Patent ID: 6205237
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: B07C,B65B

Abstract:
A method for the opto-electrical contactless scanning of packs (10, 19) being transported at a distance from one another, said method comprising the steps of:contactlessly scanning the packs by a plurality of testing devices (64, 69) during the transport and along a free-falling contact trajectory or drop path in an open space;moving the packs (10, 19) past said testing devices (64, 69) and along a free-falling non-supported contactless trajectory or drop path in an open space;positioning the testing devices (64, 69) in a region of the path of the packs (10, 19); andscanning all sides of each of the packs (10, 19), during their free movement along the in the open space, by the testing devices (64, 69);wherein the packs are transported by a pack conveyor along a conveying path (26), said method further comprising the steps of:dividing the pack conveyor into a feed-in conveyor (28, 74) and an onward conveyor (29, 75) with said open space therebetween;arranging the feed-in conveyor (28, 74) to end at the beginning of the testing region (30, 76), and the onward conveyor (29, 75) to begin at the end of the testing region (30, 76);transporting the packs (10, 19) by the feed-in conveyor in such a way that the packs (10, 19) are moved in the testing region (30, 76) along the path, and at the end of the testing region (30, 76) are taken over by the onward conveyor (29, 75) for further transport;positioning the testing devices (64, 69) in the testing region (30, 76); andpositioning the testing devices (64, 69) in such a way that the packs (10, 19) are scanned by the testing devices (64, 69) on said all sides during movement of the packs along the path.