Apparatus for detecting faults in or on the surface of flat glass

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DETECTING FAULTS, FOR EXAMPLE STONE, BUBBLE, REAM OR SCRATCHES IN OR ON THE SURFACE OF FLAT GLASS, COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND ADVANCING THE GLASS, OPTICAL SCANNING MEANS MOUNTED RELATIVE TO THE GLASS SUPPORTING MEANS SO AS TO SCAN STEP-BY-STEP CONTIGUOUS STRIPSHAPED ZONES OF THE ADVANCING GLASS, A PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE MOUNTED IN THE SCANNING MEANS TO RECEIVE AN IMAGE AS THE SCANNING MEANS SCANS EACH SAID ZONE OF THE GLASS AND RESPONSIVE TO AN IMAGE OF A FAULT IN THE GLASS TO PRODUCE A FAULT INDICATING ELECTRICAL OUTPUT SIGNAL, A CLOCK PULSE GENERATOR CONNECTED TO THE SCANNING MEANS AND OPERABLE TO GENERATE A TRAIN OF CLOCK PULSES IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE SCANNING OF SAID CONTIGUOUS ZONES OF THE GLASS, A CLOCK PULSE GATING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE OUTPUT AND TO THE CLOCK PULSE GENERATOR, AND A DATA STORAGE DEVICE CONNECTED TO THE GATING CIRCUIT, SAID CLOCK PULSE GATING CIRCUIT BEING OPENED BY A FAULT INDICATING SIGNAL FROM THE PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE SO AS TO TRANSMIT CLOCK PULSES TO THE STORAGE DEVICE DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE SCANNING PERIOD IN WHICH A FAULT IS DETECTED SO THAT THE NUMBER STORED IN THE STORAGE DEVICE AT THE END OF THE SCAN INDICATES THE DISTANCE OF THE SENSED FAULT FROM ONE SIDE EDGE OF THE GLASS, AND MEANS FOR CLOSING THE GATING CIRCUIT AT THE END OF THE SCANNING PERIOD.