Container Test System

• US 20150185172A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Incorporated (O-I Glass, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Owens-Brockway Glass Container Incorporated (O-I Glass, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kisela, David, Myers, Gary, Morello, Jared, Sabo, Daniel S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,054,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/002 Thermal testing flaw detection G01N25/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/18 by investigating thermal conductivity by calorimetry G01N25/20; by measuring change of resistance of an electrically-heated body G01N27/18
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws

Abstract

A container test system includes a test chamber in which a container may be located for testing, for instance, for assessing insulative properties of a container. In the test chamber, the outside of the container is thermally treated, temperature of the air outside the container is measured, and temperature of a liquid inside the container is measured. A related testing method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A container test system that includes:

a test chamber including an air inlet, an air outlet downstream of the air inlet, and a container location between the inlet and the outlet;

a climate controller located upstream of the air outlet, to control the climate in the test chamber; and

at least one air temperature sensor located adjacent to the container location.

2. The system set forth in claim 1 that also includes:

a plurality of air temperature sensors, including;

an upstream temperature sensor upstream of the container location;

a downstream temperature sensor downstream of the container location; and

the at least one temperature sensor between the upstream and downstream temperature sensors.

3. The system set forth in claim 1 that also includes a fan to generate airflow between the upstream inlet and the downstream outlet.

4. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein the climate controller includes a heater to heat air upstream of the container location.

5. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein the test chamber also includes:

an airflow conduit between the upstream inlet and the downstream outlet to convey air to, around, and past the container; and

a container conduit intersecting the airflow conduit between the upstream inlet and the downstream outlet.

6. The system set forth in claim 5 wherein the system includes:

a first locator to locate a base of the container in the test chamber; and

a second locator to locate one or more other portions of the container in the container conduit.

7. The system set forth in claim 6 wherein the system includes a positioning stage to position a container with respect to the test chamber.

8. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one temperature sensor includes at least two temperature sensors on opposite sides of the test chamber.

9. The system set forth in claim 8 wherein the at least two temperature sensors include at least two pairs of upper and lower temperature sensors.

10. The system set forth in claim 1 that includes a test probe assembly including a plurality of liquid temperature sensors at a plurality of different levels spaced apart from one another.

11. The system set forth in claim 1 that includes a test probe assembly including a liquid delivery and extraction conduit.

12. The system set forth in claim 1 that includes a test probe assembly including a liquid agitation conduit.

13. The system set forth in claim 1 that includes a test probe assembly including a plurality of axially spaced supports, a plurality of liquid temperature sensors carried by the plurality of supports and axially and circumferentially spaced apart from one another, and a liquid delivery and extraction conduit carried by the plurality of supports.

14. A method of assessing insulative properties of a container that includes the steps of:

positioning the container in a test chamber;

filling, the container with cooled liquid by delivering the cooled liquid from the cooled liquid source until the cooled liquid reaches a fill level in the container;

thermally treating the outside of the container within the test chamber,

measuring temperature of the air outside the container; and

measuring temperature of the liquid inside the container.

15. The method set forth in claim 14 that also includes thermally preconditioning the container.

16. The method set forth in claim 15 wherein the thermally preconditioning step includes cycling cooled liquid through the container to at least one level including:

delivering the cooled liquid from a source of the cooled liquid to the at least one level inside of the container,

waiting for a period of time, and then

extracting the liquid from the inside of the container.

17. The method set forth in claim 16 wherein the preconditioning step includes at least one additional step of cycling cooled liquid to at least one additional level within the container.

18. The method set forth in claim 16 that also includes the step of agitating the liquid in the container.

19. The method set forth in claim 14 that also includes the step of continuously or progressively extracting liquid from the container while continuing to measure temperature of the liquid in the container.

20. The method set forth in claim 14 wherein the thermal treating step includes flowing heated air past the container by heating air with a heater and moving air past the heater and toward the container.

21. The method set forth in claim 14 wherein the step of measuring temperature of the liquid includes measuring a plurality of temperatures of the liquid at different levels within the container.

22. The method set forth in claim 14 wherein the step of measuring temperature of the air includes measuring a plurality of temperatures of the air, including an upstream air temperature, a downstream air temperature, and a midstream air temperature proximate the container.

23. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium and including instructions executable by a computer processor of a container test system to cause the system to implement steps of a method according to claim 14.

24. A computer-controlled system, comprising:

at least one temperature sensor to receive data;

a memory storing program instructions and data; and

a processor coupled to the temperature sensor(s) and memory and responsive to the program instructions for causing the computer-controlled system to perform a method according to claim 14.