Method and device for optically inspecting containers
AssigneeKrones AG
InventorsAnton Niedermeier, Rainer Kwirandt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to a method for optically inspecting containers, wherein the containers are transported to an inspection unit with an illumination unit and with a camera, wherein the illumination unit emits light from a flat light-emitting surface, wherein the light is transmitted or reflected via the containers, wherein the camera captures a respective at least one of the containers and the light transmitted or reflected via same in at least one camera image, and wherein the at least one camera image is analysed by an image processing unit for intensity information in order to identify foreign bodies and/or defects in the container.
Claims15
A method for optically inspecting containers, wherein the containers are transported to an inspection unit including an illumination unit and a camera, wherein the illumination unit emits light from a planar light-emitting surface having a diffuse radiation characteristic, wherein the light is transmitted or reflected via the containers, wherein the camera captures at least one of the containers and captures the light transmitted or reflected thereby in at least one camera image, and the at least one camera image being evaluated with an image processing unit for intensity information in order to detect foreign bodies and/or defects in the containers,
- wherein
- at least one of local points of the light-emitting surface or planar sections of the light-emitting surface constitute a plurality of emission locations each emitting the light in different emission directions with mutually different wavelength ranges such that the light is emitted from the particular emission location in at least one emission direction with a different wavelength range than in at least one other emission direction, wherein the emission locations each emit the light with different colors, and wherein the light is detected by the camera such that the different wavelength ranges are distinguishable from one another in the at least one camera image, and
- such that the image processing unit evaluates the at least one camera image with respect to the different wavelength ranges in order to distinguish the defects from the foreign bodies.
A device for optically inspecting containers comprising:
- an inspection unit including an illumination unit and a camera,
- an image processing unit for processing at least one camera image of the camera, and
- a conveyor for transporting the containers to the inspection unit,
- wherein the illumination unit is configured to emit light with a planar light-emitting surface so as to illuminate and/or transilluminate the containers,
- wherein the camera is arranged on the inspection unit so as to detect at least one of the containers and detect light transmitted or reflected thereby in the at least one camera image,
- wherein the image processing unit is configured to evaluate the at least one camera image for intensity information so as to detect foreign bodies and/or defects of the containers, and
- wherein
- at least one of local points of the light-emitting surface or planar sections of the light-emitting surface having a diffuse radiation characteristic constitute a plurality of emission locations each emitting the light in different emission directions with mutually different wavelength ranges such that the light is emitted from the particular emission location in at least one emission direction with a different wavelength range than in at least one other emission direction, wherein the illumination unit is configured to emit the light from the emission locations each with different colors, in that the camera is configured to distinguish the different wavelength ranges from one another in at least one camera image, and
- in that the image processing unit is designed to evaluate the at least one camera image with respect to the different wavelength ranges in order to distinguish the defects from the foreign bodies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.