JP7600404B2 - Gob monitoring device and method for adjusting line sensor camera position - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gob monitoring device and a method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera that images a gob.

In a typical glass bottle production process, a system is known in which molten glass extruded from an orifice provided below the spout is cut by a shear blade, and the gob generated by the cut is sent to a glass bottle molding machine via a gob distributor. In such a system, the hot gob slides down through a gob distributor consisting of a scoop, trough, deflector, etc., and the gob that emerges from the outlet of the deflector falls freely into the blank mold of the glass bottle molding machine.

The gob's falling speed can suddenly decrease due to a malfunction of the gob-cutting system or due to foreign matter in the molten glass being cut by the shear blade. This decrease in the gob's falling speed can cause the gob to miss the timing at which it should be injected into the blank mold, resulting in a gob injection error (gob injection error), where the gob falls onto or adheres to another part, such as an operating baffle. When a gob injection error occurs, it takes time to restore the system by replacing parts or adjusting the molding machine, resulting in an extended stoppage of glass bottle production.

The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a gob fall monitoring and warning system that issues an alarm if the time between when the gob is cut by the shear blade and when it enters the scoop becomes too long in order to avoid gob insertion errors. However, Patent Document 1 cannot deal with gob insertion errors caused by a gradual and continuous decrease in the gob fall speed due to an increase in the friction coefficient in the scoop, trough, deflector, etc. through which the gob passes continuously.

To solve the problem of Patent Document 1, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 proposes detecting the timing of the gob's arrival at the rough mold using a laser sensor positioned between the deflector outlet and the rough mold.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-10550 International Publication No. 2013/014782

However, laser sensors such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2 can malfunction when the laser light is blocked by oily smoke when swabbing the rough mold with release agent.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a gob monitoring device and a method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera that are less likely to malfunction due to smoke from swabbing oil.

The present invention has been made to solve at least some of the above-mentioned problems and can be realized in the following aspects.

[1] One aspect of the gob monitoring device according to the present invention is
a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob in each of the multiple sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides the gob, which is sorted into the multiple sections by a scoop, to the blank mold and the blank mold;
a control device that detects a gob from a plurality of images captured by the line sensor camera and determines whether or not there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is introduced into the blank mold based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the image of the gob is captured by the line sensor camera ;
Equipped with
The line sensor camera is disposed at a position where a plurality of gobs falling in the plurality of sections are captured in the plurality of images without overlapping with each other .

[2] One aspect of the gob monitoring device according to the present invention is
a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob in each of the multiple sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides the gob, which is sorted into the multiple sections by a scoop, to the blank mold and the blank mold;
a control device that detects a gob from a plurality of images captured by the line sensor camera and determines whether or not there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is introduced into the blank mold based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the image of the gob is captured by the line sensor camera ;
Equipped with
The field of view of the line sensor camera intersects with the direction in which the multiple sections are arranged, and the multiple sections are characterized in that their heights from the blank mold are constant.

[3] In any one of the above-mentioned embodiments of the gob monitoring device,
The plurality of sections each include a plurality of the blank molds,
The line sensor camera can be positioned at a position where a plurality of gobs dropping at positions corresponding to a plurality of blank molds for each section are captured in the plurality of images without overlapping with each other.

[4] In any one of the above-mentioned embodiments of the gob monitoring device,
The gob monitor according to claim 1 or 2,
The control device can detect a delay in the introduction of the gob into the blank mold based on the number of images taken from the start of image capture by the line sensor camera to the detection of the tip of the gob a predetermined time after the molten glass is cut by the shear blade.

[5] In any one of the above-mentioned embodiments of the gob monitoring device,
The gob monitor according to claim 1 or 2,
the line sensor camera is a first line sensor camera,
a second line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob falling at a position corresponding to a plurality of other sections arranged on an extension line of the direction in which the plurality of sections are arranged ,
The control device can detect gobs from multiple images captured by the second line sensor camera and determine whether there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is introduced into the blank mold in the other multiple sections based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the gob is imaged by the second line sensor camera .

[6] One aspect of the method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera according to the present invention is to
A method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of imaging a gob in a plurality of sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides a gob, which is sorted into a plurality of sections by a scoop, to a blank mold and the blank mold, the method comprising the steps of:
Three light sources are arranged at the same height directly below the deflector, which is the drop position of the gob to be imaged;
The position of the line sensor camera is adjusted so that the central light source is imaged at the center of the field of view of the line sensor camera, and then the line sensor camera is rotated and adjusted around the optical axis of the line sensor camera so that the light sources at both ends are imaged within the field of view.

[7] In one aspect of the line sensor camera position adjustment method,
An area sensor camera having a field of view that includes the center of the field of view of the line sensor camera is provided integrally with the line sensor camera, and before adjusting the position of the line sensor camera using the central light source, the positions of the line sensor camera and the area sensor camera can be adjusted so that the central light source falls within the field of view of the area sensor camera.

According to one aspect of the gob monitoring device of the present invention, the line sensor camera is used to detect the light emitted from the gob, making it less susceptible to the effects of fumes from swabbing oil. Also, according to one aspect of the line sensor camera position adjustment method of the present invention, it is possible to accurately and easily position the line sensor camera, which is less susceptible to the effects of fumes from swabbing oil.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a gob monitoring device according to the present embodiment with some parts omitted. FIG. 2 is a plan view that illustrates a typical monitoring range of the line sensor camera. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of images captured by the line sensor camera. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a line sensor camera used in the method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view of a line sensor camera according to a modified example.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

1. Gob Monitoring Device A gob monitoring device 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a front view of the gob monitoring device 1 according to this embodiment with a portion thereof omitted, Figure 2 is a plan view of the monitoring range of the line sensor camera, and Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining a plurality of images 60 captured by the line sensor camera. Note that in Figure 1, the second line sensor camera 52 and its monitoring range are omitted, and in Figure 2, the visual fields A1 and A2 of the line sensor camera are shaded, Figure 3(a) shows the plurality of images 60, and Figure 3(b) shows a portion of the plurality of images 60 enlarged and with black and white inverted for easier viewing.

1 and 2, the glass bottle molding machine 100 includes a spout 10 that contains molten glass 30, a shear cutting device 12 that cuts the molten glass 30 extruded from an orifice provided under the spout 10 with a shear blade, a gob distribution device 11 that distributes and guides the cut gobs 32 to multiple rough molds 20, the rough molds 20 arranged in multiple sections, for example, Sc1 to Sc10 (sections Sc1 to Sc6 in FIG. 1), and a gob monitoring device 1 that monitors the fall of the gobs 32. The number of sections in the glass bottle molding machine 100 is not particularly limited as long as it is multiple, and may be less than 10 sections or more than 10 sections, for example, 12 sections or 16 sections. There is also no particular limit to the number of line sensor cameras in the gob monitoring device 1, and it can be changed within a range in which the gobs 32 corresponding to the rough molds 20 in each section can be accurately imaged. The gob 32 introduced into the rough mold 20 is molded into a parison, which is then transferred to a finishing mold (not shown) and blow-molded into a glass bottle.

The molten glass 30 is at a high temperature, and the gob 32 that falls from the spout 10 and is poured into the rough mold 20 emits light at a high temperature of, for example, 1100°C to 1200°C. Therefore, in the image captured by the first line sensor camera 51, the gob 32 can be clearly identified as the detectors 62 and 64, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(a). In addition, since the first line sensor camera 51 captures images using the light emitted by the gob 32, it is less affected by oil smoke caused by swabbing oil. Moreover, since the first line sensor camera 51 captures images over a wide range of multiple sections (five sections Sc1 to Sc5 in this embodiment) without overlapping the gob 32, it is installed at a position away from the glass bottle molding machine 100, so that it is less affected by oil smoke caused by swabbing oil.

The shear cutting device 12 moves a pair of shear blades forward and backward relative to one another using a drive mechanism (not shown) to cut the molten glass 30 to a fixed length. The shear cutting device 12 is electrically connected to the control device 40 and transmits a cutting signal to the control device 40 each time the molten glass 30 is cut.

The gob distribution device 11 includes, for example, a swingable scoop 14, multiple troughs 16, and multiple deflectors 18. The gob distribution device 11 can guide the high-temperature gob 32 to the rough molds 20 of multiple sections Sc1 to Sc10 while sliding it. Although only the trough 16 and deflector 18 of section Sc1 are shown in FIG. 1, multiple troughs 16 and multiple deflectors 18 are provided according to the number of rough molds 20 of multiple sections Sc1 to Sc10. The scoop 14 can be swung by a drive mechanism (not shown) to distribute the gob 32 to the multiple troughs 16.

The gob monitoring device 1 comprises a first line sensor camera 51 which images the gob 32 falling between the outlet 18a of the deflector 18 which guides the gob 32, which has been sorted into a number of sections Sc1 to Sc10 by the scoop 14, to the rough mold 20, and the rough mold 20, and a control device 40 which detects the gob 32 from a number of images 60 (Figure 3) taken by the first line sensor camera 51 and detects a delay in the introduction of the gob 32 into the rough mold 20.

The control device 40 is electrically connected to the shear cutting device 12 and the first and second line sensor cameras 51 and 52, and executes a process of detecting the gob 32 based on a cutting signal from the shear cutting device 12, for example, and executes a process of outputting a warning signal when a delay in the gob 32 is detected. The control device 40 may be connected to a warning light that emits light based on the warning signal or a display that displays the warning signal. The control device 40 is composed of, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touchpad, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or a digital input/output board such as an I/O board. The CPU and storage device of the control device 40 may be not only one but also a plurality of, for example, physically separated devices, and in that case, they may be connected via a communication network. The control device 40 includes, for example, a detection unit 41, a measurement unit 43, a calculation unit 45, a determination unit 47, and an output unit 49. At least a part of the configuration of the control device 40 may be provided integrally with the first line sensor camera 51 and/or the second line sensor camera 52. Specific processing of each unit of the control device 40 will be described later.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the first line sensor camera 51 is disposed at a position where the gobs 32 falling in the sections Sc1 to Sc5 are captured in the images 60 (FIG. 3). The first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 each have at least one row of line sensor camera elements, such as CCD imaging sensor elements. The use of a line sensor camera enables higher resolution and faster processing than an area sensor camera. In addition, the use of a line sensor camera allows the delay status of the gob 32 to be calculated with high accuracy from the captured image 60. Since a wide range can be monitored with one first line sensor camera 51, the gob monitoring device 1 is economically superior. In addition, the use of the first line sensor camera 51 makes it less susceptible to the influence of oil smoke caused by swabbing oil as in the conventional case. It is preferable that the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 obtain images that do not overlap with the gobs 32 of adjacent sections in the width direction D (FIG. 2) of the field of view A1 so that it is possible to know which section Sc1 to Sc10 the gob 32 is being detected in.

The field of view A1 of the first line sensor camera 51 intersects with the direction X in which the sections Sc1 to Sc5 are arranged, and the height H1 from the rough mold 20 of the sections Sc1 to Sc5 is constant. The aspect in which the field of view A1 intersects with the direction X in which the sections are arranged is the aspect in which the width direction D of the field of view A1 intersects with the direction X in which the sections are arranged, without being parallel or perpendicular to the direction X, and for example, is oblique to the direction X in which the field of view A1 is arranged, as in the plan view of FIG. 2. The field of view in this invention is the range that can be imaged by the line sensor camera. The field of view may be a range that can be directly imaged by the line sensor camera as in this embodiment, or a range that can be indirectly imaged via a mirror as in the modified example described later. Since the field of view A1 intersects with the direction X in which the sections are arranged, the first line sensor camera 51 can be installed at a position away from the rough mold 20, and oil stains due to oil smoke, as in the conventional sensor along the direction X, can be avoided. In addition, since the height H1 of the field of view A1 is constant, the timing of detecting the gob 32 in the field of view A1 can be constant.

As shown in FIG. 2, the system may further include a number of other sections Sc6 to Sc10 arranged next to the direction X in which the sections Sc1 to Sc5 are arranged. The system may further include a second line sensor camera 52 that captures images of the gobs 32 that fall to positions corresponding to the other sections Sc6 to Sc10. The control device 40 can detect the gobs 32 from the images 60 (FIG. 3) captured by the second line sensor camera 52 and detect a delay in the gobs 32 being dropped into the rough molds 20 in the other sections Sc6 to Sc10. In this embodiment, two line sensor cameras are used, but this is not limiting, and the number may be, for example, one or three or more depending on the monitoring range.

The second line sensor camera 52 is also arranged in a position where the falling gobs 32 in the multiple sections Sc6 to Sc10 are captured in multiple images, similar to the first line sensor camera 51. The field of view A2 of the second line sensor camera 52 intersects with the direction X in which the multiple sections Sc6 to Sc10 are arranged, and the height H1 from the rough mold 20 in the multiple sections Sc6 to Sc10 is constant. Note that, as long as images can be taken so that adjacent gobs 32 do not overlap in the front, rear, or left and right directions, the ranges captured by the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 are not limited to five sections each, and may each capture six or more sections, or may capture a different number of sections. In addition, if all sections can be captured by one line sensor camera, the gob monitoring device 1 may be configured to include only one line sensor camera.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the sections Sc1 to Sc10 may have a plurality of rough molds 20 for each section. In this case, the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 are arranged at a position where the gobs 32 that fall at positions corresponding to the rough molds 20 for each section are captured in a plurality of images without overlapping each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when two rough molds 20 are arranged in one section, the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 are arranged at a position where not only the gobs 32 of another section but also other gobs 32 of the same section do not overlap in the field of view A1, as shown by the dashed line. Therefore, the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 are arranged at a position away from the rough mold 20 to be monitored and such that the field of view A1 is oblique to the line-up direction X. This arrangement makes the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 less susceptible to the influence of oil smoke. In addition, a relatively large space can be provided between the first and second line sensor cameras 51, 52 and the rough mold 20, allowing the installation and movement of a swabbing robot or a collaborative robot (not shown). Since the two line sensor cameras are arranged in positions that are plane symmetrical to each other and their fields of view A1, A2 intersect, monitoring by the second line sensor camera 52 can be continued, for example, even if the swabbing robot moves toward the first line sensor camera 51. The swabbing robot is a device that automatically sprays a release agent such as oil onto a rough mold or the like used in the glass bottle molding machine 100, and is a robot that reciprocates along the direction X aligned in front of the rough mold 20.

The multiple images 60 shown in Fig. 3(a) are images in which one line's worth of images 601, 602, etc., as shown in Fig. 3(b), are arranged in the order in which they were captured, for example, by the first line sensor camera 51. In the image 60 in Fig. 3, the images are arranged from the bottom up in the order in which they were captured, so that the gob 32 is gradually displayed from the bottom up in the image 60, but the image 60 may also be displayed after rearranging the images from top to bottom in the order in which they were captured, for example, using the control device 40.

The control device 40 detects the delay in the gob 32 being put into the rough mold 20 based on the number of images 601... from the start of imaging by the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 to the detection of the tip 62a, 64a of the gob 32 a predetermined time after the molten glass 30 is cut by the shear blade. The detection unit 41 detects the detection bodies 62, 64 corresponding to the falling gob 32 from among the multiple images 60. The detection unit 41 detects at least the tips 62a, 64a of the detection bodies 62, 64. The detection unit 41 can identify the white parts clarified by, for example, binarizing the multiple images 60 as the detection bodies 62, 64. The measurement unit 43 counts the number of images 601...690...693 captured by the first line sensor camera 51 until the tip 62a, 64a detected in each section is captured, and similarly counts the number of images captured by the second line sensor camera 52. The calculation unit 45 calculates the time from the cutting by the shear blade to the imaging of the tips 62a, 64a based on the number of measured images. This time is close to the time until the gob 32 is introduced into the rough mold 20. The judgment unit 47 judges whether there is a delay in the introduction of the gob 32 into the rough mold 20 from the calculated time and outputs the judgment result. If the delay is small, production can be continued as is, and if the delay is large, processing such as notifying the operator, stopping the operation of the rough mold 20, and removing the gob 32 before introduction into the rough mold 20 is executed. The output unit 49 can output a signal to each part of the glass bottle molding machine 100 based on the judgment result. For example, if it is determined that there is a delay in the gob 32, a warning signal can be output to the display. In addition, by continuously observing the calculated time, the operator can confirm the change in the length of the gob. For example, if the temperature of the gob is higher than the set temperature range, the viscosity of the glass decreases and the gob becomes longer (stretches). When the operator confirms a change in the length of the gob by observing the calculated time, he or she can take measures such as lowering the temperature of the molten glass 30. Furthermore, by transmitting the measured data to peripheral devices, the peripheral devices can be made to issue warnings or other actions to prevent trouble.

Thus, according to one aspect of the gob monitoring device 1, the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 are used to detect the light emitted from the gob 32, making it less susceptible to the effects of oily smoke. In addition, since the line sensor cameras are not adjacent to the rough mold 20 as in the case of conventional laser sensors but are spaced apart, malfunctions due to oil stains are less likely to occur and maintenance is easier.

2. Gob Monitoring Method A gob monitoring method using the gob monitoring device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the shear cutting device 12 cuts the molten glass 30, a cutting signal is output from the shear cutting device 12 to the control device 40, and when the cutting signal is input to the control device 40, the control device 40 commands the first line sensor camera 51 and the second line sensor camera 52 to capture images. Imaging may be started after a delay time corresponding to a preset fall path of the gob 32 has elapsed since the cutting signal.

In response to a command from the control device 40, the first line sensor camera 51 captures a plurality of images 60, which are output to the control device 40. The detection unit 41 detects detection bodies 62, 64 corresponding to the gob 32 from the captured plurality of images 60.

The multiple images 60 shown in FIG. 3(a) are displayed as one continuous image by arranging multiple line images 602, 603, etc. in the order of imaging, from one line image 601 (FIG. 3(b)) obtained by the first imaging immediately after imaging began to the end of imaging. In FIG. 3(a), two detection bodies 62, 64 are imaged in the part corresponding to the first section Sc1. Detection body 62 is an image of a gob 32 falling into the A cavity (Acav) of the rough mold 20 in the first section Sc1, and detection body 64 is an image of a gob 32 falling into the B cavity (Bcav) of the rough mold 20 in the first section Sc1. The gob 32 emits light at a high temperature, so the parts that are brighter than the surroundings can be detected as detection bodies 62, 64.

The detection unit 41 detects the tip 62a of the detection body 62 in the image 691, and detects the tip 64a of the detection body 64 in the image 694. Based on the detection result of the detection unit 41, the measurement unit 43 measures the number of images (for example, the number of lines captured is 3 lines) from when the tip 62a is detected until the tip 64a is detected. Since the first line sensor camera 51 captures images at a constant time interval (for example, 0.1 ms), the calculation unit 45 calculates the time (0.1 ms x 3 lines = 0.3 ms) that the gob 32 of Bcav is delayed from the gob 32 of Acav based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 43. The judgment unit 47 judges whether the delay time calculated by the calculation unit 45 exceeds a preset threshold value. When the delay time exceeds the threshold value, the output unit 49 outputs a warning signal, for example, to a display and blinks a warning lamp to sound a siren. The operator can then check the warning displayed on the display and take steps to prevent gob insertion errors early by, for example, spraying a lubricant onto the trough 16 or deflector 18 corresponding to the rough mold 20 that is experiencing a delay.

In this embodiment, the delay time is calculated using the time interval between images, but this is not limited to this, and it may be determined simply by the number of images (the number of captured lines) by which the drop of the gob 32 is delayed, or by calculating the angle by which the drop of the gob 32 is delayed by converting it into an angle corresponding to the operating cycle of the molding machine. In addition, in Figure 3, two gobs 32 that fall into two rough molds 20 in the same section Sc1 are compared, but this is not limited to this, and it may be determined that there is a delay in the timing of the gob 32 being introduced into the rough mold 20 when each tip 62a, 64a is detected beyond the threshold by setting an appropriate threshold for each section.

3. Method for Adjusting the Position of the Line Sensor Camera The method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the first line sensor camera 51 used in the method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera according to this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the first line sensor camera 51 seen from the side, and FIG. 4 (b) is a front view of the first line sensor camera 51 seen from the lens 513 side. FIG. 5 (a) and (c) are views of the rough mold 20 seen from the front, and (b) and (d) are a plurality of images 60 captured in the field of view A1 of (a) and (c). FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 will describe the first line sensor camera 51, but the second line sensor camera 52 has a similar configuration, so a similar adjustment method can be implemented.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first line sensor camera 51 is provided integrally with the area sensor camera 53. As described above, the first line sensor camera 51 captures the gob 32 falling between the outlet 18a of the deflector 18 that guides the gob 32, which has been divided into a plurality of sections Sc1 to Sc5 by the scoop 14, to the rough mold 20 and the rough mold 20. The line sensor camera element 510 receives the detection light incident from the lens 513 of the first line sensor camera 51, and the half mirror 512 reflects the detection light in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis O and the area sensor element 530 of the area sensor camera 53 receives the light. The area sensor camera 53 has a field of view A3 in which the center of the field of view A1 of the first line sensor camera 51 falls. The first line sensor camera 51 is rotatably supported on the goniostage 54, and the first line sensor camera 51 can be rotated around the optical axis O by the goniostage 54.

In (a) and (c) of Figure 5, the fields of view A1 and A3 are shown shaded. The centers of the fields of view A1 and A3 are set at the same position. The field of view A3 is shorter in the alignment direction X than the field of view A1, and is wider in the height direction than the field of view A1.

The method of adjusting the position of the first line sensor camera 51 involves positioning three light sources 55, 56, 57 at the same height H1 directly below the deflector 18, which is the fall position of the gob 32 to be imaged, and adjusting the position of the first line sensor camera 51 so that the central light source 55 is imaged at the center of the field of view A1 of the first line sensor camera 51, and then rotating and adjusting the first line sensor camera 51 around the optical axis O of the first line sensor camera 51 so that the light sources 56, 57 at both ends are imaged within the field of view A1.

The central light source 55 is installed directly below the deflector 18 through which gobs 32 pass when they fall into section Sc3, which is in the center of Acav, out of the multiple sections Sc1 to Sc5. Light sources 56 and 57 are each placed directly below the deflectors 18, 18 through which gobs 32 pass when they fall into sections Sc1 and Sc5, which are at both ends of the multiple sections Sc1 to Sc5 of Acav. The light sources 55, 56, and 57 are fixed to the glass bottle molding machine 100 via a support 58. The light sources 55, 56, and 57 are each fixed to the support 58 with, for example, LED spot lighting facing the first line sensor camera 51 side.

In the position adjustment method according to the present embodiment, the position of the first line sensor camera 51 is adjusted so that the central light source 55 is captured at the center of the field of view A1 of the first line sensor camera 51, but the field of view A1 for one line to be captured is narrow. Therefore, before adjusting the position of the first line sensor camera 51 using the central light source 55, the positions of the first line sensor camera 51 and the area sensor camera 53 are adjusted so that the central light source 55 is within the field of view A3 of the area sensor camera 53 described in FIG. 4. The position adjustment of the first line sensor camera 51 is performed by a support (not shown) that supports the goniostage 54. The first line sensor camera 51 and the area sensor camera 53 can be rotated together by the goniostage 54. The position of the first line sensor camera 51 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the position of the first line sensor camera 51 using the area sensor camera 53 whose field of view A3 is wider in the height direction than the field of view A1. As a specific adjustment, when the light source 55 is not within the field of view A1, first, the light source 55 is captured within the wide field of view A3 of the area sensor camera 53, and then the height and the position of the first line sensor camera 51 in the arrangement direction X are adjusted so that the light source 55 is captured at the center of the field of view A3. Since the center of the field of view A1 and the center of the field of view A3 coincide with the optical axis O, the first line sensor camera 51 can be adjusted to an accurate position in the height direction and the arrangement direction X of the field of view A1.

Next, the first line sensor camera 51 is rotated around the optical axis O using the goniostage 54 so that the light sources 56, 57 at both ends are imaged within the field of view A1. At the beginning of the adjustment, the field of view A1 is out of the range of the light sources 56, 57 as shown in Fig. 5(a), so only the detection object 65 corresponding to the light source 55 is imaged in the multiple images 60 as shown in Fig. 5(b). However, when the first line sensor camera 51 (field of view A1) is rotated as shown in Fig. 5(c), the detection objects 66, 67 corresponding to the light sources 56, 57 are imaged near both ends of the field of view A1. At this position, the rotation of the first line sensor camera 51 by the goniostage 54 is stopped and the camera is positioned.

Thereafter, the light sources 55, 56, 57 and the support 58 are removed from the glass bottle molding machine 100 to complete the position adjustment work, and the gob 32 can be monitored in the appropriate position. Thus, according to the method for adjusting the position of the line sensor camera according to this embodiment, the first line sensor camera 51, which is less susceptible to the effects of oily smoke, can be accurately and easily positioned.

4. Modifications A first line sensor camera 51a according to a modification of the gob monitoring device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a front view of the first line sensor camera 51a according to the modification. The gob monitoring device 1 according to the above embodiment can employ the first line sensor camera 51a according to the modification instead of the first line sensor camera 51. The second line sensor camera 52 can employ the same configuration as the first line sensor camera 51a, and other configurations are the same as those of the gob monitoring device 1, so description thereof will be omitted here.

6, the first line sensor camera 51a includes at least a camera body 51b and a mirror 51c. The camera body 51b is a line sensor camera having at least one row of line sensor camera elements (e.g., CCD elements), and the first line sensor camera 51 in the above embodiment can be applied. The camera body 51b may or may not include a goniostage 54 (FIG. 4). The camera body 51b has a field of view A1 similar to that of the first line sensor camera 51 in the above embodiment via the mirror 51c. The mirror 51c has a reflective surface capable of reflecting the field of view A1 to the camera body 51b.

The first line sensor camera 51a may further include an adjustment device 51d, a fixed base 51e, and a fixed rod 51f. The mirror 51c is attached to the adjustment device 51d so that the orientation of the reflective surface can be changed relative to the camera body 51b. The adjustment device 51d is fixed to a predetermined position on the fixed base 51e. The camera body 51b and the adjustment device 51d are fixed to predetermined positions on the fixed base 51e. In the illustrated example, the camera body 51b is fixed to the fixed base 51e so that the optical axis O faces vertically downward, and the adjustment device 51d is fixed to a position where the reflective surface of the mirror 51c is approximately 45 degrees to the optical axis O so that the optical axis O faces horizontally.

The adjustment device 51d can be equipped with, for example, a goniostage capable of changing the angle Q of the reflective surface of the mirror 51c relative to the optical axis O, or a rotating stage capable of rotating the mirror 51c around the optical axis O along the field of view A1. The fixed base 51e can rotate around the fixed rod 51f. By adjusting the rotation of the adjustment device 51d and the fixed base 51e, the reflective surface of the mirror 51c can be adjusted so that the first line sensor camera 51a maintains the field of view A1 (field of view A2 in the case of the second line sensor camera 52) (see FIG. 2). The fixed rod 51f can fix the fixed base 51 so that the height position of the fixed base 51e can be adjusted. According to the first line sensor camera 51a according to the modified example, even if the ceiling is low and there is no space to install the camera, the position of the field of view A1 can be adjusted by embedding everything other than the mirror 51c in the ceiling.

The present invention may omit some configurations or combine various embodiments and variations within the scope of the features and effects described in this application.

The present invention includes configurations that are substantially the same as the configurations described in the embodiments (configurations with the same functions, methods, and results, or configurations with the same purpose and effect). The present invention also includes configurations in which non-essential parts of the configurations described in the embodiments are replaced. The present invention also includes configurations that achieve the same effects as the configurations described in the embodiments, or configurations that can achieve the same purpose. The present invention also includes configurations in which publicly known technology is added to the configurations described in the embodiments.

1 ... gob monitoring device, 10 ... spout, 11 ... gob distribution device, 12 ... shear cutting device, 14 ... scoop, 16 ... trough, 18 ... deflector, 18a ... outlet, 20 ... rough mold, 30 ... molten glass, 32 ... gob, 40 ... control device, 41 ... detection unit, 43 ... measurement unit, 45 ... calculation unit, 47 ... judgment unit, 49 ... output unit, 51, 51a ... first line sensor camera, 510 ... line sensor camera element, 512 ... half mirror, 513 ... lens, 51b ... camera body, 51c ... mirror, 51d ... adjustment device, 51e ... fixed base, 51f ... fixed rod d, 52...second line sensor camera, 53...area sensor camera, 530...area sensor element, 54...gonio stage, 55, 56, 57...light source, 58...support, 60...multiple images, 601, 602, 603, 604, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694...images, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67...detection bodies, 62a, 64a...tip, 100...glass bottle molding machine, A1, A2, A3...field of view, D...width direction, H1...height, O...optical axis, Q...angle, Sc1 to Sc10...first section to tenth section, X...arrangement direction

Claims (7)

a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob in each of the multiple sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides the gob, which is sorted into the multiple sections by a scoop, to the blank mold and the blank mold;
a control device that detects a gob from a plurality of images captured by the line sensor camera and determines whether or not there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is introduced into the blank mold based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the image of the gob is captured by the line sensor camera ;
Equipped with
A gob monitoring device, characterized in that the line sensor camera is disposed at a position where a plurality of gobs falling in the plurality of sections are captured in the plurality of images without overlapping with each other . a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob in each of the multiple sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides the gob, which is sorted into the multiple sections by a scoop, to the blank mold and the blank mold;
a control device that detects a gob from a plurality of images captured by the line sensor camera and determines whether or not there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is introduced into the blank mold based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the image of the gob is captured by the line sensor camera ;
Equipped with
A gob monitoring device, characterized in that the field of view of the line sensor camera intersects with the direction in which the multiple sections are arranged, and the heights of the multiple sections from the blank mold are constant. The gob monitor according to claim 1 or 2,
The plurality of sections each include a plurality of the blank molds,
A gob monitoring device characterized in that the line sensor camera is positioned at a position where multiple gobs falling at positions corresponding to the multiple blank molds for each section are captured in the multiple images without overlapping with each other. The gob monitor according to claim 1 or 2,
The control device detects a delay in the introduction of the gob into the blank mold based on the number of images taken from the start of image capture by the line sensor camera to the detection of the tip of the gob a predetermined time after the molten glass is cut by the shear blade. The gob monitor according to claim 1 or 2,
the line sensor camera is a first line sensor camera,
a second line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of capturing an image of a gob falling at a position corresponding to a plurality of other sections arranged on an extension line of the direction in which the plurality of sections are arranged ,
The control device detects a gob from multiple images captured by the second line sensor camera, and determines whether there is a delay in the timing at which the gob is fed into the blank mold in the other multiple sections based on the time from when the gob is cut by the shear blade to when the gob is imaged by the second line sensor camera . A method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera having a field of view of one line capable of imaging a gob in a plurality of sections that falls between an outlet of a deflector that guides a gob, which is sorted into a plurality of sections by a scoop, to a blank mold and the blank mold, the method comprising the steps of:
Three light sources are arranged at the same height directly below the deflector, which is the drop position of the gob to be imaged;
A method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera, comprising: adjusting the position of the line sensor camera so that the central light source is imaged at the center of the field of view of the line sensor camera; and then rotating and adjusting the line sensor camera around the optical axis of the line sensor camera so that the light sources at both ends are imaged within the field of view. 7. The method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera according to claim 6,
A method for adjusting the position of a line sensor camera, characterized in that an area sensor camera having a field of view that includes the center of the field of view of the line sensor camera is integral with the line sensor camera, and the positions of the line sensor camera and the area sensor camera are adjusted so that the central light source falls within the field of view of the area sensor camera before adjusting the position of the line sensor camera using the central light source.

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