Bottle inspection along molder transport path
First Claim
1. A container inspection system in combination with a container manufacturing system, comprising:
- a molder formed with at least one cavity, the molder being coupled to a preform feed means and having at least one cavity for receiving a succession of preforms and to form the preforms to a shape of the cavity, the molder forming a container with a top seal means on a neck formed with an opening, and a base;
a transfer means positioned after the blow molder along a transport path, and being operable to remove each container from the cavity and to transport the container along the transport path toward an exit means, the transfer means maintaining a predetermined rotational position of each container received from the molder;
at least one optical inspection device disposed along the transport path between the molder and the exit means, the transfer means presenting the container to the inspection system at said predetermined rotational position for each successive container, the at least one optical inspection device being operable to capture an image of at least part of the container and being coupled to a processor for analyzing the image for defects in the container;
at least one of an additional optical inspection device and a rejection means coupled along the transport path, and being coupled to the processor, the processor having means coupled to the transport path for coordinating operation of the at least one optical inspection device and said processor correlating operation of at least one of the optical inspection device, the additional optical inspection device and the rejection means, as to individual ones of the containers, whereby defective operation of the cavity of the molder and the transfer means can be identified.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Camera based inspection equipment is used in conjunction with a multiple-station forming device such as a blow molder for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or PEN bottle manufacturing. The inspection system relies on handling devices that present successive bottles for imaging, and due to their operation with the forming device it is possible to correlate inspection data with individual forming elements and/or transfer elements. A seal surface inspection module, a base/neck fold inspection module and a finish gauge inspection module are integrated into the route of preforms and containers through the container manufacturing equipment such that the inspection system is directed to view the passing bottles as they are carried on the transfer devices needed to load and unload the molder. The base/neck fold examines the lower portion of the bottles in elevation and plan view at the predetermined angle of orientation of the bottles on their longitudinal axes, maintained from the mold cavity to the inspection system, for examining the folds in the bottoms of the bottles. The seal surface module examines the surface to be sealed against a cap, in an axial inspection view. The finish gauge inspection module examines the threads and flanged neck.
141 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A container inspection system in combination with a container manufacturing system, comprising:
-
a molder formed with at least one cavity, the molder being coupled to a preform feed means and having at least one cavity for receiving a succession of preforms and to form the preforms to a shape of the cavity, the molder forming a container with a top seal means on a neck formed with an opening, and a base; a transfer means positioned after the blow molder along a transport path, and being operable to remove each container from the cavity and to transport the container along the transport path toward an exit means, the transfer means maintaining a predetermined rotational position of each container received from the molder; at least one optical inspection device disposed along the transport path between the molder and the exit means, the transfer means presenting the container to the inspection system at said predetermined rotational position for each successive container, the at least one optical inspection device being operable to capture an image of at least part of the container and being coupled to a processor for analyzing the image for defects in the container; at least one of an additional optical inspection device and a rejection means coupled along the transport path, and being coupled to the processor, the processor having means coupled to the transport path for coordinating operation of the at least one optical inspection device and said processor correlating operation of at least one of the optical inspection device, the additional optical inspection device and the rejection means, as to individual ones of the containers, whereby defective operation of the cavity of the molder and the transfer means can be identified. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A container inspection system in combination with a container manufacturing system, comprising:
-
a molding means having a plurality of cavities, the molding means being operable to form a container defined by the shape of the plurality of cavities, the container having a top seal means on a neck formed with an opening, and a base; a transfer means having a plurality of transfer arms being positioned after the molding means along a transport path, and being operable to remove each container from the cavity and to transport the container along the transport path toward an exit means, the transfer means maintaining a predetermined rotational position of each container received from the molding means; an optical inspection system disposed along the transport path between the molding means and the exit means, the transfer means presenting the container to the optical inspection system at said predetermined rotational position for each successive container, the optical inspection system being operable to capture an image of at least part of the container and being coupled to a processor for analyzing the image for defects in the container, the processor being operable to correlate defects detected in the container to the cavity in which the container was formed; and
,a rejection means coupled along the transport path, and being responsive to the processor for diverting selected ones of the containers as a function of the defects. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A container inspection system in combination with a container manufacturing system, comprising:
-
molding means operable to form a container from a heated preform, the container having a top seal means on a neck formed with an opening, and a base; transfer means positioned after the molding means along a transport path, and being operable to move containers away from molding means along the transport path toward an exit means, at least one of the molding means and the transfer means having a plurality of container engaging elements such that successive ones of the containers are engaged by different ones of the container engaging elements; an optical inspection system disposed along the transport path between the molding means and the exit means, the optical inspection system being operable to capture an image of at least part of the container and being coupled to a processor for analyzing the image for defects in the container, the processor being operable to correlate defects detected in the container to particular ones of said container engaging elements. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
Specification