JP6777784B2 - Manufacturing method for inspection equipment, blister packaging machines and blister packs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device for inspecting a molded state of a pocket portion of a blister pack, a blister packaging machine, and a method for manufacturing a blister pack.

Conventionally, blister packs have been widely used as packaging containers for packaging pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, electronic parts, and the like. Above all, in the field of pharmaceuticals, PTP (press-through package) sheets used for packaging tablets, capsules and the like are well known.

The PTP sheet is composed of a container film in which a pocket portion for accommodating contents such as tablets is formed, and a cover film attached to the container film so as to seal the opening side of the pocket portion. The contents can be taken out by pressing the pocket portion from the outside and breaking through the cover film serving as a lid by the contents contained therein.

Such a PTP sheet is used for a pocket forming step of forming a pocket portion on a strip-shaped container film, a filling step of filling the pocket portion with contents, and a cover film for the container film so as to seal the opening side of the pocket portion. It is manufactured through an attachment step of attaching, a cutting step of separating the final product PTP sheet from the strip-shaped PTP film to which both the strip-shaped films are attached, and the like.

Here, in the molding of the pocket portion, a part (scheduled molding portion) of the partially heat-softened strip-shaped container film such as vacuum forming, compressed air forming, plug forming, and plug-assisted air forming is stretched. It is common.

Therefore, there is a correlation between the wall thicknesses of the bottom portion and the side portion of the pocket portion, and if the bottom portion is thick, the side portion becomes thin, and if the bottom portion is thin, the side portion becomes thick.

When the wall thickness balance between the bottom and the side is lost, a part of the pocket portion becomes excessively thin, and various problems such as deterioration of gas barrier property may occur. In particular, there is a concern about excessive thinning of the side portion, which is thinner than the bottom portion.

On the other hand, a technique for detecting molding defects on the side portion of the pocket portion based on the image data obtained by imaging the bottom portion of the pocket portion using the above correlation has also been proposed (for example, a patent). Reference 1).

Japanese Patent No. 6368408

However, in the prior art according to Patent Document 1, based on the image data obtained by imaging the bottom of the pocket portion, the meat at each position on the bottom portion is determined from the relationship between the light transmittance and the wall thickness of the bottom portion. The thickness is calculated, and based on the average value (average wall thickness of the bottom portion), molding defects on the side portion of the pocket portion are detected.

In this way, the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion can be roughly estimated from the wall thickness of the bottom portion, but for example, the average value, the maximum value, and the minimum value of the wall thickness of the bottom portion are desired values, and the molding state of the bottom portion is appropriate. Even if it is determined that the thickness of the bottom is uneven, or if the shape of the bottom is complicated, the side may not have the desired thickness or the side may be thick. The thickness distribution may be biased.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, there is a possibility that the molding defect (thickness defect) of the side portion of the pocket portion cannot be detected accurately.

It should be noted that the above problems are inherent not only in PTP packaging but also in other fields of blister packaging.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and the like, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device, a blister packaging machine and a method for manufacturing a blister pack capable of more accurately detecting molding defects on the side portion of a pocket portion. There is.

Hereinafter, each means suitable for solving the above problems will be described separately for each item. In addition, the action and effect peculiar to the corresponding means will be added as necessary.

Means 1. An inspection device for inspecting the molding condition of the pocket of a blister pack.
An irradiation means capable of irradiating a container film on which the pocket portion is formed with a predetermined electromagnetic wave,
An imaging means provided on the side opposite to the irradiation means via the container film and capable of capturing at least the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the bottom of the pocket portion and acquiring image data.
Based on the image data acquired by the imaging means, a shading pattern extracting means capable of extracting a shading pattern (shading distribution image) generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by irradiation with the electromagnetic wave, and a shading pattern extracting means.
By comparing the shading pattern extracted by the shading pattern extracting means with a predetermined determination standard set in advance, it is provided with a pass / fail determining means capable of performing a pass / fail judgment regarding at least the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion. An inspection device characterized by the fact that.

The "blister pack" includes, for example, a PTP sheet for containing tablets and the like, a portion pack for storing foodstuffs and the like, a carrier tape for containing electronic parts and the like, and the "electromagnetic wave" includes, for example, visible light. Includes light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and the like.

Further, the above-mentioned "shading pattern (shading distribution image) generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by irradiation of the electromagnetic wave" is a difference in wall thickness (thickness distribution) at each position (two-dimensional coordinate position) on the bottom of the pocket portion. ) And the transmittance of the electromagnetic waves that pass through it, meaning a two-dimensional distribution image of the shades that occur at the bottom of the pocket.

That is, the "shade" here means the magnitude of the intensity (luminance) of the electromagnetic wave transmitted through each position on the bottom of the pocket portion. Therefore, the expression "the shade pattern (shade distribution image) generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by the irradiation of the electromagnetic wave" is, for example, "the intensity distribution image of the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the bottom portion of the pocket portion" or "the bottom portion of the pocket portion". "Two-dimensional distribution image of electromagnetic wave intensity (brightness) that differs at each position due to the difference in wall thickness at each position", "Shadow distribution image corresponding to the wall thickness distribution at the bottom of the pocket (electromagnetic wave intensity distribution image, brightness distribution image) It can also be replaced with an expression such as ".

As described in the above "background technology", there is a correlation between the wall thickness of the bottom and the side of the pocket formed by partially stretching the container film, and the thicker the bottom, the thinner the side. The thinner the bottom, the thicker the sides.

Utilizing such a correlation, in the above means 1, the shading pattern (that is, the bottom portion) generated at the bottom portion of the pocket portion is obtained from the image data obtained by imaging the bottom portion of the pocket portion while irradiating a predetermined electromagnetic wave. By extracting the wall thickness distribution state) and comparing it with a predetermined judgment standard, it is configured to judge the quality of at least the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion.

As an example, a shading pattern generated at the bottom of a pocket to be inspected is compared with a predetermined criterion (for example, a shading pattern generated at the bottom of a non-defective pocket) obtained in advance by a method such as pattern matching. A configuration in which a pass / fail judgment is made based on the degree of agreement can be mentioned.

With such a configuration, it is possible to more accurately detect molding defects (poor wall thickness) on the side portion of the pocket portion, such as the presence or absence of unevenness in the wall thickness distribution on the side portion of the pocket portion.

When inspecting the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion, it is conceivable to directly image and inspect the side portion. In this case, it is necessary to grasp the molding state of the entire circumference of the side portion in consideration of gas barrier properties and the like. However, under the configuration in which the side portion is directly imaged, it takes a lot of time or a large-scale device to grasp the molding state of the entire circumference of the side portion, so that the productivity of the blister pack may decrease.

In this regard, according to this means, the molding state of the entire circumference of the side portion can be easily grasped in a short period of time based on imaging the bottom portion of the pocket portion and grasping the molding state thereof. , The inspection speed can be increased, and the productivity of the blister pack can be improved.

Means 2. The pass / fail determination means
After binarizing the shading pattern with a predetermined threshold value, among the binary patterns (binary distribution image) obtained by this, the bright part pattern (bright part) which is a connected component of the bright part having the threshold value or more. The means 1 according to the means 1, wherein the quality determination is executed by comparing the dark portion pattern (dark portion distribution image), which is a connected component of the dark portion that is less than the threshold value, with a predetermined determination criterion. Inspection device.

According to the above means 2, since the quality determination is performed by comparing the binary pattern obtained by binarizing the shading pattern with a predetermined determination criterion, the quality determination process can be simplified. As a result, it is possible to further speed up the inspection and, by extension, improve the productivity of the blister pack.

Means 3. The pass / fail determination means
The quality determination is made by determining whether or not the position of the boundary portion (contour portion) of the bright portion pattern or the dark portion pattern satisfies a predetermined determination criterion (whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range). The inspection apparatus according to means 2, wherein the inspection device is performed.

According to the above means 3, the quality determination process can be further simplified as compared with the configuration in which the entire area of the bright part pattern or the dark part pattern is compared with the predetermined determination standard. As a result, it is possible to further speed up the inspection and, by extension, improve the productivity of the blister pack.

Means 4. The pass / fail determination means
It is determined whether or not the brightness of each pixel (each position on the shade pattern) constituting the shade pattern satisfies a predetermined determination criterion (whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range), and the determination criterion is satisfied. The feature is that the quality determination is performed by grasping the missing pixels as a defective region and then determining whether or not the defective region satisfies a predetermined determination criterion (whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range). The inspection device according to the means 1.

According to the above means 4, after determining whether or not the brightness of each pixel constituting the shade pattern related to the bottom portion of the pocket portion satisfies a predetermined determination criterion, a quality determination regarding the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion is made. It is configured to perform. As a result, a more detailed inspection regarding the molding state of the pocket portion can be performed, and a molding defect of the pocket portion can be detected more accurately.

Means 5. The container film is made of a translucent resin film material.
The irradiation means is described in any one of means 1 to 4, wherein the irradiation means is configured to be capable of irradiating ultraviolet light (for example, ultraviolet light having a peak wavelength in the range of 200 nm or more and 280 nm or less) as the electromagnetic wave. Inspection equipment.

When the container film is made of a translucent resin film material and is configured to be irradiated with visible light from the irradiating means, the thin-walled portion and the thick-walled portion at the bottom of the pocket portion. There is a risk that the difference in light transmittance will be less likely to occur. That is, the entire bottom portion becomes uniform, and there is a possibility that a shading pattern is less likely to occur. As a result, it may be difficult to perform the inspection properly.

On the other hand, according to the above means 5, the container film made of the translucent resin film material is irradiated with ultraviolet light.

Since ultraviolet light has a lower transmittance than visible light and is difficult to transmit through a translucent container film, it is possible to more appropriately inspect the molding state of the pocket portion.

Here, the "translucent resin film material" includes, for example, "a film having a property of transmitting light (translucency), which has an extremely high transmission rate of electromagnetic waves (light), and is passed through the film. "Transparent resin film material" that allows the other side to be seen through, and "People who have translucency but transmit electromagnetic waves (light) are diffused or the transmittance of electromagnetic waves (light) is low. Includes "semi-transparent resin film material" in which the shape of an object on the other side through the film cannot be clearly recognized or recognized at all.

Further, "transparent" and "translucent" are expressions indicating the material of the film having translucency, and are irrelevant to the presence or absence of color. Therefore, the "transparent" or "translucent" film includes, for example, a "colorless transparent" or "colorless translucent" film, as well as a "colored transparent" or "colored translucent" film.

Means 6. 1. The electromagnetic wave of means 1 to 5 is characterized in that the electromagnetic wave has a wavelength at which the transmittance of the container film (for example, a resin film material such as polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride) is 15% or more and 60% or less. The inspection device according to any one.

If the transmittance of the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the container film is too high or too low, the difference in light transmittance between the thin-walled portion and the thick-walled portion at the bottom of the pocket portion may be less likely to occur. As a result, it may be difficult to perform the inspection properly.

On the other hand, by using an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength such that the transmittance of the container film is 15% or more and 60% or less as in the above means 6, the inspection can be performed more appropriately. More preferably, the inspection is performed using an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength at which the transmittance of the container film is 20% or more and 50% or less (for example, 30%).

Means 7. The criterion is
The inspection apparatus according to any one of means 1 to 6, wherein the image is determined based on the shading pattern obtained by imaging a non-defective pocket portion with the imaging means.

According to the above means 7, even when the shape of the bottom portion of the pocket portion and the wall thickness distribution are complicated, the determination criteria can be set relatively easily.

Means 8. The inspection apparatus according to any one of means 1 to 7, wherein the pocket portion is thermoformed into the flat container film.

Here, "thermoforming" is a molding method in which a part (scheduled molding portion) of a flat container film is partially heated and softened and stretched. For example, vacuum forming, compressed air forming, plug forming, plug assisted air forming. Molding etc. are included.

Therefore, under the configuration according to the present means 8, the effects of the above means 1 and the like are more effective.

Means 9. A blister packaging machine provided with the inspection device according to any one of means 1 to 8.

By providing the inspection device in the blister packaging machine (for example, PTP packaging machine) as in the above means 9, there is an advantage that defective products can be efficiently excluded in the manufacturing process of the blister pack (for example, PTP sheet). Further, the blister packaging machine may be configured to include a discharge means for discharging the blister pack determined to be defective by the inspection device.

As a more specific configuration of the blister packaging machine, the following configuration can be mentioned.

"A blister packaging machine for manufacturing a blister pack in which a predetermined content is housed in a pocket formed into a container film and a cover film is attached so as to close the pocket.
A pocket portion molding means for molding the pocket portion on the container film conveyed in a strip shape,
A filling means for filling the pocket portion with the contents,
An attachment means for attaching the band-shaped cover film to the container film in which the pocket portion is filled with the contents so as to close the pocket portion.
A cutting means for separating the blister pack from a strip-shaped body (belt-shaped blister film) to which the cover film is attached to the container film (including a punching means for punching in sheet units).
A blister packaging machine including the inspection device according to any one of means 1 to 8. ".

In addition, when inspecting a container film whose posture is not fixed, it is of course necessary to execute a process of specifying the position of the pocket portion, and in the case of a non-circular pocket portion, from the image data. The center position of the pocket portion to be inspected is calculated, the center of the reference image for pattern matching stored in advance is aligned with the center position of the pocket portion, and then the reference image is rotated by a predetermined angle. It is necessary to perform a process such as determining whether or not the two match each time, and the number of processes for the inspection related to the pocket portion is very large, which may be troublesome.

On the other hand, by providing the inspection device on the blister packaging machine as in the means 9, the stop position and orientation (posture) of the container film with respect to the imaging means become constant, so that the pocket portion to be inspected Even when comparing the shading pattern generated on the bottom with a predetermined judgment standard (for example, the shading pattern generated on the bottom of the pocket of a non-defective product), the inspection target and the judgment standard are aligned and the inspection target is matched. Since it is not necessary to make adjustments such as rotating the direction (posture) of the judgment standard, the inspection speed can be increased. As a result, the number of processes applied to one pocket portion is remarkably reduced, and the inspection processing speed can be remarkably increased.

Further, under the configuration according to the above means 9,
"The filling means is arranged on the downstream side of the inspection device, and the filling means is arranged.
The configuration may include a filling control means capable of controlling the operation of the filling means based on the inspection result by the inspection device and switching whether or not the contents can be filled in the pocket portion.

With such a configuration, for example, it is possible to prevent the contents from being filled in the poorly molded pocket portion. As a result, when the blister pack is discarded due to poor molding of the pocket portion, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem that the contents are also discarded together with the blister pack. Further, in order to reuse the contents, it is not necessary to perform troublesome work such as taking out the contents once filled in the pocket portion. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in productivity.

Further, under the configuration according to the above means 9,
"The pocket portion forming means forms the pocket portion with respect to the first mold, the second mold facing the first mold via the container film, and the container film sandwiched between the two molds. It may be configured as "providing a stretching means (stretch molding means) for molding".

In such a configuration, the correlation between the bottom wall thickness of the pocket portion and the side wall thickness as described in the above-mentioned "background technique", that is, if the bottom wall thickness is thick, the side wall thickness becomes thin and the bottom wall thickness becomes thin. If the thickness is thin, there is a correlation that the wall thickness of the side portion becomes thick. Therefore, based on the image data obtained by imaging the bottom portion of the pocket portion, the molding defect of the side portion of the pocket portion is detected. The action and effect of the means 1 and the like will be more effective.

Means 10. A method for manufacturing a blister pack, wherein a predetermined content is housed in a pocket portion formed into a container film, and a cover film is attached so as to close the pocket portion.
A pocket portion molding step of molding the pocket portion on the container film conveyed in a strip shape,
A filling step of filling the pocket with the contents,
An attachment step of attaching the band-shaped cover film to the container film in which the pocket portion is filled with the contents so as to close the pocket portion.
A cutting step of separating the blister pack from a strip-shaped body (belt-shaped blister film) to which the cover film is attached to the container film (including a punching step of punching in sheet units).
It is provided with an inspection process for inspecting the molding state of the pocket portion of the blister pack.
In the inspection process
An irradiation step of irradiating a container film on which the pocket portion is formed with a predetermined electromagnetic wave, and
An imaging step of capturing at least the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the bottom of the pocket portion and acquiring image data,
Based on the image data acquired by the imaging, a shading pattern extraction step of extracting a shading pattern (shading distribution image) generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by irradiation with the electromagnetic wave, and a shading pattern extraction step.
The blister is characterized by comprising a quality determination step of at least determining the quality of the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion by comparing the extracted shade pattern with a predetermined determination standard set in advance. How to make a pack.

According to the means 10, the same effects as those of the means 1 and 9 are exhibited.

It is a perspective view of a PTP sheet. It is a partially enlarged sectional view of the PTP sheet. It is a perspective view of a PTP film. It is a schematic diagram of a lighting device, a camera and the like. It is a schematic block diagram of a PTP packaging machine. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the pocket part inspection apparatus. It is a partially broken front view which shows the schematic structure of the pocket part molding apparatus and the heating apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the pocket part molding process. It is a flowchart which shows the inspection routine. It is a figure which shows the shading pattern which occurs in the pocket part. It is a graph which shows the luminance value which concerns on each pixel along the AA' line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the binary pattern which binarized the shading pattern of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between each area of the bottom and a judgment criterion. It is a flowchart which shows the inspection routine in 2nd Embodiment. It is a graph which showed the luminance value which concerns on each pixel along the AA'line of FIG. 10, and the luminance upper limit value and the luminance lower limit value which concerns about each pixel along the AA' line. It is a schematic diagram which shows the image for judgment. It is a figure for demonstrating the blister pack which concerns on another embodiment, (a) is the perspective view, (b) is the plan view, (c) is each region of the bottom. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship with a judgment criterion.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the PTP sheet 1 as a blister pack will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the PTP sheet 1 has a container film 3 provided with a plurality of pocket portions 2 and a cover film 4 attached to the container film 3 so as to close the pocket portions 2. ing.

The container film 3 is formed of a colorless and transparent thermoplastic resin material such as PP (polypropylene) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and has translucency. On the other hand, the cover film 4 is made of an opaque material (for example, aluminum foil) on which a sealant made of polypropylene resin or the like is provided on the surface.

The PTP sheet 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. In the PTP sheet 1, two rows of pockets composed of five pocket portions 2 arranged along the longitudinal direction thereof are formed in the lateral direction thereof. That is, a total of 10 pocket portions 2 are formed. Each pocket portion 2 contains one tablet 5 as a content.

The pocket portion 2 is connected to a bottom portion 2a having a substantially circular shape in a plan view so as to face the cover film 4 and is connected to the periphery of the bottom portion 2a, and the bottom portion 2a and the flat film portion (pocket non-molded portion) 3b. It is composed of a substantially cylindrical side portion 2b that connects the two.

The bottom portion 2a in the present embodiment is formed in a substantially arcuate cross section that is gently curved, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bottom portion 2a may be formed in a flat shape. Further, the configuration may be formed in a circular arc shape having a larger curvature so that the corner portion 2c where the bottom portion 2a and the side portion 2b intersect is not clear.

The PTP sheet 1 (see FIG. 1) is manufactured by punching a strip-shaped PTP film 6 (see FIG. 3) formed from a strip-shaped container film 3 and a strip-shaped cover film 4 into a rectangular sheet shape.

Next, a schematic configuration of the PTP packaging machine 11 as a blister packaging machine for manufacturing the PTP sheet 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

On the most upstream side of the PTP packaging machine 11, the raw fabric of the strip-shaped container film 3 is wound in a roll shape. The drawer end side of the container film 3 wound in a roll shape is guided by the guide roll 13. The container film 3 is hung on the intermittent feed roll 14 on the downstream side of the guide roll 13. The intermittent feed roll 14 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, and intermittently conveys the container film 3.

A heating device 15 and a pocket forming device 16 are sequentially arranged between the guide roll 13 and the intermittent feed roll 14 along the transport path of the container film 3. The heating device 15 and the pocket portion forming device 16 constitute the pocket portion forming means in the present embodiment. The configuration of the heating device 15 and the pocket forming device 16 will be described in detail later.

Here, in a state where the container film 3 is heated by the heating device 15 and the container film 3 becomes relatively flexible, a plurality of pocket portions 2 are molded at a predetermined position of the container film 3 by the pocket portion forming device 16. (Pocket molding process). The pocket portion 2 is formed during the interval between the transfer operations of the container film 3 by the intermittent feed roll 14.

Further, a pocket portion inspection device 21 is arranged between the guide roll 13 and the intermittent feed roll 14 and downstream of the pocket portion forming device 16.

The pocket portion inspection device 21 is for inspecting the molding state of the pocket portion 2 molded by the pocket portion molding device 16. The configuration of the pocket portion inspection device 21 will be described in detail later.

The container film 3 fed from the intermittent feed roll 14 is hung in the order of the tension roll 18, the guide roll 19, and the film receiving roll 20.

Since the film receiving roll 20 is connected to a motor that rotates constantly, the container film 3 is continuously conveyed at a constant speed. The tension roll 18 is in a state of pulling the container film 3 toward the tension side by the elastic force, and prevents the container film 3 from loosening due to the difference in the transport operation between the intermittent feed roll 14 and the film receiving roll 20. The film 3 is always kept in a tense state.

A tablet filling device 22 is arranged between the guide roll 19 and the film receiving roll 20 along the transport path of the container film 3.

The tablet filling device 22 has a function as a filling means for automatically filling the pocket portion 2 with the tablet 5. The tablet filling device 22 drops the tablet 5 by opening the shutter at predetermined intervals in synchronization with the transport operation of the container film 3 by the film receiving roll 20, and each pocket portion is accompanied by this shutter opening operation. 2 is filled with tablet 5. The operation of the tablet filling device 22 is controlled by the filling control device 82 described later.

On the other hand, the original fabric of the cover film 4 formed in a strip shape is wound in a roll shape on the most upstream side. The drawer end of the cover film 4 wound in a roll shape is guided toward the heating roll 25 by the guide roll 24. The heating roll 25 can be pressure-contacted with the film receiving roll 20, and the container film 3 and the cover film 4 are fed between the rolls 20 and 25.

Then, the container film 3 and the cover film 4 pass between the rolls 20 and 25 in a heat and pressure contact state, so that the cover film 4 is attached to the container film 3 and the pocket portion 2 is closed by the cover film 4. (Attachment process). As a result, the PTP film 6 as a band in which the tablet 5 is housed in each pocket portion 2 is manufactured. The film receiving roll 20 and the heating roll 25 constitute the mounting means in the present embodiment.

The PTP film 6 fed from the film receiving roll 20 is hung in the order of the tension roll 27 and the intermittent feed roll 28.

Since the intermittent feed roll 28 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, the PTP film 6 is intermittently conveyed. The tension roll 27 is in a state of pulling the PTP film 6 toward the tension side by elastic force, and prevents the PTP film 6 from loosening due to the difference in the transport operation between the film receiving roll 20 and the intermittent feed roll 28, and PTP. The film 6 is always kept in a tense state.

The PTP film 6 fed from the intermittent feed roll 28 is hung in the order of the tension roll 31 and the intermittent feed roll 32.

Since the intermittent feed roll 32 is connected to a motor that rotates intermittently, the PTP film 6 is intermittently conveyed. The tension roll 31 is in a state of pulling the PTP film 6 toward the tension side by the elastic force, and prevents the PTP film 6 from loosening between the intermittent feed rolls 28 and 32.

A slit forming device 33 and a marking device 34 are sequentially arranged between the intermittent feed roll 28 and the tension roll 31 along the transport path of the PTP film 6. The slit forming apparatus 33 has a function of forming a slit for cutting at a predetermined position of the PTP film 6. The marking device 34 has a function of marking a predetermined position (for example, a tag portion) of the PTP film 6.

The PTP film 6 fed from the intermittent feed roll 32 is hooked on the tension roll 35 and the continuous feed roll 36 in this order on the downstream side thereof.

A sheet punching device 37 is arranged between the intermittent feed roll 32 and the tension roll 35 along the transport path of the PTP film 6. The sheet punching device 37 has a function as a sheet punching means (cutting means) for punching the outer edge of the PTP film 6 in units of one PTP sheet.

The PTP sheet 1 punched by the sheet punching device 37 is conveyed by the take-out conveyor 38 and temporarily stored in the finished product hopper 39 (cutting step). However, when a defective product signal is input from the filling control device 82 described later to the defective sheet discharge mechanism 40 capable of selectively discharging the PTP sheet 1, the defective PTP sheet 1 is separately discharged by the defective sheet discharge mechanism 40. It is discharged and transferred to a defective hopper (not shown).

A cutting device 41 is arranged on the downstream side of the continuous feed roll 36. The scrap portion 42 remaining in a strip shape after punching by the sheet punching device 37 is guided by the tension roll 35 and the continuous feed roll 36, and then guided to the cutting device 41. Here, the driven roll is pressure-welded to the continuous feed roll 36, and the transport operation is performed while sandwiching the scrap portion 42.

The cutting device 41 has a function of cutting the scrap portion 42 to a predetermined size. The cut scrap portion 42 is stored in the scrap hopper 43 and then separately disposed of.

The rolls 14, 19, 20, 28, 31, 32 and the like have a positional relationship in which the roll surface and the pocket portion 2 face each other, but the pocket portion 2 is on the surface of each roll 14 and the like. Since the recess for accommodating the pocket portion 2 is formed, the pocket portion 2 is basically not crushed. Further, the feeding operation is performed while the pocket portion 2 is housed in the recesses of the rolls 14 and the like, so that the intermittent feeding operation and the continuous feeding operation are reliably performed.

Next, the configurations of the heating device 15 and the pocket portion forming device 16 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

The heating device 15 includes an upper heater plate 15a and a lower heater plate 15b. Both heater plates 15a and 15b are configured to be able to be heated by a heater (not shown). Both heater plates 15a and 15b are provided so as to sandwich the transport path of the container film 3, and are movable in a direction of approaching or separating from the container film 3, respectively.

Further, each of the heater plates 15a and 15b is provided with a plurality of protruding portions 15c and 15d at positions corresponding to the planned molding portions 3a of the pocket portion 2 in the container film 3.

The container film 3 that is intermittently conveyed is partially (spotted) heated by being sandwiched by the protrusions 15c and 15d as the both heater plates 15a and 15b move closer to each other during the temporary stop. The softened part becomes softened. In the present embodiment, the contact portions of the protruding portions 15c and 15d with the container film 3 are slightly smaller than the planar shape of the pocket portion 2.

The pocket forming apparatus 16 includes a lower mold 61 as a second mold and an upper mold 71 as a first mold. The lower mold 61 is fixed to the support base 63 in a fixed state via the tubular lower mold chamber 62. Further, the lower mold 61 is provided with a plurality of insertion holes 64 at positions corresponding to the positions of the pocket portions 2.

A plurality of through holes are formed in the support base 63, and a rod-shaped slider 65 is inserted through the through holes via a bearing mechanism. The slider 65 can be moved up and down by a cam mechanism (not shown).

A pocket molding die 66 is fixed to the upper portion of the slider 65, and the pocket molding die 66 includes a plurality of rod-shaped plugs 66a that can be inserted into the insertion hole 64 and extend in the vertical direction. The tip shape of the plug 66a is a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the pocket portion 2. The pocket portion molding die 66 moves up and down as the slider 65 moves up and down by driving the cam mechanism. The lower mold 61, the pocket molding mold 66, and the like can be replaced as appropriate according to the type of PTP sheet 1 to be produced.

Further, a circulation path 67 for circulating cooling water (or hot water) is formed inside each of the slider 65 and the pocket molding die 66. As a result, the variation in the surface temperature of each plug 66a is suppressed.

The plug 66a is arranged in this order at the initial position, the intermediate stop position, and the protruding position when the pocket portion 2 is formed, and finally returns to the initial position. The operation of the plug 66a is controlled by the molding control device 81 described later.

The initial position is the position where the plug 66a is arranged at the start of the molding process of the pocket portion 2, and the plug 66a arranged at this position is below the insertion hole 64 and is arranged outside the insertion hole 64. Become.

The intermediate stop position is a position where the plug 66a is arranged in the intermediate stage of the molding process of the pocket portion 2, and the plug 66a arranged at this position is arranged in the insertion hole 64 and is placed between the plug 66a and the container film 3. A predetermined gap is formed.

The protruding position is a position where the plug 66a is arranged at the final stage of the molding process of the pocket portion 2, and the tip surface of the plug 66a arranged at this position is lowered by a portion corresponding to the depth of the pocket portion 2. It is in a state of protruding from the mold 61.

On the other hand, the upper mold 71 is fixed to the upper plate 73 that can move up and down via the plate 72, and is movable along the direction of approaching or separating from the lower mold 61. The upper die 71 is provided with a gas supply hole 74 at a position facing the insertion hole 64 of the lower die 61.

Further, a gas supply path 75 communicating with the gas supply hole 74 is formed inside the plate 72 and the upper plate 73, and the gas supply path 75 is connected to the gas supply device 76 configured by, for example, a compressor or the like. , A predetermined high-pressure gas (inert gas, air in this embodiment) is supplied.

In this embodiment, a total of 20 pocket portions 2 corresponding to two PTP sheets 1 are simultaneously molded by one operation of the pocket portion forming device 16. That is, the container film 3 has five pocket portions 2 in the film width direction (Y direction) and four pocket portions 2 in the film transport direction (X direction) at the same time.

Here, the molding control device 81 will be described. The molding control device 81 is for controlling the molding of the pocket portion 2 by the heating device 15 and the pocket portion molding device 16, and is composed of a computer system having a CPU, RAM, and the like.

The molding control device 81 sets and stores information regarding the initial position of the plug 66a of the pocket portion molding device 16, information regarding the intermediate stop position of the plug 66a, information regarding the protruding position of the plug 66a, and the like. Based on this, the operation of the plug 66a is controlled. The information regarding the initial position, the intermediate stop position, and the protruding position of the plug 66a is appropriately changed according to the depth of the pocket portion 2 in the PTP sheet 1 to be manufactured.

Next, the configuration of the pocket portion inspection device 21 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the pocket inspection device 21 includes a lighting device 50 as an irradiation means, a camera 51 as an imaging means, and an inspection control unit 52 for controlling these.

The lighting device 50 irradiates a predetermined range of the container film 3 with a predetermined electromagnetic wave from the protruding side (lower side of FIG. 4) of the pocket portion 2. The lighting device 50 includes an electromagnetic wave irradiation device 50a and a diffusion plate 50b that covers the electromagnetic wave irradiation device 50a, and is configured to be capable of surface emission. The lighting device 50 in the present embodiment irradiates the container film 3 with electromagnetic waves including ultraviolet light.

The camera 51 has sensitivity in the wavelength region of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lighting device 50. The camera 51 is provided on the opening side (upper side of FIG. 4) of the pocket portion 2 of the container film 3, and the optical axis OL of the lens is along the vertical direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the film flat portion 3b of the container film 3. It is arranged like this.

Further, a bandpass filter 51a is provided corresponding to the lens of the camera 51. The bandpass filter 51a is provided so that only ultraviolet light enters the lens.

By providing the bandpass filter 51a, of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the lighting device 50, only the ultraviolet light transmitted through the container film 3 is two-dimensionally imaged by the camera 51. Further, the transmitted image data acquired by the camera 51 in this way becomes luminance image data having different luminances at each pixel (each coordinate position) based on the difference in the transmittance of ultraviolet light in the container film 3.

In particular, in the present embodiment, as the bandpass filter 51a, for example, a filter that allows only ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 253 ± 20 nm at which the transmittance of the container film 3 is about 30 ± 10% is used is used. This is because even if the transmittance of the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the container film 3 is too high or too low, there is a possibility that the difference in light transmittance between the thin portion and the thick portion of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 is unlikely to occur. Because.

The imaging range of the camera 51 in the present embodiment includes a total of 20 pocket portions 2 corresponding to two PTP sheets 1 formed on the container film 3 by at least one operation of the pocket portion forming device 16. It is set to capture a range including five pockets 2 in the film width direction (Y direction) of the container film 3, and four pocket portions 2 in the film transport direction (X direction) at a time. ..

The inspection control unit 52 is composed of a so-called computer system, and includes an image memory 53, a calculation result storage device 54, a determination memory 55, a camera timing control device 57, and a microcomputer 58 electrically connected to these. I have.

The image memory 53 stores various image data such as transparent image data acquired by the camera 51, masked image data masked at the time of inspection, and binarized image data that has been binarized. ..

The calculation result storage device 54 stores test result data, statistical data obtained by probabilistically processing the test result data, and the like.

The determination memory 55 is for storing various information used for the inspection. As these various information, for example, the shape and size of the PTP sheet 1, the pocket portion 2 and the tablet 5, the shape and size of the inspection frame for defining the inspection range (the range corresponding to one PTP sheet 1), and the camera 51. Relative positional relationship with, the shape and size of the pocket frame W for defining the region of the pocket portion 2, the relative positional relationship with the camera 51 (or the inspection frame), the brightness threshold value in the binarization process, and the molding of the pocket portion 2. Judgment criteria for making a pass / fail judgment regarding the state are set and stored.

The camera timing control device 57 is for controlling the execution timing of the imaging process by the camera 51. Such timing is controlled based on a signal from an encoder (not shown) provided in the PTP packaging machine 11.

As a result, electromagnetic waves are radiated from the lighting device 50 to the container film 3 at intervals at which the transportation of the molded container film 3 in the pocket portion 2 is temporarily stopped, and electromagnetic waves (ultraviolet rays) transmitted through the container film 3 are irradiated. The process of capturing the light) by the camera 51 is executed. Then, the transmitted image data acquired by the camera 51 is converted into a digital signal (image signal) inside the camera 51, and then taken into the inspection control unit 52 (image memory 53) in the form of a digital signal.

The microcomputer 58 includes a CPU 58a as a calculation means, a ROM 58b for storing various programs, a RAM 58c for temporarily storing various data such as calculation data and input / output data, and controls various controls in the inspection control unit 52.

The microcomputer 58 executes various processing programs for executing the inspection while using the stored contents of the determination memory 55 and the like. Further, the microcomputer 58 is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the filling control device 82, which will be described later, and is configured to be capable of outputting, for example, inspection results to the filling control device 82.

Next, the pocket portion forming step executed under the control of the forming control device 81 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the pocket portion forming step, first, the intermediate stop position arrangement step of step S1 is performed. In the intermediate stop position arranging step, the pocket portion molding die 66 is moved upward by moving the slider 65, so that the plug 66a arranged at the initial position moves upward.

Then, when the plug 66a reaches the set intermediate stop position, the movement of the slider 65 is stopped, and the plug 66a is placed at the intermediate stop position. At this time, the tip surface of the plug 66a is set to be separated from the container film 3 by a predetermined distance. This predetermined distance is usually smaller than the depth of the pocket portion 2.

Next, in the sandwiching step of step S2, the upper mold 71 is moved downward so that the container film 3 is sandwiched between the lower mold 61 and the upper mold 71 in the fixed state. At this time, the annular portion of the container film 3 located around the planned molding portion 3a (see FIG. 7), which is the pocket portion 2, is sandwiched between the molds 61 and 71. The intermediate stop position placement step and the pinching step may be performed at the same time, or the pinching step may be performed before the intermediate stop position placement step.

In the subsequent swelling step of step S3, gas is supplied from the gas supply device 76 to the gas supply hole 74 via the gas supply path 75, so that the planned molding portion 3a of the pocket portion 2 in the container film 3 is covered with the gas. Compressed air is blown from the front side (upper side of FIG. 7). Due to the supply of gas, the planned molding portion 3a bulges to the side (lower side in FIG. 7) opposite to the protruding side (upper side in FIG. 7) of the pocket portion 2, and is stretched to become thinner.

Then, the planned molding portion 3a bulges until it is supported by the tip surface of the plug 66a. When the planned molding portion 3a is expanded by supplying gas, the wall thickness of the planned molding portion 3a after expansion is substantially the same as a whole.

The amount of stretching of the container film 3 changes according to the intermediate stop position of the plug 66a, and the wall thickness of the planned molding portion 3a also changes. When the intermediate stop position of the plug 66a is relatively high, the stretched amount of the container film 3 is relatively small, so that the planned molding portion 3a is in a thick state as a whole.

On the other hand, when the intermediate stop position of the plug 66a is relatively low, the stretched amount of the container film 3 is relatively large, so that the planned molding portion 3a is in a thin state as a whole.

In the final molding step of the subsequent step S4, the plug 66a moves upward and is arranged at the protruding position. As a result, the bulging direction of the planned molding portion 3a is reversed, and the pocket portion 2 having a predetermined depth is molded. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a stretching means (stretch molding means) for stretching a part of the container film 3 (scheduled molding portion 3a) to form the pocket portion 2 is configured by the plug 66a, the gas supply device 76, or the like. It will be.

When the container film 3 is deformed by pressing, the portion of the planned molding portion 3a corresponding to the bottom portion 2a is cooled in contact with the plug 66a, so that the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 2a is hardly stretched. Therefore, if the planned molding portion 3a is in a thick state as a whole by making the intermediate stop position relatively high, the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 2a is maintained in a thick state when pressed by the plug 66a, resulting in this. In addition, the side portion 2b of the molded pocket portion 2 is relatively thin.

On the other hand, if the planned molding portion 3a is in a thin state as a whole by making the intermediate stop position relatively low, the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 2a is maintained in a thin state when pressed by the plug 66a, resulting in this. In addition, the side portion 2b of the molded pocket portion 2 is relatively thick.

By adjusting the intermediate stop position of the plug 66a and adjusting the wall thickness of the planned molding portion 3a in this way, the balance of the wall thicknesses of the bottom portion 2a and the side portion 2b in the pocket portion 2 finally molded is adjusted. It becomes possible to do.

After the final molding step, the pocket portion molding step is completed by arranging the plug 66a at the initial position and releasing the holding of the container film 3 by both molds 61 and 71.

Next, the filling control device 82 will be described. The filling control device 82 is for controlling the filling of the tablet 5 by the tablet filling device 22, and is composed of a computer system including a CPU, a RAM, and the like. The filling control device 82 constitutes the filling control means in the present embodiment.

In particular, the filling control device 82 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to switch and control whether or not to fill the predetermined pocket portion 2 with the tablet 5 based on the inspection result by the pocket portion inspection device 21.

Specifically, when the filling control device 82 receives an inspection result regarding a predetermined PTP sheet 1 (molded state of 10 pocket portions 2) from the pocket portion inspection device 21, and the inspection result is a non-defective product determination result. Controls the tablet filling device 22 so as to fill all 10 pockets 2 contained in the PTP sheet 1 with the tablet 5.

On the other hand, when the inspection result for the predetermined PTP sheet 1 is a defect determination result, the tablet filling device 22 is controlled so that the tablet 5 is not filled in all 10 pocket portions 2 included in the PTP sheet 1. .. At the same time, a defective product signal is output to the defective sheet discharging mechanism 40. As a result, the defective sheet discharging mechanism 40 discharges the PTP sheet 1 (defective sheet) related to the defective product signal.

Next, the flow of the pocket portion inspection performed by the pocket portion inspection device 21 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The inspection routine related to the pocket portion inspection shown in FIG. 9 is a process performed for each inspection range corresponding to the range punched into a rectangular sheet as one PTP sheet 1 to be a product. That is, the pocket portion inspection shown in FIG. 9 is performed for each of the two inspection ranges at each interval at which the transportation of the container film 3 is temporarily stopped. The details will be described below.

Once the predetermined range of the container film 3 molded in the pocket portion 2 by the pocket portion forming device 16 is temporarily stopped in the pocket portion inspection device 21, the inspection control unit 52 first receives ultraviolet rays from the lighting device 50 with respect to the predetermined range of the container film 3. The irradiation process (irradiation step) for irradiating (ultraviolet light) is executed, and the imaging process (imaging step) by the camera 51 is executed.

Then, when the transparent image data of the container film 3 is taken into the image memory 53, the inspection control unit 52 first executes the inspection image acquisition process (step S11).

Specifically, based on the transparent image data of the container film 3 taken into the image memory 53, the inspection range corresponding to one PTP sheet 1 (including 10 pocket portions 2) is used by using the inspection frame. The image data related to (range) is acquired as an inspection image.

In the present embodiment, the position where the range corresponding to each PTP sheet 1 on the container film 3 stops is constant with respect to the imaging range of the camera 51, and the setting position of the inspection frame is a position relative to the camera 51. It is predetermined by the relationship. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the set position of the inspection frame is not adjusted each time according to the image data, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the image data is used in consideration of the occurrence of misalignment and the like. The setting position of the inspection frame may be appropriately adjusted based on the obtained information.

Further, the inspection image may be subjected to various processing processes. For example, since there is a technical limit to uniformly irradiating the entire imaging range with electromagnetic waves from the lighting device 50, a shading correction may be performed to correct variations in electromagnetic wave intensity (luminance) caused by differences in position. ..

When the inspection image is acquired, the inspection control unit 52 executes mask processing in the following step S12.

Specifically, the pocket frame W (see FIG. 10) is set according to the position of the ten pocket portions 2 on the inspection image acquired in step S11, and the pocket area specified by the pocket frame W is set. A process of applying the mask M to a region other than the region, that is, a region corresponding to the flat film portion 3b is performed.

In the present embodiment, the setting position of the pocket frame W is predetermined by the relative positional relationship with the inspection frame. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the set position of the pocket frame W is not adjusted each time according to the inspection image, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is obtained from the inspection image in consideration of the occurrence of misalignment and the like. The setting position of the pocket frame W may be appropriately adjusted based on the information obtained.

Next, in step S13, the inspection control unit 52 sets the value of the pocket non-defective product flag of all the pocket units 2 to “0”.

The "pocket good product flag" is for indicating the quality determination result of the corresponding pocket portion 2, and is set in the calculation result storage device 54. Then, when the predetermined pocket portion 2 is determined to be a non-defective product, "1" is set in the value of the corresponding pocket non-defective product flag.

In the following step S14, the inspection control unit 52 sets the initial value “1” to the value C of the pocket number counter set in the calculation result storage device 54.

The "pocket number" is a serial number set corresponding to each of the 10 pocket portions 2 in one inspection range, and is based on the value C of the pocket number counter (hereinafter, simply referred to as "pocket number C"). The position of the pocket portion 2 can be specified.

Then, in step S15, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the pocket number C is equal to or less than the number of pockets N (“10” in this embodiment) per inspection range (per one PTP sheet). To do.

If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S16, and the inspection control unit 52 executes a shading pattern extraction process (shading pattern extraction step) for extracting the shading pattern related to the pocket portion 2 of the current pocket number C. .. The function of executing such a process mainly constitutes the shading pattern extraction means in the present embodiment.

Specifically, in the inspection image (masking image data) masked in step S12, the shade image in the pocket frame W related to the pocket portion 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C (for example, C = 1) is displayed. It is extracted as a shade pattern K1 (see FIG. 10) generated in the pocket portion 2.

That is, the shading pattern K1 is two-dimensional image information having luminance information (for example, a value of any of 256 gradations from 0 to 255) for each pixel, such as the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2. An image showing a two-dimensional distribution of light and shade generated at the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2 from the relationship between the difference in wall thickness (thickness distribution) at each position (coordinate position) and the transmittance of electromagnetic waves transmitted therethrough. It corresponds to the intensity distribution image of transmitted electromagnetic waves).

In the present embodiment, the pocket frame W is set according to the opening peripheral edge portion (the connecting portion between the side portion 2b and the film flat portion 3b) of the pocket portion 2, and thus is acquired in this step S16. The shading pattern K1 includes not only the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2, but also the side portion 2b of the pocket portion 2 and the shading pattern relating to the corner portion 2c of the pocket portion 2 where the bottom portion 2a and the side portion 2b intersect. Become.

Further, with respect to the range corresponding to the bottom portion 2a of the shade pattern K1, a shade pattern having a shade distribution (luminance distribution) substantially corresponding to the wall thickness distribution of the bottom portion 2a can be obtained. On the other hand, regarding the range corresponding to the side portion 2b and the corner portion 2c, the luminance information does not correspond to the electromagnetic wave transmitted along the wall thickness direction (X direction or Y direction) of the side portion 2b or the like. Since it corresponds to the electromagnetic wave transmitted along the stretching direction (Z direction) during molding, it has little relation to the wall thickness of the side portion 2b and the like.

In the following step S17, the inspection control unit 52 performs a binarization process on the shade pattern K1 extracted in step S16 based on a predetermined luminance threshold value L (see FIG. 11). FIG. 11 is a graph showing the luminance values of each pixel along the AA'line of the shade pattern K1 shown in FIG.

Specifically, among the pixels constituting the shade pattern K1, the pixel having the brightness equal to or higher than the luminance threshold L is defined as “1 (bright portion)”, and the pixel having the luminance less than the luminance threshold L is referred to as “0 (dark portion)”. Convert as.

As a result, in the present embodiment, among the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2, the thin-walled portion having a thin wall thickness and high transmittance appears as “1 (bright portion)”, and the wall thickness is thick and the transmittance is low. A binary pattern K2 as shown in FIG. 12 in which the meat portion appears as “0 (dark portion)” is obtained. The binary pattern K2 is stored in the image memory 53 as binarized image data obtained by binarizing the shading pattern K1.

That is, the binary pattern K2 is two-dimensional image information having light / dark binary information for each pixel, and shows a two-dimensional distribution of light / dark binary based on the wall thickness distribution at the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2. It corresponds to an image (binary distribution image).

In the following step S18, the inspection control unit 52 executes the mass processing. Specifically, the connected components are specified for "0 (dark part)" and "1 (bright part)" in the binary pattern K2 acquired in step S17.

As a result, in the binary pattern K2 when the pocket portion 2 is a good product, as shown in FIG. 12, it is composed of a "0 (dark portion)" connecting component located near the center of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2. A substantially circular central dark region E1 and a substantially annular bright region E2 composed of a connecting component of "1 (bright)" located so as to surround the central dark region E1 and a "1 (bright)" connecting component located so as to surround the outer region. A substantially annular outer dark portion region E3 composed of a “0 (dark portion)” connecting component is obtained.

Here, the central dark region E1 corresponds to the thick region in the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2, the bright region E2 corresponds to the thin region in the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2, and the outer dark region E3 corresponds to the side portion of the pocket portion 2. It corresponds to 2b and the corner 2c. Therefore, the bright region E2 corresponds to the bright pattern (bright distribution image) in the present embodiment, and the central dark region E1 and the outer dark region E3 correspond to the dark pattern (dark distribution image).

In the following step S19, in the inspection control unit 52, the position of the inner boundary portion R1 of the bright region E2, which is the boundary between the central dark region E1 and the bright region E2, satisfies a predetermined determination criterion set in advance. Whether or not (whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range) is determined. The determination criteria are acquired in advance by the teaching mode described later, and are set and stored in the determination memory 55.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, each point (each coordinate position) in the entire circumferential direction of the inner boundary portion R1 is the outer region in the pocket radial direction (the side farther from the pocket center position) than the inner boundary minimum value R1min. It is determined whether or not the pocket is located in the inner region in the pocket radial direction (the side closer to the pocket center position) than the inner boundary maximum value R1max. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S20, and if a negative determination is made, the pocket portion 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C is regarded as a defective product, and the process proceeds to step S22 as it is.

In step S20, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the position of the outer boundary portion R2 of the bright portion region E2, which is the boundary portion between the bright region region E2 and the outer dark portion E3, satisfies a predetermined determination criterion set in advance. (Whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range) is determined. Similar to the above, such a determination criterion is acquired in advance by the teaching mode described later, and is set and stored in the determination memory 55.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, each point (each coordinate position) in the entire circumferential direction of the outer boundary portion R2 is the outer region in the pocket radial direction (the side farther from the pocket center position) than the outer boundary minimum value R2min. It is determined whether or not the pocket is located in the inner region in the pocket radial direction (the side closer to the pocket center position) than the outer boundary maximum value R2max. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step S21, and if a negative determination is made, the pocket portion 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C is regarded as a defective product, and the process proceeds to step S22 as it is.

In step S21, the inspection control unit 52 considers that the pocket unit 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C is a non-defective product, sets the value of the pocket non-defective product flag corresponding to the pocket number C to "1", and steps S22. Move to.

That is, in the present embodiment, the position of the inner boundary portion R1 (the boundary portion between the central dark portion region E1 and the bright portion region E2) of the bright portion region E2 is changed from the determination criterion to the inner region in the pocket radial direction and the outer region in the pocket radial direction. The position of the outer boundary portion R2 (the boundary portion between the bright portion region E2 and the outer dark portion E3) of the bright portion region E2 does not protrude from the judgment standard to the pocket radial inner region and the pocket radial outer region. If the central dark region E1 and the bright region E2 are molded in an appropriate two-dimensional shape at the bottom 2a without protruding, it is determined that the molding state (thickness distribution state) of the bottom 2a is appropriate. At the same time, it can be estimated that the molding state (thickness distribution state) of the side portion 2b and the corner portion 2c is also appropriate, and thus it is determined that the molding state of the pocket portion 2 is appropriate.

Therefore, the pass / fail determination means in the present embodiment is configured by the function of executing the pass / fail determination process (pass / fail determination step) in steps S19 and S20 regarding the molding state of the pocket portion 2.

After that, the inspection control unit 52 adds "1" to the current pocket number C in step S22, and then returns to step S15.

Here, if the newly set pocket number C is still less than or equal to the number of pockets N (“10” in this embodiment), the process proceeds to step S16 again, and the above series of processes is repeatedly executed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the newly set pocket number C exceeds the number of pockets N, it is considered that the quality determination processing for all the pocket portions 2 has been completed, and the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the value of the pocket non-defective product flag of all the pocket units 2 within the inspection range is “1”. Thereby, it is determined whether the PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the inspection range is a non-defective product or a defective product.

If an affirmative determination is made here, that is, if all the pocket portions 2 within the inspection range are "non-defective products" and none of the pocket portions 2 that are determined to be "defective products" exist, the inspection range is in step S24. The PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the above is determined to be a “non-defective product”, and this inspection routine is terminated.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S23, that is, if even one pocket portion 2 that is determined to be a "defective product" exists in the inspection range, the PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the inspection range is displayed in step S25. Judge as "defective product" and end this inspection routine.

In the non-defective product determination process in step S24 and the defective product determination process in step S25, the inspection control unit 52 stores the inspection result regarding the PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the inspection range in the calculation result storage device 54 and fills it. Output to the control device 82.

Next, a teaching mode in which the determination criteria used for the pocket portion inspection are acquired and set in advance will be described.

Specifically, the inner boundary minimum value R1min and the inner boundary maximum value R1max used when determining the quality of the inner boundary portion R1, and the outer boundary minimum value R2min used when determining the quality of the outer boundary portion R2. And the outer boundary maximum value R2max is acquired and set.

In the teaching mode, first, a good-quality container film 3 (a container film 3 in which a good-quality pocket portion 2 is formed) prepared in advance is imaged by a camera 51, and a process similar to the above inspection routine is performed to obtain a good-quality pocket portion 2. The light and shade pattern K1 generated in the above is extracted.

After that, a binarization process is executed on the light and shade pattern K1 of the good product to acquire the binary pattern K2 of the good product, and a lump process is executed on the binary pattern K2 of the good product. The region E1, the bright region E2, and the outer dark region E3 are acquired.

Then, with reference to the center position of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2, the bright portion region E2 is expanded by a predetermined amount, and the inner boundary portion R1 of the expanded bright portion region E2 is set as the inner boundary maximum value R1max and the determination memory. At the same time as setting it to 55, the outer boundary portion R2 of the enlarged bright area E2 is set in the determination memory 55 as the outer boundary maximum value R2max.

Next, the bright region E2 is reduced by a predetermined amount with reference to the center position of the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2, and the inner boundary R1 of the reduced bright region E2 is set as the inner boundary minimum value R1min for determination. In addition to setting the memory 55, the outer boundary portion R2 of the reduced bright area E2 is set in the determination memory 55 as the outer boundary minimum value R2min. As a result, this teaching mode is terminated.

The method for acquiring the determination criteria is not limited to the above configuration, and other methods may be adopted. For example, the determination criteria may be acquired as follows.

First, the bright region E2 is expanded in the pocket radial direction by a predetermined amount with reference to the central portion in the pocket radial direction of the bright region E2, and the inner boundary portion R1 of the expanded bright region E2 is set to the inner boundary minimum value R1min. Is set in the determination memory 55, and the outer boundary portion R2 of the expanded bright area E2 is set in the determination memory 55 as the outer boundary maximum value R2max.

Next, the bright region E2 is contracted in the pocket radial direction by a predetermined amount with reference to the central portion in the pocket radial direction of the bright region E2, and the inner boundary portion R1 of the contracted bright region E2 is set to the inner boundary maximum. The value R1max is set in the determination memory 55, and the outer boundary portion R2 of the contracted bright region E2 is set in the determination memory 55 as the outer boundary minimum value R2min.

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated from the lighting device 50 to the container film 3 at each interval when the transportation of the molded container film 3 of the pocket portion 2 is temporarily stopped. The electromagnetic wave (ultraviolet light) transmitted through the container film 3 is imaged by the camera 51, and the shading pattern K1 generated on the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2 is extracted from the acquired transmitted image data, and this is used as a predetermined determination criterion. By comparing with the above, the quality of the molded state of the pocket portion 2 is determined.

With this configuration, not only the quality judgment regarding the molding state (thickness distribution state) of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 but also the quality judgment regarding the molding state (thickness distribution state) of the side portion 2b and the corner portion 2c of the pocket portion 2 It is also possible to detect molding defects (thickness defects) of the side portion 2b of the pocket portion 2 with higher accuracy, such as the presence or absence of unevenness in the wall thickness distribution on the side portions 2b of the pocket portion 2. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, since it is possible to grasp the molding state of the entire circumference of the side portion 2b by one imaging of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2, the inspection speed is increased, and the productivity of the blister pack is increased. Can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the translucent container film is inspected by using ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 253 ± 20 nm, which makes the transmittance of the container film 3 approximately 30 ± 10%, as an electromagnetic wave. ing. Since ultraviolet light has a lower transmittance than visible light and is difficult to transmit through the container film 3 having translucency, it is possible to more appropriately inspect the molding state of the pocket portion 2. In addition, the light transmittance of the thin-walled portion and the thick-walled portion of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 is likely to be different, so that the inspection can be performed more appropriately.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the determination criteria used for the pocket portion inspection are determined in advance based on the shade pattern K obtained by imaging the non-defective pocket portion 2 with the camera 51 in the teaching mode. As a result, even when the shape and wall thickness distribution of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 are complicated, the determination criteria can be set relatively easily.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of pocket portion inspection in the present embodiment. Regarding the parts that overlap with the first embodiment described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted by using the same member names and the same reference numerals, and the parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described below. It will be explained as.

Once the predetermined range of the container film 3 molded in the pocket portion 2 by the pocket portion forming device 16 is temporarily stopped in the pocket portion inspection device 21, the inspection control unit 52 first receives ultraviolet rays from the lighting device 50 with respect to the predetermined range of the container film 3. The irradiation process (irradiation step) for irradiating (ultraviolet light) is executed, and the imaging process (imaging step) by the camera 51 is executed.

Then, when the transparent image data of the container film 3 is taken into the image memory 53, the inspection control unit 52 first executes the inspection image acquisition process (step T11). Since this process is the same process as step S11 of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the inspection image is acquired, the inspection control unit 52 executes mask processing in the following step T12. Since this process is the same process as step S12 of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, in step T13, the inspection control unit 52 sets the value of the pocket non-defective product flag of all pocket units 2 to “0”, and in the subsequent step T14, the value of the pocket number counter set in the calculation result storage device 54. Set C to the initial value "1".

Then, in step T15, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the pocket number C is equal to or less than the number of pockets N per inspection range. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to step T16, and the inspection control unit 52 executes a shading pattern extraction process (shading pattern extraction step) for extracting the shading pattern related to the pocket portion 2 of the current pocket number C. .. Since this process is the same process as step S16 of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the following step T17, the inspection control unit 52 executes the defective area identification process. In the present embodiment, first, whether or not the luminance value of each pixel of the shade pattern K1 extracted in step T16 satisfies a predetermined determination criterion set in advance for each pixel (whether or not it is within a predetermined allowable range). ) Is determined, and pixels that deviate from the determination criteria are specified as defective regions.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, whether or not the brightness value of each pixel of the shade pattern K1 is smaller than the brightness upper limit value Hmax related to the pixel and larger than the brightness lower limit value Hmin related to the pixel. Is determined. Such determination criteria (luminance upper limit value Hmax and luminance lower limit value Hmin) are acquired in advance by the teaching mode described later, and are set and stored in the determination memory 55.

In addition, FIG. 15 shows the brightness value H related to each pixel along the AA'line of the shading pattern K1 shown in FIG. 10, and the brightness upper limit value Hmax and the brightness related to each pixel along the AA' line. It is a graph which showed the lower limit value Hmin.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the inspection control unit 52 sets "1 (bright portion)" of the pixels constituting the shading pattern K1 within the determination criteria (brightness upper limit value Hmax and brightness lower limit value Hmin). , And the determination image J in which the pixel specified as the defective region deviating from the determination standard is represented as “0 (dark portion)” is acquired.

In the following step T18, the inspection control unit 52 executes the mass processing. Specifically, each connecting component is specified for "0 (dark part)" and "1 (bright part)" acquired in step T17, and the connecting component of "0 (dark part)" specified as a defective area is specified. The total defective area Px, which is the total value of the area values P of, is acquired.

Then, in step T19, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the total defective area Px calculated in step T18 is equal to or less than the preset determination standard Po. That is, by determining whether or not the total defective area Px is within the permissible range, the quality of the molded state of the pocket portion 2 is determined. Therefore, the pass / fail determination means in the present embodiment is configured by the function of executing the pass / fail determination process (pass / fail determination step) in step T19.

Not limited to this, here, for example, a method of determining whether or not the maximum area of the connected components of "0 (dark area)" specified as a defective area is within the permissible range, or "0 (dark area)". ) ”Is a method of determining the degree of variation (distribution status) of the connected components, or other methods may be used to determine the quality. Of course, regardless of the size, if there is even one defective region, a defective product may be determined.

If it is determined in step T19 that the total defective area Px is equal to or less than the determination criterion Po, the process proceeds to step T20. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made here, the pocket portion 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C is regarded as a defective product, and the process proceeds to step T21 as it is.

In step T20, the inspection control unit 52 considers that the pocket unit 2 corresponding to the current pocket number C is a non-defective product, sets the value of the pocket non-defective product flag corresponding to the pocket number C to "1", and steps T21. Move to.

In step T21, the inspection control unit 52 adds "1" to the current pocket number C, and then returns to step T15.

Here, if the newly set pocket number C is still the number of pockets N or less, the process proceeds to step T16 again, and the above series of processes are repeatedly executed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the newly set pocket number C exceeds the number of pockets N, it is considered that the quality determination processing for all the pocket portions 2 has been completed, and the process proceeds to step T22.

In step T22, the inspection control unit 52 determines whether or not the value of the pocket non-defective product flag of all the pocket units 2 within the inspection range is “1”. Thereby, it is determined whether the PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the inspection range is a non-defective product or a defective product.

If an affirmative determination is made here, that is, if all the pocket portions 2 within the inspection range are "non-defective products" and none of the pocket portions 2 that are determined to be "defective products" exist, the inspection range is in step T23. The PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the above is determined to be a “non-defective product”, and this inspection routine is terminated.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step T22, that is, if there is at least one pocket portion 2 that is determined to be a "defective product" within the inspection range, the PTP sheet 1 corresponding to the inspection range is displayed in step T24. Judge as "defective product" and end this inspection routine.

Next, the teaching mode in this embodiment will be described. Specifically, the brightness upper limit value Hmax and the brightness lower limit value Hmin used when determining the quality of each pixel constituting the shading pattern K1 are acquired and set.

In the teaching mode, a good container film 3 (a container film 3 in which 10 good pockets 2 are formed) prepared in advance is imaged by a camera 51, and 10 pieces are subjected to the same process as the above inspection routine. The light and shade pattern K1 generated in the pocket portion 2 of the good product is extracted.

After that, the average luminance value, which is the average value of the luminance values of each pixel of the 10 non-defective shade patterns K1 for each pixel, is calculated. Subsequently, for each pixel, a value obtained by adding a predetermined offset value α to the average luminance value is set in the determination memory 55 as the luminance upper limit value Hmax. Similarly, for each pixel, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined offset value α from the average luminance value is set in the determination memory 55 as the luminance lower limit value Hmin. As a result, this teaching mode is terminated.

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform a more detailed inspection on the molding state of the pocket portion 2, and it is possible to detect the molding defect of the pocket portion 2 more accurately.

The content is not limited to the description of each of the above embodiments, and may be implemented as follows, for example. Of course, other application examples and modification examples not illustrated below are also possible.

(A) The configuration of the blister pack to be inspected is not limited to each of the above embodiments. For example, in each of the above embodiments, as a blister pack, a PTP sheet 1 containing contents such as tablets 5 is exemplified.

Not limited to this, for example, a peel-open type blister pack (such as a portion pack for storing foodstuffs) that peels off the cover film from the container film to take out the contents, and a blister that stores and transports the contents such as electronic parts. Various blister packs can be inspected, such as packs (carrier tapes, etc.) and blister packs of the type in which the cover film is not attached to the container film and the mount etc. can be attached.

(B) The configuration of the pocket portion, such as the shape, size, depth, number, and arrangement of the pocket portion in the container film, is not limited to each of the above embodiments, and depends on the type, shape, and use of the contents. Can be selected as appropriate. For example, the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 may have a substantially triangular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially quadrangular shape, a substantially rhombic shape, or the like in a plan view.

More specifically, for example, the blister pack 100 as shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b) can be the inspection target. The blister pack 100 has a pocket portion 101. The pocket portion 101 is composed of a rectangular bottom portion 101a in a plan view and a rectangular frame-shaped side portion 101b connected to the periphery of the bottom portion 101a. A plurality of bulging ribs 101c bulging toward the inside of the pocket are formed on the bottom portion 101a of the pocket portion 101.

With respect to such a pocket portion 101, a shading image generated on the bottom portion 101a is extracted (step S16) according to the inspection procedure of the first embodiment, and a binarization process (step S17) and a lump process (step S18) are performed. When this is performed, as shown in FIG. 17 (c), the dark region E11 corresponding to the thick region (bulging rib 101c) and the bright region E12 corresponding to the thin region (bottom 101a general portion) Is obtained.

Then, whether or not the inner boundary portion R11 of the bright region E12, which is the boundary portion between the dark region E11 and the bright region E12, satisfies the predetermined determination criteria (inner boundary minimum value R11min and inner boundary maximum value R11max). By determining whether or not the outer boundary portion R12 of the bright region E12 satisfies the predetermined determination criteria (outer boundary minimum value R12min and outer boundary maximum value R12max), the quality of the molding state of the pocket portion 101 is determined. Judgment can be made.

(C) The material, layer structure, and the like of the container film and the cover film are not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the container film 3 is formed of a colorless and transparent thermoplastic resin material such as PP or PVC, and has translucency.

Not limited to this, for example, the container film 3 may be formed of a colorless translucent resin material, a colored transparent or colored translucent resin material, or an opaque material (opaque resin material, metal material, etc.). Good. Examples of the metal material include those using aluminum as the main material, such as an aluminum laminate film.

The container film 3 formed of the opaque material can be inspected by irradiating the illuminating device 50 with an electromagnetic wave that can transmit the opaque material, such as X-rays, as described later.

(D) The molding method of the pocket portion is not limited to each of the above embodiments. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the pocket portion 2 is molded by the plug-assisted compressed air molding method.

Instead of this, various known molding methods such as a vacuum forming method, a compressed air forming method, and a plug forming method are adopted, in which a part of the flat container film 3 (scheduled part 3a) is partially heated and softened and stretched. can do.

However, when the container film is an aluminum laminated film, it may be peeled off between the bonding layers due to heating and may be torn during molding. Therefore, cold molding without heating in advance is performed. Is suitable. Even in such a case, during pocket molding, for example, the vicinity of the sandwiched portion is likely to be stretched, and the container film is not necessarily stretched uniformly, so that the wall thickness of each portion of the pocket portion may be biased.

(E) The configuration of the irradiation means and the imaging means is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the lighting device 50 is arranged on the protruding side of the pocket portion 2, and the camera 51 is arranged on the opening side of the pocket portion 2, but the positional relationship between the two is reversed. It may be configured.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the lighting device 50 is configured to irradiate electromagnetic waves including ultraviolet light, but the electromagnetic waves emitted from the lighting device 50 depending on the material and color of the container film 3 and the like. The wavelength may be changed as appropriate. Of course, the bandpass filter 51a may be omitted here, and the electromagnetic wave irradiated from the lighting device 50 and transmitted through the container film 3 may be directly incident on the camera 51.

For example, when the container film 3 is made of an opaque material such as aluminum, the lighting device 50 may irradiate X-rays. Further, when the container film 3 is made of a colored translucent material, visible light such as white light may be irradiated from the lighting device 50.

(F) In each of the above embodiments, ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 253 ± 20 nm having a transmittance of about 30 ± 10% of the container film 3 is used for the inspection, but electromagnetic waves having a wavelength different from this are used for the inspection. It may be configured to be used for inspection.

However, if the transmittance of the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the container film 3 is too high or too low, there is a possibility that the difference in light transmittance between the thin-walled portion and the thick-walled portion of the bottom portion 2a of the pocket portion 2 is unlikely to occur. It is preferable to use an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength such that the transmittance of the container film 3 is 15% or more and 60% or less, and more preferably an electromagnetic wave having a transmittance of 20% or more and 50% or less.

(G) The quality determination method for the shading pattern generated on the bottom of the pocket portion or the like is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the first embodiment, the pocket portion 2 is formed by determining whether or not the formation range of the bright region E2 or the like is appropriate based on the binary pattern K2 obtained by binarizing the shade pattern K1. It is configured to judge the quality of the condition.

Not limited to this, for example, it is good or bad by performing differential processing or the like on the shading pattern K1, extracting the contour portion such as the bright region E2, and determining whether or not the formation range of the bright region E2 or the like is appropriate. It may be configured to make a determination.

Further, for example, the shading pattern generated on the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2 to be inspected is compared with the shading pattern generated on the bottom 2a of the pocket portion 2 of a good product obtained in advance by a method such as pattern matching, and the degree of matching is determined. It may be configured to perform a pass / fail judgment.

(H) In each of the above embodiments, the determination criteria used for the quality determination are determined based on the shade pattern K1 obtained by photographing the pocket portion 2 of the non-defective product with the camera 51. Not limited to this, the determination criteria may be calculated and set based on the design data of the pocket portion 2 and the like.

(I) In each of the above embodiments, the pocket portion inspection device 21 is arranged in the PTP packaging machine (blister packaging machine) 11 that even fills the contents such as tablets 5. Not limited to this, for example, in a production line in which the production of the container film 3 and the packaging of the contents are performed separately, the production device of the container film 3 may be provided with the pocket portion inspection device 21. Further, a configuration may be provided in which an inspection device for inspecting the molded container film 3 of the pocket portion 2 is provided offline separately from the device for manufacturing the container film 3.

1 ... PTP sheet, 2 ... pocket part, 2a ... bottom part, 2b ... side part, 2c ... corner part, 3 ... container film, 4 ... cover film, 5 ... tablet, 11 ... PTP packaging machine, 15 ... heating device, 16 ... Pocket molding device, 21 ... Pocket inspection device, 50 ... Lighting device, 51 ... Camera, 52 ... Inspection control unit, 53 ... Image memory, 54 ... Calculation result storage device, 55 ... Judgment memory, C ... Pocket number , E1 ... central dark area, E2 ... bright area, E3 ... outer dark area, L ... brightness threshold, K1 ... shade pattern, K2 ... binary pattern, R1 ... inner boundary, R1min ... inner boundary minimum, R1max ... Inner boundary maximum value, R2 ... outer boundary, R2min ... outer boundary minimum value, R2max ... outer boundary maximum value, W ... pocket frame.

Claims (10)

An inspection device for inspecting the molding condition of the pocket of a blister pack.
An irradiation means capable of irradiating a container film on which the pocket portion is formed with a predetermined electromagnetic wave,
An imaging means provided on the side opposite to the irradiation means via the container film and capable of capturing at least the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the bottom of the pocket portion and acquiring image data.
Based on the image data acquired by the imaging means, a shade pattern extraction means capable of extracting a shade pattern generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by irradiation with the electromagnetic wave, and a shade pattern extraction means.
By comparing the shading pattern extracted by the shading pattern extracting means with a predetermined determination standard set in advance, it is provided with a pass / fail determining means capable of performing a pass / fail judgment regarding at least the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion. An inspection device characterized by the fact that. The pass / fail determination means
After binarizing the shading pattern with a predetermined threshold value, among the binary patterns obtained by this, the bright part pattern which is a connecting component of the bright part which is equal to or more than the threshold value or the dark part which is less than the threshold value is connected. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the quality determination is executed by comparing the dark portion pattern, which is a component, with a predetermined determination criterion. The pass / fail determination means
The inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the quality determination is performed by determining whether or not the position of the boundary portion of the bright portion pattern or the dark portion pattern satisfies a predetermined determination criterion. The pass / fail determination means
After determining whether or not the brightness of each pixel constituting the shading pattern satisfies a predetermined determination criterion and grasping the pixel that does not satisfy the determination criterion as a defective region, the defective region determines a predetermined determination criterion. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the quality determination is performed by determining whether or not the condition is satisfied. The container film is made of a translucent resin film material.
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the irradiation means is configured to be capable of irradiating ultraviolet light as the electromagnetic wave. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electromagnetic wave includes an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength such that the transmittance of the container film is 15% or more and 60% or less. The criterion is
The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inspection apparatus is determined based on the shading pattern obtained by imaging a non-defective pocket portion with the imaging means. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pocket portion is thermoformed into the flat container film. A blister packaging machine provided with the inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A method for manufacturing a blister pack, wherein a predetermined content is housed in a pocket portion formed into a container film, and a cover film is attached so as to close the pocket portion.
A pocket portion molding step of molding the pocket portion on the container film conveyed in a strip shape,
A filling step of filling the pocket with the contents,
An attachment step of attaching the band-shaped cover film to the container film in which the pocket portion is filled with the contents so as to close the pocket portion.
A cutting step of separating the blister pack from the strip-shaped body to which the cover film is attached to the container film, and
It is provided with an inspection process for inspecting the molding state of the pocket portion of the blister pack.
In the inspection process
An irradiation step of irradiating a container film on which the pocket portion is formed with a predetermined electromagnetic wave, and
An imaging step of capturing at least the electromagnetic wave transmitted through the bottom of the pocket portion and acquiring image data,
Based on the image data acquired by the imaging, the shade pattern extraction step of extracting the shade pattern generated at the bottom of the pocket portion by the irradiation of the electromagnetic wave, and the shade pattern extraction step.
The blister is characterized by comprising a quality determination step of at least determining the quality of the molding state of the side portion of the pocket portion by comparing the extracted shade pattern with a predetermined determination standard set in advance. How to make a pack.

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