APPARATUS FOR INSPECTING SIDE-WALL OF BOTTLE

Abstract: An apparatus for inspecting the sidewall of a bottle, comprises an illuminating unit (10) for applying light to the sidewall of a bottle under rotating; a photoelectric conversion unit (14) for photoelectrically converting a light transmitted image of the sidewall applied with light by the illuminating unit into electric signals; a defect detecting unit (24) for detecting a defect point within the light transmitted image which has been photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric conversion unit, based on the brightness of at least two points on an inspection scan line; and a judge unit (28) for judging if the inspection scan line is a defective scan line based on the defect point detected by the defect detecting unit, judging if there is a defect on the sidewall of a bottle based on the state of continuation of defective scan lines. The apparatus for inspecting the sidewall of a bottle of this invention detects a defective point from the light transmitted image of the sidewall of a rotating bottle, and detects if there is a defect based on the state of continuation of defective scan lines detected by the defective point.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting the sidewall of a bottle comprising illuminating means for applying light to the sidewall of a rotating bottle, photoelectric conversion means for photoelectrically converting a light transmitted image of the sidewall applied with light by the illuminating means into electric signals, defect detecting means for detecting a defect within the light transmitted image which has been photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric conversion means based on the brightness of at least two points on an inspection scan line, and inspection area setting means for setting a predetermined area within the light transmitted image for which the defect detecting means performs the defect detection Glass bottles used for filling with liquor, refreshing drink, food or the like must be inspected as to whether there is any defect irrespective of whether they are new ones just manufactured by a bottle maker or old ones recirculated. Portions of a bottle to be inspected include its body or sidewall, bottom, top of mouth and threaded bottle neck. Of defects on the bottle sidewall, defects such as foreign matters or stains may result in a potential problem of food sanitation, and defects such as cracks or voids may result in breakage of the bottle. Thus it is necessary to correctly detect such defects and remove defective bottles. The document US-A-4 492 476 discloses an apparatus for detecting defects in a bottle under inspection by dividing the image of the bottle into picture elements arranged in a matrix form. Signals representative of the picture elements are generated sequentially and repeatedly, and the signals of the picture elements on the same imaginary scan line perpendicular to the central axis of the image, are compared with each other, and the result of the comparison is used to detect a defect. The apparatus employs a fixed lens and compares two values from two points along the imaginary scan line. In documents "Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol. 10, No. 84 (P-442)[2141], 3rd April 1986 and JP-A-60 220 850" is disclosed a defect detecting device, in which a bottle to be inspected moves linearly and is transmitted by light. The light is transmitted through the rotating bottle and photodetected by an optical path change means like a reflecting mirror, which is driven to rotate following up the moving bottle, so that a photodetector faces the center of the bottle all the time. The reflected light entering the photodetector is converted into an electrical signal and is led to a decision circuit. However, the sidewall of a bottle may have unevenness of color or thickness. Thus, such unevenness sometimes becomes an obstacle in detecting an actual defect or may be detected erroneously as a defect. In addition, there also arises a problem that because of such unevenness, it becomes difficult to properly set an inspection area or a sensitivity. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inspecting apparatus capable of detecting a defect on the sidewall of a bottle at high precision under rotating, and easily adjusting a sensitivity or the like. The above object can be achieved by an apparatus as defined in claim 1. Other objects and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description considered in light of the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows an optical detection system of the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall; Fig. 3 shows an example of an inspection area and inspecting gates used by the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall; Fig. 4 shows another particular example of a defect detection method; Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a particular defect detection circuit practicing the defect detection method shown in Fig. 4; Figs. 6 and 7 show a relationship among a position of a bottle, a lens swing angle signal, an inspection period signal, and a RAM write signal, respectively used by the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall; Fig. 8 shows another example of a particular optical detection system employing a vibratory lens in the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall; Fig. 9 shows an example of a particular optical detection system employing a vibratory mirror in the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall; Fig. 10 shows an example of a particular optical detection system of the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall, wherein the bottle is spun at a fixed position; and Fig. 11 shows a plurality of optical detection systems mounted on the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the apparatus for inspecting a bottle sidewall according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, bottles 12 to be inspected are conveyed one after another while being rotated. The bottle 12 is applied with uniform diffusion light by means of a diffusion light source 10 having a radiation surface capable of radiating uniform diffusion light. A light transmitted image of the sidewall of the bottle 12 is incident to a one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 via a vibratory lens 14. The one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 is constructed of a light receiving portion such as a linear CCD for converting the light transmitted image into analog electric signals, and an optical system for focussing the light transmitted image onto the light receiving portion. The vibratory lens 14 is driven by a vibratory lens drive circuit 21. The vibratory lens 14 is caused to move in synchronism with the motion of the bottle 12 in response to the bottle position signal from a bottle position detector 13 so as to focus the light transmitted image onto the light receiving portion of the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, if the light receiving portion of the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 is a linear CCD 16a and the optical system uses a convex lens 16b, then a concave lens is used as the vibratory lens and it is caused to swing or vibrate. Namely, as the bottle 12 moves from position A to position A', the concave lens 14 is rotated from position A to position A'. Therefore, the center of the light transmitted image of the bottle 12 is always focussed at a regular position on the linear CCD 16a. Since the bottle 12 is rotated once while it moves from position A to position A', the whole circumferential image of the bottle is inputted to the linear CCD 16a. An A/D converter 18 converts an analog image signal from the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 into a digital image signal having a predetermined number of bits. The digital image signal is supplied to an inspection area gate setting circuit 20, a monitor display RAM unit and a defect detection circuit 24. The inspection area gate setting circuit 20 is a circuit for determining inspection areas of the light transmitted image as shown in Fig. 3 in the vertical direction of the bottle. A defect is detected from each inspection area by a defect detection circuit described later. The overall inspection area is defined by the top and bottom of the bottle 12. The inspection area is then divided into a plurality of inspection gates in accordance with the shape of the bottle 12. In Fig. 3, the entirety of the bottle is used as the inspection area which is divided into five inspection gates 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The inspection area gate setting circuit 20 outputs an inspection gate signal indicative of within which inspection gate in the inspection area a current scan position of the linear CCD 16a falls, to the monitor display RAM unit 22, the defect detection circuit 24, the masking circuit 26 and a judge circuit 28. The defect detection circuit 24 compares the brightness at a plurality of points spaced apart from each other in the vertical and horizontal directions, based on a digital image signal from the A/D converter 18. Figs. 4 and 5 are particular block diagrams showing the three-point defect detection method and an example of the defect detection circuit 24 using the three-point defect detection method. The interval among three points is decided by a shift width of shift registers 24e and 24f into which digital image signals are sequentially inputted. The shift width of the shift registers 24a and 24f are set by a shift width setting unit 24g. In this embodiment, the shift width of the two shift registers 24e and 24f are set at a same shift width. An operation circuit 24h calculates an arithmetic mean value of a current digital image signal and a digital image signal outputted from the shift register 24f. A comparator 24i compares the mean brightness calculated by the operation circuit 24h with a digital image signal from the shift register 24e, and judges if the resultant difference is larger than a sensitivity (i.e., constant B) set by a sensitivity setting unit 24j to accordingly output a defect detection signal. The constant B differs depending upon an inspection gate so that the sensitivity setting unit 24j supplies an appropriate constant B to the comparator 24i, in accordance with an inputted inspection gate signal. The defect detection circuit shown in Fig. 5 compares the brightness at three points on a scan line (i.e., in the vertical direction with respect to the bottle 12) of the linear CCD 16a. If the brightness at three points in the horizontal direction with respect to the bottle 12 is to be compared, digital image signals for several scan lines necessary for such comparison are stored in a memory (not shown). Then digital image signals are read from the memory sequentially from the upper scan line to the lower scan line in the vertical direction, to input them to the shift register 24e. In this case, since the digital image signal inputted to the shift register 24e or 24g varies with the spinning speed of the bottle 12, a speed signal is supplied to the shift width setting unit 24g for setting a shift width. For example, by setting four different shift widths for covering the spinning speed of the bottle 12, it becomes possible to compare three points spaced apart from each other by substantially an equal distance, irrespective of a different spinning speed. A defect detection signal outputted from the defect detection circuit 24 is subjected to a masking process by the masking circuit 26. If the sensitivity of the defect detection circuit 24 is made high in order not to fail to detect a small defect, a point which is not defective may erroneously be detected as a defective point. The masking process removes such an erroneous defect detection signal. An actual defective portion will generate consecutive defect detection signals depending on the dimension of a defect, whereas a portion which is not defective will generate dispersed defect detection signals. Therefore, in the masking process, an isolated defect detection signal or those consecutive signals having a smaller value than a certain setting value are considered as non-defect and removed. The judge circuit 28 judges if a defect is present based on a defect detection signal after processed by the masking circuit 26. For example, if the number of defect detection signals counted for each scan exceeds a predetermined setting value, then the scan is considered as an error scan (defective scan line). The number of consecutive error scans is further counted, and if the count number exceeds a predetermined setting value, it is considered as a defective bottle. This judge signal is fed to a conveying system (not shown) of the bottle 12 so that the conveying system ejects out the defective bottle 12 in accordance with the judge result. A reference signal generator 30 generates a lens swing angle signal, an inspection period signal and a RAM wire signal, based on a bottle position signal from a bottle position detector 32. The lens swing angle signal is used for vibrating the vibratory lens 14 such that an image on a center line of the bottle can be obtained always on the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16. The lens swing angle signal is outputted to a vibratory lens drive circuit 34 which causes the vibratory lens 14 to vibrate in accordance with the lens swing angle signal. The inspection period signal is used for indicating an inspection period during which the vibratory lens 14 is caused to track the movement of the bottle 12. The inspection period signal is outputted to the judge circuit 28. The RAM write signal is used for indicating a timing when a digital image signal is written in a monitor display RAM unit 22. Thus, a monitor 30 displays digital image signals of, for example, 480 scans at equal intervals during the inspection period indicated by the inspection period signal. A relationship between the position of the bottle 12 and the lens swing angle signal, inspection period signal and RAM write signal is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 7, L represents a pitch between bottles 12 conveyed continuously, ℓ (= L x 0.8) represents a distance of movement after the bottle 12 is rotated once, and M (= L x 0.9) represents a distance that the vibratory lens 14 tracks the bottle 12. The lens swing angle signal changes in order for the vibratory lens 14 to track the movement of the bottle 12 while the bottle moves from point A to point A'. In case where the bottle 12 moves along a circle whose center is the position of the vibratory lens 14, the lens swing angle signal is represented by a straight line with a predetermined inclination as shown in Fig. 7(a). When the bottle 12 reaches point A', the vibratory lens 14 immediately changes to return to point A. Since the bottle 12 is still at point B' at that time, the lens swing angle signal does not change until the bottle reaches point A. When the bottle 12 reaches again point A, the lens swing angle signal changes in order for the vibratory lens 14 to track the movement of the bottle 12. The inspection period signal indicates a period of the distance ℓ while the bottle 12 rotates once within the distance M while the vibratory lens 14 tracks the movement of the bottle 12. In particular, for example, the inspection period signal becomes high level during the period L x 0.85 (>ℓ) as shown in Fig. 7(b). The RAM write signal is constructed of pulse signals corresponding in number to that of scan lines for scanning the entire circumference of the bottle 12. For example, if 480 scan lines are to be used for the entire circumference of the bottle 12 and written in the monitor display RAM unit 22, a RAM write signal of 480 pulses are outputted during the high level period of the inspection period signal as shown in Fig. 7(c). The reference signal generator 30 uses a ROM for the generation of the lens swing angle signal, inspection period signal and RAM write signal. Particularly, lens swing angle signals, inspection period signals and RAM write signals are written beforehand in the ROM at addresses for various bottle position signals. Thus, a proper lens swing angle signal, inspection period signal and RAM write signal can be obtained using a bottle position signal as an address. The vibratory lens drive circuit 21 drives the vibratory lens 14 in accordance with a lens swing angle signal from the reference signal generator 30. The vibratory lens drive circuit 21 is feedback-controlled by a feedback signal of a swing angle position signal from the vibratory lens 14 side. If a swing angle position signal from the vibratory lens 14 side is not used, the vibratory lens drive circuit 21 is controlled in open-loop. An inspection period signal from the reference signal generator 30 is outputted, for example, to the judge circuit 28. The judge circuit 28 makes valid only those defect detection signals inputted during the high level of the inspection period signal, to thereby judge if the bottle 12 is defective or not. The inspection period signal may also be outputted to the inspection area gate setting circuit 20, defect detection circuit 24 or masking circuit 26 to make valid only those signals inputted during the high level of the inspection period signal. A RAM write signal from the reference signal generator 30 is outputted to the monitor display RAM unit 22. A digital image signal from the A/D converter 18 is written in the monitor display RAM circuit 22 in response to the RAM write signal. In addition to the RAM write signal, inputted to the monitor display RAM unit 22 are a defect detection signal from the masking circuit 26, an error scan signal and a judge signal from the judge circuit 28 and an inspection gate signal from the inspection area gate setting circuit 20. A defective point and an error scan are written in the monitor display RAM circuit 22 in accordance with a defect detection signal and an error scan signal. An inspection gate is displayed on the monitor 36 in accordance with an inspection gate signal. The monitor display RAM circuit 22 has two frame memories which are alternatively used to store a digital image signal of the bottle 12 now under inspection and a preceding digital image signal of the bottle 12. In a normal state, digital image signals of the bottle 12 are sequentially displayed on the monitor 36. However, if a judge signal from the judge circuit 28 indicates a defective bottle, then the contents of the frame memory in which digital image signals of the defective bottle have been stored are displayed on the monitor 36 to inspect the detail of defective condition. As described so far, according to the above embodiment, it is possible to detect a defect of the sidewall of bottles continuously conveyed while rotating and inspect the detail of defective condition. Further, although a linear sensor is used in this embodiment, a two-dimensional image of the entirety of a bottle can be displayed on a monitor television. Thus, the embodiment can be used as an adjustment apparatus for adjusting the optical system while viewing the display on the monitor television. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment only, but various modifications are possible which are described hereinafter. In the above embodiment, the vibratory lens 14 is mounted between the optical system 16b of the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 and the bottle 12, as shown in Fig. 2. However, as shown in Fig. 8 a vibratory lens 16c may be mounted as serving a part of the optical system of the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16, to cause the vibratory lens 16c to move by tracking the movement of the bottle 12. Further, instead of the vibratory lens, a vibratory mirror 38 may be used as shown in Fig. 9 to cause it to move by tracking the movement of the bottle 12. In case where a vibratory lens is used, the optical detection system constructed of a vibratory lens and a one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit is aligned on a straight line so that a plurality of optical detection systems can be disposed laterally. Therefore, in case where bottles 12 are conveyed continuously at so high a speed that a defect cannot be detected using a single optical system, bottles 12 conveyed at high speed can be inspected using, for example, four optical detection systems disposed side by side and constructed of vibratory lenses 141, 142, 143 and 144 and one-dimensional photoelectric conversion units 161, 162, 163 and 164 as shown in Fig. 10. A bottle 12 conveyed continuously while rotating has been inspected in the above embodiment. However, as shown in Fig. 11 a bottle 12 rotating at a fixed position may be inspected, wherein without using a vibratory lens or mirror, a fixed one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit 16 may be used to obtain a light transmitted image of a whole circumference of a bottle 12. Furthermore, a one-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit has been used for detection of a light transmitted image of a bottle 12. However, a two-dimensional photoelectric conversion unit such as an area CCD may be used. The defect detection method is not intended to be limited to those shown in the above embodiment, but various modifications are possible. It may be considered as defective if any one of the following formulas stands, wherein the brightness at three points is QA, QB and QC. QB/[(QA + QC)/2] ≧ (constant D) QB/[(QA + QC)/2] ≦ 1/(constant D) where constants C and D are a numeral larger than 1. As seen from the foregoing description of the invention, a defect on the sidewall of a bottle while rotating can be detected precisely by properly setting an inspection area, properly adjusting a sensitivity and the like.

Claims: An apparatus for inspecting the sidewall of a bottle comprising: illuminating means (10) for applying light to the sidewall of a rotating bottle (12); photoelectric conversion means (16) for photoelectrically converting a light transmitted image of the sidewall applied with light by the illuminating means into electric signals; defect detecting means (24) for detecting a defect within the light transmitted image which has been photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric conversion means based on the brightness of at least two points on an inspection scan line; and inspection area setting means (20) for setting a predetermined area within the light transmitted image for which the defect detecting means performs the defect detection; characterized in that the apparatus comprises: transporting means for consecutively moving bottles (12) to be inspected along a predetermined path under rotating; signal generating means (13) for generating signals representative of the position of bottles; optical path change means (14, 21; 16c; 38) for guiding a transmitted light through the bottle (12) to the photoelectric conversion means (16); the defect detecting means (24) detecting a defect in the bottle by comparing, for the brightness of three consecutive points on a scan line, the mean value of the brightness at opposite two points with the brightness of the intermediate point therebetween, and to output a defect detecting signal if a defect is detected; and judging means (28) for judging whether the bottle is to be considered defective by generating a judge signal if the number of consecutive error scans exceeds a predetermined value, where a scan line is judged to be an error scan if the number of defect detecting signals generated by the defect detecting means for said scan line exceeds a predetermined value. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said optical path changing means comprises a lens (14) which respectively rotates for a predetermined angle around an axis in response to the signal from the signal generating means (13) so as to scan the bottle (12) along the inspection scan line. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical path change means (14, 21; 16c; 38) for changing an optical path from the bottle (12) to the photoelectric conversion means (16) moves in synchronism with the movement of the bottle (12) so as to focus always the light transmitted image of the moving and rotated bottle onto the photoelectric conversion means (16). An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optical path change means includes vibratory lens drive means (21) for causing a lens (14; 16c) positioned in an optical path from the bottle (12) to the photoelectric conversion means (16) to vibrate so as to track the movement of the bottle (12) from a position A to a position A'. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optical path change means includes vibratory mirror means for causing a mirror (38) positioned in an optical path from the bottle (12) to the photoelectric conversion means (16) to vibrate so as to track the movement of the bottle (12) from a position A to a position A'.

Inventors: FUKUCHI, HIROYUKI
Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KIRIN TECHNO SYSTEM
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G01N21
IPC codes: G01N21