Optical inspection apparatus and optical sorting apparatus

摘要

The invention concerns an apparatus for inspection of products (3′, 3″), provided with a transport mechanism (2) configured to transport a continuous stream of products (3′, 3″) so that, on leaving the transport mechanism, the product stream (3′, 3″) follows a free-fall path along which it is fed in a single product layer through an inspection zone (16), which has a length (L) that at least corresponds to the width of the aforementioned single product layer, a light source (5, 5′) configured to illuminate said inspection zone (16), a detection unit (6), configured to optically scan the illuminated inspection zone (16), an analysis unit (17) and possibly a removal unit (7) and also a background element (10′), which is situated behind the falling product stream, seen from the position of the detection unit, positioned so that:—light beams from the light source impinge on an illumination zone (14) of the background element when these beams do not impinge on a product from the product stream (3′, 3″),—the detection unit can only receive an image of a detection zone (13) of the background element, characterized in that the background element is mounted so that the illumination zone (14) and the detection zone (13) are separated from each other.

主权项

1. An apparatus for inspection of products (3′, 3″) comprising the following components:
a transport mechanism (2, 4; 2′) configured to transport a continuous stream of products (3′, 3″) so that the product stream (3′, 3″), after leaving the transport mechanism follows a free-fall path, along which it is fed in a single product layer through an inspection zone (16); wherein the inspection zone has a length (L) that at least corresponds to the width of the aforementioned single product layer, a light source (5, 5′) configured to illuminate said inspection zone (16), a detection unit (6), configured to optically scan the illuminated inspection zone (16), an analysis unit (17) in operational connection with the detection unit and which is arranged to process and analyze the optical information that it receives from the detection unit according to well-defined criteria, a background element (10′), which is situated behind the falling product stream, seen from the position of the detection unit, positioned so that: light beams from the light source only impinge on an illumination zone (14) of the background element when these beams do not impinge on a product from the product stream (3′, 3″), the detection unit can only receive an image of a detection zone (13) of the background element, characterized in that the background element is mounted so that the illumination zone (14) and the detection zone (13) are separated from each other; wherein the light source (5) is configured so that light beams (11′, 11″) coming from said light source are focused so that said light beams are bundled at the level of inspection zone (16) on a line, or at least in a narrow strip, which extends over the entire length (L) of the inspection zone (16) and wherein the illumination zone (14) is formed by a strip of the background element (10′); wherein the detection unit is a camera (6) configured so that the camera can only detect a strip (13) of the background element; and wherein said strips (13, 14) of the background element do not overlap each other.