SYSTEM FOR DETECTING AND CONTROLLING THE PRESENCE OF SOLVENT IN THE PROCESS OF GLUING OF SINGLE USE DISPOSABLE UNITS FOR MEDICAL USE WHICH ARE FORMED BY AT LEAST A FIRST COMPONENT AND A SECOND COMPONENT

Abstract

A system for detecting and controlling the presence of solvent in the process of gluing single use disposable units for medical use which are formed by at least a first component and a second component, in particular for the treatment of dialysis.

Claims

1-5. (canceled)

6. A non-destructive process for presence detection and control system in the gluing process of single use medical disposables, comprising positioning of a first component with uniform and stable surface temperature; distributing a solvent layer on the first component; positioning the first component with solvent layer between a background surface with a uniform and stable temperature and a device for a non-destructive thermographic survey; detecting and evaluating parameters indicating a level of distribution on the first component within the limits previously set; inserting by gluing the first component on a second component in order to form a disposable unit in the case the first component is detected and evaluated as being suitable during the thermographic survey or non-inserting on the second component and the subsequent rejection of the first component in case the detection evaluates the first component not suitable.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein the device is a thermographic camera.

8. The process according to claim 6, wherein inserting by gluing the first component on the second component is determined by thermal irregularities of the first component surface due to solvent evaporation.

9. The process according to claim 6, wherein in distribution phase the solvent is applied on the first component by immersion.

10. The process according to claim 6, wherein positioning, distributing, positioning, detecting and evaluating, inserting or non-inserting grant a continuous process.

Description

[0022] In particular, the temperature difference is detected by thermographic techniques. The system disclosed in the present patent application is depicted by way of example but not exclusive in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as attached.

[0023] FIG. 1: exemplification of the process of gluing

[0024] FIG. 2: visual detection system

[0025] 1 Thermographic Camera [0026] 2 Signal Transmission [0027] 3 Hardware for data display and processing [0028] 4 Component with uniform temperature of the surface [0029] 5 Layer of solvent [0030] 6 System of component with solvent applied [0031] 7 Background with uniform temperature.

[0032] As an example but not exclusively here follows the description of the typical gluing process which involves the step of loading a first component on a related machine (A FIG. 1) and the following step of solvent-application, for 15 example by immersion (B OF FIG. 1).

[0033] The following step (C of FIG. 1), according to the system of the present patent application, provides that the component is subjected to a thermographic detection by means of a thermographic camera (C of FIG. 1) thus having the detection of the presence of the solvent and the detection of the level of 20 distribution on the first component within the limits previously set (D of FIG. 1).

[0034] So the thermographic detection allows to go on with the insertion of the second component in order to form the disposable unit in the case the detection evaluates the first component suitable (E of FIG. 1), or alternatively the non-insertion of the second component and the subsequent rejection of the first component in case the detection and the analysis of the data do not show the first component, that has been processed according to the previous steps (F of FIG. 1), as suitable.

[0035] In FIG. 2 there is an example, not exclusive, of the elements comprised in steps C and D of FIG. 1: the surface of 5 the first component with uniform temperature (4) is soaked in solvent (5) to form the unit first componentsolvent (6); this unit (6) is placed in front of a background that has got a surface with a constant temperature (7).

[0036] The thermographic camera (1), placed at an appropriate focal distance, detects the temperature difference between the temperature value of the component at a uniform temperature (4), the value detected before the immersion in the solvent (5), the temperature value of the system first component-solvent (6) and the temperature value of the background with the surface at a constant temperature (7). Converting these differences into images which, by means of a generic transmission (2), are transferred to the hardware system (3) and appropriately processed through an appropriate algorithm.

[0037] The analysis of the data thus collected is used to start the component 1 to step E of FIG. 1 or to step F of FIG. 1 according to the results, all while maintaining the continuity of the gluing process.