Apparatus for automatically checking external appearance of object
US4242702A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 30, 1977 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 1980 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 1997 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/024
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for examining an object such as a contact welded on a leaf spring in respect of geometrical and qualitative factors comprises an image pick-up device such as TV camera for detecting an optical image of the contact and the leaf spring having a dark portion along the contour of the contact and converting the optical image into corresponding video signals which are then compared with a predetermined threshold level to be converted into a binary encoded signal having two logic levels corresponding, respectively, to bright and dark portions of the optical image. Frequency distributions of the binary signal representing the dark portion are determined along two orthogonal directions thereby to define a coordinate of a region in which the contact is located. A first checking device is provided to determine if the above coordinate is located in a preset allowable tolerance range. A second checking device is additionally provided which serves to define a frame of a size differed from that of the contact in dependence on the coordinate thereby dividing the area within the frame into a predetermined number of picture elements in a matrix array, whereby faults of the contact such …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.