Tomra Systems Asa

Tom Steidel

Andreas Nordbryhn

Lennart Flem

Geir Hanevold

Per Kåre Tvinnereim

Per Kangre Tvinnereim

A device for use with conveyor means and a detector station, said conveyor means for moving empty beverage containers, suitably bottles of different shapes and sizes, past the detector station, and said detector station for providing characteristic data about the containers, and means which based on such data are capable of determining how the containers are to be handled subsequent to detection. At a downstream end of said conveyor there is located a bottle raiser capable of guiding transported bottles into a standing rest position bottom first, said raiser including a bottle stabiliser which on basis of said bottle data is held by means of a motor in a first position in contact freedom with a bottle as a function of data regarding the bottle, such as at least one of its diameter, height and weight, so that the bottle is freely guidable down towards said rest position, said stabiliser then movable to a second position for in a stabilizing step bearing against a portion of the bottle and for pushing the bottle against a stationary back wall, and releasing said bottle from the stabilizing step for onward movement on a further conveyor. There is further disclosed a method for moving the bottle to a standing rest position, stabilizing and pushing out the bottle for further conveyance.

Method and device for raising, stabilizing and further moving a bottle

A method and a device for detecting containers, e.g. bottles of glass or plastics, or cans made of metal, wood, glass or plastics, which for recycling of materials thereof or reuse thereof are moved in a lying posture and with their axis parallel to direction of transport into or past a detection zone associated with a detector station containing a video camera, a video image analysis of the container being carried out by a video image analyser, and said detector station having an entrance and an exit. There is analysed a sequence of video images of the container whilst it is moved into or past the detection zone of the video camera, and it is determined position and movement of the container in a viewing region of the video camera on the basis of continuous detection of position and movement of the container in the video image. Further, there is determined direction of movement of the container relative to the detector station, thus either causing an alarm if the container is moved from a position downstream of the detector station exit to a position in the detector sector or zone, or causing no movement direction alarm if the container is moved from a position upstream of the detector station entrance and into the detection zone.

Method and device for detecting container movement

The method of handling an empty beverage container having a bottom end and a mouth region and includes moving the container, from a return vending machine inlet, in a direction towards an outlet thereof. Through use of the method there is detected by means of a video camera the container when moved in a lying posture into or past a detection zone of the video camera and the manner by which the container is inserted at said inlet. Further, there is determined whether the container is moved into the detection zone bottom end first or mouth region end first. If the container is delivered into the detection zone with its bottom end first, the container is transported to said outlet. If, however, the container is delivered into the detection zone with its mouth region end first, then the container is caused to be returned to the inlet.

Method and return vending machine device for handling empty beverage containers

Method and device for detecting liquid containers

Device for a conveyor means

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Asker, Norway

Tom Steidel