Packaging Weld Inspection via Light Diffusion Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for inspecting heat-sealed packages are inadequate in detecting welding defects such as non-welded portions and insufficient weld width, and fail to accurately determine the quality of welds, which can lead to poor product conservation and appearance issues.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that use a light beam to scan welds, acquiring raw matrix images and analyzing light diffusion to identify welded and non-welded areas, measuring the transverse width of welds along the guide curve to determine their quality, ensuring compliance with a minimum width standard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional intrusion detection methods are used to inspect welds, then contamination presence can be detected, but welding defects such as non-welded portions, insufficient weld width, and bubbles cannot be accurately detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the detection parameter from intrusion presence to light diffusion characteristics. By analyzing how light diffuses through the weld zone versus non-weld zones, the system can detect various defect types including non-welded portions, insufficient weld width, and bubbles, achieving comprehensive weld quality inspection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or contact-based inspection methods with optical detection. A light source illuminates the weld area and a camera captures the light diffusion pattern, substituting physical intrusion detection with optical field analysis to achieve non-contact, multi-defect-type detection
2Measurement precision
If multiple images with different exposure times are acquired and processed, then inspection coverage is improved, but processing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent focuses analysis on specific local characteristics of the weld zone by extracting light diffusion parameters from captured images. Rather than processing entire images with multiple exposures, the system identifies and analyzes the weld zone's light diffusion properties, simplifying processing while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts key light diffusion parameters from the captured images, separating the essential weld quality information from the full image data. This extraction approach reduces processing complexity by focusing only on the relevant diffusion characteristics rather than analyzing complete multi-exposure image sequences
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Accurately detects welded and non-welded portions and measures weld width, enabling effective inspection of heat-sealed packages for quality assurance without direct contact, suitable for high-speed fabrication and various packaging materials.
Implementation Method 1
scanning the welds in a scanning direction by means of a light beam supplied by a light source illuminating the packages, said beam extending transversely to the direction in such a manner as to cover a field width
Implementation Method 2
for each image obtained, extracting over the entire field width a measurement of the diffusion of the light transition as imparted by the package
Data Source
AI summary
A method of inspecting packaging welds comprises the steps of creating a light beam that produces at least one light transition (t) and acquiring a raw matrix image (B(N)) covering the light transition. For each image (B(N)) obtained, a measurement of the diffusion of the light transition is stored. For each of N successive scanning increments, the raw matrix image (B(N)) is used to create an image line in which each pixel receives as its value the measurement in the raw matrix image (B(N)) of the diffusion of at least the light transition. The at least N image lines are stored in succession to obtain a matrix image and the matrix image is analyzed to determine that the weld along said fraction is in conformity when its transverse width remains, at all points, greater than a given minimum.