Machine for inspecting glass containers

• US 20080273086A1
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Vision Corporation (Antares Vision S.p.A.), Applied Vision Corporation LLC, Emhart Glass SA (Bucher Industries AG)
• Original Assignee: Amir R. Novini, Richard A. Sones, Richard D. Diehr
• Inventors: Diehr, Richard D., Sones, Richard A., Novini, Amir R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/127
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/90 in a container or its contents G01N21/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9054 Inspection of sealing surface and container finish
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection

Abstract

A machine for inspecting glass containers rotating at an inspection station. A camera images an area of interest on the glass container (the finish for example) and the area is imaged at angular increments. An anomalous object is analyzed in each image and the deviation of its center relative to a datum is measured. A deviation less than a maximum enables the control to identify the object as a blister.

Claims

1. A machine for inspecting a finish area of a glass container at an inspection station for defects comprising

means for rotating a glass container at the inspection station,

a light source for illuminating the finish portion of the rotating glass container,

a camera for imaging the selected illuminated finish portion of the glass container,

said camera viewing the finish at an angle to the glass container axis;

a control

for controlling the operation of said light source and said camera to capture an image at a predetermined number of angular increments of rotation whereby an image captured at the predetermined number of angular increments will follow an elliptical path, and

for unwrapping the predetermined number of captured images so that they can be evaluated relative to a straight datum.

2. A machine for inspecting the finish area of a glass container at an inspection station for defects according to claim 1, wherein

the light source is defined by a pair of conical light sources having light axes which are horizontal and 90 degrees related, and

said camera has an axis 45 degrees from the horizontal and bisecting said horizontal light axes.

3. A machine for inspecting the finish area of a glass container at an inspection station for defects according to 1, wherein the image captured by the camera is defined by an X-Y array of pixels and wherein said control for unwrapping the predetermined number of captured images comprises

means for locating the edge points of the container finish,

means for fitting a curve to the located edge points,

means for determining the peak of the fitted curve,

means for defining a peak tangent line, and

means for vertically shifting the pixels in each vertical column by the number of pixel difference between the fitted curve and the peak tangent line.