Testing methods for plastic containers and machinery for manufacturing such containers
By using thermal imaging to identify key areas of plastic containers and set temperature thresholds, the accuracy problem of plastic container molding quality detection in the existing technology is solved, and efficient and low-energy container quality control is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202080075797.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2019-10-30
- Filing Date
- 2020-10-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-10-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies make it difficult to effectively inspect the molding quality of plastic containers, especially the inability to accurately detect their geometric shape and mechanical strength, resulting in unqualified containers entering the market, affecting brand image and production efficiency.
Using non-destructive thermal imaging methods, by identifying key areas of the container and setting temperature thresholds, combined with thermal imaging technology and computer units, the molding quality of the container can be detected in real time, and warning messages can be generated to guide production adjustments.
It improves the accuracy and efficiency of container inspection, reduces energy consumption, reduces the influx of unqualified containers, and improves production traceability and quality control.
Smart Images

Figure CN114616086B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The field of the invention is that of the design and implementation of machines for the production of plastic containers.
[0002] More precisely, the present invention relates to a method for inspecting plastic containers obtained by molding. Background Art
[0003] Plastic containers are usually obtained from preforms that are heated to the glass transition temperature at which the plastic softens and can be easily deformed.
[0004] Once heated, the preform is introduced into a molding unit having a number of blowing stations, each having at least one mold in which the preform is blown by injecting air so as to conform the preform to the shape of the mold, giving it its final shape.
[0005] When containers are manufactured, they are inspected to determine the required good strength for future use.
[0006] Currently, there are a variety of testing methods.
[0007] A first sampling method consists in cutting the container and measuring the different thicknesses at different points of the container, in order in particular to check whether there is a minimum amount of material present that allows the container to have strength.
[0008] This is particularly effective when the container is used to hold a carbonated beverage, ie a beverage having carbonation which pressurizes the container when it is closed.
[0009] Therefore, the container must withstand pressure and must not break under the effect of pressure. The thickness of the container allows checking the strength.
[0010] Yet when checking container during with this first method, this container then can't be used.In addition, the quality major part of known container depends on the quality of preform.
[0011] Therefore, this sampling method does not provide significant assurance of the quality of the finished container.
[0012] Another known method consists in directly checking the thickness of the wall of the outlet container of the molding unit by means of the following method, which comprises:
[0013] - Step of capturing thermal imaging of the mold outlet container;
[0014] - A characterization step of characterizing the container, wherein, based on the thermographic image of the mold outlet container, a pass or fail rule for the container quality is applied.
[0015] For example, reference may be made to published patent documents EP0643297 and EP0177004.
[0016] However, this method has limitations and may not be suitable for all containers.
[0017] Additionally, this method cannot accurately determine the reason for container disposal.
[0018] Finally, this approach may also allow containers to be used that are deemed acceptable with respect to the thickness of their walls, but whose walls do not actually correspond to a predetermined geometry that allows them to withstand forces such as internal pressure.
[0019] In fact, by simply measuring the thickness of the wall, it is only possible to find out the presence or absence of a minimum material thickness, but the geometry cannot be verified.
[0020] In practice, the container has some special shapes such as grooves, feet or protrusions which allow to create flexible areas, or conversely rigid areas, in order to withstand in particular internal pressure, negative pressure or vertical or horizontal loads applied to the container by the carbonated beverage.
[0021] Therefore, there are some situations where containers may be placed on the market despite being non-compliant or defective.
[0022] However, feeding non-compliant packaging into the rest of the bottling line can result in, for example, labeling defects, carton packaging defects, and container base deformation or collapse.
[0023] These defects may be visible all the way to the distribution center, where deformed or poorly formed bottles may also damage the brand image and therefore its sales. Summary of the Invention
[0024] The present invention is particularly intended to remedy these drawbacks of the prior art.
[0025] More precisely, the present invention aims to propose a method for non-destructive testing of containers made of plastic obtained by moulding, thereby improving the quality of the finished containers and, in particular, avoiding any risk of containers passing the test that should be discarded.
[0026] The present invention also aims to provide such a method which enables a manufacturing operator to adjust manufacturing parameters, or at least to understand the cause of a production failure.
[0027] The present invention also aims to provide such a method which allows, if necessary, feedback on the mould making process, in particular on the geometry of the mould which gives the container its final shape.
[0028] Another object of the present invention is to reduce the energy consumption required for container production compared to standard methods, in particular by allowing a reduction in the blowing pressure. In fact, achieving the high pressures required for blowing consumes a significant amount of energy, particularly electrical energy to operate the compressor. Therefore, reducing the blowing pressure results in a corresponding reduction in energy consumption.
[0029] These objects, as well as other objects which will appear hereinafter, are achieved by means of the present invention, which relates to a container inspection method for inspecting containers made of plastic obtained by molding, said container inspection method comprising:
[0030] - Step of capturing thermal imaging of the mold outlet container;
[0031] - a characterization step of characterizing the container, wherein, based on the thermography of the mold outlet container, a pass or fail rule for the container quality is applied,
[0032] Characterized in that, before the characterization step, the method comprises a step of identifying, on a thermal imaging basis, at least one critical area corresponding to a structural portion of the container;
[0033] Also, the qualification rules are parameterized such that a container is considered qualified if the container temperature is below a predetermined threshold temperature for each critical area identified.
[0034] With the aid of this method, not only the inspection time but also the inspection quality can be optimized.
[0035] Indeed, by identifying the critical areas, only these areas can be inspected to allow a determination of whether the container is acceptable or not.
[0036] Therefore, the container image capture time and container characterization time are greatly shortened compared with traditional methods.
[0037] Furthermore, in contrast to processes according to prior art methods, the compliance of a container can be checked by focusing on critical areas, since these correspond to areas of special geometry of the container that are particularly developed to withstand internal pressure, negative pressure, or vertical and / or horizontal loads.
[0038] In addition, using a predetermined threshold temperature, it is possible to check whether the container has been correctly formed. This check is performed both in terms of quality and compliance with manufacturing specifications.
[0039] In reality, when a container is correctly formed, the majority of the plastic is in contact with the mold wall at a precise time. At least, most of the areas that are considered critical due to their effect on the packaging are in contact with the mold wall at a precise time.
[0040] Upon contact between the plastic and the mold, the plastic cools until it reaches a temperature within a known, small range at which it exits the mold.
[0041] Thus, when comparing the container temperature to a predetermined threshold temperature, it can be determined whether the plastic is in contact with the mold wall, and if so, whether the plastic remains in contact with the mold wall long enough for proper cooling to occur.
[0042] Therefore, the plastic that is not cooled enough remains ductile, which poses a risk of deformation of the container, which may result in a lack of compressive strength. Therefore, after the degassing step, that is, after the internal pressure of the container produced by blowing has dropped to the ambient pressure (generally atmospheric pressure), the container deformation begins immediately. In known conventional manufacturing methods, the degassing step occurs after the container is formed.
[0043] The identification of critical areas, combined with the temperature of the molded container, allows checking at critical points of the container whether it can withstand, for example, internal pressure generated by its contents (e.g. carbonated beverages), or external pressures such as top pressure (so-called top load) that occur when the container is boxed or palletized, or other types of stress.
[0044] Indeed, for example, in the case of filling with carbonated beverages, areas of the container which are not greatly exposed to the pressure of the carbonated beverage do not therefore have to be inspected.
[0045] Other areas on the bottling line where compression resistance is not a necessary characteristic of the packaging and therefore do not need to be tested.
[0046] According to a preferred embodiment, the predetermined threshold temperature is between 45°C and 75°C.
[0047] This range of values allows containers to be qualified if the temperature does not exceed the range of values. This can therefore provide a relatively large margin of acceptance for testing and acceptance.
[0048] Preferably, the predetermined threshold temperature is 60°C.
[0049] The temperature at which the container reaches its maximum temperature when it is ejected from the mold. This temperature ensures the mechanical strength of the container after demolding. Mechanical strength cannot be maintained if this temperature is exceeded.
[0050] Advantageously, the method comprises the step of generating a warning message to an operator if a container deemed to be rejected is identified.
[0051] This warning message can draw the attention of the operator so that the operator can track the changes in the production of containers on the machine, especially the changes in the containers produced by the mold from which the warning message was generated.
[0052] It can therefore be concluded that: either when multiple or all containers declared non-compliant are output from the same blowing station, a failure has occurred at one of the blowing stations (whether it involves a failure of the mold associated with that station or a failure of another component associated with the blowing station, such as a solenoid valve); or when containers declared non-compliant are output from different blowing stations, a total mechanical failure; or a preform manufacturing failure or a temporary failure, such as when only one container is declared non-compliant.
[0053] The operator can therefore decide, by following this, to: modify the manufacturing method, in particular by changing the heating conditions of the preforms, varying the blowing pressure, the time of compressed air injection or the degassing time; act directly by deactivating a blowing station if it is defective; stop production in the event of a total malfunction; or promote improvements in the development of moulds allowing the production of containers with less complex shapes or, conversely, of more complex shapes, where it is desirable to improve the performance, for example to withstand higher internal pressures.
[0054] Preferably, the step of capturing a thermal image of the container at the mold outlet is performed within a time interval of 5 seconds or less, calculated from the end of the container degassing step, which is carried out after the container is manufactured. The end of this step corresponds to the moment when the internal pressure of the container, generated by the blow molding process, has dropped to the ambient pressure, said internal pressure being constantly monitored.
[0055] Such a time interval prevents the container from being excessively cooled by contact with the ambient air at the mold outlet.
[0056] Indeed, as soon as the container leaves the mould from which it was made, it comes into contact with the ambient air of the container-making machine, which is generally between 10°C and 40°C.
[0057] Considering that the walls of a container generally have a thickness of about 0.25 mm, areas that are poorly formed or have been in contact with the mold for too short a time cool down quite rapidly, thereby preventing the detection of defects by thermography over the aforementioned time interval.
[0058] Still more preferably, the step of capturing a thermal image of the mold exit plastic container is performed within a time interval less than or equal to 0.6 seconds from the end of the container degassing step.
[0059] This limited time interval provides more assurance for the successful execution of the container inspection method, especially the container thermal imaging capture step.
[0060] The present invention also relates to a container manufacturing machine for manufacturing plastic containers, characterized in that the container manufacturing machine has:
[0061] - a container forming unit having at least one blowing station having at least one mold;
[0062] -Thermal imaging acquisition device, located at the exit of the molding unit;
[0063] - a computer unit connected to the thermal imaging acquisition device, the computer unit being parameterized to implement the aforementioned method.
[0064] This machine thus allows the containers output from the forming unit to be directly inspected in order to facilitate the implementation of inspection steps, limiting the impact on production, or conversely, to quickly effect changes in the manufacturing process in order to limit the risk of container rejection.
[0065] Preferably, the thermal imaging acquisition device has a thermal imaging camera.
[0066] A thermal imaging camera is positioned at the exit of the forming unit to obtain thermal images of the container so that the quality of the container can be easily inspected using the aforementioned method.
[0067] Alternatively, such thermal imaging cameras may have a standard resolution that is not too high but allows for accurate qualitative inspections.
[0068] Advantageously, the molding unit has a plurality of blowing stations, each having at least one mold for molding containers, the computer unit being parameterized so as to associate each container with one of the molds and to generate a warning message to the operator if a container is deemed unacceptable, said warning message having in particular association information which allows determining in which mold (and therefore in which blowing station) of the molding unit the container deemed unacceptable was produced.
[0069] It is thus possible to track the changes in one of the blowing stations, which may for example have a malfunction, in order to precisely check the quality of each container formed by this station or conversely to stop the operation of said station, in particular to take it out of operation during a manufacturing cycle.
[0070] Additionally, this allows the different container manufacturing steps to be accurately tracked, thereby improving container traceability and thus ensuring container quality.
[0071] According to a preferred embodiment, the machine further comprises a dialogue interface for conducting dialogue with an operator, and the dialogue interface is capable of displaying warning messages generated by the computer unit.
[0072] This dialog interface thus ensures visibility and display of information for the operator, who can, via the dialog unit, follow the production in real time, change the production parameters applied to one or more blowing stations, or finally verify and confirm to the computer unit that the defect relates to a single container, without affecting the production of other containers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0073] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given as an illustrative and non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a container manufacturing machine according to the present invention;
[0075] Figure 2 When the inspection method is implemented by a mechanical computer unit, it is used to Figure 1 Schematic diagram of filtering of a thermal image of a container obtained by a manufacturing machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0076] Reference Figure 1 , the container 2 manufacturing machine 1 according to the present invention has:
[0077] a molding unit 3 for molding the containers 2 , comprising a plurality of blowing stations, each of which comprises at least one mold 31 for forming the container 2 in the shape of its final use;
[0078] - a thermal imaging acquisition device 4 that acquires thermal images of the container 2 formed by the forming unit 3;
[0079] - computer unit 5;
[0080] -Dialogue interface 6.
[0081] For the sake of simplicity, in the remainder of the text, the term "mould" will be considered equivalent to the term "blowing station", unless the text requires more precision.
[0082] Advantageously, the container 2 is made of a plastic material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
[0083] The thermal imaging acquisition device 4 is positioned at the exit of the molding unit 3 and advantageously comprises a thermal imaging camera.
[0084] The thermal imaging camera is parameterized to capture an instantaneous thermal image of the container 2 at the outlet of the forming unit 3 and transmit said thermal image to the computer unit 5 .
[0085] The computer unit 5 is connected to the acquisition device 4 and is parameterized to implement a method for testing the container 2 obtained by molding in the molding unit 3 in order to characterize whether the container 2 is acceptable or unacceptable for its final use.
[0086] The method comprises:
[0087] - a step of capturing the thermal image of the outlet of the mold 31 from the container 2;
[0088] - A characterization step of characterizing the container 2 .
[0089] The capture step is performed by the thermal imaging acquisition device 4, such as Figure 2 As shown, this step allows obtaining a thermal image of the molded container 2. The thermal image is then transmitted by the acquisition device 4 to the computer unit 5, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As indicated by the upper arrow 11.
[0090] For clear reasons, Figure 2 The temperature gradient of the container 2 is not shown.
[0091] This capture step is performed within a time interval of 5 seconds or less from the end of the container degassing step, which is performed after the container 2 is manufactured. The end of this step corresponds to the moment when the internal pressure of the container, which has dropped from the blowing pressure, reaches ambient pressure. This internal pressure is continuously monitored during the subsequent manufacturing steps. This method of manufacturing the container 2 is widely known in the art.
[0092] This short time interval prevents the container 2 from being excessively cooled by contact with the ambient air at the mold outlet.
[0093] Considering that the walls of a container typically have a thickness of approximately 0.25 mm, excessive cooling of the container 2 hinders the identification of thermal gradients on a thermal image of the container 2 .
[0094] Preferably, the step of capturing the thermal image of the outlet of the mold 31 from the container 2 is performed within a time interval less than or equal to 0.6 seconds from the end of the container 2 degassing step.
[0095] During the characterization step of the container 2 , the acceptance or rejection rules for the quality of the container 2 are applied based on the thermal imaging of the container 2 exiting the mold 31 .
[0096] In particular, refer to Figure 1 and 2 Before this characterization step, and in particular before applying the pass or fail rules, the computer unit 5 transforms the thermal images obtained by the acquisition device 4 .
[0097] To this end, the computer unit 5 carries out a recognition step of thermally identifying at least one critical area 7 corresponding to a structural part of the container 2 .
[0098] The critical area 7 is for example a raised area or a striped area allowing to make a structural reinforcement of the container 2 or the bottom of the container 2 which concentrates most of the stress of the container 2 when it is filled with carbonated beverage.
[0099] More precisely, for each thermal image, the computer unit 5 uses a mask 8 covering the thermal image, such as Figure 2 As shown, the mask 8 has a target area which defines a critical area 7 of the container.
[0100] In other words, the mask 8 has windows that identify specific portions of the container 2 that should have the minimum intensity characteristic.
[0101] In practice, the container 2 is subjected to various stresses when it is in use, either internal stresses such as internal pressure, as is the case for example when the container 2 contains aerated or carbonated beverages, or external stresses on the bottling line or at the distribution point.
[0102] In all of these cases, the container 2 is subject to constraints where molding defects can be critical from a technical perspective. Molding defects can also be aesthetic, particularly in areas where they can impair consumer-perceived quality, which can directly impact product sales. The occurrence of manufacturing defects in the container 2 is of particular concern on production lines where packaging is blown at reduced and optimized pressures, which is the majority of production lines today and virtually all future production lines.
[0103] The purpose of the identification of critical regions is to limit the computation time and in particular to restrict the application of conformity or non-conformity rules to only these critical regions 7 .
[0104] The computer unit 5 therefore uses the identified critical areas 7 to apply qualification or non-qualification rules to these critical areas.
[0105] The qualification rules are then parameterized so that if, for each critical area 7 identified, the temperature of the container 2 at said area is below a predetermined threshold temperature, the container is considered qualified.
[0106] According to a preferred embodiment, the predetermined threshold temperature is between 40°C and 75°C.
[0107] Preferably, the predetermined threshold temperature is 60°C.
[0108] Therefore, when the temperature of the container 2 recorded by the thermal imaging in the critical area 7 is higher than the predetermined threshold, the container 2 is rejected and considered unqualified.
[0109] Conversely, if for each critical area 7 the temperature is below the predetermined threshold temperature, then the container 2 is deemed to be acceptable.
[0110] The temperature is above the predetermined threshold temperature, possibly because the constituent material of the container 2 is not in contact with the walls of the mold 31 .
[0111] In fact, during the contact between the plastic of the container 2 and the walls of the mould 31 , the plastic tends to cool.
[0112] Therefore, if there is no contact between the plastic and the mold 31, or if the contact is not significant enough, i.e., the contact is too short, then the container may not be fully formed and the plastic may not cool sufficiently, so that when the container 2 is output from its manufacturing mold 31, the container may still be too ductile, which may cause deformation in the relevant area.
[0113] Furthermore, some details of the container 2, such as reinforcement grooves, may not be produced correctly on the finished container 2, thereby limiting its mechanical strength.
[0114] The method is applied to each container 2 output from the forming unit 3 .
[0115] The computer unit also allows associating each mould 31 with each container 2 output from the moulding unit 3 .
[0116] More precisely, when the container 2 is output from the molding unit 3 , as will be described later, the computer unit 5 enables the user to know in which mold 31 and therefore in which blowing station the container 2 in question was produced.
[0117] For this purpose, the user uses the dialog interface 6. The information exchange between the computer unit 5 and the dialog interface 6 is carried out by Figure 1 The arrow 12 on FIG. 1 is schematically shown.
[0118] In particular, in the event of a container 2 failing specification, the method is parameterized by the computer unit 5 in order to generate a warning message command which is transmitted by the computer unit 5 to the dialog interface 6 .
[0119] The operator can then access the dialogue interface 6 to understand the warning message instructions.
[0120] This warning message instruction has in particular information about the container 2 considered rejected, also about the critical area 7 that allows characterizing the container 2 as rejected, and finally about the mold 31 that outputs said container 2 .
[0121] In the case where a warning message is generated, the operator can then track the production of the container 2 by the mold 31 from which the unqualified container 2 came.
[0122] Therefore, several situations can exist.
[0123] In the first and most favorable case, only one container 2 is considered unacceptable, in which case the defect in the molded container 2 results from factors other than the production parameters, such as defects in the structure of the preform forming the container 2 .
[0124] Therefore, only the defective container 2 was discarded and the remaining production was considered acceptable.
[0125] In the second case, an operator may discover a defect in the production of a container 2 by one or more moulds 31 of a production unit 3 , and therefore by one or several blowing stations.
[0126] Therefore, the present invention can find out:
[0127] a fault in one of the blowing stations, for example a fault in a mould 31 or in another component associated with a blowing station, such as a solenoid valve, or premature wear of this mould or other component, when several or all containers declared rejected are output from the same mould 31 and therefore from the same blowing station; or
[0128] - a fault in the application of the manufacturing setpoints of the vessel 2; or
[0129] - a manufacturing defect of the preform, or a temporary fault, for example when only one container is declared rejective.
[0130] The operator can then choose to disable the use of the defective blowing station, thus obtaining a degraded mode production without using one or more moulds 31 , or to correct the manufacturing parameters for the relevant blowing station that has a fault.
[0131] On the contrary, if the number of faulty blowing stations is too large, the operator can decide to preventively stop production before reconsidering the complete parameter setting of the machine 1 or other corrective measures to avoid complete failure of the machine 1 or excessive production losses.
[0132] Finally, if only one blowing station is faulty, the operator can choose to change the production parameters of only the faulty station.
[0133] Therefore, the set values selected by the operator are transmitted from the dialogue interface 6 via the computer unit 5 to the molding unit 3, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As indicated by the arrows 12 and 13 above.
[0134] In a variant, in the case of fully automated production, the computer unit can generate production correction setpoints to one or more blowing stations without operator intervention.
[0135] Preferably, such automation may need to be subject to confirmation by an operator insofar as the production setpoints vary too widely.
[0136] In the third case where the manufacturing parameters are followed but none of the containers 2 are acceptable, the user may determine that there is a design problem with the container 2, particularly its shape.
[0137] This may be useful when designing containers of new shapes.
[0138] A reverse engineering step can then be performed, for example to structurally alter the mould, or conversely to change the shape of the container, e.g. Figure 1 The arrow 14 on the top is schematically shown.
[0139] Therefore, this method and this manufacturing machine 1 can obtain accurate characterization of whether the molded container 2 is acceptable or unacceptable from thermal imaging. In fact, it is known that in some cases, containers are considered acceptable only in terms of their material thickness, but these containers may pose risks in terms of mechanical strength when output from the mold or in terms of resistance to mechanical stress when used or put on the market.
[0140] Generally speaking, the thermally imaged critical areas 7 can be analyzed either all at the same time or independently of each other.
[0141] Finally, the method disclosed in the object of the present invention makes it possible to achieve a reduction in energy consumption since it makes it possible to optimize the required pressure by lowering the pressure required for blowing, while maintaining an optimal production quality.
[0142] In fact, the trend is to shorten the manufacturing time and reduce the pressure used to blow the PET container.
[0143] These conditions therefore limit manufacturing to within acceptable quality tolerance limits for plastic containers.
[0144] Thus, the method makes it possible to limit the risk of container defects without slowing down production schedules, offering the possibility of varying container characteristics and / or manufacturing characteristics.
Claims
1. A container inspection method for inspecting a container (2) made of plastic obtained by molding, the container inspection method comprising: - a step of capturing a thermal image of the mold (31) exiting the container (2); - a characterization step of characterizing the container (2), wherein, based on a thermal image of the container (2) exiting the mold (31), a pass or fail rule for the quality of the container (2) is applied, Characterized in that, before the characterization step, the container inspection method comprises a step of identifying, on a thermal imaging basis, at least one critical area (7) corresponding to a structural portion of the container (2), the critical area being a raised area or a striped area allowing for the formation of a structural reinforcement of the container (2), or the bottom of the container (2); Furthermore, the qualification rules are parameterized so that the container (2) is considered qualified if the container temperature is below a predetermined threshold temperature for each critical area (7) identified.
2. The container inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined threshold temperature is between 45°C and 75°C.
3. The container inspection method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The predetermined threshold temperature is 60°C.
4. The container inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The container inspection method includes the step of generating a warning message to an operator if a container (2) deemed to be unqualified is identified.
5. The container inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of capturing a thermal image of the container (2) exiting the mold (31) is performed within a time interval of less than or equal to 5 seconds from the end of the container (2) degassing step performed after the container (2) is manufactured.
6. The container inspection method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of capturing a thermal image of the mold (31) exiting the container (2) is performed within a time interval less than or equal to 0.6 seconds from the end of the container (2) degassing step.
7. A container manufacturing machine (1) for manufacturing a container (2) made of plastic, It is characterized in that Container manufacturing machinery has: - a molding unit (3) for molding containers (2), having at least one blowing station, each blowing station having at least one mold (31); - a thermal imaging acquisition device (4), positioned at the outlet of the molding unit (3); A computer unit (5) connected to the thermal imaging acquisition device (4), the computer unit (5) being parameterized to implement the container inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
8. The container manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that The thermal imaging acquisition device (4) has a thermal imaging camera.
9. The container manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The molding unit (3) has a plurality of molds (31) for molding containers (2), and the computer unit (5) is parameterized to associate each container (2) with one mold (31) of the plurality of molds and to generate a warning message to an operator if a container (2) is deemed unqualified.
10. The container manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that The container manufacturing machine also has a dialogue interface (6) for conducting dialogue with an operator, and the dialogue interface (6) can display warning messages generated by the computer unit (5).
11. The container manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that The warning message has associated information which allows determining in which mould (31) of the moulding unit (3) the container (2) deemed to be unqualified was produced.
Citation Information
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