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US5185644A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Sensor for water film on a plate in printing machines

Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
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Filing: 1991-07-17
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Granted: 1993-02-09
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Expires: 2011-07-17
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Abstract

Abstract An on-plate water film sensor for printing machines uses a narrow-band light source, a photo modulator for chopping a light beam therefrom into p- and s-polarized beams, a collimator for making parallel the rays of the collimated beams with a given cross-sectional area for measurement, a wavelength plate for adjusting the wavefront of the parallel rays, a receiver for the light secularly reflected from a plate, and an arithmetic unit to figure out the thickness of a water film formed on the plate based on the intensities of the received beams. Water lining which usually has patterns of narrow width can be detected, and the measurement of a water film thickness can be done with high speed.

Inventors

  • 👤 Makoto Shimoyama
  • 👤 Ikuo Ozaki

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 05:54
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B11/00; G01B11/02; G01B11/06; G01B11/0616; G01B11/0641; G01B11/065; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S101/00; Y10S101/45

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim 110 words
A sensor for measuring the thickness of a water film formed on a plate in a printing machine, comprising a narrow-band light source, a photo modulator for alternatively chopping light from the light source into p-polarized and s-polarized beams, a collimator for making rays of the chopped beams parallel to each other with a given cross-sectional area for measurement, a wave-length plate for adjusting wavefront of the collimated parallel rays and directing the parallel rays onto the water film at a selected angle of incidence, and a device for receiving light beams reflected specularly from the plate and for calculating the thickness of a water film formed on the plate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 110 words
A sensor for measuring the thickness of a water film formed on a plate in a printing machine, comprising a narrow-band light source, a photo modulator for alternatively chopping light from the light source into p-polarized and s-polarized beams, a collimator for making rays of the chopped beams parallel to each other with a given cross-sectional area for measurement, a wave-length plate for adjusting wavefront of the collimated parallel rays and directing the parallel rays onto the water film at a selected angle of incidence, and a device for receiving light beams reflected specularly from the plate and for calculating the thickness of a water film formed on the plate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 18 words
The sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said photo modulator is a chopper using an electro-optical effect.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 28 words
The sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein the angle of incidence of the collimated parallel rays and a plane perpendicular to the plate is a Brewster angle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 20 words
The sensor as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said narrow-band light source is a laser.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 23 words
The sensor as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said narrow-band light source is a light emitting diode (LED).

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4129781A Cited
EP0062787A1 Cited
EP0150945A2 Cited
US4695162A Cited
US4850711A Cited
GB2194115A Cited
US4872758A Cited
US4906844A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1996-02-09 1996-08-10 1997-02-09 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2000-02-09 2000-08-10 2001-02-09 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2004-02-09 2004-08-10 2005-02-09 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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