Abstract: In a method for filling a liquid volume into receptacles wherein liquid is admitted into a volumetric metering chamber by opening an inlet valve, the inlet valve is closed when an upper switching level is reached, the liquid is discharged from the metering chamber into a receptacle by opening the outlet valve, and the outlet valve is closed when a lower switching level is reached, the upper filling level actually obtained after closing of the inlet valve is measured, as well as the lower filling level actually obtained after closing of the outlet valve. With the values obtained thereby, the upper and lower switching levels are corrected, whereby the desired liquid volume can exactly be observed independently of pressure and flow conditions.

Abstract: In order to permit a method of determining the shape of a body, which comprises the step of detecting a contour of said body, to be executed rapidly and with little computing effort, the contour of the body is converted into a contour function which is independent of the position of said body, and said contour function is compared with a predetermined reference contour function for a known shape.

Abstract: An inspection machine for transilluminatable bottles inspects the sidewalls of bottles by transmitting a diffused beam of light through the sidewall and using a plurality of mirrors appropriately arranged for detecting or recording the images emergent from the bottle in different directions in the same image recording camera. The arrangement requires at least two separate beam paths and mirrors in each path directing the bottle emergent beams to the camera while the bottles are being conveyed through a position in which they are illuminated. In an improved arrangement, there is a separate cooperating series of beam deflecting mirrors which generate at least three independent beam paths that impinge from different directions on the sidewall of the bottle being inspected. The recording device is preferably a camera having a charge coupled device image plate.

Abstract: First, second and third linear conveyors are arranged in alignment with each other in the stated order. Bottles to be inspected are conveyed standing on their bottoms on the first linear conveyor through an inspection station followed by an ejector for those bottles which fail to match specified characteristics of an acceptable bottle model. The second conveyor has spaced apart parallel translating conveyor belts for frictionally gripping the bottles by their bodies between them to make their mouth ends and bottoms clear for inspection. The bottle discharge end region of the first conveyor and the bottle inlet end region overlap to achieve an overall shorter machine. The second conveyor has a bottle discharge region that overlaps the bottle inlet end region of the third conveyor to achieve a shorter machine.