Hot end glass container thickness evaluation

A method of operating a hot end glass container evaluation system, the method comprising:

• (a) generating a radiation intensity profile of at least one sample glass container within a target segment of the sample glass container;
• (b) obtaining one or more calibrating thickness measurements of the at least one sample glass container within the target segment of the sample glass container;
• (c) determining a radiation thickness correlation model based on the one or more calibrating thickness measurements of the at least one sample glass container and the radiation intensity profile of the at least one sample glass container;
• (d) generating a radiation intensity profile for at least one examined glass container within a target segment of the examined glass container that corresponds to the target segment of the sample glass container;
• (e) determining a thickness reading of the at least one examined glass container based on the radiation intensity profile of the examined glass container and the radiation thickness correlation model;
• and
• (f) calibrating the radiation thickness correlation model by repeating steps (a)-(c) for at least one other sample glass container.

A hot end glass container evaluation system, comprising:

• at least two infrared image sensors each being configured to capture an infrared image of an examined glass container in a hot end of a glass container manufacturing system;
• and
• a processing system configured to receive the captured infrared images of the examined glass container from the infrared image sensors and further comprising at least one processor and memory storing computer instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the processing system to:
• generate a radiation intensity profile of the examined glass container from the infrared images captured by the infrared image sensors;
• and
• determine a thickness reading of the examined glass container based on the radiation intensity profile of the examined glass container and a radiation thickness correlation model, stored in the memory, that translates the radiation intensity profile of the examined glass container into the thickness reading of the examined glass container.