Inspection route generation device and inspection route generation method

An inspection route generation method for generating an inspection route of an external appearance inspection device which performs external appearance inspection on an inspection target based on an image imaged by an imaging device, the inspection route generation method comprising:

• providing a computation device including a processor, a memory, and a storage;
• and
• executing the following at the computation device:
• processing of acquiring inspection position information indicating a plurality of inspection positions at which the imaging device images the inspection target, and inspection device configuration information indicating a configuration of the external appearance inspection device;
• processing of calculating a route length between respective inspection positions, and a posture change amount of the imaging device at a time when the imaging device moves through the plurality of inspection positions, based on the acquired inspection position information and inspection device configuration information;
• and
• processing of determining the inspection route based on the calculated route length and posture change amount,
• wherein the external appearance inspection device includes the imaging device and a robot unit having the imaging device attached to a distal end thereof, the robot unit is configured by combining a plurality of joints rotatable along a predetermined rotation direction and links connecting the joints, and the position and posture of the imaging device can be controlled by adjusting an angle of each joint, and the inspection device configuration information includes:
• robot configuration information representing information on a shape of each link of the robot unit, an angle range of each joint, and a limit speed, and
• inspection facility configuration information representing an arrangement of the imaging device and the robot unit in the external appearance inspection device,
• the robot unit controlled based upon at least the inspection device configuration information,
• wherein the processing of determining the inspection route
• calculates a range of a posture in which the robot unit can be positioned at each inspection position on the basis of the inspection position information and the robot configuration information and the inspection facility configuration information included in the inspection device configuration information,
• calculates a movable range of the imaging device at each inspection position as a constraint condition of the posture of the imaging device on the basis of the calculated range of the posture at each inspection position,
• calculates the amount of change in the posture on the basis of the calculated constraint condition,
• calculates a movement cost on the basis of a route length between inspection positions when the imaging device moves among the plurality of inspection positions, the amount of change in the posture of the imaging device, and a traveling direction, and
• determines the inspection route on the basis of the calculated movement cost, and
• wherein a change amount of a rotation angle of the imaging device in a predetermined direction between respective inspection positions of the determined inspection route is minimized;
• processing of selecting a combination of rotation angles of the imaging device at each inspection position so as to minimize the amount of change in the rotation angle of the imaging unit in a predetermined direction between each inspection position of the determined inspection path.