Industrial tomography apparatus and method for checking the integrity of industrial products

An industrial tomography apparatus (1) comprising:

• a conveying device (3), configured to feed to a scanning zone (4), and respectively remove from the scanning zone (4), industrial products (2) to be inspected;
• a tomography scan device (7) configured to perform tomography scans of a product (2) placed in the scanning zone (4);
• and
• an electronic processing unit operatively connected to the tomography scan device (7) for receiving from it digital data about the tomography scans performed by the tomography scan device (7), and programmed to generate, using that digital data, a virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8) of the product (2) scanned by the tomography scan device (7), the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8) being constituted of a plurality of voxels;
• and wherein the electronic processing unit is also programmed to perform a procedure for inspecting industrial products (2) of known type, each comprising a packet (10) or a container (11) and being vacuum-packed or packaged using modified pressure compared with atmospheric pressure, and wherein during the inspection procedure the electronic processing unit:
• inspects the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8) to assess internal features of the product (2) and/or the shape of the product (2) at predetermined zones;
• and
• determines whether or not those internal features and/or respectively that shape, correspond to a product with intact packet (10) or container (11), wherein an inside of the packet or of the container is in a vacuum or subject to modified pressure;
• wherein, during the inspection procedure the electronic processing unit:
• assesses at least one of the following internal features of the product:
• the average density of the product, the amount of empty space relative to a total volume of the product delimited by the packet (10) or by the container (11);
• and/or
• assesses the shape of the product by verifying at least one of the following features:
• the trend of a profile of intersection between the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8) and a predetermined plane, the trend of a profile of intersection between the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8) and a predetermined surface which is not flat, the planarity of a predetermined portion of an external surface of the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8), the curvature of the predetermined portion of the external surface of the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8);
• wherein, the inspection procedure which the electronic processing unit is programmed to perform for assessing the internal features of the product (2), comprises the following operating steps:
• a segmentation step, wherein in the virtual three-dimensional tomography model (8), the electronic processing unit identifies an internal volume (9) which is constituted of adjacent voxels;
• an assessment step, wherein the electronic processing unit assesses one or more predetermined properties of the internal volume identified in the segmentation step;
• a comparison step, wherein the electronic processing unit compares the one or more predetermined properties assessed during the assessment step with corresponding reference values saved in an electronic memory, to verify if there is a match;
• and
• a classification step wherein the electronic processing unit supplies an indication of intact packet (10) or container (11), corresponding to the inside of the packet or of the container being in a vacuum or subject to modified pressure, if the comparison step identified a match for the predetermined properties assessed, and an indication of non-intact packet (10) or container (11), corresponding to the inside of the packet or of the container not being in a vacuum or subject to modified pressure, if the comparison step identified a failure to match for the predetermined properties assessed;
• and additionally, wherein:
• (i) the electronic processing unit calculates the internal volume (9) and the total volume of empty space in the internal volume (9) and, during the assessment step, the electronic processing unit assesses said one or more predetermined properties of the internal volume by comparing the calculated total volume of empty space to the calculated internal volume (9) to assess the amount of empty space relative to the total volume of the product delimited by the packet (10) or respectively by the container (11);
• or
• (ii) during the assessment step, the electronic processing unit assesses the shape of the product verifying at least one of the following features:
• the trend of a profile of intersection between the internal volume (9) and a predetermined plane, the trend of a profile of intersection between the internal volume (9) and a predetermined surface which is not flat, the planarity of a predetermined portion of an external surface of the internal volume (9), the curvature of the predetermined portion of the external surface of the internal volume (9);
• or
• during the assessment step, the electronic processing unit assesses the average density of the product by calculating the average density of the internal volume (9).