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:
Nov. 20, 1984
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1981
Robert J Bieringer, Toledo, OH (US);
Robert D Kohler, Temperance, MI (US);
James A Ringlien, Maumee, OH (US);
Owens-Illinois, Inc., Toledo, OH (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for inspecting glass tubes for fire checks and other defects is disclosed. Each tube is positioned on transport equipment and moved through an inspection area as it is rotated about its longitudinal axis by a spinner mechanism. A broad source of diffused light illuminates each tube in the inspection area. A camera is positioned above the moving line of tubes and includes an array of photosensitive diodes arranged parallel to the longitudinal axes of the tubes. A check in a tube will reflect a higher intensity light to the camera than a non-defective portion of the tube. By averaging the signals from the first few diodes for each longitudinal scan of the camera, a reference voltage level can be electronically determined for each scan. Any signal generated by a diode element of the camera which is greater than the sum of the reference signal and a predetermined signal indicates the presence of a defect in the tube.