CA2099959A1 - Method for the inspection of the volume of a plastic bottle and bottle inspection machine for performing the method - Google Patents
Method for the inspection of the volume of a plastic bottle and bottle inspection machine for performing the methodInfo
- Publication number
- CA2099959A1 CA2099959A1 CA002099959A CA2099959A CA2099959A1 CA 2099959 A1 CA2099959 A1 CA 2099959A1 CA 002099959 A CA002099959 A CA 002099959A CA 2099959 A CA2099959 A CA 2099959A CA 2099959 A1 CA2099959 A1 CA 2099959A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bottle
- detected
- inspection machine
- bottles
- height
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/04—Sorting according to size
- B07C5/12—Sorting according to size characterised by the application to particular articles, not otherwise provided for
- B07C5/122—Sorting according to size characterised by the application to particular articles, not otherwise provided for for bottles, ampoules, jars and other glassware
- B07C5/126—Sorting according to size characterised by the application to particular articles, not otherwise provided for for bottles, ampoules, jars and other glassware by means of photo-electric sensors, e.g. according to colour
Abstract
METHOD FOR THE INSPECTION OF THE VOLUME
OF A PLASTIC BOTTLE AND BOTTLE INSPECTION MACHINE
FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD
ABSTRACT
To determine the volume of a returnable PET
bottle, the height of the bottle is detected. Since a sufficiently accurate correlation exists between height and volume, bottles which have become undersized as a result of shrinkage during use can be easily and quickly detected.
OF A PLASTIC BOTTLE AND BOTTLE INSPECTION MACHINE
FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD
ABSTRACT
To determine the volume of a returnable PET
bottle, the height of the bottle is detected. Since a sufficiently accurate correlation exists between height and volume, bottles which have become undersized as a result of shrinkage during use can be easily and quickly detected.
Description
2 0 ~ 9 METHOD FOR THE INSPECTION OF THE VOLUME
OF A PLASTIC BOTTLE AND BOTTLE INSPECTION MACHINE
FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD
The invention relates to a method for inspecting a returnable plastics bottle, in particular a PET bottle, in respect of its volume. The invention also relates to a bottle inspection machine for performing the method.
It is a known procedure to inspect returnable plastics bottles, which are known mainly in the form of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, upon each return. In the course of the inspection the bottles are checked for cleanness and absence of damage.
It would be desirable to extend the inspection to include a simple volume check, as PET bottles in particular are not volume-stable; it is quite possible for a PET bottle to deviate substantially from its nominal volume before completing its return-cycle life (approximately 25 fills), which may cause problems, especially upon filling. The problem is to perform the desired inspection-step easily and quickly and with sufficient accuracy. Modern bottle inspection machines have a targeted inspection capacity of approximately ~00 bottles per minute, which of course should not be lowered by the volume check.
The problem is solved according to the invention by determinin~ at least one linear dimension of the 2 ~
bottle.
Surprisingly, it has been shown that for plastics bottles and for PET bottles in particular the volume of the bottle can be determined with adequate accuracy by detecting one linear dimension of the bottle.
Detection of one linear dimension can very easily be performed, even on bottles which are being conveyed at high speed in an inspection machine.
Preferably the height of the bottle is detected.
PET bottles have been found to be particularly susceptible to loss of height, and this is the main cause of reduction in volume. The height dimension is moreover particularly easy to detect, as will presently be explained.
The bottle inspection machine according to the invention is equipped with a measuring arrangement for the linear dimension.
An embodiment will now be explained in detail by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which the single figure shows a diagrammatic representation of the measuring arrangement for measuring the height of a bottle.
In Fig. 1 only the top part 2 of a PET bottle 1 is shown. A transmitter 4 transmits a laser beam 5 in the form of a vertically extended strip or ribbon which is received at a receiver 6. Suitable transmittingJreceiving systems with associated receiving amplifier are manufactured eg. by the firm of Keyence, Osa~a, Japan under the type designation LX2. The receiving amplifier 2 ~
may give the amount by which the quantity of laser light received exceeds or falls below a specific limit value, or alternatively it can output an analogue voltage which is proportional to the quantity of light received and can be subjected to further processin~.
In the illustrated arrangement the quantity of light received is governed by the height of the bottle, as the top of the bottle 3 interrupts the strip-like laser light beam from the bottom edge. The taller the bottle, the further it projects into the strip of light, and the smaller the quantity of light transmitted to the receiver.
The shorter the bottle, the less it projects into the light strip, and the larger the quantity of light transmitted. In this way, the height of the bottle can be determined with an accuracy of approximately 0.1 mm. As there is a very close correlation between the height and volume of PET bottles of a given shape, so that the volume of the bottle can be inferred with reasonable accuracy from its height, the height measurement which has been described offers a quick and simple method for volume inspection. It will usually only be necessary to detect bottles with a height which falls below a predetermined lower limit (corresponding to an upper limit for the quantity of light received), as the inspection is usually only concerned with finding bottles which are undersize.
In some cases, instead of the height of the bottle, another linear dimension correlatiny sufficiently accurately with the volume for the type of bottle under 2 0 9 ~
test may be detected. For example, the height of the collar 3 may be detected, or the diameter of the bottle if this is a suitable yardstick for the change in volume for a particular bottle type.
For the height measurement described above it has been assumed that the bottle is standing upright on, and is being conveyed on, a base whose distance from the measuring arrangement 4,5,6 is known and fixed. This will usually be the case on a conveyor in an inspection machine, eg. a carousel or belt conveyor. If the measurement is performed while the position of the bottle is not so well defined, then eg. two measuring arrangements can be provided, one to detect the top of the bottle as shown in Fig. l, and the other to detect the bottom. The height of the bottle and its conformity with the nominal volume can then be determined from the two received light quantities and/or output signals of the measuring arrangements.
This detection of a linear dimension of the bottle is preferably performed in an inspection machine.
The measuring arrangement can be arranged alongside the conveyor path in a variety of ways. It is also possible to provi~e several measuring arrangements to allow several bottles to be inspected independently at the same time.
2S Where bottle height measurement is already provided with sufficient accuracy in an inspection machine for reasons other than determination of volume, the measurements obtained can be used for the volume inspection according ~09~
to the invention.
Detection of the linear dimension, can, however, also be performed separately from an inspection machine, along a bottle conveyor path, eg. at a bottling station.
S A rejector device is preferably installed downstream of the height/volume detection unit, to respond to the reading obtained and to reject from the conveyor path, and hence from circulation, any bottle detected as having become undersize.
OF A PLASTIC BOTTLE AND BOTTLE INSPECTION MACHINE
FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD
The invention relates to a method for inspecting a returnable plastics bottle, in particular a PET bottle, in respect of its volume. The invention also relates to a bottle inspection machine for performing the method.
It is a known procedure to inspect returnable plastics bottles, which are known mainly in the form of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, upon each return. In the course of the inspection the bottles are checked for cleanness and absence of damage.
It would be desirable to extend the inspection to include a simple volume check, as PET bottles in particular are not volume-stable; it is quite possible for a PET bottle to deviate substantially from its nominal volume before completing its return-cycle life (approximately 25 fills), which may cause problems, especially upon filling. The problem is to perform the desired inspection-step easily and quickly and with sufficient accuracy. Modern bottle inspection machines have a targeted inspection capacity of approximately ~00 bottles per minute, which of course should not be lowered by the volume check.
The problem is solved according to the invention by determinin~ at least one linear dimension of the 2 ~
bottle.
Surprisingly, it has been shown that for plastics bottles and for PET bottles in particular the volume of the bottle can be determined with adequate accuracy by detecting one linear dimension of the bottle.
Detection of one linear dimension can very easily be performed, even on bottles which are being conveyed at high speed in an inspection machine.
Preferably the height of the bottle is detected.
PET bottles have been found to be particularly susceptible to loss of height, and this is the main cause of reduction in volume. The height dimension is moreover particularly easy to detect, as will presently be explained.
The bottle inspection machine according to the invention is equipped with a measuring arrangement for the linear dimension.
An embodiment will now be explained in detail by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which the single figure shows a diagrammatic representation of the measuring arrangement for measuring the height of a bottle.
In Fig. 1 only the top part 2 of a PET bottle 1 is shown. A transmitter 4 transmits a laser beam 5 in the form of a vertically extended strip or ribbon which is received at a receiver 6. Suitable transmittingJreceiving systems with associated receiving amplifier are manufactured eg. by the firm of Keyence, Osa~a, Japan under the type designation LX2. The receiving amplifier 2 ~
may give the amount by which the quantity of laser light received exceeds or falls below a specific limit value, or alternatively it can output an analogue voltage which is proportional to the quantity of light received and can be subjected to further processin~.
In the illustrated arrangement the quantity of light received is governed by the height of the bottle, as the top of the bottle 3 interrupts the strip-like laser light beam from the bottom edge. The taller the bottle, the further it projects into the strip of light, and the smaller the quantity of light transmitted to the receiver.
The shorter the bottle, the less it projects into the light strip, and the larger the quantity of light transmitted. In this way, the height of the bottle can be determined with an accuracy of approximately 0.1 mm. As there is a very close correlation between the height and volume of PET bottles of a given shape, so that the volume of the bottle can be inferred with reasonable accuracy from its height, the height measurement which has been described offers a quick and simple method for volume inspection. It will usually only be necessary to detect bottles with a height which falls below a predetermined lower limit (corresponding to an upper limit for the quantity of light received), as the inspection is usually only concerned with finding bottles which are undersize.
In some cases, instead of the height of the bottle, another linear dimension correlatiny sufficiently accurately with the volume for the type of bottle under 2 0 9 ~
test may be detected. For example, the height of the collar 3 may be detected, or the diameter of the bottle if this is a suitable yardstick for the change in volume for a particular bottle type.
For the height measurement described above it has been assumed that the bottle is standing upright on, and is being conveyed on, a base whose distance from the measuring arrangement 4,5,6 is known and fixed. This will usually be the case on a conveyor in an inspection machine, eg. a carousel or belt conveyor. If the measurement is performed while the position of the bottle is not so well defined, then eg. two measuring arrangements can be provided, one to detect the top of the bottle as shown in Fig. l, and the other to detect the bottom. The height of the bottle and its conformity with the nominal volume can then be determined from the two received light quantities and/or output signals of the measuring arrangements.
This detection of a linear dimension of the bottle is preferably performed in an inspection machine.
The measuring arrangement can be arranged alongside the conveyor path in a variety of ways. It is also possible to provi~e several measuring arrangements to allow several bottles to be inspected independently at the same time.
2S Where bottle height measurement is already provided with sufficient accuracy in an inspection machine for reasons other than determination of volume, the measurements obtained can be used for the volume inspection according ~09~
to the invention.
Detection of the linear dimension, can, however, also be performed separately from an inspection machine, along a bottle conveyor path, eg. at a bottling station.
S A rejector device is preferably installed downstream of the height/volume detection unit, to respond to the reading obtained and to reject from the conveyor path, and hence from circulation, any bottle detected as having become undersize.
Claims (10)
1. Method for inspecting a returnable plastics bottle, in particular a PET bottle, in respect of its volume, characterised in that at least one linear dimension of the bottle is detected.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the height of the bottle is detected.
3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the detected linear dimension is compared with a nominal value, and if it falls below said nominal value the bottle is taken out of circulation.
4. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the linear dimension is detected by an optical measuring method.
5. Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the bottle is guided partly through a laser beam whose attenuation due to the transit of the bottle is detected and utilized as a measure of the linear dimension.
6. Method according to claim 2 or 5, characterised in that the top of the bottle is brought into the path of a vertically extended strip of laser light which extends above the bottle in order that the height of the bottle can be detected.
7. Bottle inspection machine for inspecting a returnable plastics bottle having a conveyor which conveys bottles through the inspection machine, characterised in that at least one measuring arrangement is provided at at least one point along the conveyor path, whereby a linear dimension of each bottle conveyed past it is detected.
8. Bottle inspection machine according to claim 7, characterised in that the measuring arrangement comprises a laser light transmitter producing a laser beam in the form of an extended strip, a laser light receiver distanced from the transmitter, and an evaluation circuit to detect the attenuation of the laser beam due to the transit of the bottle through the laser beam between transmitter and receiver.
9. Bottle inspection machine according to claim 8, characterised in that the inspection machine has means cooperating with the evaluation circuit to remove bottles which do not exhibit the desired linear dimension.
10. Use of the height readings obtained by measuring the height of returnable plastics bottles, in particular PET bottles, in an inspection machine for determining the volume of the bottles.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH214192 | 1992-07-07 | ||
| CH02141/92-5 | 1992-07-07 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2099959A1 true CA2099959A1 (en) | 1994-01-08 |
Family
ID=4226834
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002099959A Abandoned CA2099959A1 (en) | 1992-07-07 | 1993-07-06 | Method for the inspection of the volume of a plastic bottle and bottle inspection machine for performing the method |
Country Status (10)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0577950B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH06194205A (en) |
| AR (1) | AR247629A1 (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE151671T1 (en) |
| BR (1) | BR9302771A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2099959A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE59306157D1 (en) |
| DK (1) | DK0577950T3 (en) |
| MX (1) | MX9304046A (en) |
| NO (1) | NO932459L (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT201800011042A1 (en) * | 2018-12-12 | 2020-06-12 | Arol Spa | PROCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR DETECTION OF THE POSITION OF OBJECTS ON A CONVEYOR BELT |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS521676B2 (en) * | 1971-09-14 | 1977-01-17 | ||
| SE7308776L (en) * | 1973-06-21 | 1974-12-23 | Platmanufaktur Ab | |
| FR2346681A1 (en) * | 1976-04-02 | 1977-10-28 | Tourres Francois | DEVICE FOR OPTICAL CONTROL OF THE PROFILE OF AN OBJECT, USING A PLAIN LASER BEAM |
| JPS5366386A (en) * | 1976-11-26 | 1978-06-13 | Hitachi Ltd | Mechanical to electrical converter consisting of semiconductor |
| FR2544855B1 (en) * | 1983-04-20 | 1986-02-21 | Snecma | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE PRECISION OF THE HEIGHT OF BLADES OF A ROTOR |
| DE3314577A1 (en) * | 1983-04-22 | 1984-10-25 | Pierburg Gmbh & Co Kg, 4040 Neuss | Method for measuring a deviation in length from the prescribed desired value |
| US4906098A (en) * | 1988-05-09 | 1990-03-06 | Glass Technology Development Corporation | Optical profile measuring apparatus |
-
1993
- 1993-05-10 DK DK93107540.2T patent/DK0577950T3/en active
- 1993-05-10 DE DE59306157T patent/DE59306157D1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1993-05-10 EP EP93107540A patent/EP0577950B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1993-05-10 AT AT93107540T patent/ATE151671T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1993-05-20 AR AR93324982A patent/AR247629A1/en active
- 1993-07-06 MX MX9304046A patent/MX9304046A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1993-07-06 BR BR9302771A patent/BR9302771A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1993-07-06 JP JP5166753A patent/JPH06194205A/en active Pending
- 1993-07-06 NO NO932459A patent/NO932459L/en unknown
- 1993-07-06 CA CA002099959A patent/CA2099959A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| MX9304046A (en) | 1994-02-28 |
| DK0577950T3 (en) | 1997-10-27 |
| EP0577950A1 (en) | 1994-01-12 |
| NO932459D0 (en) | 1993-07-06 |
| BR9302771A (en) | 1994-02-08 |
| DE59306157D1 (en) | 1997-05-22 |
| NO932459L (en) | 1994-01-10 |
| JPH06194205A (en) | 1994-07-15 |
| ATE151671T1 (en) | 1997-05-15 |
| AR247629A1 (en) | 1995-01-31 |
| EP0577950B1 (en) | 1997-04-16 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Discontinued |