US 2015/0177157 A1 · ARTICLE INSPECTION APPARATUS

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inspecting the surface of articles and subsequent grading of fruit. The apparatus includes conveying means for conveying an article through an inspection site and rotating the article about a lateral axis of the conveying means as it passes through the inspection site. The conveying means is arranged to convey the article with its longitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the conveying means, the total angle of rotation about the lateral axis being limited to substantially 180 degrees. An imaging system has at least one image capture means and image directing means arranged to provide to the image capture means a plurality of different views of the inspection site about the lateral axis of the conveying means. The image capture means is arranged to capture a plurality of images of the article at different rotational angles as it passes through the inspection site.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An article inspection apparatus including:

conveying means for conveying an elongate article through an inspection site and rotating the elongate article about a lateral axis of the conveying means as it passes through the inspection site, wherein the total angle of rotation about the lateral axis is limited to substantially 180 degrees;
and
an imaging system having at least one image capture means and image directing means arranged to provide to the image capture means a plurality of different views of the inspection site about the lateral axis of the conveying means, the image capture means arranged to capture a plurality of images of the elongate article at different rotational angles as it passes through the inspection site.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Article inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

Article inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24