JP6817239B2 - Component content measuring device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a component content measuring device.

Conventionally, quality control is performed in the tablet manufacturing process. For example, a method of irradiating a tablet with irradiation light in the near infrared band and measuring the component content using the irradiation light reflected by the tablet is used. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 4707452 Japanese Patent No. 5798400

By the way, in the conventional method for measuring the component content, the reflected light from the measurement point on the tablet is acquired, and the component content is measured based on this.
Here, although each component in the tablet is uniformly mixed, there is some variation in the component distribution. In particular, when the amount of the main ingredient is small, the variation in the component distribution is often remarkable.
In this way, when the component distribution is uneven in one tablet, the method of measuring the component content based only on the reflected light from a certain measurement point on the tablet is the reflection from the measurement point having a large amount of the main ingredient. Even if the same tablet is used, the obtained component content varies between the case where the component content is measured based on light and the case where the component content is measured based on the reflected light from the measurement point where the main ingredient is small. Occurs. That is, there is a large variation in applying the component content acquired based on the reflected light from the measurement point as the component content equivalent value of the entire tablet, and the measurement accuracy of the component content of the entire tablet is lowered.
The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-mentioned unsolved problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component content measuring device capable of further improving the measurement accuracy of the component content.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an irradiation unit that irradiates near infrared rays to a plurality of measurement objects transported in one direction while being arranged in a row along one direction, and a measurement object. A predetermined imaging unit that acquires reflected light of near-infrared rays, disperses the reflected light, and outputs spectral data, and a predetermined object included in each of a plurality of measurement objects based on the spectral data output from the imaging unit. A processing unit for detecting the content of a component is provided, and the photographing unit has a long rectangular viewing area, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction and one direction of the viewing area intersect diagonally. The shooting interval and the size of the visual field area of the photographing unit are the intervals and sizes of acquiring reflected light from the same measurement object multiple times while the measurement object passes through the visual field area. Provided is a component content measuring device that integrates spectral data at a plurality of time points including reflected light reflected by the same measurement object and detects the content of a predetermined component contained in the same measurement object. ..

According to one aspect of the present invention, the measurement accuracy of the component content can be improved.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the component content measuring apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the tablet transport part. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the imaging area on a tablet. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the imaging area on a tablet. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing procedure of the component content measuring apparatus. This is an example of spectrum data for explaining the component content measuring method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
It should be noted that the following detailed description describes many specific specific configurations to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, it is clear that other embodiments can be implemented without being limited to such specific specific configurations. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means of solving the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1A, for example, the component content measuring device 100 is arranged on the side of the transporting machine 2 that conveys the tablet M molded by the tableting machine 1. Here, a case where tablet M is applied as a measurement object and the component content of the tablet is measured will be described, but the present invention is not limited to tablet M, and any object can be applied as a measurement object. ..

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport machine 2 continuously transports the sheet-shaped tablet transport unit 2a in a fixed direction, and in the process of transporting the tablet transport unit 2a, the tablet M molded by the tablet press 1 Is housed in the pocket (holding portion) 2b formed in the tablet transporting portion 2a and transported. The pockets 2b are formed in a row at equal intervals along the transport direction of the tablet transport portion 2a, and in the pocket 2b, the tablet M housed in the pocket 2b vibrates with the transport or is on the tablet transport portion 2a. The tablet M is held so that the posture of the tablet M does not change, such as rotating, moving, or vibrating. 2A is a top view of the tablet transport unit 2a, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA'of FIG. 2A. The method of holding the tablet M so that the tablet M does not rotate, move, or vibrate on the tablet transport portion 2a during transportation is not limited to the method of storing the tablet M in the pocket 2b. However, any method may be used.

When measuring the component content of tablets M having different shapes, for example, in the transport machine 2, the tablet transport unit 2a is configured to be replaceable, and the component content of tablets M having different shapes is measured. May be transported using the tablet transport unit 2a having a pocket 2b that matches the shape of the tablet M to be measured. Further, the pockets 2b do not necessarily have to be arranged at equal intervals.
The transport machine 2 transports the tablet transport unit 2a in the transport direction, whereby the tablets M are transported in a line in the transport direction at equal intervals.

As shown in FIG. 1, the component content measuring device 100 includes an illumination unit (irradiation unit) 11 that irradiates the tablet M with near infrared rays, a spectroscopic camera (imaging unit) 12 that captures a spectroscopic image, and a spectroscopic camera. A processing unit 13 for detecting the component content based on the spectroscopic image taken by 12 is provided.
The illumination unit 11 is arranged at a position where the plurality of tablets M housed in the tablet transport unit 2a can be simultaneously irradiated with near infrared rays. Further, the spectroscopic camera 12 has a long rectangular visual field region AR, the longitudinal direction of the visual field region AR and the transport direction of the tablet transport portion 2a intersect diagonally, and a plurality of plurality of on the tablet transport portion 2a. The tablet M is placed at a position within the visual field area AR. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when seven tablets M on the tablet transport unit 2a are included in the visual field area AR, only the left end side in the transport direction of the tablet M1 on one end side of the visual field area AR is in the visual field area AR. The tablet M2 on the other end side of the visual field region AR is included in the visual field region AR only on the right end side in the transport direction.

The spectroscopic camera 12 starts shooting at a timing when a trigger signal is input from, for example, the carrier 2, and thereafter, shoots at a preset cycle. The spectroscopic camera 12 is configured to include, for example, a near-infrared imaging spectroscope, disperses the reflected light from the tablet M contained in the rectangular long field area AR, and disperses the spectroscopic image into a CCD, CMOS, or the like. The image is taken by the image pickup element and the spectrum data is output.
The processing unit 13 stores the spectrum data output from the spectroscopic camera 12 in the storage unit 13a, integrates the spectrum data corresponding to the same tablet M obtained at different imaging timings, and also integrates the spectrum data. In addition, the content of one or more predetermined components contained in the tablet M is measured.
The transporter 2 transports the tablet transport unit 2a at a preset constant speed, detects the relative position between the visual field region AR of the spectroscopic camera 12 and the tablet M based on the transport speed and the like, and photographs with the spectroscopic camera 12. A trigger signal instructing the timing to start is output to the spectroscopic camera 12. The transfer speed of the transfer machine 2 does not have to be constant, and the point is that spectrum data can be acquired.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a region photographed by the spectroscopic camera 12 on the tablet M.
As shown in FIG. 1, the visual field areas AR intersect diagonally with respect to a plurality of rows of tablets M arranged along the transport direction.
Therefore, in the state where only the tablet M1 is included in the visual field region AR as shown at the time point t1 in FIG. 3, only the region of the tablet M1 included in the visual field region AR is photographed. That is, only the region of the tablet M1 on the left end side in the transport direction that overlaps with the visual field region AR is photographed.
Subsequently, as shown at time point t2, in the state where the tablets M1 and M2 are included in the visual field region AR, the visual field region AR is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof and the transport direction of the tablet M intersect. Regarding the tablet M1, the region included in the visual field area AR, that is, the imaging region, is different from the imaging region at the time point t1, and moves to the right side in the transport direction with respect to the imaging region at the time point t1. For the tablet M2, only the region on the left end side in the transport direction included in the visual field region AR is photographed.

Subsequently, as shown at time point t3, in the state where the tablets M1 to M3 are included in the visual field region AR, the regions included in the visual field region AR shift to the right side in the transport direction for the tablets M1 and M2, so that the tablets M1 and M2 are on A region different from the imaging region at the time point t2 is photographed, and for the tablet M3 newly included in the visual field region AR, only a part of the region at the left end in the transport direction is photographed.
After that, similarly, as shown in the time points t4 to t7, when any of the tablets M1 to M7 is included in the visual field area AR, the area included in the visual field area AR is sequentially shifted to the right side in the transport direction at each time point. , A region on the tablet M different from the imaging region at the previous time point is photographed, and for the tablet newly included in the visual field region AR, only the region on the left end side in the transport direction is photographed.

Then, as shown at time point t8, in the state where the tablet M1 is out of the visual field region AR, since the tablets M2 to M8 are included in the visual field region AR this time, a part of each of these tablets M2 to M8 is photographed. become.
Here, focusing only on the tablet M1, since different regions on the tablet M1 are photographed from the time point t1 to the time point t7, the photographing is performed covering substantially the entire tablet M1 from the time point t1 to the time point t7. It will be lost. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the spectrum data corresponding to the tablet M1 is extracted from the spectrum data obtained at each time point from the time point t1 to the time point t7, and the spectrum data corresponding to the tablet M1 is integrated. It is possible to obtain spectral data that substantially covers the tablet M1 visually.

Therefore, if the content of a predetermined component is measured using this integrated spectral data, even if the component distribution of the tablet M1 varies, the component content contained in the tablet M1 is in accordance with the actual component distribution. The amount can be detected. That is, even if there are variations in the component distribution, the variations in the component distribution can be averaged by detecting the content using the spectrum data obtained by integrating the spectrum data of a plurality of regions of the tablet M1. , It is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the component content of the entire tablet M1.

Here, the transport speed by the transport machine 2 and the imaging interval by the spectroscopic camera 12 are, for example, taken when the imaging region in which the tablet M1 is imaged at a plurality of time points and the surface of the tablet M1 are made to correspond to each other. The region may be set so as to cover the entire surface of the tablet M1 and the imaging regions at each time point do not overlap. By covering the entire tablet M1 and setting so that the imaging region does not overlap in this way, the content of the predetermined component in the entire tablet M1 can be detected with high accuracy. Further, the imaging interval and the visual field area AR are set to, for example, the imaging interval and the size of the visual field area AR so that a part of the tablet M1 can be photographed a plurality of times while the tablet M1 passes through the visual field area AR. You may.

The shooting is not limited to the case where the shooting areas are not overlapped, and for example, the shooting may be performed so that the shooting areas are overlapped. When the imaging regions are superimposed in this way, the overlapping regions may be taken into consideration when integrating the spectral data at each imaging timing of the same tablet M. On the contrary, the shooting may be performed so that the shooting areas do not overlap. When the entire tablet M is not photographed in this way, the spectrum data at each imaging timing of the same tablet M may be integrated in consideration of the unphotographed region, for example, by complementing the data. Spectral data may be acquired.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the component content measuring device 100.
In the transport machine 2, the tablet M molded by the tableting machine 1 is housed in the pocket 2b of the tablet transport unit 2a, and the tablet M is transported at a preset constant speed. Further, the transport machine 2 outputs a trigger signal to the spectroscopic camera 12 at a preset imaging timing based on, for example, the transport speed of the tablet M.
When the trigger signal is input from the carrier 2, the component content measuring device 100 starts the photographing process, and thereafter, the photographing is performed at a preset cycle. As a result, only a part of each of the plurality of tablets M contained in the visual field area AR is photographed, and the spectral data is output from the spectroscopic camera 12 (step S1).

When the spectrum data is input from the spectroscopic camera 12, the processing unit 13 starts the data extraction process, extracts the spectrum data corresponding to each tablet M from the input spectrum data, and the spectrum data corresponding to the tablet M. Is stored in the storage unit 13a in association with the above (step S2). After that, each time the processing unit 13 inputs the spectrum data from the spectroscopic camera 12, the tablet M and the corresponding spectrum data are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 13a.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the visual field region AR includes a plurality of tablets M, and the tablets M are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals such as at regular intervals. Therefore, from the waveform of the obtained spectral data, the tablets M It is possible to separate the portion where the tablet M is present and the portion where the tablet M is not present. Further, from the transport speed of the tablet M and the imaging timing, it is possible to associate which tablet the portion where the tablet M exists in the visual field area AR corresponds to. Therefore, the spectrum data corresponding to each tablet M can be extracted from the spectrum data obtained from the spectroscopic camera 12.

Subsequently, the processing unit 13 determines whether or not there is a tablet M that is outside the visual field area AR and for which spectrum data acquisition has been completed (step S3), and when there is a tablet M that is outside the visual field area AR. The process proceeds to step S4, and the content detection process is performed. That is, the spectrum data at a plurality of time points corresponding to the same tablet M stored in the storage unit 13a is integrated, and the content of a predetermined component in the tablet M is detected based on the integrated spectrum data.
Then, a notification process for notifying the detected content to the outside is performed (step S5), for example, when the content is notified to the outside, or when the content exceeds the permissible range, or when there is an abnormality in the content. , Notify the outside that the content is abnormal. Then, the process returns to step S3, and similarly, the content of the predetermined component is measured for the tablet M which is newly outside the visual field area AR and whose spectrum data acquisition has been completed.

The content detection in step S4 is performed on the integrated spectral data, for example, smoothing processing, averaging processing, standardization processing, absorbance conversion processing, first-order differentiation processing, second-order differentiation processing, baseline correction processing, wavelength data. Based on the waveform processing spectrum data obtained by performing waveform processing such as selection processing of, using multivariate analysis such as PCA (Principle Component Analysis) and PLS (Partial Least Squares regression), the principal component of tablet M To determine the content of.

By performing the above processing, for example, in the case of FIG. 3, when the tablet M1 is out of the visual field area AR at the time point t8, the content of the predetermined component in the tablet M1 is detected, and at the next time point. When the tablet M2 is out of the visual field area AR, the content of the predetermined component in the tablet M2 is detected.
Here, when the component distribution of the tablet M varies, in the method of obtaining the spectrum data from only one point on the tablet M to obtain the content, the content of a certain component is relatively large. The obtained content is different between the case where the spectrum data is acquired and analyzed to determine the content and the case where the spectrum data at a point where the content is relatively low is acquired and analyzed to determine the content. different. That is, since the obtained spectral data are different as shown in FIG. 6A, the content obtained based on the respective spectral data is different. That is, the content differs depending on the point at which the spectral data on the tablet M is acquired, and the measurement accuracy of the content of the entire tablet M is lowered by that amount.

On the other hand, in the component content measuring device 100 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, spectrum data in a plurality of regions is divided into a plurality of times so as to cover the entire tablet M for one tablet M. As shown in FIG. 6B, the content obtained from the spectrum data in which the spectrum data in the plurality of regions are integrated is the content obtained by averaging the component distributions in the tablet M. That is, the accuracy of measuring the content of the entire tablet M can be improved.
Further, if the spectroscopic camera 12 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the rectangular field of view AR and the transport direction of the tablet M are orthogonal to each other, the tablet M is the field of view AR in order to photograph the entire surface of the tablet M. Since it is necessary to take a picture with the spectroscopic camera 12 in a cycle that advances by the width in the short direction and there is a limitation in the cycle in which the picture can be taken, the transport speed is limited.

On the other hand, in the component content measuring device 100 in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal direction of the visual field region AR and the transport direction of the tablet M are in the same direction, and the visual field region AR and the tablet M are transported. The spectroscopic camera 12 is arranged so that the directions intersect diagonally. Therefore, in order to photograph the entire surface of the tablet M, the position on the tablet M where the region overlapping the visual field region AR is deviated by the width in the lateral direction of the visual field region AR, that is, in the case of FIG. The image may be taken with the spectroscopic camera 12 at a cycle in which the tablet M1 moves from the time point t1 to the position of the time point t2. Therefore, as compared with the case where the spectroscopic camera 12 is arranged in the direction in which the longitudinal direction of the visual field area AR and the transport direction of the tablet M are orthogonal to each other and the visual field area AR is moved by the width in the lateral direction, the imaging is performed. The cycle is longer. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the transport speed can be further increased, in other words, the content of the predetermined component can be easily detected without using a processing device having high processing performance.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the component content is measured by the component content measuring device 100 in the transport path after molding by the tableting machine has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the tablet M is not limited to this. It can be applied as long as it is a transport path that is transported in a row. Further, in order to measure the component content, a transport path for transporting the tablets M in a row may be separately provided, and the component content may be measured in this transport path.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the component content is measured in the transport path in which the tablets M are transported in a row along the transport direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to measure the component content in a transport path in which tablets M are transported in a state of being arranged in a plurality of rows such as two rows along the transport direction. When the tablets M are transported in a state of being arranged in a plurality of rows, the spectroscopic camera 12 is set in the longitudinal direction of the field of view AR so that the tablets M contained in each of the rows are simultaneously included in the field of view AR. It may be arranged so that the transport direction of the tablet M and the transport direction of the tablet M intersect diagonally.
It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated and described exemplary embodiments, but also includes all embodiments that provide an effect equal to that of the object of the present invention. Moreover, the scope of the invention can be defined by any desired combination of specific features of all disclosed features.

1 Locking machine 2 Conveyor 11 Lighting unit 12 Spectroscopic camera 13 Processing unit 13a Storage unit 100 Component content measuring device

Claims (5)

An irradiation unit that irradiates near-infrared rays to a plurality of measurement objects transported in one direction while being arranged in a row along one direction.
An imaging unit that acquires the reflected light of the near infrared rays reflected by the measurement object, disperses the reflected light, and outputs spectral data.
A processing unit for detecting the content of a predetermined component contained in each of the plurality of measurement objects based on the spectrum data output from the photographing unit is provided.
The photographing unit has a long rectangular visual field region, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the visual field region and the one direction intersect diagonally.
The imaging interval of the photographing unit and the size of the visual field region are intervals and sizes for acquiring the reflected light from the same measurement object a plurality of times while the measurement object passes through the visual field region. ,
The processing unit integrates the spectral data at a plurality of time points including the reflected light reflected by the same measurement object to detect the content of a predetermined component contained in the same measurement object. A characteristic component content measuring device. The component content measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement objects are arranged in a row along the one direction. The component content measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measurement object is a tablet. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transporter is provided for transporting the plurality of measurement objects in a row in a line along the one direction. The component content measuring device described. The conveyor includes a holding unit that holds the plurality of measurement objects.
The component content measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the holding unit holds the plurality of measurement objects in a constant posture.

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