US 12,434,425 B2
Method for automatically verifying the presence of members for holding preforms in a heating station
Loïc Bourvellec, Octeville-sur-Mer (FR); and Hervé Pasquier, Octeville-sur-Mer (FR)
Assigned to SIDEL PARTICIPATIONS, Octeville-sur-Mer (FR)
Appl. No. 18/257,276
Filed by SIDEL PARTICIPATIONS, Octeville-sur-Mer (FR)
PCT Filed Dec. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/087055
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 13, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/136410, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 30, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2013885 (FR), filed on Dec. 22, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0009916 A1, Jan. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. B29C 49/78 (2006.01); B29C 49/42 (2006.01); B29C 49/64 (2006.01); B29C 49/68 (2006.01); B29C 49/06 (2006.01); B29K 67/00 (2006.01); B29L 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 49/78 (2013.01) [B29C 49/4205 (2013.01); B29C 49/42065 (2022.05); B29C 49/42085 (2022.05); B29C 49/6418 (2013.01); B29C 49/68 (2013.01); B29C 49/06 (2013.01); B29C 49/645 (2022.05); B29C 49/6825 (2022.05); B29C 49/683 (2022.05); B29C 49/6835 (2022.05); B29C 49/6845 (2022.05); B29C 49/685 (2022.05); B29C 2049/78765 (2022.05); B29C 2049/7878 (2022.05); B29C 2949/0715 (2022.05); B29K 2067/003 (2013.01); B29L 2031/7158 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. 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).