System and method for monitoring and evaluating solid and semi-solid materials

• US 6,919,556 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monocle Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Monocle Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Laurence, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Thanh X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sohn, Seung C.
• Application Number:
  US10/373,157
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 250/222.2, 250/559.2, 250/559.45, 250/309, 250/223.R, 356/237.1, 356/237.2, 356/301, 356/394, 378/57, 209/577, 209/589, 209/576
• US Class Current: 250/222.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/656 Raman microprobe
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/65 Raman scattering

Abstract

An system and method for monitoring and evaluating solid and semi-solid materials. In an embodiment adapted for pharmaceutical manufacturing, a rotating platter is provided which contains a plurality of chutes. Manufactured items from an earlier section of the manufacturing process are deposited upon the rotating platter, and are separated for analysis by the plurality of chutes. Mounted near the edge radius of the platter is a Raman probe, which focuses photons from a laser onto each of the manufactured items. The manufactured items radiate photons according to Raman scattering principles, which are collected by the Raman probe and analyzed by a computer against a template file. The computer operates upon the chutes to sort and release the manufactured items according to a criteria. Thus, an in-process monitoring and evaluation system may be utilized to inspect and sort manufactured items in real time.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring solid and semi-solid materials comprising:

a photon source, said photon source being operable to produce substantially monochromatic photons of a predetermined wavelength;

a Raman probe in communication with said photon source, said Raman probe operable to direct said substantially monochromatic photons produced by said photon source onto a target, thereby illuminating at least of portion of said target with said substantially monochromatic photons, said Raman probe further operable to collect radiation emitted from said target following exposure of said target to said substantially monochromatic photons;

a material handling apparatus having at least one control gate operable to receive a material and to orient said material so that at least of portion of said material is in a position so that it will be illuminated by said substantially monochromatic photons directed by said Raman probe, said material handling device accomplishing said receipt and orientation of said material without the need for human contact with said material;

an optical receiver in communication with said Raman probe, said optical receiver operable to receive information from said Raman probe and record a digital image of said information, said information comprising said radiation emitted from said target; and

a computer in communication with said photon source, said Raman probe, said material handling apparatus, and digital image receiver, said computer operable to control the operation of said photon source, said Raman probe, said material handling apparatus, and said digital image receiver, and the communication therebetween.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database associated with said computer, said database comprising information about a desired radiation spectrum that is expected to be emitted from said material after exposure of said material said substantially monochromatic photons; and

software operating on said computer, said software operable to compare said information about said desired radiation spectrum retrieved from said database with information about an observed radiation spectrum that is emitted from a sample of said material that is exposed to said substantially monochromatic photons.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said material comprises a manufactured pharmaceutical product.

4. A nondestructive material inspection system employing Raman spectroscopy in the inspection of a material, the system comprising:

a manufacturing apparatus for producing a material;

a Raman probe, said Raman probe being operable to direct substantially monochromatic photons onto a target thereby illuminating at least of portion of said target with said substantially monochromatic photons, said Raman probe being further operable to collect radiation emitted from said target following exposure of said target to said substantially monochromatic photons, said radiation being indicative of said target; and

a material handling apparatus having at least one control gate, said material handling apparatus positioned to receive said a plurality of discrete units of said material produced by said manufacturing apparatus and to orient each of said plurality of discrete units so that at least of portion of each of said plurality of discrete units will be illuminated individually by said substantially monochromatic photons directed by said Raman probe, said material handling device accomplishing said receipt and orientation of said plurality of discrete units without the need for human contact with said plurality of discrete units.

5. The nondestructive material inspection system of claim 4, further comprising:

a computer in communication with said Raman probe and said material handling apparatus, said computer being adapted to control the operation of said Raman probe and said material handling apparatus, and the communication therebetween;

a database associated with said computer, said database comprising information about a desired radiation spectrum that is expected to be emitted from each of said plurality of discrete units of said material after illumination by said substantially monochromatic photons; and

software operating on said computer, said software operable to compare said information about said desired radiation spectrum retrieved from said database with information about an observed radiation spectrum that is emitted from a sample of said plurality of discrete units of said material that is exposed to said substantially monochromatic photons.

6. The nondestructive material inspection system of claim 4, wherein said material comprises a manufactured pharmaceutical product, and wherein said manufacturing apparatus comprises a pharmaceutical manufacturing apparatus.

7. A material handling apparatus for use in quality control application in a manufacturing system, said material handling apparatus comprising:

a Raman probe, said Raman probe being operable to direct substantially monochromatic photons onto a discrete unit of a target material thereby illuminating at least of portion of said discrete unit of said target material with said substantially monochromatic photons, said Raman probe being further operable to collect radiation emitted from said discrete unit of said target material following exposure of said discrete unit of said target material to said substantially monochromatic photons, said radiation being indicative of said discrete unit of said target material;

a plurality of control gates automatically controlling the positioning of a plurality of said discrete units of said target material produced in said manufacturing system, at least one of said plurality of control gates being operable to position each of said discrete units so that at least a of portion of each of said discrete units will be illuminated individually by said substantially monochromatic photons directed by said Raman probe; and

at least two onward processing apparatuses positioned to receive each of said discrete units after illumination of each said discrete units by said substantially monochromatic photons directed by said Raman probe, each of said discrete units being selectively delivered to one of said at least two onward processing apparatuses by said control gates according to an evaluation of said radiation emitted from said target material, said selective delivery of each of said discrete units being accomplished without human contact with said plurality of said discrete units.

8. The material handling apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a computer in communication with said Raman probe and said material handling apparatus, said computer being adapted to control the operation of said Raman probe and said material handling apparatus, and the communication therebetween;

a database associated with said computer, said database comprising information about a desired radiation spectrum that is expected to be emitted from each of said plurality of discrete units of said target material after illumination by said substantially monochromatic photons; and

software operating on said computer, said software operable to compare said information about said desired radiation spectrum retrieved from said database with information about an observed radiation spectrum that is emitted from a sample of said plurality of discrete units of said target material that is exposed to said substantially monochromatic photons.

9. The material handling apparatus of claim 7, wherein said target material comprises a manufactured pharmaceutical product.

10. A computerized quality control system comprising:

a computer;

a database associated with said computer, said database comprising information about a desired radiation spectrum that is expected to be emitted from a discrete unit of a material after exposure of said discrete unit to monochromatic light of a predetermined wavelength;

software operable by said computer, said software operable to compare said information about said desired radiation spectrum retrieved from said database with information about an observed radiation spectrum that is emitted from a sample of said material that is exposed to said monochromatic light of said predetermined wavelength;

a Raman probe in communication with said computer, said Raman probe being operable to collect said observed radiation emitted from said sample of said material after it is exposed to said monochromatic light of said predetermined wavelength, and to communicate an image of said observed radiation to said computer; and

a material handling apparatus having at least one control gate in communication with said computer and operating cooperatively with said Raman probe so that said sample of said material is automatically oriented by said material handling apparatus for exposure to said monochromatic light.

11. The computerized quality control system of claim 10, further comprising:

at least two onward processing apparatuses positioned to receive said sample of said material from said material handling apparatus, said sample of said material being selectively delivered to one of said at least two onward processing apparatuses by said material handling apparatus according to an evaluation of said observed radiation emitted from sample of said material, said selective delivery of sample of said material being accomplished without human contact with sample of said material.

12. The computerized quality control system of claim 10, wherein said material comprises a manufactured pharmaceutical product.

13. A method for monitoring solid and semi-solid materials without the need for human contact with said materials, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of materials to be monitored into a material handling apparatus;

individually orienting each of said plurality of said materials;

individually illuminating each of said plurality of said materials by substantially monochromatic photons;

recording radiation emitted from each of said plurality of said materials after each of said plurality of said materials have been individually illuminated by said substantially monochromatic photons;

comparing, with a computer, said recorded radiation with predetermined information previously stored in a memory of said computer; and

selectively delivering each of said plurality of said materials from said material handling apparatus having at least one control gate in accordance with said comparison.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein certain of said plurality of said materials are determined to be outside of a tolerance range, the method further comprising the steps of:

determining whether each of said certain of said plurality of said materials that are outside of said tolerance range fall above or below said tolerance range; and

selectively releasing each of said certain of said plurality of said materials to at least one of a plurality of locations based on whether each of said certain of said plurality of said materials falls above or below said tolerance range.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

plotting statistical data relating to the comparison of said recorded radiation with said predetermined information previously stored in said memory of said computer.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said materials comprise manufactured pharmaceutical products.

17. A system for monitoring solid and semi-solid pharmaceutical materials comprising:

a photon source, said photon source being operable to produce substantially monochromatic photons of a predetermined wavelength;

a Raman probe in communication with said photon source, said Raman probe being operable to direct said substantially monochromatic photons produced by said photon source onto a target, thereby illuminating at least of portion of said target with said substantially monochromatic photons, said Raman probe further operable to collect radiation emitted from said target following exposure of said target to said substantially monochromatic photons;

a material handling apparatus having a chute and at least one control gate operable to receive a material and to orient said material so that at least of portion of said material is in a position such that it will be illuminated by said substantially monochromatic photons directed by said Raman probe, said material handling device accomplishing said receipt and orientation of said material without the need for human contact with said material;

an optical receiver in communication with said Raman probe, said optical receiver operable to receive information from said Raman probe and record a digital image of said information, said information comprising said radiation emitted from said target; and

a computer in communication with said photon source, said Raman probe, said material handling apparatus, and digital image receiver, said computer operable to control the operation of said photon source, said Raman probe, said material handling apparatus, and said digital image receiver, and the communication therebetween.