Optical inspector for slat-type container filling machine
First Claim
1. An apparatus for detecting the presence and absence of objects in an array of predetermined object positions said apparatus comprising:
- (a) A cooperating radiation device means for directing electromagnetic energy toward said array and a radiation detector means for receiving said electromagnetic energy which is incident upon said object position under only one of the two possible conditions which are an object being present and being absent and for not receiving said energy under the other condition, a first one of said cooperating means comprising individually addressable discrete devices spaced along said array, there being at least twice as many of said discrete devices as there are possible object positions;
(b) digital addressing circuit means connected to said discrete devices for sequentially actuating said discrete devices;
(c) circuit means connected to and for actuating the second one of said cooperating means during the actuation of said discrete devices;
(d) data storage circuit means connected to said addressing circuit means and the radiation detector means for storing data representing the presence or absence of received radiation during actuation of each of said discrete devices; and
(e) electronic data processing means for storing the addresses of discrete devices representing the approximate object positions in said array and for comparing the data for each of said object position addresses to the desired data for each of said object position addresses and providing an output in the event they are not identical.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical inspecting apparatus for detecting the absence of an object from a cavity of a slat filling machine. The inspector detects the empty cavity, determines the container which will be short filled and tracks the container and causes the ejection of the container from the production line. Discrete photodiodes lined along the cavity path are actuated in sequence and phototransistors detect whether light passes through the slat. The control computer using data in its memory analyzes the result of scanning through the diodes to determine the short filled bottle and causes its ejection as it passes an ejection station.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting the presence and absence of objects in an array of predetermined object positions said apparatus comprising:
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(a) A cooperating radiation device means for directing electromagnetic energy toward said array and a radiation detector means for receiving said electromagnetic energy which is incident upon said object position under only one of the two possible conditions which are an object being present and being absent and for not receiving said energy under the other condition, a first one of said cooperating means comprising individually addressable discrete devices spaced along said array, there being at least twice as many of said discrete devices as there are possible object positions; (b) digital addressing circuit means connected to said discrete devices for sequentially actuating said discrete devices; (c) circuit means connected to and for actuating the second one of said cooperating means during the actuation of said discrete devices; (d) data storage circuit means connected to said addressing circuit means and the radiation detector means for storing data representing the presence or absence of received radiation during actuation of each of said discrete devices; and (e) electronic data processing means for storing the addresses of discrete devices representing the approximate object positions in said array and for comparing the data for each of said object position addresses to the desired data for each of said object position addresses and providing an output in the event they are not identical. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for detecting the presence and absence of objects in an array of predetermined object positions said apparatus comprising:
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(a) first discrete electromagnetic radiation devices spaced along said array there being at least twice as many devices as there are object positions in said array, said devices positioned to direct their radiated energy toward said array; (b) a first plurality of radiation detectors spaced along said array and positioned to receive energy which is incident upon said object positions of said array under only one of the two possible conditions of an object being present and being absent and not receiving energy under the other condition; (c) digital addressing circuit means connected to said devices for sequentially actuating said devices; (d) data storage circuit means connected to said addressing circuit means and the radiation detector means for storing the presence or absence of received radiation during actuation of each of said discrete devices; and (e) electronic data processing means for storing the addresses of said devices representing the approximate object positions in said array and for comparing the data for each of said object position addresses to the desired data for said object position addresses and providing an output in the event they are not identical. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for detecting the presence and absence of objects in an array of predetermined object positions, using a plurality of discrete light sources and detectors, said method comprising:
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(a) positioning at least twice as many of said light sources as there are object positions at spaced intervals along said object positions; (b) radiating light upon said object positions in time sequence from said light sources; (c) detecting, each time a source is actuated, the presence or absence of light transmitted through said object positions and electronically storing a signal indicating said presence or absence; and (d) selecting the light source positions nearest to each object position and storing the presence-absence signal corresponding to the selected positions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for detecting the presence and absence of objects in an array of predetermined object positions, using a plurality of discrete light sources and detectors, said method comprising:
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(a) positioning at least twice as many of said light sources as there are object positions at spaced intervals along said object positions; (b) radiating light upon said object positions in time sequence from said light sources; (c) detecting, each time a source is actuated, the presence or absence of light reflected from said object positions and electronically storing a signal indicating said presence or absence; and (d) selecting the light source positions nearest to each object position and storing the presence-absence signal corresponding to the selected positions. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification