Method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a moulding in an open blister package based on sensed temperature differences

A method for detecting the presence of a moulding in an open blister package, the method comprising:

• measuring a first local temperature distribution of a first zone of an open blister package, wherein the moulding is contained in the first zone;
• measuring a second local temperature distribution of a second zone of the open blister package, wherein the moulding is not contained in the second zone;
• and
• detecting the presence of the moulding in the open blister package based on a difference between the first local temperature distribution of the first zone and the second local temperature distribution of the second zone.

An apparatus for detecting the presence of a moulding in an open blister package, comprising:

• an infrared line camera for measuring local temperature distributions of at least two zones of the open blister package, wherein the moulding is contained in one of the at least two zones of the open blister package while the moulding is not contained in the other zone of the open blister package;
• a sensor for detecting when the open blister package enters and/or leaves a measuring area of the infrared line camera;
• and
• an electronic evaluation means for evaluating a difference between the local temperature distributions of the at least two zones of the open blister package.