# US 12,181,270 B2 · Inspection device for cylindrical bodies > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,270 B2 - Document ID: US12181270B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/145,040 - Filed: 2021-01-08 - Published: 2021-07-08 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-08 - Assignees: Schott AG - Applicants: Schott AG - Inventors: André Witzmann; Armin Eisner; Robert Witkowski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181270B2 ## CPC - G01B 11/24: for measuring contours or curvatures - G01N 21/952: Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires (G01N21/956 takes precedence) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - 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 An inspection device for a cylindrical body, a bundle of cylindrical bodies having improved straightness, and methods of inspecting are provided. The inspection device includes a transport device, a rotation device, and a measuring device. The transport device moves the cylindrical body relative to the measuring device. The rotation device and the transport device rotate the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device. The measuring device measures the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is rotating. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inspection device for a cylindrical body, comprising: a transport device having a feed plane statically mounted on a transport plane; a rotation device; a measuring device, wherein the transport device is configured to move the cylindrical body relative to the measuring device, wherein the rotation device and the transport device are configured to rotate the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device, wherein the measuring device is configured to measure the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is rotating, and wherein the transport device is configured so that during rotation of the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body is not in contact with the transport plane of the transport device, and a first angle between a normal of the feed plane and a measuring direction of the measuring device that is more than 45° to less than 135°. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inspection device of claim 1, wherein the first angle is more than 85° to less than 95°. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The inspection device of claim 1, wherein the rotation device comprises a rotation plane. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The inspection device of claim 3, wherein at least a part of the rotation plane is parallel to the transport plane and/or perpendicular to the feed plane. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The inspection device of claim 3, wherein the transport plane and the rotation plane are even and parallel to each other. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The inspection device of claim 3, further comprising a second angle of the rotation plane and the measuring direction of the measuring device that is more than 45° to less than 135°. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The inspection device of claim 1, wherein the rotation device comprises a moving rotation plane, wherein the moving rotation plane moves relative to the measuring device and the transport device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The inspection device of claim 6, wherein the moving rotation plane moves in a reverse direction with regard to the transport device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The inspection device of claim 1, wherein the rotation device comprises a rotation plane having a length from 1 cm to 1,000 cm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A bundle comprising five or more of the cylindrical bodies measured by the inspection device of claim 1, wherein all of the five or more of the cylindrical bodies exhibit a curvature of 1 mm or less. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The bundle of claim 10, wherein the five or more cylindrical bodies are tubes made of a material selected from a group consisting polymer, glass, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), cyclic olefin copolymer (COP), aluminosilicate glass, and borosilicate glass. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The bundle of claim 11, wherein the tubes have a length from 1 cm to 1,000 cm and/or an outer diameter of from 2 mm to 100 mm. ### Claim 13 A method of inspecting a cylindrical body having a rotational axis along its length, comprising: moving the cylindrical body relative to a measuring device along a transport plane of a transport device while the cylindrical body is in contact with two feed planes that are statically mounted to the transport plane; rotating the cylindrical body about the rotational axis while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is in contact with the two feed planes, wherein the cylindrical body is not in contact with the transport plane of the transport device during rotation of the cylindrical body; and measuring, using the measuring device, a curvature of the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is in contact with the two feed planes while maintaining a first angle between a normal of the feed plane and a measuring direction of the measuring device to between 45° and 135°. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the step of measuring is sufficient so that the curvature is not influenced by variations of the cylindrical body selected from a group consisting of a variation of a thickness of the cylindrical body, a variation of ovality of the cylindrical body, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining second angle between the rotational axis and the measuring direction of the measuring device to between 70° and 110°. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first and/or second angles are close to 90°. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first and/or second angles are maintained by using more than one measuring device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first and/or second angles are maintained by using a single measuring device spaced from the cylindrical body so that the first and/or second angle only changes slightly while the cylindrical body is moving relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is rotating. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising sorting out the cylindrical body if the curvature has a quality differing from a specific curvature value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) A bundle comprising a plurality of the cylindrical bodies, wherein each body of the plurality of cylindrical bodies is measured by the method of claim 18, wherein the specific curvature value comprises a curvature of 1 mm or less so that all of the plurality of the cylindrical bodies exhibit the curvature of 1 mm or less. ### Claim 21 An inspection device for a cylindrical body, comprising: a measuring device; a rotation device having a rotation plane; and a transport device having a transport plane and a feed plane, the feed plane being normal to and statically mounted on the transport plane, the transport plane being parallel to the rotation plane, wherein the rotation device and the transport device are configured to rotate the cylindrical body on the rotation plane while the cylindrical body is moving in the transport plane relative to the measuring device, wherein the transport device is configured so that during rotation of the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body is not in contact with the transport plane of the transport device, wherein the measuring device is configured to measure the cylindrical body while the cylindrical body is moving in the transport plane relative to the measuring device and while the cylindrical body is rotating, and wherein the measuring device is positioned to define a first angle between a normal of the feed plane and a measuring direction of the measuring device that is more than 45° to less than 135°. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The inspection device of claim 21, wherein the measuring device is positioned to define a second angle between the rotation plane and the measuring direction of the measuring device that is more than 45° to less than 135°.