Method of and apparatus for finishing a surface of workpiece

An apparatus for detecting and finishing surface defects in a surface of a workpiece moving at a predetermined speed along an automatic finishing line comprising:

• image pickup means for picking up and processing an image of the surface of the workpiece so as to provide defect data representative of any of said surface defects which are on the surface of the workpiece;
• finishing means for finishing said surface defects;
• drive means, movable in three dimensions, for supporting said image pickup means and said finishing means so that a vertical axis of said finishing means and an axis of a view field of said image pickup means align with each other along a vertical straight line, moving said image pickup means in a direction which is identical to a direction in which said workpiece moves and at a relative speed which is different from a predetermined speed at which said workpiece moves so as to move said image pickup means in one direction relative to said workpiece while picking up said image, moving said finishing means at the same speed as the speed at which said workpiece moves while finishing said surface, and moving said finishing means in another direction, opposite to said one direction, relative to said workpiece toward another surface defect to be subsequently finished;
• shift means for shifting said finishing means between an original position, in which said axis of said finishing means and said axis of the view field of said image pickup means are aligned with each other, and a rest position, in which said finishing means is out of said view field of said image pickup means;
• and
• control means for causing said shift means to shift said finishing means to said rest position from said original position before said image pickup means picks up said image of said surface of the workpiece and return said finishing means to said original position after said image pickup means has picked up said image and for shifting said drive means so as to place said finishing means in a position on said surface at which said surface defects exist according to said defect data.