Patent ID: 11927542
Assignee: TIAMA
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A line for inspecting empty glass containers of a series (2), each container of the series having a wall which is delimited by an inner surface (SI) and an outer surface (SE), which has a central axis (A2), and which forms, from top to bottom along the central axis:
a neck (5) ending with a finish (6), an upper face of which defines an upper plane (Psup) of the container, perpendicular to the central axis,
a shoulder (4′),
a body (4),
and a container base (3) which defines a lower plane (Pinf) of the container, perpendicular to the central axis;, the inspection line (100) including a transport device (11, 112, 113, 114) which ensures, by contact with at least one contact region of the containers, the transport of the containers along a trajectory of displacement (T), the containers traveling through a conveying volume (Vt) extended along the trajectory of displacement (T);, characterized in that the inspection line comprises, each arranged at stations distinct from each other along the trajectory of displacement (T):
a) at a finish inspection station, a finish inspection installation (200) capable of detecting without contact, by light rays, check-type defects in the neck (5) of the containers, the installation (200) including:
a1) an inspection area of the finish inspection installation, in which the neck of a container must be located in order to be inspected, said area including a top reference plane (Prefh) intended to coincide with the upper plane of the container under inspection and including a reference axis (A200) intended to coincide with the central axis (A2) of the container for a position of the container under inspection;
a2) a section (112) of the transport device (11) which ensures, in the inspection area of the installation, the transport of the containers along a rectilinear portion of the trajectory of displacement (T), in a horizontal conveying plane (Pc) perpendicular to the central axis of the containers,
a3) a series of several directional light emitters (201, 202, . . . , 20n) which are angularly distributed around the reference axis of the installation and which each deliver, in the direction of the inspection area of the installation, a directional light beam along a beam axis (A201, A202, . . . , A20n) specific thereto, such that the inspection area is lighted by the directional light beams at a multitude of distinct azimuth angles in projection in the top reference plane;
a4) several light receivers (211, 212, . . . , 21n) which are angularly distributed around the reference axis of the installation and which each have an axis of view (A211, A212, . . . , A21n) and a field-of-view angle (AV211, . . . ) around this axis of view;
a5) with optical elements arranged on either side of the associated reference plane, these optical elements belonging either to light emitters of the installation or to light receivers of the installation, but all outside the conveying volume;

b) at a base inspection station, a base inspection installation (300) capable of detecting without contact, by light rays, check-type defects in the base (3) of the containers, the installation (300) including:
b1) an inspection area of the base inspection installation in which the base of a container must be located in order to be inspected, said area including a bottom reference plane (Prefb) intended to coincide with the lower plane of the container under inspection and including a reference axis (A300) intended to coincide with the central axis of the container for a position of the container under inspection;
b2) a section (113) of the transport device (11) which ensures, in the inspection area of the installation, the transport of the containers along a rectilinear portion of the trajectory of displacement (T), in a horizontal conveying plane (Pc) perpendicular to the central axis of the containers,
b3) a series of several directional light emitters (301, 302, . . . , 30n) which are angularly distributed around the reference axis of the installation and which each deliver, in the direction of the inspection area of the installation, a directional light beam along a beam axis (A301, A302, . . . , A30n) specific thereto, such that the inspection area is lighted by the directional light beams at a multitude of distinct azimuth angles in projection in the bottom reference plane;
b4) several photosensitive receivers (311, 312, . . . , 31n) which are angularly distributed around the reference axis of the installation and which each have an axis of view (A311, A312, . . . , A31n) and a field-of-view angle (AV311) around this axis of view;
b5) with optical elements arranged on either side of the associated bottom reference plane, these optical elements belonging either to light emitters of the installation or to light receivers of the installation, but all outside the conveying volume;

c) at a radiographic measuring station, a radiographic installation (400) for automatically measuring linear dimensions of at least one region to be inspected of containers, having:
c1) at least one focal point (Fj) of an X-ray generating tube (12) located outside the traversed volume (Vt), and creating a divergent X-ray beam directed to pass through at least one region to be inspected comprising at least part the neck and/or part of the body of the container;
c2) a section (114) of the transport device (11) which ensures, in the inspection area of the installation, the transport of the containers along a rectilinear portion of the trajectory of displacement (T), in a horizontal conveying plane (Pc) perpendicular to the central axis of the containers,
c3) one or several radiographic image sensors (Ci), located outside the conveying volume (Vt), so as to receive X-rays derived from a focal point (Fj), the focal point(s) (Fj) and the radiographic image sensors (Ci) being disposed such that each image sensor receives the radiographic projection of the region to be inspected by the rays derived from the focal point (9) when the container passes through these rays, the directions of radiographic projection of these radiographic projections being different from each other;
c4) an acquisition system connected to the radiographic image sensors (Ci), so as to acquire for each container during its displacement, at least three radiographic images of the region to be inspected, obtained from at least three radiographic projections of the region to be inspected, with different directions of radiographic projection;
c5) a computer system analyzing the at least three radiographic images, derived from at least the three different radiographic projections, so as to determine at least one inner diameter of the neck in a plane not orthogonal to a direction of radiographic projection (Dji), and/or at least one thickness of the body wall in a plane not orthogonal to a direction of radiographic projection (Dji).