# US 10,769,772 B2 · Methods for inspecting cellular articles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,769,772 B2 - Document ID: US10769772B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/575,087 - Filed: 2016-05-17 - Published: 2020-07-02 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-21 - Assignees: Corning Incorporated - Applicants: Corning Incorporated - Inventors: Russell Wayne Madara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10769772B2 ## CPC - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - G06T 7/0006: {using a design-rule based approach} - G01N 21/95692: {Patterns showing hole parts, e.g. honeycomb filtering structures} - G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/12: Edge-based segmentation - G06T 2207/30108: Industrial image inspection - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Methods of inspecting cellular articles such as cellular ceramic articles are disclosed, wherein the methods comprise characterizing a web structure from intensity values of a digital image. One method comprising establishing an edge location for each of the walls of the web, and an edge intensity slope SE for each edge location, and then searching for a wall intensity slope SW in one of the web walls of the characterized web structure to determine the location of a web defect. Another method involves determining at least one characteristic that defines a conforming cell, then identifying a non-conforming cell region based on the at least one characteristic, and then examining the walls within the non-conforming cell region to locate the defect in one of the walls within the non-conforming cell region. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of inspecting a web of a cellular article, wherein the web is defined by walls each having a width and a length and that in turn define an array of cells, the method comprising: a) characterizing a web structure from a digital image of the web in terms of intensity values, comprising establishing an edge location for each of the walls of the web, and an edge intensity slope SE for each edge location; and b) searching for a wall intensity slope SW in one of the web walls of the characterized web structure to determine the location of a web defect, if present in the web, wherein the condition α·|SE|≤|SW| is satisfied, wherein α is in the range from 0.75 to 1. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the intensity values comprise a peak value IP, and wherein the edge location is taken as ½·Ip. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising capturing the digital image. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein capturing the digital image comprises scanning either a front end or a back end of the cellular article with a line scanner. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, further comprising processing the captured digital image using a smoothing kernel, and carrying out act b) on the processed captured digital image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising c) identifying the web defect by: d) defining a region of interest for the wall in which to search for the web defect, wherein the region of interest is defined by rows and columns of intensity values, with the columns and rows oriented along the width and length of the wall, respectively; e) calculating, for the region of interest, the following four web structure parameters: i) for each column, a maximum intensity value to generate a row of maximum intensity values Imaxn, ii) a first derivative d(Imaxn) of the maximum intensity values, iii) a maximum of the first derivative dMax, iv) a minimum of the first derivative dMin, and iv) a distance NP between the maximum and a minimum values dMax and dMin; and f) identifying any web defects using the four web structure parameters Imaxn, dMax, dMin and NP. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining a maximum number CBT of consecutive intensity values in the row of intensity values Imaxn that are below a select intensity threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising identifying the web defect as a non-knitter when the conditions CBT>0, and dMax>THMax and dMinTHNP are satisfied, wherein THMax is in the range from 35 to 50, THMin is in the range from −35 to −50, and THNP is in the range from 1 to 3. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising identifying the web defect as a chip when the conditions CBT>0, and dMax>THMax and dMinTHNP are satisfied, wherein THMax is in the range from 20 to 30 THMin, is in the range from −20 to −30, and THNP is in the range from 1 to 3. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according claim 1, wherein the web defect in act b) is a curved or bent web wall. ### Claim 11 A method of locating a defect in a web of an extruded cellular ceramic article, wherein the web is defined by walls each having a width and a length and that in turn define an array of cells comprising: a) processing a captured digital image using a dynamic threshold process to form a processed image; b) determining at least one characteristic that defines a conforming cell; c) identifying a non-conforming cell region in the processed image based on the at least one characteristic that defines a conforming cell; and d) examining the walls within the non-conforming cell region to locate the defect in one of the walls within the non-conforming cell region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one characteristic that defines the conforming cell comprises an average cell area and a cell pitch. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the non-conforming cell has an area that exceeds the average cell area due to a non-knitter that makes the non-conforming cell area about twice the average cell area. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising capturing the digital image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein capturing the digital image comprises scanning an end of the ceramic article with a line scanner. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein capturing the digital image comprises supporting an end of the ceramic article on a flatbed scanner and capturing the digital image with the flatbed scanner. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the defect is a curved web wall or a bent web wall. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the defect is a non-knitter. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, comprising determining a location of the defect within the web. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, comprising determining a size of the defect within the web.