JP5570336B2 - Inspection apparatus and inspection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus used for inspection of pinholes in sealed packages.

  As an inspection device for inspecting pinholes in a conventional sealed package, an AC power source having a predetermined voltage, a conductive wire having one end connected to the AC power source and having a terminal at the other end, and an insulating plate for placing the sealed package And a noise detector that detects noise generated in the conductor when the terminal is brought close to or in contact with the sealed package with the sealed package placed on the insulating plate. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-164363 A (first page, FIG. 1 etc.)

  However, in the conventional inspection apparatus, since the terminal brought close to the sealed package is in a brush shape, there is a problem that the pinhole detection sensitivity is low and the pinhole cannot be detected with high accuracy.

  The inspection apparatus of the present invention is an inspection apparatus for inspecting pinholes of an insulating sealed package in which contents are enclosed, and is disposed so as to be in non-contact with the surface of the sealed package, A first electrode having a curved surface at a portion facing the sealed package, a mounting member on which the sealed package is mounted, and the first electrode and the mounting member through a conductor. Connected to each other, a power source that applies a predesignated voltage to the first electrode, a noise detector that detects noise indicating that a pinhole is present in the sealed package, and a detection result of the noise detector And an output unit that outputs information indicating that a pinhole has been detected in the sealed package.

  With this configuration, pinholes can be detected from the sealed package with high accuracy.

  The inspection apparatus of the present invention further includes a transporter that transports the sealed package while supporting the sealed package from below, and the mounting member supports the sealed package member of the transporter from below. It constitutes at least a part of the member, and the first electrode is an inspection device arranged on a path along which the sealed package of the transporter is transported.

  With this configuration, pinholes can be inspected over a wide range of sealed packages.

  The inspection apparatus according to the present invention is the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the inspection apparatus is disposed so as to face the back surface of the sealed package so as to be non-contact, and a portion facing the sealed package has a curved shape. The power source is an inspection device that is further connected to the second electrode via a conductor and applies a predesignated voltage to the second electrode.

  With this configuration, pinholes on both sides of the sealed package can be detected at a time.

  Further, the inspection apparatus of the present invention, in the inspection apparatus, the transport device is configured by two belt conveyors arranged at intervals that allow the sealed package to be delivered toward the transport direction of the sealed package, The mounting member is a belt of a belt conveyor, and is disposed to face the back surface of the sealed package so as to be non-contact, and a portion facing the sealed package has a curved shape. The second electrode is disposed between the two belt conveyors, the conductive wire further connects the second electrode and the power source, and the power source is further designated in advance for the second electrode. This is an inspection device for applying a voltage.

  With this configuration, pinholes can be inspected over a wide range on both sides of the sealed package.

  According to the inspection apparatus and the like according to the present invention, pinhole detection sensitivity can be increased and pinholes can be detected with high accuracy.

The figure which shows the structure of the test | inspection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the 1st electrode vicinity of the inspection device The figure which shows the structure of the inspection apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The figure which shows the vicinity of the 1st electrode and 2nd electrode of the inspection apparatus The figure which shows an example of a structure of the noise detector of the inspection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the 1st electrode vicinity of the inspection apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention The figure which shows the structure of the modification of the inspection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the vicinity of the 1st electrode and 2nd electrode of the inspection apparatus

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an inspection apparatus and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the noise detector 105 of the inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The inspection device 1 is a device that detects a pinhole of a sealed package. The inspection apparatus 1 includes a mounting member 100, a first electrode 101, a power source 102, a control unit 103, a conductive wire 104, a noise detector 105, and an output unit 107.

  The noise detector 105 includes a full-wave rectifier 1051, an integrator 1052, a reference voltage generator 1053, a comparison detector 1054, and a detection holder 1055.

  The hermetically sealed package 10 is, for example, encapsulating contents such as food and drink and liquid medicine and covering the outside with a packaging material made of an electrically insulating material. The contents are preferably conductive. Moreover, it is preferable that the content contains what has fluidity | liquidity, such as a liquid. The sealed package is, for example, a retort food, an infusion pack, a single-use contact lens, or the like. The sealed package is a concept including a sealed container filled with contents. The packaging material of the sealed package is, for example, plastic, aluminum coated with a resin, a laminated packaging material, or the like. The sealed package 10 is placed on the placement member 100. In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the sealed package 10 capable of accurately inspecting pinholes has a uniform thickness of 10 mm or less. However, the thickness of the sealed package 10 that can be inspected varies depending on the material and thickness of the packaging material, the contents of the sealed package 10, the voltage of the power supply 102, and the like.

  The mounting member 100 is a member for mounting the sealed package 10. The shape of the mounting member 100 is not limited. For example, the mounting member 100 may be a belt of a belt conveyor or a roller of a roller conveyor. The mounting member 100 is made of, for example, an insulating material, or the portion in contact with the mounting member 100 is an insulating material. It is preferable in order to avoid discharge. However, it may be made of a conductive material. The insulating material is, for example, an acrylic resin, a vinyl chloride resin, or a polyacetal resin. By placing the sealed package 10 on such an insulative placement member 100, discharge from the first electrode 101 during pinhole inspection is prevented, and an inspection voltage applied from the power source 102 is applied. The detection sensitivity can be increased by increasing the detection sensitivity.

  The first electrode 101 is disposed so as to face the surface of the sealed package 10 so as not to be in contact therewith. Moreover, the part (facing surface) which opposes the sealed package of the 1st electrode 101 has a curved surface shape. The curved surface shape may be, for example, a spherical shape, a curved surface with a curved surface, or a curved surface such as a side surface of a cylinder. However, this curved surface shape is a curved surface shape that is convex toward the sealed package 10. The overall shape of the first electrode 101 may be a sphere, a cylindrical shape corresponding to the side surface may be a portion facing the sealed package 10, a hemispherical shape with the upper half of the sphere removed, The shape which divided the cylinder vertically may be sufficient, and the shape is not ask | required. The first electrode 101 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The material of the first electrode is, for example, iron, copper, or aluminum. The first electrode 101 is disposed close to the surface of the sealed package 10, for example. The distance between the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10 is preferably about 1 mm to about 5 mm. However, the distance between the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10, the size of the first electrode 101, the voltage supplied to the first electrode 101, and the like are the relationship between these values, It is determined according to the size of the sealed package, the material of the package, the contents of the package, and the like. When the sphere becomes large, the applied voltage needs to be increased in order not to lower the detection sensitivity.

  The power source 102 is connected to the first electrode 101 and the mounting member 100 via a conducting wire 104 and applies a predetermined voltage to the first electrode 101. Here, it is assumed that the side connected to the mounting member 100 of the power source 102 is set via the conducting wire 104. The power source 102 is usually an AC power source, but a DC power source may be used. Here, the power supply 102 may be considered as a power supply circuit including a boosting transformer that boosts a current supplied from an external power supply to obtain a predesignated voltage, or is designated in advance by an external input. It may be thought of as an interface for receiving a voltage. The predesignated voltage is, for example, in the range of 5 kV to 20 kV. However, the voltage designated in advance may be a value outside this range. As described above, the size of the first electrode 101, the material and size of the sealed package to be inspected, and the first electrode 101 are sealed. It is determined appropriately according to factors such as the distance to the package 10. The value of the voltage supplied from the power source 102, the on / off state of the supply, and the like may be controlled by, for example, the control unit 103 described later. However, a constant voltage may be constantly applied. Here, as an example, a case where the application of voltage is controlled by the control unit 103 will be described as an example.

  The control unit 103 performs control such that the voltage supplied from the power supply 102 is a voltage set in advance by the user or the like, and controls the power supply 102 to be on or off. The control unit 103 may be configured with an MPU, a memory, or the like, or may be configured with a dedicated circuit.

  The conducting wire 104 is connected to the first electrode 101 and the power source 102. The conductive wire 104 is connected to the power source 102 and the mounting member 100 and is grounded. Here, among the conductive wires 104, a conductive wire connected to the first electrode 101 is an electrode-side conductive wire 104a, and a conductive wire connected to the mounting member 100 and grounded is a ground-side conductive wire 104a. The conducting wire 104 is made of a conductive material such as copper.

  The noise detector 105 detects noise indicating that a pinhole is present in the sealed package 10 from the conducting wire 104. Then, the noise detector 105 outputs the detection result to the output unit 107. As a result of diligent research by the inventors of the present application, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode 101 with the configuration as in the present application, the level of noise generated in the conductive wire 104 is greater when a pinhole is present than when it is not present. I know it will be higher. Therefore, the noise detector 105 detects noise at a level indicating that a pinhole is present, and outputs a detection result. In FIG. 3, the part connecting the noise detector 105 and the conductive wire 104 is also considered as a part of the noise detector 105. The same applies to the following drawings.

  The noise detector 105 is connected in parallel to the conducting wire 104, for example. The noise detector 105 may be attached to the electrode-side conductor 104 a of the conductor 104, but is preferably attached to the ground-side conductor 104 b of the conductor 104. For example, when there is no pinhole, current does not flow, and noise is generated only when there is a pinhole. It is better to detect noise from the ground side conductor 104b on the electrode side to which an AC voltage or the like is applied during inspection. This is because noise can be detected more easily than detecting noise from the conductive wire 104a.

  For example, the noise detector 105 may detect only noise having a level exceeding a predetermined threshold from the conductor 104 by adjusting a noise detection level, sensitivity, and the like. The threshold value may be considered as a reference voltage for level determination. The threshold will be described later. In this case, detecting noise indicates detecting noise indicating the presence of a pinhole.

  Further, as will be described below, the noise detector 105 may detect noise generated in the conducting wire and detect noise indicating the presence of a pinhole using the detected noise.

  For example, first, the noise detector 105 detects the noise of the conducting wire 104. Detecting noise means, for example, acquiring a noise waveform or acquiring a value indicating the level of generated noise. The noise detected in this case may be noise including noise at a level generated when no pinhole is present, for example. Since the configuration for detecting noise from the conductive wire 104 is a known technique, the description thereof is omitted here.

  And the noise detector 105 detects the noise which shows that a pinhole exists in the sealed package 10 about the noise detected from the conducting wire 104. FIG. The noise detector 105 may detect noise indicating how a pinhole exists from the noise detected from the conductive wire 104. Here, as an example, it is determined whether or not there is noise at a level exceeding a predetermined threshold in the noise detected for one sealed package 10, and in such a case, noise indicating that a pinhole is present A case will be described in which it is determined that there is no noise indicating that there is a pinhole if it does not exceed. This predetermined threshold value is a threshold value for determining noise when there is a pinhole and noise when there is no pinhole. For example, there is no pinhole and a sample of the sealed package 10 having a pinhole. It is a value obtained from an experiment using a sample of the sealed package 10 or a simulation. The threshold is usually a value that indicates a level that exceeds the noise level obtained from the conductor when there is no pinhole, and is set to a value that is less than the noise level obtained from the conductor when there is a pinhole. As a process for detecting noise indicating the presence of pinholes other than those described above, for example, the noise detector 105 performs predetermined processes such as differentiation and Fourier transform on the noise detected from the conductive wire 104. And using the value obtained as a result of the processing, it may be determined whether or not noise indicating the presence of a pinhole is detected. As a result of performing Fourier transform or the like on the noise waveform detected from the conductive wire 104, it is determined that noise indicating the presence of a pinhole is detected when a frequency component different from the frequency when there is no pinhole is detected. Is possible.

  The detection of noise indicating the presence of a pinhole means that a pinhole has been detected in the sealed package 10. Further, the fact that no noise indicating the presence of a pinhole was detected means that no pinhole was detected in the sealed package 10. As a result, the noise detector 105 only needs to be able to detect noise indicating the presence of a pinhole, and may detect only noise indicating the absence of a pinhole, for example.

  The noise detector 105 outputs the detection result to the output unit 107. The detection result is, for example, information indicating that noise indicating that a pinhole is present has been detected, or information indicating that no noise has been detected. The noise detector 105 is usually realized by hardware (a dedicated circuit). However, it may be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. In this case, the processing procedure of the noise detector 105 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM.

  In the first embodiment, in particular, the noise detector 105 includes a transformer 1050, a full-wave rectifier 1051, an integrator 1052, a reference voltage generator 1053, a comparison detector 1054, and a detection holder 1055. An example in the case of performing noise detection using will be described.

  Transformer 1050 is connected in parallel with lead 104. The transformer 1050 acquires a noise signal from the conducting wire 104 and amplifies the current value of the noise signal.

  The full-wave rectifier 1051 performs full-wave rectification on the noise signal (alternating current) amplified by the transformer 1050 extracted from the conducting wire 104. The configuration of the full-wave rectifier 1051 is a known technique.

  The integrator 1052 acquires the integral value of the noise signal subjected to full-wave rectification. The configuration of the integrator 1052 is a known technique.

  The reference voltage generator 1053 generates a reference voltage using a power supply voltage (not shown) or the like. The reference voltage is a voltage for determining whether or not the signal integrated by the integrator 1052 is at a level indicating that a pinhole is present. For example, a voltage value is set in advance by a user or the like. This reference voltage is the threshold value described above. The configuration of the reference voltage generator 1053 is a known technique.

  The comparison detector 1054 compares the integrated signal output from the integrator 1052 with the reference voltage output from the reference voltage generator 1052, and determines whether or not the integrated signal is a voltage exceeding the reference voltage. Output different values depending on. When the comparison detector 1054 outputs a signal indicating that the voltage exceeds the reference voltage, a pinhole is detected. The comparison detector 1054 is, for example, a comparator. The configuration of the comparison detector 1054 is a known technique.

  The detection holding unit 1055 temporarily holds the value of the detection result of the comparison detector 1054. Then, the held value is output to the output unit 107. The configuration of the detection holding unit 1055 is a known technique.

  The output unit 107 outputs information indicating that a pinhole has been detected in the sealed package 10 according to the detection result of the noise detector 105. Specifically, when the output of the noise detector 105 is information indicating that noise indicating the presence of a pinhole is detected, the output unit 107 detects a pinhole in the sealed package 10 to be inspected. Outputs information indicating that this has been done. Further, when the noise detector 105 outputs information indicating that no noise indicating the presence of a pinhole has been detected, information indicating that no pinhole has been detected may be output. For example, the output unit 107 may output light from an alarm lamp or output an alarm sound (for example, a buzzer) as information indicating that a pinhole has been detected. Further, the inspection line and the production line may be stopped. Information such as a character string indicating that a pinhole has been detected may be displayed on a monitor or the like. Information indicating that a pinhole has been detected may be transmitted to an external device such as a management device. The output described here refers to display on a monitor, printing on a printer, lighting of an alarm lamp, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage in a recording medium, processing to other processing devices or other programs, etc. It is a concept that includes delivery of results. The output unit 107 may or may not include an output device such as a monitor or a speaker. The output unit 107 can be realized by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with an example. For example, here, the sealed package 10 is a small plastic tube in which a liquid medicine is enclosed, and the container is thin near the tip. And this thin part has a thin container, and has a tab for opening at the tip. It is assumed that the container can be opened by tearing off this tab. Then, a case will be described as an example where a pinhole is inspected using the inspection apparatus 1 with the tip portion as a region to be inspected. Note that, as an example, the inspection range by the inspection apparatus 1 of this specific example is a range similar to the size of the spherical first electrode 101 (for example, a rectangular range of 8 mm × 8 mm). However, by adjusting the voltage of the power source 102 and the distance between the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10, it is possible to inspect up to a range of about 200 mm × 200 mm depending on the material of the sealed package 10 and the like. is there. In addition, the inspection range can be further expanded by changing the size of the first electrode 101.

  First, a portion to be inspected of the sealed package 10 is placed under the metal spherical first electrode 101 having a diameter of about 8 mm connected to the conductive wire 104. In this specific example, the spherical first electrode 101 may have a diameter in the range of about 8 mm to 10 mm.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the vicinity of the first electrode 101 of the inspection apparatus 1. The first electrode 101 is held by a metal holding member 101a. The conducting wire 104 may be connected to the first electrode 101 or may be connected to the holding member 101a. Here, the vicinity of the region facing the first electrode 101 of the sealed package 10 is the inspection target portion 10a. The size of the region to be inspected varies depending on the voltage applied to the first electrode 101 and the distance between the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10. The sealed package 10 is placed on the mounting member 100 that holds the sealed package 10 except for the portion below the inspection target portion 10 a. Below the inspection target part 10a, only air is present. Here, the distance between the lowermost part of the first electrode 101 and the inspection target portion 10a of the sealed package 10 is set to a distance in the range of 1 mm to 2 mm.

  Here, a voltage of about 10 kV to about 13 kV specified in advance is applied from the power source 102 to the first electrode 101.

  The full wave rectifier 1051 of the noise detector 105 performs full wave rectification on the noise signal acquired when voltage is applied from the conducting wire 104. Further, the integrator 1052 acquires the integral value of the full-wave rectified value. Then, the comparison detector 1054 compares the level of the reference voltage, which is the threshold output from the reference voltage generator 1053, with the signal acquired by the integrator 1052, and determines whether the integrated value exceeds the reference voltage. Judging. The reference voltage value (ie, threshold value) is determined here by using a sample with a pinhole and a sample without a pinhole, respectively, of the same sealed package 10 as the object to be inspected. The value obtained experimentally from the noise level when noise is detected under the same conditions is set to a value capable of determining the presence or absence of a pinhole. The reference voltage value (threshold value) is set to a value larger than the maximum noise level when there is no pinhole and smaller than the minimum noise level when there is a pinhole. By using such an experimentally obtained threshold value, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a pinhole from noise. In the present embodiment, the case where the threshold value and the noise level coincide with each other may be the same as the case where it is determined that the threshold value is exceeded, or may be the same as the case where it is determined that the threshold value is not exceeded.

  The comparison detector 1054 outputs a value indicating that noise exceeding the threshold is detected when the level of the integrated noise exceeds the threshold, and if not, the noise exceeding the threshold is detected. The value indicating is not output. The detection holding unit 1055 temporarily holds a value indicating that noise exceeding the threshold output by the comparison detector 1054 has been detected. Then, the held value is transmitted to the output unit 107. The detection of noise exceeding the threshold means that noise indicating the presence of a pinhole is detected here.

  When receiving a value indicating that noise exceeding the threshold is detected, the output unit 107 outputs information indicating that a pinhole has been detected. For example, the output unit 107 displays a warning or the like indicating that a pinhole has been detected on a monitor (not shown) or turns on a warning lamp (not shown).

  When the noise detector 105 determines that the noise level does not exceed the threshold value, the noise detector 105 does not output to the output unit 108. For this reason, no output is performed from the output unit 107.

  In the present embodiment, since the first electrode 101 is arranged so as not to be in contact with the sealed package 10, the detection leakage of the pinhole when the same voltage is applied is compared with the case where it is contacted. Therefore, pinhole detection accuracy can be increased. This is considered to be due to the fact that the first electrode 101 has a space between the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10 and is more easily discharged than the first electrode 101 is in contact with the sealed package 10. Further, since the detection is performed in a non-contact manner, the detection accuracy does not vary due to non-uniform contact of the electrode with the sealed package 10 as in the prior art. In particular, when the inspection target is a fine part of the sealed package 10 or the like, even if a conventional brush-like electrode is used, it is difficult to stably and uniformly contact the electrode with the fine part. As a result, the first electrode 101 and the sealed package 10 are not in physical contact with each other as described above. Variations in detection accuracy due to variations in contact conditions can be prevented. In particular, in the case of the light-weight sealed package 10 or the small-sized sealed package 10, the sealed package 10 is caught by the electrode and does not flow on the production line due to contact with the brush-like electrode. As a result of the sealed sealed package 10 being caught, the subsequent sealed package 10 is also damped, resulting in product clogging on the production line and frequent line stoppage. On the other hand, in this Embodiment, since the 1st electrode 101 is non-contact with the sealed package 10, even if the sealed package 10 is light, such a problem does not arise. In addition, the non-contact can prevent the sealed package 10 from being damaged due to the contact of the first electrode 101 during the inspection.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the part facing the sealed package 10 of the 1st electrode 101 was made into the curved surface, and the part facing the sealed package 10 of the 1st electrode 101 was a brush shape or planar shape. Compared to the case where the same voltage is applied, the pinhole detection sensitivity when the same voltage is applied can be increased, the pinhole can be easily detected, the detection error of the pinhole is reduced, and the detection accuracy is increased. it can. In particular, by making the first electrode 101 spherical, it is easy to narrow down the region to be inspected locally, and it is possible to inspect a minute inspection target portion of the sealed package 10. On the other hand, for example, in order to detect a pinhole from a fine portion, when the first electrode 101 is made into a brush shape or a rod shape with a thin tip, the pinhole detection sensitivity is lower than that in the case of a spherical shape. However, by using a spherical shape, pinholes can be detected for minute portions while preventing a decrease in detection sensitivity.

  In the present embodiment, the case of detecting pinholes from only a part of the sealed package 10 has been described, but while moving the first electrode 101 on the sealed package 10, By performing the above-described pinhole detection process, pinholes can be detected for various portions of the sealed package 10 or the entire sealed package 10. Note that a configuration for moving the position of the first electrode 101 on a plane is a known technique, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, pinhole detection sensitivity can be increased and pinholes can be detected with high accuracy.

(Embodiment 2)
In the present embodiment, in the inspection apparatus described in the first embodiment, a transporter for transporting the sealed package is provided so that pinhole detection can be performed while moving the sealed package, A second electrode is provided on the back side of the sealed package 10, and pinholes are detected from the back side of the sealed package 10 as well.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the inspection apparatus 2 in the present embodiment.

  The inspection device 2 is a device that continuously detects pinholes in a sealed package. The inspection apparatus 2 includes a first electrode 101, a power supply 102, a control unit 103, a conducting wire 104, a noise detector 105, a threshold storage unit 106, an output unit 107, a transporter 201, and a second electrode 202. The conveyor 201 includes a first belt conveyor 2011 and a second belt conveyor 2012 that include a belt 108 that is a placement member. Since the configuration of the first electrode 101, the power source 102, the control unit 103, the conductive wire 104, the noise detector 105, and the output unit 107 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the inspection apparatus 1 is not described here.

  The conveyor 201 conveys the sealed package 10 while supporting it from below. The first electrode 101 described above is disposed on a path along which the sealed package 10 of the transporter 201 is transported. The conveyor 201 is, for example, a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor. The transporter 201 has, for example, a support member that supports the sealed package 10 from below, and at least a part of the support member is the mounting member described above. For example, in the case of a belt conveyor, the support member is a belt. In the case of a roller conveyor, the support member is a roller. In the case of a belt conveyor, the mounting member 100 is a belt or a portion where the sealed package 10 of the belt is disposed. In the case of a roller conveyor, the mounting member 100 is a roller or a portion where the sealed package 10 of the roller is disposed. Here, in particular, the first conveyor belt 2011 and the second conveyor belt 2012 that are arranged at an interval at which the conveyor 201 can deliver the sealed package 10 in the conveying direction of the sealed package 10. A case where the mounting member is the belt 108 will be described as an example. The distance between the first belt conveyor 2011 and the second belt conveyor 2012 is, for example, shorter than the length of the sealed package 10 in the conveyance direction, and is an interval at which a second electrode 202 described later can be disposed. The belts 108 of the first belt conveyor 2011 and the second belt conveyor 2012 are made of a belt-like insulating material. For example, the belt 108 is made of the same material as the insulating mounting member described in the first embodiment. However, the belt is preferably made of a material having appropriate elasticity. The connection and grounding of the belt 108 and the roller with the power source 102 may be performed in any way. For example, a brush-like terminal (not shown) may be brought into contact with the surface of the belt 108 or the roller, and the brush-like terminal may be connected to the power source 102 and grounded.

  The second electrode 202 is disposed so as to face the back surface of the sealed package 10 so as to be in non-contact, and a portion facing the sealed package 10 has a curved shape. The second electrode 202 is the same as the first electrode 101 except that the second electrode 202 is disposed to face the back surface of the sealed package 10. Description is omitted. In addition, the 2nd electrode 202 should just be arrange | positioned so that the back surface of the sealed package 10 may be opposed at the time of pinhole detection. The power supply 102 is connected to the power supply wire 104, specifically, the electrode-side conductive wire 104a. Thus, a voltage designated in advance from the power source 102 is applied to the second electrode 202 via the conductive wire 104. However, the predesignated voltages applied to the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 may be different voltages. Here, the conducting wire 104 connected to the power source 102 is branched and connected to the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202, and the noise detector 105 detects the noise of the portion where the conducting wire is not branched. The case where it is attached to the conductor 104 so as to detect will be described. The 2nd electrode 202 is arrange | positioned so that the sealed package 10 may be non-contacted below the path | route where the sealed package 10 of the conveying machine 201 is conveyed. Here, as described above, the curved surface of the second electrode 202 faces upward below the path of the sealed package 10 between the first belt conveyor 2011 and the second belt conveyor 2012. The case where it arrange | positions in this way is demonstrated.

  Note that in this embodiment mode, the power source 102 has a plurality of power sources, and the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 102 are individually connected to different power sources constituting the power source 102, respectively. May be. The plurality of power supplies included in the power supply 102 may apply different voltages.

  Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the inspection apparatus 2 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 of the inspection apparatus 2. For example, here, it is assumed that the sealed package 10 is a retort pouch having a width of 150 mm and laminated with a synthetic resin on the surface of an aluminum foil. The first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 are metal having a columnar shape whose height is longer than the width of the sealed package 10, and the length is, for example, 200 mm and the diameter is 10 mm. And However, other sizes may be used. Further, the side surfaces of the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 are parallel to the transport surfaces of the first belt conveyor 2011 and the second belt conveyor 2012, and the side surfaces transport the sealed package 10. The first belt conveyor 2011 is disposed above the first belt conveyor 2011 (first electrode 101) and between the first belt conveyor 2011 and the second belt conveyor 2012 (second electrode 202) so as to cross the route to be performed. . Note that the position where the first electrode 101 is disposed may not be on the first belt conveyor 2011 as long as it is on the transport path of the sealed package 10. The first electrode 101 is arranged so that the curved surface faces downward. The second electrode 202 is arranged so that the curved surface faces upward.

  First, a predetermined voltage is applied to the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 by the power source 102. The noise detector 105 detects noise from the conductor 104 when the sealed package 10 conveyed on the first belt conveyor 2011 passes under the first electrode 101. Similarly, noise is detected when the sealed package 10 passes over the second electrode 202. The detection of noise may be performed repeatedly at predetermined time intervals, for example, at intervals of 10 milliseconds, so that there is no leakage in pinhole detection, or may be performed continuously. In the case of repeating, the repetition time interval is determined based on the conveyance speed of the belt conveyor, the size of the range in which pinholes can be detected by the first electrode 101, and the like. Then, as in the first embodiment, the noise detector 105 repeats or continuously performs a determination process as to whether or not there is noise at a level exceeding the reference voltage (threshold value) in the noise detected from the conducting wire 104. . When it is determined that there is noise exceeding the threshold value, the output unit 107 performs an output such as a display indicating that there is a pinhole. When noise exceeding the threshold is not detected, the noise detector 105 does not output the detection result to the output unit 107, and no output is performed from the output unit 107.

  In this embodiment, since the sealed package 10 is conveyed by the conveyor 201, the surface of the sealed package 10 can be scanned to detect pinholes, and a wide range of pinhole detection is possible.

  In addition, by arranging the first electrode 101 on the upper side of the sealed package 10 and also on the lower side of the sealed package 10 of the second electrode 202, pinhole detection on both surfaces of the sealed package 10 at a time. Is possible.

  Further, since the sealed package 10 is disposed on the belt 108 which is an insulating mounting member, it is possible to prevent discharge from the first electrode 101 and the like and to increase the voltage used for the inspection. Become.

  It should be noted that voltage application from the power source 102 and noise detection by the noise detector 105 may be performed only during a period when the sealed package 10 passes under the first electrode 101 or over the second electrode 202. It is good or you may make it always. The start time and end time of the period during which the sealed package 10 passes under the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 are detected by detecting the passage of the sealed package 10 with a proximity switch (not shown). Is possible.

  In the above example, cylindrical electrodes are used as the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202. However, when the size of the sealed package 10 to be inspected is small, the first embodiment is used. A spherical electrode as described in the example of the operation may be used, or another shape may be used.

  In the above example, the noise is detected from the unbranched portion of the conducting wire 104 that is branched and connected to the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202, but the branched portion. Therefore, noise may be individually detected. In this case, it is possible to specify on which surface of the sealed package 10 the pinhole is detected.

  In the above example, the case where the conveyor 201 is a belt conveyor has been described. However, the conveyor 201 may be a roller conveyor. In that case, it is preferable that the surface which the roller used as the mounting member 100 contacts is made of an insulating material. For example, the roller itself may be made of an insulating resin. In the case of a roller conveyor, the second electrode 202 may be installed between the rollers. Moreover, the conveyance machine 201 other than the above may be sufficient, and it is preferable that the part by which the sealed package 10 is mounted is comprised with the insulating member in that case.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, pinhole detection on both surfaces of the sealed package can be performed. Further, by carrying out the pinhole detection by carrying the sealed package with the transport machine, it is possible to scan the sealed package and detect a wide range of pinholes.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the first electrode 101 and the second electrode 202 are installed has been described. However, in the present invention, only one of them may be arranged. For example, the second electrode 202 may be omitted as shown in FIG.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment 2, you may abbreviate | omit a conveyance machine.

  Moreover, you may enable it to test | inspect continuously the pinhole test | inspection on a different sealed package by applying the conveying machine of this Embodiment 2 to the said Embodiment 1. FIG.

  In the first embodiment, the second electrode 202 is also arranged on the back side of the sealed package 10 on the back side of the sealed package 10 as in the second embodiment. You may make it apply with respect to the form 1. For example, the configuration of the inspection apparatus is as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 7, and a spherical second electrode 202 similar to the first electrode 101 shown in FIG. It may be arranged on the back side of the sealed package 10 so that the pinhole inspection on both sides of the sealed package 10 can be performed. In FIG. 7, the spherical second electrode 202 is held by a holding member 202a similar to the holding member 101a.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the inspection apparatus according to the present invention is suitable as an apparatus for detecting a pinhole in a sealed package, and is particularly useful as an apparatus that can detect a pinhole without contact with the sealed package.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Inspection apparatus 10 Sealed package 10a Inspection object part 100 Mounting member 101 1st electrode 101a, 202a Holding member 102 Power supply 103 Control part 104 Conductor 105 Noise detector 107 Output part 108 Belt 201 Conveyor 2011 First Belt conveyor 2012 Second belt conveyor 202 Second electrode

Claims (5)

An inspection device for inspecting pinholes of an insulating sealed package in which contents are enclosed,
It has any one of a cylindrical shape, a vertically divided shape, a spherical shape, and a hemispherical shape, and is disposed so as to be in non-contact with the surface of the sealed package, and the sealed A first electrode having a curved surface at a portion facing the package;
A mounting member on which the sealed package is mounted;
A power source that is connected to the first electrode and the mounting member via a conducting wire and applies a predetermined voltage to the first electrode;
A noise detector for detecting noise from the conducting wire indicating that a pinhole is present in the sealed package;
An inspection apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs information indicating that a pinhole is detected in the sealed package according to a detection result of the noise detector. It further has a transporter that transports the sealed package while supporting it from below,
The mounting member constitutes at least a part of a support member that supports the sealed packaging member of the transporter from below, and the first electrode is transported of the sealed package of the transporter. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus is disposed on a route. A second electrode that is disposed so as to be in non-contact with the back surface of the sealed package, and that a portion facing the sealed package has a curved shape;
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power source is further connected to the second electrode via a conductive wire, and applies a predesignated voltage to the second electrode. The transporting machine is composed of two belt conveyors arranged at an interval at which the sealed package can be delivered in the transport direction of the sealed package.
The mounting member is a belt of the belt conveyor,
A second electrode that is disposed so as to be in non-contact with the back surface of the sealed package, and that a portion facing the sealed package has a curved shape;
The second electrode is disposed between the two belt conveyors,
The conducting wire further connects the second electrode and the power source,
The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power supply further applies a predetermined voltage to the second electrode. An inspection method for inspecting pinholes of an insulating sealed package in which contents are enclosed,
A first electrode having a cylindrical shape, a shape obtained by vertically dividing a cylindrical shape, a spherical shape, and a hemispherical shape, and a portion facing the sealed package has a curved shape, A conductive wire connected to the first electrode and the mounting member is disposed so as to face the surface of the sealed package placed on the mounting member in a non-contact manner. Via the first electrode, a voltage designated in advance is applied to detect noise indicating that a pinhole is present in the sealed package from the conductor, and the pinhole is detected according to the detection result. An inspection method for outputting information indicating that the sealed package is detected.

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