Inspection of matter

A method of automatically inspecting matter, comprising emitting from emitting means a detection medium, which comprises electromagnetic radiation, to be active at said matter, said medium being varied by variations in said matter, receiving the varied medium from a multiplicity of detection zones at said matter at receiving means in the form of a rotary polygonal mirror, reflecting the varied medium from the mirror to a plurality of detecting means, detecting at said detecting means a plurality of discrete wavelengths of said varied medium substantially simultaneously, and generating detection data from said detecting means in respect of said plurality of discrete wavelengths substantially simultaneously and in dependence upon the variations in said medium, the beams of the varied medium which are received at said detecting means and emanate from the respective detection zones travelling along respective paths from said matter to said mirror which paths converge continuously with respect to each other from said matter to said mirror and do not substantially co-incide with any significant part of the path of the emitted detection medium from the emitting means to the matter.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium, which comprises electromagnetic radiation, to be active at said matter, a rotary polygonal mirror arranged to receive directly from said matter detection medium varied by variations in said matter, detecting means serving to receive the varied medium by reflection from the rotary polygonal mirror, to detect a plurality of wavelengths of said varied medium substantially simultaneously, and to generate detection data in respect of said plurality of wavelengths substantially simultaneously and in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom, the arrangement being such that the path of the varied medium from the matter to the mirror does not substantially co-incide with any significant part of the path of the emitted detection medium from the emitting means to the matter.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium, which comprises electromagnetic radiation, to be active at said matter, a rotary polygonal mirror arranged to receive from a multiplicity of detection zones at said matter detection medium varied by variations in said matter, a planar mirror by way of which said rotary polygonal mirror receives the varied medium, detecting means serving to receive the varied medium by reflection from the rotary polygonal mirror, to detect a plurality of wavelengths of said varied medium substantially simultaneously, and to generate detection data in respect of said plurality of wavelengths substantially simultaneously and in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom, the planar being arranged to reflect varied medium from at least some of said multiplicity of detection zones.

A method of automatically inspecting matter comprised of differing materials, comprising emitting a beam of detection medium so that said beam scans said matter in a traversing manner, said medium being varied by variations in the composition of said matter, and one of by passing said medium through said matter and through being reflected from said matter, receiving the varied medium at detecting means, generating detection data from said detecting means in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and identifying at least one of said materials from said data.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter comprised of differing materials, comprising emitting means serving to emit a scanning beam of detection medium to scan said matter in a traversing manner, receiving means arranged to receive detection medium varied by variations in the composition of said matter, detecting means serving to generate detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom and to identify at least one of said materials from said data.

A method of automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising advancing a stream of said matter comprised of individual objects, emitting a detection medium to be active at a multiplicity of individual detection zones distributed across substantially the width of said stream at a transverse section of said stream, said medium being varied by variations in the composition of said matter at said transverse section, receiving the varied medium at receiving means, generating detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium, utilising a camera, which is other than said receiving means, to detect spatial characteristics of said objects, and generating further data in dependence upon said spatial characteristics.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising detection station means through which a stream of said matter comprised of individual objects advances, emitting means serving to emit a detection medium to be active at a multiplicity of individual detection zones distributed across substantially the width of said stream at a transverse section of said stream at said station means, receiving means serving to receive detection medium varied by variations in the composition of said matter at said section, detecting means serving to generate a first series of detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium, a camera, which is other than said receiving means, at said station means and serving to detect spatial characteristics of said objects and serving to generate a second series of detection data in dependence upon said spatial characteristics, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and to said camera and serving to obtain the first and second series of detection data therefrom.

A method of automatically inspecting matter comprised of differing materials, comprising emitting a detection medium to be active at said matter, said medium being varied by variations in the composition of said matter, receiving the varied medium at receiving means from, in turn, groups of detection spots at said matter, whereof each group contains a plurality of said detection spots and provides one of a plurality of detection zones, with the varied medium from all of the detection spots in each group being received substantially simultaneously, generating:

• detection data for each detection zone in dependence upon the variations in said medium at the detection zone, and identifying at least one of said materials from said data.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter comprised of differing materials, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium to be active at said matter, receiving means serving to receive detection medium varied by variations in the composition of said matter from, in turn, groups of detection spots at said matter, whereof each group contains a plurality of said detection spots and provides one of a plurality of detection zones, with the varied medium from all of the detection spots in each group being received substantially simultaneously, detecting means serving to generate detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium at each detection zone, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom and to identify at least one of said materials from said data.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting a stream of matter, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium to be active at said matter, first and second receiving means of respective first and second inspection arrangements separate from each other and arranged to receive from said matter detection medium varied by variations in said matter, first and second detecting means of said respective first and second inspection arrangements serving to receive the varied medium by reflection from the receiving means, and to generate detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and data-obtaining means connected to said first and second detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom, the apparatus being such that the inspection paths of the respective inspection arrangements are substantially aligned with each other transversely of the stream to form, a substantially continuous inspection path.

Apparatus for automatically inspecting a stream of matter, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium, which comprises radiation, as a scanning beam to irradiate in a traversing manner a path over said matter, inspecting means arranged to inspect the irradiated path at an oblique angle to said matter, and ascertaining means arranged to ascertain from that inspection the general profile of that path.

A method of inspecting a stream of matter, comprising emitting from emitting means a detection medium, which comprises radiation, to be active at said matter, said medium being varied by variations in said matter, at least part of the emitted medium passing through said matter and the varied medium which has passed through said matter being received at detecting means at a diametrically opposite side of said stream to said emitting means, and preventing said detecting means from receiving the medium directly from the emitting means.

Apparatus for inspecting matter, comprising emitting means serving to emit a detection medium, which comprises radiation, to be active at said matter, detecting means arranged to receive, by passage of the medium through said matter, detection medium varied by variations in said matter, and shielding means arranged to prevent the detecting means from receiving the medium directly from the emitting means and located on a direct path from the emitting means to the detecting means.