General Electric Company

Ching C Lai

Frederick C Schoenig, Jr

Edward S Walker

J David Landry

Harold B King

Leonard N Grossman

William Masaitis

Robert O Canada

Truman F Kellie

Transport apparatus is disclosed for moving a stream of objects along a substantially continuous path between a source and a collection station and past a viewing station. A stream of successive, spatially separated objects is moved into end-to-end abutment to form successive stacks of objects. Each stack is spiraled past the viewing station with minimal vibration to expose the complete surface of each object to inspection. Subsequently each stack is rearranged into spatially separated objects which are rapidly sorted by diverting those objects from the continuous path which do not conform to predetermined criteria upon inspection. The transport apparatus achieves high throughput without compromising the accuracy of the inspection process.

Transport apparatus

An optical inspection system is disclosed which determines surface and other features of objects by illuminating them with a light beam having substantially uniform light intensity in space and time. The light beam is derived from a light source whose light intensity may vary in space and time. The surface features of each object are inspected by detecting light reflected from the object through a lens system which focuses the reflected light on an array of photosensitive elements. The output signals provided by the array may be used to provide a measure indicative of the conformance of the inspected surface to predetermined criteria. The inspection system is further capable of determining other features of the inspected object, such as the height of the object, by illuminating the object with a second light beam derived from a second light surface. A portion of the second light beam is eclipsed by the object and the non-eclipsed portions are directed to a second array of photosensitive elements to provide signals indicative of the desired dimension.

Optical inspection system

An automated inspection station comprises a pair of rotating rollers for supporting a collected group of pellets. A pusher drops in behind the group to urge the entire group forward. The rotating rollers cause the entire group of pellets to spin in unison as the pellets pass through an optical inspection station. The optical inspection station comprises a light source, diverging and collimating lenses to illuminate each rotating pellet in turn. Signals are generated by at least two arrays of photodiodes in response to light reflected from the surface of the pellets. Circuitry normalizes the signals of the respective diodes for variations unrelated to pellet surface features. The signals are analyzed to ascertain conformance of each pellet to length, cylindricality diameter and surface reflectivity requirements. A pellet sorter diverts unacceptable pellets from the path, while the acceptable pellets are transported to a collection station. Additional circuitry generates known timing pulses which control the axial speed of the pellets advancing past the inspection station, as well as for synchronizing and correlating the collected data with the respective advancing pellets. The number of threshold changes and their location on the pellet help determine conformance to the above criteria.

Automated inspection system

A method and apparatus for loading nuclear fuel pellets in levels onto a horizontally and vertically indexing tray string-by-string. The apparatus includes a belt feeder assembling each string at a location on pivotal blades over the tray. Arrival is optically noted and a pusher delivers the string to a drop site, completely loading the string onto the blades for delivery to the indexing tray.

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Ching C Lai