Container inspection machine

• US 20050013473A1
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emhart Glass SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Original Assignee: Emhart Glass SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Inventors: Furnas, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,120,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/142
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/122 for bottles, ampoules, jars and other glassware sorting and transport of caps B67B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3408 for bottles, jars or other glassware according to size B07C5/122
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/90 in a container or its contents G01N21/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9036 using arrays of emitters or receivers

Abstract

An L.E.D. matrix light source illuminates a bottle at an inspection machine. A vertically periodic intensity pattern is defined to facilitate the identification of defects. The L.E.D. that locates the top of the bottle is identified and a peak of the pattern is located at that L.E.D.

Claims

1. A machine for inspecting a bottle comprising

a conveyor for supporting a bottle at an inspection location, and

an inspection system for inspecting a bottle at the inspection location including

a camera having an imaging surface on one side of the bottle,

an L.E.D. matrix light source having a plurality of horizontal L.E.D. rows on the other side of the bottle directing light towards said camera, and

a processor

for defining a vertical periodic intensity pattern having intensity peaks and valleys, for a vertical row of L.E.D.s and

for locating the L.E.D of the vertical row that locates the top of a bottle to be inspected at a peak of the periodic intensity pattern.

2. A machine for inspecting a bottle according to claim 1, wherein the periodic intensity pattern is a triangulated pattern.