Inspection device for packages

US6757420B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Novartis AG · CH

Inventors

• Andreas Krahn · Berlin, DE
• Jürgen Saedler · Berlin, DE
• Jan Schlegel · Erkrath, DE
• Anette Therese Lang-Schöll · Großostheim, DE
• Egbert Jux · Mainaschaff, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 21, 2000
• Grant date: Jun 29, 2004
• Expiry date: Jul 30, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N21/9508
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention is concerned with the problem of providing an automatic inspection device, with which it is possible to determine, with little effort and without contact, whether packages, particularly sealed blister packages consisting of a blister container and a cover film, are free of defects. This problem is solved by the use of at least two light sources, which are arranged at a certain distance from one another and each emit a light bundle at a predetermined wavelength range, whereby the emission maxima of the two light sources are offset in relation to one another. The light sources are arranged such that the packages are vertically illuminated. The light reflected by the packages is recorded by a CCD camera and the digital images are stored in a computer, so that they are available in a computer-supported image-processing and documentation system.