JP7740677B2 - Inspection equipment and inspection system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for inspecting labels attached to both the front and back of an object to be inspected.

At vendor factories for convenience stores and other businesses, products such as cooked rice and rice balls are wrapped in packaging material, labeled, and then shipped.

In this regard, it is difficult to accurately inspect the labels while preventing the products from losing their shape during the process of transporting such products.
For example, with the device described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to transport thick products that are roughly circular (round) in plan view in an upright position, and reliable inspection is not possible.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-113376

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to reliably inspect both the front and back sides of the object being inspected while preventing deformation, etc.

To achieve the above objective, the inspection device of the present invention comprises a first upstream conveying means for conveying inspection objects on a conveying surface, a second downstream conveying means for conveying the inspection objects on the conveying surface, and an inspection means for inspecting the inspection objects on the conveying surface, wherein the upstream end of the second conveying means is located below the downstream end of the first conveying means and is equipped with a buffer means for cushioning the impact received by the inspection objects when they fall from the downstream end of the first conveying means.

This invention makes it possible to reliably inspect both the front and back sides of an object being inspected while preventing deformation of the object.

1 is an external perspective view showing an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1A and 1B are external perspective views illustrating how an object to be inspected is transported in an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing (a) the state before the object to be inspected is displaced, and (b) the state after the object to be inspected has been displaced. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an inspection object is transported on a belt conveyor composed of two transport belts in an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a process in which an inspection object is inspected by a first inspection unit and a second inspection unit in an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between a conveying surface of a first belt conveyor, a conveying surface of a second belt conveyor, and auxiliary path rollers in the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an inspection object is rotated backwards by a half turn by a displacement mechanism in an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating how an inspection object that has resulted in an error in the inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is sorted (removed) from the conveying line, showing (a) before sorting and (b) during sorting. 10A and 10B are plan views showing a conveying belt constituting a second belt conveyor in an inspection device according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A shows a first modified example and FIG. 10B shows a second modified example.

An inspection device 1 and an inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , an inspection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes belt conveyors 10 and 20, a first inspection unit 11, a second inspection unit 21, and a sorting mechanism 30. This inspection device 1 inspects labels L1 and L2 affixed to both the front and back sides of an inspection object W conveyed on the belt conveyors 10 and 20 on the conveying surfaces 10a and 20a. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2( a), after inspecting the label L1 affixed to one side of the inspection object W, the orientation of the inspection object W on the conveying surface 10a is shifted, and as shown in FIG. 2( b), the label L2 affixed to the side opposite to the side to which label L1 is affixed is inspected. In both inspections, during the conveying process, the labels L1 and L2 are positioned on the upper surface opposite the surface that abuts against the conveying surfaces 10a and 20a, and the labels L1 and L2 that appear on the upper surface are inspected.

In this embodiment, "displacing" the orientation of the inspection object W means orienting the labels L1 and L2 attached to the inspection object W toward the first inspection unit 11 and the second inspection unit 21. In this regard, in this embodiment, the first inspection unit 11 and the second inspection unit 21 are provided above the conveying surfaces 10a and 20a, and the labels L1 and L2 are attached to the front and back surfaces of the inspection object W. Therefore, when displacing the orientation of the inspection object W, the inspection object W is turned upside down. However, regardless of this embodiment, depending on the locations of the first inspection unit 11 and the second inspection unit 21 and the locations of the labels L1 and L2, the displacement of the orientation of the inspection object W is not limited to being turned upside down.

●Inspection object W
First, an inspection object W to be inspected by the inspection device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.
The object to be inspected W has a label L1 or a label L2 attached to at least both the front and back sides, and can only assume a stable position when either the front or back side to which the label L1 or L2 is attached is in contact with the conveying surface 10a, 20a of the belt conveyor 10, 20.
In this embodiment, a rice ball with a generally circular shape in a plan view and a certain thickness (strictly speaking, wrapped in a wrapping material such as polypropylene film according to the shape of the rice ball) is assumed as the inspection object W. Such a rice ball can maintain a stable posture if the circular surface is used as the front or back surface and either the front or back surface is used as the bottom surface, but if it is stood up by its circumferential surface, it will roll, and there is a risk that the labels L1 and L2 will not be inspected properly.
However, this does not prevent the inspection device 1 of this embodiment from being used to inspect other shapes, such as rice balls that are approximately triangular in plan view, and the inspection device 1 can be suitably used to inspect labels L1 and L2 attached to both the front and back sides of the object.

In the description of the inspection device 1 according to this embodiment, in order to distinguish between the labels attached to the front and back sides of the inspection object W, the label attached to the front side is referred to as "label L1" and the label attached to the back side is referred to as "label L2." However, the present invention aims to inspect both labels L1 and L2 attached to one side and the opposite side, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited by which side is actually the front or back.

In this embodiment, a label L1 attached to the surface of the inspection object W displays an image of the inspection object W, i.e., a commodity.
Furthermore, a label L2 attached to the back side displays a symbol code such as a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) that encodes information about the product being inspected W.
In this embodiment, labels L1 and L2 are attached to the inspection object W, but here "attached" broadly means including examples where information is visibly displayed on the front or back of the inspection object W, such as examples where the label is attached to the film that packages the inspection object W, or examples where the label is printed directly on the film, etc.

● Belt conveyor 10
The belt conveyors 10 and 20 constitute a transport path for the inspection objects W to which the labels L1 and L2 are attached, and are transport means for transporting the inspection objects W.
The belt conveyors 10 and 20 are arranged in a straight line, with the belt conveyor 10 on the upstream side and the belt conveyor 20 on the downstream side.
Furthermore, the belt conveyors 10 and 20 are arranged with a step in the vertical direction, and the upstream end of the belt conveyor 20 is provided below the downstream end of the belt conveyor 10. As a result, the inspection object W transported on the transport surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 falls from the downstream end of the transport surface 10a to the upstream end of the transport surface 20a of the belt conveyor 20.

The belt conveyor 10 is provided upstream of the belt conveyor 20 and transports the inspection object W to the downstream belt conveyor 20.
The belt conveyor 10 is provided with a first inspection unit 11 and a sensor 12, and the belt conveyor 10 inspects the label L1 on the surface that forms the upper surface of the inspection object W. The first inspection unit 11 and the sensor 12 will be described in detail later.

The belt conveyor 10 is composed of a rotating body 101 and a conveying belt 102 .
The rotating bodies 101 are arranged in pairs spaced apart from each other and rotate when driven by a motor.
The conveyor belt 102 is an endless belt stretched over a pair of rotating bodies 101. The upper surface side of the conveyor belt 102 constitutes a conveyor surface 10a that conveys the inspection object W in one direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, a hollow portion 103 is provided inside the endless conveyor belt 102 stretched across a pair of rotating bodies 101. As described below, the belt conveyor 20 also has a hollow portion 203 corresponding to the hollow portion 103, but unlike the belt conveyor 20, the belt conveyor 10 does not necessarily have to have a hollow portion 103. Therefore, for example, a top plate may be provided inside the conveyor belt 102 to abut against the conveyor belt 102 from the inside and prevent the conveyor belt 102 from bending due to the weight of the inspection object W.

The belt conveyor 10 may also be provided with fall prevention plates at both ends of the width of the conveying surface 10a. This prevents the inspection objects W from falling from both ends of the width of the conveying surface 10a without interfering with the transport of the inspection objects W.

Furthermore, a belt conveyor may be provided upstream of the belt conveyor 10, which aligns the inspection objects W supplied from other devices and transports them to the downstream belt conveyor 10. To align the inspection objects W in this manner, for example, a collecting member is provided to align the inspection objects W in a line at the center of the width of the conveying surface. The collecting member has a length in the conveying direction and includes a roller inside that rotates along the conveying direction, and is provided in pairs at both ends of the width of the conveying surface of the belt conveyor. The distance between the pair of collecting members facing each other gradually narrows toward the downstream end, until it is approximately equal to the width of the inspection objects W at the downstream end. As a result, the inspection objects W that were placed disorderly on the conveying surface upstream are aligned in a line by the collecting member.
● Belt conveyor 20

The belt conveyor 20 is provided downstream of the belt conveyor 10 and transports the inspection object W transported from the belt conveyor 10 further downstream.
The belt conveyor 20 is provided with a second inspection section 21, a sensor 22, an auxiliary roller 23, a sorting mechanism 30, and a sorted product holding box 40. This belt conveyor 20 inspects the labels L2 attached to the backside of the inspection objects W, and also sorts (rejects) inspection objects W that have resulted in an error as a result of the inspection. Each mechanism will be described in detail later.

The belt conveyor 20 is composed of a rotating body 201 and two conveyor belts 202 .
The rotating bodies 201 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart from each other, for each conveyor belt 202, and are rotated by the drive of a motor.
Each of the two conveyor belts 202 is an endless flexible belt stretched over a pair of rotating bodies 201. The upper surface of each of the conveyor belts 202 constitutes a conveying surface 20a that conveys the inspection object W in one direction. In this embodiment, the two conveyor belts 202 are arranged side by side in the width direction.

The space between two conveyor belts 202 arranged side by side in the width direction forms an adjacent section 20b. The adjacent section 20b may not have a gap, or may have a gap large enough to prevent the inspection object W from falling between them regardless of the orientation of the object.

As shown in Figure 6, a hollow portion 203 is provided inside an endless conveyor belt 202 stretched across a pair of rotating bodies 201.

The adjacent portion 20b and hollow portion 203 both constitute a buffer means for cushioning the impact received by the inspection object W when it drops from the downstream end of the belt conveyor 10 and lands on the conveying surface 20a. That is, as a result of the hollow portion 203 being provided in the belt conveyor 20, when the inspection object W drops from the conveying surface 10a onto the conveying surface 20a, the conveying belt 202 bends inward, cushioning the impact of the fall. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the adjacent portion 20b, the widthwise end of the conveying belt 202 is more likely to bend, more effectively cushioning the impact of the fall. Furthermore, in addition to cushioning the impact of the fall by the hollow portion 203 and adjacent portion 20b, the bouncing of the inspection object W is also suppressed.

The hollow portion 203 only needs to be formed at least at the location where the inspection object W falls from the conveying surface 10a.
In addition, in this embodiment, the inside of the conveying belt 202 is configured as a hollow portion 203, but instead of the hollow portion 203, a buffer member such as a cushion made of a soft resin material may be provided inside the conveying belt 202, as long as the conveying belt 202 can be bent to absorb the impact of the fall when the inspection object W falls onto the conveying surface 20a.

The belt conveyor 20 is provided with fall prevention plates 204. These are flat, upright members installed at both ends of the width of the conveying surface 20a, and prevent the inspection objects W from falling outward from both ends of the width of the conveying surface 20a.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned belt conveyors 10 and 20 are arranged with a step in the vertical direction, and it is preferable that the height difference between the transport surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 and the transport surface 20a of the belt conveyor 20 is set to the maximum width of the inspection object W. For example, if the maximum width of the inspection object W is 80 mm, it is preferable that the height difference is set to 80 mm. In this way, by setting the height difference between the belt conveyors 10 and 20 to the maximum width of the inspection object W, it is possible to reliably displace the inspection object W while minimizing the impact caused by the fall.
In reality, an auxiliary roller 23 is provided on the conveying surface 20a below the downstream end of the belt conveyor 10, and even if the height difference between the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 and the conveying surface 20a of the belt conveyor 20 is taken as the maximum width of the inspection object W, the height difference between the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 and the conveying surface of the auxiliary roller 23 is slightly smaller than the height difference between the conveying surfaces 10a and 20a, and does not reach the maximum width of the inspection object W. However, since the inspection object W is urged downstream by the belt conveyor 10 operating at a predetermined conveying speed, it is reliably displaced on the auxiliary roller 23 and conveyed in the upstream and downstream directions even with such a height difference.
The height difference between the belt conveyors 10 and 20 may be adjusted appropriately by a predetermined adjustment mechanism according to the maximum width of the inspection object W and the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 10.

As mentioned above, the object to be inspected W is assumed to be a rice ball that is roughly circular in plan view, and the rice ball ingredients are placed in the center of the surface, causing the center of the surface to bulge. Even when such an object to be inspected W is transported on the transport surface 20a and the surface of the object to be inspected W comes into contact with the transport surface 20a, the ends of the two transport belts 202 in the adjacent portion 20b bend downward in accordance with the bulge, preventing the bulge of the object to be inspected W from being crushed. Furthermore, as a result of the bulge of the object to be inspected W being absorbed by the bending of the two transport belts 202, the top surface of the object to be inspected W does not tilt relative to the transport surface 20a, and the second inspection unit 21 can accurately inspect the label L2 facing the top surface of the object to be inspected W.

In addition, in this embodiment, the belt conveyor 20 is configured with two conveyor belts 202, but is not limited to this and may be configured with three or more conveyor belts 202.
In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which only the belt conveyor 20 is configured with two conveying belts 202, but this is not limited to this, and the belt conveyor 10 may also be configured with multiple conveying belts 102.

First inspection section 11
The first inspection unit 11 is provided downstream of the belt conveyor 10 and inspects the label L1 attached to the surface of the inspection object W on the conveying surface 10a.
This first inspection section 11 has at least an imaging means such as a CCD camera that captures images of the patterns displayed on the label L1 attached to the object W to be inspected, a product information storage means that stores product information about the product that is the object W to be inspected, and a judgment means that compares the display content of the label L1 captured by the imaging means with the product information to determine whether the label L1 is correct or not.

As shown in Figure 4, a sensor 12 is provided upstream of the imaging means. This sensor 12 is, for example, a transmission-type photoelectric sensor consisting of a light emitter and a light receiver, provided at both ends of the width of the conveying surface 10a, and detects that the inspection object W has reached the position on the conveying surface 10a where the sensor 12 is provided. The detection information from the sensor 12 is supplied to the first inspection unit 11, which allows the first inspection unit 11 to determine the timing for capturing an image of the label L1 on the inspection object W using the imaging means.

The determination means determines whether the label L1 is correct or incorrect based on the degree of match between the display content of the label L1 captured by the imaging means and the basic image (sample image) included in the product information. However, the method for determining the degree of match is not particularly limited, and as long as it determines whether the label L1 that should have been attached to a specific inspection object W has been properly attached, the functional unit that performs such a determination can constitute the determination means according to this embodiment.

If the determination means determines that there is an error in the label L1 of the inspection object W, for example, if a different label L1 than the one that should have been attached is attached, or if a pattern that should have been displayed on the label L1 is not printed correctly, the error determination result is notified to the sorting mechanism 30, and the inspection object W with the error is sorted (removed) from the conveying line by the sorting mechanism 30.

Second inspection unit 21
The second inspection section 21 is provided on the belt conveyor 20 upstream of the sorting mechanism 30, and inspects the label L2 attached to the back surface of the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a.
This second inspection section 21 has at least a reading means such as a scanner that reads the symbol code displayed on the label L2 attached to the inspection object W, a product information storage means that stores product information about the product that is the inspection object W, and a judgment means that compares the contents of the symbol code read by the reading means with the product information to judge whether the label L2 is correct or not.

4, a sensor 22 for detecting the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a is provided upstream of the reading means. This sensor 22 is, for example, a transmission type photoelectric sensor similar to the sensor 12, and in this embodiment, is provided below the downstream end of the conveying surface 10a, i.e., upstream in the conveying direction of the conveying surface 20a, so as to be able to detect the inspection object W at a location where the inspection object W falls from the conveying surface 10a.
When the inspection object W falls from the conveying surface 10a onto the conveying surface 20a, the sensor 22 detects the inspection object W. The detection information by the sensor 22 is supplied to the second inspection unit 21, and the second inspection unit 21 can thereby measure the timing to read the label L2 of the inspection object W by the reading means.

The reading means is provided above the conveying surface 20a, and scans the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a at a predetermined timing based on the detection information of the inspection object W by the sensor 22, and reads the symbol code displayed on the label L2 of the inspection object W.
It is also possible to use an imaging means such as a CCD camera instead of the reading means. This also makes it possible to obtain the symbol code displayed on the label L2, and if character information other than the symbol code is displayed on the label L2, the imaging means can be used to obtain this character information and determine whether it is correct or not.

Similar to the processing in the first inspection unit 11, if the determination means determines that there is an error in the label L2 of the inspection object W, for example, if the label L2 cannot be read or if a label L2 different from the label L2 that should have been attached is attached, the error determination result is notified to the sorting mechanism 30, and the inspection object W with the error is sorted (removed) from the conveying line by the sorting mechanism 30.

A pair of lights 50 are provided near the second inspection section 21 to illuminate the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a. This allows the second inspection section 21 to perform inspection with high accuracy. In this embodiment, the lights 50 are provided only near the second inspection section 21, but this is not limiting and they may also be provided near the first inspection section 11.

Auxiliary roller 23
2 and 5, the auxiliary roller 23 is provided on the conveying surface 20a at the upstream end of the belt conveyor 20. This position is below the downstream end of the belt conveyor 20, and is the position where the inspection object W falls from the conveying surface 10a.
The auxiliary rollers 23 are rotated by a motor in the direction opposite to the conveying direction. In this embodiment, four auxiliary rollers 23 are arranged in parallel along the conveying direction at the location where the inspection object W falls, so that the inspection object W does not fall directly onto the conveying surface 20 a.

At the point where the inspection object W falls, an auxiliary roller 23 that rotates in the opposite direction to the transport direction is provided, so that the inspection object W is forced to turn over, as described below.

In this embodiment, four auxiliary rollers 23 are installed in a line at the location where the inspection target object W falls. However, regardless of this, an endless belt may also be installed in this location as the auxiliary rollers 23.

Displacement Process In this embodiment, the orientation of the inspection object W is displaced during transport when it is transferred from the belt conveyor 10 to the belt conveyor 20. In particular, in this embodiment, the inspection object W is turned upside down or upside down. As a result, the label L2 attached to the front or back surface of the inspection object W that was in contact with the transport surface 10a of the belt conveyors 10, 20 faces upward, making the label L2 visible.

The manner in which the top and bottom surfaces of the inspection object W are inverted will be explained using Figure 6. For ease of explanation, the inspection object W in the figure has an identification mark S1 attached to the downstream end of the inspection object W when it was on the conveying surface 10a. However, the actual inspection object W does not have such an identification mark S1.

When the inspection object W that has been transported downstream on the transport surface 10a reaches the downstream end of the transport surface 10a, it falls onto the auxiliary roller 23 from the downstream end where it was when being transported on the transport surface 10a.
Here, an inertial force acting in the conveying direction by the belt conveyor 10 acts on the inspection object W that has fallen onto the auxiliary roller 23. Meanwhile, the frictional force between the auxiliary roller 23, which rotates in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, acts on the inspection object W in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the belt conveyors 10, 20. As a result, the inspection object W rotates backward in the conveying direction, with the point of contact with the auxiliary roller 23 as a fulcrum, and lands on the conveying surface 20a from the surface that formed the upper surface when it was on the belt conveyor 10.
In this way, the top and bottom surfaces of the inspection object W are inverted, and the back surface of the inspection object W, which formed the bottom surface when it was on the belt conveyor 10, becomes the top surface, and the label L2 that appears on the top surface can be inspected by the second inspection unit 21.

Here, the inspection object W falls onto the conveying surface 20a while being turned upside down, and lands on the conveying surface 20a. When the inspection object W lands, an impact is applied to the inspection object W, but since the hollow portion 203 is formed inside the conveying surface 20a, the conveying belt 202 bends downward, and the impact of the landing is softened. Furthermore, the inspection object W falls onto the adjacent portion 20b, and the adjacent portion 20b formed by the widthwise end of the conveying belt 202 is easily bent, and therefore the impact of the landing is softened more effectively.
This makes it possible to effectively prevent deformation of the inspection object W, such as loss of shape, when the upper and lower surfaces of the inspection object W are displaced.

Sorting mechanism 30
The sorting mechanism 30 is located downstream of the belt conveyor 20, i.e., at the most downstream position of the inspection device 1, and based on the inspection results by the first inspection section 11 or the second inspection section 21, pushes the inspection object W that is determined to be an error from the conveying surface 20a into the sorted item holding box 40 and sorts (removes) it.

The selected product holding box 40 is a box with an open top, and the inside is divided into two storage sections 41 and 42.
The storage sections 41, 42 are aligned along the conveying direction, and in the width direction of the conveying surface 20a, the storage section 41 is provided corresponding to the first sorting mechanism 31, and the storage section 42 is provided corresponding to the second sorting mechanism 32.

In this embodiment, the selected item holding box 40 is internally divided into two storage sections 41 and 42, but the storage sections 41 and 42 may also be provided as separate bodies.

The sorting mechanism 30 is located outside the conveying surface 20a and consists of a first sorting mechanism 31 on the upstream side and a second sorting mechanism 32 on the downstream side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first sorting mechanism 31 includes a pusher section 311, an extension section 312, and a main body 313.

The pusher 311 is a plate-like member attached to the tip of the extension part 312, and as the extension part 312 extends from the main body 313, it comes into contact with the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a and pushes the inspection object W to the selected product holding box 40. The inspection object W pushed by the extension part 312 to the selected product holding box 40 is stored in the storage part 41.
The extension part 312 is a rod-shaped member that extends freely from the main body 313, and has a push-out part 311 at its tip.
The main body 313 houses the extension portion 312 so that it can be extended onto the conveying surface 20a.

The second sorting mechanism 32 is configured similarly to the first sorting mechanism 31 , and includes a push-out portion 321 , an extension portion 322 , and a main body 323 .
In this second sorting mechanism 32, when the extension part 322 extends from the main body 323, the push-out part 321 abuts against the inspection object W on the conveying surface 20a and further pushes the inspection object W to the sorted product holding box 40. The inspection object W pushed by the extension part 322 to the sorted product holding box 40 is stored in the storage part 42.

The first sorting mechanism 31 and second sorting mechanism 32, which are configured in this manner, each receive information related to the inspection results from the first inspection unit 11 or the second inspection unit 21, and operate according to the inspection results. That is, an inspection object W determined to be an error by the first inspection unit 11 is sorted into the storage unit 41 by the first sorting mechanism 31, and an inspection object W determined to be an error by the second inspection unit 21 is sorted into the storage unit 42 by the second sorting mechanism 32.

For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), when an inspection object W that has been determined to be an error by the first inspection unit 11 is conveyed onto the belt conveyor 20, the first sorting mechanism 31 extends the extension portion 312 from the main body 313 onto the conveying surface 20a, as shown in Figure 7(b). The push-out portion 311 attached to the tip of the extension portion 312 abuts against the inspection object W and pushes the inspection object W into the storage portion 41 of the sorted item holding box 40.

As a result, inspection objects W that have been found to have errors as a result of inspection are sorted (removed) into the selected item holding box 40, separated into those with errors by the first inspection unit 11 and those with errors by the second inspection unit 21. As a result, inspection objects W sorted into storage unit 41 are understood to have an error in label L1, and label L1 should be checked with emphasis, and label L1 should be replaced (changing packaging), re-inspected, discarded, etc. On the other hand, inspection objects W sorted into storage unit 42 are understood to have an error in label L2, and label L2 should be checked with emphasis, and label L2 should be replaced (changing packaging), re-inspected, discarded, etc.

The sorting mechanism 30 may be an air jet type, a flipper type, or the like, and does not necessarily have to be integrated with or configured as part of the inspection device 1. In that case, it is preferable to operate the sorting mechanism 30 by sending and receiving signals, etc.

In addition, an inspection object W that is determined to be an error by the first inspection unit 11 may be sorted into a storage section 42 by the second sorting mechanism 32, and an inspection object W that is determined to be an error by the second inspection unit 21 may be sorted into a storage section 41 by the first sorting mechanism 31.
Also, two or more sorting mechanisms and a sorted product holding box having corresponding storage sections may be provided.

According to the inspection device 1 of this embodiment, even if the object W to be inspected can only be stably positioned with the front or back surface with the labels L1, L2 attached facing downwards during transportation, the orientation of the object can be changed during transportation, and the labels L1, L2 on both sides can be reliably inspected. In particular, thick products that are roughly circular (round) in plan view and difficult to transport in an upright position can be reliably displaced and inspected with high accuracy.
Furthermore, when the inspection object W is displaced, it is possible to prevent a large impact from being applied to the inspection object W, and to prevent the object from losing its shape.
Furthermore, when the inspection object W is displaced, the inspection object W is not brought into unnecessary contact with various components, which is also preferable from the standpoint of hygiene when the inspection object W is a food product.
Furthermore, if the first inspection unit 11 and the second inspection unit 21 determine that there is an error in the labels L1 and L2, the object to be inspected W is selected depending on whether the error occurs in the label L1 or the label L2, making it easy to identify the error.

In the inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the hollow portion 203 and the adjacent portion 20b are provided as a buffer means for cushioning the impact received when the inspection target W lands on the conveying surface 20a. On the other hand, as shown in Modification 1 in Figure 8(a), a notch 60b as a buffer means may be provided in the conveying belt 602 of the belt conveyor 60 corresponding to the belt conveyor 20.
The notches 60b have a length in the width direction of the conveying belt 602, and by providing multiple notches 60b at regular intervals in the conveying direction of the conveying belt 602, the conveying surface 60a is easily bent and the impact of landing is effectively softened.

As shown in a second modification of FIG. 8B, the conveyor belt 702 of the belt conveyor 70 corresponding to the belt conveyor 20 may be configured as a buffer means.
The conveyor belt 702 is divided into a plurality of belt segments 7021 along the conveying direction. Adjacent belt segments 7021 are separated by adjacent portions 70b each having a predetermined gap. The width of the gap constituting the adjacent portions 70b is set to a width that prevents the inspection target W from falling through the gap, regardless of the orientation of the inspection target W.
Such a conveying belt 702 also allows the conveying surface 60a to bend easily, and reduces the impact that the inspection object W receives when it lands on the conveying surface 70a.

Furthermore, the conveying belt 202 that constitutes the above-described inspection device 1 can itself be configured as a buffer means. That is, the conveying belt 202 can be made of rubber with a predetermined thickness, or a mesh-like member with through holes formed all over its surface. In this way, the conveying belt 202 itself becomes a buffer means that absorbs the impact received when the inspection object W lands on the conveying surface 20a.

In the inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the first inspection unit 11 inspects the design, etc. of the label L1 affixed to the inspection object W before inversion, and the second inspection unit 21 inspects the symbol code, etc. of the label L2 affixed to the inspection object W after inversion. However, this is not limited to this, and the device can also be configured so that inspection is performed by the second inspection unit 21 before inversion, and inspection is performed by the first inspection unit 11 after inversion.

In addition, in the inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment, the sensors 12 and 22 separately measure the timing of inspection by the first inspection unit 11 and the timing of inspection by the second inspection unit 21, thereby enabling accurate inspection of the inspection object W and reducing the time required for processing. However, it is also possible to measure the timing of inspection by the first inspection unit 11 and the timing of inspection by the second inspection unit 21 using only the sensor 12.

Furthermore, the inspection device 1 according to the present embodiment described above may be provided with an output means for outputting the judgment results of the inspections by the first inspection unit 11 and the second inspection unit 21. The output means may be one that outputs the judgment results on a predetermined display or the like, or one that outputs a predetermined sound according to the judgment results from a predetermined speaker or the like, and various methods can be used.
Furthermore, it can also be output to an external device as data for managing work history, such as production management and HACCP.

The inspection device 1 may also be equipped with an operation unit that displays the inspection results and allows the inspection conditions to be changed using an identification number, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to change the inspection conditions by receiving an identification number for the inspection conditions in response to a product call operation performed by an upstream packaging device or pricing device. This eliminates the need to set or change the conditions for each device on the conveying line every time the inspection object W being sent down the conveying line is switched, and also prevents incorrect condition setting due to incorrect operation.

Furthermore, in the inspection device 1 described above, the software resources provided by the first inspection unit 11, second inspection unit 21, etc. for inspection processing can be distributed or consolidated into any of the hardware resources through appropriate design, and the hardware resources can also be configured as physically integrated or separate devices. This allows, for example, the first inspection unit 11 and second inspection unit 21 to be configured as a single device, or the functions of the first inspection unit 11 and second inspection unit 21 to be consolidated into a server or the like connected via a specified network.

The processing performed by the inspection device 1 according to the present invention can also be configured as an invention relating to a method or computer program having a similar configuration. Furthermore, the computer program can be provided by downloading it via a network such as the Internet, or by recording it on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

Overview of the Embodiments The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting labels attached to both the front and back sides of an object to be inspected.

At vendor factories for convenience stores and other businesses, products such as cooked rice and rice balls are wrapped in packaging material, labeled, and then shipped.

In this regard, it is difficult to accurately inspect the labels while preventing the products from losing their shape during the process of transporting such products.
For example, in the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-113376, it is difficult to transport thick products that are roughly circular (round) in plan view in an upright position, and reliable inspection is not possible.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to reliably inspect both the front and back sides of the object being inspected while preventing deformation, etc.

To achieve the above object, an inspection device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first upstream conveying means for conveying inspection objects on a conveying surface, a second downstream conveying means for conveying the inspection objects on the conveying surface, and an inspection means for inspecting the inspection objects on the conveying surface, wherein the upstream end of the second conveying means is located below the downstream end of the first conveying means and is equipped with a buffer means for cushioning the impact received by the inspection objects when they fall from the downstream end of the first conveying means.

The second conveying means may also be composed of multiple conveying belts having a length in the conveying direction, and the buffering means may be composed of adjacent portions of the multiple conveying belts that are adjacent in the width direction.

The buffer means may also be configured as a hollow portion or buffer member provided below the conveying surface.

Furthermore, an auxiliary roller that rotates in the opposite direction to the conveying direction may be provided at the upstream end of the second conveying means, below the downstream end of the first conveying means.

The inspection means may also be composed of a first inspection means that inspects a first surface of the inspection object on the conveying surface of the first conveying means, and a second inspection means that inspects a second surface of the inspection object on the conveying surface of the second conveying means.

An inspection system according to another aspect of the present invention performs the following steps: inspecting a first surface of an object to be inspected by a first inspection unit on the conveying surface of a first conveying means on the upstream side that conveys the object; inspecting a second surface of the object to be inspected by a second inspection unit on the conveying surface of a second conveying means on the downstream side that conveys the object; displacing the first and second surfaces of the object to be inspected during conveyance; storing the object to be inspected that has been determined to have an error based on the inspection results by the first inspection unit in a first storage unit; and storing the object to be inspected that has been determined to have an error based on the inspection results by the second inspection unit in a second storage unit.

This invention makes it possible to reliably inspect both the front and back sides of an object being inspected while preventing deformation of the object.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Inspection device 10: Belt conveyor 10a: Conveying surface 101: Rotating body 102: Conveying belt 103: Hollow portion 11: First inspection section 12: Sensor 20: Belt conveyor 20a: Conveying surface 20b: Adjacent section 201: Rotating body 202: Conveying belt 203: Hollow portion 204: Fall prevention plate 21: Second inspection section 22: Sensor 23: Auxiliary roller 30: Sorting mechanism 31: First sorting mechanism 311: Pushing section 312: Extending section 313: Main body 32: Second sorting mechanism 321: Pushing section 322: Extending section 323: Main body 40: Sorted product holding box 41: Storage section 42: Storage section 50: Lighting 60: Belt conveyor 60a: Conveying surface 60b: Notch 602: Conveying belt 70 : Belt conveyor 70a : Conveying surface 70b : Adjacent portion 702 : Conveying belt 7021 : Belt piece L1 : Label L2 : Label S1 : Identification mark W : Inspection object

Claims (3)

a first conveying means on the upstream side that conveys the inspection object on a conveying surface;
a downstream second conveying means for conveying the inspection object on a conveying surface;
an inspection means for inspecting the inspection object on the conveying surface,
The second conveying means is
an upstream end of the conveyor belt is provided below the downstream end of the first conveyor means, and the conveyor belt is configured by a plurality of conveyor belts having a length in the conveying direction;
a buffer means configured by adjacent portions of the plurality of conveyor belts adjacent in the width direction, for buffering an impact on the inspection object that falls from the downstream end of the first conveyor means;
an auxiliary roller that rotates in a direction opposite to the conveying direction is provided at an upstream end of the second conveying means and below a downstream end of the first conveying means;
the auxiliary roller urges the inspection object so that a second surface, which is a reverse side of a first surface that is an upper surface of the inspection object on the conveying surface of the first conveying means, becomes an upper surface on the conveying surface of the second conveying means;
The inspection means
a first inspection means for inspecting a first label attached to the first surface, which is the upper surface of the inspection object, on the conveying surface of the first conveying means;
a second inspection means for inspecting a second label attached to the second surface, which is the upper surface of the inspection object, on the conveying surface of the second conveying means,
the first inspection means captures an image of the display content of the first label and determines whether the first label is genuine by comparing the captured image with a reference image;
the second inspection means reads the symbol code of the second label and determines whether the second label is authentic or not based on the reading result;
Inspection equipment. The first conveying means is constituted by one conveying belt.
The inspection device according to claim 1. a first conveying means on the upstream side that conveys the inspection object on a conveying surface;
a downstream second conveying means for conveying the inspection object on a conveying surface;
an inspection means for inspecting the inspection object on the conveying surface,
The second conveying means is
an upstream end of the conveyor belt is provided below the downstream end of the first conveyor means, and the conveyor belt is configured by a plurality of conveyor belts having a length in the conveying direction;
a buffer means configured by adjacent portions of the plurality of conveyor belts adjacent in the width direction, for buffering an impact on the inspection object that falls from the downstream end of the first conveyor means;
an auxiliary roller that rotates in a direction opposite to the conveying direction is provided at an upstream end of the second conveying means and below a downstream end of the first conveying means;
the auxiliary roller urges the inspection object so that a second surface, which is a reverse side of a first surface that is an upper surface of the inspection object on the conveying surface of the first conveying means, becomes an upper surface on the conveying surface of the second conveying means;
The inspection means
a first inspection means for inspecting a first label attached to the first surface, which is the upper surface of the inspection object, on the conveying surface of the first conveying means;
a second inspection means for inspecting a second label attached to the second surface, which is the upper surface of the inspection object, on the conveying surface of the second conveying means,
the first inspection means reads the symbol code of the first label and determines whether the first label is genuine or not based on the reading result;
the second inspection means captures an image of the display content of the second label and determines whether the second label is authentic by comparing the captured image with a reference image;
Inspection equipment.