Edible Object Marking Alignment via Orientation Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Scoring on tablets makes it difficult to accurately align and inspect markings, as the orientations of scores on rapidly conveyed tablets are not uniform, leading to impaired appearance and distinguishability of markings.
Innovation Solution
An edible object marking apparatus and method that uses detecting and marking inspecting means with adjustable angles to capture and form markings based on orientational and regional data, ensuring accurate alignment and inspection of markings along scores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tablets are conveyed rapidly in large amounts, then productivity is improved, but the orientations of scores become non-uniform making accurate marking alignment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The detecting means captures image data of the score orientation on each tablet before the marking process. This preliminary detection allows the system to know the score orientation in advance, so when the tablet reaches the marking position, the marking can be accurately aligned with the score despite the high conveyance speed and varying orientations.
2Measurement precision
If the angle between irradiating direction and imaging direction is increased in detecting means, then score orientation detection is improved, but marking pattern clarity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses different irradiation angles for different purposes: a larger angle for the detecting means to optimize score orientation detection, and a smaller angle for the marking inspecting means to optimize marking pattern clarity. Each means is locally optimized for its specific function.
3Manufacturing precision
If marking is performed along the score on scored tablets, then appearance and distinguishability are improved, but inspection difficulty increases due to non-uniform score orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the score orientation data detected by the detecting means as feedback to control the marking means. The marking position and orientation are adjusted based on the detected score orientation, ensuring accurate alignment. This feedback mechanism also simplifies inspection by providing a reference framework for evaluating marking accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is an edible object marking apparatus (1) wherein a carrier means (20) successively conveys an edible object to a detecting means (210), a marking means (220), and a marking inspecting means (230) while holding the edible object, wherein the detecting means (210) captures an image of the edible object to acquire orientational data indicating the orientation of the edible object, the marking means (220) forms a pre-set marking pattern in accordance with the orientation of the edible object based on the orientational data, and the marking inspecting means (230) captures an image of the edible object, extracts marking pattern data, compares the marking pattern data with pre-set reference pattern data based on the orientational data acquired by the detecting means (210) to thereby inspect marking accuracy. This edible object marking apparatus makes it possible to promptly and easily obtain edible objects provided with an accurate marking.