US5724437A — Device for parallel image inspection and inking c…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 337 words

Device for the image inspection of a printed product, comprising: an image-capturing apparatus delivering image data for reproducing the entire surface of the printed product; said image-capturing apparatus containing an illumination apparatus, said illumination apparatus illuminating a narrow strip of an image region to be inspected with homogeneous brightness in the longitudinal direction of the strip; said image-capturing apparatus further containing a photoelectric receiving element, said receiving element picking up light reflected from the image region under inspection, evaluating the light with the aid of spectral filters and converting it into electric signals; a computing apparatus being connected to said image-capturing apparatus in order to process the image data; image conductors having a multiplicity of ordered light-conducting fibers provided in said photoelectric receiving element, said image conductors having light-entry surfaces in the form of narrow strips which pick up the reflected light without gap across the entire width of the printed product (32); said light-entry surfaces being uniformly distributed in zones (44, 50) and being disposed along a line lying parallel to the illuminated strip on the printed product (32); said light-entry surfaces of said image conductors (15) each being formed of narrow strips and being rectangular, parallel and stacked one above the other at equal intervals; a front objective lens being disposed in front of each of said narrow strips for imaging the light from one image element onto said multiplicity of ordered light conducting fibers (49); an optical imaging system (51) located between said image conductors (15) and said photoelectric receiving element for imaging the light, distributed over said multiplicity of ordered light conducting fibers, from said one image element onto a part region of a row of said photoelectric receiving element (38); and said image conductors having light-exit surfaces such that image information leaving said light-exit surfaces is imaged onto an arrangement with in-line, parallel and equally spaced said receiving elements (38); each line of said receiving elements (38) being associated with precisely one strip of said light-exit surfaces of said image conductors (15).

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 337 words

Device for the image inspection of a printed product, comprising: an image-capturing apparatus delivering image data for reproducing the entire surface of the printed product; said image-capturing apparatus containing an illumination apparatus, said illumination apparatus illuminating a narrow strip of an image region to be inspected with homogeneous brightness in the longitudinal direction of the strip; said image-capturing apparatus further containing a photoelectric receiving element, said receiving element picking up light reflected from the image region under inspection, evaluating the light with the aid of spectral filters and converting it into electric signals; a computing apparatus being connected to said image-capturing apparatus in order to process the image data; image conductors having a multiplicity of ordered light-conducting fibers provided in said photoelectric receiving element, said image conductors having light-entry surfaces in the form of narrow strips which pick up the reflected light without gap across the entire width of the printed product (32); said light-entry surfaces being uniformly distributed in zones (44, 50) and being disposed along a line lying parallel to the illuminated strip on the printed product (32); said light-entry surfaces of said image conductors (15) each being formed of narrow strips and being rectangular, parallel and stacked one above the other at equal intervals; a front objective lens being disposed in front of each of said narrow strips for imaging the light from one image element onto said multiplicity of ordered light conducting fibers (49); an optical imaging system (51) located between said image conductors (15) and said photoelectric receiving element for imaging the light, distributed over said multiplicity of ordered light conducting fibers, from said one image element onto a part region of a row of said photoelectric receiving element (38); and said image conductors having light-exit surfaces such that image information leaving said light-exit surfaces is imaged onto an arrangement with in-line, parallel and equally spaced said receiving elements (38); each line of said receiving elements (38) being associated with precisely one strip of said light-exit surfaces of said image conductors (15).

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 34 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the image conductors (15) are joined together at the receiving end to form an optical plug-in connector (31), the light-exit surfaces lying more or less in one plane.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 55 words

Device according to claim 2, wherein the photosensitive elements (38) are preceded by an optical system (33) consisting of lens systems (34, 37) and colour filters (36), which image the outputs of the plug-in connector (31), corresponding to the colour channels of the individual measuring modules (27), onto a corresponding number of receiving apparatuses (16).

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 28 words

Device according to claim 2, wherein the outputs of the optical plug-in connector (31) are imaged via an optical system (33) onto at least one receiving apparatus (16).

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 56 words

Device according to claim 4, wherein a coupling member (52) is provided between the plug-in connector (31) and the receiving apparatus (16), said coupling member (52) opto-mechanically adapting the geometrical dimensions of the stacked outputs of the image conductors (15) to the geometrical dimensions of the receiving apparatus (16) or of the CCD line array (38).

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 89 words

Device according to claim 5, wherein the coupling member (52) consists of a front block (53), corresponding to the geometrical dimensions of the stacked outputs of the image conductors (15), and of a rear-side block (55), adapted to the geometry of the receiving apparatus (16), and in that the front block (53) and the rear-side block (55) are connected through the intermediary of image conductors (15), the number of which corresponds to the number of image conductors (15) provided between the measuring modules (27) and the receiving apparatus (16).

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 49 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive receiving elements (38) are preceded by an optical system (33), said optical system (33) consisting of a first receiving lens system (34), a colour-beam divider (35) and a further receiving lens system (37) for each colour channel (X, Y, Z, NIR).

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 30 words

Device according to claim 7, wherein the optical system (33) contains two lens systems, said lens systems being so disposed that the intermediate space is transilluminated in virtually parallel manner.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 27 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the image conductors (15) is succeeded by a field stop (62) with a plurality of gap-shaped openings (63).

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 32 words

Device according to claim 9, wherein the field stop (62) comprises a blacked-out region between the position of the image information and the position of a white reference of illumination apparatus (28).

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 57 words

Device according to claim 9, wherein the cross section of the image conductors (15) is greater than the field stop (62), and in that the input of each image conductor (15) is adjustable, with respect to the optical axis of the first lens system (34), in a holder at the receiving end of the image conductors (15).

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 34 words

Device according to claim 11, wherein the colour filters (36) in the optical system (33) consist of a plurality of different filter parts capable of being displaced in relation to the field stop (62).

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 45 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive receiving elements (38) each consist of a chip with a plurality of parallel parts, and in that the pixel height is greater than the height of the image of the scanning lines on the receiving elements (38).

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 80 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the radiation from each of the individual illumination apparatuses (28), disposed in a line, is coupled onto a light guide (64), the output of which is connected directly to the corresponding image conductor (15) and is measured in each of the colour channels, with the result that measured colour values are made available for each illumination apparatus (28), said measured colour values being normalized to the corresponding values of a standard light source (47).

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 15 words

Device according to claim 14, wherein the standard light source (47) is a calibration white.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 60 words

Device according to claim 15, wherein the calibration white (47) is disposed on a separate carrier in the cylinder gap (65) of a cylinder (5, 10) transporting the printed product (32), with respect to which cylinder (5, 10) the measurement is being performed, or on the cylinder (5, 10) itself, preferably over the entire length of the cylinder (5, 10).

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 46 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein a lamp closed-loop control (61) is provided, said lamp closed-loop control (61) adjusting the current for the illumination apparatuses (28), disposed in modules (27), in such a manner that the radiation intensity of said illumination apparatuses (28) is mutually balanced.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 45 words

Device according to claim 17, wherein a light guide (64) is disposed in a hole (70), the axis of said light guide (64) being directed at the respective illumination apparatus (28), and in that the light guide (64) is axially displaceable inside said hole (70).

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 49 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring modules (27) are associated with blast-air apparatuses (45), said blast-air apparatuses (45) are disposed in a protective housing (46), the blast-air stream directed at the printed product (32) serving simultaneously to cool the illumination apparatuses (28) of the measuring modules (27).

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 39 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein a measuring bar (14) is swivellably held together with the illumination arrangement (28) and further parts (30) of the image-capturing apparatus and is lockable in a measuring position and in a parked position.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 43 words

Device according to claim 20, wherein the measuring bar (14) is lockable in two positions with respect to a protective housing (46), and in that the measuring bar (14), at least when in the parked position, is disposed in the protective housing (46).

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 48 words

Device according to claim 21, wherein calibration white (47) is disposed in the protective housing (46) over preferably the entire length of the measuring bar (14), and in that normalization to the calibration white (47) can be carried out with the measuring bar (14) in the parked position.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 38 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination arrangement (28) directly or indirectly emits radiation into the defined image region (50), and in that the reflected radiation is imaged via an optical system (33) onto receiving apparatuses (16).

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 30 words

Device according to claim 23, wherein the optical system (33) contains a beam divider (35), the individual outputs of which are associated with optical filters (36) with imaging optics (37).

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 30 words

Device according to claim 23, wherein the optical system (33) contains colour filters (36) and imaging optics (37) situated outside the perpendicular observation direction with respect to the illumination/measurement plane.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 25 words

Device according to claim 23, wherein the optical system (33) contains a partial filter (66) disposed at the common focal point of two lens systems.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2001-03-02	2001-09-01	2002-03-03	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2005-03-02	2005-09-01	2006-03-03	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2009-03-02	2009-09-01	2010-03-03	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Device for parallel image inspection and inking control on a printed product

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