Package inspection device and package inspection method

Abstract

To provide an inspection device for a package product, capable of detecting the sealing failure of a package product with high accuracy by suppressing the temperature change of a conveyance belt or by changing the surface temperature of the package product uniformly.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 for detecting the sealing failure of a package product 200 with an opening of a container sealed includes a conveyance unit 10 having a conveyance surface 10a and configured to convey the package product 200 mounted on the conveyance surface 10a, a blowing unit 20 that changes the temperature of the package product 200 by supplying temperature-conditioned air to the package product 200 conveyed by the conveyance unit 10 with the temperature-conditioned air blown in parallel to the conveyance unit 10a, and a detection unit 30 that detects the distribution of the surface temperature of the package product 200 with the temperature changed by the supply of the temperature-conditioned air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device and a method for inspecting a packaged product in which the opening of a container is sealed, and more particularly to an inspection device and a method for inspecting a packaged product for inspecting a container for defective sealing. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology for inspecting defective sealing of a packaged product in which the opening of a container that contains contents is sealed is disclosed in the following Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which, in the process of transporting a packaged product having a container body and a lid that seals the opening of the container body, heat is applied to change the temperature of the lid of the packaged product, an infrared camera is used to take a thermographic image showing the distribution of the surface temperature of the lid, and defects in the container body, lid, and seal are detected based on this image. Patent Document 1 also describes that a heat application device that causes a temperature change in the lid of the packaged product is disposed opposite the transport surface of a transport belt that transports the packaged product, and heat is applied to the lid of the packaged product by radiative heat transfer or convective heat transfer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-041840 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as mentioned above, simply heating the conveyor belt with a heat applying device disposed opposite the conveying surface of the conveyor belt causes the conveyor belt to heat up due to radiation or convection heat transfer, which causes a problem that the temperature difference between the packaged product and the conveying surface in the background cannot be ensured. If the temperature difference cannot be ensured, it becomes difficult to distinguish the packaged product from the background. As a countermeasure, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes providing a blower as a means for adjusting the temperature of the conveyor belt, and further separating the conveyor belt facing the heat applying device from the conveyor belt facing the infrared camera, but it is necessary to install a blower and separate the conveyor belt.

[0005] Furthermore, when heating is performed by a heat application device disposed opposite the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, temperature unevenness occurs in the packaged product, and this temperature unevenness is reflected in the thermographic image, which can reduce the accuracy of detecting defective sealing parts. In particular, when heating by radiation heat transfer, temperature unevenness can occur due to differences in heat absorption caused by the printing color and material printed on the surface to which heat is applied. Even when heating by convection heat transfer, uneven heating and cooling can occur due to air currents caused by the movement of the packaged product to be inspected, which can cause temperature unevenness.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a packaged product inspection device and a packaged product inspection method that are capable of detecting defective sealing of packaged products with high accuracy by suppressing temperature changes in the conveying belt and by evenly changing the surface temperature of the packaged products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an inspection device that inspects packaged products having sealed openings of containers for defective sealing, the inspection device comprising: a conveying section that has a conveying surface and conveys packaged products placed on the conveying surface, an air blowing section that blows temperature-controlled air parallel to the conveying surface, thereby supplying the temperature-controlled air to the packaged products conveyed by the conveying section to change the temperature of the packaged products, and a detection section that detects the distribution of surface temperatures of the packaged products whose temperatures have been changed by the supply of the temperature-controlled air. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a packaged product inspection device and a packaged product inspection method that are capable of detecting defective sealing of packaged products with high accuracy by suppressing temperature changes in the conveyor belt and by evenly changing the surface temperature of the packaged products. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (part 1) for explaining the configuration of an inspection device for packaged products according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining a configuration of a main part of an inspection device for packaged products according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (part 2) for explaining the configuration of the packaged product inspection device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a packaged product inspection device according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a packaged product inspection device according to another modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 6] 11 is an infrared image for explaining the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 7] 11 is an infrared image of a comparative example of the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a graph showing a distribution of surface temperatures for explaining the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 9]6 is a graph showing a temperature change on a transport surface to explain the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a graph showing a flow velocity distribution of temperature regulated air relative to a height distance from a guide member, for explaining the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 11] 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance from the air outlet and the flow velocity of temperature regulated air for each height distance from the guide member, for illustrating the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the height distance from the guide member and the flow speed of the temperature regulated air for each distance from the air outlet, for illustrating the effect of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a packaged product inspection device and a packaged product inspection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Package inspection equipment> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram (part 1) for explaining the configuration of an inspection apparatus 1 for a packaged product 200 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view for explaining the configuration of a main part of the inspection apparatus 1 for a packaged product 200 according to an embodiment, and is a view of the main part in Fig. 1 seen from above. The inspection apparatus for a packaged product 200 shown in these figures (hereinafter simply referred to as inspection apparatus 1) is an apparatus for detecting sealing defects in the packaged product 200. Before explaining the configuration of the inspection apparatus 1, the configuration of the packaged product 200 to be inspected will be explained below.

[0012] -Package 200 configuration- The packaged product 200 to be inspected by the inspection device 1 is a container containing the content [A] with the opening sealed. An example of such a packaged product 200 is a cup noodle, which is made up of a container body 201 that contains the content [A], such as noodles and a medicine bag, and a lid 202 that closes the opening.

[0013] The container body 201 is cup-shaped with an opening at the top. Examples of the material of the container body 201 include foamed or non-foamed plastics, paper, and the like. The lid 202 is sheet-shaped and provided to cover the opening of the container body 201, and may have a tab 202a (see FIG. 2) for peeling off the lid 202 from the container body 201. The material of such a lid 202 may be plastic or paper, or a cap seal formed by laminating these with aluminum foil, but is not limited to these, and the present invention can be effectively applied to any material that is opaque to visible light and infrared rays.

[0014] The sealing of package 200 having container body 201 and lid 202 is achieved, for example, as shown in the figure, by bonding the periphery of the opening of container body 201 to the periphery of lid 202. The bonding method is appropriately selected from various methods such as thermocompression bonding and ultrasonic vibration depending on the materials of container body 201 and lid 202, and for example, thermocompression bonding is selected when they are made of plastic.

[0015] In the packaged product 200 as described above, a part of the contents [A] may be caught in the adhesive portion 200a between the container body 201 and the lid 202, or a part of the sheet-like lid 202 may be twisted and caught. The part where such a foreign object (here, a part of the lid 202 is also considered as a foreign object) is caught becomes a defective adhesion portion 200x (see FIG. 2) between the container body 201 and the lid 202, and the occurrence of such a catch causes a defective sealing of the packaged product 200. In addition, when a part of the contents [A] (for example, an end of the medicine bag [A1]) is caught in the adhesive portion 200a between the container body 201 and the lid 202 and an adhesive process is performed, a part of the contents [A] is not adhered. For this reason, the contents [A] (for example, the medicine bag [A1]) caught inside the container body 201 may fall due to vibration or the like, which may form a cavity in the adhesive portion 200a between the container body 201 and the lid 202. Furthermore, cavities may also be formed if the condition of the sealing device causes a sealing failure between the container body 201 and the lid 202. These cavities also result in a sealing failure of the packaged product 200.

[0016] The packaged product 200 to be inspected by the inspection device 1 is not limited to one having a container body 201 and a lid 202 as shown in the figure, and can be widely applied to a configuration in which the opening of the container containing the content [A] is sealed. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (part 2) for explaining the configuration of the inspection device 1 for the packaged product 200 according to the embodiment. As shown in this figure, as an example of another configuration of the packaged product 200, a bag-shaped container 203 made of a flexible sheet material such as a candy bag is used. The bag-shaped container 203 is configured such that the opposite edges of the bag-shaped container at the opening edge for containing the content [A] are bonded to each other by thermocompression bonding, ultrasonic vibration, or the like, and the bonding method may be selected appropriately. Even in this case, the sealing failure is caused by the occurrence of foreign matter getting caught in the bonded part or the occurrence of a bonding failure such as non-bonding.

[0017] The inspection device 1 is a device for detecting sealing defects in the packaged product 200 as described above, and includes a conveying section 10, a blowing section 20, and a detection section 30. Next, each of these components will be described in detail in order.

[0018] <Transport unit 10> The conveying section 10 is a device portion for conveying the packaged products 200, and is configured, for example, by a belt conveying device. The conveying section 10 is configured by stretching an endless belt 13 between a driving roller 12 that drives in one direction and a driven roller 11. In this type of conveying section 10, the upper surface of the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt 13 is a conveying surface 10a, and the packaged products 200 placed on this conveying surface 10a are conveyed in the moving direction of the conveying surface 10a. Therefore, the moving direction of the conveying surface 10a is the conveying direction [x1] of the packaged products 200. The conveying section 10 conveys the packaged products 200 with the adhesive portion 200a facing upward.

[0019] The conveying unit 10 may be a combination of multiple belt conveying devices. Furthermore, the conveying unit 10 is not limited to a belt conveying device, and may be, for example, a roller conveying device in which multiple rollers are arranged in the conveying direction [x].

[0020] <Blower section 20> The air blowing unit 20 is a device portion that blows out temperature-controlled air [w] in a predetermined state, the temperature of which is adjusted so as to change the surface temperature of the packaged products 200, to the packaged products 200 transported by the transport unit 10. Such an air blowing unit 20 includes, for example, an air blowing nozzle 21 that blows out the temperature-controlled air [w], a holding member 22, a guide member 23, and an air blowing and collecting unit 24.

[0021] [Blower nozzle 21] The blower nozzle 21 has an outlet 21a for blowing out the temperature-controlled air [w]. The outlet 21a of the blower nozzle 21 is disposed opposite the conveying surface 10a so that the temperature-controlled air [w] is supplied to the entire surface of the packaged product 200, more specifically, the surface (upper surface) facing upward in the packaged product 200 conveyed by the conveying section 10, including the adhesive section 200a.

[0022] As an example, as shown in Figure 2, such an air outlet 21a is arranged on the conveying surface 10a over a widthwise length [y] perpendicular to the conveying direction [x1], and blows out temperature-controlled air [w] over the widthwise length [y] of the conveying surface 10a.

[0023] As an example of the blower nozzle 21 having the above-mentioned air outlet 21a, a configuration in which an adjustment plate 21b is attached to the air outlet 21a is exemplified (see Figs. 1 and 3). The adjustment plate 21b is for controlling the flow velocity and flow velocity distribution of the temperature-controlled air [w] blown out from the air outlet 21a depending on the attachment angle.

[0024] The mounting angle of the adjustment plate 21b is set within a range in which the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out from the blowing port 21a parallel to the conveying surface 10a. Here, "parallel to the conveying surface 10a" refers to a range in which the temperature-controlled air [w] blown out from the blowing nozzle 21 is supplied to the packaged products 200 but is not supplied to the conveying surface 10a, and is not limited to being completely parallel to the conveying surface 10a.

[0025] The adjustment plate 21b narrows the effective opening area of ​​the outlet 21a, thereby increasing the blowing speed of the temperature-controlled air [w]. Therefore, the adjustment plate 21b can make the temperature-controlled air [w] act on the upper surface of the packaged product 200, thereby heating or cooling the upper surface of the packaged product 200.

[0026] In addition, Figures 1 to 3 show a configuration in which an adjustment plate 21b is attached so that temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out in the opposite direction to the conveying direction [x1] of the packaged product 200 by the conveying section 10, toward the upstream direction of the conveying direction [x1] of the packaged product 200.

[0027] However, the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w] is not limited to this. Here, the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w] is the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w] when the conveying surface 10a is viewed from above. The blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w] may be within a range that does not affect the detection by the detection unit 30 described below and can appropriately heat or cool the upper surface of the packaged product. For example, the blowing unit 20 may be disposed at a position rotated within a plane parallel to the conveying surface 10a from the direction toward the upstream side of the conveying direction [x1] of the packaged product 200.

[0028] The temperature-controlled air [w] blown out by the blower nozzle 21 is a gas whose temperature is adjusted to change the temperature of the packaged product 200 to a predetermined state, and is cold air or hot air. Such temperature-controlled air [w] is typically hot air, and heats the packaged product 200. Changing the temperature of the packaged product 200 to a predetermined state means heating or cooling at least the adhesive portion 200a of the packaged product 200 to an extent that the detection unit 30, which will be described next, can detect a "temperature difference" between the adhesive failure portion 200x and other parts of the adhesive portion 200a. The "temperature difference" detected by the detection unit 30 depends on a change in heat capacity caused by the presence of a space due to a foreign object being caught in the adhesive failure portion 200x or a non-adhesive portion.

[0029] [Retaining member 22] The holding member 22 (see Figs. 1 and 3) holds the blowing nozzle 21. The height position of the holding member 22 is adjustable. This allows the height of the outlet 21a of the blowing nozzle 21 relative to the conveying surface 10a, i.e., the blowing height of the temperature-controlled air [w], to be controlled depending on the height position of the holding member 22. The control of the blowing height of the temperature-controlled air [w] by the holding member 22 depends on, for example, the height [h] of the packaged product 200, and the higher the height [h] of the packaged product 200, the higher the height of the outlet 21a of the blowing nozzle 21 relative to the conveying surface 10a is made.

[0030] [Guide member 23] The guide member 23 is for maintaining the controlled flow velocity and flow velocity distribution of the temperature-controlled air [w]. Such a guide member is disposed in the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w] in the blowing section 20, and is installed parallel to the conveying surface 10a of the conveying section 10 at the height position of the upper end of the blowing port 21a of the blowing nozzle 21.

[0031] Here, Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a packaged product inspection device 2 according to a modified example of the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, a guide member 23' provided in an air blowing section 20' is formed by the lower surface of a holding member 22, and the lower surface of the holding member 22 may also serve as the guide member 23'.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a packaged product inspection device 3 according to another modified example of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, guide member 23" provided in blower section 20" may be provided with a mechanism for varying the extension length in the blowing direction of temperature-controlled air [w], i.e., the length in the extension direction along conveying direction [x1] of conveying surface 10a. This makes it possible to change the time during which temperature-controlled air [w] is maintained parallel to conveying surface 10a. In other words, by increasing the length of guide member 23" in the extension direction along conveying surface 10a, the time during which temperature-controlled air [w] is maintained parallel to conveying surface 10a can be increased.

[0033] In addition, the guide member 23" provided in the blower section 20" may be equipped with a mechanism that changes the angle of placement with respect to the conveying surface 10a by moving the distal end in the blowing direction of the warm air [w]. This makes it possible to change the flow speed and flow speed distribution of the warm air [w], and to adjust the heating time and amount of heating of the packaged product 200 to be inspected, thereby controlling the temperature.

[0034] [Air blowing and collecting section 24] 1 and 3, the air blowing and collecting section 24 is for collecting the temperature regulated air [w] blown out from the air blowing nozzle 21 on the downstream side of the guide member 23 in the blowing direction of the temperature regulated air [w] and supplying it to the air blowing nozzle 21 of the air blowing section 20. The air blowing and collecting section 24 has a collection port 24a on the downstream side of the guide member 23 in the blowing direction of the temperature regulated air [w], and has a flow path 24b for returning the temperature regulated air [w] taken in from the collection port 24a to the air blowing nozzle 21. The guide member 23 may be used as a part of the flow path 24b. By providing the air blowing and collecting section 24, it becomes possible to collect and reuse the temperature regulated air [w].

[0035] Since the air blowing and recovery section 24 is not an essential component, it is omitted from illustration in Figures 4 and 5, but the air blowing and recovery section 24 may be installed in the inspection device 2 having the configuration shown in Figure 4 and the inspection device 3 having the configuration shown in Figure 5.

[0036] <Detection unit 30> The detection unit 30 is a device portion that detects the distribution of the surface temperature of the packaged product 200 onto which the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown by the air blowing unit 20. Such a detection unit 30 has an infrared camera 31 arranged downstream of the air blowing unit 20 in the conveying direction [x1] of the packaged product 200 by the conveying unit 10, and an output unit 32 that outputs an image obtained by the infrared camera 31.

[0037] The infrared camera 31 is capable of capturing an infrared image in which the lid 202 of the packaged product 200 being transported by the transport unit 10 falls within the imaging field of view.

[0038] The output unit 32 is, for example, a display device having a recording medium, and outputs an infrared image showing the temperature distribution of the conveying surface 10a and the upper surface of the packaged product 200 placed on the conveying surface 10a based on the image obtained by the infrared camera 31.

[0039] The detection unit 30 may also include an analysis unit that detects defective sealing of the packaged product 200 based on the image obtained by the infrared camera 31. The analysis unit uses an image obtained from a packaged product 200 that has been confirmed to have no defective sealing as a reference image, and judges whether or not the packaged product 200 to be inspected has a defective adhesion location 200x by comparing the reference image with the image obtained by the infrared camera 31. Such an analysis unit is constituted by a calculator such as a microcomputer having a calculation unit.

[0040] <Inspection method for packaged products> Next, a description will be given of a method for inspecting packaged products using the above-described inspection device 1. First, in order to appropriately heat or cool the packaged product 200, the height position of the air blowing nozzle 21 and the mounting angle of the adjustment plate 21b are adjusted in consideration of the height of the packaged product 200 to be inspected. A preliminary inspection may be performed using the height of the air blowing nozzle 21 and the mounting angle of the adjustment plate 21b as factors.

[0041] After the above, the packaged product 200 to be inspected is placed on the conveying surface 10a of the conveying unit 10, and the packaged product 200 is conveyed in the conveying direction [x1] by the conveying unit 10. During the conveying process, the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out parallel to the conveying surface 10a from the blowing port 21a of the blowing nozzle 21 held at a predetermined height, and the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown onto the upper surface of the packaged product 200 while suppressing the blowing of the temperature-controlled air [w] onto the conveying surface 10a. As a result, the packaged product 200 is heated or cooled by convection heat transfer while suppressing the temperature change of the conveying surface 10a, and the surface temperature of the upper surface of the packaged product 200 is changed to a predetermined state. The blowing angle of the temperature-controlled air [w], which is adjusted by the mounting angle of the adjustment plate 21b, is parallel to the conveying surface 10a. Here, "parallel" means a range in which the temperature-controlled air [w] is not supplied to the conveying surface 10a.

[0042] During the conveying process in the conveying direction [x1] by the conveying unit 10, an infrared image of the packaged product 200 after the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown onto it by the blowing unit 20 is captured by the infrared camera 31 of the detection unit 30 and output to the output unit 32. Then, based on this infrared image, a sealing defect of the packaged product 200 is detected as follows.

[0043] That is, the surface temperature of the upper surface of the packaged product 200 onto which the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown varies depending on the heat capacity of each part. Therefore, if there is a poorly bonded part 200x in the adhesive part 200a of the packaged product 200, which has a different heat capacity from other parts due to being pinched or not being bonded, the temperature distribution of the poorly bonded part 200x will be different from other parts. Therefore, if there is a part in the infrared image where the temperature distribution is different in the part corresponding to the adhesive part 200a, it is determined that the part is the poorly bonded part 200x and that a sealing defect has occurred in the packaged product 200.

[0044] In addition, if the detection unit 30 of the inspection device 1 is equipped with an analysis unit, this analysis unit determines whether or not the packaged product 200 to be inspected has a defective adhesion area 200x by, for example, comparing a reference image when no sealing defect occurs with an image obtained by the infrared camera 31, and outputs the result of the determination to the output unit 32.

[0045] Effect of the embodiment In the inspection device 1 and the inspection method according to the embodiment described above, the adjustment plate 21b is provided at the outlet 21a of the blower nozzle 21, so that the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out parallel to the conveying surface 10a along which the packaged product 200 is conveyed. This makes it possible to change the surface temperature of the upper surface of the packaged product 200 to a predetermined state by blowing the temperature-controlled air [w] only onto the packaged product 200 while suppressing temperature changes caused by blowing the temperature-controlled air [w] onto the conveying surface 10a. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain an image with a clear outline of the packaged product 200 to be inspected without making major improvements such as installing a blower or separating the conveying belt, and it becomes possible to detect sealing defects of the packaged product with high accuracy. In addition, this configuration makes it possible to uniformize the supply amount of the temperature-controlled air [w] onto the upper surface of the packaged product 200, which prevents uneven heating or cooling of the packaged product 200 by the blower unit 20, and improves the accuracy of detecting sealing defects of the packaged product 200.

[0046] Fig. 6 is an infrared image for explaining the effect of the embodiment, which is an infrared image obtained by inspecting a packaged product 200 in which a container body 201 is sealed with a lid 202 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 using the inspection device 1 to which the above embodiment is applied. Fig. 7 is an infrared image of a comparative example, which is an infrared image obtained when the embodiment is not applied, the adjustment plate 21b is removed from the inspection device 1, and temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out perpendicularly to the conveying surface 10a of the conveying section 10 for inspection.

[0047] The packaged product 200 used in the inspection has a container body 201 made of foamed plastic, a lid 202 made of a cap seal made of paper and aluminum foil laminated together, and these are bonded together by thermocompression. In addition, there is a cavity between the contents and the lid 202. In the packaged product 200 having such a configuration, the heat capacity of the container body 201 is as large as the cavity and is less susceptible to temperature changes, while the heat capacity of the lid 202 is small and is more susceptible to temperature changes. In addition, the packaged product 200 has a defective adhesion portion 200x at one location of the adhesive portion 200a, where a part of a medicine bag (see FIG. 2), which is one of the contents, is caught. In this inspection, heated hot air was supplied as temperature-adjusted air [w] from the air blower 20 of the inspection device 1.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 6, an infrared image obtained by inspection using the inspection device 1 of this embodiment shows that the lid 202 constituting the top surface of the packaged product 200 is uniformly heated. This infrared image also shows that a defective adhesion portion 200x, which has a different heat capacity from the surroundings due to a part of a medicine bag, which is one of the contents, being pinched in one part of the adhesive portion 200a, is clearly shown as a part heated to a temperature different from the surroundings. As a result, it was confirmed that application of the embodiment makes it easy to detect the defective adhesion portion 200x, and enables highly accurate detection of sealing defects in the packaged product 200.

[0049] 7 obtained by an inspection device and an inspection method to which the embodiment is not applied, the outline of the packaged product 200 to be inspected is unclear due to temperature changes on the conveying surface 10a, and uneven heating occurs on the lid 202 constituting the upper surface of the packaged product 200. This makes it difficult to detect the adhesion defect 200x.

[0050] Fig. 8 is a graph showing the distribution of surface temperature to explain the effect of the embodiment, which is a graph of temperature distribution based on information from an infrared camera. (1) is the temperature distribution of the imaging part by the infrared camera when the embodiment is applied, and shows the temperature at each position AA in Fig. 6. (2) is the temperature distribution of the imaging part by the infrared camera in the case of a comparative example, and shows the temperature at each position AA in Fig. 7.

[0051] From this graph, the temperature distribution on the upper surface of the packaged product 200 is in a range of 0.7° C. when the embodiment (1) is applied, and in the comparative example (2), the temperature difference is in a range of 2.6° C. This shows that by applying the embodiment, the upper surface of the packaged product 200 can be uniformly heated by providing the adjustment plate 21b and blowing out the temperature-controlled air [w] parallel to the conveying surface 10a.

[0052] Moreover, the difference between the average temperature of the upper surface of the packaged product 200 and the average temperature of the lower part of the packaged product 200, which is the conveying surface 10a, is 3.1°C when the embodiment (1) is applied, and 1.2°C when the comparative example (2) is applied. Furthermore, a temperature difference of up to 2.6°C is mixed due to uneven heating or cooling at the contour of the packaged product, making it difficult to distinguish whether it is the contour of the packaged product or the unevenness. As a result, by providing the adjustment plate 21b of the embodiment and blowing the temperature-controlled air [w] parallel to the conveying surface 10a, it becomes difficult for the temperature-controlled air [w] to be supplied to the conveying surface 10a, and the temperature difference between the packaged product 200 to be inspected and the conveying surface 10a can be increased.

[0053] As a result, in an infrared image obtained by applying the inspection device and inspection method of the embodiment, the outline of the packaged product 200 to be inspected becomes clear, and it is found that the defective adhesion portion 200x can be easily detected. In other words, since the outline of the packaged product 200 is clear, it becomes easy to identify the adhesive portion 200a, and it becomes easy to identify the defective adhesion portion 200x occurring in the adhesive portion 200a.

[0054] The effect of suppressing the temperature change on the transport surface 10a can also be seen from the graph in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a graph showing the temperature change on the transport surface 10a (see Figs. 1 to 3) to explain the effect of the embodiment, and is a graph obtained by measuring the change in the surface temperature of the transport surface 10a (see Figs. 1 to 3) without transporting the packaged product 200 to be inspected. (1) is the temperature change on the transport surface 10a when the embodiment is applied, and (2) is the temperature change on the transport surface 10a in the case of the comparative example.

[0055] From the graph of FIG. 9, it can be seen that the temperature of the conveying surface 10a hardly changes even after the inspection time has elapsed when the embodiment (1) is applied, whereas in the comparative example (2), it rises with the inspection time. As a result, it can be seen that by applying the embodiment and providing the adjustment plate 21b to blow out the temperature-controlled air [w] parallel to the conveying surface 10a, the temperature-controlled air [w] is less likely to be supplied to the conveying surface 10a, and the conveying surface 10a can be kept at its initial temperature, and the temperature difference between the packaged product 200 to be inspected and the conveying surface 10a can be kept large even after the inspection time has elapsed. As a result, it was confirmed that the application of this embodiment makes it possible to detect sealing defects of the packaged product 200 stably and with high accuracy for a long period of time. Such an effect can be further ensured by adjusting the height position of the blowing nozzle 21 according to the height of the packaged product 200.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a graph showing the flow velocity distribution of the temperature-controlled air relative to the height distance from the guide member 23 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 3) to explain the effect of the embodiment. The guide member 23 is installed with a length of 105 mm in the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air [w], the blowing speed of the temperature-controlled air [w] is 8.9 m / s, and the blowing temperature of the temperature-controlled air [w] is 80° C. As shown in FIG. 10, when the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown parallel to the conveying surface 10a, it can be seen that the temperature-controlled air [w] flows at a certain flow velocity at a height position close to the guide member 23. In contrast, the flow velocity of the temperature-controlled air [w] is almost zero at a height close to the conveying surface 10a, and it can be seen that the effect of limiting the supply of the temperature-controlled air [w] to the conveying surface 10a is obtained.

[0057] Fig. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance from the air outlet and the flow speed of the temperature-controlled air for each height distance from the guide member to explain the effect of the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, at a position close to the height distance from the guide member, the flow speed of the temperature-controlled air is maintained to a certain extent even if the distance from the air outlet increases, and it is expected that the temperature-controlled air can be supplied for a long period of time. In contrast, at a position far from the height distance from the guide member and close to the conveying surface, the speed of the temperature-controlled air is slow regardless of the distance from the air outlet, and it is found that the effect of limiting the supply of the temperature-controlled air [w] to the conveying surface 10a is obtained.

[0058] Fig. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the height distance from the guide member and the flow speed of the temperature-controlled air for each distance from the air outlet, for explaining the effect of the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 12, the flow speed of the temperature-controlled air is slow at a position far from the guide member and close to the conveying surface, regardless of the distance from the air outlet. This shows that by blowing the temperature-controlled air [w] parallel to the conveying surface 10a, the supply of the temperature-controlled air [w] to the conveying surface 10a is restricted, thereby preventing a temperature change on the conveying surface 10a.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and further includes various modified examples. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a configuration in which an adjustment plate is provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as the temperature-controlled air [w] is blown out parallel to the conveying surface 10a. As an example of this, for example, the blowing nozzle 21 itself may be configured to be installed parallel to the conveying surface 10a. However, if the adjustment plate 21b is provided, the effect of the present application can be obtained simply by attaching an adjustment plate to an existing inspection device that blows temperature-controlled air perpendicular to the conveying surface 10a. Also, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to one having all of the described configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1,2,3...Inspection equipment 10...Transportation section 10a...Transport surface 20, 20', 20"…Blower section 21…Blower nozzle 21a…Air outlet 21b…Adjustment plate 22...Retaining member 23, 23', 23"...Guide member 24…Air blowing and collecting section 30…Detection unit 31…Infrared camera 32...Output section 200…Package 201... Container body (container) 202…Lid (container) 203…Container

Claims

1. An inspection device for inspecting a packaged product having a sealed opening of a container for defective sealing, comprising: a conveying section having a conveying surface and conveying packaged products placed on the conveying surface; a blower that blows temperature-controlled air in a direction parallel to the conveying surface to supply the temperature-controlled air to the packaged products being conveyed by the conveying unit to change the temperature of the packaged products; a detection unit for detecting a distribution of the surface temperature of the packaged product whose temperature has been changed by supplying the temperature-controlled air; Inspection equipment.

2. The air blowing unit blows out the temperature-controlled air in a direction opposite to a conveying direction of the packaged products by the conveying unit.

2. The inspection device according to claim 1.

3. The blower unit includes a blower nozzle having an outlet for blowing out the temperature-controlled air, and an adjustment plate attached to the outlet for controlling the flow rate and flow rate distribution of the temperature-controlled air.

3. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The adjustment plate is installed so as to narrow the outlet of the blower nozzle.

4. The inspection device according to claim 3.

5. Further, a guide member is provided for maintaining the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air blown out from the blower. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The guide member has a mechanism for varying an extension length in a blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air.

6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The guide member includes a mechanism for varying an arrangement angle with respect to the conveying surface by moving a distal end in a blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air.

7. The inspection device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. The air blowing section further includes an air blowing recovery section for recovering the temperature-controlled air from the downstream side of the guide member in the blowing direction of the temperature-controlled air in the air blowing section and supplying the temperature-controlled air to the air blowing section. The inspection device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. The detection unit is an infrared camera for capturing an image of the packaged product; An output unit that outputs an image obtained by the infrared camera. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The detection unit is An analysis unit is provided for detecting sealing defects of the packaged product based on the image obtained by the infrared camera.

10. The inspection apparatus according to claim 9.

11. The air blowing section heats the packaged products with the temperature-controlled air. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The blower section includes: A blower nozzle that blows out the temperature-controlled air; a holding unit that controls the height position of the blower nozzle to vary the blowing height of the temperature-controlled air; The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The package includes a container body having an opening at an upper portion and a lid for sealing the opening of the container body, The detection unit detects a temperature distribution of the lid. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. 1. A method for inspecting a packaged product having a sealed opening for defective sealing, comprising the steps of: a conveying section having a conveying surface conveys the packaged product placed on the conveying surface; a blower unit blows temperature-controlled air in a direction parallel to the conveying surface, thereby supplying the temperature-controlled air to the packaged products being conveyed by the conveying unit and changing the temperature of the packaged products; A detection unit detects a distribution of surface temperatures of the packaged products onto which the temperature-controlled air is blown by the air blowing unit. Testing method.

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