Reject bottle detection and ejection mechanisms

• US 20030105550A1
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ouellette Machinery Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ouellette Machinery Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Ouellette, Joseph F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,961,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/213
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3408 for bottles, jars or other glassware according to size B07C5/122
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3416 according to radiation transmissivity, e.g. for light, x-rays, particle radiation detecting hidden objects G01V

Abstract

A reject bottle detection and ejection apparatus comprises a plurality of sensors positioned along the length of a belt conveyor that senses whether a bottle conveyed by the conveyor is positioned in an upright orientation, in an inverted orientation, in a sideways orientation, in a slanted orientation, or whether the bottle is damaged, and an air jet nozzle positioned downstream of the plurality of sensors that selectively emits a jet of air at a bottle conveyed past the air jet that has been sensed to be not in the upright orientation or to be damaged, thus removing the bottle from the conveyor.

Claims

1. A reject object detection and ejection apparatus comprising:

a conveyor having a length with opposite upstream and downstream ends, the conveyor being operable to convey a sequence of objects on the conveyor from the conveyor upstream end to the conveyor downstream end;

means positioned along the length of the conveyor for sensing an orientation of an object of the sequence of objects conveyed on the conveyor and producing a signal representative of the sensed orientation of the object; and

means positioned along the length of the conveyor for removing the object from the conveyor in response to the signal representative of the sensed orientation of the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and an inverted orientation of the object.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a sideways orientation of the object.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a slanted orientation of the object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright orientation of the object and a pair of sideways oriented objects stacked one on the other.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object also sensing a condition of the object and producing a signal representative of the condition of the object; and

the means for removing the object from the conveyor in response to the signal representative of the sensed orientation of the object also removing the object from the conveyor in response to the signal representative of the sensed condition of the object.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a sideways orientation of the object.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a slanted orientation of the object.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright orientation of the object and a pair of sideways oriented objects stacked one on the other.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and an inverted orientation of the object.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a sideways orientation of the object.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright and a slanted orientation of the object.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object distinguishing between an upright orientation of the object and a pair of sideways oriented objects stacked one on the other.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object comprising a plurality of sensors arranged in a vertical line, the sensors sensing a presence or an absence of an object on the conveyor adjacent the sensors and producing the signal representative of the sensed orientation of the object.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object further comprising an encoder in communication with the plurality of sensors that produces signals representative of a period of conveyor operation each sensor senses the presence or absence of an object on the conveyor adjacent the sensor.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object further comprising an additional sensor that is not in the vertical line of the plurality of sensors.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object further comprising a plurality of optic fiber photosensors arranged in at least two vertical lines that are spaced from each other along the length of the conveyor.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the means for removing the object from the conveyor comprises an air jet nozzle.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means positioned along the length of the conveyor for sensing an object of the sequence of objects conveyed on the conveyor becoming jammed on the conveyor and producing a signal representative of the sensed jammed object; and

means positioned along the length of the conveyor for removing the jammed object from the conveyor in response to the signal representative of the sensed jammed object.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

the means for sensing an orientation of an object on the conveyor and the means for sensing an object becoming jammed on the conveyor are spaced from each other along the length of the conveyor.