JP2960672B2 - Filling amount inspection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for detecting a defect of an inspection article such as a capsule flowing on a line in which contents are filled in an outer wall through which light can pass, and more particularly to an inspection apparatus for medicines and the like. The present invention relates to an inspection device suitable for detecting a shortage of a content.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Pharmaceutical capsules or the like in which contents such as medicines are enclosed need to be strictly inspected for poor appearance. In particular, insufficient filling of the contents becomes a serious product defect. Therefore, accurate inspection and management are necessary. Conventionally, as an inspection device for detecting an appearance defect of a pharmaceutical capsule or the like flowing on a line, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-65405 describes a device that performs transport and inspection while adsorbing capsules on a conveyor by a vacuum conveyor. I have.

The overall configuration of such an inspection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 4 which is an explanatory view of the main part of the inspection mechanism. The inspection apparatus includes a hopper 31, a feeder 32, and a turntable 3 along a horizontal transport direction of a capsule 1 to be inspected.
3, a belt conveyor 34, a first transport device 35, a second transport device 36, and a capsule sorting mechanism 37 are arranged in this order, and the first transport device 35 and the second transport device 36 Two sets of visual inspection devices T1, T2, T3, and T4 that perform inspections from the lower side and the oblique direction are provided. Further, a duct for collecting non-defective products and a duct for collecting defective products are provided below the capsule sorting mechanism.

[0004] The publication describes that, as an inspection mechanism, an image sensor for capturing an image of a capsule and an illuminating device for illuminating the capsule are provided. Detect appearance defects. As the lighting device, a device for directly illuminating light from the light source to the capsule, and a device for indirectly illuminating the light from the light source by reflecting or diffusing the light in the illumination dome in order to obtain a uniform reflected light from the inspection surface of the capsule ,
Or, an illumination device or the like combining the two is known, and the insufficient filling amount of the capsule is detected from the difference between the insufficient filling amount product and the good product according to the reflected light from the surface of the inspection object.

[0005] Further, as for inspection of the filling amount of contents such as capsules, there is a method in which inspection is performed with transmitted light using near-infrared modulated light that passes through a capsule container and does not transmit a drug. No. 41935.

[0006]

However, when an insufficient filling amount of the capsule is detected by using the inspection apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-65405, the inspection is performed by imaging the appearance of the capsule. If the content is insufficient, a reflection image different from the non-defective product must be taken. For this purpose, the capsule cannot be detected unless the content of the capsule is close to zero. Moreover, if the contents adhere to the inner wall of the capsule in a layered manner due to the effects of static electricity or sticky contents, even if the amount of the contents is close to 0, no difference from the non-defective product is recognized in the reflected image, and the detection is performed. However, there is a problem that the capsule cannot be detected because the capsule cannot be detected because the capsule cannot be detected because the capsule cannot be detected.

Further, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 41935/1994, although transmitted light is used, it is determined only when the transmitted light is detected that the filling amount is insufficient. However, there is a possibility that erroneous determination may occur when corresponding to various types of capsules having different types or when the capsule transport pitch cannot be synchronized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to improve the accuracy of detecting an insufficiently-filled defect, and to improve the detection of a case where the filled material adheres in a thin layer to the inner wall of the capsule. Insufficient filling of the capsule can be detected even in the capsule formed by the inner wall having low light transmittance, and when there are various kinds of capsules having different sizes or when the capsule conveyance pitch cannot be synchronized. Another object of the present invention is to provide a visual inspection apparatus capable of detecting a defect with high accuracy.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for inspecting a filling amount of a content sealed in an outer wall through which light can pass. A transport device for transporting the inspection article along the inspection line, a detection sensor fixed to the inspection line to detect the presence of the inspection article, and an illumination fixed to the inspection line and illuminating at least one predetermined point of the inspection article A determination unit configured to determine a defective product based on a ratio between an output time of a logical product of an output signal of the detection sensor and the optical sensor and an output time of the detection sensor. A filling amount inspection device characterized by the following.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for inspecting a filling amount of contents enclosed in an outer wall through which light can pass, and a transport apparatus for transporting an inspection article along an inspection line. A detection sensor fixed to the inspection line and detecting the presence of the test article, a lighting device fixed to the test line and illuminating at least one predetermined point of the test article, and an optical sensor detecting the transmitted light thereof A filling amount inspection apparatus, comprising: a discriminating means for discriminating a defective product by a ratio of a time integral value of an arithmetic product of output signals of the detection sensor and the optical sensor and a time integral value of an output signal of the detection sensor. is there.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a side surface near a detection sensor and a detection means of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the same figure. In the figure, a capsule 1, which is an inspection article, is suction-mounted on a transport device 2 and transported in the direction of an arrow to form an inspection line.

As the transporting device 2, it is preferable to use the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-65405.
In order to accurately transport a cylindrical capsule or the like in a predetermined posture, a mechanism that transports while suctioning from a slit provided between two endless belts is preferable as described in the publication.

[0013] The capsule detection sensor 3 and the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4 are fixed to the inspection line. The two sensors are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.
Is arranged perpendicular to the direction of gravity G,
The capsule filling detection optical sensor 4 is opposed to the illumination device 5 fixed to the inspection line via the capsule 1.

The sensor used in this embodiment is a capsule 1
Alternatively, the presence of a capsule filling is measured, and a signal is output upon detection. Although various types of these detection sensors are known in the art, the capsule detection sensor 3 can accurately measure the capsule surface with a response time of about several ms without being affected by the color of the capsule 1. Possible ones are preferred, for example a retro-reflective photoelectric sensor,
Examples include a capacitance-type detection sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

The capsule filling detection optical sensor 4 is capable of recognizing the filling, not the surface of the capsule, and is excellent in detecting the transmitted light from the illumination device 5 described later.
Further, an optical sensor capable of measuring with a response time of about several ms is preferable. An illumination device 5 is provided so as to face the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4, and the light emitted from the illumination device 5 illuminates at least one predetermined point of the test article. 1 and reaches the capsule filling detecting optical sensor 4.

Here, the illumination range of the single illumination device 5 is preferably a single point, that is, a narrow range. Also,
The light emitted from the illumination device 5 is not particularly limited as long as it passes through the capsule and reaches the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4, but since light having high transmittance is required, a condenser lens or the like is used. Is preferred. In the present embodiment, the capsule detection sensor 3 is disposed aiming at the center of the capsule 1 as a detection area. In addition, the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4 is set to aim at the same point as the capsule detection sensor 3 as a detection point.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a discriminating means for discriminating a filling failure of the capsule 1 from the outputs of the capsule detecting sensor 3 and the capsule filling detecting optical sensor 4. In this embodiment, the discriminating means comprises the following three kinds of means. . That is, 61 is a feature extracting means for calculating the logical product of the signals output from both sensors, and 62 is a comparison between the output time of the signal output from the feature extracting means 61 and the output time of the capsule detection sensor 3 and the ratio thereof. Is compared with a value preset in the external setting means 63 to determine the insufficient filling of the capsule 1. The output of the detection sensor group is processed by these means, and the determination signal corresponding to the determination result is obtained. 7 is output.

Hereinafter, the details of the determination means will be described. FIG. 2 shows each capsule 1a being transferred from right to left,
It is explanatory drawing which shows the output digital signal at the time of measuring 1b and 1c. In the figure, a, d, and g are based on the capsule detection sensor 3. B, e, and h are output signals from the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4, and signals are output when light from the illumination device 5 is blocked. Also, c, f, and i are obtained by taking the logical product of a and b, d and e, and g and h, respectively. Thus, a, b, and c denote output signals when the non-defective capsule 1a is measured, and the output time of the logical product c of the non-defective capsule 1a and the output time of the output signal a of the capsule detection sensor 3 are shown. Is 90%.

Next, d and e are output signals obtained by measuring the capsule 1b in which the filling of the capsule is about half that of the non-defective product, and the output time of the logical product f of d and e and the output of the capsule detection sensor 3 The ratio of the signal d to the output time is 0%. In addition, g and h have less filling of the capsule 1c,
Moreover, the output signal of the capsule is in a state of being deviated internally, and the ratio of the output time of the logical product i of g and h to the output time of the output signal g of the capsule detection sensor 3 is 30%. Therefore, if the threshold value for quality judgment of the external setting means 63 is previously set to, for example, 50%, the quality of the capsule can be determined.

On the other hand, there is another means for outputting an analog signal output from the capsule filling detecting optical sensor 4 in accordance with the amount of light received from the lighting device and comparing the time integral of the signal.

That is, the judging means 62 compares the time integrated value of the arithmetic product of the analog signals of both sensors output from the feature extracting means 61 with the time integrated value of the output signal of the capsule detecting sensor 3. Then, the ratio is compared with a value set in advance in the external setting means 64 to determine the insufficient filling of the capsule 1 and to output a determination signal 7 corresponding to the determination result.

The details of the determination means will be described below. In FIG. 3, j, m, and p are capsule detection sensors 3
It is due to. K, n, and q are output analog signals from the capsule filling detection optical sensor 4, and signals are output according to the amount of light received from the lighting device 5.
Also, l, o, and r are obtained by taking the arithmetic products of j and k, m and n, and p and q, respectively. Thus, j, k, and l indicate output signals when the non-defective capsule 1a is measured, and the time integral value of the signal of the logical product 1 of the non-defective capsule 1a and the output signal j of the capsule detection sensor 3 Is 10%.

Next, m and n are the output signals obtained by measuring the capsule 1b in which the filling of the capsule is about half that of the non-defective product. The ratio of the output signal m to the output time is 90%. Further, p and q are output signals of the capsule in which the filling of the capsule 1c is small and the inside of the capsule 1c is deviated, and the time integration value of the signal of the logical product r of pq and the output signal p of the capsule detection sensor 3 are obtained. Is 70%. Therefore, if the threshold value for quality judgment of the external setting means 63 is previously set to, for example, 50%, the quality of the capsule can be determined.

Here, in this embodiment, the capsule detecting sensor 3 and the filling detecting optical sensor 4 are arranged so as to measure the same point of the capsule 1, but when the measuring points are different, both signals are used. Inspection is possible by synchronizing and taking the logical product.

The above processing is carried out by the feature extracting means 61, and the extracted logical product is inputted to the judging means 62, and it is judged whether or not the filling is insufficient based on the output time or the ratio of the time integral value. That is, the signal ratio of each capsule 1 is compared with a preset threshold value K, and a non-defective product and an underfilled capsule are determined based on the magnitude comparison with the threshold value K. As the threshold value K, an absolute value may be given from the outside, or a method of conveying non-defective products in advance and automatically learning may be used.

Finally, a case will be described in which both the sensor and the publicly known optical appearance inspection devices T1, T2, T3, and T4 are used in combination, and a final judgment is made based on the results of both inspections.
In this case, the logical product of both inspection results, that is, if either result is defective, the final judgment result is determined to be defective. Therefore, a judgment means may be provided corresponding to each test result and operated independently of each other. However, since a plurality of sorting devices 37 and the like are required, when a single sorting device 37 is used in common, both The signals may be synchronized by timing means for adjusting the time lag of the inspection signal, and then the logical product of both signals may be obtained.

[0027]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
Insufficient filling of capsules can be detected with high accuracy even when the filling material adheres to the inner wall in a thin layer.When there are many types of capsules with different sizes, or when the capsule transport pitch is synchronized. Defective products can be detected with a high degree of accuracy even in the case where the defect cannot be obtained.

According to the invention of claim 2 of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the sensor 4 chatters due to the contents in the capsule swaying due to the vibration during transportation because the contents are small. Even if the light is excessively shaded, the output from the sensor is processed by an analog signal having an intermediate value instead of a digital signal of 0 or 1, so that a time integration value is further determined in consideration of time variation to make a judgment. Therefore, defective products can be detected with higher accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the vicinity of a detection sensor and a detection unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a first explanatory diagram illustrating an output signal of a detection sensor.

FIG. 3 is a second explanatory diagram illustrating an output signal of a detection sensor.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a known inspection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Capsule 2 Conveying device 3 Capsule detection sensor 4 Capsule filling detection optical sensor 5 Illumination device 6 Judgment means 61 Feature extraction means 62 Judgment means 63 External setting means

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A device for inspecting a filling amount of contents enclosed in an outer wall through which light can pass, comprising: a transport device for transporting an inspection article along an inspection line; A detection sensor for detecting the presence of the inspection article, an illumination device fixed to the inspection line and illuminating at least one predetermined point of the inspection article, and an optical sensor for detecting transmitted light of the detection article; A filling amount inspection apparatus, comprising: a determination unit configured to determine a defective product based on a ratio between an output time of a logical product of signals and an output time of a detection sensor. 2. A device for inspecting a filling amount of contents enclosed in an outer wall through which light can pass, comprising: a transport device for transporting an inspection article along an inspection line; A detection sensor for detecting the presence of the inspection article, an illumination device fixed to the inspection line and illuminating at least one predetermined point of the inspection article, and an optical sensor for detecting transmitted light of the detection article; A filling amount inspection apparatus, comprising: a discriminating means for discriminating a defective product based on a ratio of a time integral value of an arithmetic product of signals to a time integral value of an output signal of a detection sensor.