Method and apparatus for determination of ingredients of tablets
First Claim
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1. A method for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the method comprising the steps of:
- weighing a tablet to measure a weight W0 of the tablet;
taking an image of the whole side surface of the tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of the tablet;
taking an image of the side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of the tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of the layer; and
calculating a weight W1 of the predetermined component according to a predetermined formula using the weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1.
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Abstract
A tablet determining method and an apparatus therefor capable of accurately determining ingredients of a multi-layer tablet without breaking the tablet. A multi-layer tablet is lighted from light sources, an area of the side surface of the tablet on which a boundary line between the layers appears is detected by image processing, an area of the side surface of at least one of the layers of the tablet which are separated by the boundary line is detected by image processing, and data obtained by the image processing and data on the total weight of the tablet are used for determining the layer by processing.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the method comprising the steps of:
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weighing a tablet to measure a weight W0 of the tablet; taking an image of the whole side surface of the tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of the tablet; taking an image of the side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of the tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of the layer; and calculating a weight W1 of the predetermined component according to a predetermined formula using the weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the weight of components of tablets to be fed, depending upon the calculated weight of said predetermined component.
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7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the amount of the predetermined component is controlled.
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8. A method for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, said method comprising the steps of:
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weighing a tablet to detect a weight W0 of the tablet; taking an image of a whole side surface of the tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of the tablet; taking an image of a side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of the tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of the layer; and obtaining a weight W1 of the predetermined component using the weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1 by applying a formula
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">W.sub.1 =B.sub.0 +B.sub.1 A.sub.1 +B.sub.2 A.sub.0 +B.sub.3 W.sub.0wherein B0, B1, B2 and B3 are parameters determined by a multiple regression analysis.
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9. A method for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the method comprising the steps of:
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weighing a tablet to detect a weight W0 of the tablet; taking an image of a whole side surface of the tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of the tablet; taking an image of a side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of the tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of the layer; obtaining a weight W1 of the predetermined component according to a predetermined formula using the weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1 ; and controlling the amount of the predetermined component of the tablet to be fed for preparing the tablet, depending upon the obtained weight of the predetermined component.
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10. Apparatus for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the apparatus comprising:
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a weighing means for weighing a tablet to detect a weight W0 of said tablet; an image-taking means for taking an image of the whole side surface of said tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of said tablet; said image-taking means also taking an image of the side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of said tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of said layer; and a processing means for obtaining a weight W1 of said predetermined component according to a predetermined formula using said weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a control means for controlling the amount of at least one component of tablets which are to be fed, depending upon the obtained weight of said predetermined component.
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16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the amount of said predetermined component is controlled.
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17. An apparatus for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the apparatus comprising:
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a weighing means for weighing a tablet to detect a weight W0 of said tablet; an image-taking means for taking an image of the whole side surface of said tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of said tablet; said image-taking means also taking an image of the side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of said tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of said layer; and a processing means for obtaining a weight W1 of said predetermined component by using said weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface A1 and a formula
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">W.sub.1 =B.sub.0 +B.sub.1 A.sub.1 +B.sub.2 A.sub.0 +B.sub.3 W.sub.0wherein B0, B1, B2 and B3 are parameters determined by a multiple regression analysis.
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18. An apparatus for determining the weight of a component layer of a tablet, the apparatus comprising:
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a weighing means for weighing a tablet to detect a weight W0 of the tablet; an image-taking means for taking an image of the whole side surface of said tablet to measure a side surface area A0 of said tablet; said image-taking means also taking an image of the side surface of a layer of at least one predetermined component of said tablet to measure a side surface area A1 of said layer; and a processing means for obtaining a weight W1 of said predetermined component according to a predetermined formula using said weight W0, whole side surface area A0 and side surface area A1 ; and a control means for controlling the amount of at least one component of said tablet to be fed depending upon the obtained weight of said predetermined component.
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19. A method for determining the weight of a component of a tablet, said method comprising the steps of:
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taking sample tablets; determining a formula which relates total weights W0, whole side surface areas a0, and component side surface areas a1 of the sample tablets to weights w1 of components of the sample tablets; taking a tablet for determination; weighing the tablet for determination to detect a total weight W0 of the tablet for determination; taking an image of a whole side surface of the tablet for determination to measure a side surface area A0 of the tablet for determination; taking an image of a side surface of a layer of a component of the tablet for determination to measure a side surface area A1 of the layer; and applying the formula to the measured values of W0, A0, and A1 of the tablet for determination to determine the weight of the component of the tablet for determination. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification