JP3254883B2 - Hollow fiber module inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dialyzer for exchanging substances between blood and a dialysate by, for example, a pressure and concentration difference between blood passing through the hollow fibers and dialysate passing outside the hollow fibers. In the apparatus for inspecting the dialyzer module constituting the main body in, in particular, while arranging a yarn bundle of hollow fibers in a cylindrical container having an open end, the inner peripheral surface of the container at the end of the container and For a hollow fiber module having a resin agent layer that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber constituting the yarn bundle, particularly for detecting an abnormal hollow fiber that has protruded from the yarn bundle in a portion that is in close contact with the resin agent layer. The present invention relates to a hollow fiber module inspection device that can be suitably used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, a hemodialyzer separates blood and dialysate by a semipermeable membrane, and the blood and dialysate are introduced into the dialyzer by a pressure and concentration difference between the blood and the dialysate. By exchanging substances between dialysates, impurities in blood are removed and the blood is purified.

As such a hemodialyzer, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of hollow fibers made of a semi-permeable membrane and open at both ends are placed in a cylindrical transparent container A having both ends open and symmetrical. There is an apparatus using a hollow fiber module M provided with a substantially cylindrical yarn bundle B constituted by the following. The hollow fiber module M is made of a thermosetting resin material such as urethane resin which is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the container A and the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber constituting the yarn bundle B at both ends of the container A. It has resin material layers C1 and C2 having a thickness, and the resin material layers C1 and C2
This separates the blood chamber inside the hollow fiber and the dialysate chamber outside the hollow fiber. That is, in the dialyzer using the hollow fiber module M as shown in FIG. 6, a substance exchange is performed between blood passing through the hollow fiber and dialysate passing outside the hollow fiber in the container A.

A dialyzer using the hollow fiber module M illustrated in FIG. 7 is generally manufactured as follows.

[0005] First, a cylindrical yarn bundle B in which a number of hollow fibers are bundled is inserted into the container A while penetrating the container A as shown in FIG.

Next, resin agent layers C 1, C
2 is formed, and the module M shown in FIG. 6 is formed. Next, the end caps D1 and D2 are attached to both ends of the container A. The nozzles d1, d2 formed in advance in the end caps D1, D2 are a blood introduction part and a blood discharge part, and the nozzles d3, d formed in the container A in advance.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a dialysate outlet and a dialysate inlet.

In the hollow fiber module constructed as described above, a part of the hollow fiber constituting the yarn bundle B is closely attached to the resin agent layers C1 and C2, as shown in a hollow fiber b1 in FIG. In the center of the container A, the yarn bundle B
May break apart and bend in the vicinity of the thread bundle B to protrude from the yarn bundle B. Such a hollow fiber b1 may obstruct the flow of blood passing through the hollow fiber b1, and may cause blood to coagulate. Further, there is a possibility that a part of the hollow fiber b1 is broken and blood leaks out. Therefore, the hollow fiber b
Hollow fiber modules with abnormal hollow fibers such as 1 need to be removed as defective products by inspection.

Conventionally, the inspection of the hollow fiber module (hereinafter referred to as a yarn disorder inspection) for discriminating the existence of the disordered hollow fiber b1 as described above is performed by the resin agent layer C1 or C2 (hereinafter, referred to as the thread disorder inspection).
For convenience, only the resin agent layer C1 will be described. Is performed by visually observing the state of the yarn bundle B from the end face side of the cylindrical container A. That is, when the state of the yarn bundle B is viewed from the end face side of the cylindrical container A, when the yarn bundle B is normal, as shown in FIG. At the center, it is almost circular and all the hollow fibers are perpendicular to the end face of the resin layer C1, and only the cross section of each single yarn is visible. The annular region of the resin agent layer C1 outside the yarn bundle B (the inner diameter R of the container A and the yarn bundle portion (diameter m
R), an annular region sandwiched by the substantially circularly formed thread bundle dense portion and a circular portion C11.
That. ) Does not have hollow fibers. On the other hand, when the hollow fiber b1 exists in the yarn bundle B, it is observed that the hollow fiber b1 protrudes into the annular portion C11. In an actual inspection, an inspector determines whether or not the hollow fiber module should be removed based on the degree of protrusion of the hollow fiber b1.

In addition, in the conventional visual inspection, the state where the hollow fiber b1 is adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the container A is observed from the side of the container A.

[0010]

However, there is a variation in the detection of the yarn disturbance visually, depending on the inspector.
Problems easily occur in terms of accuracy. In addition, the above-described visual inspection also hinders the reduction of working time when a large number of hollow fiber modules are inspected. That is, in order to completely automate the manufacturing process and reduce the cost, it is necessary to automatically detect an abnormal hollow fiber such as the hollow fiber b1.

As an apparatus for automatically detecting such abnormal hollow fibers, an apparatus employing an optical method is conceivable. In other words, the apparatus is an apparatus that images the end surfaces of the resin material layers C1 and C2 and the cylindrical container A with a television camera or the like and processes the image data to determine the presence of the abnormal hollow fiber. However, by detecting the presence or absence of an abnormal hollow fiber such as the hollow fiber b1 with such a device, the resin layer C1 or C2 transmits light, and the hollow fiber is formed inside the resin layer C1 or C2. Or resin material layer C1
It is difficult to obtain high-contrast image data under general illumination conditions because hollow fibers for diffusing light are densely arranged on the end faces of C2 and C2. Therefore, an apparatus using the optical method has not been put to practical use.

[0012] For the reasons described above, conventionally, the detection of the abnormal hollow fiber is performed by visual inspection as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and a hollow cylindrical fiber bundle having both open ends is provided in a substantially cylindrical transparent container having both open ends. The quality of the hollow fiber module having a resin agent layer closely adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the container and the outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber constituting the yarn bundle, more specifically, whether there is no abnormal hollow fiber in the resin agent layer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for inspecting a hollow fiber module which can accurately detect the presence of the abnormal hollow fiber by an optical method.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module, comprising: support means for supporting the hollow fiber module; and a ring-shaped light emitting section surrounding the container. Light irradiation means for irradiating the side surface of the resin material layer of the hollow fiber module with the light to be emitted, and the light amount for each subdivided region of the end surface of the resin material layer from a position opposing the end surface of the hollow fiber module. Photometric means for measuring, and binarizing the photometric light amount for each area with a predetermined threshold,
And a binarization processing means for outputting the binarized signal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the first aspect, it is determined whether or not the hollow fiber module is defective based on the binarized signal output by the binarization processing means. And a classification means for classifying the defective hollow fiber module based on the determination result of the determination means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the first aspect, the emission direction of the light emitted from the ring-shaped light-emitting portion of the light irradiation means is perpendicular to the axis of the hollow fiber module. This device is configured to incline within an angle range of 1 times the emission angle from the plane to the end face of the module and from the plane perpendicular to the axis to the side opposite to the end face of the module within 1/4 of the emission angle.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module according to the first aspect, wherein a light-shielding disk is provided between the transparent container of the light irradiation means and the ring-shaped light emitting portion. is there.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus of the first aspect, the binarization target of the binarization processing means is an annular region surrounded by a double circle on the end face of the module. Device.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module, wherein the inspection apparatus of the first aspect is provided with a light irradiation means of the inspection apparatus of the third and fifth aspects, and a binarization of the inspection apparatus of the fifth aspect. This is an apparatus configured by combining processing means.

[0020]

In the inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module according to the first aspect,
When there is an abnormal hollow fiber that has protruded from the yarn bundle in the resin agent layer of the hollow fiber module, the light emitted from the ring-shaped light emitting unit of the light irradiation unit is supported by the supporting unit. When the side surface of the resin material layer is irradiated, the abnormal hollow fiber produces reflected light directed toward the end surface of the resin material layer, and the reflected light generates a portion having a higher brightness on the end surface of the resin material layer than other portions. The light quantity at the end face of the resin material layer is measured by a photometric means, and the high light quantity part can be separated from other parts by binarizing the measured light quantity with a predetermined threshold in a binarization processing means. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence of an abnormal hollow fiber based on the binarization signal output by the binarization processing unit.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection device of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the hollow fiber module inspected by the determining means is a defective hollow fiber module. Separated from other hollow fiber modules by the separation means.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection apparatus of the third and fourth aspects, the direction of light emission from the ring-shaped light emitting portion of the light irradiation means is such that the direction of light emission from the emission position is the resin material layer (C1).
Can be illuminated only in the front direction (the end of the transparent container), so that even if the type of module changes and the inner diameter of the container changes, air bubbles trapped in the rear end surface of the resin agent layer are not erroneously detected. Only the abnormal hollow fiber can be selectively detected.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection apparatus of the present invention, since the binarization target in the binarization processing means is an annular region surrounded by a double circle, a part of the hollow fiber at the outer edge of the yarn bundle is used. Even if strong reflected light is produced or strong reflected light is produced by bubbles trapped in the vicinity of the outer edge of the yarn bundle, only the abnormal hollow fiber can be automatically and easily detected without erroneous detection.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection apparatus of the sixth aspect, the light irradiation means of the third and fifth aspects and the binarization processing means of the fifth aspect are combined, so that abnormalities can be more accurately detected. The presence of the hollow fiber can be detected.

[0025]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a hollow fiber module inspection apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as an inspection apparatus) according to the present invention. The inspection device of FIG. 1 includes a support device 1, a light irradiation device 2, a light amount measurement device 3, an abnormality detection signal forming unit 4, an arithmetic determination unit 503, a storage unit 502, a display unit 6, and an operation unit of the hollow fiber module M. 7 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the supporting device 1 has a hollow fiber module M mounted thereon, and is adapted to move to a different outer diameter for each type of the hollow fiber module M.
0 can be made to coincide with the later-described condensing lens 32 and the optical center axis 32a of the television camera 31.

The light irradiation device 2 includes a light source 201 and a ring-shaped emission section 202.

The light source 201 turns on / off the emission and adjusts the light intensity based on a command given from the operation unit 7 described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ring-shaped emission section 202 has a ring-shaped main body 202a having an inner diameter φ larger than the outer diameter of the end of the hollow fiber module M, and a plurality of optical fibers 202b housed in the main body 202a. And a ring-shaped fiber light guide comprising: Each optical fiber 202
The distal end face b is arranged along the inner peripheral surface of the main body 202a and faces the center of the main body 202a, respectively. In FIG. 2, the optical fiber 202b is shown for simplicity.
Are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, but it is preferable that the optical fibers 202b are arranged as densely as possible in the circumferential direction. In any case, the ring-shaped emission unit 202 uniformly illuminates the side surface of the end of the hollow fiber module M in the circumferential direction. The plurality of optical fibers 20
2b is the main body 20 via an optical fiber connector or the like.
2a, and are optically connected to the light source 201, respectively.

The end of the hollow fiber module M can be inserted into the inner periphery of the ring-shaped light emitting section 202 by moving in the axial direction of the hollow fiber module M. In this embodiment, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 3, the ring-shaped emission section 202 is formed such that the emission end face of the optical fiber 202b is at the axially central portion X of the resin layer C1 of the hollow fiber module M and is connected to the resin layer C1. It is fixed so as to face the side surface. The inner diameter φ of the main body 202a is set according to the emission angle α of the optical fiber 202b so that the light emitted from the emission end face of the optical fiber 202b can irradiate the entire side surface of the resin material layer C1 in the axial direction. ing. When the side surface of the resin material layer C1 is irradiated in this way, the hollow fiber reaching the end surface of the resin material layer C1 almost in parallel with the axis C0 is
While almost no reflected light is produced on the end face side of the resin agent layer C1, a columnar yarn bundle B like the abnormal hollow fiber b1 is formed.
The hollow fiber that protrudes from the resin material layer C
1. Make a strong reflected light toward the end face side.

The fixing position of the ring-shaped light emitting portion 202 is not necessarily limited to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, for example, the end of the module M than the position shown by the solid line in FIG. The position may be shifted in the direction. However, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 3, when the tip of the optical fiber 202b is located outside the position Y corresponding to the outer end face of the resin material layer C1, the light emitted from the optical fiber 202b is directly Since the end face of the layer C1 is irradiated, strong reflected light is generated at this end face, and the reflected light at this end face deteriorates the contrast with the reflected light from the abnormal hollow fiber as described above, causing a detection error. Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
When the tip of b is located further inward than the position Z which coincides with the inner end face of the resin material layer C1, the light emitted from the optical fiber 202b illuminates the bubbles trapped in the resin material layer C1 and produces strong reflected light. This makes it easy for detection errors to occur. However, the tip end of the optical fiber 202b may cause the same detection error as described above even at an intermediate position between Z and Y, and is preferably set within a range of about 8 mm inward from the Y position. .

It should be noted that a ring-shaped fluorescent lamp can be used as the ring-shaped light emitting portion 202 in addition to the ring-shaped fiber light guide. However, it is difficult for a fluorescent lamp to avoid uneven light intensity at the base. Further, since the fluorescent lamp is omnidirectional and illuminates not only the vicinity of the end face of the resin agent layer C1 but also the trunk portion of the hollow fiber module, the detection error is more likely to occur as compared with the fiber light guide. More preferably, a light guide is used.

The light quantity measuring device 3 is provided with, for example, 51
A camera body 31 having a group of photosensors divided into 2 (horizontal) × 480 (vertical) microscopic areas and arranged to correspond to each of these microscopic areas, and a collection of light condensed on the photosensors This is a known two-dimensional television camera including an optical lens 32. As described above, by operating the moving mechanism of the support device 1, the axis C0 of the hollow fiber module M can be made to coincide with the optical center axis 32a of the condenser lens 32. Can photograph the end face of the resin agent layer C1 of the hollow fiber module M. The light amount measuring device 3 is provided with the resin layer C
1 The end face is photographed, and an analog image signal representing the amount of light in a minute area corresponding to each photosensor is output. This analog image signal is provided to the abnormality detection signal forming unit 4.

The abnormality detection signal forming section 4 includes an A / D converter 401, a binarization processing section 403, and a binarized image display section 4.
05.

The A / D converter 401 converts the analog image signal into a digital image signal, and
Send to 3.

The binarization processing section 403 binarizes the digital image signal with a predetermined threshold value SP. That is, the binarization processing unit 403 replaces an image signal whose level is higher than the threshold value SP with a white level, and replaces an image signal whose level is lower than the threshold value SP with a black level.

Further, the binarization processing section 403 sets the threshold value SP by the following method. The ring-shaped emitting section 202
When the resin material layer C1 is illuminated from the side surface by the light emitted toward the center toward the center, the light is scattered at the periphery of the yarn bundle B,
It hardly reaches the center of the yarn bundle B. As a result, in a state where the light is emitted from the ring-shaped emission portion 202, the light amount measuring device 3 determines the light amount on the end face of the resin agent layer C1 of the hollow fiber module M having no abnormal hollow fiber such as the hollow fiber b1. When measured, the light amount distribution in the radial direction of the hollow fiber module M is highest at the peripheral edge of the yarn bundle B as shown by the solid line in FIG. However, the hollow fiber b1
When an abnormal hollow fiber as described above exists, as described above, the abnormal hollow fiber produces a strong reflected light toward the end face of the resin material layer C1, and as shown by a dashed line in FIG. An abnormal portion E where the amount of light is much higher than the peripheral portion of the yarn bundle B is formed. The threshold value SP is set to isolate the abnormal part E. That is, the threshold value SP is determined as shown in FIG.
Is a value obtained by adding a predetermined offset amount ΔS to a reference light amount S corresponding to the peripheral portion of the yarn bundle B, which is the highest in the light amount distribution indicated by the solid line, and is expressed by the following equation 1.

SP = S + ΔS (1) The offset amount ΔS is a constant determined in advance for each type of the hollow fiber module M.

On the other hand, the reference light amount S is also the offset amount Δ
Like S, it can be determined in advance for each type of hollow fiber module M. However, FIG.
The overall level of the luminance distribution indicated by the solid line is mainly
For the reasons (a) to (c), it is unavoidable that it differs depending on each hollow fiber module M to be inspected.

(A) There is a lot-to-lot difference in the color of the resin itself forming the resin layer C1.

(B) The surface state of the end portion of the resin material layer C1 when the resin material layer C1 is formed may be different for each hollow fiber module M from a transparent one to a cloudy one.

(C) The amount of emitted light decreases due to deterioration of the lamp used for the light source 201.

Therefore, it is difficult to obtain high inspection accuracy by the method of setting the reference light amount S in advance.
For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the light amounts Si (i = 1 to n) of n minute regions t1 to tn arranged at equal intervals on the circumference of the diameter mR are determined. Measure,
The average value of these light amounts Si is defined as the reference light amount S. Here, R is the inner diameter of the container A of the hollow fiber module M. M is a constant selected from 1>m> 0 according to the type of the hollow fiber module M. It is preferable that the constant m is set so that the minute regions t1 to tn can be provided at a position corresponding to or closest to the maximum light amount generating portion at the periphery of the normal yarn bundle B. The optimum setting positions of such minute regions t1 to tn differ depending on the type of the hollow fiber module M. Therefore, the constant m needs to be determined for each type of the hollow fiber module M. A method of determining the binarization threshold value SP is to determine the binarization threshold value SP by calculating from the range (maximum-minimum) of the light amount value distribution for each minute area in the field of view captured by the television camera or the standard deviation value of this distribution. For example, a generally known method may be adopted.
The method of determining using the above formula (1) is more preferable because good accuracy can be obtained while being simple. Although the light quantity distribution shown in FIG. 4B is shown inside the circle having the diameter R, the image outside the circle is also included in the actual visual field, so the entire visual field is not regarded as the inspection range, and the diameter nR (1 It is preferable to provide a window of (≧ n ≧ m) and set the inside of this window as the inspection range.

The binarized image display unit 405 outputs an image obtained from the image signal replaced by the binarization processing unit 403 with a white level and a black level, that is, the hollow fiber b1.
An image is displayed in which only the portion where the amount of light is high due to the reflected light from the abnormal hollow fiber is shown in white.

The calculation judging section 503 calculates the total area of the high light quantity portion displayed in white on the binarized image display section 405. This total area corresponds to the number of the photosensors of the camera body 31 in which the output image signals are replaced with white-level image signals. Also,
The calculation determination unit 503 selects a reference value for each product number of the hollow fiber module M stored in the storage unit 502 in advance.
The area reference value of the product number input from a data input device not described is read.

The calculation judging section 503 compares the total area of the binarized high-light portion with the area reference value,
The quality of the hollow fiber module is determined. Here, when the comparison result satisfies the reference value> total area, the hollow fiber module M is determined to be non-defective, and when the reference value ≦ total area, the hollow fiber module M is determined to be defective.

The display unit 6 has a CRT display and a printer, and displays the result of the judgment on the quality of the hollow fiber module.

The operation unit 7 receives the determination result from the calculation determination unit 503, activates the hollow fiber module transfer device 8 shown in FIG. 5, removes the hollow fiber module M mounted on the support device 1, and Then, a new module is mounted on the support device 1.

That is, in FIG. 5, the hollow fiber module supply line 81 is attached to and detached from the support device 1 and to the next process transfer unit 82, and the next process transfer unit 82 or the defective module collection unit based on the result of the determination of the non-defective / defective product. Sorting to 86 is automatically performed by the automatic hand 80 according to a command from the operation unit 7. Therefore, the auto hand 80 can move along the guide 83 as shown by the two-dot chain line. The operating unit 7 also determines the axis C0 of the hollow fiber module mounted on the support device 1 based on the information on the product number of the hollow fiber module M input by the input device.
A moving mechanism (not shown) for the support device 1 is controlled so as to coincide with the optical center axis of (1).

The operating section 7 further has a separating function of separating the hollow fiber module M removed from the support device 1 into a non-defective product and a non-defective product based on the determination result of the calculation determining portion 503. That is, when the determination result indicates that the hollow fiber module M mounted on the support device 1 is a non-defective product, the operation unit 7 transmits the support device to the hollow fiber module transfer device 8 in FIG. A command to move the hollow fiber module M removed from 1 to the next process transfer unit 82 is issued, and if the comparison result indicates that the hollow fiber module M is defective, the hollow fiber module transfer device 8 On the other hand, a command to move the hollow fiber module M removed from the support device 1 to the defective hollow fiber module collection unit 86 is issued.

By the way, there are several kinds of hollow fiber modules M, and the inner diameter R of the container A (FIG. 4A) is different from each other. Therefore, if the inner diameter φ of the ring-shaped light emitting portion 202 of the illumination device 2 shown in FIG. 3 is larger than the inner diameter R of the container A, the fixing position of the emitting portion 202 is set to an appropriate position X.
9A, the positional relationship between the container A and the ring-shaped light emitting portion 202 is represented by the following equation (2).

｛(Φ−R) / 2｝ TAN (α / 2)> XZ (2) That is, in this equation 2, the right side indicates L1 in FIG.
The left side indicates L2, and as shown in FIG. 3, the rear end face of the resin agent layer C1 is in the same state as when the tip of the optical fiber -202 is located at the position Z or inside the position Z. The air bubbles trapped in the air are illuminated and erroneously detected. In order to prevent such erroneous detection, it is necessary to change the inner diameter φ, the emission angle α, or the fixed position X of the ring-shaped emission unit 202 according to the type of module. The change of the inner diameter R and the emission angle α by replacing the illumination device cannot be accommodated by the change of the inner diameter R depending on the product type (for example, the ratio of maximum diameter / minimum diameter = 1.8). Is desirable.

FIG. 9B shows an embodiment of the illumination device 2 which can be adapted to the change of the type of the module M from the above.

In FIG. 9B, the exit angle α of the optical fiber is selected from a type having a directivity angle of 24 °, and the exit direction is inclined by 12 ° (α / 2) toward the end face of the container A. The emission angle α of the optical fiber 202b is, for example, 180 degrees to 23 degrees.
There are various types up to the degree, and the 68-degree type is usually adopted in many cases. The emission direction is an angle of 1 times the emission angle α to the end face side of the container A with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the module M, and 1/4 times the emission angle α to the side opposite to the end face side of the module with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis. By tilting within the range, it is possible to adjust the reflected light from the bent yarn to be effectively incident on the CCD camera. However, in the case of the type with a large emission angle, the illumination light starts directly incident on the CCD camera as the emission direction is inclined. . As the direction of emission from the optical fiber is inclined from the plane perpendicular to the axis of the hollow fiber module toward the front end side of the container A, the resin agent layer C1
Abnormal hollow fibers bent inside the resin agent layer C1 can be effectively illuminated without illuminating the air bubbles at the rear end of the container. However, it is necessary to adjust the fixing position of the ring-shaped emission portion 202 according to the diameter R of the container A. Since a certain case may occur, the emission direction α / 2 in which the fixing position of the ring-shaped emission part 202 does not need to be adjusted by the diameter R of the container A is more desirable. As the emission angle α increases, the directivity of the illumination is more likely to be blurred and the effect of restricting the emission direction is weakened.
8 ° to 23 ° is desirable, and the type having a small emission angle α is
More desirable.

Next, another embodiment of the light irradiation device 2 is shown in FIG.
It is shown in (c). In FIG. 9C, the ring-shaped emission unit 2
02 has the same structure as that shown in FIG.
Light-shielding disc 20 for regulating the emission direction of light emitted from
3 is fixed to the structure of the ring-shaped emission part 202, and the light-shielding disk 20 having a different hole diameter φa for each type of module M
3 is adapted to the change of the inner diameter R of the container A. With this configuration, it is possible to regulate the illumination light toward the center of the hollow fiber module M only by changing the hole diameter φa. Good detection accuracy can be obtained by using the emission unit.

Next, another embodiment of the signal processing by the abnormality detection signal forming section 4 will be described with reference to FIG. This signal processing method uses the binarization processing unit 4 of the abnormality detection signal forming unit 4.
When binarizing the digital image signal with the threshold Sp in step 03, instead of subjecting the entire image to binarization processing,
As shown in FIG. 10, a double circle window having radii r1 and r2 (r1> r2) is provided on the binarization processing screen, and an image of an annular region surrounded by the double circle is subjected to the binarization processing. Here, the radius r1 corresponds to a radius slightly smaller than the inner diameter R of the end face of the container A, and the radius r2 corresponds to a radius slightly larger than the yarn bundle portion. It is well known that the entire image is not subjected to the binarization processing but within a circular window having a diameter of nR (1 ≧ n ≧ m). Since a window can be provided while avoiding noise (such as reflected light due to bubbles at the rear end of the resin layer C1) in the end face image of the image M, detection accuracy can be improved.

With the various inspection apparatuses described above, a hollow fiber module having an abnormal hollow fiber such as the hollow fiber b1 shown in FIG. 8 can be used without relying on the skill and experience of the operator at all. It can be easily and automatically excluded as a good product. The center of the yarn bundle B of the hollow fiber module M does not always coincide with the center of the container A, and the shape of the yarn bundle B as viewed from the end face of the resin agent layer C1 is not necessarily a perfect circle. Since illumination is performed such that a high light amount portion is formed on the end surface of the resin agent layer C with the reflected light by the abnormal hollow fiber, and the high light amount portion is determined, the presence of the abnormal hollow fiber is determined. The presence of an abnormal hollow fiber is detected regardless of the discrepancy between the center of the yarn bundle B and the center of the container A and the roundness of the yarn bundle B, and the hollow fiber module having the abnormal hollow fiber can be excluded as a defective product.

Further, as described above, the ring-shaped emission portion 20
9 can be illuminated only from the emission position to the front of the resin material layer C1 (the end face side of the container A), so that the type of module is changed and the inner diameter R of the container A is changed.
Can be easily inspected without erroneously detecting air bubbles trapped in the rear end face of the resin material layer C1.

Further, the object of the binarization processing in the abnormality detection signal forming section 4 is restricted to the double circle in FIG.
Only abnormal hollow fibers in the image can be detected.

In the above embodiment, the operation determining unit 503
Only whether or not the total area of the high light intensity portion calculated in step (1) exceeds the reference value read from the storage unit 502 is used as a condition for determining whether the hollow fiber module is a good product or a defective product. However, in still another inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module according to the present invention, instead of the method using the size of the area as an index, the shape of a high-intensity portion displayed in white on the binarized image display unit 405 is reduced. The feature, that is, the feature such as the length of the high light amount portion may be quantified and the feature amount may be compared with a reference amount.

Although the inspection apparatus of FIG. 1 is described to inspect only one end of the hollow fiber module M, the inspection apparatus of the hollow fiber module according to the present invention includes an apparatus capable of inspecting both ends simultaneously. That is natural.

[0062]

According to the inspection apparatus for the hollow fiber module according to the first aspect, by irradiating the side surface of the resin material layer with light, a high light amount portion corresponding to the abnormal hollow fiber can be formed on the end surface of the resin material layer. Since the presence of the abnormal hollow fiber is detected by separating the high light intensity portion from other portions, there is an effect that the abnormal hollow fiber can be detected accurately and easily. .

According to the inspection apparatus for the hollow fiber module according to the second aspect, by separating the defective hollow fiber module, it is possible to eliminate the irrationality of processing such a defective hollow fiber module in a later step.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module, the direction in which light is emitted from the ring-shaped light emitting portion of the light irradiating means is such that the resin material layer (C1)
Can be illuminated only in the front direction (the end of the transparent container), so that even if the type of module changes and the inner diameter of the container changes, air bubbles trapped in the rear end surface of the resin agent layer are not erroneously detected. Only the abnormal hollow fiber can be selectively detected.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection apparatus of claim 5, the binarization target in the binarization processing means is an annular region surrounded by a double circle. Even if strong reflected light is produced or strong reflected light is produced by bubbles trapped in the vicinity of the outer edge of the yarn bundle, only the abnormal hollow fiber can be automatically and easily detected without erroneous detection.

According to the hollow fiber module inspection apparatus of the sixth aspect, the light irradiation means of the third and fifth aspects and the binarization processing means of the fifth aspect are combined, so that the abnormality can be more accurately detected. The presence of the hollow fiber can be detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inspection device for a hollow fiber module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a ring-shaped emission unit.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating an emission state by a ring-shaped emission section.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a light quantity distribution.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing a transfer device of the hollow fiber module.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a hollow fiber module.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of the hollow fiber module.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating an abnormal hollow fiber.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining another ring-shaped emission section.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a window of a binarization process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Support device 2 ... Light irradiation device 3 ... Light quantity measuring device 4 ... Abnormality detection signal formation part 6 ... Display part 7 ... Operation part 403 ... Binarization processing part 503 ...... Calculation determination part A: Container b1: Disturbed hollow fiber M: Hollow fiber module

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-2811591 (JP, A) JP-A-6-273126 (JP, A) JP-A-7-5113 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 21/84-21/958 G01B 11/00-11/30 B01D 61/00-71/82

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of hollow fiber yarn bundles are disposed in a cylindrical transparent container having an open end face, and at the end of the container, an inner peripheral surface of the container and each hollow fiber constituting the yarn bundle. An inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module having a resin agent layer in close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the hollow fiber module, comprising: support means for supporting the hollow fiber module; and a ring-shaped light emitting section surrounding the container, and emitted from the light emitting section. Light irradiating means for irradiating the side surface of the resin layer of the hollow fiber module with light to be emitted, and a light amount for each subdivided region of the end surface of the resin layer from a position facing the end surface of the hollow fiber module. Photometric means for measuring; and binarizing the photometric light amount for each area with a predetermined threshold value.
An inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module, comprising: a binarization processing unit that outputs a binarization signal. A determining means for determining whether or not the hollow fiber module is defective based on a binarized signal from the binarizing processing means; and a defective hollow fiber module based on a result of the determination by the determining means. And a separation means for separating the hollow fiber module. 3. The light irradiating means, wherein an emission direction of light emitted from the ring-shaped light emitting portion is one time of an emission angle from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the hollow fiber module to an end face of the module,
2. The hollow fiber module inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the device is inclined from the plane perpendicular to the axis to the side opposite to the end face of the module within an angle range of 1/4 of the emission angle. 4. The inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module according to claim 1, wherein said light irradiating means comprises a light-shielding disk between said cylindrical transparent container and said ring-shaped light emitting portion. . 5. The hollow fiber module inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the binarization processing means sets the binarization processing target to an annular area surrounded by a double circle on the module end face. . 6. The inspection apparatus for a hollow fiber module according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation means according to claim 3 and claim 5 and the binarization processing means according to claim 5 are combined.