Apparatus for automatically inspecting ampoules

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INSPECTING AMPOULES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TURNTABLE FOR DELIVERING AMPOULES TO AN INSPECTION POSITION; A DRIVE FOR ROTATING SAID TURNTABLE STEP-BY-STEP, A PLURALITY OF AMPOULE HOLDER DEVICES FOR HOLDING AMPOULES IN CIRCULAR ARRAY DISPOSED ANGULARLY SPACED AT EQUAL INTERVALS ON A PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID TURNTABLE, SAID ANGULAR INTERVAL BEING EQUAL TO AN ANGLE THROUGH WHICH SAID TURNTABLE STEPS EACH TIME IT IS STEPPED, EACH OF SAID AMPOULE HOLDER DEVICES INCLUDING EXPANDABLE JAWS HAVING A TAPERED OUTER FACE, AN ANNULAR SPRING SEAT ABUTTING AGAINST SAID OUTER FACE, OF THE EXPANDABLE JAWS, A SPRING FOR URGING SAID SPRING SEAT TOWARD THE END OF THE JAWS AND TENDING TO PRESS THE JAWS INWARDLY TO HOLD AN AMPOULE FIRMLY, AND FOR SAID HOLDER DEVICE IS A WINDMILL A SHAFT CONNECTING THE JAWS TO SAID WINDMILL; A LOADING DEVICE FOR LOADING THE AMPOULES INTO SAID HOLDER DEVICES ONE AFTER ANOTHER AS SAID TURNTABLE IS ROTATED STEP-BY-STEP; AN AIR NOZZLE DISPOSED AHEAD OF THE AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION TO DIRECT AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO THE WINDMILL OF SAID HOLDER DEVICES TO THEREBY ROTATE EACH HOLDER DEVICE TOGETHER WITH THE AMPOULE HELD BY THE SAME IN PREPARATION FOR INSPECTION AT SAID INSPECTION POSITION; A BRAKE DEVICE AT THE AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION TO ABRUPTLY STOP ROTATION OF EACH HOLDER DEVICE AND THE AMPOULE TO CONTINUE TO ROTATE, A TING THE CONTENTS OF THE AMPOULE TO CONTINUE TO ROTATE, A SOURCE OF LIGHT AT SAID AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION FOR DIRECTING A NARROW PARALLEL BEAM OF LIGHT INTO THE AMPOULES HELD BY THE HOLDER DEVICES, SAID SOURCE OF LIGHT INCLUDING AN INCANDESCENT LAMP, AND A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL IN THE FRONT OF SAID LAMP, AND A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL PLATES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LENS AND THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND DEFINING ALIGNED CENTRAL SLITS CORRESPONDING IN LENGTH AND WIDTH TO THE BEAM OF LIGHT TO BE PROJECTED ON THE INDIVIDUAL AMPOULES; A PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE DISPOSED IN A POSITION BEHIND INDIVIDUAL AMPOULES BEING INSPECTED AND AT AN ANGLE OF FROM 20 TO 30 DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF THE BEAM OF LIGHT INCIDENT UPON THE AMPOULE; A FOCUSING LENS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE MEANS TO FORM AN INVERTED REAL IMAGE FOR THE LONGITUDINAL CENTRAL SECTION OF THE AMPOULE TAKEN IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF THE BEAM OF LIGHT INCIDENT UPON SAID AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED, A LIGHT SHIELDING PLATE DISPOSED IN A PLANE WHERE SAID INVERTED REAL IMAGE IS FORMED AND AT A POSITION IN WHICH AN INVERTED REAL IMAGE FOR THE FREE SURFACE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED IS SHIELDED FROM THE PHOTOSENSITIVE MEANS; A DISCRIMINATING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF THE PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE TO EXTRACT FROM THE OUTPUT CURRENT FROM SAID TUBE PULSE COMPONENT CAUSED BY THAT PORTION OF LIGHT SCATTERED BY AND REFLECTED FROM FOREIGN MATTER PARTICLES CONTAINED IN THE CONTENT OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND TO COMPARE SAID COMPONENT WITH A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE LEVEL, A FINDING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF THE PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE TO EXTRACT FROM THE OUTPUT OF FROM SAID TUBE A DIRECT CURRENT COMPONENT CAUSED BY THAT PORTION OF LIGHT SCATTERED BY THE WALL OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND TO COMPARE THE SAME WITH A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE LEVEL, A PAIR OF MEMORY CIRCUITS CONNECTED TO SAID DISCRIMINATING AND FINDING CIRCUITS RESPECTIVELY TO STORE THE COMPARISON INFORMATION UNTIL THE INSPECTED AMPOULES ARE TRANSFERRED TO AN UNLOADING POSITION; AN UNLOADING DEVICE DEFINING SAID UNLOADING POSITION TO UNLOAD THE AMPOULES FROM SAID HOLDER DEVICES, AND A SORTING DEVICE FOR SORTING THE INSPECTED AMPOULES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID COMPARISON INFORMATION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INSPECTING AMPOULES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TURNTABLE FOR DELIVERING AMPOULES TO AN INSPECTION POSITION; A DRIVE FOR ROTATING SAID TURNTABLE STEP-BY-STEP, A PLURALITY OF AMPOULE HOLDER DEVICES FOR HOLDING AMPOULES IN CIRCULAR ARRAY DISPOSED ANGULARLY SPACED AT EQUAL INTERVALS ON A PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID TURNTABLE, SAID ANGULAR INTERVAL BEING EQUAL TO AN ANGLE THROUGH WHICH SAID TURNTABLE STEPS EACH TIME IT IS STEPPED, EACH OF SAID AMPOULE HOLDER DEVICES INCLUDING EXPANDABLE JAWS HAVING A TAPERED OUTER FACE, AN ANNULAR SPRING SEAT ABUTTING AGAINST SAID OUTER FACE, OF THE EXPANDABLE JAWS, A SPRING FOR URGING SAID SPRING SEAT TOWARD THE END OF THE JAWS AND TENDING TO PRESS THE JAWS INWARDLY TO HOLD AN AMPOULE FIRMLY, AND FOR SAID HOLDER DEVICE IS A WINDMILL A SHAFT CONNECTING THE JAWS TO SAID WINDMILL; A LOADING DEVICE FOR LOADING THE AMPOULES INTO SAID HOLDER DEVICES ONE AFTER ANOTHER AS SAID TURNTABLE IS ROTATED STEP-BY-STEP; AN AIR NOZZLE DISPOSED AHEAD OF THE AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION TO DIRECT AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO THE WINDMILL OF SAID HOLDER DEVICES TO THEREBY ROTATE EACH HOLDER DEVICE TOGETHER WITH THE AMPOULE HELD BY THE SAME IN PREPARATION FOR INSPECTION AT SAID INSPECTION POSITION; A BRAKE DEVICE AT THE AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION TO ABRUPTLY STOP ROTATION OF EACH HOLDER DEVICE AND THE AMPOULE TO CONTINUE TO ROTATE, A TING THE CONTENTS OF THE AMPOULE TO CONTINUE TO ROTATE, A SOURCE OF LIGHT AT SAID AMPOULE INSPECTING POSITION FOR DIRECTING A NARROW PARALLEL BEAM OF LIGHT INTO THE AMPOULES HELD BY THE HOLDER DEVICES, SAID SOURCE OF LIGHT INCLUDING AN INCANDESCENT LAMP, AND A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL IN THE FRONT OF SAID LAMP, AND A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL PLATES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LENS AND THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND DEFINING ALIGNED CENTRAL SLITS CORRESPONDING IN LENGTH AND WIDTH TO THE BEAM OF LIGHT TO BE PROJECTED ON THE INDIVIDUAL AMPOULES; A PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE DISPOSED IN A POSITION BEHIND INDIVIDUAL AMPOULES BEING INSPECTED AND AT AN ANGLE OF FROM 20 TO 30 DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF THE BEAM OF LIGHT INCIDENT UPON THE AMPOULE; A FOCUSING LENS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE MEANS TO FORM AN INVERTED REAL IMAGE FOR THE LONGITUDINAL CENTRAL SECTION OF THE AMPOULE TAKEN IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF THE BEAM OF LIGHT INCIDENT UPON SAID AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED, A LIGHT SHIELDING PLATE DISPOSED IN A PLANE WHERE SAID INVERTED REAL IMAGE IS FORMED AND AT A POSITION IN WHICH AN INVERTED REAL IMAGE FOR THE FREE SURFACE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED IS SHIELDED FROM THE PHOTOSENSITIVE MEANS; A DISCRIMINATING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF THE PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE TO EXTRACT FROM THE OUTPUT CURRENT FROM SAID TUBE PULSE COMPONENT CAUSED BY THAT PORTION OF LIGHT SCATTERED BY AND REFLECTED FROM FOREIGN MATTER PARTICLES CONTAINED IN THE CONTENT OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND TO COMPARE SAID COMPONENT WITH A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE LEVEL, A FINDING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT OF THE PHOTOELECTRIC TUBE TO EXTRACT FROM THE OUTPUT OF FROM SAID TUBE A DIRECT CURRENT COMPONENT CAUSED BY THAT PORTION OF LIGHT SCATTERED BY THE WALL OF THE AMPOULE BEING INSPECTED AND TO COMPARE THE SAME WITH A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE LEVEL, A PAIR OF MEMORY CIRCUITS CONNECTED TO SAID DISCRIMINATING AND FINDING CIRCUITS RESPECTIVELY TO STORE THE COMPARISON INFORMATION UNTIL THE INSPECTED AMPOULES ARE TRANSFERRED TO AN UNLOADING POSITION; AN UNLOADING DEVICE DEFINING SAID UNLOADING POSITION TO UNLOAD THE AMPOULES FROM SAID HOLDER DEVICES, AND A SORTING DEVICE FOR SORTING THE INSPECTED AMPOULES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID COMPARISON INFORMATION.