Scanning apparatus and method
First Claim
1. An automatic inspection apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for supporting an article to be inspected at an inspection location,(b) electro-optical scanning means disposed at said inspection location for examining articles to be inspected,(c) said scanning means providing information signals including information concerning said articles as they are inspected,(d) means for operating said article supporting means to move an article relative to said electro-optical scanning means,(e) analyzing circuit means operable for receiving information signals from said scanning means and including means to analyze the information content of said signals, and(f) detection means operable when an article is disposed at said inspection location for effecting the transmission of signals generated inspecting the article from said scanning means to said analyzing circuit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic scanning and control apparatus determines the location of a predetermined segment of an image field being scanned. The predetermined segment presents an image which is optically differentiatable from the surrounding area of the image field. The apparatus includes a beam device for selectively scanning the image field and producing an output signal thereof. The beam device includes means for modulating the output signal in accordance with variations in the image field. The predetermined segment of the image field causes modulation of the output signal of the beam device by providing an inflection therein when the beam scans across the segment. An analyzing circuit is adapted to accept the output signal from the beam device. Means generate a locating signal in predetermined time relation to the scanning. Comparator means compare the inflection in the output signal with the locating signal so that the location of the predetermined segment of the image field can be determined.
A method compares an image field to be inspected with a standard image field. A standard image field is scanned with a beam and a video signal is modulated in accordance with intensity variations in the standard field. The video signal is recorded on a recording member. The field to be inspected is then scanned by the beam and a second video signal is generated. Both the video signals are reproduced and passed to a comparator means. A point to point comparison is made between the inflections and variations in each signal resulting from the scanning image areas of contrasting intensity by generating pulse signals during the intervals that the areas do not coincide. The pulse signals are then automatically analyzed.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. An automatic inspection apparatus comprising:
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(a) means for supporting an article to be inspected at an inspection location, (b) electro-optical scanning means disposed at said inspection location for examining articles to be inspected, (c) said scanning means providing information signals including information concerning said articles as they are inspected, (d) means for operating said article supporting means to move an article relative to said electro-optical scanning means, (e) analyzing circuit means operable for receiving information signals from said scanning means and including means to analyze the information content of said signals, and (f) detection means operable when an article is disposed at said inspection location for effecting the transmission of signals generated inspecting the article from said scanning means to said analyzing circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An automatic inspection apparatus comprising:
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(a) means for supporting an object including a conveyor for conveying said object to an inspection work station to be inspected, (b) radiation beam scanning means disposed at said inspection work station for examining objects to be inspected, (c) said scanning means including receiving means for the radiation modulated in scanning a portion of the object which varies in physical characteristics and being operable for generating analog information signals that are representative of variations in the physical characteristics of the object under inspection, (d) means for effecting relative movement between the object and said radiation beam scanning means, and (e) automatic analyzing means operable for accepting the analog information signals generated by said receiving means, (f) said automatic analyzing means including analyzing circuit means operable to analyze the information content of said analog information signals. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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Specification