The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 27, 1979
Filed:
Dec. 01, 1977
Lorne H Belden, Jr, Louisville, KY (US);
General Electric Company, Louisville, KY (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for optically evaluating surface roughness by the use of specular reflections particularly adpated to curved surfaces such as shafts or tubes. This is accomplished by directing a beam of parallel, monochromatic, plane polarized light onto the test surface at two different angles and detecting the relative intensity of the specular reflections at the respective angles of reflection by a pair of suitably located detectors. A signal is then generated corresponding to the ratio of the intensities of the specular reflections which are shown to correspond to the surface roughness independently of surface color. In the preferred embodiment, the differing angles of incidence are created by directing a laser beam at a portion of a suitably positioned round shaft, portions of the beam intercepting different portions of the shaft at different angles of incidence, with the detectors located along corresponding axes of reflection. The detector signals are divided by electronic circuitry to provide a signal which corresponds to the surface roughness independently of surface color.