Device for controlling the movement of a movable element for a machine for manufacturing plastic receptacles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12109750-B2
Application number	US-202017770378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2020
Priority date	Oct 24, 2019
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

A plastic container manufacturing machine, comprising a chassis having a camway with a cam and a countercam and an element which is movable relative to the chassis, bearing a roller interacting with the camway so as to ensure the displacement of the movable element, wherein the machine also comprises a device for controlling the displacement of the movable element, wherein the countercam has at least one portion which is movable relative to the chassis, and wherein the control device incorporates a distance sensor that continuously measures the distance of a movable portion of the countercam relative to a fixed reference point on the chassis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plastic container manufacturing machine, comprising:
a chassis having a camway with a cam and a countercam;
an element which is movable relative to the chassis, the element bearing a roller interacting with the camway so as to cause displacement of the movable element; and
a device for controlling the displacement of the movable element,
wherein the countercam has at least one portion which is movable relative to the chassis, the control device comprising a distance sensor that continuously measures the distance of the movable portion of the countercam relative to a fixed reference point on the chassis, and
wherein the machine further comprises a computer unit coupled to the sensor, the computer unit being parametrized to identify, for each cycle of the machine, a variation in the displacement of the movable portion of the countercam relative to a predetermined displacement, to compare said variation to a range of predetermined authorized variations, and to generate a warning when said variation is outside of the range of authorized variations.

2. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is an inductive sensor.

3. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the movable portion of the countercam has an aperture, the sensor being fixed on the chassis and positioned inside the aperture.

4. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the sensor is integral with the movable portion of the countercam.

5. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is an optical sensor.

6. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the movable portion of the countercam has an aperture, the sensor being fixed on the chassis and positioned inside the aperture.

7. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the sensor is integral with the movable portion of the countercam.

8. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the movable portion of the countercam has an aperture, the sensor being fixed on the chassis and positioned inside the aperture.

9. The manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is integral with the movable portion of the countercam.

10. A method for detecting a risk of displacement failure of a portion of a countercam which is movable relative to a chassis of a container manufacturing machine as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein for each manufacturing cycle of the machine, the method comprises:
generating a distance curve between the movable portion of the countercam and the fixed reference point on the chassis;
identifying a deviation between the distance curve and a predetermined distance curve;
comparing the deviation with a range of predetermined authorized variations; and
generating a warning if the deviation is outside the range of authorized variations.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein identifying a deviation further comprises identifying a deviatory recurrence, throughout which the deviation of a respective one of the manufacturing cycles is compared with a deviation series from a previous one of the manufacturing cycles so as to detect an increasing drift of the deviation.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the warning comprises a sound effect or a message transmitted to a production operator of the machine.

13. The method as claimed in one of claim 11 , wherein the warning comprises an instruction to stop the manufacturing machine.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the warning comprises a sound effect or a message transmitted to a production operator of the machine.

15. The method as claimed in one of claim 14 , wherein the warning comprises an instruction to stop the manufacturing machine.

16. The method as claimed in one of claim 10 , wherein the warning comprises an instruction to stop the manufacturing machine.

Assignees

• Sidel Participations

Inventors

• Lhomme Franck
• Michel Jocelyn

Classifications

• B29C49/78 Primary

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C49/58

  Blowing means · CPC title

• B29C49/42378 Primary

  Handling malfunction · CPC title

• B29C31/085

  combined with positioning the preforms according to predetermined patterns, e.g. positioning extruded preforms on conveyors (B29C70/30 takes precedence; for building tyres B29D30/08) · CPC title

• B29C2049/7878

  Preform or article handling, e.g. flow from station to station · CPC title