Powers Manufacturing Incorporated

Nelson H Bryant

Ross L Hobler

Wilbur J Allen

Whitney S Powers

Joseph W Poliseo

Rudy Hoppe

A region of a glass bottle is inspected for flaws or checks by scanning the region with a light beam. The passage of a flaw or check through the beam causes a fluctuation in the intensity of the light beam at two spaced apart locations. At each location, a sensor senses the fluctuation in beam intensity caused by the flaw or check. A difference amplifier generates a difference signal based on the sequential detection of the fluctuation in intensity of the light beam at the two locations. The difference signal is rectified and inverted. The inverted difference signal is rectified and combined with the rectified difference signal to produce a combined signal. If the combined signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time interval, a reject signal is generated to operate a mechanism which removes the bottle by conventional means.

Glass inspection method and apparatus

Method and apparatus for statistically testing frangible containers produced by plural mold sources by selectively diverting containers to a test station at regular intervals of time. A diverted container is automatically tracked to the test station wherein it is tested. A signal indicative of the result of the test is generated for use in selectively diverting additional containers produced by the same mold source that produced the tested container. The totality of containers produced by the plural mold sources is upgraded by automatically ejecting all containers produced by one or more mold sources for fixed periods of time as a function of the test results.

Method and apparatus for statistically testing frangible containers

The mold source of a bottle provided with one or more sectors spanning a circumferential zone with prism-like timing marks thereon is identified by an on-line programmed microcomputer. The bottle is identified by a laser beam and sensor. The sensor generates a series of digital pulses in response to the passage of the laser beam through the timing marks. The leading and trailing edges of the pulses are time stamped by the microcomputer. A microcomputer program identifies the mold source of the bottle based on the time stamped information. The identification of the bottle and its status are stored in the microcomputer memory. A running log of the numbers of defective and acceptable bottles produced by the mold source is printed out based on the contents of the microcomputer memory.

Control system for computer controlled identification of bottles

Bottles transparent to a laser beam are molded with marks on a wall thereof. The marks serve to identify each bottle with its respective mold. The bottles are rotated and moved in a procession through an inspection area where a laser beam is directed through the wall of each bottle so that the beam strikes each of the marks. Each mark causes the laser beam to spread as the beam strikes the mark and passes through the bottle. As the laser beam emerges from the bottle, the beam is directed to a sensor which generates a digital output signal corresponding to the distribution of the marks on the bottle. Any bottle may be ejected from the procession according to the sensor output.

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Ithaca, NY, United States of America

Nelson H Bryant