Visual Inspection Assistance Device for Tablet Defect Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visual inspection systems for tablets often lead to oversight or misidentification of defective tablets, resulting in their flow to downstream processes, reducing inspection reliability.
Innovation Solution
A visual inspection assistance device equipped with an imaging system, display, and central processing unit that temporarily stops the conveyance of defective tablets and provides clear identification on a display, ensuring accurate removal and preventing downstream flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual inspection is performed by human examiner alone, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of inspection deteriorates due to oversight and misidentification errors
Solution Approach 1:
An imaging device is introduced as an intermediary between the tablet and the human examiner. The imaging device captures images of tablets and transmits them to a display device, enabling the examiner to view enlarged and clear images of tablets without directly observing each tablet during conveyance. This intermediary system reduces inspection errors while adding controlled complexity to the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging device creates a copy (image) of the tablet instead of requiring the examiner to directly observe the physical tablet. The image copy is displayed on the display device, allowing the examiner to identify defects more accurately. This copying approach improves reliability by providing clearer visual information while managing device complexity through digital representation.
2Productivity
If conveying speed is increased, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision of inspection deteriorates due to reduced time for identification and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device captures images of tablets in advance during conveyance, and the display device presents these images to the examiner before the tablet reaches the removal point. This preliminary action allows the examiner to identify defects and prepare for removal while the tablet is still moving, enabling accurate identification without significantly reducing conveying speed.
Solution Approach 2:
By creating and displaying image copies of tablets, the system allows the examiner to take time to analyze defect characteristics without stopping the conveyance. The image copy provides sufficient visual information for precise identification, decoupling the needing for physical observation time from the conveying speed.
3Reliability
If the examiner observes all tablets directly during conveyance, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to difficulty in identifying and removing specific defective tablets
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device and display device form an intermediary system that translates the physical tablet into a visual representation. The examiner interacts with the image display rather than directly observing the moving tablets, making it easier to identify specific defective tablets and their locations. This intermediary layer simplifies the removal operation by providing clear visual guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The image copy displayed on the display device provides a static, detailed view of the tablet, making it easier for the examiner to identify defect characteristics and locate the defective tablet in the conveyance sequence. This copying approach improves removal accuracy while maintaining operational simplicity by providing clear visual information.
Data Source
AI summary
A visual inspection assistance device includes: a conveying device that conveys tablets as an object of a visual inspection; an imaging device that takes an image of the tablets that are conveyed by the conveying device; a display device; a central processing unit (CPU) that: determines, based on image data obtained by the imaging device, whether one or more of the tablets are defective, and displays, in the display device, information identifying the one or more of the tablets that have been determined to be defective; and a conveying control device that temporarily stops the conveying device from conveying the tablets in response to the CPU determining that the one or more of the tablets are detective.