ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CAPSULE INSPECTION

摘要

An electronically controlled system and method for processing the signals obtained from an optical inspection of rapidly presented and rotated medicinal capsules. Built-in deviations in the capsule structure are differentiated from structural defects which may occur and the decision made to accept or reject each capsule. The occurrence of a defect or a built-in deviation causes photo detectors to have a current spike output. Both the defect and the built-in deviation spikes are converted to digital pulses. The defect pulses are counted and the deviation pulses are used to reset a free-running oscillator controlled counter. A defect in the circumferential vicinity of the built-in deviations causes the built-in deviation counter to be prematurely reset. This causes a defect to be recorded. Each capsule is redundantly examined. A sufficient number of reoccurrences of any defect causes a shift register to be activated which initiates and controls the rejection of the capsule. Optical readouts present the number of rejected and accepted capsules, and the percentage of rejected capsules for each lot of 1,000 capsules which are inspected.