Apparatus and method for identifying objects, in particular cup-like drinking vessels

摘要

The vessel (18) is placed upside down in a circular depression (28) in a baseplate (12), and aligned with the vertical axis (A) of a measuring bell (30) rotatable on a supporting plate (32) behind a lifting or sliding door (14). Rotation through 360 degrees is effected by a stepping motor (44) and gearing. The other side of the plate is carried on a telescopic jack (36) whose piston (38) is jointed (37) to a bearing (40) on the baseplate. The upturned base (24) of the vessel is scanned by the optical beam from an emitter (70) aligned with a photoreceiver in the opposite wall of the bell.