Patent · US Expired

Method of and means for inspecting workpieces traveling along a production line

US4758888A · kind A · utility

75Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 17, 1987
Grant dateJul 19, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 17, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2201/102
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Inspection of workpieces traveling along a production line includes on-line inspection of the workpieces at an upstream inspection station to detect possible flaws without interrupting the progression of workpieces along the production line. Possible flaws in the inspected workpieces are imaged, and images of possible flaws are stored in a memory in a way that associates a stored image with the workpiece containing the possible flaw. Off-line, a stored image is retrieved from the memory before the workpiece with which the image is associated reaches a downstream sorting station. The retrieved image is displayed on a monitor for verifying, by visual inspection, whether the possible flaw in the workpiece with which the retrieved image is associated, is valid. Workpieces are diverted at the downstream sorting station in response to vertification of flaws.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.