Pharmaceutical Container Defect Detection via Multi-Angle Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for inspecting pharmaceutical cylindrical containers fail to provide a fast and reliable method for detecting defects such as bulges, depressions, scratches, adhering particles, and trapped foreign material, especially in high-speed production environments.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a support device for rotating the container around its longitudinal axis, combined with a light emitting unit featuring bright field, radial dark field, and axial dark field light sources, and a light receiving unit with multiple cameras for comprehensive imaging, allowing for the visualization and classification of defects from various angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single light source and stationary camera are used for inspection, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision and defect detection capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system is segmented into multiple functional components: bright field light source for surface defects, radial dark field light source for subsurface defects, axial dark field light source for internal defects, and multiple cameras positioned at different angles. Each component targets specific defect types, collectively achieving comprehensive high-precision inspection without requiring overly complex individual elements
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional surface inspection to three-dimensional volumetric inspection by adding axial illumination and rotation capability. This enables detection of defects at any depth and orientation within the cylindrical container, significantly improving measurement precision while maintaining manageable device complexity through systematic spatial arrangement
2Productivity
If the inspection system uses fixed inspection speed, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity cannot adapt to production speed variations
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system incorporates dynamic speed adjustment capability where the rotation speed of the support device can be varied to match different production rates. The synchronization mechanism dynamically coordinates the rotation speed with the image capture timing, allowing the system to adapt to production speed variations without requiring completely different inspection systems for different speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system is designed with universal speed adaptability, allowing a single system to handle multiple production speeds and container types. The controllable rotation mechanism and synchronized imaging capability enable the same apparatus to serve various productivity requirements, reducing the need for multiple specialized inspection systems
3Measurement precision
If the container is inspected without rotation, then the inspection time is short, but the measurement precision for defects at different orientations is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The support device rotates the cylindrical container periodically at controlled speeds, presenting different orientations to the fixed camera system at regular intervals. This periodic rotation allows the same inspection optics to capture defects at all orientations over multiple rotation cycles, achieving comprehensive defect detection without requiring excessively fast or complex multi-camera systems
Solution Approach 2:
The container is pre-positioned on the support device and oriented correctly before inspection begins. The rotation is then initiated in synchronization with the image capture sequence, ensuring that optimal viewing angles are presented at the right moments. This preliminary setup optimizes the inspection process efficiency while maintaining high measurement precision
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
Enables rapid and reliable detection of defects, including internal and surface defects, independent of their orientation, with improved sensitivity and accuracy compared to state-of-the-art systems, allowing for the identification of defects as small as 16 μm or more in size.
Implementation Method 1
light can shine through all walls of the pharmaceutical cylindrical container from different directions (bright field, radial and axial dark field)
Implementation Method 2
the light receiving unit comprises a main camera for acquiring an image of the pharmaceutical cylindrical container
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for inspecting a pharmaceutical cylindrical container made of glass or of a polymer is provided. A corresponding method for inspecting the pharmaceutical cylindrical container made of glass or of a polymer and to a bundle of pharmaceutical cylindrical containers made of glass or of a polymer is also provided.