JPS585937Y2 - Liquid height detection device for liquid in container - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a device for easily and accurately detecting the presence or absence of liquid, excess or deficiency, or liquid level in a liquid-filled container such as an unwrapped vial or bottle.

Various apparatuses have been devised for detecting the presence or absence of liquid in a container, and the liquid level.

In particular, in containers containing liquid pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, chemicals, cosmetics, etc. such as ampoules, vials, and bottles, the device for detecting the amount of filling is placed in the tortoise square of the container to detect mff1. It belongs to a technical field that is difficult for various reasons, such as the lack of tools and the speeding up of product production processes.

However, with regard to such a detection device, there are some known improvements to the liquid level check that was conventionally performed only with the naked eye. Judgment is made by using a device that detects the difference in absorption amount or by projecting visible light from the side of the container, and detecting the difference in the amount of transmitted light due to the presence or absence of liquid, or the difference due to the refraction of light that occurs in the liquid or at the meniscus. There are devices, etc.

However, devices that use X-rays are not convenient because they require the use of safety equipment and are complicated to handle.

Furthermore, although there is a clear difference in principle between the above-mentioned devices that use visible light, in practice they make judgments with very subtle differences, and the presence of various types of scattered light and diffusely reflected light can cause measurement results to vary. There was no reproducibility, and the accuracy was not satisfactory.

In other words, when the transmitted light or refracted light passes through the inner wall of the container, a portion of the transmitted light is reflected by the inner wall and is scattered, or if the inner wall of the container is wet. Even if a high-sensitivity detector was used, it would not be possible to measure a difference that was significant enough for practical use, such as the fact that the transmitted light would, in principle, become scattered light.

In addition, all of the above devices have light emitters and receivers facing both sides of the container, and when using a screw conveyor or star foil, which is commonly used as a container transport device, a cask conveyor for ampules, vials, etc. It also has the disadvantage that it is not possible to install light emitters and receivers on both sides of the container, such as when it is smaller than star foil or the liquid level is low.

Although various devices have been considered in the past, there is no practically preferred detection device, especially as production processes become faster and more streamlined. Appearance was requested.

The inventor of the present invention has conducted research to find a detection device that can accurately determine the state of liquid filling in a container that is proceeding at high speed under such technological standards. He discovered a new device and completed it.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that can easily and accurately detect the presence or absence of liquid in a container such as an ampoule, vial, or bottle, as well as the liquid level.

What's more, the feature is that it projects electromagnetic waves from the bottom of the container, receives the electromagnetic waves that are diffusely reflected on the liquid surface in the container, and receives the electromagnetic waves so that only the electromagnetic waves reflected in the permissible direction among the diffusely reflected electromagnetic waves reach the receiver. The point is to limit the direction.

The present invention can be implemented using not only visible light but also various electromagnetic waves such as ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and γ-rays.

However, in order to avoid safety equipment and complexity of handling, electromagnetic waves other than gamma rays and X-rays, particularly in the range of visible light, infrared rays, and ultraviolet rays, are preferable.

Therefore, the device of the present invention has the advantage that it can be applied not only to transparent or translucent containers and liquids, but also to liquid level detection of opaque containers and liquids.

This device shields unnecessary electromagnetic waves from the electromagnetic waves diffusely reflected on the liquid surface through a slit, and directly detects whether or not the necessary electromagnetic waves are received, making it clear whether the liquid is filled properly or not. It is also extremely advantageous industrially that the liquid level can be detected with high precision without the need for a highly sensitive electromagnetic wave detector.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to screw conveyors and star foils that can transport at high speed, and the measurement results are stable and can be detected with high accuracy.

According to the inventor's experiments, the detection device of the present invention was able to detect a liquid with a high accuracy of ±0.5 u or more with respect to a predetermined liquid level in a container.

The device of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show the principle of detection by the device of the present invention, and will be explained using an example of an ampoule.

In FIG. 1, an ampoule 1 is filled with a drug solution 2, and is transported on an ampoule mounting table 4 by a container transport device such as a star wheel screw conveyor.

A small hole 5 is provided directly below the ampoule so as to project electromagnetic waves.

An electromagnetic wave projector is provided below the ampoule so that when the ampoule reaches the detection position, electromagnetic waves are projected upward toward the ampoule through the hole.

Further, at the detection position, a slit 7 is provided next to the ampoule, a partition plate 6 is provided, and a receiver 9 is installed behind the partition plate 6.

When the ampoule 1 and the small hole 5 come to the detection position, the electromagnetic wave 10 from the projector is projected upward through the hole and diffusely reflected on the liquid surface 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the liquid level is appropriate, the electromagnetic waves reflected in the lateral direction reach the receiver 9 through the Surin 7.

The position of the partition plate, the dimensions of the slit, etc. are determined depending on the required accuracy.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the liquid level is too high, the reflected electromagnetic waves 11 are blocked by the partition plate 6 as shown.

Even when the liquid level is too low as shown in FIG. 3, the reflected electromagnetic waves are blocked by the partition plate 6.

When the ampoule is completely empty as shown in Figure 4, there is no total heat reflected by the liquid surface, so no electromagnetic waves reach the receiver.

As explained above, the present invention detects whether or not there is liquid in the container by making only the electromagnetic waves reflected in the horizontal direction from the liquid surface at an appropriate height reach the receiver among the electromagnetic waves diffusely reflected on the liquid surface. , excess and deficiency can be detected easily and accurately.

Figure 5 shows the flow of the detection signal.

■ in Figure 5 are standard pulses, a~e, e~e, e~g
The interval indicates the cycle of one ampoule, and the first 8
-6, 0-6, etc.

The pulse height is indicated by H.

If the liquid level in the ampoule is appropriate and the reflected electromagnetic waves are received as described above, a reception pulse will be generated from the receiver as shown by h in ■. However, if the next ampoule is defective, for example c- No reception pulse is generated for the stealing pulse between s and d.

When a received pulse like hi occurs, a' of ■
The pulse is memorized throughout one ampoule as shown in ~C'.

Therefore, when there is no received pulse, there is no total heat pulse during the -cycle, such as during c/-J in (2).

Therefore, if the ampoule is defective, there will be no emitted or received pulses during the second half of the cycle, such as between 4 and 0 for I and between 1/07 for ■.

In this way, when neither the projection pulse nor the reception pulse exists in the latter half of the cycle, the defect ejection signal DE is generated, and the defective ampoule is ejected as will be described later.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the detection section of the device of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the detection section of the device of the present invention.
This is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in the figure, and the ampoule 1 is gripped by the amplification gripping part 25 of the star wheel 20 and transported toward the detection position.

A guide 21 is provided on the outside of the ampoule to prevent the ampoule from protruding outward.

There is no guide at the detection position, and the electromagnetic wave projector 1 is placed below.
, and the receiver 9 is installed laterally.

On the ampoule side of the receiver, protrusions 26 are provided above and below, and a slit section 27 is formed, and the height and dimensions of the slit are appropriately determined so that the liquid level can be detected with desired accuracy.

After the detection, the ampoule is guided by both the outer guide 22, which is provided again after the detection position, and the extraction guide 23, which is present from behind the detection position, and is taken out from the star foil.

Now the ampoules LA, LB, LC... are star foil 20
When the ampoule is gripped by the gripping part 25 of the ampoule and transported by sliding on the container pedestal 28 to the detection position, the detection cycle of one ampoule starts, and the electromagnetic waves projected from the projector 8 reach the detection position of the pedestal 28. The electromagnetic waves projected through the provided hole 5, diffusely reflected on the liquid surface of the ampoule, and laterally reflected reach the receiver 9 through the slit between the upper and lower protrusions 26 of the receiver 9.

As described in the explanation of the principle in Figures 1- and 4, there is an excess or deficiency in the amount of chemical solution in the ampoule, and the liquid level may be too high or too low. Since the reflected electromagnetic waves are blocked by the slit and do not reach the receiver, no received pulses are generated.

If the ampoule is an acceptable product, one ampoule detection cycle is completed from the position where the receiver is installed to the ejection position described below, and then again from the guide 22 provided on the outside of the star wheel and from behind the ejection position. It is sandwiched between the starting point and the take-out guide 23 provided on the inside, and is taken out from the star wheel to the outside while being guided by both.

If the ampoule is defective, a defect discharge signal will be generated in the latter half of the cycle, as explained with reference to FIG.

As described above, this defect discharge signal occurs in the latter half of the cycle, so the ampoule 1a is at the position Ia' in the figure.

The guide is broken at this position, and it has moved away from the wind receiver position and is in the ejection position.

A take-out guide 23 starts behind this position, and an air blowing nozzle 33 for evacuation is provided there.

A pressure air pipe 32 is connected thereto from a pressure air source 30 via a solenoid valve 31.

If the ampoule 1a is defective, when the ampoule reaches the ejection position 11, a defective ejection signal pulse is generated, the solenoid valve 31 is opened, and pressurized air passes through the pressure air piping 32 and is discharged from the blow-off nozzle 33 as shown in the figure. The defective ampoule is blown out as shown in R in the star wheel and discharged from the star wheel to the outside in the direction of arrow P through the cut 24 of the guides 21 and 22.

Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, an apparatus has been obtained which can simply and accurately detect the liquid level in the container and determine whether the contents are excessive or insufficient.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 4 are explanatory diagrams of the principle of the present invention, Figure 5 is a display of pulse signals for pass/fail judgment, Figure 6 is a plan view of the detection section of the device of the present invention, and Figure 1 is the same as Figure 6. A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. Explanation of symbols: i, Ia, lb, 1c... ampoule, 11... defective ampoule, 2...
・Liquid in ampoule, 3...Liquid level, 4...
・Container mounting stand, 5... Small projection hole, 6...
...Partition plate, 7... Gap, 8... Electromagnetic wave projector, 9... Electromagnetic wave receiver, 10...
...Projected wave, 11.12...Reflected wave, 20...
... Star wheel 21.22 ... Guide, 23 ... Removal guide, 24 ... Guide cut, 25 ... Ampoule gripping part, 26・
...Slit forming part of receiver, 21...
Slit part, 28... Ampoule holder, 30...
... Pressure air source, 31 ... Solenoid valve, 32.
...Pressure air piping, 33...Blowout nozzle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A transport device that grips and transports the container to the transport means 20; a projector 8□ that is provided below the transport device and projects electromagnetic waves from below toward the container through the small hole 5; A liquid level detection device for a liquid in a container, characterized in that it comprises a receiving device 9 which receives only electromagnetic waves coming from a new direction b.