Small container fluid dynamics to produce optimized inspection conditions

An improved method for detection, measurement and determination of key characteristics of contaminating particles found in the solution within a container (1 ml to 50 ml) by placing substantially all particles within a predetermined size range, contained in the solution, into motion without turbulent flow using a precise velocity motion profile (VMP) designed specifically for causing the fluid contents of the container of a given size and shape, fluid surface tension, fluid viscosity and fill level to be set in motion, utilizing a programmable rotary motion device, an image processing computer for image acquisition, image storage and image processing capability for executing control software embodied on a computer readable medium, to provide the steps of:

• a) use of a computer data file for extraction of key inspection features for a specific inspection parameters in a memory location referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that define the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container;
• b) use of a computer data file for extraction of key inspection features for a specific inspection parameters in a memory location referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that define the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container;
• c) storing one or more reference inspection mask images of a new master data file in a memory location referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that define the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container;
• d) storing one or more rotary motion programs called velocity motion profiles (VMP) of a new master data file in a memory location referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that define the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container;
• e) the velocity motion profile defines an acceleration, a maximum rotational velocity, a duration at maximum rotational velocity, followed by a deceleration to zero rotational velocity;
• f) the velocity motion profile imposes a toroidal flow of the solution in the container;
• and
• g) the fluid flow generates negligible or no turbulence in the meniscus;
• h) characterized in that motion is imposed on substantially all particles in solution with a mass equal to or less than, the upper limit particle mass defined by the velocity motion profile given the attributes of the container type parameters;
• i) characterized in that motion is imposed on substantially all particles in solution with a size equal to or less than the upper limit particle size defined by the velocity motion profile given the attributes of the container type parameters;
• j) one or more velocity motion profiles are utilized for the inspection for a specific container type, fluid content and fluid fill level;
• k) acquisition of a test image of a sample referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that defines the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container and storage of the test image in memory;
• l) determining the size and position of one or more inspection zones of the grayscale image as referenced by a specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that defines the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container and storage of the inspection zones in memory;
• m) multiple inspection zone are implemented simultaneously;
• n) placement of a test container in the inspection position, excitation of the container with a specific velocity motion profile, acquisition of a sequence of images and storage of the images in the image processing computer at specific time from the start of the velocity motion profile or alternatively from the end of a velocity motion profile as required by the specific identification code that is unique to a container model or type that defines the dimensions of the container, contents of the container, and the fill level of the container;
• o) creating and storage of a reference background image for the first 50% of acquired images by using the last acquired image in the total sequence of acquired images;
• p) creating and storage of a reference background image for the last 50% of acquired images by using the first acquired image in the total sequence of acquired images;
• q) creating a difference image by grayscale subtraction of a test image from the reference background image as determined in steps o) and p);
• r) creating and storing in memory a list of values comprising grayscale objects representing resulting information in the difference image that are larger than a pre-determined criteria;
• s) reducing the number of grayscale objects in the list created in step r) by applying pre-determined size and shape filtering algorithms and then storing in memory the remaining objects in a revised list;
• t) containers that have objects on the revised list are defective and the image processing computer generates an error message prompting a user that the container tested is defective and requesting the removal of the container from acceptable product;
• u) the inspection information from each test is displayed on a human machine interface and stored permanently on one of the internal storage hard drives or written to a recordable digital video disc for offsite record storage.

An improved method for the creating an instrument calibration curve that allows the correlation of the dimension of a particle contained in the solution of a transparent container (1 ml to 50 ml) as determined by image acquisition and processing to that of NIST traceable particles standards, within a specified size range, comprising the steps of:

• a) the movement of particles in the container whereby rotation of the container using a predefined velocity motion profile causing substantially all of the particles in the solution in the container to experience a change in position with a corresponding change in time;
• b) recording the properties of particles isolated in each defined inspection volume;
• c) determine the mean of the particle properties in each defined inspection volume over “n” images, primary properties included the geometric shape and integration of grayscale values over the geometric shape;
• d) evaluate the particle only if its properties lie within a specific range of the mean of “x” samples and establish a mean equivalent pixel width in each corresponding inspection volume;
• e) the generation of a calibration table by evaluating a series of NIST traceable dimensional standards in which the standards increase in diameter and recording the equivalent pixel width of the particle in each corresponding inspection volume;
• f) the generation of a calibration curve by plotting the pixel width on the x-axis and the NIST standard diameter on the y-axis to produce a linear equation in the form of Y=mX+b;
• g) one or more numerical calculations are performed to correlate particle size in pixels to equivalent physical dimension in micrometers using calibration curve established by measuring NIST traceable single seeded particle standards in each of the defined inspection volumes.