INSPECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR VISUAL INSPECTING ELASTIC PARTICLES

Abstract

It is provided an inspection apparatus (10) for visual inspecting elastic particles comprising a conveyor belt (12) for feeding a plurality of particles, particularly in mainly horizontal direction, a fall channel (14) for letting the particles fall downwards due to gravity, wherein the fall channel (14) is arranged downstream the conveyor belt (12), and at least one flap (16) for stopping a horizontal portion of the movement of the particles leaving the conveyor belt (12), wherein the at least one flap (16) is arranged downstream the conveyor belt (12), wherein the flap (16) is resilient in horizontal direction for dissipating at least a part, particularly a majority, of the kinetic energy of the particle aligned in horizontal direction. Due to the resilient flaps (16) a horizontal rebounding of the elastic particles is reduced, so that a sorting out of unwanted particles out of a plurality of elastic particles during a visual inspection with a good accuracy is enabled.

Claims

1. An inspection apparatus for visual inspecting elastic particles comprising a conveyor belt for feeding a plurality of particles, particularly in mainly a horizontal direction, a fall channel for letting the particles fall downwards due to gravity, wherein the fall channel is arranged downstream the conveyor belt, and at least one flap for stopping a horizontal portion of the movement of the particles leaving the conveyor belt, wherein the at least one flap is arranged downstream the conveyor belt, wherein the flap is resilient in a horizontal direction for dissipating at least a part, particularly a majority, of a kinetic energy of the particle aligned in the horizontal direction.

2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 wherein an amount of an inelastic collision of the particle to the flap is greater than an amount of the elastic collision of the particle to the flap (16).

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flap is made from an elastic material comprising a higher elasticity than steel.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flap and/or an inner surface of the fall channel is coated with a coating comprising an anti-stick material and/or an elastic material, particularly a silicon varnish.

5. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a detection system for detecting the color and/or the size of the particles in the fall channel is provided, wherein the detection system is adapted to inspect the particles from one side only.

6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5 wherein at least a part of a channel wall of the fall channel is reflective for an inspection light provided from the detection system, wherein the reflective channel wall is provided opposing an entry of the inspection light into the fall channel.

7. The inspection apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the inspection light provided from the detection system leaves a light generator via an emission opening, wherein a light path of the inspection light between the emission opening and an entry into the fall channel is at least partially covered by a dust shield for preventing an intrusion of particles into the emission opening.

8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 7 wherein a protective deflection means, for deflecting particles is provided between the emission opening and the dust shield.

9. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one collection container is provided downstream the fall channel, wherein a distance between a maximum filling level of the collection container and an upper rim of the collection container is greater than a maximum height of a particle rebounded from a particle arrange at the maximum filling level after falling a distance of a full height of the fall channel until the maximum filling level.

10. The inspection apparatus according to claim 9 wherein at least a part of the collection container between the maximum filling level and the upper rim is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

11. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt comprises a shaking unit for shaking the particles onto the conveyor belt.

12. The inspection apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a sorting grit for separating too large particles out is provided.

13. A method for inspecting elastic particles wherein an inspection apparatus according to claim 1, is fed with elastic particles, the form and/or the color of the elastic particles are inspected inside the fall channel and particles whose form and/or color are inside or outside a set of given parameters are sorted out by deflecting these particles out of the falling path of the particles.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the particles are made from butyl rubber.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the particles comprises a hardness h in Shore A of 40h85 at 23 C. according to DIN ISO 7619-1.

16. The inspection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flap is resilient in a horizontal direction for dissipating a majority of the kinetic energy of the particle aligned in the horizontal direction.

17. The inspection apparatus of claim 3, wherein the flap particularly comprises a tensed up sheet material, comprising a rubber material and/or a plastic material provided on a textile

18. The inspection apparatus of claim 8, wherein the protective deflection means is an air gun.

19. The inspection apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sorting grit is arranged upstream the conveyor belt.

20. The method according to claim 13 wherein the particles are made from halogenated butyl rubber.

Description

[0024] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter, wherein the described features can constitute each solely or in combination an independent aspect of the invention. In the drawings:

[0025] FIG. 1: is a schematic perspective view of an inspection apparatus.

[0026] The inspection apparatus 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a conveyor belt 12 feeding elastic particles into a fall channel 14. The fall channel 14 comprises a plurality of elastic flaps 16 which are resilient in horizontal direction for stopping the elastic particles in a way that the elastic particle do not bounce away horizontally but drop downwards at least after meeting some of the flaps 16. A trajectory 18 of the elastic particles can be bended from a horizontal direction on the conveyor belt 12 into a mostly vertical direction inside the fall channel 14 by means of the resilient flaps 16.

[0027] The elastic particles are scanned by a laser inspection light 20 from one side only inside the fall channel 14 or after leaving the fall channel 14. The inspection light 20 is produced in a light generator 22 of a detection system 24. The inspection light 20 is reflected by the elastic particle and/or a reflective channel wall 26 of the fall channel 14. The reflected light can be detected by the detection system 24 for instance by means of photoelectric cells and/or a camera so that the color and/or the form of the elastic particle can be determined. When the inspected elastic particle is acceptable the elastic particle falls further into a collection container 28 for collecting accepted elastic particles. When the inspected elastic particle is not acceptable a deflection means 30 in the form of an air gun provides a force in horizontal direction and changes the trajectory 18 of the elastic particle into a deflected trajectory 32 so that the rejected elastic particle falls into a further collection container 34 for collecting rejected elastic particles which should be removed from the accepted elastic particles. The collection container 28, 34 are open at its bottom so that the collected particles may fall onto a further conveyor for transporting the particles to a further processing step.

[0028] For example due to abrasion of the elastic particles very fine dust particles may occur onto the flap 16. The light generator 22 as well as detection means of the detection system 24 are protected by the intrusion of these dust particles by means of a dust shield 36 arranged above the inspection light 20. Particularly the dust shield 36 may protrude along the light path of the inspection light 20.