JP5492504B2 - Sealed package inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for inspecting a defect of a sealed package in which contents are encapsulated with an electrically insulating film.

  Conventionally, as this type of device, one electrode brush grounded via a current detection unit and another electrode brush connected to a high voltage power source are provided, and sealed by a change in the current value flowing through the current detection unit There is one in which defects such as pinholes in a package are inspected (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-16312 JP 2006-300541 A

When trying to inspect the sealed package 50 shown in FIG. 10A, for example, using the conventional techniques as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there are the following problems. That is, the electrode brush 101 on the side to be grounded is disposed above (or below) a conveyor or the like that conveys the sealed package 50 in a certain direction (the electrode brush on the side connected to the high-voltage power supply is not shown), As shown in FIG. 10B, the contact element 102 is brought into contact with the sealed package 50. At this time, as shown in FIG. For this reason, the contact element 102 cannot be sufficiently brought into contact with the latter half of the sealed package 50 in the transport direction, and the inspection accuracy may be reduced. In particular, such a risk tends to be strong at a relatively complicated portion such as the insertion portion 58 between the main body 52 and the port 59 of the sealed package 50.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object thereof is to provide an inspection apparatus for a sealed package capable of further improving inspection accuracy.

An inspection apparatus for sealed packages according to the present invention is an inspection apparatus for inspecting defects in a sealed package in which contents are encapsulated with an electrically insulating coating, and conveying means for conveying the sealed package in a certain conveying direction. A first electrode connected to a ground potential, the first electrode being provided so as to be in contact with an inspection site of the sealed package conveyed by the conveying means, and an electrode brush provided with a contact element And a moving means capable of moving substantially along the transport direction, and the first electrode is provided so as to be in contact with or close to one surface of the sealed package while the first electrode contacts the inspection site of the sealed package. And a second electrode connected to a high-voltage power source, and a current detection unit for detecting a discharge current from the inspection site of the sealed package, wherein the sealed package has passed through the first electrode. As a trigger, through the moving means, A first electrode configured to move overtake the sealed package.

Preferably, the inspection apparatus includes a main body that accommodates the contents, and a port that is inserted into the main body via an insertion portion, and the insertion portion of the main body surrounds the insertion portion. It is heat-welded, and the insertion portion is included in the inspection site.

Preferably, the inspection device detects a tunnel-like welding failure in an engagement portion between the main body and the port.

In the inspection apparatus, preferably, the electrode brush of the first electrode includes a width-long cross-section brush formed by arranging contact elements having a width-long cross section in a single row.

In the inspection apparatus, preferably, the electrode brush of the first electrode is formed by alternately laminating the wide cross-section brush and the circular cross-section brush in which contact elements having a circular cross section are arranged in a single row.

In the inspection apparatus, the contact element is preferably made of an amorphous alloy.

In the inspection apparatus, preferably, the sealed package encapsulates non-electrolyte contents.

According to the sealed package inspection apparatus according to the present invention, since the configuration is as described above, it is possible to further improve the inspection accuracy.

It is a whole top view showing the inspection device concerning an embodiment. It is a whole front view showing the inspection device concerning an embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 1st electrode which concerns on embodiment. It is an expansion cross-sectional view which shows the 1st electrode which concerns on embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the inspection condition by the inspection apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the sealed package which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic plan view which shows the inspection apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. It is a schematic front view which shows the inspection apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view showing a contact element concerning other embodiments. It is a figure which shows a prior art.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2 show an inspection apparatus 1 according to an embodiment, FIG. 1 is an overall plan view, and FIG. 2 is an overall front view. 3 to 4 show the first electrode 10 according to the embodiment, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part showing an inspection state by the inspection apparatus 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the sealed package 50 according to the embodiment.

The inspection apparatus 1 inspects the defects of the sealed package 50 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the sealed package 50 according to the present embodiment includes a flat main body 52 having a bag shape. The main body 52 is formed by superposing thermoplastic resin films 52a and 52b. The contents 56 are accommodated in the accommodation chamber 55 formed by thermally welding the four peripheral edges 53 of the main body 52, thereby forming a sealed package 50 in which the contents 56 are encapsulated with an electrically insulating film. ing. At an appropriate position (insertion portion 58) of the peripheral portion 53, a substantially cylindrical port 59 is inserted in communication with the storage chamber 55 during the heat welding.

  The inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment uses the insertion portion 58 between the main body 52 and the port 59 and the periphery thereof as the inspection site 65, and inspects at least the inspection site 65 for defects such as pinholes and welding defects. . In particular, in the engaging portion 63 between the peripheral edge portion 53 and the port 59 as shown in FIG. It is relatively easy to generate.

The sealed package 50 is, for example, an infusion bag, but may be used for packaging other pharmaceutical products, food products, cosmetics, and the like. The main body 52 of the sealed package 50 may have a form other than the above as long as at least the insertion portion 58 is thermally welded. Moreover, the sealed package 50 can be configured as a double bag, an infusion bottle, or other bottles.
The content 56 is not particularly limited as long as it has conductivity. This includes those having low electrical conductivity, and the present invention can be suitably applied even when the content 56 is a non-electrolyte or the like. Moreover, not only a liquid but a gel-like fluid or powder can be used as the contents 56.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the inspection apparatus 1 is connected to the conveying means 5 that conveys the sealed package 50, the conductive first electrode 10 and the second electrode 30, and the first electrode 10. The moving means 25 and the electric current detection part 40 are mainly provided.

The conveying means 5 is constituted by, for example, a belt conveyor 6 hung on pulleys 8 at both ends. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the sealed package 50 is placed at a predetermined interval in a certain conveying direction A. Conveying. The sealed package 50 is in a horizontal state in which the axis of the port 59 is substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction A on the belt conveyor 6.

1-2, the 1st electrode 10 is provided with the electrode brush 11, and is arrange | positioned above the belt conveyor 6 so that the movement is possible via the moving means 25 mentioned later. Further, the first electrode 10 is arranged vertically such that the width direction thereof is substantially perpendicular to the transport direction A. The electrode brush 11 is provided with contact elements 15 and 17 which will be described later, and these contact the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 to be conveyed.

The electrode brush 11 is made of metal, and as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the cross-sectional brush 12 and the circular cross-section brush 13 are alternately laminated. In the present embodiment, each of the long cross-section brush 12 and the circular cross-section brush 13 has a long hole 21 and is attached to the attachment portion 23 in a state where the lower ends are aligned and the height can be adjusted.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the wide cross section brush 12 includes a contact element 15 having a wide cross section and a holding portion 16 that holds the contact elements 15 in a single row in the width direction. The contact element 15 has a rectangular cross section with a width L ₁ = 0.2 to 1.0 mm and a thickness L ₂ = 10 to 50 μm, for example, and is provided at an appropriate minute interval r. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the circular cross-section brush 13 includes a contact element 17 having a circular cross section and a holding portion 18 that holds the contact elements 17 in a single row in the width direction. The contact element 17 has, for example, a circular cross section with a diameter D = 10 to 150 μm and is provided at an appropriate minute interval s.

  By adopting the width-long cross-section brush 12, it is possible to prevent so-called V-shaped hair cracking when the contact element 15 is brought into contact with the inspection site 65. Further, by alternately laminating the wide cross-section brush 12 and the circular cross-section brush 13, the contact elements 15 and 17 can be dispersed in various ways, and the inspection site 65 has a relatively complicated shape or the like. However, as a whole, the electrode brush 11 can be easily brought into close contact with the inspection site 65.

The long cross-section brush 12 and the circular cross-section brush 13 may be appropriately stacked in addition to those shown in FIGS. In general, as the number of stacked layers increases, the contact density of the contact elements 15 and 17 is improved, and the electrode brush 11 is likely to come into contact with the inspection site 65. There is a possibility that the load applied to the conveying means 5 becomes excessive due to the force. Therefore, it is considered that the number of stacked layers is preferably about 3 to 5 layers.

In the present embodiment, the contact elements 15 and 17 are made of an amorphous alloy. An amorphous alloy is preferable as a constituent material of the contact elements 15 and 17, but other appropriate metal fibers, metal wires, and the like may be used.

The moving means 25 moves the first electrode 10 substantially along the transport direction A at a predetermined timing. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the moving means 25 of the present embodiment includes a suspension portion 26 that suspends the first electrode 10 via the attachment portion 23, an air cylinder 27 that is appropriately supported from above, It is configured with. The suspension portion 26 has an L-shaped bracket shape, and is integrally driven with a rod 27a that is provided in the air cylinder 27 so as to be able to protrude and retract, whereby the first electrode 10 can be reciprocated horizontally. .
The above-described configuration of the moving unit 25 is an example, and it goes without saying that various configurations other than this can be adopted. If necessary, a mechanism for moving the first electrode 10 up and down may be provided.

In this embodiment, the 2nd electrode 30 is also comprised by the brush shape similar to the 1st electrode 10, as shown in FIGS. The second electrode 30 is disposed so as to extend a predetermined length above the belt conveyor 6, and is appropriately fixed vertically so that the width direction thereof is substantially parallel to the transport direction A. The second electrode 30 is provided with contact elements 31 arranged in a plurality of rows or in a single row, and this contacts or approaches the upper surface of the main body 52 of the sealed package 50 to be conveyed.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the said 1st electrode 10 is earth | grounded via the conducting wire 41, and the electric current detection part 40 is provided in the middle. On the other hand, the second electrode 30 is connected to a high voltage power supply 45 (10 to 12 kV in the present embodiment) via a conducting wire 46. The high voltage power supply 45 may be either direct current or alternating current.

In the inspection apparatus 1, a sensor 48 is appropriately attached as shown in FIGS. The sensor 48 detects the transport position of the sealed package 50, and the moving means 25 is driven in conjunction with the sensor 48.

An example of the procedure for inspecting the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 using the inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

The sealed package 50 carried into the inspection apparatus 1 is conveyed on the belt conveyor 6 at a constant speed. First, the sealed package 50 is in contact with or close to the second electrode 30 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Since the second electrode 30 is connected to the high voltage power source 45, the potential of the contents 56 of the sealed package 50 is increased by charging (or electromagnetic induction).
Soon after, the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 comes into contact with the electrode brush 11 of the first electrode 10 in the stopped state as shown in FIGS. Since the first electrode 10 is grounded, a discharge current is generated when there is a defect such as a pinhole or poor welding in the inspection portion 65 due to contact with the contact elements 15 and 17. By detecting this discharge current by the current detection unit 40, it is possible to inspect the presence or absence of defects mainly in the first half of the conveyance direction A in the inspection region 65.

When the sealed package 50 passes through the first electrode 10, the sensor 48 outputs a signal, and the moving means 25 is driven using this as a trigger. The first electrode 10 is controlled to move through the moving means 25 substantially along the transport direction A and at a faster speed than the sealed package 50 to be transported. Accordingly, since the first electrode 10 eventually overtakes the sealed package 50, the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 comes into contact with the first electrode 10 again as shown in FIGS. 5 (c) and 5 (d). Then, in the same manner as described above, it is possible to inspect the presence or absence of defects mainly in the latter half of the conveyance direction A in the inspection region 65.
The second electrode 30 is continuously in contact with the upper surface of the main body 52 while the first electrode 10 contacts the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 as shown in FIGS. Adjacent to each other, a high potential can be applied to the contents 56.

The first electrode 10 that has been moved until it passes the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 is returned to its original position by the moving means 25 and is prepared for the inspection of the sealed package 50 that is subsequently transported.
By repeating the above, the inspection portion 65 of the sealed package 50 can be continuously inspected. The sealed package 50 in which the defect is detected is discharged to the outside of the belt conveyor 6 by a discharge means (not shown).

According to the inspection apparatus 1 described above, since the electrode brush 11 can be brought into contact with the sealed package 50 to be conveyed from both before and after in the conveyance direction A, it is possible to further improve the inspection accuracy.

Further, according to the inspection apparatus 1, even when a relatively complicated shape portion such as the inspection portion 65 is inspected, the electrode brush 11 is provided on both the front and rear engaging portions 63 (in the conveyance direction A). Can be fully contacted. In addition, since the electrode brush 11 has the predetermined laminated structure, the inspection accuracy can be further improved.
In particular, when the inspection apparatus 1 is used for detecting a tunnel-like welding failure in the engaging portion 63 of the sealed package 50 enclosing the non-electrolyte contents 56, the required voltage of the high-voltage power supply 45 is kept small. However, since a delicate electric current can be captured, an extremely excellent effect is obtained.

The description of the above embodiment does not limit the present invention, and various modifications and design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first electrode 10 is disposed such that the width direction thereof is substantially orthogonal to the transport direction A. They may be arranged so as to form a predetermined angle θ with the direction A (the same components as those described above are given the same reference numerals; the same applies to the following drawings). In FIG. 7, the moving means 25, the second electrode 30, and the like are not shown.
The angle θ is usually about θ = 10 to 80 ° or about 100 to 170 °, more preferably about θ = 30 to 60 ° or about 120 to 150 °. It can be set as appropriate according to the shape and the like. By providing such an angle θ, the electrode brush 11 (contact elements 15, 17) and the engaging portion 63 of the inspection site 65 can be more easily brought into close contact with each other.

As in the inspection device 72 shown in FIG. 8, a high-voltage electrode 80 that is connected to the high-voltage power supply 82 by a conducting wire 83 and that can contact or approach the lower surface of the main body 52 of the sealed package 50 may be further provided. The conveying means 5 of the inspection device 72 is constituted by a roller conveyor 9, and the high voltage electrode 80 is arranged and fixed so that a brush-like contact element 81 protrudes from the gap of the roller conveyor 9. In addition, in FIG. 8, illustration of the 1st electrode 10, the moving means 25, etc. is abbreviate | omitted.
By providing such a high voltage electrode 80, a high potential can be applied to the contents 56 from the upper and lower surfaces of the sealed package 50.

Further, like the inspection device 72, an inspection electrode 75 that is grounded via the current detection unit 77 by the conductive wire 78 and can contact the inspection portion 65 of the sealed package 50 from below may be further provided. In the inspection device 72, a high-voltage electrode 30 ′ that can contact or approach the upper surface of the main body 52 of the sealed package 50 is provided corresponding to the inspection electrode 75. The high-voltage electrode 30 ′ has a brush-like contact element 31 ′ and is connected to a high-voltage power supply 45 by a conductive wire 46.
By providing such an inspection electrode 75, the inspection by the first electrode 10 can be reinforced.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the contact element 15 of the width long cross-section brush 12 of the 1st electrode 10 was comprised in the rectangular cross section, if it is a width-long cross section, it is to FIG. 9 (a)-(c). Contact elements 15 ₁ to 15 ₃ as shown can also be used. Each of the contact elements 15 ₁ to 15 ₃ has a saddle shape, an elliptical shape, and a trapezoidal cross section, and can be manufactured, for example, as a ribbon-like material of amorphous alloy fibers. In particular, the contact elements 15 ₁ and 15 ₂ have curved surfaces 88 and 89, respectively, so that it is easy to follow a shape change such as a minute step in the inspection region 65, and the inspection accuracy can be further improved. It is done.

In the above embodiment, an example in which only the inspection site 65 of the sealed package 50 is inspected has been described. However, for example, by adding a necessary configuration, for example, the main body 52 (accommodating chamber 55) of the sealed package 50 or the like. It is also possible to inspect for pinholes, poor welding, etc. in the peripheral portion 53 at the same time (or in a separate process).
The specific shape and the like of the sealed package 50 are examples, and it is needless to say that various forms can be used as long as the effects of the present invention can be achieved.

  The present invention can be widely used when inspecting defects such as pinholes and poor welding of sealed packages including infusion bags.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 10 1st electrode 11 Electrode brush 12 Wide cross-section brush 13 Circular cross-section brush 15 Contact element 17 Contact element 25 Moving means 30 2nd electrode 40 Current detection part 45 High voltage power supply 50 Sealed package 52 Main body 53 Peripheral part 56 Contents Object 58 Insertion part 59 Port 63 Engagement part 65 Inspection site A Transport direction

Claims (7)

An inspection device for inspecting a defect of a sealed package in which contents are encapsulated with an electrically insulating coating,
Conveying means for conveying the sealed package in a certain conveying direction;
A first electrode that has an electrode brush provided with a contact element, is provided so as to be in contact with an inspection site of the sealed package conveyed by the conveying means, and is connected to a ground potential;
Moving means capable of moving the first electrode substantially along the transport direction;
A second electrode connected to a high-voltage power source and provided to be in contact with or close to one surface of the sealed package while the first electrode is in contact with the inspection site of the sealed package;
A current detector for detecting a discharge current from the inspection site of the sealed package,
An inspection apparatus for a sealed package, which is triggered by the passage of the sealed package through the first electrode, and wherein the first electrode moves over the sealed package via the moving means. The sealed package includes a main body that accommodates the contents and a port that is inserted into the main body via an insertion portion, and the periphery of the insertion portion of the main body is thermally welded. ,
The inspection apparatus for sealed packages according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion is included in the inspection site. 3. The sealed package inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a tunnel-like welding failure in an engagement portion between the main body and the port is detected. The electrode brush of the first electrode is
The inspection device according to claim 2, further comprising a wide-long cross-section brush formed by arranging contact elements having a wide-long cross-section in a single row. The electrode brush of the first electrode is
The wide cross-section brush;
A circular cross-section brush comprising circular contact elements arranged in a single row;
The inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the layers are alternately stacked. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contact element is made of an amorphous alloy. The sealed package comprises:
The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the non-electrolyte contents are encapsulated.