JP2002357560A - Method and apparatus for inspecting floating foreign object on liquid surface - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for inspecting a floating, foreign object on a liquid surface that can detect a foreign object floating on the liquid surface in a container with improved reproducibility. SOLUTION: The apparatus for inspecting floating, foreign objects comprises an illumination apparatus 4 for applying light with an incidence angle that is in parallel with a liquid surface from the lower portion of the liquid surface, or equal to or more than a critical angle, an imaging means 5 for imaging reflection light in a foreign object at an angle being equal to or more than the critical angle from the upper side of an interface, and a processing means for judging whether foreign objects are present or not according to the image that has been picked up.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for inspecting and detecting foreign substances floating on a liquid surface of a liquid substance such as a medicine or a beverage filled in a transparent or translucent container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, plastic containers are increasingly used for pharmaceuticals, beverages and the like. In the case of this type of manufacturing process using a plastic container, in the molding process of the container, burrs or scorch of the resin material may be mixed into the container. In the filling step, the contents liquid is transferred to a filling position by a belt conveyor or the like in order to fill the contents liquid.At this time, the filling nozzle may interfere with the container due to variations in conveyance conditions and positioning accuracy. Debris may get into the container.

[0003] Since many foreign substances originating from the material of such plastic containers have a specific gravity smaller than that of the liquid content and float on the liquid surface, an apparatus for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign substances floating on the liquid surface has been developed. Is desired.

Conventionally, as a method for inspecting foreign matter mixed in a liquid in a container, the container is rotated at a high speed and then suddenly stopped, so that the foreign matter is freely rotated in the content liquid together with the content liquid, so as to be fixed. Various methods and apparatuses for inspecting the presence or absence of a foreign object by capturing images at time intervals and comparing captured images that are temporally different from each other have been disclosed.

[0005]

However, in the conventional inspection method, in order to detect a foreign substance having a specific gravity smaller than that of the above-mentioned content liquid, the container is rotated at a high speed to float on the liquid surface. It is necessary to surely draw the foreign matter into the liquid, but it is difficult to draw all the foreign matter into the liquid with good reproducibility.

Further, when inspecting for the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid surface, influences such as bubbles generated on the liquid surface due to an impact or swing in a transport process or the like and fluctuations of the liquid surface at the time of inspection are taken. It is difficult to remove, and it is difficult to detect a foreign substance with high reliability. Further, in order to allow time until the bubbles disappear before the inspection, it is necessary to increase the length of the conveyer, which requires a long apparatus configuration.

[0007] In addition, the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical products often has a sterilization process after filling and sealing. For example, when inspecting for the presence or absence of foreign matter after high-pressure heat sterilization, dissolved oxygen is contained in the liquid in the container. A large number of microbubbles are generated, which greatly affects the inspection.

Further, if there is air bubbles adhering to the wall surface, the air bubbles may separate from the wall surface due to an impact during transportation or the like, and may float on the liquid surface at the time of inspection, which may cause erroneous detection. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for detecting a foreign substance floating on a liquid surface which can detect a foreign substance floating on the liquid surface in a container with good reproducibility.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for inspecting a floating liquid level foreign matter and an apparatus for inspecting a floating liquid surface foreign substance, which can reduce the size of the equipment in addition to the above objects.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a method for detecting suspended foreign matter on a liquid surface according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided.
In the liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection method for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid surface of a liquid material filled in a transparent or translucent container, light is incident on the liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface, A liquid surface disposed outside the path of the incident light, the light reflected by the foreign matter on the liquid surface being imaged by an imaging means from above or below the liquid surface, and the presence or absence of the foreign matter is determined from the captured image. Floating foreign matter inspection method.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for inspecting the presence of foreign matter floating on the surface of a liquid substance filled in a transparent or translucent container. Light is incident on the liquid surface from below the liquid surface at an angle of incidence that is parallel or greater than the critical angle, and light reflected by foreign matter on the liquid surface is imaged from above or below the liquid surface by the imaging means, and the image is taken. It is characterized in that the presence or absence of a foreign substance is determined from the obtained image.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for inspecting suspended foreign matter on the liquid surface, the imaging means is arranged at an angle of a critical angle or more from the upper side of the liquid surface. I do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for inspecting floating foreign matter on the liquid surface according to any one of the first to third means, the container is rotated forward and / or backward before imaging to remove floating foreign matter. It is characterized in that it is collected near the center of the liquid level.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for inspecting a liquid-floating foreign matter according to any one of the first to fourth means, the container comprises a flexible container, and the container is rotated, impacted and / or shocked. After the bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the container are removed from the inner wall surface by applying vibration or by combining them, pressurization and / or depressurization from the outside of the container, or release from these pressure states, the liquid The method is characterized in that bubbles existing on the surface are eliminated, and thereafter, the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid surface is inspected.

[0016] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for inspecting floating foreign matter on the liquid surface according to any one of the first to fifth means, a plurality of images captured at predetermined time intervals by the imaging means are compared. It is characterized by inspecting for the presence of foreign matter.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is a liquid level floating foreign matter inspection apparatus for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid level of a liquid substance filled in a transparent or translucent container. There is an illuminating means for incident light on the liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface, and is disposed outside the path of the incident light, and reflects light reflected by foreign substances on the liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface. It is characterized by comprising an image pickup means for picking up an image and an image processing means for judging the presence or absence of a foreign substance from the picked up image.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is directed to an apparatus for inspecting the presence of foreign matter floating on a liquid surface of a liquid substance filled in a transparent or translucent container. An illuminating means for entering light from below the liquid surface in parallel with the liquid surface or at an incident angle equal to or greater than the critical angle, and arranged so that light reflected by foreign matter on the liquid surface is imaged from above or below the liquid surface And an image processing means for judging the presence or absence of a foreign substance from the taken image.

In a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus for floating foreign matters on the liquid surface according to the eighth aspect, the imaging means is arranged at an angle of a critical angle or more from the upper side of the liquid surface. .

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the seventh aspect, the container is a flexible container, and the container is rotated with respect to the flexible container. Means for causing air bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the flexible container to float on the liquid surface by applying vibration or impact or a combination thereof, and pressurizing and / or depressurizing from the outside of the flexible container, or And defoaming means for eliminating bubbles present on the liquid surface in the flexible container by releasing from the pressure state.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the tenth aspect, the defoaming means comprises:
It has a chamber capable of accommodating the flexible container, and an external pressure is applied to the container by increasing and / or decreasing the pressure in the chamber.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the eleventh aspect, the chamber has a lower open type housing supported so as to be able to move up and down, and the housing descends. Thereby, the flexible container can be hermetically sealed in the housing.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus for floating foreign matters on the liquid surface, the chamber further includes a holder for receiving and supporting the flexible container, and the holder is provided by lowering the housing. The housing is air-tightly joined.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the thirteenth means, the holder is rotatably supported, and a rotation driving device for rotating the holder is further provided. It is characterized by being.

A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is directed to the liquid level floating foreign matter inspection apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, further comprising a rotation driving device for supporting the housing so as to be rotatable around an axis and applying the rotation. The housing is adapted to engage with the holder and rotate together.

[0026] According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of any of the thirteenth to fifteenth means, the inspection apparatus for transporting the flexible container in an arc shape is provided. Transport means, a container supply means for supplying the flexible container to the transport means, and a container discharging means for discharging the flexible container from the transport means, wherein the transport means has a disc shape. The rotating body has at least one holder for receiving and supporting the flexible container along a peripheral edge thereof, and the container supply means is provided between the rotating body and the flexible container. It has a supply starwheel for transferring a flexible container, and the container discharging means has a discharge starwheel for transferring the flexible container to and from the rotating body.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the sixteenth aspect, the illumination means and the imaging means are arranged along the circumference of the rotating body. It moves along the circumference of the rotating body in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating body.

[0028]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side view showing a first embodiment of the apparatus for inspecting a floating liquid level according to the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the container 1 is filled with the content liquid 2 and hermetically sealed, and foreign substances 3 and bubbles 8 floating on the liquid surface 6 of the content liquid 2 and air bubbles 9 adhere to the inner wall surface of the container or float in the liquid. Fine bubbles 9
Also exists.

The shape of the container is desirably such that the liquid inside the container is rotated by rotating the container and the container is kept rotating by inertia for a while even if the container is stopped. However, even if it is a prism, polygonal prism, not a self-standing type, a hanging type, or a shape like a sphere, it should be a shape that can be gripped and rotated when rotating. If applicable.

Also, the apparatus configuration is not limited to the conveyor system described in the embodiment, but may be applied to a conveyor such as a rotary table system.

The container 1 is temporarily stopped at the inspection station, and shows that the illuminating device 4 is arranged from one side and the imaging device 5 is arranged from the other side. The imaging device 5 is preferably disposed at a position orthogonal to the incident optical axis of the illumination device 4 or at a position shifted by a certain angle.

The illuminating device 4 is arranged so that the incident light is incident below the liquid surface and parallel to the liquid surface or at an angle greater than the critical angle with respect to the liquid surface (the incident light is totally reflected).

The illumination device 4 makes the incident angle sufficiently larger than the critical angle, makes it easy to maintain the total reflection condition even if the liquid surface fluctuates, and reduces the influence of the fluctuation of the liquid surface on the inspection. Is preferred.

In addition, it is possible to illuminate not only foreign substances floating on the liquid surface but also foreign substances sunk by several tens of millimeters from the liquid surface, thereby expanding the inspection range. In order to obtain strong illumination light for the light source for lighting,
For example, a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp is used.

The image pickup device 5 may be arranged so that the liquid surface is picked up from either the upper side or the lower side. In the former case, the liquid surface is inclined from an obliquely upward angle to a critical angle or more (for example, 8
0 ° to 90 ° is preferable), the inspection can be performed without being affected by the microbubbles existing in the liquid, but the effect of enlarging the foreign matter image by the lens effect is expected. Can not. In the latter case, the inspection becomes difficult when microbubbles exist in the liquid, but when there is no microbubble, minute foreign matters are easily detected by the lens effect. It is preferable to determine which arrangement method is to be selected depending on whether or not microbubbles are generated in the liquid.

In the arrangement as described above, the light incident on the inside of the container 1 from the side is usually totally reflected on the liquid surface and travels to the opposite side of the container 1, so that the image is taken when there is no foreign matter on the liquid surface. When there is almost no light incident on the device 5 and foreign matter is floating on the liquid surface, the reflected light on the surface of the foreign matter is incident on the image pickup device 5, so that the S / N ratio is increased and the inspection of the liquid surface floating foreign matter can be performed with high accuracy. It is possible to do.

The container 1 is set at a low speed before the inspection.
It is rotated more than reciprocating. As a result, the liquid 2 in the container is rotated in one direction at first, and then rotated in the opposite direction, so that the movement of the liquid 2 is canceled out. The liquid 2 tends to gather near the center of the liquid surface so as to be pushed by the movement of the liquid 2 that easily moves. The reciprocating rotation at this time is 100 to 3 in the forward rotation.
The rotation speed is preferably about 00 rpm and about 50 to 200 rpm in the backward rotation. After the rotation is stopped, the waving of the liquid level 6 becomes small and the liquid level 6
Is easily obtained in a short time, and the suspended foreign matter 3 easily gathers in the vicinity of the center of the liquid level 6, so that the trapping rate of the foreign matter 3 in the inspection visual field increases.

When bubbles are present on the liquid surface 6, the amount of light incident on the image pickup device 5 increases similarly to foreign matter. In such a case, in order to prevent erroneous determination due to bubbles, it is desirable to remove bubbles present on the liquid surface before imaging.
When the container is made of a flexible container, pressurization and / or depressurization from the outside of the container, or release from these pressure states, eliminates bubbles existing on the liquid surface, and then removes the liquid. What is necessary is just to inspect for the presence of foreign matter floating on the surface.

Further, before applying an external force from the outside, the container is rotated, shocked, or vibrated, or a combination thereof is applied, so that air bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the container are separated from the wall surface and the liquid surface is formed. When the container is moved to remove bubbles by applying an external force to the container, it is possible to prevent bubbles attached to the inner wall from separating and floating on the liquid surface during the inspection. For this purpose, bubbles attached to the wall surface may be caused to float by providing a foam floating means such as a container rotating device or an exciting device or an impact device.

The external force acting on the container may be a method of deforming the container by applying pressure from the outside of the container or a method of deforming the container by reducing the pressure around the container. The method of clamping and pressing from both sides is most easily adopted. Although the deforming means and the detecting means may be arranged at the same station, the pressurizing station b and the detecting station c are sequentially arranged on the conveyor 7 as shown in FIG. 5 due to connection with the production line in the factory. Is preferred. As a deforming means, as shown in FIG. 5, if a pair of conveyor belts 12 and 12 for nipping and transporting the container 2 can be transported in a pressurized state until immediately before the inspection process, the foreign object detection operation can be performed without releasing the container after release. As a result, it is possible to prevent bubbles from being generated again.

As the detecting means, the image of the foreign matter floating on the liquid surface in the container is imaged plural times or continuously over time, and the images are compared, so that the embossed character of the container,
The presence / absence of a foreign substance can be determined by excluding the effects of scratches and distortion. At this time, it is not necessary to pay attention to the distinction between the floating foreign matter and the air bubbles by eliminating the air bubbles existing on the liquid surface in advance.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the apparatus for inspecting floating foreign matter on a liquid surface according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing the same part. The conveyor 7 intermittently conveys the containers 1 at regular intervals, and the containers 1 are conveyed while repeatedly stopping in the order of the rotation station A, the inspection station B, and the discharge station C. The conveyor 7 is a belt conveyor, and its operation is appropriately controlled in the direction of arrow A.

The container 1 is a light-transmitting plastic bottle, which is filled with a beverage and hermetically sealed.

The rotating station A has a rotating holder 1
The holder 13 grips the temporarily stopped container 1, performs one or more low-speed rotations in the direction of arrow C, and then stops and releases the container 1. As a result, foreign substances, bubbles, and the like floating on the liquid level in the container are collected at the center of the liquid level.

The inspection station B has an illumination device 4 and a CCD for inspecting the liquid level 6 as shown in FIGS.
An imaging device 5 such as a camera is provided. Normally, the illuminating device 4 and the imaging device 5 are arranged at positions where the optical axes are orthogonal to each other in a plan view, and the illuminating device 4 receives the incident light at an angle below the liquid surface and parallel to the liquid surface. The liquid surface 6 is arranged to be imaged from obliquely above at an angle equal to or greater than the critical angle (the incident angle is 82 °). As a light source for illumination, a halogen lamp is used to obtain strong illumination light.

The light incident on the inside of the container 1 from the side is
Normally, since the light is totally reflected on the liquid surface and travels to the opposite side of the container 1, there is almost no light incident on the imaging device 5 when there is no foreign matter or bubbles on the liquid surface, but when the foreign matter is floating on the liquid surface The amount of light incident on the imaging device 5 due to the reflected light on the surface of the foreign matter increases. Also, when bubbles 9 (bubbles 8) are present on the liquid surface, the amount of light incident on the imaging device 5 increases as in the case of foreign matter. Therefore, when the bubbles 8 float, it is preferable to erase them beforehand.

With the above arrangement, a plurality of images of the foreign matter floating on the liquid surface in the container are taken with time, and the images are compared, whereby the influence of embossed characters, scratches and distortion on the container is obtained. Are excluded, foreign objects are determined, and the determination signal is output to a control device (not shown).

At the discharge station C, a discharge pusher 11 and a discharge conveyor 10 are arranged, and
The pusher 11 operates in the direction of arrow B in response to the foreign object presence / absence determination signal, and discharges the container 1 determined to have foreign material to the discharge conveyor 10.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of the apparatus for inspecting floating liquid level according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of the apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the main part. Conveyor 7
Is a device for intermittently transporting the flexible container 1 at regular intervals. The flexible container 1 is transported while being repeatedly stopped in the order of the rotation station a, the pressure station b, the inspection station c, and the discharge station d. The conveyor 7 is a belt conveyor, and its operation is appropriately controlled in the direction of arrow A.

The container 1 is a flexible container formed of a plastic bottle that transmits light, and is filled and sealed with a beverage. The container 1 can be deformed by an external force to the extent that about 5% of the internal volume increases or decreases, and returns to its original shape when the external force is released after the deformation.

The rotating station 1 has a rotating holder 1
The holder 13 holds the suspended container 1 and rotates at a high speed in the direction of arrow C (400 to 1000 rpm).
pm), then stop and release container 1. As a result, air bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the container 1 are shaken off the wall surface and float on the liquid surface, and foreign matters and air bubbles floating on the liquid surface due to the flow of the content liquid that moves gently due to inertia are formed at the center of the liquid surface. Collected in.

When the container 1 is released, the conveyor 7 is operated to reach the pressurizing station b, and the holding conveyor 1
The container 1 is conveyed in a state where it is pressurized from the outside by being sandwiched between the containers 2 and 12. When the container 1 is pressurized, the container 1 is deformed and the internal air pressure increases, so that many bubbles floating on the liquid surface burst.

Each of the sandwiching conveyors 12 is composed of a pair of endless belts, and the distance between the inner surfaces of the two endless belts may be appropriately set as long as the deformation of the container 1 can be sufficiently secured. . Further, the holding conveyor 12,
Reference numeral 12 denotes a configuration in which at least one of the conveyors 12 is movable in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the arrow A in the traveling direction of the conveyor 7 as shown by an arrow D shown in FIG. In this case, the deformation of the container 1 occurs instantaneously, and the effect of defoaming by pressurization increases. In FIG. 5, it is illustrated whether or not the container 1 is stopped at the pressurizing station b. However, it is not necessary to stop at the station b and the container 1 merely passes and the operation and effect are sufficiently exhibited.

When the container 1 has passed through the sandwiching conveyors 12, 12, the pressing force is released, so that the deformed container 1
Returns to its original shape. At that time, the internal pressure of the container 1 is reduced, and any bubbles remaining due to the change are burst and disappear. It is considered that the pressure change at the time of releasing the pressing force changes at several times the speed at the time of pressurizing, and it is recognized that the defoaming effect is large.

In the inspection station c, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an illumination device 4 and an imaging device 5 such as a CCD camera are arranged for inspecting the liquid level. Usually, the illuminating device 4 and the imaging device 5 are arranged at positions where the optical axes are orthogonal to each other, the illuminating device 4 is incident at an angle at which the incident light is totally reflected from below the liquid surface, and the imaging device 5 obliquely upwards the liquid surface. Are arranged so as to capture images from the same. As a light source for illumination, a halogen lamp is used to obtain strong illumination light.

Light incident on the inside of the container 1 from the side of the container 1 is usually totally reflected on the liquid surface and goes out to the opposite side of the container 1, so that the image is taken when there is no foreign matter or bubbles on the liquid surface. There is almost no light incident on the device 5.

However, when foreign matter is floating on the liquid surface, the amount of light incident on the image pickup device 5 increases due to reflection on the surface of the foreign matter. The image data captured in the above arrangement is sent to an image processing device (not shown), and a plurality of images of the foreign matter floating on the liquid surface in the container are captured over time, and the images are compared. And the embossed letters on the container,
The influence of scratches and distortion is excluded, the presence or absence of foreign matter is determined, and a determination signal is output to a control device (not shown). At this time, there is no problem since the bubbles 8 floating on the liquid surface have been eliminated in advance.

At the discharge station d, a discharge pusher 11 and a discharge conveyor 10 are arranged, and
The pusher 11 operates in the direction of arrow B in response to the foreign object presence / absence determination signal, and discharges the container 1 determined to have foreign material to the discharge conveyor 10.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 show a liquid level foreign matter inspection device provided with a defoaming device. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a view taken along line AA of FIG. 8, and FIG. 8 is a front view. However,
The operating states of FIGS. 7 and 8 are different. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The liquid surface foreign matter inspection device 21 comprises a defoaming means for eliminating bubbles on the liquid surface of the internal solution sealed in the transparent or translucent flexible container 1, and whether or not foreign matter exists on the liquid surface. It has an inspection unit 23 for optically inspecting the container 1 and a transport unit for transporting the container 1.

The transport means has a rotating body 24 for sequentially receiving the containers supplied by the container supply means 22 and transporting the containers 1 at predetermined intervals on an arc-shaped transport path. Along the line, defoaming means and inspection means are provided.

The apparatus for inspecting floating foreign matter on the liquid surface includes a container supply means 22 for supplying the container 1 to the rotating body 24 and a container 1 which has been inspected by the inspecting means 23 on the basis of the inspection result of the inspecting means 23. And a container discharging means 25 for carrying out the container to a predetermined position.

The inspection means 23 includes an illuminating means 26 for irradiating light from the side of the conveyed container to the liquid surface in parallel with or below the liquid surface, and an inspection image of the liquid surface in the conveyed container. And imaging means 27 for imaging the image.

The inspection means 23 is controlled so as to reciprocally swing on a concentric circle with the transport path, and to move in synchronism with the transport means when moving in the same direction as the transport means. Move without changing the positional relationship with.

The image output from the imaging means 27 is sent to an image processing means (not shown), and a process for determining whether or not a foreign substance exists on the liquid surface in the container is performed.

The rotating body 24 is composed of rotating plates 24a and 24b integrally connected in a pair in the upper and lower directions, and is continuously rotated in the direction of arrow Y by a driving means (not shown).

The transfer means is provided with a chamber 28 which can individually seal the flexible container 1 to be transferred during the transfer, and a rotating means for rotating the container 1 at a predetermined rotation speed and rotation speed. I have.

A holder 29 for sequentially receiving the containers 1 supplied by the container supply means 22 and transporting the containers 1 on the arc-shaped transport path at predetermined intervals is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lower rotary plate 24a. (See FIG. 9) is rotatably supported via bearings 30.

As shown in FIG. 9, the outer peripheral portion of the holder 29 is formed so as to be one step lower than the central portion on which the container 1 is placed, and a sealing member 31 made of rubber or the like is attached to the upper portion over the entire periphery. Have been.

Further, around the holder 29, three claws 33 for holding a later-described housing 32 and the holder 29 via the sealing member 31 are arranged, and the claws 33 are provided below the holder 29. A mechanism that can be opened and closed by an air cylinder or the like (not shown) can be used.

A plurality of open-bottom housings 32 having a light-transmitting portion made of, for example, transparent acrylic are supported on the upper rotating plate 24b so as to face each holder 29.

Each housing 32 is rotatably supported by the upper rotating plate 24 b via a rotary spline shaft 34. A cam follower 36 is attached to the upper part of the rotary spline shaft 34 via a bearing 35, and is engaged with a cam 37. And the rotating plate 2
With the rotation of 4b, the cam follower 36 is guided by the cam 37, so that the housing 32 is moved up and down. The raising and lowering of the housing 32 is not limited to the cam, and other known raising and lowering mechanisms can be adopted.

The rotary spline shaft 34 is connected to a rotary driving device 40 such as a servomotor via gears 38 and 39.
And the housing 32 can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions.

When the housing 32 descends, the claws 33 attached around the rotary holder 29 cause the holder 2 to move.
By holding the housing 9 and the housing 32 via the seal member 31, the inside of the chamber formed by the holder 29 and the housing 32 can be sealed.

With the closed chamber formed by the housing 32 and the holder 29, the rotary spline shaft 34 is rotated forward and reverse to rotate the housing 32 forward and reverse, so that the holder 29 also rotates forward and backward. Therefore, in this example, the rotation driving device 40, the gears 38 and 39, the rotary spline shaft 34, the housing 32, and the holder 29 constitute a rotation unit for rotating the flexible container 1 on its own axis.

It is configured such that compressed air can be introduced into the lower part of the holder 29 through a rotary air port (rotary air joint) (not shown) or the like, and the pressure in the chamber 28 is controlled by a control device such as a solenoid valve. Can be.

The housing 32 is lowered and the holder 29
After forming a closed chamber by cooperating with the above, compressed air can be sent from the lower part of the holder 29 by a compression pump (not shown) to pressurize the inside of the chamber. It should be noted that a vacuum pump (not shown) is used instead of the compression pump.
It can also be connected to the lower part.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the housing descending section 50, the lock section 51 by the lock pin 33, the pressurizing section 52, the defoaming section 53, the container rotation section 54, and the inspection section 55 follow the rotation of the rotating body 24. Then, the flexible container 1 is transported in the order of the release section 56 of the lock pin 33 and the housing rising section 57.

As shown in FIG. 7, the inspection section 55 includes illumination means 26 such as a halogen lamp for irradiating light from the side of the container 1 to the liquid surface in parallel with or below the liquid surface.
Inspection means including an imaging means 27 such as a CCD camera is disposed outside the path of the light emitted from the illumination means 26 and reflected on the liquid surface. No light enters the means 27.

Since the inspection means 23 is controlled to move in synchronization with the conveyed container, a predetermined number of images of the liquid level in the container 1 can be taken in the meantime. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a block 60 to which the illumination means 26 and the imaging means 27 are fixed is placed on an arc-shaped rail 61 arranged outside the periphery of the rotating plate 24a. It can be moved by a driving device.

The container supply means 22 includes a screw 22a for cutting the container 1 conveyed from the upstream process at regular intervals, and a supply star wheel 22b for transferring the container 1 conveyed from the screw 22a to the rotary plate 24a.
It is composed of

Many bubbles may adhere to the inner wall of the flexible container 1 conveyed from the upstream due to vibration, temperature change, and the like during the conveyance. Such air bubbles adhered to the inner wall are hard to disappear even when the pressure inside the container is changed as described above. These bubbles have no effect on the liquid level inspection if they are in the same state even at the time of inspection, but some bubbles move away from the wall surface by moving by rotation before inspection, and move to the liquid surface and become bubbles. May remain.

In such a case, by attaching a mechanism for continuously giving an impact from the side of the flexible container 1 while being conveyed by the supply star wheel 22b, the bubbles adhering to the wall surface are moved. It becomes possible.

The container discharging means 25 discharges the flexible container 1 based on a discharging star wheel 25a which receives the container 1 which has been inspected in the inspection section 55 from the rotating body 24 and a sorting signal based on the judgment result from the image processing device 70. And a sorting star wheel 25b for sorting.

The supply star wheel 22b to the rotating body 24
When the container 1 is supplied onto the holder 29 installed on the lower rotary plate 24a, the flexible containers 1 are sequentially transported as the rotary plate 24a rotates. The upper rotating plate 24b during transport
When the housing 32 installed in the housing 32 is lowered, the space between the rotary holder 29 and the housing 32 is airtightly closed by the sealing mechanism, and the chamber 28 is formed.

Thereafter, a pressure of 2 g
Compressed air of 0 to 80 kPa (40 kPa in the present embodiment) is introduced from the lower part of the holder 29 and
Internal pressure is increased for a predetermined time (4 seconds in this embodiment)
After maintaining the internal pressure, it is released to the atmospheric pressure. At this time, since the flexible container 1 in the chamber 28 is formed of a deformable material such as plastic, the container shape is deformed following the pressure change in the chamber 28, and the pressure inside the container is changed. Also substantially follows the pressure change in the chamber 28.

By increasing the pressure change speed at this time,
The state change of the bubbles existing on the liquid level cannot follow the pressure change inside the container, and all the bubbles existing on the liquid level can be broken.

Also, the defoaming effect can be enhanced by repeating the pressing / releasing operation. Further, before being released from the pressurized state to the atmospheric pressure, it is installed on the rotating plate 24a and once connected to a decompression tank (not shown) preliminarily depressurized to -20 to -50 kPa (gauge pressure) and then to the atmospheric pressure. By opening the pressure, the pressure change speed can be further increased. The decompression tank can be connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via, for example, a rotary air joint (not shown) provided at the center of the rotating plate 24a.

Due to the above-mentioned effects, no bubbles are present on the liquid surface in the container thereafter, and it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of bubbles in the subsequent foreign matter inspection on the liquid surface. Can be increased in detection sensitivity.

Thereafter, the container 1 is rotated by rotating the rotating plate 24a.
When the container reaches the container rotation section 54, the rotating means causes the container 1 to move to a position where bubbles are not generated on the liquid surface.
By giving a rotation at a low speed of 0 rpm or less, the foreign matter existing on the liquid surface can be moved to the center of the liquid surface, and the foreign matter can be easily caught in the subsequent imaging.

Here, conditions such as the number of rotations and the direction of rotation given to the flexible container 1 are initially set to optimal values according to the cross-sectional shape of the flexible container 1 and the like. When the rotation to the flexible container 1 is stopped and the flexible container 1 is conveyed to the inspection section 55, the image is taken a plurality of times by the imaging means 27 installed outside the conveyance path while only the inner solution is moving, and the image processing apparatus At 70, a determination process is performed.

Thereafter, the flexible container 1 is discharged from the rotating body 24 by the discharge star wheel 25a, and the image processing device 7
The discharge positions are sorted by the sorting star wheel 25b based on the determination result of “0”.

Next, the processing in the image processing device 70 will be described. When foreign matter is mixed in the liquid surface of the inner solution in the container, the light emitted from the illumination means 26 is reflected on the surface of the foreign matter, and the reflected light is captured by the imaging means 27.

Normally, when there is no foreign matter, since the amount of light entering is small, the brightness of the reflected light portion is brighter than the surrounding brightness.

Further, by imaging the same position of the container a plurality of times, it is possible to improve the probability of catching foreign matter as an image as described above.

Further, by comparing a plurality of images taken in a state where only the foreign matter is floating on the liquid surface by the rotation before the inspection by the image processing device 70, for example, scales, characters, etc. Even if there are irregularities and scratches,
The determination can be made separately from the foreign matter.

According to the liquid level inspection apparatus of the fourth embodiment, it is possible to eliminate bubbles existing on the liquid surface before inspecting whether or not foreign matter is present on the liquid surface. Inspection can be automated with high inspection accuracy, which can reduce not only the burden on the inspector but also the manufacturing cost. In addition, by discharging air bubbles that have adhered to the inner wall of the flexible container in advance to the outside of the liquid, it is possible to prevent the generation of new air bubbles on the liquid surface after defoaming.

In the fourth embodiment, the rotator 24
With the rotation of, the container 1 is configured to be transported in the order of the housing descending section, the lock section, the pressurizing section, the defoaming section, the container rotation section, the inspection section, the unlocking section, and the housing ascending section. The container rotation section and the housing ascending section may be set at the same position, and the container 1 may be rotated while the housing 32 is raised.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, a rod 34 for holding the container is inserted into the mouth-tally spline shaft 34.
By inserting a, the container 1 may be prevented from jumping out during rotation.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, the sealing means and the rotating means are provided on the same rotating body 24, but they may be performed by different rotating bodies.
In that case, the mechanism can be simplified, but the installation area of the device becomes large.

The mechanism for hermetically sealing the holder 29 and the housing 32 is not limited to the above-described one, and any mechanism may be used as long as it can hold the inside of the chamber 28 at a constant pressure. The lock pin 33 is
Other modes as shown in (a) and (b) may be used,
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, the top plate of the housing 32 may be pressed.

Instead of applying a rotational driving force to the housing 32, as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b),
The flexible container 1 may be rotated by rotating. In that case, the rod 34 'supporting the housing 32 does not need to adopt a rotating mechanism.

In the fourth embodiment, the container is a flexible container made of plastic and can be deformed within a certain range by an external force. When the container is not provided, the container is not limited to a deformable plastic container, but may be a glass bottle or the like that does not deform at all as long as it is a container that transmits light. Further, it is not always necessary that all of the containers are light-transmitting, and it is sufficient that the portion of the lighting device where the incident light is incident and the portion to be imaged are light-transmitting.

Further, in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, an example is shown in which the irradiation means is arranged so that light is incident from below the liquid level in the container. In this case, if the imaging means is arranged outside the path of the incident light from the irradiation means, the reflected light by the foreign matter floating on the liquid surface can be imaged by the imaging means.

[0106]

As is apparent from the above description, in the method for inspecting floating liquid surface foreign matter according to the present invention, the arrangement of the illuminating device and the image pickup device is specified, and the predetermined rotation stop operation is given to the container. The foreign matter floating on the surface is collected at the center of the liquid surface to facilitate imaging, and the foreign matter is less affected by disturbance light and erroneous detection is performed.

In addition, by combining with an efficient defoaming device, bubbles floating in the previous stage are defoamed, so that the detection of foreign substances is increased in reliability and accurate inspection of floating foreign substances without erroneous detection of bubbles. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

9 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 8, in which FIG. 9A is a front view, and FIGS. 9B and 9C are side views.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing an operation state of another embodiment of the chamber which is a component of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is still another embodiment of the chamber which is a constituent element of the present invention, and is an explanatory view showing two types of embodiments (a) and (b) in which the shape of a chamber locking claw is different.

FIG. 12 shows still another embodiment of the chamber which is a component of the present invention, and FIG. 12 (a) is a front view, and FIG.
(B) is a side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 2 Liquid 3 Foreign material 4 Illumination device 5 Imaging device 6 Liquid level 7 Conveyor 8 Bubble 9 Bubble 22b Supply starwheel 25a Discharge starwheel 26 Irradiation means 27 Imaging means 28 Chamber 29 Holder 32 Housing

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Ieshiro 163, Morikawaramachi, Moriyama-shi, Shiga Gunze Co., Ltd. Research and Development Department (72) Inventor Kenji Mishima 2-13-44 Fujinosato, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Gunze Co., Ltd. Within the SOZ Business Division (72) Inventor Kazunari Saho 2-13-44 Fujinosato, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka Gunze F-term within the SOZ Business Division (reference) 2G051 AA28 AB15 AC01 BA01 BA02 BB01 CA04 CB05 DA02 DA06 DA08 EA12

Claims (17)

[Claims] In a method for inspecting the presence or absence of a foreign substance floating on a liquid surface of a liquid substance filled in a transparent or translucent container, a method for inspecting a liquid surface floating foreign matter is performed by applying light to a liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface. Is arranged outside the path of the incident light, and the light reflected by the foreign matter on the liquid surface is imaged by the imaging means from above or below the liquid surface, and the presence or absence of the foreign matter is determined from the captured image. Characteristic method for detecting suspended particles on liquid surface. 2. A liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection method for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on a liquid surface of a liquid material filled in a transparent or translucent container, wherein the liquid material is parallel or critical to the liquid surface from below the liquid surface. Light is incident at an incident angle greater than or equal to the angle, light reflected by the foreign matter on the liquid surface is imaged by an imaging means from above or below the liquid surface, and the presence or absence of the foreign matter is determined from the captured image. Inspection method for liquid suspended particles. 3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the imaging unit is arranged at an angle equal to or greater than a critical angle from above the liquid surface.
The method for inspecting floating foreign matters described in the paragraph. 4. The liquid level according to claim 1, wherein the container is rotated forward and / or reversely before imaging to collect floating foreign matter near the center of the liquid level. Floating foreign matter inspection method. 5. The container is made of a flexible container, and air bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the container are removed from the inner wall surface by applying rotation, impact, and / or vibration to the container, or by combining them. Later, by applying pressure and / or depressurization from the outside of the container, or releasing from these pressure states, the bubbles existing on the liquid surface are eliminated, and then the presence or absence of foreign substances floating on the liquid surface is inspected. Claim 1.
5. The method for inspecting suspended foreign matter on a liquid surface according to any one of claims 4 to 4. 6. The liquid surface according to claim 1, wherein the presence or absence of a foreign substance is inspected by comparing a plurality of images captured at predetermined time intervals by the imaging unit. Floating foreign matter inspection method. 7. A liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid surface of a liquid material filled in a transparent or translucent container, wherein the liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device is configured to detect a liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface. Illuminating means for incident light, imaging means arranged outside the path of the incident light, and imaging the light reflected by the foreign matter on the liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface, and detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter from the captured image. An apparatus for inspecting floating foreign matter on a liquid surface, comprising: an image processing means for determining. 8. A liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter floating on the liquid surface of a liquid material filled in a transparent or translucent container, wherein the liquid material is parallel or critical to the liquid surface from below the liquid surface. Lighting means for entering light at an angle of incidence greater than or equal to an angle,
A liquid comprising: imaging means arranged to capture light reflected by foreign matter on a liquid surface from above or below the liquid surface; and image processing means for determining the presence or absence of foreign matter from the captured image. Surface floating foreign matter inspection device. 9. The imaging device according to claim 8, wherein the imaging unit is arranged at an angle equal to or greater than a critical angle from above a liquid surface.
2. The liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device according to 1. 10. The container is made of a flexible container, and air bubbles adhering to the inner wall surface of the flexible container are produced by applying rotation, vibration, or impact to the flexible container, or by combining them. Means for floating on the liquid surface, and defoaming for eliminating bubbles existing on the liquid surface in the flexible container by pressurizing and / or depressurizing from the outside of the flexible container or releasing from the pressure state 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: 11. The defoaming means has a chamber capable of housing the flexible container, and applies an external pressure to the container by increasing and / or decreasing the pressure in the chamber. The liquid level floating foreign matter inspection device according to claim 10, wherein: 12. The chamber has a lower open-type housing supported so as to be able to move up and down, and the housing can be lowered to hermetically seal the flexible container in the housing. The liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device according to claim 11, wherein: 13. The chamber further includes a holder for receiving and supporting the flexible container, the holder adapted to hermetically join the housing by lowering the housing. 13. The liquid level floating foreign matter inspection device according to claim 12, wherein: 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the holder is rotatably supported, and further comprises a rotation driving device for driving the holder to rotate. 15. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a rotation driving device that supports the housing so as to be rotatable about an axis and imparts the rotation, and the housing is adapted to rotate together with the holder. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein
2. The liquid surface floating foreign matter inspection device according to 4. 16. The liquid level floating foreign matter inspection device, comprising: transport means for transporting the flexible container in an arc shape; container supply means for supplying the flexible container to the transport means; Container discharging means for discharging the flexible container from the means, wherein the transporting means comprises a disk-shaped rotating body, and the rotating body receives the flexible container along a peripheral portion thereof. Having at least one holder to support
The container supply means has a supply starwheel for transferring the flexible container to and from the rotating body, and the container discharging means transfers the flexible container to and from the rotating body. 16. The liquid level floating foreign matter inspection device according to claim 13, further comprising a discharge star wheel. 17. The illumination means and the imaging means are arranged along the circumference of the rotating body, and move along the circumference of the rotating body in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating body. 17. The liquid level floating foreign matter inspection device according to claim 16, wherein: