Bottle cap sensor apparatus and method
AssigneeThe Quaker Oats Company
InventorMichael J. Reading
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting miscapped bottles for use in a bottle line comprises a bottle cap position detector system having signal emitters and signal detectors. The signal emitters are positioned adjacent a conveyor transporting bottles so as to direct signals to different cap target locators. The presence or the absence of a signal detected by the signal detectors indicates one or more incorrect cap positions.
Claims13
An apparatus for detecting whether a capped bottle has an incorrectly positioned cap for use in a bottle line, regardless of the radial orientation of the cap, comprising:
- a bottle cap position detector system for sensing the bottle cap position, the detector system comprising two signal emitters, each of said signal emitters capable of directing a detectable signal;
- a signal detector capable of detecting the presence or absence of a signal from each of said signal emitters;
- each of said signal emitters positioned to direct a signal to a different cap target location with respect to a capped bottle to be tested in which a correctly positioned cap on the bottle defines a vertical cap axis and a correct cap height relative to the bottle, the signals being directed in a plane normal to vertical cap axis, each signal directed at a predetermined height relative to the cap and said signals radially spaced from each other relative to the circumference of a correctly positioned cap so that the presence or absence of a signal detected by said signal detector when the signals are emitted by the signal emitters is indicative of one or more incorrect cap positions sensed during detection with respect to a bottle selected from the group consisting of high cap, low cap and cocked cap, regardless of the radial orientation of the cap.
A method of detecting whether a capped bottle has an incorrectly positioned cap, regardless of the radial orientation of the cap, comprising the steps of:
- providing a detector system comprising two signal emitters, each of said signal emitters capable of directing a detectable signal and a signal detector capable of detecting the presence or absence of a signal from each of said signal emitters;
- positioning each signal emitter to direct a signal to a different cap target location with respect to a capped bottle to be tested in which a correctly positioned cap on the bottle defines a vertical cap axis and a correct cap height relative to the bottle;
- directing said signals in a plane normal to the vertical cap axis, each signal directed at a predetermined height relative to the cap;
- radially spacing said signals from each other relative to the circumference of a correctly positioned cap;
- indicating whether the presence or absence of a signal detected by said signal detector when the signals are emitted by the signal emitters is one or more incorrect cap positions selected from the group consisting of high cap, low cap and cocked cap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.