Optics: measuring and testing – By inspection with agitation or rotation – Of containers
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2002-11-12
Rosenberger, Richard A. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
By inspection with agitation or rotation
Of containers
C250S22300B, C356S240100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480280
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention is directed to check detection device in the neck and finished portions of glass containers especially bottles, cups, etc. in a bottle manufacturing or filling line, and this invention more specifically concerns such a method which is suitable to the automation. Especially, this relates to the check detection device of the neck and finished portions of glass bottles with auto slicing function.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, in a bottle manufacturing and filling line, detection of checks in the neck and finished portions of a bottle was primarily carried out in the line by visual inspection, or by setting manually and visually emitters (a) and receivers (b) according to the types of bottles and to the types of check defects on public-known handling machines. The a:b by plural emitters (a) and receivers (b) occupy plural of inspection stations depending on the portion to be inspected.
Further another system which is to emit light by lighting system on the neck and finished portions of a bottle and to extract reflecting light as an electrical signal level by photoelectricity transformation element such as CCD camera, is proposed.
However, in the above conventional visual inspection, it is impossible to detect defects on high speed flowing line. In the inspection method of setting manually and visually plurals of emitters and receivers depending on the types of checks, it is impossible to detect where the defects exist and also, it is impossible to inspect all kinds of checks in neck and finished portions of a bottle. Further, in changing the mould of the bottle, it takes a long time to set emitters, etc.
Further, as the example using the latter inspection method of the above, the inspection system, which was disclosed in the journal of “Patent disclosure Showa 59-6524 Bi. 3”, can be pointed out. In this journal, the system is composed of rotating bottles, emitting lights from one emitter on the neck and finished portions, and extracting continuously reflecting lights as a level information by electrical signal from the photoelectricity transformation element such as a CCP camera etc.
Further, as disclosed in the same journal, in this composition, deterioration of emitters due to time lapse, changing of brightness of the circumstance due to time lapse and variation of inspection sensibility of emitters due to change of voltage of the electrical source, will occur. Therefore, in order to protect the above variations, it is organized to control the amplification of process signals in order that the average figures of the process signal levels will come to the certain figures pre-set based on the average level of the process signals.
However, in this composition, it is impossible to elevate the inspection accuracy due to the fact that the standard levels of analog signal levels, which are gained by CCD cameras etc., are altered in response to the change by time lapse. Further, in this conventional inspection system, thought the detection of vertical checks in the neck and finished portions, for example, is comparatively effective, it still has the problem that the detection sensibility is low for the horizontal checks appeared along the screw of a bottle.
Accordingly, in this system, the inspection for all kinds of checks in the neck and finished portions for example are impossible and the problems of necessity of re-setting cameras, lights, sensibility etc. at the time of changing mould, are still there, same as the former visual inspection method.
Now, the inventor of this application developed a check detection device of neck and finished portions of a bottle having 640 multi-detection light channels of the emitters and receivers by setting for example 10 emitters (N=10) and 64 receivers (M=64) with dome shape against the bottle neck and finished portions for example (N×M=640 channels). This device is now applying the patent (1996 patent pending No. 255604).
According to the above method, detecting accuracy of defects is improved greatly compared with the conventional system because the data of 640 channels for example can be maintained per one inspection point i.e. one scan by the multi-directional emitting and receiving lights. Further, unexpected detects, which are in what part or to what direction of the neck and finished portions of bottles, the defects will occur, can be detected.
By the way, considering the condition of existing one emitter against M number of receivers for example, in the inspection system which the inventor of this application developed previously, the emitted lights to the neck and finished portions of the inspected bottles from the emitters are reflected and passed through at these portions and are in-put to each receiver of numbers of M which is arranged in each different position.
In this case, if the inspected bottles are good ones, the figures will be under the threshold figures of the differential level figures of the good bottles previously registered. An in case of the rejected bottles, if the angle position of an emitter and a receiver positioned 1:M is proper, in other words, if the defecting light can be received in this position, the differential level figures, which are output in either of receivers of M numbers, exceed the threshold figures and detect defects.
Similarly, in the inspection system having emitters of N numbers and receivers of M numbers which was developed previously by the inventor of this application, the probability of detecting defects by the multi-directional lights will become higher in proportion to the numbers of N and M.
Now, one problem in case of adopting the inspection system mentioned above is that generally a scores of molds for bottle building, exists in bottle manufacturing factories and especially molds of mouth type (angle type) among them are altered in every several days because of mold diminishing, improper building, etc. In other words, building molds are altered every day. At this time, small shape variation due to such a projection, a dent, etc., which is produced by the jointing of molds, will occur.
The second problem is that the position gap of the handling machine which is a rotating means for inspected bottles, will occasionally occur with time lapse due to its mechanical composition.
The third problem is that the phenomenon of eccentricity, position gap, etc. will occur at the time of bottle rotation by the handling machine because the specification of height, outside diameter, inclination, neck bending of bottles after the bottle building, are comparatively rough.
The above-mentioned three problems will actually be an important problem in this kind of inspection system. Especially, at the time of arranging N numbers of emitters and M numbers of receivers in each different position, the above-mentioned shape change, eccentricity, position gap of the inspected bottles will lead to the excluding good bottles, and to lower the yield rate of production greatly due to the multi-directional emitting and receiving lights.
In other words, the action of emitting lights from multi-direction to the neck and finished portions of bottles, and receiving lights multi-directionally, for example, is very effective at the point of elevating the detecting ability for the defects existence and for the defects portions as mentioned above. Further, the more the numbers of emitters and receivers are, the more the detecting ability of defects will be elevated. However, the problem of increase of the possibility of excluding good bottles due to the above three problems is still there.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
This invention aims to cope with the 3 peculiar problems mentioned above utilizing the characteristics of an inspection system, which has multi-directional light channels having N numbers of emitters and M numbers of receivers as mentioned above. Further, this invention aims to supply the check detection device of the neck and finished portions of glass bottles which can improve quality control by setting the mould change automatically depending
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Precision Co., Ltd.
Rosenberger Richard A.
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