APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING CONTAINERS

• US 3,815,248 A
• Filed: 03/01/1972
• Issued: 06/11/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Glass Machinery Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Constantine W. Kulig
• Inventors: Kulig, Constantine W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huckert, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerstein, Milton S.
• Application Number:
  US05/230,583
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 209/75,82,83,88 73/45,45.1,45.2,41.3,41.4,45.3 33/174L
• US Class Current: 33/522
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/124 by means of mechanical measuring devices which may also control electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/0002 Arrangements for supporting, fixing or guiding the measuring instrument or the object to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/10 of objects while moving

Abstract

An apparatus for processing containers such as glass bottles and the like includes a plurality of dimensional gauges which are swept in a tracking motion with a container moving at a constant speed on a conveyor while the several gauging operations are performed. The gauges are mounted on four-bar linkages which have orbital links swept in adjacent relationship with the conveyor so that the gauges move at substantially the same speed as the articles along a tracking segment of the conveyor where the gauging operations are performed. A plug or choke gauge carried on one of the orbital members is reciprocated in and out of a moving container by a separate drive mechanism at a speed modulated to provide low impact velocities and rapid reciprocation of the gauge in and out of the container during the portion of the orbital movement wherein the gauges accurately track the article. A finish-height gauge is carried coaxially about the plug gauge and is reciprocated at a modulated speed different from that of the plug gauge so that the impact velocities on the container can be separately optimized for each of the gauges. The apparatus also includes a set of gauging rings which are orbited at a modulated speed along the tracking segment of the conveyor to check the body dimensions of the containers. The combination of the three gauges in a single inspection machine permits the important dimensions of a container, such as a glass bottle, to be inspected simultaneously along a single segment of a conveyor on which the containers are transported prior to filling or other operations.

Claims

1. Apparatus for tracking and probing an article moving on a conveyor at a constant speed comprising:

a frame having an upright operating position adjacent a conveyor on which articles move at constant speed;

carrier means mounted on the frame and movable relative to the frame in at least a first coordinate direction extending parallel to the direction of movement of the articles on the conveyor at the operating position of the frame;

a probe assembly having a movable probe with a probe axis, means supporting the probe assembly on the carrier means for movement of the probe along the probe axis relative to the carrier means in a second coordinate direction perpendicular to the first coordinate direction and the direction of movement of the articles at the operating position of the frame adjacent the conveyor whereby the probe mounted on the carrier means may move relative to the carrier means toward and away the articles in the second coordinate direction and move in the first coordinate direction with the carrier means parallel to the movement of the articles on the conveyor;

first drive means including a first variable ratio gear set for cyclically reciprocating the carrier means and the probe assembly in the first coordinate direction at a speed modulated by the gear set; and

second drive means including a second variable ratio gear set for cyclically reciprocating the probe in the second coordinate direction at a speed modulated by the gear set.

2. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the first drive means and the second drive means are interconnected to synchronize the reciprocating motions of the probe in the first and second coordinate directions.

3. Apparatus for tracking and pRobing as defined in claim 2 wherein:

the variable ratio gear set included in the first drive means comprises a set of intermeshing elliptical gears having a driving gear and a driven gear; and

the variable ratio gear set included in the second drive means comprises a set of intermeshing elliptical gears having one driving gear and one driven gear.

4. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 3 wherein the driving gear of the first drive means is the same as the driving gear of the second drive means.

5. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 3 wherein the sets of elliptical gears are interconnected in a phase relationship in which the speed variations of the driven gear in the first drive means are 180* out of phase with the speed variations of the driven gear in the second drive means.

6. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the carrier means comprises a parallel-crank, four-bar linkage having an oribital link supported from the frame parallel to the first coordinate direction by the two parallel cranks in the operating position of the frame; and

wherein the support means mounts the probe assembly on the orbital link for reciprocation of the movable probe relative to the orbital link in the second coordinate direction.

7. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 6 wherein:

the first drive means includes a drive crank connected to the orbital link of the four-bar linkage, the drive crank being connected with and driven by the variable ratio gear set for orbiting the link and the probe assembly at a modulated speed.

8. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 6 wherein:

the second drive means includes a drive crank connected in driving relationship with the variable ratio gear set for driving the crank at a modulated rotational speed, and a cross slide connected to the probe and slidably engaged with the drive crank for transmitting the driving motions of the crank to the probe in the assembly mounted to the orbital link.

9. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 6 wherein:

the first drive means includes a first crank driven by the first variable ratio gear set and connected to the orbital link of the parallel-crank, four-bar linkage;

the second drive means includes a second crank driven by the second variable ratio gear set and connected in driving relationship to the probe supported in the assembly on the orbital link; and

the first and second variable ratio gear sets are interconnected and have a fixed phase relationship whereby the reciprocations of the probe in the first and second directions are synchronized and fixed in phase relationship.

10. Apparatus for tracking and probing as defined in claim 9 wherein:

the first and second variable ratio gear sets of the first and the second drive means are elliptical gear sets having a common drive gear and two driven gears meshing with the common drive gear with 180* phasing.

11. Apparatus for inspecting containers carried on a conveyor moving at a constant speed comprising:

a support frame;

a parallel-crank, four-bar linkage having an orbital link and two parallel cranks and mounted on the support frame at a position permitting the orbital link to be located parallel to the conveyor and permitting the cranks to sweep the orbital link close to the conveyor at one portion of the orbit of the link, a first inspection probe mounted in perpendicular relationship to the conveyor and on the orbital link and slidably engaged with the orbital link for movement relative to the link toward and away from the articles on the conveyor at the one portion of the orbit;

first rotational drive means connected to the four-bar linkage for sweeping the orbital link cyclically through a full orbit and in the direction of the conveyor motion at the one portion of the orbit; and

second rotational drive means connected to the inspection probe for cyclically reciprocating the inspection probe relatiVe to the orbital link toward and away from the articles.

12. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 11 wherein:

the first rotational drive means includes a drive motor and a first gear set connected between the motor and the four-bar linkage; and

the second rotational drive means includes a second gear set connected between said motor and the inspection probe, the second gear set having a cyclically varying gear ratio and being phased with the first gear set to provide a more rapid driving speed for reciprocating the probe relative to the orbital link as the link sweeps close to the conveyor at the one portion of the orbit.

13. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 12 wherein:

the first gear set of the first rotational drive means has a cyclically varying gear ratio and is phased with the second gear set to provide a reduced driving speed for the orbital link as the link sweeps close to the conveyor at the one portion of the orbit.

14. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 13 wherein:

the first and second gear sets are elliptical gear sets comprised of a common driving gear and two driven gears meshing respectively with the common drive gear.

15. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 11 wherein:

a second inspection probe is mounted in perpendicular relationship to the conveyor and on the orbital link coaxially about the first inspection probe, the second probe being secured to the orbital link for sweeping movement toward and away from the articles on the conveyor as the link is orbited.

16. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 15 wherein:

the second inspection probe is mounted perpendicularly in sliding engagement with the orbital link and the first inspection probe, and includes a limit stop engaged by the orbital link and defining the displacement limit of the second probe relative to the orbital link toward the articles on the conveyor; and

a retaining spring is connected between the second inspection probe and the orbital link to hold the limit stop releasably engaged with the orbital link.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 for inspecting articles in the form of containers having fill openings and finishes wherein:

the first inspection probe comprises a choke gauge having a plug of preselected size for gauging fill openings in the containers on the conveyor; and

the second insepection probe comprises a finish-height gauge having a bore of preselected dimensions for gauging the finishes and heights of the containers.

18. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 17 further including:

first signaling means mounted to the frame and cooperating with the choke gauge to indicate a malformed article; and

second signaling means mounted to the frame and cooperating with the finish and height gauge to indicate a malformed article.

19. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 for inspecting articles in the form of bottles moving on the conveyor in spaced relationship wherein:

three parallel-crank, four-bar linkages are mounted on the support frame at positions permitting the three orbital links to orbit parallel to the conveyor and permitting the cranks to sweep the orbital links close to the conveyor at one portion of the orbit of each link, the first of the four-bar linkages bearing the first inspection probe and being mounted on the frame to lie above the conveyor with a vertically oriented orbital plane and the second and third of the four-bar linkages being mounted on the frame to lie respectively at each side of the conveyor with horizontally oriented orbital planes;

drive transmitting means connect the first rotational drive means to the second and third four-bar linkages for orbiting the orbital links of the first, second and third four-bar linkages simultaneously in phase with each other close to the conveyor and in the direction of the conveyor motion; and

a set of two opposed, bottle-engaging jaws are mounted respectively to the orbital links of the second and third four-bar linkages and are suspended from the liNks to embrace the bottles as the links sweep close to the conveyor.

20. Apparatus for inspecting as defined in claim 19 wherein a spring-loaded deflection member is mounted on one of the bottle-engaging jaws at a portion embracing a bottle;

and signal means are also mounted to the one of the jaws on which the deflection member is mounted and is connected in operating relationship with the deflection member to provide a signal in the event that the spring-loaded deflection member is moved a predetermined amount by an embraced bottle.

21. Apparatus for inspection as defined in claim 19 further including positioning means connected with the frame at a position to be located above the conveyor and also connected in driving relationship to the first rotational drive means for positioning the bottles on the conveyor in phased relationship with the orbital motions of the links in the four-bar linkages.

22. Apparatus for gauging the bodies of articles while the articles are transported at uniform speed on a conveyor comprising:

a gauging ring including two opposed, article-engaging jaws having mating recesses forming a body opening corresponding with the body shape of the articles whereby an article can be at least partially embraced within the recesses of the opposed jaws, and also including a deflectible tripping member extending toward the center of the gauging ring from the edge of a recess in at least one of the jaws and engaged by an embraced article;

signalling means mounted on the one of the opposed jaws having the tripping member and operatively connected with the tripping member for detecting a preselected movement of the deflectible member caused by an oversized body; and

tracking means connecting with the opposed jaws for closing and moving the opposed jaws in embracing relationship about the body of an article as the article moves at the uniform speed along a segment of the conveyor.

23. Apparatus for gauging the bodies of articles as defined in claim 22 wherein:

the tracking means comprises a four-bar linkage having two parallel cranks mounted for rotation in a plane parallel to the surface of the conveyor over which the articles move at the one segment of the conveyor, and an orbital link mounted between the cranks parallel to the movement of the transported articles on the segment of the conveyor, and further includes driving means connected to the four-bar linkage and having a drive motor and a variable ratio gear set connected between the drive motor and the four-bar linkage for orbiting the link at a modulated orbital speed; and

wherein one of the two opposed article-engaging jaws is mounted to the orbital link.

24. Apparatus for gauging as defined in claim 23 wherein the variable ratio gear set of the driving means is an elliptical gear set.

25. Apparatus for gauging the bodies of articles as defined in claim 23 wherein:

a set of two slide bushings pivotally connected respectively to the two parallel cranks and two slide rods engaged respectively in the two bushings and fixedly connected to the orbital link are provided to mount the orbital link to the cranks; and

resilient means are interposed between the orbital link and the cranks to permit the orbit of the link to depart from the circular orbits of the cranks as the opposed jaws engage the body of an article.

26. Apparatus for gauging articles as defined in claim 22 wherein:

the opposed jaw having the deflectible tripping member is provided with surfaces guiding the movement of the member relative to the recess, and resilient means are connected with the jaw and the member for biasing the member toward the recess.

27. Apparatus for gauging articles as defined in claim 26 wherein:

two parallel posts are connected to the opposed jaw having the deflectible tripping member and the deflectible member contains two apertures which register respectively with the parallel posts for mounting the member with limited sliding movement on the jaw.

28. Apparatus for gauging articles as defined in claim 22 wherein each of the two article-engaging jaws has a deflectible member;

and the signaling means comprises two switches operatively connected respectively to the deflectible members and corresponding jaws for actuation by the relative movements of the respective deflectible members and corresponding jaws.

29. Apparatus for gauging the bodies of articles as defined in claim 22 wherein:

the tracking means comprises two orbiting members disposed respectively at opposite lateral sides of the conveyor and driven in orbital paths in synchronism to simultaneously sweep close to the conveyor along portions of the orbital paths from the respective lateral sides and along the segment of the conveyor in the direction of movement of the articles on the conveyor; and

the two opposed jaws are mounted respectively to the two orbiting members for orbital movement with the members into embracing relationship with the body of an article along the segment of the conveyor.