JP3474869B2 - Inspection method and device for sealed package - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pinhole of a hermetically sealed package in which blood products, medical consumables such as physiological saline, foods and various other electrically conductive contents are covered with an electrically insulating coating. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for inspecting, and particularly for inspecting with high accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to maintain the sterilized state of the contents, hermetically sealed packaging is used for blood transfusions, blood products and other various medical consumables, foods such as retort foods, and many other products. If there are pinholes in medical consumables, it may cause contamination and deterioration of the contents, and in the case of food, the contents of the package may come into contact with the atmosphere and cause deterioration and decay.
Pinhole inspection of these sealed packages is extremely important.

Conventionally, as this kind of pinhole inspection method, for example, a sealed package, which is an object to be inspected, is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, and a large difference is made in the electrostatic capacitance formed between each electrode and the object to be inspected. There is a method in which a pinhole is inspected by applying a voltage between both electrodes and detecting a current caused by a flash between one electrode and the object to be inspected (for example, JP-B-50-6).
998 publication).

In detecting the presence / absence of a pinhole by detecting the current caused by the flash, the presence / absence of a pinhole is detected on the actual work surface by the change (large or small) of the detected current. . In this case, if voltage is applied to both electrodes sandwiching the sealed package, leakage current or charging current will always flow regardless of the presence or absence of pinholes.
In particular, the higher the voltage, the larger it tends to be.In addition, it is affected by the humidity and temperature of the periphery of the object forming the atmosphere at the time of inspection. In addition, an error occurs in the current in the detector due to the influence of fine particles that are floating, and malfunctions occur, such as when there is no pinhole in the determination based on the magnitude of the current that flows in a short time. Was inevitable.

Further, when a high voltage is applied to both electrodes sandwiching the hermetically sealed package, the potential difference is concentrated in a weak portion of the electrically insulating coating of the hermetically packaged to form a pinhole, resulting in an increase in the pinhole. There is also a problem that it adversely affects the object to be inspected.

[0006] Therefore, the Applicant previously placed the sealed package on the grounded support electrode, and between the support electrode and the electrode closely or closely faced to the end of the sealed package to be tested. Then, a high DC voltage is applied to charge the electrode, and then the support electrode is grounded or not grounded, and the electrode closely contacted with the test end is grounded, and the discharge current from the test end is discharged. We have developed a method to detect pinholes in sealed packages by detecting the occurrence of such defects (Patent No. 2908751, etc.).

Both the method of detecting the presence or absence of a pinhole by detecting the electric current generated by the flash and the method developed by the applicant of the present invention, both have an electrode in close contact with the tested end of the hermetically sealed package. Or, they are made to face each other and a high voltage is applied to both electrodes sandwiching the sealed package, or a high voltage is applied between the tested end of the sealed package and the support electrode supporting the sealed package. It is a thing. Therefore, although it is possible to detect whether or not there is a pinhole on the surface where the tested end of the hermetically sealed package and the supporting electrode are in contact with each other, it is possible to detect whether there is a pinhole on the two surfaces of the hermetically sealed package that have relatively large areas facing each other. It was not possible to detect the presence or absence of pinholes by simultaneous inspection from both sides.

The applicant further sought an inspection method and conducted experiments, and when a high voltage is applied to both sides of the hermetically sealed package when the hermetically sealed package is relatively flat, at least one of the opposite relatively flat both sides of the hermetically sealed package. It has been found that it is possible to detect whether or not there is a pinhole in both sides by simultaneous inspection from both sides, and Japanese Patent Application No. 11-344116 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-16331).
No. 2) proposed a method for inspecting the sealed package and an apparatus therefor. The invention is to convey a sealed package in which conductive contents are covered with an electrically insulating film by two front and rear compensators, and before and after placing a conductor arranged on one side of the conveying path and a conductor arranged on the other side. At least one of the two conductors is brought into contact with opposite sides of the sealed package being transported,
Under this condition, a high voltage is applied to the hermetically sealed package from a high voltage power supply, and the part where the conductor on one side is in contact with the part where at least one of the two conductors on the other side is in contact The current detection device detects whether or not a current change has occurred, and detects a pinhole in the sealed package being conveyed.

[0009]

In the invention of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-163312 by the present applicant, a hermetically sealed package having flat surfaces on both sides, for example, blood products such as blood for transfusion and plasma, and various medical consumables. It is extremely advantageous to apply it to pinhole inspection of food and other items such as retort foods and the like, which are sealed and packaged and have flat both sides. However, if the inspection accuracy of the product requires extremely strict,
The generation of defective products due to the failure of the inspection device is a fatal problem. That is, it is necessary to take measures so that the safety of the inspection for the presence or absence of the pinhole is protected. The present invention has been made from such a point of view, and in order to ensure the quality improvement of the product by increasing the accuracy of the inspection, and to prevent the occurrence of defective products due to the failure of the inspection device, It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for inspecting a hermetically sealed package, which enables self-diagnosis.

[0010]

According to the inspection method of the present invention,
While carrying the sealed package 3 in which the electrically conductive coating 2 covers the content 1 having various conductivity such as blood for blood transfusion, blood products and the like, the conductor 5 arranged on one side of the transport path A and the like. At least one of the two front and rear electric conductors 6, 6 arranged on one side is simultaneously brought into contact with both opposing surfaces in the portion of the sealed package 3 in which the contents 1 are present.
Then, under this condition, the sealed package 3 is charged with a high voltage, and a current change occurs in a portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with at least one of the two conductors 6 and 6. Is detected, and the light-incident end surface of the optical fiber 9 is made to face the front and back sides of the contact portion between the conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3. Then, it is detected through the optical fiber 9 whether or not light emission due to the spark discharge S occurs in the portion where the conductors 5, 6, 6 are in contact with each other. Then, the pinhole of the sealed package 3 is reliably detected by detecting the current change in the contact portion between the conductor and the electrically insulating coating and detecting the presence or absence of light emission due to discharge, while detecting the current change and the presence or absence of light emission. It is possible to determine the defect of the detecting means by detecting only one of the above detections.

By using this method, the conductor 5 arranged on one side of the conveyance path A and at least one of the front and rear two conductors 6, 6 arranged on the other side of the conveyance path A are sealed during conveyance. At the same time, the two opposite sides of the portion of the package 3 where the contents 1 are present are in contact with each other. Then, under this condition, the hermetically sealed package 3 is charged with a high voltage, and a current change is caused in a portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with at least one of the two conductors 6 and 6. If you detect whether it is happening,
It is possible to detect whether or not there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposing opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents 1 are present in one sealed package 3 by simultaneous inspection from both surfaces. Further, if there is a pinhole in the contact portion between each of the conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3, a spark discharge will occur between the conductor and the content 1. Therefore, if the light emission due to the spark discharge S is detected through the optical fiber 9, as in the case of detecting the current change,
It is possible to detect whether or not there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposing opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents 1 of the close package 3 are present by simultaneous inspection from both surfaces. In this case, the quality of the product can be improved by increasing the accuracy of the pinhole inspection by simultaneously detecting the current change and detecting the presence or absence of light emission. Then, when the detection of the current change and the detection of the presence or absence of light emission conflict with each other and only one of them is detected, it can be understood that there is a problem such as a failure in any one of the detections, and the countermeasure can be prompted.

Further, in the inspection apparatus of the present invention, two compensators for carrying the hermetically sealed package 3 in which the content 1 having various conductivity such as blood for blood transfusion, blood products and the like is covered with the electrically insulating coating 2. 4 and 4 are arranged at the front and back with an interval so that the sealed package 3 can be delivered. Further, the conductor 5 is made to face the transport path A from between the two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4, and the two front and rear conductors 6, from the opposite side of the transport path A,
6 is exposed to the conveyance path A at a distance such that at least one of the two and the conductor 5 simultaneously contact opposite facing surfaces in the portion of the sealed package 3 where the contents 1 exist. Then, the high-voltage power supply 7 contacts one of the conductors 5 and the conductors 6, 6 located on both sides of the transport path A as a single electrode from the high-voltage power supply 7, and the conductor 5 contacts the other. A current detection device 8 for detecting whether or not a current change has occurred is connected to a portion in which at least one of the two conductors 6, 6 is in contact with the existing portion.

Further, at the contact portions before and after the contact portions between the conductive brushes 5a, 6a, 6a at the tips of the respective conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3, Each conductive brush 5 to input the light emission by the spark discharge S
As shown in FIG. 2, which shows the relational positions of a, 6a, 6a and the optical fiber 9, the light incident end faces of the optical fibers 9 are arranged facing each other, and the other end of each optical fiber 9 is connected to the optical coupler 1.
Connect to 0. Then, the optical output of the optical coupler 10 is connected via the photomultiplier tube 12 so that the optical output is increased and input to the photodetector 13. Then, detection signal processing is performed on a detection signal from the current detection device 8 indicating whether or not a current change has occurred and a detection signal from the light detection device 13 whether or not light emission due to discharge at the contact portion has occurred. The device 14 is connected as it is input. The detection signal processing device 14 processes the presence / absence of a current change detection signal and a light emission detection signal, and when the current change detection signal and the light emission detection signal are not input, there is no pinhole in the hermetically sealed package 3 and the hermetically sealed package 3 is provided. Package 3
When both of the signals are input, one of the two signals inputs the signal indicating that the sealed package 3 for conveyance has a pinhole and the sealed package 3 is a defective product. Is not input, either the current detection or the light emission detection is defective and the sealed package 3 is a reinspected product, and a signal indicating that the device needs to be stopped and inspected is output to the passing product display unit 15. It is configured to enter and display.

By using this apparatus, the sealed package 3 can be conveyed by the traveling of the two conveyors 4 and 4 at the front and rear. Then, on one of the facing opposite surfaces of the one portion of the sealed package 3 moving on the transport path A where the content 1 exists, the conductor 5 arranged on one side of the transport path A and the front and rear two arranged on the other side. At least one of the conductors 6, 6 is in simultaneous contact. Then, under this condition, the hermetically sealed package 3 is charged with a high voltage by a high voltage power source 7, and the conductor 5
The current detection device 8 detects whether or not a current change has occurred in the portion in contact with and the portion in which at least one of the two conductors 6, 6 is in contact. That is, when there is a pinhole on either of the facing two surfaces of the portion of the sealed package 3 which is being conveyed, the portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with the two conductors 6 and 6. A current change occurs in the part where at least one of the two contacts.

On the other hand, the conductive brushes 5a, 6a, 6a at the tips of the conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3 are provided.
In each of the optical fibers 9 having the light incident end faces facing each other before and after the contact portion with the contact portion, if the coating 2 of the contact portion has a pinhole, the sealed package 3 is charged by the high voltage to pass through the pinhole. A spark discharge S is generated between the coating contact portion of each conductive brush and the contents 1, and light emission due to the discharge is input. At this time, the emitted light captured by the optical fiber 9 and input is the optical coupler 1 to which the optical fiber 9 is connected.
Enter 0. In this case, the optical coupler 1 captures light from any of the optical fibers on the upper and lower surfaces of the package and catches light if there is a discharge at the contact portion of the conductive brush positioned laterally.
You can enter 0. The light output from the optical coupler 10 is increased by the photomultiplier tube 12, and the photodetector 13 detects whether or not light emission due to discharge occurs at the contact portion. That is, when there is a pinhole on either of the facing opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents are present in the sealed package 3 being conveyed, the portion where the conductive brush 5a on one side is in contact with the conductive portion on the other side. The spark discharge S emits light in a portion having any pinhole in a portion in which at least one of the pluses 6a, 6a is in contact. The change in current occurring in the contacting portion of the conductor is detected by the current detecting device 8
In addition, the light detection device 13 can detect the light emission due to the discharge (spark) that occurs in the contacting portion.

The accuracy of the inspection of the sealed package 3 passing through the inspection device is detected by detecting the presence or absence of a pinhole by the detection of the current change of the current by the current detection device 8 and the detection of the light emission of the discharge by the light detection device 13. Can improve the product quality. Then, it is possible to perform self-diagnosis in the case of a failure of the device and prevent occurrence of an inspection error due to a failure of the inspection device.

Further, an ultraviolet ray transmitting / visible light absorbing filter 11 is arranged at an arbitrary position of a passage of light emitted by the discharge from the front surface of the light receiving end face of the optical fiber 9 to the input portion of the photomultiplier tube 12 so that the light can pass therethrough. It is desirable to do. By disposing the filter 11, even when it is difficult to detect light in a bright place, it is possible to detect only the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge phenomenon (spark discharge) and easily detect the light emission. In the disposition, each optical fiber 9 has a terminal on the front surface of the light input end surface of each optical fiber 9 or on the front surface of the optical coupler 10, or at the end where the terminals of each optical fiber 9 are gathered, or the optical coupler. It can be arranged at any place such as between 10 and the photomultiplier tube 12. It should be noted that the optical fiber 9 should be one that allows ultraviolet rays to easily pass therethrough.

[0018]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The concept of "content having conductivity" in the present invention includes not only those having obvious conductivity but also substances such as rice and pure water that can be charged at least. In the present invention, plastic, plastic film, or glass is used for the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3 in which the electrically conductive content 1 is to be encapsulated, corresponding to the content 1. That is, when the content 1 is a blood product such as blood for transfusion or blood plasma, a flat plastic bag is usually used for hermetically sealing the content. Further, a retort food product using a bag of a composite film (laminate film) can be a target of a hermetically sealed package to be inspected. In this case, a composite film of nylon and polypropylene or polyester and polypropylene, or polyester, pinyridin chloride and polypropylene is used as the electrically insulating coating 2. When the present invention is applied to a hermetically sealed package having such a flat surface, the conductor 5 and either one of the front and rear two conductors 6 and 6 from both sides of the transport path A are connected to one hermetically sealed package 3. Since it is possible to simultaneously contact both opposing surfaces in the portion where the content 1 exists,
Content 1 out of the flat side by simultaneous inspection from both sides
It is possible to easily detect whether or not there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposing opposite surfaces in the portion where there is.

The conductor 5 and the conductors 6 and 6 to be arranged on both sides of the transport path A have conductive brushes 5a at the tips as shown in the figure.
6a and 6a can be used. Each of the brushes 5a, 6a has a predetermined length, is planted on the supporting members 5b, 6b made of aluminum or SUS, respectively, and is attached to the supporting bases 5c, 6c made of insulating material having only a part of conductivity. ing. Each of the conductive brushes 5a and 6a may be a metal fiber, a metal-plated fiber, a metal vapor deposition fiber, and an acrylic fiber as the fiber. Further, in order to give the support bases 5c and 6c an insulating property, they may be made of, for example, tetrafluoroethylene resin, polycarbonate or reinforced polypropylene. A method such as embedding a conductor in the supporting bases 5c and 6c may be used. Each conductive brush 5a, 6a is a sealed package 3 to be inspected
It suffices that it has such a length that it can be brought into contact with both opposing surfaces in the portion where the content 1 exists. Also, each brush 5a, 6
The widths of a, the support members 5b and 6b, and the supports 5c and 6c are all designed to be larger than the width of the sealed package 3 to be inspected, and at least both the brushes 5a and 6a have one sealed package 3 It is preferable that the opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents 1 are present can be brought into contact with each other over the entire width direction.

Further, the two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4 for conveying the sealed package 3 to be inspected are endless and both are run at the same speed in the same direction. It is sufficient that both have an insulating property and have a width such that the hermetically sealed package 3 to be inspected can be stably transported in a mounted state. In addition, the two front and rear composers 4,
The space before and after 4 may be separated from one side of the transport path A to the extent that the conductor 5 can be faced at least. Further, the lengths of the two front and rear compensators 4 and 4 may be designed so that the hermetically sealed packages 3 to be inspected can be conveyed one after another without overlapping.

In order to charge the hermetically sealed package 3 during transportation by a high voltage, the conductors 5 to be arranged on both sides of the transportation path A.
It suffices to connect either one of the conductors 6 and 6 as a single electrode from the high-voltage power supply and the high-voltage power supply 7 with the conductor 7a. On the other hand, if the current detecting device 8 and the other conductor are connected by the conductor wire 7b, the sealed package 3 being conveyed is charged with a high voltage, and the portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with the two conductors 6 are charged. The current detecting device 8 can detect whether or not a current change occurs in a portion where at least one of the contacts 6 and 6 is in contact. Although FIG. 1 shows the case where the high-voltage power supply 7 is connected to the conductors 6 and 6 and the current detector 8 is connected to the conductor 5, it is needless to say that these connections may be reversed.

Either DC or AC may be used as the power source of the high-voltage power source 7 for charging the hermetically-sealed package 3 during transportation with a high voltage. However, the use of alternating current is more advantageous than the use of direct current in terms of cost because a rectifying device is not required.

The sealed package 3 is charged with a high voltage,
In order to detect whether or not a current change has occurred in a portion in which the conductor 5 is in contact with at least one of the two conductors 6 and 6, it is necessary to detect whether or not a current change has occurred. It is also possible to use a current transformer (CT) of the type in which a detecting portion is wound around the conductor 7b, or a current detector connected in series to the conductor 7a or the conductor 7b.
It is also possible to detect the current change by inputting the output of the current probe, which penetrates 7a or the lead wire 7b, into the oscilloscope.

Conductive brushes 5a, 6a, 6a are provided at the tips of the respective conductors 5, 6, 6 for contacting the electrically insulating coating 2 of the transportable hermetically sealed package 3, respectively. In order to detect whether or not the light emission due to the spark discharge S that occurs when there is a pinhole in the portion of the coating film 2 that is in contact with the light emission is captured using the optical fiber 9 and the amplification is detected. To do so. As the optical fiber 9, either a glass fiber or a plastic fiber can be used, but it is preferable to use a plastic fiber having a required diameter from the viewpoint of the diameter of the light incident end face. In addition, the conductive brushes 5a, 6a at the tips of the conductors 5, 6, 6
The optical fiber 9 having the light-incident end faces arranged on the sides before and after the contact portion between the 6a and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3,
The other end is connected to the optical coupler 10, and from the light output thereof, only the ultraviolet ray portion of the emitted light is efficiently taken out through the ultraviolet ray transmitting / visible light absorbing filter 11, and the light output is increased by the photomultiplier tube 12 to increase the light output. 13 to detect.

The signal detected by the current detecting device 8 and the signal detected by the light detecting device 13 are input to the detection signal processing device 14 in order to process both signals at the same time. In this signal processing device 14, the presence or absence of a pinhole is accurately determined based on the presence or absence of a current change and the presence or absence of light emission due to discharge, and self-diagnosis in the case of a device failure is made possible. That is, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3, when the current detection device 8 does not detect a change in current and the photodetector device 13 does not detect light emission due to discharge, the sealed package 3 does not have pinholes. When a current change is detected by the current detection device 8 and a light emission due to discharge is detected by the light detection device 13 for a signal that is a good product, the transport sealed package 3 has a pinhole and is a defective product. A current change is detected by the current detection device 8 and no light emission is detected by the light detection device 13, or a current change is not detected by the current detection device. When the light emission is detected, the transportable hermetically sealed package 3 is a product that needs reinspection because the presence or absence of a pinhole is unknown, and outputs a signal indicating that a stop inspection of the device is required.

Furthermore, a signal from the detection signal processing device 14 regarding the presence or absence of a pinhole and the quality of the conveyed hermetically sealed package 3 is input to a passing product indicator 15 to indicate whether the passing product is good or bad. That is, when the signal indicating that the transport-sealed package 3 is a good product without pinholes is input to the passing product indicator 15, the green lamp 15a indicating the transport-sealed package 3 is a good product is turned on and the transport-sealed package 3 is transported. Item 3 is a product that needs to be re-inspected due to unknown pinholes, and when a signal indicating that equipment stop inspection is required is input, the orange (orange) lamp 15b lights up, and the sealed package for transportation 3 has pinholes. Red light when a signal indicating a defective product is input
15c is lit up.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The figure illustrates a case where the hermetically sealed package 3 to be inspected is a flat bag hermetically sealing blood for transfusion. This bag 3
Is formed of a slightly thick coating 2 of plastic,
A size with a cross section of width 130 mm × length 180 mm,
The thickness is about 12 mm and the content is about 400 ml. The two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4 for conveying the bag 3 are the bag 3
The endless belt 4a has a width slightly wider than 160 mm so that it can be stably transported while being placed, and the thickness of the belt is about 1 mm. A pair of front and rear rollers 4b, 4b for hanging the endless belt 4a has a diameter of about 40 mm.
In order to expose the conductor 5 from one side of the transport path A,
The distance between the two conveyors 4 and 4 is about 35 mm apart.

In FIG. 1, two front and rear conveyors 4,
In order to run 4 at the same speed in the same direction, an endless conductive belt 4c is hung on the rear roller 4b of the conveyor 4 on the downstream side and the roller 4b on the front side of the conveyor 4 on the upstream side. By rotating one of the rollers 4b, 4b (the roller 4b of the downstream conveyor in FIG. 1) by the motor 4d, the upstream conveyor 4 and the downstream conveyor 4 are driven at the same speed and in the same direction. It is designed to run in the direction of the arrow (left side in FIG. 1).

In order to contact two opposite surfaces of the sealed package 3 conveyed by both the conveyors 4 and 4 in the portion where the contents 1 are present, one side of the conveyance path A (the lower side in the figure) faces the conveyance path. No conductor 5 and the opposite side (upper side in the figure)
The dimensions of the respective constituent members of the front and rear two conductors 6, 6 facing the transport path A from are as follows. The height of the support members 5b and 6b is about 20 mm, the length of the conductive brushes 5a and 6a protruding from the support members 5b and 6b is about 25 mm, and the height of the support bases 5c and 6c at the highest place is about 55 mm. Is. The width of each of them (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1) is about 160 mm. Since the widths of the conductive brushes 5a and 6a are about 160 mm, the opposite sides of the flat surface of the sealed package 3 conveyed by the two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4 with a width of about 130 mm where the contents 1 exist are opposed to each other. The entire surface can be contacted. In addition, what is shown in the drawing is two front and rear conductors 6,
Since 6 is exposed to the transport path A from above the transport path A,
Here, the support members 6d and 6d are used to suspend them.

A pinhole is formed in the coating 2 on the side before and after the contact between the conductive brushes 5a, 6a, 6a at the tips of the respective conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3. The optical fiber 9 provided to catch the spark discharge S at the contact portion which occurs in some cases uses a plastic fiber having a required diameter. In addition, the other end of each of the six optical fibers, which is two in contact with each conductor, is connected to the optical coupler 10 to form a single optical output, and the output is transmitted through the ultraviolet ray transmitting / visible light absorbing filter 11 and the photoelectron increasing filter. The light is input to the light detection device 13 through the double tube 12, and the light emission due to the spark discharge S that occurs when the coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3 has a pinhole is easily detected at any place. I can do it. Furthermore, the detection signal of the current change detected by the current detection device 8 and the detection signal of the presence or absence of light emission detected by the photodetection device 13 are input, and depending on the presence or absence of both signals,
The detection signal processing device 14 for determining the presence / absence of pinholes in the film 2 of the transportable sealed package 3 uses a well-known control circuit to perform sequence control as shown in the flowchart of FIG. To

A procedure for inspecting whether or not there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents 1 are present in one hermetically sealed package 3 using such an apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. . The conveyor 4 on the upstream side and the conveyor 4 on the downstream side are run at the same speed in the same direction (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4). Then, on one side (upper surface in the figure) of the hermetically sealed package 3 sent on the upstream conveyor 4,
The brush 6a of the conductor 6 located on the upstream side of the two front and rear conductors 6, 6 is brought into contact with the brush 6a, and the tip of the brush 6a is conveyed forward (see FIG. 4 (a)).

When the hermetically sealed package 3 comes from one side of the two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4 to the position of the conductor 5 facing the transport path A, the brush 5a of the other one of the hermetically sealed packages 3 is placed. Touch the surface (bottom surface in the figure) (see Figure 4 (b)).
That is, from the state where the brush 6a is in contact with only one side until now, the brushes 6a and 5a of the two conductors 6 and 5 on both sides of the transport path A are the contents 1 of the one sealed package 3.
It contacts the opposite surfaces (upper and lower surfaces in the figure) at the same time. Therefore, the hermetically sealed package 3 (specifically, its contents 1) can be charged by the high voltage of the high-voltage power supply 7 through the conductor 7a, and the portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with the two conductors 6 and 6 can be charged. If the current detection device 8 detects whether or not a current change has occurred in a portion where at least one of them is in contact, the conductors on the opposite surfaces in the portion where the content 1 exists in one sealed package 3. It is possible to easily detect whether or not there is a pinhole within the range of about half on the front side on the 5 side and about half on the rear side on the conductor 6 side by simultaneous inspection from both sides.

If there are pinholes in the portions of the two conductors 6 and 5 where the brushes 6a and 5a are in contact with each other,
If the light detection device 13 detects that the spark discharge S is generated in the contacting portion through the pinhole and emits light, the portion where the content 1 exists in one sealed package 3 as described above. It is possible to detect whether or not there are pinholes in the front and rear areas on both sides of each of the two opposing surfaces by simultaneous inspection from both surfaces. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of pinhole detection by using both current change detection and discharge light emission detection, and if only one is detected and the other is not detected, then either detection is a detection failure. Can be determined.

Due to the subsequent traveling of the two front and rear conveyors 4, 4, the sealed package 3 being conveyed is transferred to the upstream conveyor 4.
To the conveyor 4 on the downstream side, and eventually the brush 6a of the conductor 6 located on the downstream side of the two front and rear conductors 6, 6 comes into contact. Then, it is further conveyed forward as it is (see FIG. 4 (c)). At this time, the brush 5a is still in contact with the other surface (the lower surface in the figure) of one sealed package 3. Therefore, the sealed package 3 can be charged by the high voltage of the high-voltage power supply 7 through the conductor 7a, and the portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with the portion where at least one of the two conductors is in contact. If it is detected by the current detection device 8 whether or not a current change occurs, the rear half of the conductor 5 side on the opposite surfaces of the portion of the sealed package 3 where the contents 1 are present is about half. On the 6 side, it is possible to easily detect whether or not there is a pinhole within about half the front side by simultaneous inspection from both sides. In this case, if there is a pinhole in the portion where the brushes 6a and 5a of the two conductors 6 and 5 are in contact with each other, a spark discharge will occur, so if the light detection device 13 detects the light emission due to this discharge. One sealed package 3 as above
It is possible to easily detect whether or not there is a pinhole within about half of the front and rear surfaces on the opposite sides of the portion where the contents 1 are present, simultaneously with the detection of the current change by simultaneous inspection from both sides. It is possible to improve the accuracy of the detection of 1), and when only one is detected and the other is not detected, it is possible to determine that one of the detections is a detection failure.

At the stage where the hermetically sealed package 3 is changed from the state shown in FIG. 4 (b) to the state shown in FIG.
5a and the two brushes 6a of the conductors 6 and 6 on the opposite side,
It is possible that three of 6a are simultaneously in contact with both facing surfaces in the portion of the sealed package 3 where the contents 1 are present, and even in that case, the sealed package 3 of the sealed package 3 is also treated in the same manner as above. It is possible to easily detect whether or not there is a pinhole on both surfaces facing each other in the portion where the content 1 exists, by a simultaneous inspection from both surfaces.

By the subsequent running of the conveyors 4, 4,
The hermetically-sealed package 3 being conveyed is further forwarded, and eventually the brush 5a of the conductor 5 does not come into contact with one side (the lower surface in the figure) of the hermetically-sealed package. In this state, the sealed package, which has been charged by the high voltage of the high-voltage power supply 7 until now, cannot detect the current change and the light emission due to the discharge when there is a pinhole, and the pinhole inspection work may be completed. it can.

In the above embodiment, the optical fiber is used to capture the light emission due to the spark discharge generated when the conductive brush and the coating of the hermetically sealed package have a pinhole at the contact portion. Instead of this, it is also possible to capture light emission using an appropriate light receiving element, detect it with a light detection device, and process this light emission detection signal and the current change detection signal at the same time.

[0038]

According to the inspection method of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, it is possible to determine whether or not there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposite surfaces of a sealed package in which the contents are present. It is possible to detect the change in the current at the contact part between the conductor and the electrically insulating coating of the hermetically sealed package and the presence or absence of light emission due to spark discharge at the contact part. By performing them at the same time, the accuracy of the pinhole inspection can be improved, and thus the quality of the product can be improved. Further, when the two detections are in conflict with each other, it is understood that there is a problem such as a failure in any one of the detections, and therefore it is possible to prompt a countermeasure.

According to the inspection apparatus of the present invention as defined in claim 2, there is no pinhole on at least one of the opposing opposite surfaces in the portion where the contents are present in one sealed package while the sealed packages are sequentially conveyed. It can be continuously detected by simultaneous inspection from both sides, and further, it can be detected by a current detection device of a current change in the contact portion between the conductor and the electrically insulating coating of the sealed package, By simultaneously performing the detection by the light detection device of the presence or absence of light emission due to the spark discharge in the contact portion, the accuracy of the inspection can be improved and the quality of the product can be improved. Then, by the display of the passing product indicator, it is possible to easily confirm whether the transport sealed package is good or bad and whether it is a re-inspected product, and it is possible to perform self-diagnosis in the case of a device failure,
It is possible to prevent an inspection error from occurring due to a failure of the inspection device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when there is a pinhole on at least one of the opposing opposite surfaces of the portion where the contents of the transport sealed package are present, the conductive brush at the tip of the conductor and the electricity of the sealed package. Even if it is difficult to detect the light emitted by the spark discharge generated in the contact area with the insulating film in a bright place, it is possible to easily detect the light emission by using only the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge phenomenon and perform the inspection. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the method for inspecting a sealed package according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing a positional relationship between a conductive brush and an optical fiber.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for inspecting a transport sealed package passing through the inspection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a process chart showing a procedure for inspecting the presence or absence of pinholes on both opposing surfaces of a portion where the content of one sealed package is present, using the apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content, 2 ... Electrically insulating film, 3 ... Sealed package, 4c ... Conveyor, 5, 6 ... Conductor, 5a, 6a ... Conductive brush, 7 ... High voltage power supply, 8 ... Current detection device,
9 ... Optical fiber, 10 ... Optical coupler, 11 ... Ultraviolet transmitting / visible light absorbing filter, 12 ... Photomultiplier tube,
Reference numeral 13 ... Photodetector, 14 ... Detection signal processor, 15
... Passing product indicator, A ... Conveyance path, S ... Spark discharge.

Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01M 3/40

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A conductor 5 arranged on one side of a transport path A while transporting a hermetically sealed package 3 in which a blood product and other contents 1 having various conductivity are covered with an electrically insulating coating 2. At least one of the front and rear two conductors 6, 6 arranged on one side is simultaneously in contact with both opposing surfaces in the portion of the sealed package 3 being transported where the content 1 is present, and the high-voltage sealed package is provided. The object 3 is charged, and it is detected whether or not a current change occurs in a portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with at least one of the two conductors 6 and 6, and The light entrance end faces of the optical fibers 9 are made to face the front and back sides of the contact portions between the respective conductors 5, 6, 6 and the electrically insulating coating 2 of the hermetically sealed package 3.
It is detected whether or not light emission due to the spark discharge S occurs in the portion where the conductors 5, 6, 6 are in contact with each other via
Pinholes in the hermetically sealed package 3 are reliably detected by detecting a change in current at the contact portion between the conductor and the electrically insulating coating and detecting the presence or absence of light emission due to discharge, while detecting the current change and detecting the presence or absence of light emission. A method for inspecting a hermetically sealed package, wherein a defect in the detection means can be determined by detecting only one of the above. 2. Two conveyors (4, 4) for conveying a hermetically sealed package (3) in which a blood product (1) and other electrically conductive contents (1) are covered with an electrically insulating coating (2).
The conductors 5 are arranged in the front and rear with an interval that allows delivery, and the conductor 5 is faced to the transport path A from between the two front and rear conveyors 4 and 4, and the two front and rear conductors 6 are also provided from the opposite side of the transport path A.
6 is made to face the conveyance path A at a distance such that at least one of them and the conductor 5 are simultaneously in contact with both facing surfaces in the portion of the sealed package 3 where the contents 1 are present. Of the conductor 5 and the conductors 6 and 6 located on both sides of the contact, the high-voltage power source 7 is contacted with at least one of the two conductors 6 and 6 and the portion where the conductor 5 is in contact with the other. While connecting a current detecting device 8 for detecting whether or not a current change occurs in the current-carrying portion, each conductive brush 5a, 6a, 6a at the tip of each conductor 5, 6, 6 is connected.
The light-incident end faces of the optical fibers 9 are arranged face-to-face with the front and rear sides of the contact portion of the sealed package 3 and the electrically insulating coating 2 so as to input the light emitted by the spark discharge S at the contact portions, and The other end of the optical coupler 1
0, the output of the optical coupler 10 is connected to the photodetector 13 via the photomultiplier tube 12, and the output is connected to the photodetector 13 to detect whether or not a current change has occurred. And a detection signal from the light detection device 13 indicating whether light emission is occurring due to spark discharge at the contact portion are connected to the detection signal processing device 14 so as to be connected, and the change in current is detected in the signal processing device 14. When the signal and the light emission detection signal are not input, there is no pinhole in the hermetically-sealed package 3 and a signal indicating that the hermetically-sealed package 3 is good, and when both signals are input, the hermetically-sealed package 3 has a pinhole. When a signal indicating that the hermetically sealed package 3 is defective is input to either of the two signals, either the current change detection or the light emission detection is improper and the hermetically sealed package 3 is a re-inspection required item. Stop the device for inspection That a signal indicating that was to input and display output to pass product display 15 each sealed package inspection system according to claim. 3. An ultraviolet ray transmitting / visible light absorbing filter 11 is provided at an arbitrary position of a passage of light emitted by a spark discharge S from a front surface of a light incident end surface of an optical fiber 9 to an input portion of a photomultiplier tube 12 so that the light emission can pass therethrough. The sealed package inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the sealed package inspection device is provided.