Owens-illinois, Inc.

William H Ryan

William E Johnson

Thomas F Michalski

A short circuit proof driver and alarm circuit for a solenoid actuator in a glassware forming machine is disclosed. Power to the solenoid is switched from a power source by a VMOS enhancement mode power transistor. Under normal operating conditions, the power transistor will be operated in saturation, whereby very little voltage is dropped between the drain and the source. When a short circuit condition occurs in the solenoid or connecting cable, the power transistor will be pulled out of saturation and the amount of voltage drop will become significant. Circuitry is provided for limiting current flow through the power transistor to a value somewhat above the maximum normal load current. The components of the system are selected to operate properly in the short circuit condition, thereby preventing the accidental activation of a solenoid in the glassware forming machine. A detector circuit senses the increased power dissipation across the power transistor and generates a signal to an alarm circuit to generate an alarm signal. The alarm signal can be used by an operator to determine which solenoid has failed.

Short circuit proof driver and alarm circuit for a solenoid in a

A control system for a glassware forming machine determines the machine speed in accordance with the physical characteristics of the molten glass and the type of glassware being formed. The control system is loaded with timing data representing predetermined forming steps and a machine cycle speed and a control program for generating control signals to the machine forming mechanisms for forming the selected type of glassware. As the machine is operated, one or more physical characteristics of the molten glass entering the machine are sensed and utilized by the control system to adjust the machine speed to an optimum value. The control system also can utilize signals representing the operation of the forming mechanisms to adjust the timing within the machine cycle.

Electronic control system for a glassware forming machine

A cooling system includes means for maintaining electronic control components of a glassware forming machine at a safe operational temperature. A circuit board heat sink is attached to and substantially covers the component mounting surface of a printed circuit board. The circuit board heat sink includes a thermoconductive pad for each component and a metallic panel. Thermoconductive means engage a portion of the circuit board heat sink to transmit heat energy from the components through the heat sink to a coolant manifold. The thermoconductive means includes at least one card guide for frictionally engaging the circuit board and the circuit board heat sink, and a card rack for supporting the card guide. A coolant manifold has a plurality of passages formed therein for the passage of coolant throughout. The manifold is attached to a housing which encloses and is attached to the card rack and receives the heat energy from the components. The coolant fluid removes the heat energy accumulated by the manifold from the cooling system.

Environmentally protected electronic control for a glassware forming

Apparatus and method for measuring the volume and shape of a falling gob of glass. Two cameras are used to make section by section measurements of the horizontal extent of the moving gob. Timing of the measurements is controlled so as to cause measurements to be made at equal increments of the motion of the gob. The measurements are made 90.degree. apart with respect to the gob and are utilized to determine the volume of each section of the gob. The volumes of the individual sections of the gob are then summed to determine the total volume of the gob. An image of the gob is generated on a television screen to aid in the determination of the shape of the gob.

Method and apparatus for measuring the volume and shape of a glass gob

A gas discharge display/memory device in which the driving circuitry is coupled to the panel electrodes through a plurality of gas discharge cells. Along one edge of each of the panel electrode arrays, there are formed a plurality of gas discharge shift cells each defined by a pair of crosspoints, one crosspoint formed by one of a plurality of shift electrodes and a common electrode means and the other crosspoint formed by the common electrode means and one of the panel electrodes. The shift electrodes associated with each electrode array are connected to individual shift voltage generators which generate phased shift voltages to shift a discharge along the common electrode. The discharge associated with each electrode array can be transferred to a selected panel electrode by applying a transfer pulse voltage to the electrodes forming the second crosspoint such that a discharge is initiated in the panel cell defined by the crosspoint of the selected panel electrodes. A sustainer generator is connected to both electrode arrays through a plurality of gas discharge sustainer cells defined by the crosspoints formed by a sustainer electrode and all of the panel electrodes of one of the electrode arrays for each electrode array. The sustainer generator applies a voltage to all of the panel cells to maintain a sequence of discharges in any panel cell in which a discharge has been initiated.

Gas discharge coupling of driving circuitry to a gas discharge

A circuit and method for obtaining gray scale in gas discharge display panels which uses only one discharge site per resolution element, does not require extensive electronic memory and provides a continuous, broad intensity range. A video signal is sampled at predetermined time intervals and the samples are stored as potentials proportional to the magnitude of the video signal at the moment of sampling. Trigger signals are then generated from the samples, each trigger signal having a wave form with at least one dimension proportional to the potential of the associated sample. A maintain voltage is applied to all elements of the matrix display panel which has a magnitude somewhat less than the lower limit of the bistable region in which gas discharge panels are normally operated. Thus, a site cannot be turned 'on' in the normal sense of initiating a sequence of discharges which continues indefinitely. However, the application of the trigger voltage can initiate a sequence of discharges which continues for a substantial number of cycles before dying out. The number of cycles for which the discharge sequence persists depends on the magnitude and duration of the addressing trigger voltage. If the panel is operated in a refresh mode (the addressing pulses are applied repetitively), the average brightness of the light emitted may be controlled by varying the magnitude of the trigger pulse voltage to obtain a luminance range of more than 30 to one. This gray scale method may be used to address a matrix display panel with video information using a line-at-a-time addressing with red, green and blue phosphors.

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Toledo, OH, United States of America

William H Ryan