Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
An automatic inspection apparatus comprising: (a) means for supporting an article to be inspected at an inspection location, (b) electro-optical scanning means disposed at said inspection location for examining articles to be inspected, (c) said scanning means providing information signals including information concerning said articles as they are inspected, (d) means for operating said article supporting means to move an article relative to said electro-optical scanning means, (e) analyzing circuit means operable for receiving information signals from said scanning means and including means to analyze the information content of said signals, and (f) detection means operable when an article is disposed at said inspection location for effecting the transmission of signals generated inspecting the article from said scanning means to said analyzing circuit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
123 words
An automatic inspection apparatus comprising: (a) means for supporting an article to be inspected at an inspection location, (b) electro-optical scanning means disposed at said inspection location for examining articles to be inspected, (c) said scanning means providing information signals including information concerning said articles as they are inspected, (d) means for operating said article supporting means to move an article relative to said electro-optical scanning means, (e) analyzing circuit means operable for receiving information signals from said scanning means and including means to analyze the information content of said signals, and (f) detection means operable when an article is disposed at said inspection location for effecting the transmission of signals generated inspecting the article from said scanning means to said analyzing circuit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
102 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for moving an article relative to said scanning means comprises a fixture disposed at said inspection station and a repeat cycle controller, said fixture including a movable article manipulation means for retaining and moving an article conveyed to said inspection location, said repeat cycle controller being responsive to a signal generated by said detection means to control said manipulation means to move an article in a predetermined manner to present different areas of said article in the scanning field of said electro-optical means upon detecting an article present at said inspection location.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said scanning means comprises a radiation beam device and means for deflection controlling the beam of said beam device to cause it to movably scan the image in its field, said beam device being responsive to a signal generated by said detection means to initiate an inspection scanning operation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said electro-optical scanning means is a television camera.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
140 words
An automatic inspection apparatus comprising: (a) means for supporting an object including a conveyor for conveying said object to an inspection work station to be inspected, (b) radiation beam scanning means disposed at said inspection work station for examining objects to be inspected, (c) said scanning means including receiving means for the radiation modulated in scanning a portion of the object which varies in physical characteristics and being operable for generating analog information signals that are representative of variations in the physical characteristics of the object under inspection, (d) means for effecting relative movement between the object and said radiation beam scanning means, and (e) automatic analyzing means operable for accepting the analog information signals generated by said receiving means, (f) said automatic analyzing means including analyzing circuit means operable to analyze the information content of said analog information signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
140 words
An automatic inspection apparatus comprising: (a) means for supporting an object including a conveyor for conveying said object to an inspection work station to be inspected, (b) radiation beam scanning means disposed at said inspection work station for examining objects to be inspected, (c) said scanning means including receiving means for the radiation modulated in scanning a portion of the object which varies in physical characteristics and being operable for generating analog information signals that are representative of variations in the physical characteristics of the object under inspection, (d) means for effecting relative movement between the object and said radiation beam scanning means, and (e) automatic analyzing means operable for accepting the analog information signals generated by said receiving means, (f) said automatic analyzing means including analyzing circuit means operable to analyze the information content of said analog information signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
An automatic inspection apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein: said radiation beam scanning means is operable to effect scanning movement of its radiation beam across a select portion of said object during the scanning operation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
89 words
An automatic inspection apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein: said radiation beam scanning means is operable to generate and project a single read-beam against a select portion of the surface of said object, said object being operable to variably modulate the energy of said beam thereby providing variable reflected energy to said scanning means, said receiving means being effective for receiving said variable reflected energy, said receiving means further being effective to generate said analog information signals which vary in accordance with variations in said variable reflected energy.