Method for automatically verifying the presence of members for holding preforms in a heating station
AssigneeSidel Participations
InventorsLoïc Bourvellec, Hervé Pasquier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a method for verifying holding members in a heating station equipped with a device for transporting the preforms. The device includes a plurality of movable supports circulating in a closed circuit and members for individually holding the preforms by their neck, where each of the holding members is borne by a movable support. The method includes setting the movable supports in movement to bring them successively into an acquisition zone, acquiring an image of each individual holding member in the acquisition zone, and automatically verifying the presence of a holding member on each of the images taken.
Claims11
A method for automatically verifying the presence of holding members (30) for holding preforms (12) made from a thermoplastic material in a heating station (10), the heating station (10) being provided with a transport device (28) for transporting the preforms (12) along a heating tunnel (22), the transport device (28) comprising:
- a plurality of movable supports (32);
- individual holding members (30) for holding the preforms (12) by their neck (16), each of the holding members (30) being borne by a movable support (32), the holding members (30) being removably fixed to their respective movable supports (32);
- wherein the method comprises:
- a step (E1) of setting the movable supports (32) in motion in order to bring them in succession into an acquisition zone (Z1);
- a step (E2) of acquiring an image of each individual holding member (30) as each of the movable supports (32) passes through the acquisition zone (Z1), by means of an image capturing device (78);
- a step (E3) of automatically verifying the presence of a holding member (30) on each of the images taken during the acquisition step (E2), by computer processing of each of the images by means of an electronic control unit (60).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.