Machine for inspecting the wall thickness of glass bottles

Abstract: A wall thickness inspecting device includes a plurality of channels that generate a voltage signal as the glass container rolls along an elongated capacitance strip. A switch is provided for operation during head cleaning which isolates the data file from bottle rejection data, and from bottle inspected data count.

Description: The present invention relates to equipment for inspecting the wall thickness of a glass container by evaluating sampled voltage data generated by elongates capacitance strips as the glass container is rolled along the strips. A bottle or container is formed from a gob of molten glass in an individual section glass container forming machine by first pressing or blowing the gob into a parison and then blowing the parison into the container. When glass is uniformly distributed in this process, wall thickness will be uniform, but when glass distribution is not uniform, thin spots can occur which may result in bottle failure during filling or handling. The high dielectric constant of glass makes it possible to measure the electrical capacitance of the wall of a glass container located against two elongated electrodes of a sensor which contact the bottle as it is rolled along the sensor. This capacitance increases monotonically as the thickness of the glass container increases and can be measured using an electronic circuit to convert the capacitance to a voltage. A voltage representative of the thickness of the wall can be continuously generated as the bottle rolls along the sensor, and if the voltage decreases below a selected value (the value which represents the minimal wall thickness), the bottle being tested can be rejected. Each sensor is a part of a discrete data channel. Such an apparatus is disclosed in EP-A-0 363 116. Conventionally four data channels are utilized to inspect a glass container and the voltage outputted from each channel is evaluated. Random errors in any channel can cause the controller to conclude that a bottle is bad. One cause for such random errors is routine cleaning or replacement of the outer layer of tape on the capacitance strips. Whether a bottle is correctly rejected or whether a reject signal is generated erroneously during head cleaning or repair a data file which is maintained throughout operation will be updated to reflect that a bottle formed in mold N of Section N was rejected. Since system specifications often provide for a bottle acceptance rate of for example 95% such erroneous data makes it appear that the acceptance rate is lower than it is and therefore makes it unnecessarily difficult to secure the desired acceptance rate. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to improve the reliability of the system data. The present invention provides a machine for inspecting wall thickness of a glass bottle comprising a plurality of elongated capacitance strips which must be periodically cleaned to maintain consistent capacitance readings, means for rolling a glass bottle along said strips, means for generating a voltage signal from each of said strips representative of bottle wall thickness as the bottle is rolled along said strips, said generating means additionally generating a voltage signal from each of said strips whenever said capacitance strips are cleaned, means for evaluating the voltage signals generated by said generating means and issuing an acceptance or rejection signal, said evaluating means issuing a reject signal whenever a voltage signal is generated as a result of one of said capacitance strips being cleaned, means for maintaining a data file for tracking the number of rejected bottles, manually operable means for signalling that said capacitance strips are being cleaned, and for preventing the updating of said data file when said signalling means is operating so that in use erroneous reject data does not enter said data file. Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an oblique view of a portion of a machine for inspecting the thickness of a glass container; and Figure 2 is a front view of the head of an oscillator assembly of the machine shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a representation of the signal theoretically generated by the head by an inspected bottle; and Figure 4 is a logic diagram showing how the reliability of system data is increases. The glass container inspection machine 8 has a station for testing a round bottle to which is supported by a support plate 12 and which is advanced along the support plate 12 by a bottle carrier 14. During its displacement past the test station, the carrier 14 forces the bottle against a series of parallel, horizontally extending and vertically spaced capacitance sensing strips 16 which are secured to resilient foam strips 18 mounted on suitable brackets 20, and rolls the bottle along the strips. The brackets are connected by posts 22 to corresponding oscillator assemblies 24 which receive a capacitance signal via calibrated cables 26 and generate voltage signals which are supplied to a computer 30 from each of the strips which are representative of bottle wall thickness at the strip. Each head oscillator assembly is part of a discrete data channel. In operation, a glass bottle which is being conveyed along a path parallel to the strip will engage the strip 32 (Figure 2) at its leading edge 34 and the corresponding oscillator assembly should develop a voltage signal representative of the wall thickness of the glass container at that time. A test angle location 36 is selected at a point where a voltage signal will be consistently generated and presence of a signal at this location confirms the presence of a bottle at the testing station. Inspection starts at a begin test location 38 adjacent the test angle location 36 and ends at a end test location 40 short of the end 42 of the capacitance strip (off angle). Figure 3 illustrates the theoretical digital voltage signal generated by a bottle rolling along this strip. The inspection channel should be inactive (a signal should be absent) before the bottle engages the strip and after it leaves the strip and should be active (a signal should be present) during engagement. The computer 30 comprises a data file which is maintained throughout operation of the machine which records for each bottle formed in a mould M of section N whether or not the bottle is rejected. The computer evaluates the voltage signals passed to it by the oscillator assemblies 24 and issues an acceptance or rejection signal as appropriate. It has been found that cleaning or replacing the outer layer of tape on the capacitance strips can result in the generation of a voltage signal and consequently in the computer concluding that one or more bottles have been inspected and that they are unacceptable. Such cleaning must be carried out periodically to maintain consistent capacitance readings. As a result the data file which records rejects by section (there may be up to 12 or more in a machine) and by mould (usually each section has from 1 to 4 moulds) will be inaccurate and the percentage of rejects will appear higher than actual. This will also cause an incorrect count of the number of bottles inspected. When the operator is to replace, tape or clean a capacitance strip he will operate manual means for signalling that the strips are about to be cleaned, that is to say he will operate a switch 50 to switch the system to a Head Cleaning Mode. The system will store which channels were enables and which channels were off. All channels will then be turned off. As a result all data generated by the channels will be ignored and the Data File will not be changed while the system is in this mode. When this switch 50 is opened, the system will retrieve the stored information on which channels were enabled and which channels were off. The system will then enable all the channels that were in use prior to entering head cleaning mode. At this time acceptance/rejection data will be directed to the Data File to update that file.

Claims: A machine for inspecting the wall thickness of a glass bottle comprising a plurality of elongated capacitance strips (16) which must be periodically cleaned to maintain consistent capacitance readings, means (14) for rolling a glass bottle along said strips, means (24) for generating a voltage signal from each of said strips representative of bottle wall thickness as the bottle is rolled along said strips, said generating means (24) additionally generating a voltage signal from each of said strips whenever said capacitance strips are cleaned, means (30) for evaluating the voltage signals generated by said generating means and issuing an acceptance or rejection signal, said evaluating means issuing a reject signal whenever a voltage signal is generated as a result of one of said capacitance strips being cleaned, means (30) for maintaining a data file for tracking the number of rejected bottles, manually operable means (50) for signalling that said capacitance strips are being cleaned, and for preventing the updating of said data file when said signalling means is operated so that in use erroneous reject data does not enter said data file. A machine for inspecting the wall thickness of a glass bottle according to claim 1 wherein said data file includes the identification of all bottle rejection by section and by mould.

Inventors: BAKER RUSS J, BAKER, RUSS J.
Applicants: EMHART GLASS MACH INVEST, EMHART GLASS MACHINERY INVESTMENTS INC.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G01B7
IPC codes: G01B7