DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING NONCIRCULAR CONTAINER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and method for conveying noncircular containers to a series of inspection stations. SOLUTION: The device for inspecting the noncircular containers 12 includes a pair of carriages 48 and 54 linked to associated motors 44 and 50 which can independently rotate about a common axis. Each of the carriages supports a plurality of semicircular gripping fingers 58 and 66 moved toward and away from each other by the controlled rotation of the carriage. The fingers are greatly spaced apart and receive the noncircular containers at an infeed station to enable removal of the containers at an outfeed station and a defective station. While the containers are being conveyed between the stations, the fingers approach each other to grip an indexing container and a spring 70 of one of the carriages is elastically energized toward the fingers of the other carriage to adapt the associated fingers to a dimensional change in the container.