Carrier line oriented spin high voltage leak detection system and method

Inspection and leak detection of electrically insulated containers having an electrically conductive solution therein in high speed assembly carrier line systems, includes controlled carrier structure and methods for carrying, conveying, orientating, and spinning the containers in a desired line of travel for high frequency high voltage spark testing workstation processing. A plurality of carriers convey the containers along a pathway to a particular orientation relative to a high voltage leak detection system to obtain an electric current volume reading. The carriers are orientated so as to dispose the conductive solution along a longitudinal axis of the containers in contact with a longitudinal portion of an internal circumference of the containers, to expose a portion of an external circumference of the containers to the inspection electrode of a high voltage leak detection system, and to expose a portion of an external surface of the containers to a detection electrode of a high voltage leak detection system. While so orientated, the containers are then spun by a rotating roller or belt in abutment with the containers to expose successive longitudinal portions of said internal circumference of the containers in contact with the conductive solution of the containers for electric current volume reading by the high voltage leak detection system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to quality control inspection and leak detection of product work piece electrically insulated containers having an electrically conductive solution therein in high speed assembly carrier line systems, particularly to controlled carrier means and methods for carrying, conveying, orientating, and spinning the product work piece containers in a desired line of travel for high frequency high voltage spark testing workstation processing.

2. Description of the Related Art

When carrier system work pieces, such as plastic bottles, liquid containers, glass vials, and ampoules, are manufactured, they are tested to ensure that no holes or leaks are formed therein.

In many industries, it is important to test the fluid tightness and seal integrity of containers. For example, in the food industry, it is essential to ensure that containers in which food products are packed are completely sealed to ensure that the contents are a good condition, free from molds, bacteria and other pathogenic organisms, so they will be safe when used by consumers. The pharmaceutical industry similarly requires that containers for medicines, especially solutions intended for injection or intravenous administration, be protected from contamination or serious danger to public health may result.

Thus, the detection of pinholes, hairline cracks, and defective seals in assembly line product containers is important to the quality control of the product, especially in production environment of varying temperatures. For example, at higher temperatures the solution or product may expand and leak from a pinhole, a crack or defective seal of a container, and at lower temperatures the product can shrink back into the container bringing within such contaminants as bacteria from the exterior of the container.

In the past several approaches have been employed to ascertain the fluid tightness and seal security of containers apart from visual inspection. For example, some test devices use a positive pressure approach wherein an active force on the container is created so as to enable the detection of a substantial movement of a wall of the container which movement is monitored and translated into a leak detection function. Exemplary of such devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,663,964 and 4,771,630 and 5,226,316.

Other testing approaches include optical scanning techniques for inspecting containers for variations that affect optical characteristics of the container. Exemplary of such devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,378,493,4,584,469, 5,200,801 and 5,719,679. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,679 to Shimizu et al. there is disclosed a method and apparatus for inspecting a medicine vial with cameras in the course of conveying the vial by a rotary table, comprising the steps of inspecting the vial's lower half at a station of the vial's lower portion while the vial is rotated from above with its head being chucked, inspecting the vials upper half at a station of the vial's upper portion while the vial is supported and rotated from below by a rotary belt adapted to be brought into contact with the vial, and combining these inspections of lower and upper halves to inspect the whole vial from its head to its bottom.

While the foregoing inspection and detection systems have met with limited success, such systems require complex machinery or multiple workstation processing that are time-consuming and inefficient, especially when the system requires a high-speed detection of several hundred containers per minute. Further such systems, particularly those employing vacuum or pressure decay tests, may be destructive causing the loss of good product and packaging components.

An alternative to the foregoing is a system that employs a high frequency high voltage spark test method of inspection. In high voltage leak detection systems, the conductive solution in the container is used as an electric circuit pathway such that small pinholes or hairline cracks or capillary pores which would normally be dosed by the product will be more consistently and effectively detected while reducing the possibility of false rejections. Such systems rely upon the increase in the current volume through the product to determine whether the container is defective (namely, leakage current will be greater than charging current when the container workpiece has a leak and when there is no leak, the container functions as an insulator and the charging current will be greater than the leakage current). Exemplary of such a system is U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,744, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Further, a high frequency high voltage spark test method of inspection is preferable because it can detect even the smallest pinhole, hair crack, capillary pore or insufficient container wall thickness when the high voltage electrical currents “wash” the container. Pinholes as small as 0.5 microns in diameter can be consistently detected.

However, high frequency high voltage spark test methods of container inspection must rely upon the electrical conductivity of the container solution to obtain electric current circuit readings by an inspection electrode and a cooperative detection electrode that are exposed to the container in a manner avoiding any air pocket or air bubble of the container's interior. Thus, reliable testing of containers in high-speed carrier assembly lines has required multiple arrays of inspection electrodes being exposed to varying multiple positions of the container. For example, a vertically orientated container may have an air pocket in container's upper interior bordering the container's neck and cap in which case the inspection electrode and cooperative detection electrode cannot be exposed adjacent the air pocket. For complete reliable testing of such a container, a first high voltage leak detection test would be directed to the containers lower portion and a second high voltage leak detection test using a repositioned container and a repositioned set of the inspection and detection electrodes would be undertaken to inspect the container's upper portion at a point in time when the air pocket has shifted leaving the electrically conductive solution to close any pinhole, hair crack, capillary pore or deficient wall thickness in the upper portion.

In addition to air pockets within a container, many high voltage spark test leak detection systems are not readily adapted to accommodate rapid, repetitive assembly line processing of carrier borne products or work pieces presented to multiple machine or station operations which require differing specific orientations of the product or work pieces at selected points of the overall assembly line processing procedure.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387 to Forster there is disclosed a carrier, a carrier orientation and conveying structure, a carrier line system assembly, and a carrier process for orientating and conveying containers to be transported along a desired pathway wherein the pathway has a guide element cooperative with the carrier selected from one of more of the group consisting of a rail for engagement into a transverse slot of the carrier, a rod for engagement into a transverse bore of the carrier, and a boundary barrier to contain the carriers. When the guide element of the pathway includes a cam rail surface upon the rod, selected controlled rotational movement of the carrier circumferentially upon the rod perpendicular to its ongoing lineal path along at least a portion of the length of the rod is achieved. The entirety of U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387 to Forster is hereby incorporated by reference herein for its disclosure of a carrier, a carrier orientation and conveying structure, a carrier line system assembly, and a carrier process for orientating and conveying containers to be transported along a desired pathway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method for assembly line pathway high voltage spark test leak detection inspection of electrically insulated containers having an electrically conductive solution therein, the containers being merged with complimentary assembly line carriers, comprising the steps of: (a) conveying a plurality of carriers upon an assembly line pathway to transport the containers to a high voltage spark test leak detection inspection system workstation, (b) orientating the containers at the workstation so as to dispose the solution along a longitudinal axis of the containers in contact with a longitudinal portion of an internal circumference of the containers, to expose a portion of an external circumference of the containers to an inspection electrode of a high voltage spark test leak detection system, and to expose a portion of an external surface of the containers to a detection electrode of a high voltage spark test leak detection system, and (c) spinning the containers while so orientated to expose successive longitudinal portions of the internal circumference of the containers in contact with the electrically conductive solution of the containers for electric current volume reading by the high voltage spark test leak detection system.

The present invention also provides for a carrier line orientated spin high voltage spark test leak detection assembly in which carriers are conveyed, in use, to a high voltage spark test leak detection system workstation in order to perform testing on electrically insulated containers having a conductive solution therein merged with the carriers. The assembly comprises a plurality of carriers for conveying the containers, a pathway having a guide element cooperative with the carriers, drive means for moving the carriers along the pathway to the high voltage spark test leak detection system workstation, a high voltage spark test leak detection system having an inspection electrode and a detection electrode operatively cooperative with the containers at the workstation to obtain an electric current volume reading, means for orientating the carriers at the workstation to dispose the solution along a longitudinal axis of the containers in contact with a longitudinal portion of an internal circumference of the containers, to expose a portion of an external circumference of the containers to the inspection electrode of the high voltage spark test leak detection system, and to expose a portion of an external surface of the containers to the detection electrode of the high voltage spark test leak detection system, and means for spinning the containers while so orientated to expose successive longitudinal portions of the internal circumference of the containers in contact with the electrically conductive solution of the containers for electric current volume reading by the high voltage spark test leak detection system.

The present invention advantageously provides for high speed assembly line carriers merged with work piece containers to be conveyed to a high voltage spark test leak detection inspection system workstation where the container is disposed in a substantially horizontal orientation and spun so as to expose successive portions of the container's longitudinal underside surface to an inspection electrode or an array of inspection electrodes located underneath the same. In this way, regardless of any air pocket at the upper interior of the container, the container's electrically conductive solution is disposed along a consistent longitudinal interior axis of the container in contact, during the spin, with successive longitudinal portions of the interior circumference of the container to allow electric current volume inspection for the detection of pinholes, hairline cracks, capillary pores, or deficient seals throughout the container's interior circumference dosed by the solution during the spin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown inFIG. 1a schematic block diagram of a prior art high voltage spark-test leak detection system10. A high frequency high voltage is generated at a control section that includes a distributor PC board12, a power amplifier and booster unit14, and a high voltage transformer16. The high voltage is applied to an electrically insulated vial container18having a conductive solution20therein through an inspection electrode22located above the vial container18. The inspection electrode22tests for leakage at the hermetically sealed area end cap24of vial container18. The current flow through the vial container18and solution20is collected at the detection electrode26. The current volume is regulated by a sensitivity potentiometer28having settings to determine the signal amplitude to a detection circuit30where the signals are converted to DC voltage and set into a programmable logic controller32for reading and judgment circuit34determination. The converted signal can be displayed on an analog LED array or a digital signal display screen36. If vial container18should have a leak at the tested seal area, a discharge current would flow through the pinhole, hairline cracks, or defective seal into the container18. The change of electric current volume enables the presence of a defect to be recognized. When a leak is present there will be an electric discharge into the container and the container will have an increased electric current volume. With a constant voltage being applied to the container, a defective container will have a larger electric current volume than a container with no leak present. The programmable logic controller32can be used to activate an alarm circuit38or reject signals and other output signals for general operation.

The prior art high speed assembly line system40of U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387 to Forster is illustrated atFIG. 2wherein a plurality of line feed carriers42are conveyed in a desired loop direction44of travel, in use, along an assembly line to multiple workstations46,48,50, and52in order to perform work operations on work piece things, such as vials, merged with the carriers. For ease of illustration, the work piece vials are not shown merged with the carriers atFIG. 2.

FIG. 3illustrates a portion of the prior art assembly line system40in which conveyed carriers42are specifically orientated to allow for both linear motion of the carriers and rotation of the carriers on their horizontal axis in a direction perpendicular to their pathway travel. Although the carriers42may be of various embodiments as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387, atFIG. 3a first side periphery60of the carrier42defines and provides a transport section62which is adapted to receive and convey a thing to be transported, such as a vial64, so that multiple surfaces of the vial, such a side66, bottom68, and top surface70, can be exposed to workstation or other carrier assembly line system processing. As noted atFIG. 2, a second side periphery72of the carriers provide a drive control section74adapted to engage a sprocket wheel76powered by a drive mechanism78to cause movement of a carrier array upon the assembly pathway. Preferably, a plurality of sprocket wheels operative by a drive mechanism provides a loop motion44to the carrier array.

As observed atFIG. 3, and as also explained in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387 to Forster, the prior art carrier assembly line system40also includes structure for specifically orientating and rotating the carrier to allow for both linear movement of the carriers and rotation of the carriers on its horizontal axis in a direction perpendicular to its pathway travel. This structure includes the carriers having a bottom surface80intersected by a traverse slot82upwardly communicative with a traverse through bore84. As each carrier42in a feed line of carriers moves along the desired pathway44by means of its drive control section74, a guide element86as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387, such as a rail88, boundary barrier90, or rod92, allows for linear movement of the carriers on the desired pathway.

As illustrated atFIG. 3, the linear movement of the carriers42in a desired pathway44may be accompanied by a controlled rotational orientation of the carriers along their horizontal axis perpendicular to the pathway. This is achieved when a rod92having a cam94, such as cam rail96, engages the traverse through bore84of carrier42. In particular rod92is integral with an extended cam rail96upon the rod's external surface. The extended cam rail96has an initial engagement portion98extending downwardly from the bottom-most surface100of rod92which is suitable to engage the traverse slot82of carriers42while the rod84engages the traverse through bore84of such carriers. When carriers42move along the initial engagement portion98of the extended cam rail96they necessarily move forward in a linear stabilized direction. However, once the extended cam rail96begins to be circumferentially displaced and deviated from its initial engagement portion98position extending downwardly from the bottom-most surface100of rod92to a second displaced portion102of the cam rail96, the carrier42necessarily rotates about its horizontal axis circumferentially upon the rod in a direction perpendicular to its ongoing linear motion in a precise controlled rotational orientation of the carrier such that vial64merged in the transport section thereof is likewise rotated to be upwardly disposed to a degree corresponding to the controlled degree of displacement of the second displaced portion102of the cam rail96from its initial engagement portion98. The greater the degree of circumferential displacement of the second displaced portion102of extended cam rail96from the initial engagement portion98, the greater is the degree of controlled rotation of the carrier and its merged work piece perpendicular to its ongoing linear motion. A third stabilization portion104of the extended cam rail96maintains a selected desired degree of carrier rotation along a segment of the desired pathway96suitable for workstation interaction or desired function of an assembly carrier line system. Carriers42are then returned to their initial feed orientation in a cam rail manner reversing the rotation and orientation, namely, as observed inFIG. 3, by passage of the carrier on return displaced portion106of extended cam rail96to disengagement portion108of extended cam rail96.

Thus, feed line carrier movement along a desired pathway may be provided with a controlled rotational orientation of the carriers perpendicular to the pathway so as to expose a work piece container merged with the carrier in a longitudinal orientation to a workstation. In the prior artFIG. 3, the extended cam rail96upon rod92is located on the outside periphery of the oval pathway loop illustrated atFIG. 2, thus causing the controlled rotational orientation of the carrier42to upwardly dispose its merged work piece vials. In the present invention, as later discussed in regard totFIG. 7, the controlled rotational orientation of the carrier will be in the opposite direction due to the cam rail upon the rod being located to the inside periphery of the carriers' pathway so as to downwardly dispose its merged work piece vials.

InFIGS. 4 through 8there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, namely a carrier line orientated spin high voltage spark-test detection assembly and a method of leak detection testing incorporated therein.

FIG. 4is a front view of a plurality of carriers being conveyed in a desired direction of travel, in use, along an assembly line to a high voltage spark-test leak detection workstation in order to inspect and detection leaks of a vial container merged with the carrier. A plurality of carriers110each hold a container vial112within the carriers' transport section114for conveyance of the containers along an assembly line pathway116(the pathway structure, which may be in accordance with the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,387 to Forster, is not shown atFIGS. 4 through 7for ease and clarity of illustration of the present invention). The carriers110conveying the containers112comprise a body118having a top surface120, a bottom surface122, a first side periphery124, a second side periphery126, a traverse slot128, and a traverse through bore130, the bottom surface122being intersected by the traverse slot128, the traverse slot being upwardly communicative with the traverse through bore130, the first side periphery124or the top surface120providing a transport section114adapted to receive, convey, and orientate the container112to be transported, and the second side periphery126providing a drive control section132cooperative with a drive means. The transport section114of the carrier includes a hold area134forming a border or overhang of the first side periphery to engage at least a portion of container transported. The drive means for moving the carriers along the pathway116may include, as discussed later in reference toFIG. 8, at least one sprocket wheel operative by a drive mechanism cooperative with the drive control section132of the carriers to cause movement of said carriers upon the pathway116. Preferably the drive means includes a plurality of sprocket wheels operative by a drive mechanism to provide a loop motion to a plurality of carriers.

As the carriers approach high voltage spark test leak detection workstation136the linear movement of the carriers along the assembly line pathway is accompanied by a rotation of the carrier circumferentially in a direction perpendicular to its linear direction of travel. As best illustrated at the rear perspective view ofFIG. 7, a controlled rotational orientation of the carriers110to a substantially horizontal and downwardly disposed orientation of its merged work piece container vials112is achieved by virtue of a cam element140upon a pathway guide rod142being located to the inside periphery of the carriers' pathway. When approaching the high voltage spark test leak detection system workstation136, the pathway guide rod142engages into the traverse through bore130of the carriers110. The pathway guide rod142includes a cam element140, such as extended cam rail144to engage the traverse slot128of the carrier110at initial engagement portion146of the extended cam rail144. The carriers110are then rotated circumferentially upon the pathway guide rod142in a direction perpendicular to the carriers' linear direction of travel along at least a portion of the length of the rod142in a manner similar to the rotation discussed in relation toFIG. 3. In this regard, when the carriers110move along the initial engagement portion146of the extended cam rail144they necessarily move forward in a linear stabilized direction. However, once the extended cam rail144begins to be circumferentially displaced and deviated from its initial engagement portion146position extending downwardly from the bottom-most surface148of pathway guide rod142to a second displaced portion150of the extended cam rail144, the carriers110necessarily begin to rotate about their horizontal axis circumferentially upon the rod in a direction perpendicular to its ongoing linear motion in a precisely controlled rotation. When carriers110reach a third stabilization portion152of the extended cam rail144they are maintained at a selected desired degree of carrier rotation along a segment of the desired pathway suitable for workstation136interaction. During travel along the third stabilization portion152of the extended cam rail144, the carriers110preferably dispose their container vials112in a substantially horizontal downwardly facing position for high voltage spark test leak detection as discussed below.

AtFIG. 4the high voltage spark test leak detection workstation136includes at least one, and preferably an aligned plurality, of inspection electrodes160and a detection electrode ground bar162that is operatively cooperative with the carrier110conveyed containers112at the workstation136to obtain an electric current volume reading from a conventional high voltage spark test leak detection system164as discussed in association withFIG. 1. For ease of illustration,FIGS. 4 through 7show inspection electrodes160and a detection electrode ground bar162connected to an electrode mounting plate166which is operatively part of an un-illustrated remainder of a prior art high voltage spark test detection system.

Referring now toFIG. 6, as carriers110arrive at the workstation136, the carriers' container vial112has been circumferentially rotated from a prior vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal position so as to expose a portion of an external circumference170of the container112to an inspection electrode160and to expose a portion of the external surface172of the container to the detection electrode ground bar162. In this orientation, the container112disposes its electrically conductive solution content along a longitudinal axis174of the container in contact with longitudinal portion of an internal circumference176of the container112. A servo driven rotating roller or belt178comprised of a conventional and appropriately dimensioned assembly of belt, pulleys, and servo motor components known to those skilled in such art, is placed in abutment against an underside surface180of the external circumference170of the container112and serves as a drive means182to spin rotate the containers while so orientated, preferably in several360degree revolutions. The spin rotation of the container thus exposes successive longitudinal portions184and186of the internal circumference176of the container112in contact with the electrically conductive solution of the container for electric circuit volume reading by the high voltage spark test leak detection system164. The exposure of a portion of the underside external circumference170of the container to an inspection electrode160located beneath the container combined with a 360 degree rotational span of the orientated container advantageously disposes the container's electrically conductive solution, regardless of any air pocket at the upper interior of the container, during the course of such spin, in contact with the entire internal circumference176of the container112during the electric current volume reading or multiple electric current volume readings of the high voltage spark test detection system164to detect pinholes, hairline cracks, capillary pores, or deficient seals throughout the container's interior circumference closed by the solution during the spin.

Preferably, the carrier line conveyance of the orientated containers and their spin exposes a variable portion of the container's external circumference to a plurality of inspection electrodes. In this regard,FIGS. 4 through 7, illustrate a first inspection electrode array190and a second electrode array192each comprised of five successively aligned electrodes160spaced approximately 10 ml apart for operative exposure, respectively, to differing portions of the container's external circumference. Specifically, first inspection electrode array190spark tests a first portion194of the containers' external circumference170proximal to the containers' hermetically sealed end cap196. The linear conveyance of the carrier112along the pathway116at workstation136to each of the five inspection electrodes160of the first inspection electrode array190allows for multiple electric current volume readings of the high voltage spark test leak detection system164. As best illustrated atFIG. 6, when the servo driven rotating roller or belt178is placed in spin contact against a central portion198of the underside surface of the external circumference170of the containers, such a placement allows for a second inspection electrode array192, again comprised of five successively aligned electrodes spaced approximately 10 ml apart, to be operatively exposed to a second portion200of the containers' external circumference170now distal to the containers' hermetically sealed end cap196which can likewise accommodate multiple electric current volume readings of the high voltage spark test leak detection system164during the container's course of travel at workstation136.

The foregoing aspects of the present invention can be viewed in the assembly line system ofFIG. 8which is a top perspective view of a partial, left side, portion of an assembly line system210in which a plurality of carriers110in feed with vial containers are conveyed in a desired looped direction of travel212and214, in use, along the assembly line to a high voltage spark test leak detection system workstation136in order to inspect and detect leaks of a vial container112merged with the carriers.FIG. 8also shows, depending on the inspection results, an acceptable vial processing path216and a rejected vial processing path218. Assembly line system210includes a transfer assembly220having a pair of sprocket wheels, including vial in-feed sprocket wheel222and vial discharge sprocket wheel224, for directing the flow of feeding, discharge, or rejection of the container vials112that are carrier transported upon the assembly line pathway. The vial in-feed sprocket wheel222and vial discharge sprocket wheel224each have a plurality of reception pockets226defined between teeth228of the sprocket wheels suited to, respectively, in-feed convey and discharge receive container vials112to and from the carrier's transport section114. The vial in-feed sprocket wheel222operative by drive mechanism226provide container vials112to carrier110via in-feed dislodge finger230after the carriers have been sequentially logged and accounted for by sensor232communicative with a programmable logic controller. Once feed with a container vial112, carrier110travels upon pathway234by pathway sprocket wheel236feed line advancement operative by pathway drive mechanism238that provides motion to the plurality of carriers. The pathway234travel is guided by a guide element240cooperative with the carrier110selected from one or more of the group consisting of a rail242for engagement into the traverse slot128of the carrier110, a guide rod244for engagement into the traverse through bore130of the carrier110, and a boundary barrier246to contain the carrier110. After processing of the carrier's container vial112work piece at outward travel direction212workstations, a return sprocket wheel radial reversal of the pathway (not illustrated atFIG. 8) directs the carriers in direction214to high voltage spark test leak detection system workstation136as discussed previously herein. After good/bad judgment circuit34has logged and accounted for the electric current volume reading by the high voltage spark-test leak detection system164per programmable logic controller32, carriers110are feed line sequentially feed to vial discharge sprocket wheel224operative by discharge sprocket wheel drive mechanism248. Barrier wall250then directs tested container vials112for interaction with a discharge dislodge finger252that separates the container vials112from carriers110for travel along a discharge sprocket wheel224process path254. As identified and accounted for programmable logic controller32, good judgment leak tested vials proceed to acceptable vial processing path216for subsequent package processing and bad judgment leak tested vials continue to rejected vial processing path218for passage across a quality control/accounting sensor laser beam256of rejection control sensor258before rejection dislodgment finger260separation to rejection tray262.

The foregoing description of the carrier line orientated spin high voltage spark test leak detection assembly of the present invention also incorporates and describes a method for leak detection inspection of electrically insulated containers having an electrically conductive solution therein that are merged with complimentary assembly line carriers. In particular, the method comprising the steps of: (a) conveying a plurality of carriers upon an assembly line pathway to transport the containers to a high voltage leak detection inspection system workstation, (b) orientating the containers at the workstation so as to dispose the solution along a longitudinal axis of the containers in contact with a longitudinal portion of an internal circumference of the containers, to expose a portion of an external circumference of the containers to an inspection electrode of a high voltage leak detection system, and to expose a portion of an external surface of the containers to a detection electrode of a high voltage leak detection system, and (c) spinning the containers while so orientated to expose successive longitudinal portions of the internal circumference of the containers in contact with the electrically conductive solution of the containers for electric current volume reading by the high voltage spark-test leak detection system.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the carrier line orientated spin high voltage leak detection system and method of the present invention has a number of advantages, some of which have been described above and others of which are inherent in the invention. Also, it will be understood that modifications can be made to the carrier line orientated spin high voltage leak detection system and testing method of the present invention or its environment of use described above without departing from the teachings of the present invention. For example, the number and pathway positioning of the inspection and detection electrodes relative to the tested container may vary as well as the type, positioning, and dimension of the rotating roller or belt placed in contact against an underside surface of the external circumference of the container. Further, the physical form of the container carriers and the composite structural assembly and positioning of the high voltage spark test leak detection system employed to obtain electric current volume readings may likewise vary without departing form the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.