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US 4,051,366 AGranted
Optical apparatus for sensing clustered package orientation
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorJason Morse Gordon
Life of this patent
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AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorJason Morse Gordon
Estimating the term…
Four six-packs of labeled bottles are picked up and spun while being illuminated by light sources, each of the 24 bottles have an optical sensor focused at a spot through which successive portions of the peripheral surface of the bottle passes as the bottle is spun. The six-packs are fed broadside first; the two center bottles in each six-pack remote from the sensors are illuminated by light, mounted adjacent thereto so that the lights pass between necks of bottles as the assembly approaches the four six-packs to pick them up. Certain of the sensors are longer than others to permit viewing of some bottles underneath the sensors related to other bottles. Each of the bottles is illuminated by a light positioned at an elevation which is substantially different than the elevation of the focus spot on the bottles so that the sensors are substantially insensitive to specular reflection from the shiny bottles, yet provide a substantial amount of light diffusely reflected from labels. Certain of the lights and sensors are arranged in line along the center of the apparatus between adjacent six-packs, and others of the sensors and lights are arranged in lines externally of all of the six-packs. The sensors focus on points which are at least one quarter revolution in advance of the desired stopping position of the bottles with respect to the direction in which the bottle is already spinning.
A subassembly for optically sensing the orientation of a plurality of labeled containers spinning, on axes, at respective stations on an associated container handling assembly, comprising:
In apparatus for engaging and spinning a plurality of containers, on axes, arranged in at least two clusters which are disposed laterally of each other with respect to the direction of motion of said containers along a pair of processing paths, a subassembly for optically sensing the orientation of spinning, labeled containers, comprising:
A subassembly for optically sensing the orientation of a plurality of labeled containers spinning, on axes, at respective stations on an associated container handling assembly, comprising:
In apparatus for engaging and spinning a plurality of containers, on axes, arranged in at least two clusters which are disposed laterally of each other with respect to the direction of motion of said containers along a pair of processing paths, each cluster including containers at the lateral ends thereof and containers therebetween remote from the ends thereof, a subassembly for optically sensing the orientation of spinning, labeled containers, comprising:
In apparatus for engaging and spinning a plurality of containers, on axes, arranged in at least two pairs of two clusters per pair, each pair being disposed laterally of each other with respect to the direction of motion of said containers along a pair of processing paths, each cluster including containers at the lateral ends thereof and containers therebetween remote from the ends thereof, a subassembly for optically sensing the orientation of spinning, labeled containers, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.