Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for evaluating quality of granular object

US6427128B1 · kind B1 · utility

23Cited by
15References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 21, 2000
Grant dateJul 30, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 21, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N33/02
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A quality evaluation method for granular objects includes the steps of: irradiating objects from a front side and a back side; taking a reflection light image and a transmission light image from both the front and back sides of the objects; obtaining optical information of the objects by image-processing the reflection and transmission light images; obtaining shape information of the objects based on the optical information; determining the quality of each of the objects based on the optical information and the shape information; and counting the numbers of objects per quality and obtaining ratios of the objects per quality against the total number of objects. The data from the front and the back sides of the granular object are analyzed to enhance the precision of the results of the quality analysis, and in particular, to enhance the precision in detecting cracks.

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