TABLET INSPECTION APPARATUS AND PTP PACKAGING MACHINE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tablet inspection apparatus and a PTP packaging machine for significantly improving the inspection accuracy, when inspecting the appearance of a tablet in a manufacturing process of a PTP sheet. SOLUTION: The tablet inspection apparatus 21 includes a lighting system 22 for irradiating a tablet stored at a pocket section of a vessel film with a light; a camera 23 for imaging reflected light from the tablet irradiated with a light; and an image processing unit 24 for processing an image signal output from the camera 23. The image processing unit 24 locates a tablet region corresponding to the tablet, based on the image data obtained from the image signal; calculates a density gradient direction for each pixel in the tablet region; and determines whether the density gradient direction is a preset, scheduled gradient direction, and thereby performing visual inspection of the tablet. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT