A non-destructive measurement unit of gas concentration in sealed containers and an automatic filling and/or packaging line using such a unit are provided. The flexible containers are at least partially optically transparent, and the measurement unit comprises a light source for emitting a light beam at a wavelength tunable with an absorption wavelength of a gas contained in the sealed flexible container. The light source directs the light beam toward at least one inspection area, and a detector detects at least a portion of the beam after the beam passes through the inspection area and outputs data representative of an absorption spectrum of the gas. Means for generating a head space of predefined width into the sealed flexible container is adapted to advance the sealed flexible container by an advancement path which crosses the inspection zone and to maintain the predefined width of the head space during the advancement.

An apparatus (1) for optical inspection of plastic parisons (2) intended to be blow molded to form containers, comprises a conveyor (3) for transporting corresponding parisons (2) along a predetermined path; at an inspection station along the path, each parison (2) is positioned with its axis (208) aligned with a longitudinal reference axis. A stationary camera (7) is provided, with its viewing axis (8) coincident with the longitudinal reference axis, to view the interior of the parison (2); an illuminator (9) is positioned around the viewing axis (8) of the camera (7), to irradiate the outside surface of a mouth end (202) of the parison (2). The camera (7) has a wide-angle lens, to capture an image of an inside surface of the mouth end (202) of the parison (2), representing a screw thread (205) and the identification code (207) of the parison (2), shown in transparency.

An automated visual inspection system for detecting the presence of particulate matter includes an empty, flexible container, a light source, a detector, and an image processor. The light source is configured to transmit light through the container towards the detector, and the detector is configured to receive the light and generate image data. The image processor is configured to analyze the image data, determine whether the empty, flexible container is defective, and generate a rejection signal if the empty, flexible container is defective.

An apparatus (1) for inspecting an object, where the object is made up of a first layer of plastic material and a second layer of EVO or EVOH and has a base wall (A) and a side wall (B) which is inclined relative to the base wall (A), comprises: an inspection zone (10) in which the object can be placed for inspection: a conveyor (12) for feeding the object to the inspection zone (10) along a feed plane (P): an imaging device (14) configured to view the object positioned in the inspection zone (10) and to generate an image (143) of the object: a processor (151), configured to process the image (143), to inspect the second layer. The conveyor (12) is configured to dispose the object in the inspection zone (10) with the base wall (A) positioned according to a predetermined orientation relative to the feed plane (P).

Some embodiments are directed to a system for detecting foreign matter in a parison discharged successively from a discharge device, the system comprising: infrared cameras that detect infrared beams emitted from the parison; and a determination unit that determines whether foreign matter is present in the parison on the basis of the infrared beams detected by the infrared cameras. A determination area is set in the parison in a discharge direction of the parison, a storage unit is provided that stores an infrared threshold set for the determination area, and the determination unit compares the detected values from the infrared cameras with the threshold.

The present invention relates to a testing method and a corresponding testing system, for example for testing workpieces (2), which are provided for producing containers, in particular beverage bottles, and which can consist of a basic body and a barrier layer that is at least partially applied to the basic body, whereby the workpieces (2) are transported into a receiving vessel (4) by means of a transport device (3), and whereby an image of the workpieces (2) is generated by means of a capturing device (6) and is transmitted to a processing device for testing, wherein the workpieces (2) are led into the receiving vessel (4) upon leaving the transport device (3), whereby the image is generated between the departure from the transport device (3) and the receiving vessel (4) and wherein the image is processed by the processing device in such a way that the quality of the basic body and/or the quality of the barrier layer of the workpieces (2) is tested in order to detect defective workpieces (2). The same testing system and the same testing method can also be used to count the workpieces (2).

A robot, wherein the robot operates on the basis of a picked-up image of at least a part of a work space of the robot picked up by an image pickup section, and a transparent member is disposed between the robot and the work space of the robot.

A movable ray inspection system used to be mounted in a container yard to inspect an object within a container is provided. The movable ray inspection system includes: a ray generator device configured to emit a ray, a ray receiving device configured to receive the ray, and at least one chamber for receiving the ray generator device and the ray receiving device therein. Each of the at least one chamber is configured to be a standard container or a chamber which has a same shape, a same size and a same structure as a standard container such that the movable ray inspection system is adapted to be stacked in the container yard.

Provided is a vision system for detecting a defect, including a conveyer belt configured to move at least one bottle through the vision system; a light emitting diode (LED) backlight configured to silhouette any dark contamination on a surface or inside the at least one bottle; a robot with a bottle gripper tooling, the robot configured to pick up the at least one bottle and rotate the at least one bottle; at least one camera configured to take pictures of the at least one bottle while the at least one bottle is being rotated; and a flipper arm configured to stop or allow the at least one bottle to move to a position where the robot picks up the at least one bottle.

The invention is directed to a non-destructive method of detecting whether a coating or deposit (30, 34) of (a) SiO.sub.xCy or SiN.sub.xC.sub.y and/or (b) of SiO.sub.x is present on or near a surface of an article (12), such as a disposable thermoplastic medical article. The method includes impinging infrared light (216) having a wave number in at least a portion of a desired range onto at least a first surface being examined for the presence of the one or more coatings or deposits. At least a portion (224) of the infrared light impinged on the first surface is collected (at 222) and the response output, which may include for example the maximum intensity and/or peak area of the collected infrared light at an infrared spectroscopy peak, is used to indicate the presence of the one or more coatings or deposits.