Importance

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Abstract

A gob forming device for forming a gob that is fed into a mold for molding a glass product after adjusting the gob to an optimum weight and shape, the gob forming device comprising:

one or two cameras 71,72 configured to capture one or more images of a gob in the falling path of the gob, the gob being obtained by cutting molten glass extruded from a circular orifice 11 of a gob feeder 1;an image processor 70 configured to perform image processing to measure the weight of the gob and feature values of the gob based on the one or more 2-D images of the gob captured by the one or two cameras, the feature values defining the shape of the gob, the weight and the feature values being measured by approximating the shape of the gob's cross section in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction as a circle or ellipse and;drive mechanisms 40, 50, and 64 to 66 configured to individually drive respective adjustment mechanisms to adjust the gob to achieve a desired weight and shape;a storage device configured to store, as reference data, a standard weight of the gob and an optimum value of each of the feature values of the gob; anda control device 8 configured to drive the drive mechanisms 40, 50, and 64 to 66 so that the drive mechanisms operate to ensure that the difference between the weight of the gob measured by the image processor 70 and the corresponding reference data stored in the storage device is an acceptable value and the differences between the feature values of the gob measured by the image processor 70 and the corresponding reference data stored in the storage device are acceptable values.

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First Claim