BOTTLE ORIENTATION

The principle of the Zecchetti ORIENTATOR can be summed up by the following stages:

1. bottle spacing : operation performed by an inverter controlled belt spacer mounted upstream.


2. bottle position recognition : operation performed by one or more video cameras. The image, or images are processed by a dedicated controller that compares the shot of the bottle in transit to a previously set model (representing the correct position the bottle must have after the orientation).


3. bottle orientation: operation performed by two timing belts acting on the bottle neck; those belts correctly orientate the bottles thanks to an “acceleration/deceleration” mixed movement based on a mathematical calculation and on the information received from the vision system.

Hardware

• high performance vision system. In case of very simple bottles, this system might be replaced by a smart camera.


• the timing belts, physically orientating the bottles are moved by two brushless motors controlled by a dedicated servo drive system with Encoder feedback.

Benefits

• Thanks to the new vision system it will be possible to have a single HMI allowing both to manage the algorithm dedicated to the vision and to set the parameters (diameter bottles, distances, time) to be transmitted to the motion controller.


• This special lens allows to laterally visualize the bottle neck in a single framing, from the above. So it is then possible to see logos, brands, distinctive features, position of the welding, position of the thread, with a single video camera positioned over the bottle.
  The CPU develops the image “horizontally”, the image is compared to the set model thus informing the motion controller about the necessary bottle orientation.
  No more need then of installing the 3 lateral cameras otherwise required to recognize the bottle.