阅读说明：本技术 检查机器 (Inspection machine ) 是由 马西莫·博纳蒂 埃米迪奥·佐泽拉 于 2018-02-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于容器(2)及容器的内容物的自动检查机器(1)包括容器(2)的串行水平输送线,容器(2)以穿过至少一个检查工位(3)的垂直轴线(2a)定向,该至少一个检查工位(3)包括容器(2)的照明装置、用于获取受照容器(2)的图像的至少一个电视摄像机(24),照明装置包括第一照明设备、第二照明设备以及至少第三照明设备(21,22,23)。(An automatic inspection machine (1) for containers (2) and their contents comprises a serial horizontal conveyor line of containers (2), the containers (2) being oriented with a vertical axis (2a) passing through at least one inspection station (3), the at least one inspection station (3) comprising an illumination device of the containers (2), at least one television camera (24) for acquiring images of the illuminated containers (2), the illumination device comprising a first, a second and at least a third illumination device (21, 22, 23).)

1. An automatic inspection machine (1) for containers (2) and their contents, comprising a serial horizontal conveyor line of containers (2) oriented with a vertical axis (2a) passing through at least one inspection station (3) comprising an illumination device of the containers (2), at least one television camera (24) for acquiring images of the illuminated containers (2), characterized in that said illumination device comprises a first, a second and at least a third illumination device (21, 22, 23).

2. the automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first, second and third lighting devices (21, 22, 23) have projection axes (21a, 22a, 23a) converging on the same transition region (37) of said container (2).

3. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said projection axes (21a, 22a, 23a) converge at different angles on said transition zone (37) of said container (2).

4. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that said first, second and third lighting devices (21, 22, 23) are positioned on opposite sides of said conveyor line so as to illuminate said transition area (37) of said containers (2) from opposite sides.

5. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least said first and second lighting devices (21, 22) have projection axes (21a, 22a) inclined from top to bottom.

6. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said third lighting device (23) has a projection axis (23a) inclined from said bottom to said top.

7. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said third lighting device (23) emits a colored light.

8. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said conveyor line comprises at least one carousel (7) supported in an overhead suspension with a vertical axis of rotation (7 a).

9. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said carousel (7) has a tong (19) rotating about its vertical axis (19 a).

10. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said carousel (7) is actuated in continuous rotation.

11. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said inspection station (3) is mounted on a swinging support (20).

12. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said oscillating support (20) is positioned below said carousel (7).

13. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said oscillating support (20) oscillates about the same rotation axis (7a) as said carousel (7).

14. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to any one of claims 12 and 13, characterized in that said oscillating support (20) has the shape of a plate arranged in a horizontal plane and having first and second arms (20a, 20b) extending at different angles with respect to an oscillation axis of said oscillating support (20), said inspection station (3) being mounted on said first arm (20 a).

15. The automatic inspection machine (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that a further identical or different inspection station (4) is mounted on said second arm (20 b).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic inspection machine for the contents of containers and containers containing pharmaceutical products, food products or products of other nature.

Background

The inspection machines currently known comprise a carousel which conveys the containers through a series of inspection stations formed, in a minimum configuration, by illumination means which project light onto the containers and by television cameras which acquire images of the containers.

With a tailored software program, the inspection machine can automatically reject the container from the pipeline once it is determined that it is not satisfactory.

In the case of containers made of glass, the most common defects to be detected relate to the presence of dark spots, bubbles, scratches or cracks therein, as well as the presence of damaged or missing parts in the counter-top.

Clearly, it is also necessary to distinguish between any different type of defect in the product within the container.

In the case of solutions, the problem is particularly related to the mobile, insoluble foreign particles which may originate from the environment or from the process.

In the particular case of freeze-dried products ("freeze-drying"), inspection mainly involves visually identifying foreign objects on the surface of the product capsule, which generally appear as dark dots or stains.

However, the morphology of the capsule of the freeze-dried product itself has various waves which form various shades, which makes it impossible to distinguish the shade itself from any foreign bodies with a dark colour.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical task underlying the present invention is therefore to provide an automatic inspection machine which eliminates the above-mentioned technical drawbacks of the prior art.

Within the scope of the present technical task, one purpose of the present invention is to achieve an automatic inspection machine that is able to distinguish efficiently and effectively defects, in particular, but not exclusively, in the freeze-dried product contained in a glass container.

The technical task, as well as these and other objects, according to the present invention, are achieved by realising an automatic inspection machine for containers and their contents comprising a serial horizontal conveyor line of containers, oriented with a vertical axis passing through at least one inspection station comprising an illumination device of the containers, at least one television camera for acquiring images of the illuminated containers, characterised in that the illumination device comprises a first illumination device, a second illumination device and at least a third illumination device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first, second and third illumination devices have projection axes which converge on the same transition region of the container.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the projection axes converge at different angles over the transition region of the container.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first, second and third lighting devices are positioned on opposite sides of the conveyor line so as to illuminate the transition area of the containers from opposite sides.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least the first lighting device and the second lighting device have a projection axis which is inclined from top to bottom.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the third lighting device emits colored light.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the third lighting device has a projection axis which is inclined from bottom to top.

An inspection station configured in this way is particularly suitable for inspecting the upper surface of a capsule of freeze-dried product contained in a glass container, since it provides an effective and efficient solution for obtaining images of suitable quality for computerized analysis thereof without causing false positives.

The solution with colored lighting further contributes to the creation of a contrast that maximizes the presence of foreign bodies, thus eliminating the shadow zone.

Other features of the invention are further defined in the other dependent claims.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the automatic inspection machine according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of reference and non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of the overall layout of an inspection machine;

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of an area of an inspection machine in which the inspection station of the present invention is provided;

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation view of the inspection station of the present invention; and is

Fig. 4 and 5 show perspective views of the inspection station of the present invention.

Detailed Description

With reference to the above figures, there is shown an automatic inspection machine for containers and their contents, indicated as a whole with the reference numeral 1.

The illustrated inspection machine 1 is specially configured for inspecting lidded glass containers 2 containing pharmaceutical, food or other types of freeze-dried products.

Of course, the field of application of the inspection machine can also be extended to other types of containers and products contained therein.

The inspection machine 1 has a serial conveyor line of containers 2 which pass through a series of inspection stations 3, 4, 5 and 6.

In detail, the first station 3 is configured for inspecting from above the containers 2 and the upper surface of the capsules of freeze-dried product contained therein, the second station 4 is configured for inspecting the containers 2 and the capsules of freeze-dried product, the third station 5 is configured for inspecting from below the containers 2 and the capsules of freeze-dried product, and the fourth station 6 is configured for inspecting the caps of the containers 2.

The conveyor line comprises an inlet section 9, an outlet section 10 conforming to the containers 2, an outlet section 11 not conforming to the containers 2, and a series of rotating carousels 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15.

The first rotary carousel 7 is dedicated to the first inspection station 3 and, in a particular case, though not necessarily, to the second and third inspection stations 4 and 5.

The second rotary carousel 8 is dedicated to the fourth inspection station 6.

A rotating relay carousel 12 is interposed between the first rotating carousel 7 and the second rotating carousel 8.

A rotating relay carousel 13 is interposed between the second rotating carousel 8 and the outlet section 10 of the conforming containers 2.

The rotating relay carousels 14, 15 are interposed between the second rotating carousel 8 and the outlet section 11 of the non-conforming containers.

Of course, the foregoing is only one possible layout from among the various possible layouts of the inspection machine, which may have differently configured conveyor lines and/or a number of different stations not only in number but also in type.

The inspection stations 4, 5 and 6 downstream from the inspection station above 3 may be of known type and will therefore not be discussed in detail.

The conveyor line is configured for horizontal transport through the containers 2 oriented on the vertical axis of the inspection stations 3, 4, 5 and 6.

the rotating carousels 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 are thus arranged in a plane and rotate about respective vertical axes.

Reference is now made to the top inspection station 3 and the section of the conveyor line dedicated thereto, which comprises the first carousel 7.

The carousel 7, in the form of a circular disc, is supported in an overhead suspension by horizontal shelves 18 of a frame 16 having telescopic vertical support posts 17 of the shelves 18 positioned radially outside the outer part of the peripheral circumference of the carousel 7.

The carousel 7 has a series of tongs 19 distributed along its periphery.

the tong 19 is supported rotatably about its vertical axis 19 a.

A special actuator (not shown) of known type is interlocked with the rotation movement and the opening/closing movement of the tongs 19.

The telescopic column 17 is adjustable for keeping the bottom of the containers 2 at a fixed reference height according to the different heights of a batch of containers 2 each time it is loaded into the machine.

The conveyor line is actuated with a continuous movement by a special motorization (not shown).

Inspection station 3 is mounted on a swinging support 20.

The oscillating support 20 is positioned below the carousel 7.

The oscillating support 20 oscillates about the same axis of rotation 7a as the carousel 7.

The swing support 20 has the shape of a plate arranged in a horizontal plane and having first and second arms 20a, 20b extending at different angles with respect to the swing axis 7a of the swing support 20.

The top inspection station 3 is mounted on a first arm 20a of the oscillating support 20.

The side inspection station 4 is mounted on the second arm 20b of the oscillating support 20.

In a different embodiment of the invention, the conveyor line can have a stepwise movement and the support of the inspection station 3 can be a fixed support, which can have a different configuration and is exclusively dedicated to the support of the top inspection station 3 or of another inspection station.

The top inspection station 3 comprises illumination means 21, 22, 23 of the containers 2 and one or more television cameras 24 for acquiring images of the illuminated containers 2.

The lighting arrangement advantageously comprises at least a first lighting device 21, a second lighting device 22 and a third lighting device 23.

The lighting devices 21, 22, 23 preferably emit stroboscopic light.

The support 20 provides a special adjustment of the linear and angular position of the lighting devices 21, 22 and 23 and the television camera 24.

In particular, the adjustment means for the first lighting device 21, the second lighting device 22 and the television camera 24 comprise vertical guides 25, 26, 27 provided on brackets 28, 29 extending orthogonally above the support 20.

Horizontal shafts 30, 31, 32, which can rotate about themselves, are slidably constrained to the vertical guides 25, 26, 27 and support the first lighting device 21, the second lighting device 22 and the television camera 24, respectively.

In particular the horizontal shafts 30, 31, 32 are bolted to the brackets 28, 29 so that the angular and linear position of the lighting devices 21 and 22 and the television camera 24 can be adjusted simply by loosening and retightening the bolts.

The adjustment means for the third lighting device 23 instead comprise an adjustable rest base 35 with respect to the support 20 and a swinging support arm 34 pivoted to the bracket 28.

It is clear that the adjustment means may have a construction which differs from the construction described above by way of example.

The illumination devices 21, 22 and 23 have projection axes 21a, 22a and 23a, respectively, which converge at different angles on the same transition region 37 of the container 2.

The lighting devices 21, 22 and 23 are positioned on opposite sides of the conveyor line so as to illuminate the transition area 37 of the containers 2 from opposite sides.

More precisely, the first lighting device 21 and the second lighting device 22 are positioned on opposite sides of the conveyor line and have projection axes 21a and 22a inclined from top to bottom.

The third lighting device 23 has, in contrast, a projection axis 23a inclined from bottom to top and is positioned on the opposite side of the television camera 24 with respect to the conveyor line.

The third lighting device 23 emits colored light, for example with a colored screen for this purpose.

It has been found that the use of a red colored light is advantageous for inspecting white or light colored lyophilized products.

The feed rate of the conveyor, the oscillation speed and arc of the support 20 and the rotation speed of the hanging jaws 19 are chosen in such a way that the top inspection station 3 follows the containers 2 over the entire time necessary for the containers 2 to be able to perform a 360 ° rotation around themselves.

In the case shown, by way of example only, two television cameras 24 are provided, each dedicated to the inspection of a corresponding container 2.

During the arc of forward oscillation of the support 20, each telecamera 24 views the corresponding container 2, which advances along the conveyor line by performing a rotation of 360 ° around itself, and at the end of the forward oscillation, the support 20 oscillates in the opposite direction, whereupon the telecamera 24 moves the views onto two successive containers 2 in order to start the subsequent inspection operations.

The inspection cycle thus provides a tracking time for the two containers 2, wherein the inspection station moves in the same direction as the two containers 2 being inspected, and a return time, wherein the inspection station moves in the opposite direction in order to position the framing on the two containers to be inspected later.

In order to optimize the occupation of space, the support 20 supports a mirror 36 which reflects downward the light rays 38 directed upward from the transition region 37 and is thus able to position the television camera 24 in a suitable position for acquiring images.

The support 20 also provides special adjustment means of the linear and angular position of the mirror 36, similar to those described above for the lighting devices 21 and 22 and for the type of television camera 24.

The reflector 36 is in particular supported by the same carriage 29 that supports the lighting device 22 and the television camera 24.

Finally, in a known manner, the side inspection station 4 provides a television camera 39 and an illumination device 40 located on the same side of the conveyor line, and a contrast screen 41 located on the opposite side of the conveyor line.

By way of example, a set of possible set-up parameters for a top inspection cycle of a container is set forth below.

The inspection machine as conceived herein is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all falling within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, all the details may be replaced with technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.