Patent ID: 8014586
Filing Date: 2011-09-06
Classification: G01N,G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. A system for associating a defective metal container produced on a metal container production line with particular production equipment of said metal container production line, said system comprising: an encoder operationally interfacing to a necker star wheel of said metal container production line and adapted to generate a plurality of electric encoder pulses over the course of every revolution of said star wheel, indicating a current rotational position of said star wheel; a tracking device operationally interfacing to said encoder and adapted to generate a necker pocket identifier corresponding to a current pocket of said necker star wheel in response to said encoder pulses and to generate a part-identification code; at least one defect-detecting imaging apparatus mounted on said metal container production line and adapted to detect at least one type of defect occurring in said metal containers, one metal container at a time, and generate corresponding inspection information as each said metal container passes by said at least one defect-detecting imaging apparatus on said metal container production line; a controller operationally interfacing to said at least one defect-detecting imaging apparatus and adapted to trigger said at least one defect-detecting imaging apparatus to acquire images and to generate said part-identification code in response to any of said defect-detecting imaging apparatus being triggered; and a correlator operationally interfacing to said tracking device and said at least one defect-detecting imaging apparatus and adapted to receive said necker pocket identifier and said inspection information and correlate said received necker pocket identifier and said received inspection information to a particular metal container based on said part-identification code.