Westinghouse Electric Corporation

William L Hrybyk, Deceased

Raymond A Lloyd

Kenneth C Ryan

A system for evaluating similar object by comparing an image of the objects to be evaluated to the image of a similar object is disclosed. The system utilizes a TV camera to generate and store in a video memory an image of a reference member of the family of objects to be evaluated. This reference member has been previously evaluated by other means to determine that it meets predetermined specifications. An image of the member to be evaluated is then generated by focusing the TV camera on this member. Simultaneously, the stored image of the reference member is read from the video memory. These two images are compared to each other by an analog circuit to generate an analog signal related to the difference between these two signals. Sync signals are also generated by the memory to control the TV camera and a line counter which indicates which lines of the TV images are being compared. The line counter controls a digital memory to read stored digital data identifying the lines of the TV images to be used in evaluating the object being examined. The analog signal is analyzed to generate pulses. The width of each of the pulses is related to the amplitude and time duration of the difference between the lines of the TV images. If the width of this pulse exceeds a predetermined duration an error signal is generated indicating that the object being evaluated does not comply with predetermined specifications. Alternatively, the system may be modified to require the detection of significant errors in at least two adjacent scan lines before an error signal is generated.

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Linthicum, MD, United States of America

William L Hrybyk, Deceased