US 11,667,424 B2
Liquid container labelling machine with optical inspection device
Marco Casadio, Imola (IT); and Giorgia Fuschini, Imola (IT)
Assigned to SACMI COOPERATIVA MECCANICI IMOLA SOCIETA COOPERATIVA, Bologna (IT)
Appl. No. 16/95,491
Filed by SACMI COOPERATIVA MECCANICI IMOLA SOCIETA' COOPERATIVA, Imola (IT)
PCT Filed Apr. 26, 2017, PCT No. PCT/IB2017/052416
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 22, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/187367, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 2, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 102016000042572 (IT), filed on Apr. 26, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0092511 A1, Mar. 28, 2019
Int. Cl. B65C 9/06 (2006.01); G01N 21/90 (2006.01); G06V 10/145 (2022.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); B65C 3/10 (2006.01); B65C 9/04 (2006.01); B65C 9/40 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01)
CPC B65C 9/067 (2013.01) [B65C 3/10 (2013.01); B65C 9/04 (2013.01); B65C 9/40 (2013.01); G01N 21/9045 (2013.01); G06T 7/0004 (2013.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G06V 10/145 (2022.01); G06V 2201/06 (2022.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A labelling machine for containers for containing a liquid, each of the containers being elongate along a respective longitudinal axis and having a seam lying in a seam plane containing the longitudinal axis, wherein the machine comprises:
a carousel which rotates about a central axis of rotation;
a plurality of supporting elements, rotating about respective supporting axes and configured to support the containers in rotation about the respective supporting axes which operatively coincide with the longitudinal axes of the containers, the supporting elements being integral with the carousel to transport the containers along a predetermined path in rotation about the central axis of rotation;
a plurality of actuators mounted on the carousel and connected to respective supporting elements to move them about the respective supporting axes;
an optical inspection device having an illuminator to light at least one sector of the path, wherein a plurality of said containers is positioned in the sector, at least one camera to capture one or more images of the containers of said plurality of containers supported by the supporting elements and positioned in the sector, wherein the containers of said plurality of containers positioned in the sector are simultaneously illuminated by the illuminator and visible by the at least one camera, and a processing unit configured to process the images in order to identify the position of the respective seams on the containers of the plurality of containers,
wherein the illuminator of the optical inspection device comprises:
a light generator defining a light emitting surface;
a collimator, interposed between the light generator and the carousel, defining a lighting surface which faces towards the sector of the path, and configured, for light rays generated by the light generator and incident upon the collimator, to block a portion of light the rays having an inclination that is greater than a critical angle relative to corresponding planes which are parallel to the supporting axes and at right angles to the collimator at the respective points of incidence of the incident light rays, wherein the collimator and the light generator are spaced from each other; and
a diffuser, which is interposed between the light generator and the collimator, that defines a first surface directed towards the light emitting surface, and a second surface directed towards the lighting surface, in order to diffuse the light rays coming from the light generator and directed towards the collimator.