Material identification using infrared thermometry
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorRaymond K. Selander
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Automatic material identification is achieved using infrared thermometry. A focused beam of high flux energy is passed through a dichroic beam-splitter to remove visible UV with the remaining infrared directed to the surface of the material to be identified. An infrared thermometer sensor is positioned to sense the magnitude of the energy received from the material surface with the magnitude of the energy being indicative of the type of material scattering such energy. Control apparatus are employed to provide control signals as a function of the type of material identified such that automatic process operations may be effected in accordance therewith.
Claims13
A method for identifying paper or plastic sheet material from green ceramic material comprising the steps of;
- focusing a beam of infrared energy upon the surface of the materials to be identified from a preselected angle of incidence;
- sensing the radiant heat energy scattered from said surface at infrared wavelengths between 2.0 and 2.6 microns, said sensing of heat energy accomplished with a sensor positioned away from the angle of reflectance relative to said angle of incidence;
- determining the amount of scattered energy received from said surface through said step of sensing with the amount of energy sensed being a function of the product of the amount of energy radiated by said beam and a constant representative of the physical characteristics of said material;
- and
- using the amount of energy scattered from said surface as an indication of the type of material upon which said beam is focused by comparing said amount of energy with known amounts of energy predetermined for similarly scattered energy, which amounts respectively correlate to given material types.
A system for automatically identifying paper or plastic sheet material from ceramic material comprising;
- means to provide a focused beam of infrared energy directed from a given angle of incidence at the surface of the material to be identified;
- means to sense the radiant heat energy scattered from said surface at infrared wavelengths between 2.0 and 2.6 microns said means to sense radiation positioned to receive radiant heat energy from an angle away from the said angle of incidence;
- means for determining the amount of said heat energy sensed by said means to sense with the amount of energy sensed being a function of the product of the amount of energy radiated by said beam and a constant representative of the physical characteristics of said material;
- and
- means for comparing the amount of energy sensed with known amounts of energy predetermined for similarly scattered energy, from paper, plastic, or ceramic material,which amounts respectively correlate to given material types.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.