Contact measurement of container dimensional parameters
First Claim
1. A system for contact measurement of at least one dimensional parameter of a container having a container finish comprising:
- means for conveying containers in sequence to an inspection station,means at said station for contacting a container at said station and providing an electrical analog signal as a combined function of warp, dip and cock of the finish of the container,means for receiving said analog signal and converting said analog signal to a digital signal,microprocessor-based electronic control means coupled to said receiving and converting means, including digital filtration means for separating warp, dip and cock signal components from said combined signal, and means for comparing said signal components to preset signal component thresholds, andmeans for displaying the result of such comparison in real time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for contact measurement of dimensional parameters of a container in which rollers coupled to LVDT sensors are placed in contact with a container as the container is rotated about its central axis so that the sensors develop analog signals that vary as a function of variations in geometry of the container. The sensor output signals are fed through multiple input channels to an a/d convertor/multiplexer, which is controlled by a central microcontroller for selecting in turn among the plurality of sensor signals. Within the microcontroller, each sensor signal is compared to a threshold indicative of maximum acceptable deviation of the corresponding dimensional parameter, and the container under test is rejected if the parameter exceeds such threshold. The microcontroller includes facility for real-time display of measured parameters in English or metric units at the selection of an operator, and for communication of measurement data to a remote computer.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A system for contact measurement of at least one dimensional parameter of a container having a container finish comprising:
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means for conveying containers in sequence to an inspection station, means at said station for contacting a container at said station and providing an electrical analog signal as a combined function of warp, dip and cock of the finish of the container, means for receiving said analog signal and converting said analog signal to a digital signal, microprocessor-based electronic control means coupled to said receiving and converting means, including digital filtration means for separating warp, dip and cock signal components from said combined signal, and means for comparing said signal components to preset signal component thresholds, and means for displaying the result of such comparison in real time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of measuring at least one dimensional parameter of containers having a sealing surface comprising the steps of:
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(a) contacting the sealing surface of a container with two rollers spaced 180°
from each other and coupled to sensor means that provides an analog signal as a combined function of war, dip and cock at such sealing surface,(b) rotating the container about its axis so that said rollers move and said signal varies as a function of variations in geometry of the container, (c) converting said analog signal to a digital signal, (d) digitally filtering said combined signal to separate digital signal components associated with warp, dip and cock at the container sealing surface, (e) comparing said digital signal components to associated prestored thresholds that correspond to acceptable limits of said components, and (f) indicating acceptance/rejection of the container as a result of such comparison. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification