Apparatus for scanning cants to determine optimum edging cuts

Claim 2

Apparatus for scanning an unfinished elongated workpiece having a substantially flat top surface that terminates at a pair of opposite, longitudinally extending side edges and having a pair of generally downwardly extending side surfaces that extend along its length and meet said top surface at the respective side edges, said apparatus producing signals as a result of such scanning that are related to the orientation and configuration of said side edges and their spacing from one another, said apparatus comprising: A. workpiece supporting means defining an elongated scanning station which extends lengthwise in one horizontal direction and at which a workpiece can be held stationary with its top surface horizontal; B. a reflector having a flat reflecting surface; C. means mounting the reflector for flatwise swinging motion about a fixed horizontal axis which is parallel to said reflecting surface, said axis also being 1. transverse to said one direction and 2.

Claim 3

so spaced above the supporting means that the reflector can reflect to a location above the supporting means an image of a zone which extends entirely across a workpiece on the supporting means and which moves lengthwise along the scanning station as the reflector swings about said axis; D. photoresponsive detector means fixed at said location to receive the image reflected by the reflector and arranged for repetitive electronic scanning at a predetermined rate along a line parallel to said axis; E. lens means located in an optical path between said reflector and said detector means and arranged to bring into focus at said detector means said image reflected in said reflecting means; F. actuating means for swinging the reflector about said axis towards and from a defined starting position and through at least one scanning traverse which starts with the reflector in said starting position, said actuating means maintaining a rate of swing of the reflector during said scanning traverse that is so related to the rate of repetitive scanning as to advance the imaged zone lengthwise along the scanning station from scan to scan; and G. lighting means comprising a plurality of light sources located at a level above the supporting means to cast illumination along the full length of the scanning station and to so illuminate a workpiece on the supporting means as to delineate each of said side edges thereon by illuminating only one of the two surfaces which meet at said side edge.

Claim 4

so spaced above the supporting means that the reflector can reflect to a location above the supporting means an image of a zone which extends entirely across a workpiece on the supporting means and which moves lengthwise along the scanning station as the reflector swings about said axis; D. photoresponsive detector means fixed at said location to receive the image reflected by the reflector and arranged for repetitive electronic scanning at a predetermined rate along a line parallel to said axis; E. lens means located in an optical path between said reflector and said detector means and arranged to bring into focus at said detector means said image reflected in said reflecting means; F. actuating means for swinging the reflector about said axis towards and from a defined starting position and through at least one scanning traverse which starts with the reflector in said starting position, said actuating means maintaining a rate of swing of the reflector during said scanning traverse that is so related to the rate of repetitive scanning as to advance the imaged zone lengthwise along the scanning station from scan to scan; and G. lighting means comprising a plurality of light sources located at a level above the supporting means to cast illumination along the full length of the scanning station and to so illuminate a workpiece on the supporting means as to delineate each of said side edges thereon by illuminating only one of the two surfaces which meet at said side edge.

Claim 5

The scanning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said actuating means is arranged to effect a second scanning traverse immediately after the first one and in the opposite direction from the first one so that the reflector is in its starting position at the end of the second scanning traverse, and wherein said lighting means comprises two sets of light sources, one of which casts illumination that serves to delineate one of said side edges and the other of which casts illumination that serves to delineate the other of said side edges, further characterized by: H. light control means synchronized with said actuating means for lighting only one of said sets of light sources during one of said scanning traverses and only the other set of light sources during the other scanning traverse.

Claim 6

The scanning apparatus of claim 2, wherein said actuating means is arranged to begin each scanning traverse with the reflector in said starting position and to swing the reflector back to the starting position after each scanning traverse.

Claim 7

The scanning apparatus of claim 1, further characterized by: H. means for establishing a workpiece on said supporting means with one end of the workpiece in a predetermined position such that said imaged zone is adjacent to said end of the workpiece when the reflector is in its starting position.

Claim 8

The scanning apparatus of claim 4, wherein said actuating means is arranged to swing the reflector through an angle such that said imaged zone is advanced only along substantially half the length of the scanning station, further characterized by: a second photoresponsive detector means, lens means, reflector, mounting means for the reflector, and actuating means, arranged like the first and mounted over the supporting means, horizontally spaced from the first in said direction, for scanning along the other half of the length of the scanning station.

Claim 9

Apparatus for scanning an unfinished elongated workpiece having a substantially flat top surface that terminates at a pair of opposite, longitudinally extending side edges and having a pair of generally downwardly extending side surfaces that extend along its length and meet said top surface at the respective side edges, said apparatus producing signals as a result of such scanning that are related to the orientation and configuration of said side edges and their spacing from one another, said apparatus comprising: A. supporting means defining an elongated scanning station which extends lengthwise in one horizontal direction and at which a workpiece can be held stationary with its top surface horizontal and its length oriented substantially in said direction; B. means at said scanning station defining a horizontal reference line extending in said one direction, the last mentioned means comprising a pair of upright stops which are spaced from one another in said direction and against which a workpiece can be engaged while held stationary at said scanning station; C. a reflector having a flat reflecting surface; D. means mounting said reflector for swinging motion by which its said reflecting surface is carried flatwise about a fixed horizontal axis which is

Claim 10

Apparatus for scanning an unfinished elongated workpiece having a substantially flat top surface that terminates at a pair of opposite, longitudinally extending side edges and having a pair of generally downwardly extending side surfaces that extend along its length and meet said top surface at the respective side edges, said apparatus producing signals as a result of such scanning that are related to the orientation and configuration of said side edges and their spacing from one another, said apparatus comprising: A. supporting means defining an elongated scanning station which extends lengthwise in one horizontal direction and at which a workpiece can be held stationary with its top surface horizontal and its length oriented substantially in said direction; B. means at said scanning station defining a horizontal reference line extending in said one direction, the last mentioned means comprising a pair of upright stops which are spaced from one another in said direction and against which a workpiece can be engaged while held stationary at said scanning station; C. a reflector having a flat reflecting surface; D. means mounting said reflector for swinging motion by which its said reflecting surface is carried flatwise about a fixed horizontal axis which is

Claim 11

parallel to said reflecting surface, 2. transverse to said reference line, and 3. so spaced above the supporting means that the reflector can reflect to a location above the supporting means an image of an elongated zone which extends lengthwise transversely to said direction and entirely across a workpiece on the supporting means and which moves along the scanning station lengthwise thereof, as the reflector swings about said axis; E. photoresponsive detector means fixed at said location and arranged for repetitive electronic scanning at a predetermined rate along a line parallel to the length of said image, for producing signals corresponding to light reflected from a workpiece at the scanning station; F. lens means located in an optical path between said reflector and said detector means and arranged to bring into focus at said detector means said image reflected in said reflector; G. actuating means for swinging the reflector about said axis towards and from a defined starting position and through at least one scanning traverse which starts with the reflector in said starting position and during which the reflector swings at a rate so related to the rate of repetitive scanning as to advance the imaged zone lengthwise along the scanning station from scan to scan; and H. means for so illuminating a workpiece at the scanning station as to delineate each of said side edges thereon by illuminating only one of the two surfaces which meet at said side edge.

Claim 12

parallel to said reflecting surface, 2. transverse to said reference line, and 3. so spaced above the supporting means that the reflector can reflect to a location above the supporting means an image of an elongated zone which extends lengthwise transversely to said direction and entirely across a workpiece on the supporting means and which moves along the scanning station lengthwise thereof, as the reflector swings about said axis; E. photoresponsive detector means fixed at said location and arranged for repetitive electronic scanning at a predetermined rate along a line parallel to the length of said image, for producing signals corresponding to light reflected from a workpiece at the scanning station; F. lens means located in an optical path between said reflector and said detector means and arranged to bring into focus at said detector means said image reflected in said reflector; G. actuating means for swinging the reflector about said axis towards and from a defined starting position and through at least one scanning traverse which starts with the reflector in said starting position and during which the reflector swings at a rate so related to the rate of repetitive scanning as to advance the imaged zone lengthwise along the scanning station from scan to scan; and H. means for so illuminating a workpiece at the scanning station as to delineate each of said side edges thereon by illuminating only one of the two surfaces which meet at said side edge.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 6, further characterized by: I. means operatively associated with said actuating means and said detector means for producing relationship signals which can be employed to define the angular position of the reflector at the time of each electronic scan by the detector means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for producing relationship signals comprises a pulse generator which produces a pulse each time the reflector attains one of a plurality of predetermined positions of its swinging motion.