JP2006078258A - X-ray inspection system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an X-ray inspection system capable of preventing surely an article determined to be a defective article by X-ray inspection from being intermingled into the nondefective article side. <P>SOLUTION: An X-ray inspection device 10 acquires radiogram data of the article 5 by irradiating the X-ray, while conveying the article 5 by a conveyor 41, and then executes an inspection for determining whether a foreign matter is intermingled in the articles 5, based on the radiogram data. A sorting device 8 sorts the articles 5 to a conveyor 82 for a nondefective article and a conveyor 83 for a defective article based on the results of the foreign matter inspection by the X-ray inspection device 10. After the sorting processing, a confirmation processing for confirming whether accurate sorting is performed is executed, based on a detection result by photoelectric sensors 85, 86. Hereby, the article 5 determined to be a defective article by the X-ray inspection device 10 is prevented from being intermingled into the conveyor 82 on the nondefective article side, and the sorting operation of the article 5 can be executed surely. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an X-ray inspection system that performs predetermined inspection by irradiating an article with X-rays and distributes the article into a non-defective product and a defective product based on the inspection result. It is related with the improvement which prevents that inferior goods mix in.

  Conventionally, X-rays are irradiated on an article to check whether or not the article contains foreign matter, and based on the inspection result, the article containing foreign matter is removed, and only good products that do not contain foreign matter are removed. An X-ray (radiation) inspection apparatus to be transported to the next process is known (for example, Patent Document 1). Here, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention relating to an X-ray inspection apparatus that performs a removal operation based on the position of a foreign object detected by inspection.

JP 09-292351 A

  However, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to confirm whether or not the removed defective product determined as a defective product as a result of the inspection has been reliably removed and has not flowed into the next process. That is, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is not possible to guarantee that the articles conveyed to the next process do not include defective products and are only good products.

In addition, the above problems are not only for foreign matter inspection using X-rays,
(1) An entrance inspection for irradiating an article with X-rays and counting the number of contents contained in the package of the article,
(2) Performing crack inspection to inspect whether or not the article has cracks or chips by irradiating the article with X-rays and examining the shape of the contents contained in the package of the article,
This also occurs when defective products are removed based on these inspection results.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray inspection system that can reliably prevent an article determined to be defective by X-ray inspection from being mixed into a non-defective product.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is an X-ray inspection system, which irradiates an article being conveyed with X-rays and inspects the contamination state and the contamination position of the foreign substance in the article. An X-ray inspection apparatus and a first that is provided on the downstream side of the X-ray inspection apparatus and has been determined that no foreign matter is mixed by the inspection among the inspected articles received from the X-ray inspection apparatus. A first sensor for detecting the first article, and among the inspected articles, it is determined that foreign substances are mixed in by the inspection. A second sensor for detecting the second article and the inspected article based on a result of the inspection. Select between the first transport path and the second transport path The X-ray inspection apparatus is configured to determine the distribution status of the inspected article by the branch at a timing when the first article arrives. Depending on whether the first sensor can detect the first article, whether the second sensor can detect the second article at the timing when the foreign object reaches the vicinity of the second sensor, It has the determination part to determine, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Further, the invention of claim 2 is the X-ray inspection system according to claim 1, wherein when the plurality of foreign objects are mixed in the second article, the determination unit is arranged at the position where each foreign object is mixed. The distribution situation is determined based on whether or not the second article can be detected.

  The invention of claim 3 is the X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the article is a packaged content, and the X-ray inspection apparatus is provided for each packaged article. An X-ray inspection system characterized by inspecting the state of contamination and the position of contamination.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray inspection system according to the third aspect, the X-ray inspection apparatus uses the first reference time as the acquisition completion time of the X-ray transmission information of the article, and the first The distance from the downstream tip of the article to the branch at the reference time, the distance along the article conveyance direction being the first distance, and the conveyance speed of the inspected article being the first 1 and a value obtained by dividing the first distance by the first speed, a first time, and a first time elapses from the first reference time. Is defined as a first arrival time, and a distribution operation according to the inspection result of the inspected article in a first time zone including the first arrival time. A first timing control unit for executing That.

  Further, the invention of claim 5 is the X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the article is an object in which amorphous elements are gathered and conveyed at random intervals, and the X-ray inspection is performed. The apparatus is characterized in that the contamination state and the contamination position of the foreign matter are inspected by periodically inspecting the article being transported a plurality of times at substantially the same time interval.

  The invention of claim 6 is the X-ray inspection system according to claim 5, wherein the X-ray inspection apparatus acquires the X-ray transmission information for the X-ray transmission information of the article acquired periodically. The completion point of the first reference time and the conveyance direction of the article of the X-ray transmission information of the article periodically acquired at the first reference time for the amorphous element group included in the X-ray transmission information A distance from the downstream tip portion to the branch portion as viewed from the distance along the conveyance direction of the article, a first distance, a conveyance speed of the inspected article as a first speed, The leading end of the irregular element group is in the vicinity of the bifurcation when a value obtained by dividing the first distance by the first speed is a first time and the first time elapses from the first reference time. Define the first arrival time as the first arrival time, The first time period including a first arrival time, and further comprising a first timing controller, for executing the sorting operation in accordance with the test result of the tested article.

  The invention of claim 7 is the X-ray inspection system according to claim 4 or claim 6, wherein the determination unit is configured to determine the foreign matter included in the X-ray transmission information at the first reference time. The distance from each position of the foreign object to the second sensor, the distance obtained along the article conveyance direction being divided by the second distance and the second distance being divided by the first conveyance speed. A second time, and a time at which the article reaches the vicinity of the second sensor when a second time elapses from the first reference time is defined as a second arrival time, An X-ray inspection apparatus for determining a distribution status of the second article based on whether or not the second article can be detected in a second time zone including the second arrival time for a foreign object .

  According to the first to seventh aspects of the invention, (1) the first article that is determined to be free of foreign matter and distributed to the first transport path is the detection result of the first sensor. (2) It is determined that the foreign matter is mixed, and the second article distributed to the second conveyance path determines the distribution status based on the detection result of the second sensor. be able to.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the second article determined to contain foreign matter from entering the first transport path, and to prevent the first article not containing foreign matter from entering the second transport path. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reliably execute the sorting operation of the article.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to check the distribution situation at each foreign substance position of the plurality of foreign substances. That is, when the article includes a plurality of foreign substances, it can be confirmed whether or not each part of the article including the foreign substances is reliably distributed to the second transport path. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent each foreign substance from entering the first transport path, and it is possible to execute the article sorting operation more satisfactorily.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine the contamination state of foreign matter for each packaged article, and it is possible to reliably distribute packages containing foreign matter to the second transport path.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the sorting operation can be executed in the first time zone including the first arrival time. Therefore, it is possible to reliably distribute the package containing the foreign material to the second transport path based on the inspection result of the X-ray inspection apparatus.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine the state of foreign matter mixing into the irregular element group and reliably distribute the irregular element group containing the foreign substance to the second transport path.

  In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the sorting operation can be executed in the first time zone including the first arrival time. Therefore, it is possible to reliably distribute the amorphous element group including the foreign matter to the second transport path based on the inspection result of the X-ray inspection apparatus.

  In particular, according to the seventh aspect of the invention, the distribution status of the second article can be determined based on the detection result of the second sensor in the second time zone including the second arrival time. it can. Therefore, it can prevent that the 2nd article containing a foreign material mixes in the 1st conveyance path.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1.1. Configuration of X-ray inspection system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an X-ray inspection system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the X-ray inspection system 1 mainly includes an X-ray inspection apparatus 10 and a sorting apparatus 80.

  The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 performs an X-ray inspection on each article 5 conveyed along the conveyance direction AR1 (Y-axis positive direction: horizontal direction on the paper surface) from the upstream side, so that the inside of each article or each Contamination status of foreign matters mixed in the contents packaged in the product package, quantity of the content packaged in the package of each product, and cracking or chipping of the content packaged in the package of each product It is a device that inspects etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 mainly includes an X-ray irradiation unit 20, a line sensor 30, a shield box 40, a conveyor 41, and a display unit 50.

  The conveyor 41 is an apparatus that conveys the article 5 supplied from an apparatus (for example, an article packaging machine) on the upstream side of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 as viewed in the conveyance direction AR1 in a substantially horizontal direction. The article 5 delivered from the upstream apparatus is inspected for contamination by X-rays while being conveyed in the shield box 40. That is, the conveyor 41 is used as a transport unit that transports the inside of the shield box 40 that is an inspection area of the article 5. Then, the inspected article 5 is delivered to the sorting device 80 by the conveyor 41.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the shield box 40 of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the X-ray irradiation unit 20 is disposed inside the shield box 40 and above the conveyor 41. X-rays irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 20 are detected by a line sensor 30 disposed below the conveyor 41.

  The line sensor 30 is disposed on the opposite side of the X-ray irradiation unit 20 with the conveyor 41 interposed therebetween. That is, the line sensor 30 is disposed substantially vertically below the X-ray irradiation unit 20. Further, the line sensor 30 includes a plurality of light receiving elements 31 arranged in a direction (X axis direction) substantially perpendicular to the transport direction AR1.

  Thereby, the line sensor 30 can detect the X-rays irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 20 and transmitted through the article 5 by each light receiving element 31, and can detect image data for one line. Therefore, an X-ray transmission image of the entire article 5 can be acquired by detecting a plurality of image data for one line while moving the article 5 by the conveyor 41.

  As shown in FIG. 3 to be described later, the display unit 50 is electrically connected to the control unit 70 via a signal line 74, and based on an image signal from the control unit 70, a predetermined character string or command button Etc. are displayed. In addition, the display unit 50 has a function as a “touch panel” that can specify a position on the screen by touching the screen with a finger or a dedicated pen.

  Accordingly, the operator can cause the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 to perform a predetermined operation based on the content displayed on the display unit 50. In addition, the display unit 50 can display the result of the inspection related to the contamination of the article.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 70 includes a memory 71 that stores programs, variables, and the like, and a CPU 75 that executes control according to the programs stored in the memory 71. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the X-ray irradiation unit 20, the line sensor 30, the shield box 40, and the like via a signal line 74 as shown in FIG. 3 described later. Therefore, the CPU 75 executes control related to the X-ray irradiation process from the X-ray irradiation unit 20, the imaging process by the line sensor 30, the movement process of the article 5 by the conveyor 41, etc. at a predetermined timing according to the program stored in the memory 71. can do.

  The sorting device 80 is a device that sorts the articles 5 into, for example, a non-defective product in which foreign matter is not mixed and a defective product in which foreign matter is mixed based on the inspection result of the X-ray inspection device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting device 80 mainly includes a drop belt 81 that sorts the inspected article 5 and photoelectric sensors 85 and 86.

  The drop belt 81 is a branching portion provided to be rotatable in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) about a rotation shaft 81a substantially parallel to the X-axis. Moreover, the drop belt 81 can convey the delivered article 5 in the same manner as the conveyor 41.

  Therefore, the article 5 that has been determined that no foreign matter is mixed by the inspection of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 has the drop belt 81 set in a substantially horizontal posture (solid line in FIG. 1) by a drive mechanism (not shown). Is transferred to a conveyor 82. On the other hand, the article 5 that is determined to have foreign matters mixed by the inspection of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 is moved to the posture shown by the dotted line in FIG. Passed to 83. Thus, the drop belt 81 can selectively branch the inspected article 5 to either the conveyor 82 or the conveyor 83.

  The photoelectric sensor 85 is provided on the conveyor 82 and is used to detect whether or not the article 5 determined to be non-defective by the inspection of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 has been correctly distributed to the conveyor 82. In other words, the photoelectric sensor 85 is a non-contact type sensor provided in the transfer path for non-defective products.

  Similarly, the photoelectric sensor 86 is provided on the conveyor 83, and detects whether or not the article 5 that has been judged to be a defective product including foreign matters by the inspection of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 has been correctly distributed to the conveyor 83. Used to do. In other words, the photoelectric sensor 86 is a non-contact type sensor provided in the conveyance path for defective products.

  Similar to the control unit 70, the control unit 90 includes a memory 91 that stores programs, variables, and the like, and a CPU 95 that executes control according to the programs stored in the memory 91. Therefore, the CPU 95 can execute control such as the distribution process of the drop belt 81 at a predetermined timing according to the program stored in the memory 91.

<1.2. Functional configuration of X-ray inspection equipment>
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a functional configuration of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 3, in the CPU 75, the function of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 is realized mainly by the foreign matter detection unit 76a, the entering number detection unit 76b, and the cracked chip detection unit 76c. In addition, the storage area of the image data storage unit 72 and the parameter storage unit 73 is mainly secured in the memory 71, and data used in each of foreign object detection, entering number inspection, and crack chipping processing is stored. .

  The image data storage unit 72 stores X-ray image data 72 a of the entire article 5 detected by the line sensor 30.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an X-ray image captured by the line sensor 30. Here, FIG. 4A shows an example of an X-ray image of an article that does not contain foreign matter, and FIG. 4B shows an example of an X-ray image that contains foreign matter.

  The X-ray image data 72a is an aggregate of image data for one line detected by the line sensor 30 (for example, image data on j = j0 in the case of FIG. 4B), and is configured as a two-dimensional image. Is done. In other words, the image data 72a is time-series data in which image data for one line detected by the line sensor 30 is arranged in the ascending direction of the j coordinate in the order of time taken, and is used as X-ray transmission information of the article 5. Is done.

  If necessary, data obtained by performing correction processing such as shading on the data detected by the line sensor 30 may be stored as the X-ray image data 72a.

  In the foreign matter detection unit 76a, processing for inspecting the mixing state of the article 5 is executed based on the X-ray image data 72a stored in the image data storage unit 72. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the X-ray image data transmitted through the article 5 in FIG. Here, the principle of the foreign substance inspection using the X-ray image data 72a will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a part of the article 5 containing foreign matter, and FIG. 5B is X-ray image data for one line that passes through the cross-sectional portion of FIG. The density distribution curves 61 corresponding to j = j0 in 4 (b) are respectively shown.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the concentration distribution curve 61 of the article 5 to be subjected to X-ray inspection is as follows. That is, (1) When the X-rays reach each light receiving element 31 of the line sensor 30 without passing through the article 5 as in the range where X <X1 and X> X6, the density value D is the maximum value. D1. Further, (2) when X-rays pass through the article 5 and reach each light receiving element 31 as in the range of X1 ≦ X ≦ X6, the density value D increases the thickness of the article in the Z-axis direction. Decreases (inversely proportional). However, (3) However, as in the range where X3 ≦ X ≦ X4, the density value (D = D3) of the portion where the foreign matter P is present is the density value (D = D2) of the portion where the foreign matter P is not present. It becomes small compared.

  Therefore, for example, by setting the threshold distribution curve 62 as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 5B, it is possible to determine whether or not the foreign object P is included in the article 5. That is, for each X coordinate, the density value Dm of the density distribution curve 61 and the density value Dth of the threshold distribution curve 62 are compared. When Dm <Dth is satisfied, it is determined that the foreign matter P is included in the corresponding X coordinate portion. On the other hand, when Dm ≧ Dth is satisfied, it is determined that the foreign matter P is not included in the corresponding X coordinate portion.

  As described above, the foreign object detection unit 76a can execute the threshold process on all the j coordinates of the X-ray image data 72a to inspect the contamination state of the entire object 5.

  Similar to the foreign substance detection unit 76a, the incoming number detection unit 76b performs a process of counting the number of contents of the article 5 packaged in the package based on the X-ray image data 72a stored in the image data storage unit 72. .

  Specifically, each content contained in the package is extracted by performing binarization processing on the X-ray image data 72a acquired so as to include the entire package of the article 5 with a predetermined threshold. And it is judged whether the quantity of the extracted content corresponds with a desired quantity. Note that the threshold used for the binarization process may be obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

  Similar to the foreign matter detection unit 76a and the number-of-entry detection unit 76b, the crack / miss detection unit 76c detects the contents of the article 5 packed in the package based on the X-ray image data 72a stored in the image data storage unit 72. Then, it is inspected whether or not it has a desired shape.

  Specifically, the contents included in the package are extracted by performing binarization processing on the X-ray image data 72a acquired so that the entire package of the article 5 is included, using a predetermined threshold. Whether the extracted content has a desired shape by comparing the shape of the extracted content with the shape of the content that has not been cracked or chipped in the parameter storage unit 73 described later. Or, it is determined whether or not the contents are cracked or chipped. Note that the threshold value used for the binarization process may be obtained in advance by an experiment or the like, similar to the entry number detection unit 76b.

  The distribution processing unit 77 executes distribution control by the drop belt 81 of the distribution device 80 based on the inspection results of the foreign matter detection unit 76a, the entering number detection unit 76b, and the cracked chip detection unit 76c. For example, when the foreign object detection unit 76a determines that the article 5 is defective, an NG signal is transmitted from the distribution processing unit 77 to the distribution device 80 at a predetermined timing. Then, the control unit 90 of the sorting apparatus 80 that has received the NG signal operates the drop belt 81 at a predetermined timing, whereby the article 5 is delivered from the drop belt 81 to the defective product conveyor 83.

  In addition, the distribution processing unit 77 performs an inspection as to whether or not the articles 5 are correctly distributed based on the detection results of the photoelectric sensors 85 and 86 of the distribution device 80. That is, when the foreign object detection unit 76a determines that the product is non-defective, it determines whether or not the article 5 has been distributed to the conveyor 82 based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 85. On the other hand, when it is determined as a defective product, it is determined based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 86 whether or not the article 5 has been distributed to the conveyor 83. That is, the distribution processing unit 77 is also used as a determination unit that determines whether or not the articles 5 are correctly distributed.

  Similarly, when it is determined that the quantity of the contents in the package of the article 5 does not match the desired quantity by the entering number detection unit 76b, and the cracked chip detection unit 76c breaks into the internal items in the package of the article 5. Even when it is determined that there is a chip, the article 5 is delivered to the conveyor 83 by the above-described procedure. In addition, an inspection as to whether or not the articles 5 have been correctly distributed by the distribution processing unit 77 is also executed.

  The timing at which the NG signal is transmitted and the timing of the sorting operation by the drop belt 81 will be described later.

  The parameter storage unit 73 includes data used by the detection units of the foreign matter detection unit 76a, the entering number detection unit 76b, and the cracking / missing detection unit 76c, which are obtained in advance through experiments or the like, that is, binary. The threshold value used in the conversion processing, the desired shape data of the contents used in the cracked chip detection unit 76c, and the like are stored.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the external storage device 79 is connected to the control unit 70 via a signal line 74, and can send and receive predetermined control signals and data to and from the control unit 70. Therefore, data stored in the image data storage unit 72 and the parameter storage unit 73 is stored in the external storage device 79, and data stored in the external storage device 79 is stored in the image data storage unit 72 and the parameter storage unit 73. be able to. In addition, the inspection result by the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 can be stored in the external storage device 79.

  The alarm unit 57 is used to notify the operator when an abnormality occurs in the inspection process in the X-ray inspection apparatus 10, the distribution process in the distribution apparatus 80, or the like. That is, when an abnormality occurs, the alarm unit 57 can promptly notify the operator that an abnormality has occurred in an inspection process, a distribution process, or the like by issuing an alarm such as light or sound. The operator can quickly grasp the abnormal state and take appropriate measures (for example, when defective products are distributed to the non-defective product conveyor 83, the defective products are removed from the conveyor 83). .

<1.3. Procedure for sorting items by X-ray inspection system>
FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the distribution process of the article 5 in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for distributing the articles 5. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the sorting operation. Here, the distribution procedure of the article 5 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the drop belt 81 is held in a solid line posture (substantially horizontal posture) shown in FIG. 8 at a time point before time t1. In the following description, the process of distributing the articles 5 is described based on the result of the inspection of the contamination state of foreign matter. However, the distribution process can be executed similarly for the entrance number inspection and the cracked chip inspection.

  In the distribution process of the article 5, first, an X-ray image of the entire article 5 is taken by the line sensor 30 (step S101 in FIG. 7). That is, at time t1 (see FIG. 6) when the article tip 5a (see FIG. 8) on the downstream side as viewed from the conveyance direction AR1 reaches directly above the line sensor 30, the line sensor 30 transmits the article 5 being conveyed. The process of detecting the X-rays and acquiring one-line image data is started. And by continuing the process which acquires 1 line image data for the period until the time t2 (refer FIG. 6) when the front-end | tip part 5b (refer FIG. 8) of the upstream of the articles | goods 5 arrives just above the line sensor 30, Imaging of the X-ray image data 72a of the entire article 5 is performed. The captured X-ray image data 72a is stored in the image data storage unit 72 of the memory 71 (see FIG. 3).

  Next, in a period from time t2 to time t3 when imaging of the X-ray image is completed (see FIG. 6), the foreign matter detector 76a (see FIG. 3) inspects whether or not foreign matter is present in the article 5. The foreign object detection processing to be executed is executed (S102).

  If it is determined as a result of the foreign object detection processing in step S102 that foreign objects are mixed in the article 5 (S103), the distribution processing unit 77 to the distribution device 80 at time t4 when time T1 has elapsed from time t2. An NG signal is transmitted to the control unit 90 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

  Subsequently, the control unit 90 of the sorting device 80 that has received the NG signal controls the operation of the drop belt 81, and the posture of the drop belt 81 is indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 8 from time t6 to time T3. Hold at. Thereby, the articles | goods 5 containing a foreign material are distributed to the conveyor 83 which is a conveyance line for inferior goods (S104). Then, at time t10 when the distribution time T3 has elapsed from time t6, the posture of the drop belt 81 is changed by the control unit 70 from the posture shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8 to the posture shown by the solid line.

  Note that the waiting time T1 from time t2 to time t4 when the NG signal is transmitted, the waiting time T2 from time t2 to time t6 when the sorting operation is started, and the sorting time T3 are the time required for the foreign object detection processing, the article 5 may be set in advance based on the conveyance speed of 5, the length of the article 5 in the conveyance direction AR1, and the like.

  Further, (1) the length of the article 5 along the conveying direction AR1 is L0, and (2) the portion of the conveyor 41 from directly above the line sensor 30 to the downstream conveyor tip 41a is aligned along the conveying direction AR1. When the length of the conveyance path is defined as L3 (see FIG. 9 described later), and (3) the conveyance speed of the article 5 by the conveyor 41, the drop belt 81, and the conveyor 83 is defined as V, an X-ray image is captured. The elapsed time T8 from the completion time t2 until the tip 5a of the article 5 reaches the drop belt 81 is obtained by Equation 1.

  T8 = (L3-L0) / V (Equation 1)

  Therefore, the standby time T2 and the distribution time T3 are set so that the drop belt 81 can be lowered and the distribution operation can be executed in a time zone including the time (t2 + T8) when the tip 5a of the article 5 reaches the drop belt 81. Thus, the articles 5 can be reliably distributed.

  When the article 5 is distributed to the conveyor 83 in step S104, the article 5 is further conveyed in the conveyance direction AR3. Therefore, the photoelectric sensor 86 is in the “ON” state from time t8 when the downstream end portion 5a of the article 5 reaches the photoelectric sensor 86 to time t14 when the upstream end portion 5b reaches the photoelectric sensor 86. (See FIG. 6).

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the article containing foreign matter is confirmed by checking the “ON” and “OFF” states of the photoelectric sensor 86 at the timing when the contamination position of the foreign matter contained in the article 5 reaches the vicinity of the photoelectric sensor 86. It is determined whether 5 is correctly distributed to the conveyor 83.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the timing for checking the distribution status of the article 5 by the photoelectric sensor 86 when a foreign object is mixed in the article 5. 9, the solid line indicates the position of the article 5 at time t2, and the broken line indicates the position of the article 5 at time (t2 + T5) (see FIG. 6) when the foreign matter Pk reaches the photoelectric sensor 86. , Respectively.

  In the present embodiment, when a plurality of foreign matter Pn (n is a natural number) is mixed in the article 5, the distribution status of the article 5 can be confirmed for the position where each foreign matter Pn is included. For convenience of explanation, only the foreign matter Pk shown in FIG. 9 will be described.

  Here, in addition to L0, L3, and V, (4) the distance along the conveyance direction AR1 from the tip 5a to the foreign matter Pk is Lk, and (5) the conveyance path along the conveyance direction AR1 of the drop belt 81 (6) Of the conveyor 83 for defective products, the length of the conveyance path along the conveyance direction AR3 of defective products for the portion from the upstream conveyor tip 83a to the photoelectric sensor 86 is shown. When L5 and (7) the length of the conveyance path along the conveyance directions AR1 and AR3 from the line sensor 30 to the photoelectric sensor 86 are defined as L2, respectively, the foreign matter from the time t2 when the imaging of the X-ray image data 72a is completed. The time T5 until Pk reaches the vicinity of the photoelectric sensor 86 is obtained by Equation 2.

T5 = ((L3 + L4 + L5) + Lk−L0) / V
= (L2 + Lk−L0) / V (Equation 2)

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the foreign matter Pk of the article 5 is monitored by monitoring whether the state of the photoelectric sensor 86 is “ON” or “OFF” in the time zone including the time (t2 + T5). It is determined whether or not the portion including is correctly distributed.

  Thereby, it is possible to confirm whether or not each portion of the article 5 containing foreign matter has been distributed to the defective product conveyor 83, and each foreign matter can be reliably prevented from entering the non-defective product.

  That is, when there is a period in which the photoelectric sensor 86 detects the article 5 and is in the “ON” state during the time period (S105), the distribution processing unit 77 correctly determines that the part containing the foreign matter Pk in the article 5 is correct. It is determined that the product is distributed to the defective product-side conveyor 83, and the distribution process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the photoelectric sensor 86 remains in the “OFF” state and does not transition to the “ON” state during the time period (S105), it is determined that the foreign matter portion of the article 5 is not correctly distributed to the conveyor 83, The alarm unit 57 notifies the operator that an abnormality has occurred and terminates the sorting process.

  Note that the length T7 of the time zone for monitoring the “ON” and “OFF” states of the photoelectric sensor 86 may be set in advance based on the conveyance speed V of the article 5, the length L0 of the article 5, and the like.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as a result of the foreign matter detection process in step S102 that no foreign matter is mixed in the article 5 (S103), an NG signal is not transmitted from the distribution processing unit 77 and dropped. The belt 81 continues to be held in a substantially horizontal posture indicated by a solid line in FIG. As a result, the articles 5 that do not contain foreign substances are distributed to the conveyor 82, which is a transfer line for non-defective products (S106).

  Subsequently, when the articles 5 are distributed to the conveyor 82, the articles 5 are further conveyed in the conveyance direction AR2. Therefore, the photoelectric sensor 85 is in the “ON” state from the time t7 when the downstream end portion 5a of the article 5 reaches the photoelectric sensor 85 to the time t13 when the upstream end portion 5b reaches the photoelectric sensor 85. (See FIG. 6).

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, by checking the “ON” and “OFF” states of the photoelectric sensor 85 at the timing when the center position of the article 5 reaches the vicinity of the photoelectric sensor 85, the article 5 that does not include foreign matters is correctly conveyed. Judgment is made as to whether or not it is assigned to 83.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the timing of checking the distribution status of the article 5 by the photoelectric sensor 85 when no foreign matter is mixed in the article 5. Of the articles 5 shown in FIG. 10, the solid line indicates the position of the article 5 at time t2, and the broken line indicates the position of the article 5 at the time (t2 + T4) when the center position Pc of the article 5 reaches the photoelectric sensor 85. Are shown respectively.

  Here, the center position of the article 5 in the transport direction AR1 is Pc, and (8) of the non-defective product conveyor 82, the portion from the upstream end portion 82a to the photoelectric sensor 85 is along the good product transport direction AR2. When the length of the transport path is defined as L6, and (9) the length of the transport path along the transport directions AR1 and AR2 from the line sensor 30 to the photoelectric sensor 85 is defined as L1, the imaging of the X-ray image data 72a is performed. A time T4 from the completed time t2 until the center position Pc of the article 5 reaches the photoelectric sensor 85 is obtained by Equation 3.

T4 = ((L3 + L4 + L6) −L0 / 2) / V
= (L1-L0 / 2) / V (Equation 3)

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the article 5 that does not include foreign matters is monitored by monitoring whether the state of the photoelectric sensor 86 is “ON” or “OFF” in the time zone including the time (t2 + T4). Is determined whether or not it is correctly distributed.

  That is, when there is a period in which the photoelectric sensor 85 detects the article 5 and is in the “ON” state during the time period (S107), the distribution processing unit 77 correctly distributes the article 5 to the non-defective conveyor 82. The distribution process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the photoelectric sensor 85 remains in the “OFF” state and does not transition to the “ON” state during the time period (S107), it is determined that the article 5 has not been correctly distributed to the conveyor 82, and the alarm unit 57 notifies the operator. On the other hand, the fact that an abnormality has occurred is notified and the distribution process is terminated.

  The length T6 of the time zone for monitoring the “ON” and “OFF” states of the photoelectric sensor 85 may be set in advance based on the conveyance speed V of the article 5, the length L0 of the article 5, and the like.

<1.4. Advantages of X-ray Inspection System of First Embodiment>
As described above, in the X-ray inspection system 1 of the first embodiment, the distribution status of the article 5 can be detected by the photoelectric sensors 85 and 86. Thereby, it can be confirmed whether the articles | goods 5 were correctly distributed based on the detection result of the foreign material detection part 76a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the article 5 determined to contain foreign matter from entering the non-defective article-side conveyor 82 and the article 5 determined to contain no foreign substance from entering the defective article-side conveyor 83, respectively. Thus, it is possible to reliably execute the sorting operation of the article.

  Further, in the X-ray inspection system 1 of the first embodiment, when the article 5 includes a plurality of foreign substances P (see FIG. 9), the distribution situation can be confirmed at the position where each foreign substance P is mixed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent each foreign substance P from being mixed into the non-defective product conveyor 82, and it is possible to execute the article sorting operation more satisfactorily.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The X-ray inspection system 1 in the second embodiment is different from the X-ray inspection system 1 in the first embodiment as follows: (1) The inspection object is different;
(2) The difference in the X-ray image data acquisition method,
Is the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, this difference will be mainly described. In addition, in the following description, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component similar to the component in the X-ray inspection system 1 of 1st Embodiment. Since the components with the same reference numerals have already been described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

  Here, the inspection object according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an article 105 as an inspection object in the present embodiment. The articles 5 of the first embodiment each have substantially the same shape, but the article 105 of the present embodiment has irregular elements that do not have substantially the same shape as shown in FIG. A set of so-called “rose objects”, each irregular element being conveyed on the conveyor 41 at random intervals.

<2.1. Procedure for sorting items by X-ray inspection system>
FIG. 12 is a timing chart for explaining the sorting process of the article 105 in the present embodiment. Here, the distribution procedure of the article 105 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIGS. 7 and 8 described in the first embodiment. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the drop belt 81 is held in a solid line posture (substantially horizontal posture) shown in FIG. 8 at a time point before time t1.

  In the sorting process, an X-ray image of the article 105 is captured from time t1 to time T3 (step S101 in FIG. 7). That is, in step S101, an X-ray image of the imaging range 108 (see FIG. 13 described later) is captured for the article 105. This imaging process is repeated periodically at intervals of time T3. Each captured X-ray image data 72 a is stored in the image data storage unit 72. The reason why the imaging process is executed at the interval of time T3 is to correspond to a period T3 in which the drop belt 81 descends corresponding to an NG signal described later.

  Next, the foreign object detection unit 76a (see FIG. 3) performs an inspection to determine whether foreign objects are mixed in the article 105 included in each imaging range (S102). For example, for the X-ray image data 72a acquired between time t1 and time t2, the foreign object detection process is executed during the period from time t2 to time t3. In addition, for the other X-ray image data 72a, the foreign object detection process is executed when the imaging process is completed.

  As a result of the foreign object detection processing in step S102, when it is determined that foreign objects are mixed in the imaging range 108 (S103), the distribution processing unit 77 to the control unit 90 of the distribution device 80 (FIG. 1, FIG. NG signal is transmitted toward (see 3). For example, if it is determined that foreign matter is mixed in the imaging range 108 of the X-ray image data 72a captured between time t1 and time t2, the NG signal is output at time t4 when time T1 has elapsed from time t2. Sent. Similarly, for other imaging ranges 108, an NG signal is transmitted when the time T1 has elapsed since the completion of the imaging of the corresponding X-ray image.

  If the length of the imaging range 108 along the conveyance direction AR1 is defined as L10 (see FIG. 13), the leading end portion 108a of the article 105 included in the imaging range 108 from the imaging completion time t2 of the X-ray image is the drop belt 81. Elapsed time T9 until it reaches is obtained by Equation 4.

  T9 = (L3-L10) / V (Equation 4)

  Therefore, the standby time T2 and the vibration time are set so that the drop belt 81 can be lowered and the sorting operation can be executed in a time period including the time (t2 + T9) when the tip end portion 108a of the article 105 included in the imaging range 108 reaches the drop belt 81. By setting the minute time T3, the articles 105 included in the imaging range 108 can be reliably distributed.

  Further, as described above, the imaging process in step S101 is periodically executed at an interval of time T3. Therefore, in order to continuously execute the sorting process, the foreign object detection process needs to be completed within time T3. Similarly, it is necessary to transmit NG signals at intervals of time T3.

  Subsequently, the control unit 90 of the sorting device 80 that has received the NG signal controls the operation of the drop belt 81 and holds the posture of the drop belt 81 in the posture shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8 for a time T3. . Thereby, the articles 105 included in the corresponding imaging range 108 are distributed to the conveyor 83 (S104).

  That is, when one or more foreign objects are included in the imaging range 108, the articles 105 included in the imaging range 108 are distributed to the conveyor 83. For this reason, it is possible to prevent “rose material” including foreign matters from being distributed to the non-defective conveyor 82.

  In step S <b> 105, based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 86, it is determined whether or not the portion including the foreign matter of the article 105 has been correctly distributed. The determination of the distribution status is executed for each imaging range 108, but for convenience of explanation, only the imaging range 108 corresponding to the X-ray image data 72a acquired between time t1 and time t2 will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the timing of checking the distribution status of the article 105 by the photoelectric sensor 86 when a foreign object is mixed in the article 105 included in the imaging range 108. The upstream one-dot chain line in FIG. 13 as viewed from the conveyance direction AR1 is the imaging range of the X-ray image that has been imaged at time t2, and the downstream one-dot chain line is the X-ray that has been imaged at time t2. The position at which the article 105 reaches time (t2 + T15) (see FIG. 12) by moving the article 105 included in the image capturing range by the conveyor 41, the drop belt 81, and the conveyor 83 is shown.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when a plurality of foreign objects Pn (n is a natural number) are mixed in the imaging range 108, the position of the article 105 is determined for each position including the foreign objects Pn. Although the distribution status can be confirmed, only the foreign matter Pk shown in FIG. 13 will be described for convenience of explanation.

  Here, in addition to L3, L4, L5, Lk, and V, if the length of the imaging range 108 along the transport direction AR1 is defined as L10 (see FIG. 13), imaging of the X-ray image data 72a is completed. A time T15 from the time t2 until the foreign matter Pk reaches the photoelectric sensor 86 is obtained by Equation 5.

T15 = ((L3 + L4 + L5) + Lk−L10) / V
= (L2 + Lk−L10) / V (Equation 5)

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the state of the photoelectric sensor 86 becomes either “ON” or “OFF” in a time zone including the time when the time T15 has elapsed from the time when the imaging of each X-ray image is completed. By monitoring this, it can be determined whether or not the portion of the article 105 containing the foreign matter Pk has been correctly distributed.

  Thereby, it is possible to confirm whether or not each portion of the article 105 containing foreign matter has been distributed to the defective product conveyor 83, and each foreign matter can be reliably prevented from entering the non-defective product.

  That is, when there is a period in which the photoelectric sensor 86 detects the article 105 and is in the “ON” state during the time period (S105), the distribution processing unit 77 sets the foreign object in the articles 105 included in each imaging range 108. It is determined that the portion including Pk has been correctly distributed to the defective product conveyor 83, and the distribution process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the photoelectric sensor 86 remains in the “OFF” state and does not transition to the “ON” state during the time period (S105), it is determined that the foreign matter portion of the article 105 is not correctly distributed to the conveyor 83, The alarm unit 57 notifies the operator that an abnormality has occurred and terminates the sorting process.

  On the other hand, as a result of the foreign object detection process in step S102, when it is determined that no foreign object is mixed in the article 105 included in the imaging range 108 (S103), an NG signal is sent from the distribution processing unit 77. Is not transmitted, and the drop belt 81 continues to be held in a substantially horizontal posture indicated by a solid line in FIG. As a result, the articles 105 that do not contain foreign substances are distributed to the conveyor 82 (S106).

  That is, when no foreign matter is included in the imaging range 108, the articles 105 included in the imaging range 108 are distributed to the conveyor 82. For this reason, it is possible to prevent “rose material” that does not include foreign matters from being erroneously distributed to the conveyor 82 on the defective product side.

  In step S107, based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 85, it is determined whether or not the article 105 that does not include foreign matters has been correctly distributed. The determination of the distribution status is executed for each imaging range 108 as in step S105, but for convenience of explanation, it corresponds to the X-ray image data 72a acquired between time t1 and time t2. Only the imaging range 108 will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the timing for checking the distribution status of the article 105 by the photoelectric sensor 85 when no foreign matter is mixed in the article 105 included in the imaging range 108. In FIG. 14, the upstream one-dot chain line indicates the imaging range of the X-ray image that has been imaged at time t2, and the downstream one-dot chain line indicates the X-ray that has been imaged at time t2. The position at which the article 105 reaches time (t2 + T15) (see FIG. 12) by moving the article 105 included in the image capturing range by the conveyor 41, the drop belt 81, and the conveyor 83 is shown.

  Here, assuming that the center position of the imaging range 108 in the transport direction AR1 is Pc, the time T14 from the time t2 when the imaging of the X-ray image data 72a is completed until the center position Pc reaches the photoelectric sensor 85 is shown in FIG. , Obtained by Equation 6.

T14 = ((L3 + L4 + L6) -L10 / 2) / V
= (L1-L10 / 2) / V (Equation 6)

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the state of the photoelectric sensor 85 is either “ON” or “OFF” in a time zone including a time point at which the time T14 has elapsed from the time at which each X-ray image was captured. It is possible to determine whether or not the article 105 has been correctly distributed.

  That is, when there is a period in which the photoelectric sensor 85 detects the article 105 and is in the “ON” state during the time period (S107), the distribution processing unit 77 distributes the article 105 correctly to the non-defective conveyor 82. The distribution process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the photoelectric sensor 85 remains in the “OFF” state and does not transition to the “ON” state during the time period (S107), it is determined that the article 105 has not been correctly distributed to the conveyor 82, and the alarm unit 57 notifies the operator. On the other hand, the fact that an abnormality has occurred is notified and the distribution process is terminated.

<2.2. Advantages of X-ray Inspection System of Second Embodiment>
As described above, in the X-ray inspection system 1 of the second embodiment, the distribution status of the article 105 included in each imaging range is detected by the photoelectric sensors 85 and 86 as in the first embodiment. be able to. Thereby, based on the detection result of the foreign material detection part 76a, it can be confirmed whether the articles | goods 105 contained in each imaging range were correctly distributed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the article 105 containing foreign matter from entering the non-defective product and the article 105 not containing foreign matter from entering the defective product.

  Further, in the X-ray inspection system 1 according to the second embodiment, when a plurality of foreign objects P are included in the imaging range 108 (see FIG. 13), it is possible to check the distribution status at the position where each foreign object P is mixed. it can. That is, the distribution state can be confirmed for each foreign matter P. Therefore, it is possible to surely prevent each foreign matter P from being mixed into the non-defective product conveyor 82, and it is possible to execute the article sorting operation more satisfactorily.

<3. Modification>
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples.

  (1) In the first embodiment, the threshold processing of the density distribution curve 61 is executed based on the threshold distribution curve 62, but is not limited to this. For example, as shown by a broken line 63 in FIG. 5B, the threshold value processing may be executed by comparing the density value D corresponding to each X coordinate of the density distribution curve 61 with the constant value D = D6 as a threshold value. Good.

  (2) In the first embodiment, a series of processes for imaging, foreign object detection, and distribution is executed in series for each article 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For the article 5, the imaging process, the foreign object detection process, and the distribution process may be executed in parallel. For example, the imaging processing of the X-ray image data 72a may be executed for the next article 5 before a certain article 5 is distributed to any of the conveyors 82 and 83.

  (3) In the first and second embodiments, the articles 5 and 105 are branched in two directions by the drop belt 81. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The articles 5 and 105 may be branched in a plurality of directions of three or more directions.

  (4) Further, in the first and second embodiments, the foreign object detection process is executed based on the X-ray information transmitted through the articles 5 and 105, and the distribution process of the articles 5 and 105 is executed based on the detection result. However, the foreign object detection processing is not limited to this. For example, you may detect the metal as a foreign material by the change of a magnetic field. That is, the sorting process according to the first and second embodiments can be used for a non-contact article inspection system such as a metal detection system.

It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the X-ray inspection system in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a structure inside the shield box of a X-ray inspection apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control part of a X-ray inspection apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the X-ray image imaged with the line sensor. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of the foreign material inspection by X-ray | X_line. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the distribution process of the articles | goods in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the distribution procedure of articles | goods. It is a figure for demonstrating distribution operation | movement. In the 1st Embodiment of this invention, when the foreign material is mixed in the articles | goods, it is a figure for demonstrating the timing which confirms the distribution condition of articles | goods. In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram for explaining the timing of checking the distribution status of the article when no foreign matter is mixed in the article. It is a figure for demonstrating the article | item of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the distribution process of the articles | goods in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. In the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement which confirms the distribution condition of articles | goods (defective line side). In the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement which confirms the distribution condition of articles | goods (good quality line side).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 X-ray inspection system 5, 105 Article 10 X-ray inspection apparatus 20 X-ray irradiation part 30 Line sensor 40 Shield box 41, 82, 83 Conveyor 57 Alarm part 70, 90 Control part 71, 91 Memory 72 Image data storage part 72a Image Data 75, 95 CPU
76a Foreign matter detection unit 76b Number-of-entrance detection unit 76c Broken chip detection unit 80 Sorting device 81 Drop belt 85, 86 Photoelectric sensor 85a, 86a Light projection unit 85b, 86b Light reception unit 108 Imaging range AR1 Transport direction P (Pn, Pk, Pk + 1) , Pk + 2) Foreign object Pc Center position

Claims (7)

An X-ray inspection system,
(a) an X-ray inspection apparatus that irradiates an article being transported with X-rays and inspects a contamination state and a contamination position of the foreign substance in the article;
(b) provided on the downstream side of the X-ray inspection apparatus;
(b-1) Provided on a first transport path through which a first article that has been judged to have no foreign matter mixed by the inspection among the inspected articles received from the X-ray inspection apparatus is provided A first sensor for detecting the first article;
(b-2) Among the inspected articles, the second article is provided in a second transport path for transporting a second article that is determined to be contaminated by the inspection. A second sensor for detecting
(b-3) a branching unit that selectively branches the inspected article into the first transport path and the second transport path based on the result of the inspection;
A sorting apparatus having
With
The X-ray inspection apparatus
(a-1) The distribution status of the inspected article by the branch part,
(i) Depending on whether or not the first article can be detected by the first sensor at the timing when the first article arrives,
(ii) Depending on whether or not the second sensor can detect the second article at the timing when the foreign object reaches the vicinity of the second sensor,
A determination unit for determining,
An X-ray inspection system comprising: The X-ray inspection system according to claim 1,
The determination unit determines a distribution situation depending on whether or not the second article can be detected at a position where each foreign object is mixed when a plurality of foreign objects are mixed in the second article. X-ray inspection system. In the X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 or 2,
The article is a packaged content,
The X-ray inspection apparatus is characterized by inspecting a foreign substance mixing state and a mixing position for each packaged article. In the X-ray inspection system according to claim 3,
The X-ray inspection apparatus
(I) The acquisition completion point of the X-ray transmission information of the article is a first reference time,
(II) The distance from the downstream tip of the article to the branch at the first reference time, the distance along the conveyance direction of the article being the first distance,
(III) The conveyance speed of the inspected article is a first speed,
(IV) A value obtained by dividing the first distance by the first speed is a first time;
(V) The first arrival time is defined as the time when the downstream tip of the article reaches the vicinity of the branch portion by elapse of a first time from the first reference time,
Define each
A first timing control unit for executing a sorting operation according to an inspection result of the inspected article in a first time zone including the first arrival time;
An X-ray inspection system further comprising: In the X-ray inspection system according to claim 1 or 2,
The article is a collection of amorphous elements and is conveyed at random intervals,
The X-ray inspection apparatus inspects the contamination state and the contamination position of the foreign matter by periodically inspecting the article being transported a plurality of times at substantially the same time interval. Line inspection system. In the X-ray inspection system according to claim 5,
The X-ray inspection apparatus
(I) For the X-ray transmission information of the article acquired periodically, the acquisition completion time of the X-ray transmission information is a first reference time,
(II) For the indefinite element group included in the X-ray transmission information, the tip on the downstream side as viewed from the conveyance direction of the article of the X-ray transmission information of the article periodically acquired at a first reference time A distance from the part to the branch part and a distance along the conveyance direction of the article is a first distance,
(III) The conveyance speed of the inspected article is a first speed,
(IV) A value obtained by dividing the first distance by the first speed is a first time;
(V) a time at which the leading end of the irregular element group reaches the vicinity of the branching portion when a first time elapses from the first reference time; a first arrival time;
Define each
A first timing control unit for executing a sorting operation in accordance with an inspection result of the inspected article in a first time zone including the first arrival time;
An X-ray inspection system further comprising: The X-ray inspection system according to claim 4 or 6,
The determination unit
(VI) The foreign matter included in the X-ray transmission information is a distance from each position of the foreign matter to the second sensor at the first reference time, and is obtained along the conveyance direction of the article. The distance that can be obtained is the second distance,
(VII) a value obtained by dividing the second distance by the first transport speed is a second time;
(VIII) a time at which the article reaches the vicinity of the second sensor by elapse of a second time from the first reference time is a second arrival time;
Define each
X-ray inspection characterized in that the distribution status of the second article is determined based on whether or not the second article can be detected in a second time zone including the second arrival time for each foreign object system.

Images