US4121291A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Linearity correction system for electro-optical gage
Assignee: BRW STEEL Corp
•
Filing: 1977-03-17
•
Granted: 1978-10-17
•
Expires: 1997-03-17
Abstract
Abstract Computerized electro-optical system gages dimension of a moving hot bar. Back-lighted electronic camera head generates high-speed bar shadow pulses which represent the bar dimensions. Bar pulses are processed by way of camera electronics and a digital computer. CRT and printing terminals, interacting with the computer, indicate and/or record a field-of-view correction map and a cold-size bar diameter measurement. Camera head electronics includes camera AGC, a digital type one-axis bidirectional linear sweep, bar pulse edge-detection with an autocorrelator to remove noise and enhance the bar pulse, and a digital accumulator of digital bar size signals and digital bar position-in-field-of-view signals. The digital computer assimilates bar size and bar position signals along with bar temperature, aim size, and other data signals. The computer is programmed to: (a) compensate bar size signals for field-of-view errors and other optical and electronic nonlinearities, bar temperature and other sources of error; (b) calibrate the gage off-line; and (c) communicate with the CRT and printing terminals and an exterior control system.
Inventors
- 👤 Joel L. Hoffner
- 👤 Tom L. Galanis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 23:51
CPC Classifications
B; B21; B21B; B21B38/00; B21B38/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A linearity correction system for an electro-optical system which gages a dimension of a moving bar, comprising: (a) electronic camera head means aimed to receive an image of the moving bar and generate a raw camera signal, said raw camera signal requiring linearity correction for one or more linear and/or nonlinear errors from optical and/or electronic sources, excluding linear optical errors; (b) electronic circuit means including means for processing the raw camera signal to produce a bar size pulse having a corresponding one or more of said errors; (c) calculator means assimilating the bar size pulse and a corresponding one or more error-compensating signals for: .1 compensating the bar size pulse for one or more of said optical and/or electronic errors in response to a corresponding one or more of said error-compensating signals, thereby producing a corrected bar size pulse, and .2 storing the corrected bar size data; and (d) means for utilizing the stored data to indicate and/or record corrected bar size.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
163 words
A linearity correction system for an electro-optical system which gages a dimension of a moving bar, comprising: (a) electronic camera head means aimed to receive an image of the moving bar and generate a raw camera signal, said raw camera signal requiring linearity correction for one or more linear and/or nonlinear errors from optical and/or electronic sources, excluding linear optical errors; (b) electronic circuit means including means for processing the raw camera signal to produce a bar size pulse having a corresponding one or more of said errors; (c) calculator means assimilating the bar size pulse and a corresponding one or more error-compensating signals for: .1 compensating the bar size pulse for one or more of said optical and/or electronic errors in response to a corresponding one or more of said error-compensating signals, thereby producing a corrected bar size pulse, and .2 storing the corrected bar size data; and (d) means for utilizing the stored data to indicate and/or record corrected bar size.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic camera head means is back-lighted.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic camera head means includes a telecentric lens system to permit imaging of bar movement anywhere in a prescribed field-of-view.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic camera head means includes an image responsive device adapted to be scanned electronically, and the electronic circuit means further includes a sweep generator for driving the scanning of the image responsive device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the sweep generator is circuited for a single axis scan of the image responsive device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the sweep generator is circuited for a linear bidirectional sweep cycle having equal upsweep and downsweep half cycles.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
The system of claim 6 further including the electronic circuit means to include means responsive to the bar size pulse for producing a first error-compensating signal relating to bar centerline position data, and the calculator means is modified to receive the first error-compensating signal and to effectively compensate the bar size pulse according to a predetermined value of corresponding bar centerline position data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
72 words
The system of claim 7 wherein the means within electronic circuit means produces first and second error-compensating signals relating to first and second bar centerline position data, this occurring in response to detecting successive bar size pulse leading edges in respective upsweep and downsweep halves of a camera means bidirectional sweep cycle, and determining the bar centerline position to be half of the distance between the successive bar size pulse leading edges.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the sweep generator is circuited for a nonlinear bidirectional sweep cycle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic camera head means includes a variable-gain image responsive device, and the electronic circuit means includes a self-balancing measuring loop having an automatic gain control circuit for varying image device gain to maintain output current constant.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the camera pulse processing means includes an autocorrelator for removing camera signal noise.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the camera pulse processing means includes differentiated pulse edge detection circuitry for the raw camera signal and an auto-correlator to remove noise from the differentiated raw camera signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the calculator means is a programmed computer adapted to receive first and second error-compensating signals and include a compensation program that will effectively correct each bar size pulse for camera field-of-view error in response to the first and second error-compensating signals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the calculator means is a programmed computer adapted to receive third and fourth error-compensating signals and include a compensation program that will effectively correct each bar size pulse for offset and drift factors in response to the third and fourth error-compensating signals, respectively.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
The system of claim 1 further including means for sensing bar temperature and producing a bar temperature signal as a fifth error-compensating signal, and wherein the calculator means is a programmed computer adapted to receive the fifth error-compensating signal and include a compensation program that will effectively correct each bar size pulse to a cold size proportional to the bar temperature signal representing the fifth error-compensating signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
67 words
The system of claim 15 further including means for producing a bar composition signal as a sixth error-compensating signal, and wherein the calculator means is a programmed computer also adapted to receive the sixth error-compensating signal and include a compensation program that will effectively correct each of the bar size pulses for bar composition effect on temperature correction in response to the fifth and sixth error-compensating signals.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 1 further including a source of bar aim size data, and wherein the calculator means is a programmed computer adapted to receive the bar aim size data and include a bar size profile deviation program for storing bar size deviation from the aim size data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
155 words
A linearity correction method for an electro-optical method which gages a dimension of a moving bar, which method comprises: (a) imaging a moving bar upon an electronic camera head means and generating a raw camera signal, said raw camera signal requiring linearity correction for one or more linear and/or nonlinear errors from optical and/or electronic sources, excluding linear optical errors; (b) processing the raw camera signal to produce a bar size pulse which represents the bar dimension, said bar size pulse having a corresponding one or more of said errors; (c) assimilating the bar size pulse and a corresponding one or more error-compensating signals and calculating: .1 correction factors to compensate the bar size pulse for one or more of said optical and/or electronic errors and subsequently producing a corresponding corrected bar size pulse, and .2 storing the corrected bar size data; and (d) utilizing the stored data to indicate and/or record corrected bar size.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
155 words
A linearity correction method for an electro-optical method which gages a dimension of a moving bar, which method comprises: (a) imaging a moving bar upon an electronic camera head means and generating a raw camera signal, said raw camera signal requiring linearity correction for one or more linear and/or nonlinear errors from optical and/or electronic sources, excluding linear optical errors; (b) processing the raw camera signal to produce a bar size pulse which represents the bar dimension, said bar size pulse having a corresponding one or more of said errors; (c) assimilating the bar size pulse and a corresponding one or more error-compensating signals and calculating: .1 correction factors to compensate the bar size pulse for one or more of said optical and/or electronic errors and subsequently producing a corresponding corrected bar size pulse, and .2 storing the corrected bar size data; and (d) utilizing the stored data to indicate and/or record corrected bar size.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1981-10-16 | 1982-04-17 | 1982-10-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1985-10-16 | 1986-04-17 | 1986-10-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1989-10-16 | 1990-04-17 | 1990-10-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |