EP0213797B1 - A tracking system - Google Patents
A tracking system Download PDFInfo
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- EP0213797B1 EP0213797B1 EP19860306063 EP86306063A EP0213797B1 EP 0213797 B1 EP0213797 B1 EP 0213797B1 EP 19860306063 EP19860306063 EP 19860306063 EP 86306063 A EP86306063 A EP 86306063A EP 0213797 B1 EP0213797 B1 EP 0213797B1
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- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- zone
- container
- signal
- tracking
- sensor
- 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.)
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- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims description 30
- 238000007689 inspection Methods 0.000 claims description 21
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 13
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000000875 corresponding effect Effects 0.000 description 12
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 11
- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 10
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 8
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000013480 data collection Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002596 correlated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008439 repair process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- 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
- B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
- B07C5/3404—Sorting according to other particular properties according to properties of containers or receptacles, e.g. rigidity, leaks, fill-level
- B07C5/3408—Sorting according to other particular properties according to properties of containers or receptacles, e.g. rigidity, leaks, fill-level for bottles, jars or other glassware
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- 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
- B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
- B07C5/3412—Sorting according to other particular properties according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication
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- 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
- B07C5/36—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
- B07C5/361—Processing or control devices therefor, e.g. escort memory
Definitions
- This invention relates to a tracking system. More particularly, this invention relates to a tracking system which can be used in the manufacture of containers, such as glass bottles.
- each inspection station has been provided with a reject mechanism which can be activated by a suitable defect sensor so as to remove a defective container once detected.
- a defect be caused by one particular mold in a mold group, several defective containers can be made before a determination is made that there is a defective mold.
- an encoder is used to gauge the travel of a conveyor while one proximity detector is placed at the beginning of an area through which containers are to be tracked and a second proximity detector is placed at the end of the tracking area.
- a cavity number is received from an upstream cavity indentification system or tracking device.
- a count value from the encoder is recorded.
- a second count value is recorded from the encoder and compared against a range of counts which correspond to the distance travelled by the conveyor between the two proximity detectors. Presuming the container has not moved relative to the conveyor the cavity number of the container is then passed to a downstream tracking device or other downstream system.
- inspection machines are frequently provided with inlet stations, for example, employing a rotatable screw, for the individual inlet of a container.
- inlet stations for example, employing a rotatable screw, for the individual inlet of a container.
- a series of containers may stack up behind the screw such that the conveyor moves relative to the containers.
- open conveyor tracking will not give efficient results.
- GB-A 2 094 530 discloses an apparatus and method in which reject ratios are determined for defective molds in order to determine a particular mold which may be making defective bottles.
- the apparatus and method are similar to the above-mentioned cavity tracking method in which a cavity number is electronically assigned to each bottle. There is, however, no teaching of a tracking system suitable for containers which tend to stack up on a conveyor belt.
- US-A 3 757 940 discloses a memory system having two clock pulse frequencies, designed to store and shift defective article information generated by an article inspection machine.
- the system has a first clock means for generating a series of machine clock pulses in synchronism with the index cycle of the inspection machine as well as a second clock means for generating a series of conveyor clock pulses in synchronism with the speed of travel of a conveyor means.
- a first memory means is connected to the first clock means for storing defective article information and for shifting the stored information in response to the machine clock pulses in synchronism with the index of the article from inspection station to inspection station.
- the second memory means receives the defective article information from the first memory means as the article is released to a conveyor means and shifts the information in response to the conveyor clock pulses in synchronism with the movement of the article along the conveyor means.
- GB-A 2 086 629 discloses a ware identifying apparatus as well as a swab reject device that identifies and rejects articles from a particular mold during a cycle of operation immediately after swabbing. There is no disclosure of a tracking system capable of tracking containers on a conveyor surface along an elongated path.
- a container-tracking system comprising a conveyor belt for conveying a series of containers; an identification system disposed at a predetermined point along said conveyor belt for generating an "identification signal” corresponding to each container passing thereby; an encoder for generating a "count” signal corresponding to an increment in travel of said conveyor belt; a tracking station disposed along said conveyor belt downstream of said identification system; a programmer means to receive signals from said tracking station, and a read-out means to receive signals from said programmer means, said programmer means being connected to said identification system, said encoder and said tracking station, and operable to total said "count” signals from said encoder to generate a value of the total travel of said conveyor belt from said predetermined point; characterized in that:
- a method of tracking a series of containers on a conveyor surface along an elongated path comprising steps of:
- An embodiment of the invention can maintain a one-to-one correspondence between a container and its electronic label as the container passes through an area where containers stack up or change speed and undergo relative movement.
- An embodiment of the invention can also provide a relatively simple system for tracking containers moving through a stacked region of a conveyor.
- the tracking system comprises a conveyor belt for conveying a series of containers, such as glass bottles, through a series of inspection stations, an identification station disposed along the conveyor belt and having means for generating an identification signal in the form of a "cavity number" corresponding to a container passing thereby, an encoder for generating count pulses corresponding to the travel of the conveyor belt, a tracking station disposed along the conveyor belt adjacent to an area where containers stack up or change speed and undergo relative motion, a screw infeed being an example, with the tracking station including a plurality of closely spaced sensors each of which is disposed to generate a "present" signal in response to a container passing thereby and a programmer means connected to the identification station, encoder and tracking station.
- the programmer means is provided with a store or memory to sequentially receive and store each "cavity number" generated at the identification station as well as a plurality of zones for sequentially receiving each cavity number from the store.
- means are provided which are responsive to a "present” signal from a first of the sensors and a corresponding “count” signal from the encoder in order to pass a first of the "cavity numbers” in the store (memory) to a first of these zones.
- Means are also provided which are responsive to a "present” signal from a second sensor to pass the "cavity number" in the first zone to a second zone.
- the cavity number associated with the container is placed in the store of the programmer means.
- the cavity number is destructively read from the store and passed into a memory in the first zone. Since there are no time constraints on when the bottle must pass the second sensor, the bottle may slide or hesitate on the conveyor belt. Further, if the container is removed from the area between the sensors, the bottle does not pass the second sen- 5 sor. Hence, its cavity number is not passed down the line. Furthermore, the next bottle which does pass the second sensor will overwrite the memory with its own cavity number and that correct number will be passed down the line when this bottle passes 10 the next sensor:
- the tracking system may also employ a read-out means which is connected to the programmer means in order to receive and read-out the "cavity number" from a last of the zones associated with the sensor array in response to a "present” signal 30 from a last of the sensor in the array.
- the above tracking technique may employ a single-element first in-first out memory in the form of a set of flip-flop switches in each zone to accomplish the array tracking task. For example, in response to 35 a bottle passing the first sensor, the cavity number is delivered from the store and shifted into the set of flip-flop switches in the first zone. When the bottle passes the second sensor, the cavity number is destructively read from the first zone, i.e., by being 40 erased from the switches and passed to the set of flip-flop switches in the next zone.
- each sensor may be an optical proximity detector comprised of a high intensity infrared-emitting diode and a photosensor.
- the diode is positioned to emit light at a first angle onto a surface of a glass bottle passing 50 thereby while the photosensor is positioned to receive light reflected from the bottle surface at a second angle.
- a short focal length lens can be positioned in front of each diode and each photosensor in order to sharply limit the field of view of each.
- the encoder for generating a signal representative of the travel of the conveyor belt can be cou- 6 0 pled to the conveyor belt by a rubber tired wheel which is mounted on a shaft of the encoder to be driven by frictional engagement with the conveyor belt.
- the tracking system may be employed wherever a 65 series of containers, such as glass bottles, are conveyed past various inspection stations and wherein a stacking-up of the containers may occur, for example at a feed screw.
- the 5 tracking system would be connected between tracking devices in order to receive and convey a "cavity number" signal associated with a conveyed container.
- the upstream tracking device would be connected to the store of the pro-10 grammer means in order to deliver the "cavity number" signal when the associated container has entered the tracking system.
- the "cavity number” signal can be relayed from switch to 15 switch, i.e., zone to zone in the programmer means until the container leaves the tracking system.
- the "cavity number” signal would be passed from the last flip-flop switch to the downstream tracking device or to the read-out means for 20 subsequent processing.
- the tracking system 10 includes a single line conveyor 11, such as a conveyor belt, for conveying a series of containers, such as glass bottles 12 through a cavity identification system 13, an on-line thickness selector 14, a screw 45 feed 15 of an inspection apparatus and a tracking station 16 adjacent the screw feed 15.
- an encoder 17 is positioned between the on-line thickness selector 14 and the tracking station 16.
- the conveyor belt is of any suitable construc- 50 tion, for example, the belt may be made up of a plurality of interconnected links which provide a continuous flat surface on which the bottles 12 may stand and be conveyed.
- the cavity identification system 13 is of known 5 5 construction and is available from American Glass Research of Bulter, Pennsylvania.
- the cavity identification system may be constructed with a read module which is attached to the conveyor and provides the handling necessary to bring the 6 0 bottles 12 off-line over a camera 18 while returning the bottles 12 to the original conveyor.
- a read module which is attached to the conveyor and provides the handling necessary to bring the 6 0 bottles 12 off-line over a camera 18 while returning the bottles 12 to the original conveyor.
- each bottle With each bottle provided with a single ring binary code molded into the bottom, each bottle is passed through the read module and a strobe transmits light through the 65 bottle.
- the camera 18 images the code so that the read module transmits the image to a decode module which processes the data so as to produce a cavity number for each bottle which passes through.
- the cavity identification system 13 is provided with suitable sensors 19, 19' for tracking of a bottle through the system 13; the upstream sensor 19 determining the presence of a bottle entering the identification system and the downstream sensor 19' determining the presence of the bottle at the outlet of the identification system.
- the on-line thickness selector 14 is an inspection device of conventional structure and is available from America Glass Research, inc., of Bulter, Pennsylvania. This selector 14 operates so as to measure the thickness of a single bottle 12 passing therethrough. In this respect, the on-line thickness selector 14 operates on only a single bottle at a time. Thus, the individual bottles are accelerated upon entering the selector 14 so as to provide individual attention. During this time, the individual bottles are lifted from the conveyor belt 11.
- the thickness selector 14 is also provided with a pair of sensors 20, 21 for tracking of a bottle therethrough, the upstream sensor 20 determining the presence of a bottle at the entry to the thickness sensor (not shown) within the selector 14 and a downstream sensor 21 which determines the presence of a bottle at the output of the selector 14.
- the thickness selector 14 includes a microprocessor (not shown) in an information interface cabinet (not shown) which accepts cavity numbers, encoder counts and inputs from the sensors 19, 20, 21 and “tracks" the cavity number through the thickness selector 14. Then that microprocessor passes the cavity number, etc. to another microprocessor 31 in an information interface cabinet (not shown) associated with the inspection apparatus having the screw feed 15.
- the screw feed 15 is also of conventional structure. To this end, the screw feed includes a screw 22 which receives and spaces individual bottles for input to other systems or devices.
- the tracking station 16 includes a plurality of closely spaced sensors 23 each of which is disposed to generate a "present" signal in response to a bottle 12 passing thereby.
- the sensors 23 are spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of a bottle 12 for reasons as explained below.
- the sensors 23 are disposed in a housing module 24 of elongated shape.
- each sensor 23 includes a pair of electro-optical devices, one of which is a high intensity infrared-emitting diode 25 for emitting a light across the conveyor belt 11, and the other of which is a photosensor 26 for receiving light reflected from a container 12 on the conveyor belt 11.
- the light emitting diode 25 and the photosensor 26 of each sensor are disposed on opposite sides of a common horizontal plane.
- the diode 25 is positioned below the horizontal plane to direct light at an upwardly directed angle onto the surface of a passing bottle 12 while the photosensor 26 is positioned above the horizontal plane to receive reflected light at an angle from the surface of the bottle 12.
- a short focal length lens 27 is disposed in front of each of the diode 25 and the photosensor 26 in order to sharply limit the field of view of each.
- the field of view of the diode 25 and the photosensor 26 overlap each other within a common area F.
- the illuminated area and the field of view may overlap significantly for a relatively large range of reflecting surface positions.
- the use of the angular arrangement of the diode 25 and the photosensor 26 and the lenses provide a good signal-to-noise ratio which can be attained over a range of one-half inch to one inch distances between the detectors 22 and the reflecting surface of a bottle 12.
- the encoder 17 is associated with the conveyor belt 11 in order to generate a signal formed of a sequence of pulses corresponding to the travel of the conveyor belt 11.
- the encoder 17 includes a shaft 28 and a rubber-tired wheel 29 which is mounted on the shaft and which is in frictional engagement with the conveyor belt so as to be driven thereby under frictional contact. Upon rotation of the wheel 29 and the shaft 28, the encoder 17 generates a sequence of counts.
- the operation of the encoder 17 is otherwise of conventional structure.
- a series of bottles 12 are passed through the cavity identification system 13 and the camera 18 forms an image of the code on the bottom of the bottle as each bottle passes over the camera which is located between the conveyor belt 11 and a delivery conveyor belt 30 to the identification sytem 13.
- each bottle passes the sensor 19 so that a "present" signal is generated in association with the cavity number signal generated by the identification system.
- the series of bottles are individually passed through the selector 14 in known manner.
- each bottle is tracked between the sensors 20, 21 in known manner.
- the bottles are conveyed past the tracking station 16 and fed into the screw feed 15. Should the speed of the screw feed 15 be less than the speed of the conveyor belt 11, the bottles begin to stack-up at the screw feed 15 while sliding relative to the conveyor belt 11.
- the tracking system also includes the microprocessor 31 which is in the form of a programmer means and is connected to the on-line thickness selector 14, the downstream sensor 21, the encoder 17 and the tracking station 16.
- a readout means 32 is connected to the programmer means 31 and is located, for example adjacent to the screw feed 15 for ease of viewing.
- the programmer means 31 includes a store 33 to sequentially receive and store each "cavity number" from the means in the immediately upstream inspection device 14 and a corresponding "present” signal from the downstream sensor 21 for each bottle 12. Also, input to the programmer means 31 is a series of "count” signals from the encoder 17, each signal corresponding to a known amount of distance of conveyor belt 11 travel.
- the programmer means 31 also includes an arithmetic and logic unit 33A.
- the programmer means 31 further includes a plurality of zones for sequentially receiving each "cavity number" from the store 33. Still further, means is provided in the arithmetic and logic unit 33A to perform the algorithm:
- the read-out means 32 may be connected to the programmer means 31 in order to receive the cavity number from a last of the zones in response to a "present" signal from a last of sensors 23 of the tracking station 16.
- the read-out means 32 may be in the form of a data collection means such as a computer which correlates the cavity number with reject data and presents the data in tabular form such as:
- the tracking station 16 is connected with the programming means 31 so as to effect an "array tracking".
- This technique relies on the assumption that two bottles cannot occupy the same physical space.
- the spacing between the sensors 23 is dependent upon the diameter of the conveyed bottles 12. That is, the sensors 23 are placed at a spacing which is less than the diameter of the bottle 12.
- the sensores 23 placed as specified above, there can be no confusion as to which cavity number is attached to which bottle 12. This is true as long as the bottle 12 move forward at any rate or even stop.
- This style of tracking also allows bottles to stop, start and bounce back while still identifying each bottle. If bottles are added or removed in the bottle progression, the identification of known bottles is uneffected and the added bottles are known to be unidentified.
- the cavity number of the bottle is entered into the first zone (n+1) while a data flag is set. This assumes that the correct bottle has been received in the tracking station 16.
- a "present" signal is sent to the programmer means 31.
- the cavity number from the first zone (n+1) is sent into the next zone (n) while the data flag in the first zone (n+1) is cleared and the data flag in the second zone (n) is set.
- the same sequence is carried out.
- the "present" signal causes the programmer means 31 to deliver the cavity number to the read-out means 32.
- the cavity number can be visually displayed as the bottle passes through the screw feed 15 and/or otherwise utilized by a data collection means.
- no cavity number is passed from that zone to the next zone. This occurs, for example, if a bottle has been inserted in the series. For example, once a bottle has been tracked properly, the cavity number is erased from one zone while being entered into the next zone. Thus, when an inserted bottle passes by the associated sensor, there is no cavity number in the upstream zone. Thus, there is no cavity number to be passed on. Instead, a message saying "empty" may be emitted via the programmer means to the read-out means 32 when this spurious bottle passes into the feed screw 15. Alternatively, a designation that the cavity number is unknown may also be used.
- the array tracking operates on the principle that a bottle must arrive at the first sensor before arriving at the next sensor and that the first bottle must arrive at the second sensor before the next bottle (in the progression) arrives at the first sensor.
- the advantages of the array tracking techniques are that it can deal with starts, stops, slips, and limited bounce-back.
- the bottle passes one sensor (PD n+1) and its cavity number is shifted into the zone (n) after passing the next sensor (PDn), the cavity number is shifted into the next zone (n-1). If the bottle slows down or stops but eventually passes the next sensor (PD n-1) the cavity number is shifted into the zone (n-z). However, if the bottle hits another bottle and bounces back past sensor (PD n-1) so long as the following bottle has not passed sensor (PDn), no harm is done. That is, there is no cavity number in the zone (n-1) but the correct cavity number appears in zone (n-2). Thus, when the bottle passes the sensor (PD n-2) for the third time, there is no cavity number to be passed from zone (n-1) so that the cavity number of the bottle remains in zone (n-2).
- tracking can be carried out in the screw feed in a known manner.
- the invention thus provides a relatively simple technique for tracking containers in an area which is prone to stacking up of the containers, for example, at a screw feed.
- the tracking system is self-starting. That is, as soon as the jam clears to a point where the containers are able to move freely on the conveyor belt 11, tracking begins anew.
- the programming means 31 and read-out means 32 can be constructed so as to provide useful information concerning glass container defects. Specifically, since many glass bottle defects are correlated with the cavity in which they are blown, it is helpful to know which cavities are producing defects. It is also useful to know what the defect is that is being found in bottles from a given cavity. Thus, a suitable print-out means can be provided in the tracking system to give a read-out of defects and cavity numbers of bottles which have been inspected.
- the tracking system is able to perform reliably even if the bottles have been removed during conveyance or bottles inserted on the conveyor belt.
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- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
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Description
- This invention relates to a tracking system. More particularly, this invention relates to a tracking system which can be used in the manufacture of containers, such as glass bottles.
- As is known, when manufacturing containers, for example made of glass, molds are frequently provided in groups at a hot station to form the containers and various types of conveyors are employed to move the containers to a cooling station for cooling purposes and for shipment to an end user. It has also been known that various types of inspection stations can be provided between the hot station and the cold station in order to inspect each container for defects.
- In some cases, each inspection station has been provided with a reject mechanism which can be activated by a suitable defect sensor so as to remove a defective container once detected. However, should a defect be caused by one particular mold in a mold group, several defective containers can be made before a determination is made that there is a defective mold.
- It has also been commonplace in the construction of multi-station inspection machines to inspect for many defects and to save all rejects until the containers have passed through all the stations. It has also been known to correlate certain information regarding the mold in which a container was made, i.e. the "cavity number" with the reject information. To this end, use has been made of cavity tracking methods wherein a cavity number can be electronically assigned to a given container and tracked with the container through the various inspection stations. In such cases, after the containers have passed through all the inspection stations, the rejects can be eliminated and the corresponding cavity numbers can be investigated to determine if, for example, certain mold cavities are producing certain defects so as to permit repair or replacement of such mold cavities.
- For example, it has been known to use a so-called open conveyor tracking technique wherein an encoder is used to gauge the travel of a conveyor while one proximity detector is placed at the beginning of an area through which containers are to be tracked and a second proximity detector is placed at the end of the tracking area. As a container passes the first detector, a cavity number is received from an upstream cavity indentification system or tracking device. Simultaneously, a count value from the encoder is recorded. Thereafter, when the container passes the second proximity detector a second count value is recorded from the encoder and compared against a range of counts which correspond to the distance travelled by the conveyor between the two proximity detectors. Presuming the container has not moved relative to the conveyor the cavity number of the container is then passed to a downstream tracking device or other downstream system.
- However, it has been found that if the sequence of containers passing through the inspection station changes or if the spacing between the containers changes accidentally or otherwise, the final results of the cavity tracking system may be in error.
- Further, inspection machines are frequently provided with inlet stations, for example, employing a rotatable screw, for the individual inlet of a container. In such cases, a series of containers may stack up behind the screw such that the conveyor moves relative to the containers. In such cases, open conveyor tracking will not give efficient results.
- Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a reliable tracking system for containers which tend to stack up on a conveyor belt.
- GB-A 2 094 530 discloses an apparatus and method in which reject ratios are determined for defective molds in order to determine a particular mold which may be making defective bottles. The apparatus and method are similar to the above-mentioned cavity tracking method in which a cavity number is electronically assigned to each bottle. There is, however, no teaching of a tracking system suitable for containers which tend to stack up on a conveyor belt.
- US-A 3 757 940 discloses a memory system having two clock pulse frequencies, designed to store and shift defective article information generated by an article inspection machine. The system has a first clock means for generating a series of machine clock pulses in synchronism with the index cycle of the inspection machine as well as a second clock means for generating a series of conveyor clock pulses in synchronism with the speed of travel of a conveyor means. A first memory means is connected to the first clock means for storing defective article information and for shifting the stored information in response to the machine clock pulses in synchronism with the index of the article from inspection station to inspection station. The second memory means receives the defective article information from the first memory means as the article is released to a conveyor means and shifts the information in response to the conveyor clock pulses in synchronism with the movement of the article along the conveyor means.
- GB-A 2 086 629 discloses a ware identifying apparatus as well as a swab reject device that identifies and rejects articles from a particular mold during a cycle of operation immediately after swabbing. There is no disclosure of a tracking system capable of tracking containers on a conveyor surface along an elongated path.
- None of the above-mentioned documents discloses or suggests a tracking system which can deal reliably with containers which tend to stack up on a conveyor belt.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container-tracking system comprising a conveyor belt for conveying a series of containers; an identification system disposed at a predetermined point along said conveyor belt for generating an "identification signal" corresponding to each container passing thereby; an encoder for generating a "count" signal corresponding to an increment in travel of said conveyor belt; a tracking station disposed along said conveyor belt downstream of said identification system; a programmer means to receive signals from said tracking station, and a read-out means to receive signals from said programmer means, said programmer means being connected to said identification system, said encoder and said tracking station, and operable to total said "count" signals from said encoder to generate a value of the total travel of said conveyor belt from said predetermined point; characterized in that:
- said tracking station includes a plurality of closely spaced sensors, each said sensor being disposed to generate a "present" signal in response to a container passing thereby;
- said programmer means includes a store to sequentially receive and store each "identification signal" from said identification system and a corresponding "count" signal from said encoder to identify each container and a plurality of memory zones for sequentially receiving each said "identification signal" from said store;
- each zone includes a respective data flag operable to indicate a "set" condition when an "identification signal" is supplied to said respective zone or a "clear" condition in the absence of an "identification signal" in said respective zone;
- said store is responsive to a "present" signal from a first of said sensors and a corresponding "count" signal from said encoder to pass a first of the "identification signals" in said store to a first of said zones, while setting said data flag in said first zone to said "set" condition, said programmer means being responsive to a "present" signal from a second of said sensors to pass an "identification signal" in said first zone to a second of said zones while setting said data flag in said first zone to said "clear" condition and setting said data flag in said second zone to said "set" condition thereof prior to said first sensor generating a "present" signal in response to a second container passing thereby; and in that
- said read-out means is connected to said programmer means for receiving the "identification signal" from a last of said zones while setting said data flag in said last zone to said "clear" condition thereof in response to a "present" signal from a last of said sensors.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of tracking a series of containers on a conveyor surface along an elongated path, comprising steps of:
- emitting "count" signals in response to movement of the conveyor surface and counting said "count" signals to generate a value of the total travel of the conveyor surface from a predetermined point; detecting the passage of each container past a sensing means disposed along said path and storing the current value of said total travel in a store in response thereto;.
- receiving and storing an identification signal corresponding to each container in said store in response to said detection of each container; and characterized by steps of:
- detecting the passage of a first container past an array of closely spaced sensors disposed along said path downstream of the sensing means;
- passing the identification signal from said store to a first of a plurality of zones provided in the form of memory means, while setting a data flag in said first zone to a "set" condition in response to the detection of the first container at said first sensor;
- sequentially transferring each stored identification signal to said first zone while setting the data flag therein to said "set" condition in response to the associated container passing said sensing means and said first sensor in sequence; and
- sequentially passing the identification signal in one of said zones to a downstream zone while setting said data flag in said one zone to a "clear" condition and setting a data flag in said downstream zone to a "set" condition thereof in response to passage of an associated container past a second of said sensors and prior to a sensor upstream of said second sensor generating a "present" signal in response to a second container passing thereby.
- An embodiment of the invention can maintain a one-to-one correspondence between a container and its electronic label as the container passes through an area where containers stack up or change speed and undergo relative movement.
- An embodiment of the invention can also provide a relatively simple system for tracking containers moving through a stacked region of a conveyor.
- Thus, in an embodiment of the invention, the tracking system comprises a conveyor belt for conveying a series of containers, such as glass bottles, through a series of inspection stations, an identification station disposed along the conveyor belt and having means for generating an identification signal in the form of a "cavity number" corresponding to a container passing thereby, an encoder for generating count pulses corresponding to the travel of the conveyor belt, a tracking station disposed along the conveyor belt adjacent to an area where containers stack up or change speed and undergo relative motion, a screw infeed being an example, with the tracking station including a plurality of closely spaced sensors each of which is disposed to generate a "present" signal in response to a container passing thereby and a programmer means connected to the identification station, encoder and tracking station.
- The programmer means is provided with a store or memory to sequentially receive and store each "cavity number" generated at the identification station as well as a plurality of zones for sequentially receiving each cavity number from the store. In addition, means are provided which are responsive to a "present" signal from a first of the sensors and a corresponding "count" signal from the encoder in order to pass a first of the "cavity numbers" in the store (memory) to a first of these zones. Means are also provided which are responsive to a "present" signal from a second sensor to pass the "cavity number" in the first zone to a second zone.
- In other words, as a bottle passes the first sensor, the cavity number associated with the container is placed in the store of the programmer means. When the container passes the second sensor, the cavity number is destructively read from the store and passed into a memory in the first zone. Since there are no time constraints on when the bottle must pass the second sensor, the bottle may slide or hesitate on the conveyor belt. Further, if the container is removed from the area between the sensors, the bottle does not pass the second sen- 5 sor. Hence, its cavity number is not passed down the line. Furthermore, the next bottle which does pass the second sensor will overwrite the memory with its own cavity number and that correct number will be passed down the line when this bottle passes 10 the next sensor:
- As long as the bottle is moving smoothly through the array of sensors its associated cavity number will be shifted from one zone to the next in proper sequence. When a cavity number is passed from 15 one zone to the next, a message can be left behind indicating "empty". This "empty" message can then be used to instruct the programmer means not to pass a cavity number into the next zone in response to a "present" signal from the sensor array. Hence, 20 if a bottle is placed between two others in the stream, the next sensor it passes sends the "empty" message ahead. Thus, the system recognizes that this container was inserted and applies "unknown cavity number" to this bottle. 25
- The tracking system may also employ a read-out means which is connected to the programmer means in order to receive and read-out the "cavity number" from a last of the zones associated with the sensor array in response to a "present"
signal 30 from a last of the sensor in the array. - The above tracking technique may employ a single-element first in-first out memory in the form of a set of flip-flop switches in each zone to accomplish the array tracking task. For example, in response to 35 a bottle passing the first sensor, the cavity number is delivered from the store and shifted into the set of flip-flop switches in the first zone. When the bottle passes the second sensor, the cavity number is destructively read from the first zone, i.e., by being 40 erased from the switches and passed to the set of flip-flop switches in the next zone.
- In the case of glass bottles of cylindrical cross section the sensors of the sensor array are placed less than one bottle diameter apart along the length 45 of the conveyor belt. In this case, each sensor may be an optical proximity detector comprised of a high intensity infrared-emitting diode and a photosensor. In addition, the diode is positioned to emit light at a first angle onto a surface of a glass bottle passing 50 thereby while the photosensor is positioned to receive light reflected from the bottle surface at a second angle. By placing the diode and photosensor at a slight angle to the horizontal, spurious reflections from other nearby objects can be eliminated. 55 In addition, a short focal length lens can be positioned in front of each diode and each photosensor in order to sharply limit the field of view of each.
- The encoder for generating a signal representative of the travel of the conveyor belt can be cou- 60 pled to the conveyor belt by a rubber tired wheel which is mounted on a shaft of the encoder to be driven by frictional engagement with the conveyor belt.
- The tracking system may be employed wherever a 65 series of containers, such as glass bottles, are conveyed past various inspection stations and wherein a stacking-up of the containers may occur, for example at a feed screw. In this respect, the 5 tracking system would be connected between tracking devices in order to receive and convey a "cavity number" signal associated with a conveyed container. To this end, the upstream tracking device would be connected to the store of the pro-10 grammer means in order to deliver the "cavity number" signal when the associated container has entered the tracking system. As the container thereafter moves along the conveyor, the "cavity number" signal can be relayed from switch to 15 switch, i.e., zone to zone in the programmer means until the container leaves the tracking system. At this time, the "cavity number" signal would be passed from the last flip-flop switch to the downstream tracking device or to the read-out means for 20 subsequent processing.
- A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
- 25 Fig. 1 illustrates a diagrammatic view of a tracking system constructed in accordance with the invention;
- Fig. 2 illustrates a tracking sensor array used in the system of Fig. 1 in accordance with the inven-30 tion;
- Fig. 3 illustrates a plan view of the tracking sensor array in Fig. 2;
- Fig. 4 illustrates the angular position of the elements of an optical proximity detector disposed in 35 accordance with the invention; and
- Fig. 5 graphically illustrates an algorithm for an array tracking method in accordance with the invention.
- 40 Referring to Fig. 1, the tracking system 10 includes a
single line conveyor 11, such as a conveyor belt, for conveying a series of containers, such asglass bottles 12 through a cavity identification system 13, an on-line thickness selector 14, a screw 45 feed 15 of an inspection apparatus and a trackingstation 16 adjacent the screw feed 15. In addition, anencoder 17 is positioned between the on-line thickness selector 14 and the trackingstation 16. - The conveyor belt is of any suitable construc- 50 tion, for example, the belt may be made up of a plurality of interconnected links which provide a continuous flat surface on which the
bottles 12 may stand and be conveyed. - The cavity identification system 13 is of known 55 construction and is available from American Glass Research of Bulter, Pennsylvania. In this regard, the cavity identification system may be constructed with a read module which is attached to the conveyor and provides the handling necessary to bring the 60
bottles 12 off-line over acamera 18 while returning thebottles 12 to the original conveyor. With each bottle provided with a single ring binary code molded into the bottom, each bottle is passed through the read module and a strobe transmits light through the 65 bottle. Thecamera 18 images the code so that the read module transmits the image to a decode module which processes the data so as to produce a cavity number for each bottle which passes through. - The cavity identification system 13 is provided with
suitable sensors 19, 19' for tracking of a bottle through the system 13; theupstream sensor 19 determining the presence of a bottle entering the identification system and the downstream sensor 19' determining the presence of the bottle at the outlet of the identification system. - The on-line thickness selector 14 is an inspection device of conventional structure and is available from America Glass Research, inc., of Bulter, Pennsylvania. This selector 14 operates so as to measure the thickness of a
single bottle 12 passing therethrough. In this respect, the on-line thickness selector 14 operates on only a single bottle at a time. Thus, the individual bottles are accelerated upon entering the selector 14 so as to provide individual attention. During this time, the individual bottles are lifted from theconveyor belt 11. - The thickness selector 14 is also provided with a pair of
sensors upstream sensor 20 determining the presence of a bottle at the entry to the thickness sensor (not shown) within the selector 14 and adownstream sensor 21 which determines the presence of a bottle at the output of the selector 14. - In addition, the thickness selector 14 includes a microprocessor (not shown) in an information interface cabinet (not shown) which accepts cavity numbers, encoder counts and inputs from the
sensors microprocessor 31 in an information interface cabinet (not shown) associated with the inspection apparatus having the screw feed 15. - The screw feed 15 is also of conventional structure. To this end, the screw feed includes a
screw 22 which receives and spaces individual bottles for input to other systems or devices. - The tracking
station 16 includes a plurality of closely spacedsensors 23 each of which is disposed to generate a "present" signal in response to abottle 12 passing thereby. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, thesensors 23 are spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of abottle 12 for reasons as explained below. In addition, thesensors 23 are disposed in ahousing module 24 of elongated shape. - As indicated in Fig. 4, each
sensor 23 includes a pair of electro-optical devices, one of which is a high intensity infrared-emittingdiode 25 for emitting a light across theconveyor belt 11, and the other of which is a photosensor 26 for receiving light reflected from acontainer 12 on theconveyor belt 11. As indicated, thelight emitting diode 25 and thephotosensor 26 of each sensor are disposed on opposite sides of a common horizontal plane. Thediode 25 is positioned below the horizontal plane to direct light at an upwardly directed angle onto the surface of a passingbottle 12 while thephotosensor 26 is positioned above the horizontal plane to receive reflected light at an angle from the surface of thebottle 12. In addition, a shortfocal length lens 27 is disposed in front of each of thediode 25 and the photosensor 26 in order to sharply limit the field of view of each. As indicated in Fig. 4, the field of view of thediode 25 and the photosensor 26 overlap each other within a common area F. Thus, the illuminated area and the field of view may overlap significantly for a relatively large range of reflecting surface positions. The use of the angular arrangement of thediode 25 and thephotosensor 26 and the lenses provide a good signal-to-noise ratio which can be attained over a range of one-half inch to one inch distances between thedetectors 22 and the reflecting surface of abottle 12. - The
encoder 17 is associated with theconveyor belt 11 in order to generate a signal formed of a sequence of pulses corresponding to the travel of theconveyor belt 11. As indicated, theencoder 17 includes ashaft 28 and a rubber-tired wheel 29 which is mounted on the shaft and which is in frictional engagement with the conveyor belt so as to be driven thereby under frictional contact. Upon rotation of thewheel 29 and theshaft 28, theencoder 17 generates a sequence of counts. The operation of theencoder 17 is otherwise of conventional structure. - During normal operation of the system 10, a series of
bottles 12 are passed through the cavity identification system 13 and thecamera 18 forms an image of the code on the bottom of the bottle as each bottle passes over the camera which is located between theconveyor belt 11 and adelivery conveyor belt 30 to the identification sytem 13. Upon passing out of the identification system onto theconveyor belt 11, each bottle passes thesensor 19 so that a "present" signal is generated in association with the cavity number signal generated by the identification system. Subsequently, the series of bottles are individually passed through the selector 14 in known manner. During this time, each bottle is tracked between thesensors station 16 and fed into the screw feed 15. Should the speed of the screw feed 15 be less than the speed of theconveyor belt 11, the bottles begin to stack-up at the screw feed 15 while sliding relative to theconveyor belt 11. - The tracking system also includes the
microprocessor 31 which is in the form of a programmer means and is connected to the on-line thickness selector 14, thedownstream sensor 21, theencoder 17 and the trackingstation 16. In addition, a readout means 32 is connected to the programmer means 31 and is located, for example adjacent to the screw feed 15 for ease of viewing. - Referring to Fig. 5, the programmer means 31 includes a
store 33 to sequentially receive and store each "cavity number" from the means in the immediately upstream inspection device 14 and a corresponding "present" signal from thedownstream sensor 21 for eachbottle 12. Also, input to the programmer means 31 is a series of "count" signals from theencoder 17, each signal corresponding to a known amount of distance ofconveyor belt 11 travel. The programmer means 31 also includes an arithmetic and logic unit 33A. The programmer means 31 further includes a plurality of zones for sequentially receiving each "cavity number" from thestore 33. Still further, means is provided in the arithmetic and logic unit 33A to perform the algorithm: - When sensor n is passed:
- TEST DATA FLAG n
- IF FLAS IS CLEAR
- RETURN
- ELSE
- GET CAVITY NUMBER FROM ZONE n
- CLEAR DATA FLAG n
- WRITE CAVITY NUMBER IN ZONE n-1
- SET DATA FLAG n-1
- RETURN
- The read-out means 32 may be connected to the programmer means 31 in order to receive the cavity number from a last of the zones in response to a "present" signal from a last of
sensors 23 of the trackingstation 16. -
- Basically, the tracking
station 16 is connected with the programming means 31 so as to effect an "array tracking". This technique relies on the assumption that two bottles cannot occupy the same physical space. Thus, the spacing between thesensors 23 is dependent upon the diameter of the conveyedbottles 12. That is, thesensors 23 are placed at a spacing which is less than the diameter of thebottle 12. With thesensores 23 placed as specified above, there can be no confusion as to which cavity number is attached to whichbottle 12. This is true as long as thebottle 12 move forward at any rate or even stop. This style of tracking also allows bottles to stop, start and bounce back while still identifying each bottle. If bottles are added or removed in the bottle progression, the identification of known bottles is uneffected and the added bottles are known to be unidentified. - Referring to Fig. 5, after the first bottle passes the first sensor (PD n+1) of the tracking
station 16, the cavity number of the bottle is entered into the first zone (n+1) while a data flag is set. This assumes that the correct bottle has been received in the trackingstation 16. - Next, when the bottle passes the second sensor (PD n+1), a "present" signal is sent to the programmer means 31. In response, the cavity number from the first zone (n+1) is sent into the next zone (n) while the data flag in the first zone (n+1) is cleared and the data flag in the second zone (n) is set.
- Next, as the bottle passes the third sensor (PD n), the same sequence is carried out. When the bottle passes the same sequence (PD n-2) of the tracking
station 16, the "present" signal causes the programmer means 31 to deliver the cavity number to the read-out means 32. At this point, the cavity number can be visually displayed as the bottle passes through the screw feed 15 and/or otherwise utilized by a data collection means. - If the data flag in a zone is clear when tested in response to the transit of a bottle past a
sensor 23, no cavity number is passed from that zone to the next zone. This occurs, for example, if a bottle has been inserted in the series. For example, once a bottle has been tracked properly, the cavity number is erased from one zone while being entered into the next zone. Thus, when an inserted bottle passes by the associated sensor, there is no cavity number in the upstream zone. Thus, there is no cavity number to be passed on. Instead, a message saying "empty" may be emitted via the programmer means to the read-out means 32 when this spurious bottle passes into the feed screw 15. Alternatively, a designation that the cavity number is unknown may also be used. - Basically, the array tracking operates on the principle that a bottle must arrive at the first sensor before arriving at the next sensor and that the first bottle must arrive at the second sensor before the next bottle (in the progression) arrives at the first sensor. The advantages of the array tracking techniques are that it can deal with starts, stops, slips, and limited bounce-back.
- With respect to the bounce-back, the following example is given:
- If a bottle is moving smoothly through an array of
sensors 23, the bottle passes one sensor (PD n+1) and its cavity number is shifted into the zone (n) after passing the next sensor (PDn), the cavity number is shifted into the next zone (n-1). If the bottle slows down or stops but eventually passes the next sensor (PD n-1) the cavity number is shifted into the zone (n-z). However, if the bottle hits another bottle and bounces back past sensor (PD n-1) so long as the following bottle has not passed sensor (PDn), no harm is done. That is, there is no cavity number in the zone (n-1) but the correct cavity number appears in zone (n-2). Thus, when the bottle passes the sensor (PD n-2) for the third time, there is no cavity number to be passed from zone (n-1) so that the cavity number of the bottle remains in zone (n-2). - Of note, tracking can be carried out in the screw feed in a known manner.
- The invention thus provides a relatively simple technique for tracking containers in an area which is prone to stacking up of the containers, for example, at a screw feed. Thus, should a stacking up or jam occur, the tracking system is self-starting. That is, as soon as the jam clears to a point where the containers are able to move freely on the
conveyor belt 11, tracking begins anew. - The programming means 31 and read-out means 32 can be constructed so as to provide useful information concerning glass container defects. Specifically, since many glass bottle defects are correlated with the cavity in which they are blown, it is helpful to know which cavities are producing defects. It is also useful to know what the defect is that is being found in bottles from a given cavity. Thus, a suitable print-out means can be provided in the tracking system to give a read-out of defects and cavity numbers of bottles which have been inspected.
- Further, the tracking system is able to perform reliably even if the bottles have been removed during conveyance or bottles inserted on the conveyor belt.
Claims (8)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US76295985A | 1985-08-06 | 1985-08-06 | |
US762959 | 1985-08-06 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0213797A2 EP0213797A2 (en) | 1987-03-11 |
EP0213797A3 EP0213797A3 (en) | 1988-02-03 |
EP0213797B1 true EP0213797B1 (en) | 1989-12-27 |
Family
ID=25066510
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19860306063 Expired EP0213797B1 (en) | 1985-08-06 | 1986-08-06 | A tracking system |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0213797B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS62106880A (en) |
DE (1) | DE3667757D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4955227A (en) * | 1987-05-27 | 1990-09-11 | Toyo Garasu Kabushiki Kaisha | Apparatus for inspecting glass bottles |
US7607545B2 (en) | 2004-10-20 | 2009-10-27 | Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc. | System and method for inspecting and sorting molded containers |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3757940A (en) * | 1972-06-19 | 1973-09-11 | Owens Illinois Inc | Memory system having two clock pulse frequencies |
US3941686A (en) * | 1975-03-27 | 1976-03-02 | Owens-Illinois, Inc. | Inspection machine memory |
US4004904A (en) * | 1975-08-04 | 1977-01-25 | Index, Incorporated | Electronic system for article identification |
US4332606A (en) * | 1980-10-27 | 1982-06-01 | Emhart Industries, Inc. | Ware identifying apparatus for glassware machines and the like |
US4386708A (en) * | 1981-02-12 | 1983-06-07 | American Can Company | Container reject system |
US4413738A (en) * | 1981-03-11 | 1983-11-08 | Owens-Illinois, Inc. | Apparatus and method for controlling the inspection of finished products |
-
1986
- 1986-08-06 EP EP19860306063 patent/EP0213797B1/en not_active Expired
- 1986-08-06 JP JP18499586A patent/JPS62106880A/en active Pending
- 1986-08-06 DE DE8686306063T patent/DE3667757D1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0213797A2 (en) | 1987-03-11 |
EP0213797A3 (en) | 1988-02-03 |
JPS62106880A (en) | 1987-05-18 |
DE3667757D1 (en) | 1990-02-01 |
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