Conveyor speed monitor
View Patent ↗An induction sealer system which includes a speed monitor to ensure proper sealing of containers.
1. An induction sealing system comprising:
a conveyor to transport a workpiece;
an induction head disposed over said conveyor to seal said workpiece;
a speed sensor to sense a speed of said conveyor; and
a signal generator in communication with said speed sensor to generate a signal when said speed of said conveyor falls outside of a selected range, wherein said selected range includes a value indicative of a desired speed for obtaining a desired seal quality for said workpiece, and wherein said range further includes a value lower than said desired speed and a value higher than said desired speed.
2. An induction sealing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a warning signal generator to generate a warning signal in response to a signal from said signal generator.
3. An induction sealing system according to claim 2 , wherein said warning signal generator generates an audio signal.
4. An induction sealing system according to claim 2 , wherein said warning signal generator generates an optical signal.
5. An induction sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein said speed sensor is an optical encoder.
6. An induction sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein said selected range includes a value for a speed that is a percentage higher than said desired speed.
7. An induction sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein said desired speed is empirically determined.
8. An induction sealing system according to claim 1 , wherein said conveyor is either one of a conveyor belt and chain.
9. An induction sealing system comprising:
an induction head;
a conveyor to transport a workpiece under said induction head to be sealed;
an electronic memory that stores a value for a target speed of said conveyor, said target speed being indicative of a desired speed for obtaining a desired seal quality for said workpiece;
a speed sensor that senses a speed of said conveyor;
a comparator that compares said speed of said conveyor to said target speed; and
a signal generator that generates a signal when said speed of said conveyor is outside a predetermined range, wherein said range includes said target speed, a value lower than said target speed and a value higher than said target speed.
10. An induction sealing system according to claim 9 , further comprising a warning signal generator to generate a warning signal in response to a signal from said signal generator.
11. An induction sealing system according to claim 10 , wherein said warning signal generator generates an audio signal.
12. An induction sealing system according to claim 10 , wherein said warning signal generator generates an optical signal.
13. An induction sealing system according to claim 9 , wherein said speed sensor is an optical encoder.
14. An induction sealing system according to claim 9 , wherein said predetermined range includes a value for a speed that is a percentage higher than said desired speed.
15. An induction sealing system according to claim 9 , wherein said desired speed is empirically determined.
16. An induction sealing system according to claim 9 , further comprising a user interface for entry of said desired speed into said electronic memory.