Title: Method and apparatus for inspecting articles of glassware
Abstract: Apparatus for indexing glassware through a series of angularly spaced stations includes first and second arrays of glassware gripping fingers mounted on associated carriers that are rotatable about a common axis, both conjointly and with respect to each other. Each carrier is connected to as associated servo motor, which in turn are connected to a controller for rotating the carriers with respect to each other to grip and release glassware between the fingers, and to rotate the carriers conjointly to index the glassware between apparatus stations. One array of glassware gripping fingers includes coil springs for biasing the fingers toward the fingers of the opposing array for accommodating tolerance variations in the glassware. Drive rollers are located at at least some of the stations, and are pivotal into and out of positions for rotating the containers about their axes for inspection or other purposes.
Patent Number: 6,848,564 Issued on 02/01/2005 to Nickey, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Nickey; George A. (Maumee, OH);
Gerber; Stephen M. (Petersburg, MI);
Wendt; Noel D. (Toled, OH);
Gast; Ronald E. (Genoa, OH);
Ritz; Gregory A. (Berkey, OH);
Barnes; James Scott (Maumee, OH);
Martin; William R. (Slippery Rock, PA)
|
| Assignee:
|
Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. (Toledo, OH)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
733006 |
| Filed:
|
December 11, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
198/379; 198/803.11 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65G 047/24 |
| Field of Search: |
198/379,803.11,473.1
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
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| |
Primary Examiner: Dillon, Jr.; Joe
Parent Case Text
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/395,907 filed
Mar. 24, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,890, which is a division of
application Ser. No. 09/679,584 filed Oct. 4, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No.
6,581,751.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for indexing glassware through a series of stations for
inspection of the glassware, which includes:
first and second circumferential arrays of alternately opposed glassware
gripping fingers,
first and second carriers respectively mounting said first and second
finger arrays for rotation about a common axis,
a first rotary electric servo motor coupled to said first carrier for
rotating said first carrier about said common axis,
a second rotary electric servo motor coupled to said second carrier for
rotating said second carrier about said common axis, and
control electronics coupled to said first and second motors for timing
operation of said first and second servo motors relative to each other.
2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said first carrier overlies
said second carrier, wherein first motor is coupled to said first carrier
by a shaft that extends along said common axis, and wherein said second
motor is coupled to said second carrier by a sleeve that surrounds said
shaft.
3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including a drive roller at
at least one of the inspection stations for engaging an article of
glassware at said at least one station and rotating the article about its
axis, and a third rotary electric servo motor coupled to said at least one
drive roller, said third rotary electric servo motor being coupled to said
control electronics for timing operation of said third motor relative to
operation of said first and second motors.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said timing operation of said third
motor permits said control electronics to determine the rotational
position of an article of glassware as it is rotated and after it is
rotated by said drive roller.
5. The apparatus set forth in claim 3 further including a pair of backup
rollers disposed at said at least one station in stationary position
relative to said carriers, said backup rollers engaging said article of
glassware during rotation by said drive roller.
6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 further including means for adjusting
location of said pair of back-up rollers with respect to said carriers.
7. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 further including an actuator coupled
to said at least one drive roller for selectively urging said drive roller
against an article of glassware at the station, and a sensor coupled to
said actuator for indicating absence of an article of glassware at the
station as a function of overtravel of said drive roller toward said
backup rollers.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 which also includes a lift frame that carries
said first and second carriers, said lift frame being adjustable to vary
the position of the first and second carriers.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the lift frame is adjustable to move
the first and second carriers relative to an axis of articles of glassware
engaged by said gripping fingers as said glassware is indexed through said
series of inspection stations.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said lift frame includes a linear
actuator that permits adjustment of the lift frame.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said linear actuator is driven by a
servo controlled motor.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said first and second rotary electric
servo motors are carried by the lift frame.
13. The apparatus of claim 3 which also includes a lift frame that carries
said drive roller, said lift frame being adjustable to vary the position
of the drive roller relative to said article of glassware.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first and second carriers are
carried by the lift frame to adjust the position of the first and second
carriers relative to and along an axis of an article of glassware to be
moved by the carriers.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 which also includes a support to position an
article of glassware for inspection and wherein said first and second
carriers are rotatable in opposed directions to alternately engage and
disengage said fingers from an article of glassware, and said fingers are
disengaged from said article of glassware when said article of glassware
is positioned by said support.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said support includes a drive roller
capable of engaging an article of glassware and rotating the article of
glassware.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said support includes at least one
back-up roller for supporting the article of glassware against said drive
roller.
18. The apparatus of claim 1 which also includes a first set of support
posts, a plurality of pads carried by the first set of support posts to
receive articles of glassware on the pads for inspection of the articles,
and a second set of support posts on which said first and second carriers
are received.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said first set of support posts is
substantially independent of said second set of support posts so that
movement of said first and second carriages is isolated from said pads.
20. The apparatus of claim 18 which also includes a lift frame that
includes said second set of support posts and is adjustable to vary the
position of the first and second carriers relative to the pads.
21. The apparatus of claim 1 which also includes at least one sensor
responsive to the position of at least one of the first and second
carriers and in communication with the control electronics to permit said
control electronics to determine the position of said at least one of the
first and second carriers.
Description
The present invention is directed to inspection of glassware articles such
as glass containers, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for
conveying articles of glassware through a series of inspection stations.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of glassware, such as glass containers, various
anomalies or variations can occur that affect commercial accept ability of
the containers. These anomalies, termed "commercial variations," can
involve dimensional characteristics of the container such as at the
container finish, surface characteristics that can affect acceptable
operation of the container such as surface variations at the container
sealing surface, or variations such as stones or checks within the
container finish, sidewall or bottom. It is also conventional practice to
mold indicia on each container indicative of the mold of origin of the
container for inspection and quality control purposes. U.S. Pat. No.
4,378,493 illustrates a starwheel-type conveyor for accepting containers
in sequence from an infeed conveyor and transporting the containers
through a series of inspection stations. At at least some of the
inspection stations, the container is held in position and rotated about
its central axis while being electro-optically inspected for commercial
variations and/or mold code. The term "inspection" is used in its broadest
sense to encompass any optical, electro-optical, mechanical or electrical
observation or engagement with the container to measure or determine a
potentially variable characteristic, including but not necessarily limited
to mold codes and commercial variations.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and
method for indexing articles of glassware such as glass containers through
a series of stations, such as stations at which the containers are to be
inspected for commercial variations and/or reading the mold of origin of
the containers. Among more specific objects of the invention are to
provide such a method and apparatus that are characterized by increased
speed of conveyance and therefore increased throughput through the
inspection stations, that are versatile and accommodate a wide variety of
optical, electro-optical, electrical or mechanical inspection techniques
at the individual stations, that accommodate an increased number of
inspection stations, preferably including all necessary inspections in a
single machine, that provide unobstructed view of the container for
increased versatility of electro-optical inspection, and/or that
accommodate containers of differing diameter and height.
Apparatus for indexing glassware such as containers through a series of
stations, such as electro-optical or mechanical inspection stations, in
accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention includes
first and second circumferential arrays of alternately opposed glassware
gripping fingers mounted on associated first and second carriers. The
carriers are rotatable on a common axis, with at least one of the carriers
being rotatable with respect to the other for moving the fingers of the
associated arrays toward and away from each other to grip and release
glassware. The carriers are also rotatable conjointly about the common
axis to transport each glassware article through the series of stations.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each carrier is coupled to
an associated motor for rotation independently with respect to each other
and conjointly with each other about the common axis. The first carrier
preferably overlies the second carrier and is coupled to its associated
motor by a shaft that extends along the common axis. The second carrier
preferably is coupled to its associated motor by a sleeve that surrounds
the shaft.
Each carrier preferably comprises a central hub coupled to its associated
motor and a peripheral portion on which the fingers are mounted. The
peripheral portion of each carrier preferably includes an annular rim
coupled to the associated hub and a plurality of ring segments removably
mounted on the annular rim by quick-release locks. The ring segments have
radially outwardly extending legs on which the fingers are mounted, with
the legs on the first carrier being interdigitally disposed between the
legs on the second carrier so that the fingers of each pair are angularly
spaced from each other. The fingers of one array are mounted in fixed
position on the associated carrier, while the fingers of the other array
are resiliently biased toward the fingers of the one array for
accommodating size variations among the articles of glassware. A layer of
resilient material preferably is disposed on the glassware-engaging
surface of each finger for resiliently engaging the glassware articles
while reducing slippage of or damage to the articles.
A drive roller in the preferred embodiment of the invention is disposed for
engaging and rotating an article of glassware at at least one of the
stations, and a support pad and support roller are disposed at the station
for supporting the article of glassware during rotation. A pair of
angularly spaced back-up rollers are disposed adjacent to the support pad
for holding the article in position while the article is rotated by the
drive roller. The back-up rollers may be mounted for adjustment with
respect to each other and with respect to the axis of rotation of the
carriers for accommodating glassware articles of differing sizes. As an
alternative, the back-up rollers maybe mounted in fixed position on a
roller support base, which may be replaceable for accommodating containers
of differing diameter. The drive roller is coupled to an associated
electric motor, and preferably is selectively pivotable into and out of
engagement with a glassware article at the associated station.
A method of transporting glassware through a series of stations in
accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the invention
contemplates providing first and second circumferential arrays of
alternately opposed glassware gripping fingers, moving at least one of the
arrays toward the other for simultaneously gripping articles of glassware
at the stations, rotating the first and second arrays simultaneously on a
common axis to index glassware between the stations, and then moving at
least one of the arrays away from the other to release the articles of
glassware at the stations. The stations preferably are disposed at equal
angular increments around the common axis of rotation, and the steps of
gripping, rotating and releasing the articles are repeated incrementally
to convey the articles through the stations. An infeed conveyor preferably
is located at one of the stations, and an outfeed conveyor is located at
another of the stations for transporting containers to and from the
apparatus of the invention. At at least one of the stations, each article
of glassware in turn is inspected for commercial variations or for mold of
origin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, together with additional objects, features and advantages
thereof, will be best understood from the following description, the
appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an apparatus for indexing
glassware through a series of stations in accordance with a presently
preferred embodiment of the invention with portions removed to illustrate
details;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 but
with portions removed to illustrate details;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier drive unit subassembly in the
apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the carrier assembly of FIG. 3
gripping containers for purposes of transport between stations;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first or upper carrier in the assembly of
FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a ring segment subassembly in the carrier
of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a finger assembly in the carrier of FIGS. 5
and 6;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the second or lower carrier in the carrier
assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a ring segment subassembly in the carrier
of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a finger assembly in the carrier of FIGS.
8 and 9;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view diametrically bisecting the carrier
assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4 and illustrating interconnection of the carriers
to the drive motors;
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to that of FIG. 11 but
showing the drive roller and carrier subassembly frame movably mounted on
the support base of the apparatus;
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the frame and base assembly illustrated in
FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary radially exterior perspective view of a roller
drive motor mounting arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 15 is a fragmentary radially exterior perspective view of the
glassware support pads and back-up rollers at two stations of the
apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 16 is a radially interior perspective view of the apparatus as
illustrated in FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is an exterior perspective view of the drive roller mounting
arrangement illustrated in FIG. 14;
FIG. 18 is an interior perspective view of the drive roller mounting
arrangement illustrated in FIG. 17;
FIGS. 19 and 20 are interior and exterior perspective views of one of the
drive roller subassemblies in FIGS. 17 and 18;
FIG. 21 is a functional block diagram of the motor and actuator control
electronics for the apparatus of FIGS. 1-20;
FIG. 22 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container engaged by drive
and back-up rollers at one station of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 23 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container at an inspection
station engaged by drive and back-up rollers;
FIG. 24 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container out-feed
conveyor in the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 25 is a fragmentary elevational view of carrier drive unit
illustrating the carriage position sensors; and
FIG. 26 is a fragmentary extension perspective view of a drive roller
subassembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The drawings illustrate an apparatus 30 in accordance with a presently
preferred embodiment of the invention for indexing articles of glassware
32, such as glass containers, through a series of stations. These stations
preferably are spaced at equal angular increments around a common axis. An
infeed conveyor 34, such as an endless belt conveyor, brings containers 32
in sequence to one of the stations. In general, apparatus 30 grips
containers 32 as they are presented on infeed conveyor 34, and
incrementally transports containers 32 to each station in turn around the
apparatus. At at least some of the stations, containers 32 are held in
position and rotated about their axes for inspection or other purposes.
The containers 32 are ultimately indexed to an outfeed conveyor 35 (FIGS.
13 and 24), to a cullet or reject chute or conveyor for removing
containers that did not pass inspection, or to a sampling conveyor or
other device for sampling containers from a specific mold, for example. In
the preferred implementation of the invention, the containers are subject
to inspection for commercial variations at at least some of the stations.
Such inspection preferably comprises electro-optical inspection of
container dimensional or other characteristics, such as shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 2,682,802 (finish check detection), U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,880,750,
5,896,195 or EP 0961113 (sealing surface inspection), U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,378,493, 4,378,495, 4,584,469, 5,233,186, 5,291,271 or 5,637,864
(container sidewall inspection), or EP 0764846 (container bottom
inspection). Successive containers can also be inspected to determine or
read the code molded into the container for indicating container mold of
origin, as illustrated for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,151. Although
electro-optical inspection techniques are currently preferred, the
apparatus of the invention can also accommodate mechanical inspection
techniques, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,939, in which the
container is contacted by one or more rollers or fingers as it is rotated
about its axis. Electrical inspection techniques, as illustrated in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,046,258, are also envisioned.
Referring to the drawings, apparatus 30 includes a base 36 (FIGS. 1, 12 and
13) of heavy construction. A circumferential array of angularly spaced
support posts 38 are disposed around the periphery of base 36 and extend
upwardly therefrom. Each support post terminates at its upper end in a
Y-shaped support bracket 40 (FIG. 15) on which a spaced pair of radially
oriented horizontal slides 42 are mounted (FIG. 15). A support 44 is
mounted on each slide 42, and a slide pad 46 is mounted by a bracket 45 at
the upper end of each support 44. Posts 38 are distributed around the
periphery of base 36, and Y-bracket 40 is designed such that slide pads 46
are at equal angular increments around the central axis of apparatus 30. A
roller 47 (FIG. 22) is mounted for rotation about a horizontal radial axis
beneath each pad 46, and has a surface that extends through a slot in pad
46 for engaging the bottom of a container and supporting the container for
rotation about its axis. A pair of free wheeling rollers 48 are carried on
associated slides 50 at the upper end of each support 44 (FIGS. 14-16).
Slides 50 are slidably mounted on supports 44 such that rollers 48 are
adjustable with respect to each other laterally of the axis of apparatus
30. Rollers 48 are disposed above the plane of pad 46 for providing
back-up support to containers 32 on pads 46, as will be described. Slides
50 are secured to a rod 52 that is mounted on pad support bracket 45. Pads
46 are thus at equal angular spacing around the central axis of the
apparatus and at identical vertical elevation. The positions of pads 46
are adjustable radially of the apparatus axis by means of slides 42, and
rollers 48 are adjustable laterally to accommodate containers of differing
sizes. As an alternative, rollers 48 may be fixedly disposed on a support
44a (FIG. 22), which is itself replaceable for accommodating containers of
differing diameter. Y-bracket 40 is mounted on post 38 by a vertical
dovetail slide 53 for adjusting vertical positions of pads 46.
A lift frame 54 (FIGS. 1, 12 and 13) is mounted on base 36 and is coupled
to a linear actuator 56 driven by a rotary electric servo motor 58 (FIG.
12) for controlled vertical motion of frame 54 with respect to base 36. A
carrier drive unit or subassembly 60 is mounted on lift frame 54. Carrier
drive unit 60 includes a central support 62 (FIGS. 3, 11 and 12) that is
mounted on frame 54 (FIG. 12). A first rotary electric servo motor 66 and
an associated gearbox 67 are mounted on the underside of support 62, and
are coupled to a shaft 68 that extends upwardly through support 62. The
axis of rotation of shaft 68 defines the central axis of carrier drive
unit 60 and apparatus 30. The upper end of shaft 68 is coupled to a first
or upper carrier 70. A second rotary electric servo motor 72 and as
associated gearbox 73 are mounted beneath a flange 64 on support 62
laterally offset from the axis of shaft 68. A shaft 74 extends upwardly
from motor 72 and gearbox 73 parallel to shaft 68, and is coupled by a
pulley 76 and a cogged timing belt 78 to a pulley 80 concentrically
surrounding shaft 68. Pulley 80 is secured by clamp rings 82 to a sleeve
84 that is mounted by roller bearings 86 for rotation around shaft 68. The
upper end of sleeve 84 is coupled to a second or lower carrier 88. The
outer races of roller bearings 86 are secured to support 62. Shaft 68 is
supported within sleeve 84 by a roller bearing 93. Thus, first or upper
carrier 70 is rotatable about the axis of shaft 68 under control of motor
66 and gearbox 67, while second or lower carrier 88 is rotatable about the
axis of shaft 68 (the central axis of apparatus 30) under control of motor
72 and gearbox 73 and independently of rotation of upper carrier 70.
Upper carrier 70 (FIGS. 4-7) includes a carrier base 73 having a central
hub 75 and an annular rim 77 coupled to hub 75 by a plurality of
circumferentially spaced radially extending spokes 79. Three ring segments
or subassemblies 83 are secured around the periphery of rim 77, each by a
pair of angularly spaced tapered dovetails 81 and a quick-turn cam clamp
85. Each ring segment 83 comprises an arcuate base 87 from which a
plurality (preferably four) angularly spaced legs 89 extend radially
outwardly. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, there
are three ring segments 83, each having four radially extending legs 89
that are spaced from each other in equal angular increments both within
each segment 83 and among segments 83. A container-gripping finger
assembly 91 is secured to the outer end of each leg 89. Each assembly 91
comprises an inverted L-shaped finger 90 having a vertical leg 92 and a
pair of spaced parallel horizontal legs 94 interconnected at their outer
ends by a bridge 96. Leg 92 is received within a leg housing 98 and is
removably secured within the housing by a spring-loaded lock pin 100.
Housing 98 is secured by screws 102 to ring segment leg 89 (FIGS. 5 and 6)
such that finger assembly 90 extends upwardly therefrom. A layer or
coating of resilient elastic material such as polyurethane is provided on
the inside surface of each leg 94 adjacent to the radially outer end
thereof for engaging containers without damage to the containers and to
enhance frictional gripping of the containers, as will be described. In
the preferred embodiment, finger legs 92 are non-rotatable withing
housings 98.
Second or lower carrier 88 (FIGS. 4 and 8-10) includes a base 106 having a
central hub 108 and an annular rim 110 interconnected by a plurality of
radially extending spokes 112. A plurality of ring segments or
subassemblies 114 are mounted around the periphery of rim 110 by angularly
spaced tapered dovetails 116 and quick-turn cam clamps 118. Each ring
segment 114 includes an arcuate base 120 from which a plurality
(preferably four) legs 122 extend radially outwardly. A spring finger
assembly 124 is mounted at the outer end of each ring segment leg 122.
Each spring finger assembly 124 comprises an inverted L-shaped finger 126
having a vertical leg 128 and a radially outwardly extending horizontal
leg 130. A resilient elastic layer or coating 132 is provided on the
inside surface of each leg 130 adjacent to the outer end thereof for
enhanced frictional gripping of containers without damage to the
containers, as will be described. Each vertical leg 128 is received within
a housing 134 and non-rotatably removably held within the housing by a
spring-loaded lock pin 136. Housing 134 is rotatably mounted on a base
138. Housing 134 and base 138 have opposed arms 140, 142, between which a
coil spring 144 is captured in compression. Coil spring 144 thus biases
finger legs 130 clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 8-10, to accommodate tolerance
variations in container diameter.
In assembly, lower carrier 88 is secured to sleeve 84 (FIGS. 11 and 12)
such as by fasteners 145 (FIG. 8), and upper carrier 70 is secured to
shaft 68 by fasteners 146 (FIGS. 4 and 5) overlying lower carrier 88. The
hubs of the respective carriers are secured to sleeve 84 and shaft 68 such
that finger assemblies 91 of upper carrier 70 and finger assemblies 124 of
lower carrier 88 are interdigitally staggered, as best seen in FIG. 4.
Fingers 90 of upper carrier 70 and fingers 126 of lower carrier 88 are
dimensioned and adjusted such that each horizontal leg 130 of a finger 126
is disposed vertically between horizontal legs 94 of the opposing finger
90. This promotes stability of containers during transport by the
carriers. Elastomeric coatings or layers 104, 132 are circumferentially
opposed to each other. The upper and lower carriers thus form a plurality
of finger pairs that cooperate with each other, as will be described, to
grip and transport containers under control of carrier drive motors 66,
72. These finger pairs are disposed at equal angular increments around the
periphery of the carriers. These angular increments are equal in number to
and equal in spacing between the stations defined by container support
pads 46 and the infeed, outfeed and cullet stations of apparatus 30.
Referring to FIGS. 1-2, 12-14 and 17-18, lift frame 54 includes a
peripheral array of support posts 150. A pair of drive roller assemblies
152 are mounted on the upper end of at least some of the support posts
150. Each drive roller assembly 152 comprises a fixed support bracket 154
(FIGS. 17-18) secured by an L-bracket 156 to the upper end of support post
150, and a pivotal support bracket 158 mounted within fixed bracket 154 by
a pivot 160. Each fixed bracket 154 is coupled to L-bracket 156 by a
dovetail slide 157 and a hand wheel 159 for adjusting the radial position
of roller assembly 152. A linear actuator 162, such as a voice coil
actuator, is mounted between arms 164, 166 of fixed bracket 154 and
pivotal bracket 158 respectively. A coil spring 167 is also captured in
compression between bracket arms 164, 166 in parallel with linear actuator
162. Coil spring 167 thus urges pivotal bracket 158 and drive roller 174
into radial engagement with containers 32 at the inspection stations,
which spring force must be overcome by actuator 162. A rotary electric
servo motor 168 is suspended beneath each fixed bracket 154, and is
connected by a flexible coupling 170 to a roller drive shaft 172. A
container drive roller 174 is secured to the upper end-of each shaft 172,
which is rotatably mounted on pivotal bracket 158 by a bearing 176. A pair
of circumferentially spaced rollers 180 (FIG. 1) are mounted on a fixed
support bracket 182 above at least some of the support pads 46 for
engaging and radially supporting the neck or finish of containers 32 as
the containers are rotated by drive roller 174.
A pair of proximity sensors 200, 202 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 21) are disposed in
fixed position adjacent to the periphery of lower carrier 88. Sensor 200
is responsive to an array of circumferentially spaced fingers or tabs 204
(FIG. 25) on lower carrier 88 to define angularly spaced home positions
for lower carrier 88 at each inspection station. Sensor 202 is responsive
to a finger 208 (FIG. 25) on lower carrier 88 to reset the machine
controller upon each revolution of lower carrier 88. Sensors 200, 202 are
mounted in fixed position on a bracket 230 (FIG. 25) secured to central
support 62, and thus form part of carrier drive unit 60. Thus, the machine
control electronics 184 (FIG. 21) tracks position of lower carrier 88.
FIG. 21 illustrates control electronics 184 having outputs connected to
upper carriage drive motor 66, lower carriage drive motor 72, drive roller
actuators 162, drive roller motors 168 and lift frame motor 58. A switch
185 on base 36 (FIG. 1) is responsive to an arm 186 extending from frames
54 to sense that the frame is in the fully lowered position. Proximity
sensors 200, 202 also provide input to control electronics 184. An optical
sensor 210 (FIG. 26) is mounted on each drive roller fixed bracket arm
164. A flag 234 is carried at the lower end of each leg 232 for receipt in
the associated position sensor 210. Each sensor 210 indicates to control
electronics 184 whether the associated drive roller assembly is in the
forward position for engaging a container at the associated inspection
station, at which the associated flag 234 is clear of the associated
sensor 210, or in the retracted position at which the associated flag
engages the associated sensor.
FIG. 24 illustrates outfeed conveyor 35 in greater detail. A lower endless
belt conveyor 212 and an upper endless belt conveyor 214 are disposed to
engage the lower and upper surfaces of a container 32 deposited at the
outfeed station by apparatus 30. Conveyors 212, 214 rapidly move
containers away 32 from the periphery of apparatus 30 to a position
between a pair of laterally opposed endless belt conveyors 216, 218.
Conveyors 216, 218 convey containers 32 radially outwardly of apparatus 30
to an endless belt conveyor 220, which transports containers 32 for
further processing. An air jet or the like may be disposed adjacent to an
edge of conveyor 220 and coupled to control electronics 184 (FIG. 21) for
removing from conveyor 220 any containers that do not pass inspection.
Conveyor 214, which engages the sealing surface of containers 32 in the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 24, may be replaced by laterally opposed
conveyors that do not engage the container sealing surface where such
feature is desired by a customer. Use of an outfeed conveyor 35, such as
that illustrated in FIG. 24, is preferred for rapidly moving containers 32
away from the periphery of apparatus 30, and thereby facilitating
high-speed inspection of containers as on the order of three hundred
containers per minute.
In operation, carriers 70, 88 cooperate with each other, under the control
of motors 66, 72 and control electronics 184 (FIG. 21) to transport
sequential containers 32 from infeed conveyor 34 through sequential
stations to outfeed conveyor 35. The illustrated embodiment of the
invention has twelve pairs of fingers 91, 124 carried by the carriers, and
is thus a twelve station apparatus. The first station is at the infeed end
of conveyor 34, and the last station would typically be at the end of
outfeed conveyor 35. The ten remaining stations preferably are occupied by
suitable container inspection devices and systems, such as those
illustrated in the several above-noted patents. These inspection systems
are not illustrated in the application drawings to facilitate
understanding of the transport apparatus that characterizes the present
invention. In use, one or more of the inspection stations may be empty, or
the inspection system at that station may be wholly or partially
deactivated. Vertical positions of frame 54 and rollers 48 are adjusted as
a function of container height. Horizontal positions of rollers 48 and
drive roller assemblies 152 are adjusted as a function of container
diameter.
Motors 66, 72 coupled to carriers 70, 88 are first actuated by control
electronics 184 (FIG. 21) to rotate one or both of the carriers toward
each other (i.e., counterclockwise for upper carrier 70 and clockwise for
lower carrier 88) so as to move fingers 90, 126 toward each other and grip
containers 32 at each station between the fingers. In the presently
preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, it has
been found to be advantageous to rotate lower carrier 88, containing the
upstream or leading fingers 124, over a greater angular dimension than
upper carrier 70 carrying the downstream or trailing fingers 91 when
gripping or releasing the containers at the inspection stations. Thus, the
angular extent of rotation of the carriers during gripping and releasing
of the containers need not be identical, and indeed one of the carriers,
in this case the carrier containing the trailing fingers 91, need not be
rotated at all. The torque applied to carrier 88 is monitored by
monitoring current applied to motor 72. When this torque exceeds a preset
level, rotation of the carrier is terminated. When gripping the
containers, fingers 124 push containers 32 against fingers 91. The
containers roll along the opposing surface of fingers 91 until nested in
position at the radial extremity of the fingers and gripped by opposing
fingers 124. Resilient layers 104, 132 on fingers 90, 126 facilitate
frictional gripping of the containers and reduce damage to the containers.
Coil springs 144 associated with fingers 126 accommodate tolerance
variations among the containers.
With the containers gripped between the fingers, carriers 70, 88 are
simultaneously rotated clockwise by motors 66, 72 over an arc of
30.degree. in the illustrated embodiment of the invention so as to
increment the containers to the next stations. At least one of the
carriers 70, 88 is then rotated away from the other (i.e., clockwise for
carrier 70 and counterclockwise for carrier 88) under control of motors
66, 72 to deposit the containers at the next stations. The amount of
rotation to release the containers is preset as a function of container
diameter. At the inspection stations, the containers are released onto
slide pads 46. Actuators 162 are then actuated by control electronics 184
to pivot container drive rollers 174 into radial engagement with the
outside surfaces of the container sidewalls, and motors 168 are actuated
to rotate rollers 174 and thereby rotate the containers about their
central axes. Pivoting of the drive rollers into radial engagement with
the containers pushes the containers into engagement with opposed lower
back-up rollers 48 and upper back-up rollers 180 (FIGS. 22 and 23). At
this point, the lower end of each container 32 is carried by support
roller 47 at slide pad 46 (FIG. 22) to permit free rotation of the
container about its axis. Actuators 162 at drive roller assemblies 152
push hard against the container upon initial engagement to rotate the
container rapidly up to speed, and then reduce the force of engagement to
reduce wear on the drive roller periphery. Actuators 162 then again push
hard on containers 32 rapidly to decelerate rotation of the containers
after inspection, so that the containers will be stationary when the drive
roller assemblies are retracted and the containers are again engaged by
the gripping fingers. Coils 162 are thus variably actuated by control
electronics 184 during each inspection cycle. During such rotation, the
containers are supported by back-up rollers 148 and finish back-up rollers
180 (FIG. 1). As each container is rotated, the inspection apparatus or
system at the associated station is activated to inspect the container. At
any station at which there is no inspection equipment or the inspection
equipment is deactivated, drive roller actuator 162 and motor 168 are not
energized. After an amount of time needed to complete the inspection
process at each station, the process is repeated to grip the containers,
increment the containers to the next stations, release the containers and
activate the inspection equipment, etc.
There has thus been disclosed an apparatus and method for indexing
glassware, such as containers, through a series of stations, such as
container inspection stations, that fully satisfy all of the objects and
aims previously set forth, both individually and collectively. A number of
modifications and variations have been disclosed. Other modifications and
variations will readily suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in
the art. For example, servo ring motors can be used in place of the servo
motor/gearbox coupling arrangements illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. The
invention is intended to encompass all such modifications and variations
as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
*
