Measuring and testing – With fluid pressure – Leakage
Patent
1998-07-17
2000-03-28
Noori, Max
Measuring and testing
With fluid pressure
Leakage
738658, G01M 334
Patent
active
060416467
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a package tester. Such a package tester is suitable for testing the integrity of the packaging for foods and snacks.
WO93/17317 discloses a package tester in which packages to be tested are conveyed along an endless conveyor belt which is continuously in motion. The tester has two testing stations, each of which comprises a test element moveable upwardly and downwardly by an actuator. Each test element incorporates a conveyor belt or rollers such that the package to be tested can still travel along the endless conveyor belt whilst each test element is in contact with the upper surface of the package. Measurements of the height of the test elements are made when they are in contact with the package to be tested, and these measurements are compared in order to determine if the package is leaking gas and consequently is defective. Thus, a load is applied to a package as it arrives at each test station, a measurement of the position of the test element is made and then the load is removed from the package before the package leaves each one of the test stations. The test load is applied only relatively briefly, and the measurements must be made rapidly because the package to be tested is continuously in motion on the conveyor belt.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a package tester, comprising means for moving a package to be tested between at least first and second test positions, the package being continuously subjected to a compressive load as it moves between the first and second test positions.
Thus, the effective length of each test can be increased without slowing the rate of throughput through the tester.
One or more packages may be conveyed on a rotating platen. The platen may be driven in an indexed manner or may rotate continuously during operation of the tester. The compressive load may be applied by bringing a weight into contact with the package.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a package tester, comprising conveying means for moving a package to be tested between at least first and second test positions, the conveying means being controlled such that it is stationary whilst the package is being tested at the test positions.
Keeping the package to be tested stationary whilst it is at a test position, enables measurements of the integrity of the package to be made with greater precision than may be made whilst the package is moving.
Preferably, the conveying means comprises a platen driven in an indexing manner. Devices for driving a platen in an indexing manner are well known commercial components available from a number of sources and need not be described in detail here.
The package tester may be arranged to test a plurality of packages simultaneously. Advantageously, the package tester operates by subjecting the or each package to be tested to a compressive load. The load increases the internal pressure within the or each package to be tested and urges a gas contained in the package to escape through any openings or apertures in the package. Since the package should be gas tight, loss of gas indicates a defective package.
Preferably, a test load is applied to the or each respective package prior to its arrival at the first test position and the test load is continuously applied to the or each respective package until after the or each respective package has been tested at the second test position. Thus, the load remains in contact with the package as it travels between the test positions. This increases the amount of time that the package is subjected to the test load and therefore increases the amount of gas that will escape through a given hole. This allows smaller holes to be detected than is the case with prior art package testers.
Advantageously, the platen is indexable between N positions where N is an integer greater than 1, and the platen carries a test load positioning disc. in a preferred embodiment, the positioning disc is attached to the platen so as to move with it.
Preferab
REFERENCES:
patent: 5259237 (1993-11-01), Aarts
patent: 5309750 (1994-05-01), Riley
patent: 5317902 (1994-06-01), Stieger et al.
patent: 5786530 (1998-07-01), Fenton
Noori Max
Testamatic Limited
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