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. 10, 1998
Filed:
Sep. 20, 1996
Richard D Schave, Perrysburg, OH (US);
Libbey-Owens-Ford Co., Toledo, OH (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for inspecting pieces of glass and other transparent sheets for optical defects is provided. The inspection apparatus can be integrated directly into the production line. The inspection apparatus includes an electro-optic inspection of the total viewing area for each transparent sheet as the sheets are conveyed at the end of the production operation. The apparatus includes a plurality of laser light sources positioned on one side of the sheet of glass or other transparent material, and a corresponding plurality of lenses and photosensitive position detectors on the opposite side. Light beams are directed from the light sources through the transparent sheets to the lenses and the detectors. The angular deviation of each light beam which occurs as the light beam passes through the sheet generates a signal at each of the detectors. The signals generated by the angular deviation of the light beam from the optical axis are processed by a computer system to provide information regarding the angular deviation values for the transparent sheet. The distortion, determined by the rate of change of the angular deviation, is calculated and compared to preset distortion values to determine if the transparent sheet is acceptable from a quality standpoint.