Conveyors: power-driven – With means to facilitate working – treating – or inspecting...
Patent
1998-05-28
2000-09-12
Ellis, Christopher P.
Conveyors: power-driven
With means to facilitate working, treating, or inspecting...
1988361, B65G 4700
Patent
active
061164046
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and a device for conveying containers past an apparatus for inspecting the bottom of the containers, for example for contamination, flaws and foreign bodies. The containers are guided into the inspection apparatus on a first conveyor, and guided out of the inspection apparatus on a second conveyor. A gap is left between the first and second conveyors, within which the containers are inspected by the inspection apparatus and within which the containers are not supported, at least not over the whole of their under surface. The containers are guided by side guidance apparatus.
Conveyor devices of this type are employed particularly for the inspection of empty bottles (empty glass or plastic bottles). In this case, the inspection apparatus consists of a light source arranged in the region of the gap below the empty bottles, and of a recognition device, for example a CCD camera, arranged above the empty bottles, this device inspecting the bottom of the empty bottles through the mouth of the bottle.
It is known from EP-A-0 124 164 and EP-B1-0 415 154 to hold the empty bottles by their sides between belts moving along with them, and thus to move them forwards over the gap.
It is also known to grip empty bottles in star-shaped wheels, and thus to guide them through an apparatus for inspecting the bottom.
In both instances the containers, for example empty bottles, have first of all to be lined up singly, so that they can be delivered in a row on the first conveyor with a fixed minimum spacing from each other, or at least without pressure being applied (without dynamic pressure). The containers are lined up singly by means of special-purpose apparatus. After the inspection, the containers are again fed along under dynamic pressure, because the typical filling machinery requires the containers at the entry to the filling machine to be moved under dynamic pressure. When being moved by dynamic pressure, the containers, which are not in any order, are moved forwards on a conveyor belt or on a stationary surface under pressure from the containers following behind. In this case, there is a rail beside the conveyor belt or the stationary surface, to prevent the containers falling over.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to simplify the conveying of containers in the region of inspection apparatus, during which the containers are moved over a gap between two conveyors.
This object is achieved with a method and a device of the type mentioned at the outset, by conveying the containers under dynamic pressure, and by the fact that the side guidance apparatus, which is located on both sides of the first and second conveyors and in the region of the gap between the conveyors, is so designed that the containers can be conveyed under dynamic pressure.
In order for the containers to be conveyed under dynamic pressure, they mutually support each other. The mutual pressure is sufficient to hold the containers within a gap which can amount to 3 times the diameter of the containers, and so to bridge this gap without a "solid floor". The friction between the containers pressing against each other is thus sufficient to prevent the containers sliding vertically with respect to each other. The containers themselves can particularly be jars or glass or plastic bottles. The containers may be rotationally symmetric or have an angular cross-section.
Special provisions can be made with regard to the start of operations and the end of operations, since at the start of operations no back pressure is yet available, and at the end of operations no further pressure is generated from bottles following behind. Several possibilities exist in this respect:
Firstly, a fixed, narrow, neck guide can be provided, in the form of low-friction, fixed rails, which catch crown cork bottles under the mouth bead, catch screw-top bottles under the threaded top, and catch other containers at similarly formed places, so that, at the start of operations, the containers are pushed ov
REFERENCES:
patent: 2734621 (1956-02-01), Mojonnier
patent: 4077254 (1978-03-01), Mercer et al.
patent: 4158624 (1979-06-01), Ford et al.
patent: 4915237 (1990-04-01), Chang et al.
"Pet Hanlding" Ling Systems Limited; St. Neots, Huntingdon, Cambs PE19 3JH; England; Nov. 1993.
Goller Hans-Ulrich
Heuft Bernhard
Ellis Christopher P.
Heuft Systemtechnik GmbH
Tran Khoi H.
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