The Detection System for Pharmaceutical Bottle-packaging Constructed by Machine Vision Technology

Sun Huaiyuan1,2 , Sun Chenjie1, Liao Yuehua2

1.University of ShangHai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China 2.Shanghai Medical Instrumentation College,Shanghai, 200093,China

shy62123@163.com

Abstract—During the pharmaceutical production process, the quality detection is a very important part. Intelligent detection based on machine vision technology is a rapid and automatic means of drug production quality detection and control of drug production. A method is proposed for the packaging detection of pharmaceutical glass bottle which is based on machine vision technology. It is suitable for real-time detection and control. That is,through the computer vision system, collecting glass bottles image and using the mechanical vision software for detection, and the final decision to make judgments can be concluded. Based on the machine vision software HALCON, this article describes the software platforms and structural levels of pharmaceutical bottle packaging line detection systems, as well as the detection and control process. It is pointed out that the detection system features and application prospects.

Keywords-Machine Vision;Pharmaceutical;Bottle-Packaging; Detection System

I. INTRODUCTION During the pharmaceutical production process, there are many testing parts, such as liquid medicine volume, label detection, batch number monitoring, etc. Long-term since, our country's pharmaceutical factories usually used the artificial detection, result in the production efficiency low, the worker labor strong, and very easy to cause the test results instability, or even not accurate. In recent years, with the development of computer technology, digital image processing theory and method continuous improvement, the automatic detection technology to product without contact using has gradually become feasible. Machine vision also be called computer vision.It is to use computer to realize man's visual function, or to use machine to replace the human eye to do measurement and judgment[1].Using photoelectric imaging system to gather target image processed by the computer or special image processing module,machine vision can identify the target's size, shape, color and so on according to the image pixel distribution, brightness and color information[2-3]. In this way,rapidity and repeatability of computer were combined with the human visual highly intelligent and abstract ability,to improve greatly the flexibility and automation degree of production process detection,to save a lot of manpower, to improve the test efficiency and to ensure the quality of products. Machine vision technology include lighting technology, optical imaging technology, sensor

technology,digital image processing technology, mechanical engineering technology, test and control technology, simulation and digital video technology, computer technology, man-machine interface technology and other related technology[4]. It is basic technology to realize integrated computer system. Therefore, to development design type of mechanical product as the premise, we combined the design innovation with technological innovation[5], tried to apply the machine vision technology in the online testing for pharmaceutical packaging bottle quality, labels, liquid medicine volume, packaging batch number etc.The detection system for pharmaceutical bottle-packaging was constructed,in order to realize the rapid and automatic detection as well as control in the pharmaceutical production, to solve the technical problems brought by the use of artificial light inspection and visual method.

II. DETECTION PRINCIPLE AND SYSTEM ANALYSIS The theory structure logic of the detection system based on machine vision technology can be summed up as "image acquisition→image processing→decision and judgment→ executing operation".It is the general principle and running basis of all visual sensing system.Image collection device can take the target's optical properties into two-dimensional information electric signal by trigger collection or continuous collection. And then with the help of the sampling and quantization functions of the data collection card or collection equipment itself, electric signal can be transformed into digital image[6]. The computer process to digital image, including image preprocessing, image enhancement, image segmentation, feature extraction and so on,at last,to finish the measure and judgment through image analysis.From this, the detection system for pharmaceutical bottle-packaging based on the system theory structure should include light source, image collection unit,sensing unit, image processing and intelligent operation platform, and elimination unit,etc.The system constitution is as shown in figure 1. Image collection is completed by using CMOS digital camera(DH- HV1302UM-T and match lens M3Z1228-mp) that acquires the image of packing bottle on conveyor belt of production line. According to the specifications of pharmaceutical packing bottle, 200 200 LED backlighting red light source is adopted. Trigger collection way is used for image acquisition.Detecting element(OMORN E3Z-B61 +E39RES) is a reflection type trigger composed of photoelectric trigger and reflection board.Image acquired by

2013 Third International Conference on Intelligent System Design and Engineering Applications

978-0-7695-4923-1/12 $26.00 © 2012 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/ISDEA.2012.339

1423

Figure 1. Composition of the detecting system for pharmaceutical bottle-packaging

image collection unit is transmitted to image processing platform through the camera interface. Machine vision software have a processing operation to it and output a result according to the calculation,comparison and judgment to some related parameters. System process is as follows When a glass packaging bottle transmitted by conveyor belt is passing by the sensor, it output a pulse signal to control the image collection unit and capturing a image,then the image is transmitted to monitoring operating system and haven analysis and operation. After "comparison",a judgment can be concluded: normally, the glass packaging bottle moves on with belt and into the next station; as the problems are discovered, the elimination unit executing commands from monitoring operating system will eliminate "unqualified" bottle, so as to realize the detection and sorting work for bottle packaging products and defective.

III. CONSTRUCTING DETECTION SYSTEM

A. The software platform of detection system The software platform of test system consists of machine vision software and intelligent operation platform, and its main tasks are to control respectively the every hardware part as well as integrate all parts of hardware. At present the machine vision software extensively used are mainly HALCON, EVISION and XCALIPER,etc. This system uses the HALCON8.0 of German MVTec that is a powerful machine vision software. It has a comprehensive visual processing library including all standards and advanced image processing method, different image collection and advanced pattern matching algorithm. It provides some tools and algorithms normally required in machine vision applications, such as blob analysis, morphology, pattern recognition, measurement and data analysis,etc. In addition, it also has the important characteristics in rapid prototyping and the open structure, machine vision applications are developed rapidly through the interactive programming environment, or personalized visual function is to fusion into it by joining a new operator. So, our research and developing core is that, according to the needs,the powerful functions of HALCON are using to

secondary developments in order to achieve different target detection.

B. The software structure of detection system The detection and control system for Pharmaceutical

Bottle-packaging including the recognition algorithm,user interface and communication three subsystems that respectively complete the inspection identification, mechanical control and communication function. The system software is based on windows platform,takes graphic processing by using HALCON software, and its program is designed by adopting the object-oriented VB language for real-time, coordinated planning process[7]. The structure of detection and control system is as shown in figure 2, divided into seven modules: parameter setting, pretreating, image processing, intelligent judging, eliminating, communicating and user interface.

Figure 2. The structure of detection and control system

Parameter setting provides data file setting and storage operation in database; pretreating module completes initialization operation according to the set value; digital image processing module completes digital processing to real-time collecting images; intelligent judging module compares and judges image data; eliminating module completes controlling to works eliminated; communication module completes two-way communication and statistical data report between the epistatic machine and the database; the user interface provides users with convenient operation and statistics show by using graphics mode, and it is convenient for users to replace the parameter setting in time and modify database as the detecting product changed.

C. The process of detection system The automatic detection of pharmaceutical bottle-packaging should be provided with the high real-time and accuracy. Through the analysis of the front, it is known that bottle-packaging detection and control can be divided into two process on-line detection and judgment decision-making as well as implementation. And the two process are realized by running the program of detection system. The detection and control process of the system is as shown in figure 3: start system, first initialized,according to the requirements of pharmaceutical bottle-packaging detection, relevant parameters of camera shooting and detection are configurated, and then start conveyor belt into the running state. Among them, each detection cycle including image collection, image processing, target

1424

detection and judgment as well as decision.

Figure 3. The detection and control process of system

IV. CONCLUSIONS The machine vision technology is applied to the detection of pharmaceutical bottle-packaging, the inspection and classification work are completed by the machine instead of artificial,and it is conform to the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP). The detection system realizes contact detection, with some characteristics of high accuracy, speed and objective detection results, etc. It is significant improvement and breakthrough in the drug safety and detecting precision relative to the traditional artificial detection, and that a kind of method suitable for online detection and control is set up, it can greatly reduce detection cost, improve labor productivity, and create a comfortable working environment for the operator. The application technology embodied in this detection system is the supporting technology for pharmaceutical production enterprises to realize computer integrated control and digital management. So,with the popularization and promotion of China's GMP, the rise ceaselessly in automation degree and scale of production, and more attention to quality problems for users, machine vision technology will be applied more extensively in drug production.

REFERENCES [1] Xu chi, Wang zhiping, Ling yongxiang,et al..Beverage bottle defect

detection technology based on intelligent vision system. Automation Instrumentation, 2011,(5):163-167.(in Chinese)

[2] Xiong guangjie, Ma shuyuan, Nie xuejun,et al..Defects inspection system of HID PCB based on machine vision.Computer Measurement Control, 2011,19(8):1824-1826.(in Chinese)

[3] Luo lu, Hu yueming. Embedded inspection system for FPC based on machine vision. Computer Measurement Control, 2011,19(2):303-305,311.(in Chinese)

[4] Gao chao,Ren ke,Guo yongcai.Surface crack examination technology based on machine vision. Aviation Precision Manufacturing Technology, 2007,43(5):23-25.(in Chinese)

[5] Xu ronghua, Tang dunbing, Zhu renmiao,et al.. Research on re-creative design strategy based on function ontology. Journal of Engineering Design,2009,16(6):395-400.(in Chinese)

[6] Zhang xuewu, Ding yanqiong, Yan ping. Vision inspection of metal surface defects based on infrared imaging. Acta Optica Sinica, 2011,31(3):104-112.(in Chinese)

[7] Li ting, Liu ning. Study on circle locating technology based on machine vision. Computer Engineering and Applications,2012,48 (9): 153-156.(in Chinese)

Author introduction: Sun huaiyuan(1962.12—), man, Jiangsu Xinghua, master's,

associate professor, research direction: mechatronics and detecting technology. Address: Shanghai yangpu yingkou road 101 Postal code:200093 Tel: +86-021-65485551-3420; +86-13641753546 E-mail: shy62123@163.com

1425