JP3497769B2 - Method and apparatus for inspecting closed state and contents of container - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lid of a container containing cup noodles, snacks, etc., a sealed state of a bag containing various retort foods, etc., and the degree of air inclusion, and further, A container containing various bag bodies suitable for inspecting the content and the fermentation state (hardness) of yogurt hermetically packed in a paper pack and the processing state (hardness of material) in the bag body of retort food etc. The present invention relates to a method for inspecting a sealed state, a mixed state of air, and a state of contents, and an apparatus therefor. More specifically, the container (or the lid of the container) is struck by a predetermined force and vibrated at that time. The present invention relates to an inspection method and an apparatus therefor capable of easily detecting the sealed state of a container and the state (hardness, heating state, etc.) of a container by detecting the state and diagnosing its vibration waveform.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, cup noodles, snacks and other processed foods are stored in paper or synthetic resin containers or bags and commercialized and sold in a sealed state. In such a container, the degree of sealing of the lid of the flexible sheet or the degree of sealing of the bag, which closes the opening, is extremely important for preventing the deterioration of the contents. If the lid or the bag is not adhered well, the stored food will deteriorate and lose its value as a product. For yogurt, tofu and retort foods, raw materials are packed in paper packs, bags, etc. and fermented, coagulated or heated in a sealed state to complete products.
Fermentation and heating work is currently required fermentation time,
The heating time and the like are measured in advance, and the fermentation state, coagulation state or heating state of the raw materials in the container that cannot be visually observed are controlled based on this measurement time. Therefore, depending on the state of the container, the fermentation state of the contents may not be uniform, or the contents may not be completely cooked and may remain in a semi-boiled state.

[0003]

By the way, at present, in order to inspect the sealed state of the container and the lid, a method of inspecting the positional relationship between the lid and the container using an image input from a CCD camera or the like (that is, container opening). Image inspection method) for inspecting whether or not the lid is attached to the section at an accurate position. However, in this method, since only the positional relationship between the lid and the container is inspected, the adhesion state between the lid and the container cannot be inspected. Will be overlooked and lead to defective products. In many cases, an aluminum foil is laminated on the back surface of the sheet-shaped lid, but in the case of such a lid, X-rays cannot be transmitted and inspection cannot be performed. There is also a method of pushing the flexible sheet of the container and detecting the pushing amount of the sheet at that time to inspect the bonding state between the lid and the container. This method is effective because the pushing amount of the sheet increases when the peeling portion between the lid and the container is large, but a slight change in the pushing amount does not occur when there is a non-bonded portion, It is difficult to detect defective products. Furthermore, in order to inspect the hardness and solidification state of the contents in the container, as well as the fire condition of the raw materials, open the sampled product to determine the state of the contents, or use a mechanical lever. Judgment is made based on a dent at the time of pressing, but these judgment methods have problems such as waste of the finished product and uncertain dent judgment results.

On the other hand, conventionally, in the content inspection of cans, PET bottles and the like, the appearance inspection of can dents and the like, a skilled worker taps or pushes the container with a hammer or a hand, and feels or feels at that time. Inspects and judges the contents and the damaged state of the container. However, since such inspection uses the sensuality of the operator, it requires skill to perform the operation and there is a limit to increase the inspection efficiency. From such a background, the present inventors have already extracted a characteristic of the signal from various input signals and determined the state of the input signal by the characteristic [Japanese Patent Application No. 9-342945]. 10-260066)] and confirmed its effectiveness.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention hit the container in a state of pressing it with a predetermined pressing force, detect the vibration generated at the pressing portion at that time directly by a vibration detector such as an acceleration sensor, and the vibration waveform thereof is the above waveform. To provide a method and an apparatus for inspecting a sealed state of a container and a state of contents that can reliably determine the sealed state of a container, the state of contents, etc. by diagnosing with a diagnostic device, and to solve the above problems. To aim. According to the present invention, the side surface of a container or bag as an object to be inspected is pressed by a pressing member, and when the upper surface of the pressing member is hit with a hammer or the like, vibration of the container or the lid due to the tension of the sheet lid or the hardness of the contents. The state is different. This vibration is detected by the vibration detector via the pressing section, and low-frequency vibration that does not easily appear as sound is diagnosed with a waveform diagnostic device, etc., to ensure the sealed state of the container and the hardness state of the contents in a short time. Judge to improve the efficiency of inspection work. Furthermore, since the present device can be configured to be lightweight and compact, it can be easily attached to existing production equipment.

[0006]

Therefore, the technical solution provided by the present invention is to press the container in a sealed state of the container formed by using a container material such as paper or synthetic resin or in a content inspection method. It is an inspection method that presses a member, taps on the pressing member with a vibration generator, detects the vibration generated at the container at that time with a vibration detector attached to the pressing portion, and inspects the sealed state and content state of the container, In a device for inspecting a sealed state or a content state of a container configured by using a container material such as paper or synthetic resin, the device includes a pressing member that presses the container, and a vibration generator that hits the pressing member. And a vibration detector for detecting the vibration of the container, and a waveform determination device, which is a device for inspecting a sealed state and a content state of the container, wherein the pressing device receives a signal from a control device. A pressing member for pressing the container with a predetermined pressing force and a driving device for the pressing member are provided, and the vibration generating device is a hammer that operates with a predetermined force in response to a signal from a control device, and a driving unit for the hammer. 3. The inspection device for a sealed state and a content state of a container according to claim 2, further comprising:

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A method for inspecting a sealed state and contents of a container and an apparatus therefor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the container in this specification is used as a general term including a bag, a paper pack, and the like. FIG. 1 is an external view of an inspection device for a sealed state of a container or the like and a state of contents, FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a pressing device and a drive unit of a vibration generating device that generates vibration by hitting, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the positional relationship between the pressing member and the vibration generating device, and FIG. 4 is an operation timing chart of the pressing member and the drive unit.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a vibration generator for generating vibration in a container by tapping according to the present invention, 2 is a hammer of the vibration generator, 21 is a sensor for operating the vibration generator, and 22 is a vibration. A controller (computer or the like) for inspecting / determining the output waveform from the detector 3 and controlling the equipment, and 23 is an object to be inspected (for example, a paper pack such as yogurt) placed on the belt conveyor 24. The object to be inspected is filled with the content and sealed. Further, 31 is a pressing device that presses the container of the inspection object, 32 is a pressing member, 33 is an arm that supports the pressing member, and 39 is a vibration detector such as an acceleration sensor provided on the arm 33. The vibration generating device 1, the pressing device 31, and the vibration detector 39 are connected to the control device 22 as shown in FIG. 1, and constitute an inspection device for inspecting the state of the container.

In the inspection apparatus, when the sensor 21 detects an object to be inspected, the control device 22 operates the pressing device 31 at a predetermined timing, and the pressing member 32 causes the upper surface of the container of the object to be inspected (hereinafter referred to as a container) to be predetermined. Press with pressing force. Then, the vibration generator 1 is activated and the hammer 2 strikes the upper surface of the pressing member 32. Then, at this time, the vibration generated in the container is detected by the vibration detector 39 such as an acceleration sensor, and the vibration waveform judgment device 22 makes a waveform judgment to judge the sealed state or the contents state of the container of the inspection object. For example, yogurt has different hardness depending on the fermentation condition, and the vibration condition when hitting the container differs depending on the hardness level, so this inspection device determines the vibration condition of the container and determines the optimum fermentation condition. Estimate the state. The sensor 2
1 is a well-known one, and various kinds of waveform judgment devices currently in practical use can be used for vibration waveform judgment, but the waveform diagnosis device previously proposed by the present inventors is used. Also, in this case, more accurate waveform diagnosis can be realized.

With reference to FIG. 2, the details of the pressing device and the vibration generating device constituting the inspection device will be further described. The pressing device 31 is composed of the following components. In the figure, 33 is an arm, 39 is a vibration detector such as an acceleration sensor attached to the arm 33, 32 is a pressing member provided at the tip of the arm 33, 34 is a solenoid type driving unit for driving the pressing member 32, and 35 is Shafts connected to the arm, 36, 3
6 is a bearing, 37 is a return spring, 37a is a spring seat of the return spring fixed to the shaft 35,
Reference numeral 38 denotes a casing of the pressing device 31, and the shaft 35 is axially slidably supported by bearings 36, 36 provided in the casing 38. A return spring 37 is arranged between a spring seat 37a provided on the shaft 35 and an upper bearing 36 in the drawing.
One end is fixed to the upper bearing 36 and the other end is fixed to the spring seat 37a, and the pressing member 32 is always pulled up and held at the initial position shown by the solid line in FIG. The pressing member 32 is
The present invention is not limited to the cubic shape as described above, and various types of cards such as credit cards which have been used recently can be used instead of those having thickness and hardness. The card-type pressing member is particularly suitable as a pressing member for loosening the bag body containing the retort food or the like.

The vibration generator 1 is composed of the following components. In the figure, 2 is a hammer provided at the tip of the shaft 5, 4 is a solenoid type driving unit for driving the hammer 2,
Reference numeral 5 is a shaft, 6 and 6 are bearings, 7 is a return spring, 7a is a spring seat of the return spring, and 8 is a casing of a hammering sound generating device. The shaft 5 is provided in bearings 6 and 6 provided in the casing 8. The shaft is slidably supported. A spring seat 7a is fixed to the shaft 5, and a return spring 7 is arranged between the spring seat 7a and an upper bearing 6 in the figure. One end of the return spring 7 is attached to the upper bearing 6 and the other end is attached. Is fixed to the spring seat 7a, and the hammer 2 is normally held in the initial state in which it is pulled up by the return spring 7 as shown by the solid line in FIG. The return springs 7 can be arranged at a plurality of positions on the shaft 5 if necessary.

The operation of the inspection device for inspecting the sealed state or the content state of the container or the like having the above structure will be described below.
When the sensor 21 detects a container (paper pack such as yogurt) 23 placed on the belt conveyor 24 and moving, the controller 3 causes the solenoid 3 of the pressing member 31 to operate.
4, a predetermined current flows, the shaft 35 moves downward in FIG. 2 against the spring force of the return spring 7 (while extending the return spring), and the upper surface of the container 23 is pressed by the pressing member 32 as shown in FIG. Is pressed without slack. While this pressed state continues, a predetermined current is made to flow through the solenoid 4 of the vibration generator 1 by the control device 22 to momentarily resist the spring force of the return spring 7 (while extending the return spring). Then, it moves downward in FIG. 3 and taps the upper surface of the pressing member 32. The vibration of the arm 33 at this time is detected by the vibration detector 39, and the vibration waveform determination device 22 determines the vibration waveform automatically or by visually observing the waveform displayed on the display to inspect. The state of the body 23 is judged.

FIG. 4 shows an operation timing chart of the pressing device and the vibration generating device. As can be understood from this chart, when the sensor detects the container, the pressing device is activated so that the pressing member presses the container to remove the slack (point a), and the vibration generator is activated after a predetermined time elapses. The upper surface of the pressing member is tapped (point b), the vibration at that time is detected (point c), and then the operation of the pressing device is released (d).
point). The hammering force of the hammer 2 can be fixed and set in advance, but the striking force can be freely selected by making it possible to control the strength of the current flowing through the solenoid 4. Is. Further, by freely setting the striking force according to the strength of the solenoid 4, it is possible to obtain a striking force suitable for various inspected objects, and it is possible to perform accurate vibration waveform determination. The pressing force of the pressing device 31 can also be appropriately selected.

In the above example, the drive unit of the shaft 5 of the vibration generator uses the solenoid 4, but, for example, a drive unit capable of obtaining a striking force by releasing the force accumulated in the spring at once. It goes without saying that the above can also be used, and further, other forms can be used as long as the shaft 5 can generate a momentary axial movement. In addition, the pressing member may be another driving means without using a solenoid, as long as it can press the container or the like in a slack-free state for a predetermined time.
For example, a screw mechanism, a hydraulic mechanism or the like can be used.

FIG. 5 is an example showing a usage state of the lid sealed state inspection device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a simple type for inspecting the inspected objects one by one, and the container inspection device is attached to the stand 20. The container 23 as the inspection object is placed below the sealed state inspection device, and the inspection device is operated for each container in response to a command from the controller (computer) to inspect the sealed state and content state of the container of the inspection object. This type does not allow continuous processing, but since the device is small, it can be easily used anywhere. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to very easily and accurately inspect the sealed state and the content state of various containers. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various other methods without departing from the concept and essential features thereof.

[0016]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a sheet-like lid of a container containing cup noodles, snacks, etc., a bag containing retort foods, yogurt paper, etc. Before activating the vibration generator, the pack, tofu container, etc. are pressed by the pressing device in advance to eliminate the slack of the container, and in this state, the vibration generator is operated to tap the container, at which time it occurs in the container. Vibration can be detected by a vibration detector attached to the arm, and the waveform can be diagnosed to accurately inspect the sealed state and content state of the container. Further, since the present device can be configured to be lightweight and compact, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that it can be easily attached to existing production equipment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an inspection device for inspecting a sealed state and a content state of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a driving unit of a pressing device and a vibration generating device that constitute the same device.

FIG. 3 is a relationship diagram between a pressing device and a vibration generating device.

FIG. 4 is an operation timing chart of a pressing device and a vibration generating device.

FIG. 5 is an example showing a usage state of the container inspection device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Vibration generator 2 hammer 4 drive means 5 shafts 6 bearings 7 Return spring 8 casing 20 stand 21 sensor 22 Vibration waveform determination and control device 23 Inspection object (container) 24 belt conveyor 31 Pressing device 32 pressing member 33 arms 34 Drive means 35 shaft 36 bearings 37 Return spring 38 casing 39 Vibration detector

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01M 3/24 B65B 57/00 G01N 3/00 G01N 29/12

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for inspecting a sealed state or contents of a container made of a container material such as paper or synthetic resin, in which a pressing member is pressed against the container, and the pressing member is hit with a vibration generator. An inspection method that detects the vibration generated in the container at that time with a vibration detector attached to the pressing part and inspects the sealed state and content state of the container. 2. An inspection device for a sealed state or a contents state of a container formed by using a container material such as paper or synthetic resin, wherein the device comprises a pressing member for pressing the container, and a pressing member on the pressing member. An inspection device for a sealed state and a content state of a container, comprising a vibration generator for tapping, a vibration detector for detecting the vibration of the container, and a waveform judging device. 3. The pressing device comprises a pressing member for pressing the container with a predetermined pressing force in response to a signal from the control device, and a drive device for the pressing member, and the vibration generator is a signal from the control device. With a hammer that operates with a predetermined force,
The device for inspecting a sealed state and a content state of a container according to claim 2, further comprising: a drive unit of the hammer.