of the tablet W protrudes above the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A.

When the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the height dimension a of the tablet W may be smaller than the height dimension b from the placement surface 12d of the storage groove 12B to the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A. In this case, when the tablet W is contained in the storage groove 12B, the upper surface of the tablet W is located lower than the upper surface 12a of the groove portion 12A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the item conveying device 2 is provided with an item regulating section 25. The item regulating section 25 regulates the number of tablets W supplied so that only one tablet W is supplied to the groove section 12A, and aligns the tablets W in a single row in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

The item regulating section 25 is made up of a guide plate that extends in a curved shape at a certain length in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying section 12 and also extends vertically, and is fixed to the main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

The item regulation section 25 is provided at a regulation position P2 downstream of the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 relative to the item input position P1. In other words, the item input position P1 is installed upstream of the item regulation section 25 in a plan view of the item conveying device 2. Here, the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and the conveying direction of the tablets W are the same direction.

When one tablet W is supplied from the inner conveying section 11 to the groove section 12A through the radial inner end 12n of the groove section 12A, the radial outer end of the tablet W comes into contact with the item regulating section 25. That is, the radial dimension of the outer conveying section 12 at the item regulating section 25 and the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A is set to the same dimension as the diameter of the tablet W, a dimension slightly larger than the diameter of the tablet W, or a dimension slightly smaller than the diameter of the tablet W so that the tablet W does not fall from the groove section 12A to the inner conveying section 11. This regulates the number of tablets W supplied by the item regulating section 25 so that only one tablet W is supplied to the groove section 12A.

In addition, the tablet W that is supplied to the groove portion 12A alone is restricted from moving radially outward of the outer conveying portion 12 by the item regulating portion 25, and is conveyed toward the item inspection position P5 while aligned in a row in the rotational direction of the outer conveying portion 12. In this embodiment, the outer conveying portion 12 constitutes a conveying portion.

The article conveying device 2 is provided with an article adjustment section 26. The article adjustment section 26 is provided at an article adjustment position P3 downstream of the article regulation section 25 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and returns tablets W that are not positioned in the correct position in the groove section 12A to the correct position in the groove section 12A, and removes tablets W protruding from the groove section 12A from the groove section 12A. Here, the correct position of the tablets W is, for example, a position in which the tablets can move smoothly from the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B and be stored sideways in the storage groove 12B.

The item adjustment section 26 is composed of a brush, air, an exclusion plate, etc., and when a tablet W supplied to the groove section 12A rides up on the upper surface 12a of the outer conveying section 12, it adjusts the tablet to a normal position in the groove section 12A or excludes it from the groove section 12A.

When one tablet W is in a poor position (vertical orientation), the tablet W is removed from the groove portion 12A. The tablet W removed from the groove portion 12A is returned to the inner conveying portion 11.

Specifically, when a tablet W is positioned above the top surface of the tablet W that would be in the correct position in the groove portion 12A, the item adjustment unit 26 adjusts (corrects or removes) the tablet W that is in the wrong position by supplying air above the top surface of the tablet W or by using an exclusion plate.

The article conveying device 2 is provided with an article guide section 27. The article guide section 27 is provided at an article guide position P4 downstream of the article adjustment section 26 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and guides tablets W supplied to the groove section 12A along the groove section 12A to the storage groove 12B. The article guide section 27 is composed of a guide plate that extends in a curved manner at a constant length in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and also extends in the vertical direction, and is fixed to a main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

The article guide section 27 is composed of a guide plate that extends a certain length from the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A toward the outer end 12m in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 and also extends in the vertical direction. The upstream end 27a of the article guide section 27 is located closer to the inner conveying section 11 than the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12, and the downstream end 27b is located closer to the inner end 12n of the groove section 12A than the storage groove 12B in the radial direction of the outer conveying section 12, and is located near the outer end 12m of the groove section 12A.

The article guide section 27 moves the tablets W aligned in a row on the inner end 12n side of the storage groove 12B in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12 at the regulating position P2 along the groove section 12A toward the storage groove 12B as the outer conveying section 12 rotates, and stores them in the storage groove 12B.

The tablets W contained in the storage groove 12B are transported to the item inspection section 3 by the rotation of the outer conveying section 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the item inspection section 3 is provided at an item inspection position P5 downstream of the item guide position P4 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12.

The item transport device 2 is provided with an item blocking section 28. The item blocking section 28 is provided from midway in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12 of the item guide section 27 to downstream of the item inspection position P5 in the rotation direction of the outer transport section 12.

The item blocking section 28 is curved in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying section 12, extends a certain length, and is composed of a guide plate that extends in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the main body frame that supports the supply container 10.

The item blocking section 28 prevents the tablets W stored in the storage groove 12B by the item guide section 27 from moving radially outward from the storage groove 12B due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the outer conveying section 12.

As shown in FIG. 6, the article inspection unit 3 is composed of a light irradiation unit 31 and a light detection unit 32. At the article inspection position P5, the article inspection unit 3 irradiates broadband light L from the light irradiation unit 31 onto the tablet W stored in the storage groove 12B from the opening 12c side, and detects the light that has passed through the tablet W by the light detection unit 32.

The light irradiation unit 31 includes a light source 31a, a light guide 31b, and a condenser lens 31c. The light source 31a is composed of, for example, a halogen lamp to irradiate a wide band of light onto the tablet W to be inspected. The light source 31a, the light guide 31b, and the condenser lens 31c constitute a light source unit that is assembled together with a case (not shown) on which a heat dissipation fin (not shown) is formed, and the light source unit is attached to a main body frame that supports the supply container 10. The light source unit includes a light sensor (not shown) that detects the amount of light from the light source 31a, and a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the light source 31a.

The light guide 31b is made up of a number of glass optical fibers bundled together, and guides the light from the light source 31a to the focusing lens 31c, which focuses the light from the light guide 31b onto the tablet W at the item inspection position P5.

The light irradiation unit 31 emits broadband light from the light source 31a to the condenser lens 31c via the light guide 31b, adjusts the magnification of the condenser lens 31c (the positions of the condenser lens 31c, the light source 31a, and the tablet W) so that the condenser lens 31c covers the entire top surface of the tablet W at the item inspection position P5, and efficiently irradiates the tablet W with light from the light source 31a at the item inspection position P5.

The light detection unit 32 is an integrally assembled light detection unit that includes an optical fiber 32a and a spectrometer 32b, and is attached to a main frame that supports the supply container 10 and is held integrally by a holding means (not shown).

In the light detection unit 32, the light that has passed through the tablet W at the item inspection position P5 enters the end face (incident opening) of the incident surface that serves as the light receiving section of the optical fiber 32a. When the light that enters from the end face of the incident surface passes through the optical fiber 32a and reaches the spectroscope 32b, the spectroscope 32b performs spectroscope separation using a grating that utilizes the difference in diffraction angle due to the wavelength of the light.

The product inspection unit 3 processes the signal of the spectroscopic characteristics obtained by the light detection unit 32 and judges the quality of the tablet W based on the results of the signal processing.

At the item inspection position P5, a light shielding plate 39 having an opening 39a through which light passes may be placed between the storage groove 12B and the light detection unit 32 (the light shielding plate 39 is shown by a phantom line in FIG. 6). In this way, the light entering the light detection unit 32 from the outer peripheral side surface Wa (see FIG. 4) of the tablet W can be more reliably blocked by the peripheral wall 12D and the light shielding plate 39, and the light detection unit 32 can more reliably perform appropriate light analysis.

As shown in FIG. 1, downstream of the item inspection position P5 in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying section 12 are a defective item recovery section 35, a full item recovery section 36, and a non-defective item recovery section 37, which are provided at a predetermined interval in the direction of rotation of the outer conveying section 12.

When the item inspection section 3 judges a tablet W to be defective (NG item), the item conveying device 2, when the tablet W judged to be defective is conveyed to the NG item sorting position P6 downstream in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12 relative to the item inspection section 3, for example, blows air onto the tablet W from the radial inside of the outer conveying section 12 and discharges it from the storage groove 12B to the NG item recovery section 35. Note that the tablet W may also be sucked from the radial outside of the outer conveying section 12 at the NG item sorting position P6 and discharged from the storage groove 12B to the NG item recovery section 35.

On the other hand, when the product inspection unit 3 judges the tablet W to be a normal product (OK product), when the tablet W judged to be a normal product is transported from the NG product sorting position P6 to the OK product sorting position P7, for example, air is blown onto the tablet W from the radially inner side of the outer conveying unit 12, and the tablet W is discharged from the storage groove 12B to the OK product recovery unit 37. Note that the tablet W may be sucked from the radially outer side of the outer conveying unit 12 at the OK product sorting position P7, and discharged from the storage groove 12B to the OK product recovery unit 37.

The full-item recovery section 36 is located at the full discharge position P8 between the NG item sorting position P6 and the OK item sorting position P7 in the rotational direction of the outer conveying section 12.

The full-item recovery section 36 recovers tablets W that could not be properly inspected or failed to be discharged, such as tablets W that were not properly inspected or failed to be discharged when the item inspection device 1 starts operating, after a recovery operation following an emergency stop, or tablets W that failed to be discharged. For example, air is blown onto the tablets W from the radially inner side of the outer conveying section 12, and the tablets are discharged from the storage groove 12B to the full-item recovery section 36.

In addition, at the full discharge position P8, the tablets W may be sucked from the radially outer side of the outer conveying section 12 and discharged from the storage groove 12B to the full-item recovery section 36.

In addition, a confirmation sensor 38 may be provided at a confirmation position P9 downstream of the defective product recovery section 35 in the rotation direction of the outer conveying section 12, and the confirmation sensor 38 may check whether or not a defective product has been discharged at the defective product sorting position P6. In this way, the reliability of the selection of defective products can be improved.

In this embodiment, the light emitted by the light source 31a of the item inspection unit 3 changes over time as the light is used. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, three minutes after use begins, there is almost no variation in the luminance from the original light, but after eight hours, the luminance varies depending on the wavelength.

When the tablet W is not present at the item inspection position P5 during the inspection of the tablet W, the item inspection unit 3 of this embodiment measures the reference light from the light source 31a (hereinafter also referred to as "reference light"), and calibrates the light source 31a or updates the information on the spectral characteristics of the light source 31a according to the measurement result. Note that the calibration of the light source 31a and the update of the information on the spectral characteristics of the light source 31a may be performed in combination.

Calibrating the light source 31a means physically and electrically adjusting the light source 31a, such as adjusting the voltage to light the lamp of the light source 31a, adjusting the brightness by increasing or decreasing the cooling strength of the light source 31a, moving the light source 31a closer or farther away, adjusting the focus, and adjusting the amount of light by the iris.

Updating the spectral characteristic information means updating the spectral information detected by the light detection unit 32 according to the measurement results of the reference light, without making any physical or electrical adjustments to the light source 31a as described above. Note that in the following description, "calibrating the light source" also includes updating the information on the spectral characteristics of the light source.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, the item inspection device 1 is equipped with a tablet presence/absence detection unit 4 that detects whether or not a tablet W is present in the storage groove 12B before the item inspection position P5 (upstream in the conveying direction of the tablet W).

When the tablet presence detection unit 4 detects that a tablet W is not present, the item inspection unit 3 measures the reference light when the storage groove 12B without the tablet W reaches the item inspection position P5. If the measurement conditions of the light detection unit 32 differ when measuring the tablet W and when measuring the reference light, the measurement conditions are switched according to the detection results of the tablet presence detection unit 4.

By doing this, the reference light can be measured when there is no tablet W at the item inspection position P5, and by calibrating the light source 31a during the inspection operation, the efficiency of the inspection operation can be improved while maintaining the inspection accuracy.

As a first alternative aspect of this embodiment, if the light source 31a has not been calibrated for a predetermined period of time, the tablet W is intentionally removed to create a tablet W-free state, the reference light is measured, and the light source 31a is calibrated.

In addition, the tablets W may be removed at a predetermined time or at a time interval to leave the tablet W-free, and the reference light may be measured to calibrate the light source 31a.

In addition, the light amount and temperature of the light source 31a, and ambient light other than that from the light source 31a may be detected, and if the amount of variation exceeds a threshold, the tablet W may be removed to create a tablet-W-free state, the reference light may be measured, and the light source 31a may be calibrated. The light amount of the light source 31a may be the light amount at the time of measuring the tablet W, or the light amount of the light source 31a may be directly detected.

Here, the amount of variation includes, for each observed value, the amount of variation per unit time, the amount of variation from the absolute value, and the amount of variation from the measured value at the time of the previous calibration.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the item inspection device 1 includes a tablet presence/absence detection unit 4 that detects the presence or absence of tablets W before the item inspection position P5 (upstream in the conveying direction of tablets W), and a tablet removal unit 5 that removes tablets W from the outer conveying unit 12 by sucking them from above after the tablet presence/absence detection unit 4 before the item inspection position P5. The tablet removal unit 5 may also be configured to flick tablets W away with air or the like and return them to the inner conveying unit 11 (see FIG. 1).

When the predetermined conditions such as the time monitoring and light quantity monitoring described above are met, the product inspection unit 3 detects the presence of a tablet W at the tablet presence detection unit 4, and causes the tablet removal unit 5 to remove the tablet W from the storage groove 12B. When the storage groove 12B without the tablet W reaches the product inspection position P5, the reference light is measured.

In this way, when a certain condition is met, the tablet W is removed and the light source 31a is calibrated, so calibration can be performed reliably. By calibrating the light source 31a during the inspection operation, the efficiency of the inspection operation can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

In a second alternative aspect of this embodiment, similar to the first alternative aspect, when a predetermined condition is met, the tablet W is removed and the light source 31a is calibrated, but as shown in FIG. 10, the tablet removal unit 5 is disposed in front of the tablet presence detection unit 4 (upstream in the conveying direction of the tablet W).

In this way, when a certain condition is met, the tablet W is removed and the light source 31a is calibrated, so calibration can be performed reliably. By calibrating the light source 31a during the inspection operation, the efficiency of the inspection operation can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

As a third alternative aspect of this embodiment, a part of the storage groove 12B of the outer conveying section 12 is configured so that tablets W are not placed in it, and the reference light is measured in the storage groove 12B to calibrate the light source 31a.

For this reason, the product inspection device 1 is provided with a tablet blocking section 29 that prevents tablets W from being placed in the storage groove 12B of the outer conveying section 12, as shown in FIG. 11.

The tablet blocking section 29 is shaped so that the tablet W does not fit into the storage groove 12B, while the reference light from the light source 31a of the light irradiation section 31 passes through the light detection section 32.

The position where the tablet blocking unit 29 is located can be detected by providing a tablet blocking unit detection unit that detects the tablet blocking unit 29, or by the item inspection unit 3 storing the position of the tablet blocking unit 29 in advance.

In this way, the light source 31a is calibrated in the storage groove 12B, which is a part of the outer conveying section 12, so that the calibration can be performed reliably. By calibrating the light source 31a during the inspection work, the efficiency of the inspection work can be improved while maintaining the accuracy of the inspection.

The light source 31a may be calibrated every time in one of the storage grooves 12B of the outer conveying section 12, or at a predetermined interval.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it is apparent that modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims.

1 Article inspection device 2 Article transport device 3 Article inspection section 4 Tablet presence/absence detection section (article presence/absence detection section)
5 Tablet removal section (item removal section)
12 Outer conveying section (conveying section)
12B Storage groove (storage section)
29 Tablet blocking section (article blocking section)
31 Light irradiation unit 31a Light source 32 Light detection unit P5 Item inspection position (inspection position)

Claims (5)

a transport section (12) that stores one inspection object (W) in a storage section (12B) and transports the object to an inspection position (P5);
An article inspection device (1) including a light irradiation unit (31) that irradiates light onto the article transported to the inspection position, and a light detection unit (32) that detects light transmitted through the article, and an article inspection unit (3) that inspects quality of the article based on the spectral characteristics of the light detected by the light detection unit,
an object presence/absence detection unit (4) that detects the presence or absence of the object upstream of the inspection position in the conveying direction of the object;
an article removal section (5) that removes one of the articles contained in the storage section from the storage section, upstream of the inspection position in the conveying direction of the article;
the article removal unit removes one of the articles contained in the storage unit from the storage unit when a predetermined condition is met;
The item inspection unit is an item inspection device in which, when one of the items contained in the storage unit is removed by the item removal unit and the storage unit without the item comes to the inspection position, the light emitted by the light irradiation unit is directly detected by the light detection unit as a reference light serving as a standard, and the light source (31a) of the light irradiation unit is calibrated based on the measurement result of the reference light directly detected by the light detection unit. 2. The article inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the article removal section determines that the predetermined condition is met when a predetermined time comes. 2. The object inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the object removal section determines that the predetermined condition is met when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous removal of the object. 2. The object inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the object removal section determines that the predetermined condition is met when a fluctuation in the amount of light from the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold. 2. The object inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the object removal unit determines that the predetermined condition is met when a fluctuation in temperature of the light source exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

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