X-ray detection of flaws in containers and/or in their contents
AssigneeWilco AG
InventorMartin Lehmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and system for x-ray detection of flaws in containers or their contents wherein containers are conveyed on a circular path around a central axis upon which an x-ray source is situated below the plane of the base of the containers. The x-ray source emits x-ray radiation obliquely upwards through the containers to a plurality of imaging x-ray detectors. Analysis of the images provided by these x-ray detectors determines the presence of a flaw in a container or its contents and is used to command a rejection mechanism to reject the container in question.
Claims21
System for detecting flaws in containers and/or in their contents, comprising:
- a transport arrangement comprising a transport test path for transporting containers, the transport test path being arc-shaped about an axis and defining a plane perpendicular to said axis for the movement of the outer surfaces of bases of said containers;
- an x-ray source disposed on said axis;
- a plurality of imaging x-ray detectors arranged about said axis, each imaging x-ray detector having a sensing surface;
- said plane, x-ray source and sensing surfaces being mutually arranged such that a respective straight line which intersects the x-ray source and a respective sensing surface intersects said plane such that the distance along said line from said x-ray source to said plane is shorter than the distance along said line from said plane to said respective sensing surface;
- a processing unit with inputs operationally connected to outputs of said imaging x-ray detectors and with an output for a signal dependent on x-ray imaging by said detectors;
- a rejection mechanism operationally connected to the transport arrangement and with a control input operationally connected with the output of the processing unit.
System according to the preceding claim, wherein the straight line is normal to the surface of the respective imaging x-ray detector.
Method of detecting flaws in containers and/or in their contents comprising:
- transporting containers along a transport test path, the transport test path being arc-shaped about an axis and defining a plane perpendicular to said axis for the movement of the outer surfaces of bases of said containers;
- emitting x-ray radiation from an x-ray source disposed on said axis;
- receiving the emitted x-ray radiation at a plurality of imaging x-ray detectors arranged about said axis, each imaging x-ray detector having a sensing surface, said plane, x-ray source and sensing surfaces being mutually arranged such that a respective straight line which intersects the x-ray source and a respective sensing surface intersects said plane such that the distance along said line from said x-ray source to said plane is shorter than the distance along said line from said plane to said respective sensing surface;
- processing images received by the imaging x-ray detectors so as to determine the presence or absence of one or more flaws in at least one of a container and the contents of the container, and assigning the results to the respective container;
- rejecting a container determined as having one or more flaws therein or in its contents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.