Vessel opening top inspection method

• US 4,811,251 A
• Filed: 02/21/1986
• Issued: 03/07/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TOYO Glass Company Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TOYO Glass Company Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Minato, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ellis B.
• Application Number:
  US06/831,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 364/507, 364/552, 356/240, 356/237, 209/522, 209/524, 209/526, 250/223 B, 358/106, 73/637, 73/638
• US Class Current: 356/239.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9054 Inspection of sealing surface and container finish

Abstract

A vessel opening top inspection apparatus which can accurately detect presence or absence of an overpress finish of a vessel such as a bottle. The apparatus comprises a projector, an image sensor, a memory, a top detecting means including a top width detecting means and a width judging means, and an overpress finish detecting means. Light projected by the projector and reflected from an opening top of a vessel in position for inspection is received by the image sensor outputs of cells of which are stored as digital amounts individually into cells of the memory specified by corresponding addresses whereafter the digital amounts are judged one after another to detect the opening top and then the digital amounts are judged one after another for addresses after such detection to detect presence or absence of an overpress finish on the vessel depending upon the magnitude of the digital amounts.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting a lip of a vessel, said method comprising the following steps:

projecting light to a lip of said vessel which is in position for inspection;

receiving light reflected from the lip of the vessel along a width of the lip using an image sensor;

storing outputs of individual cells of the image sensor as digital signals in cells of corresponding addresses of a memory in an order of increasing address, including a first address (A₁), which is less than a second address (A₂), which is less than a third address (A₃), which is less than a fourth address (A₄), which is less than a fifth address (A₅);

recalling the stored digital signals one after another from the memory in said order and comparing the recalled stored digital signals with a first threshold value (SH₁) to determine the width (W₁) of the lip of the vessel in accordance with a number of those of said cells of said memory between said first address (A₁) to said second address (A₂) which exceed said first threshold value;

comparing said width with a first predetermined value;

if said width is greater than said first predetermined value, recalling the stored digital signals in order from said memory beginning with said second address and comparing the recalled stored digital signals with a second threshold value (SH₂) which is less than said first threshold value to determine a length (W₂) of an overpress finish with the number of those of said cells of said memory from said third address to said fifth address which exceed said second threshold value;

detecting said fourth address of that one of said cells of said memory containing the recalled stored digital signal which has the largest value (P) of those between said third and fifth addresses;

extracting said largest value (P) from said memory at said fourth address;

calculating a ratio between said largest value and the length of the overpress finish and detecting a vertical angle of the overpress finish in accordance with said ratio;

comparing said vertical angle with a second predetermined value;

if said vertical angle is smaller than said second predetermined value, detecting a width (D) of a dip in accordance with a number of said cells in said memory between said second and fourth addresses;

comparing said dip width with a third predetermined value;

if said dip width is greater than said third predetermined value, outputting a signal indicating that said vessel is to be rejected.