Defect detection lighting system and methods for large glass sheets
AssigneeLite Sentry Corporation
InventorsDouglas P Wornson, Mark M Wornson, Eric L Hegstrom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A glass defect detection system comprising an apparatus and methods for the real-time inspection for defects in and on transparent sheets, such as a large sheets of glass is disclosed. The defect detection system utilizes a plurality of dark-field illumination systems and bright-field illumination systems and a plurality of baffles. A plurality of imaging devices are deployed to obtain images of transparent sheets. The defect detection system provides uniform lighting capable of equal detection of defects in all orientations and geometries. An image processing system analyzes for defects in and on the transparent sheet.
Claims22
A glass defect detection system, for the inspection of a large optically transparent sheet for the purpose of detecting defects in and on the transparent sheet, comprising:
- a plurality of illumination sources
- for projecting light onto the transparent sheet where each of the plurality of illumination sources comprise:
- a dark-field light assembly comprising a cross-conveyor light assembly and a plurality of parallel-conveyor light assemblies;
- a plurality of baffles;
- a plurality of imaging devices
- for receiving light reflected and scattered from the transparent sheet, providing an image of the transparent sheet and transmitting the image of the transparent sheet to an image processing system, and;
- an image processing system
- for analyzing the image for the defects in and on the transparent sheet.
A glass defect detection system, for the inspection of a large transparent sheet for the purpose of detecting defects in and on the transparent sheet, comprising:
- a plurality of illumination sources
- for projecting light onto the transparent sheet where each of the plurality of illumination sources comprise:
- a dark-field light assembly comprising a cross-conveyor light assembly and a plurality of parallel-conveyor light assemblies;
- and a bright-field light assembly;
- a plurality of baffles;
- a plurality of imaging devices
- for receiving light reflected and scattered from the transparent sheet, providing an image of the transparent sheet and transmitting the image of the transparent sheet to an image processing system, where each of the plurality of imaging devices is an area scan camera, and;
- an image processing system
- for analyzing the image for the defects in and on the transparent sheet.
A method for the optical inspection of a large transparent sheet for the purpose of detecting defects in and on the large transparent sheet, comprising:
- projecting light onto the transparent sheet from a plurality of illumination sources where each of the plurality of illumination sources comprise:
- a dark-field light assembly comprising a cross-conveyor light assembly and a plurality of parallel-conveyor light assemblies;
- blocking light reflected from the transparent sheet with a plurality of baffles;
- receiving light in an imaging device that provides an image of the transparent sheet and transmitting the image of the transparent sheet to an image processing system;
- and
- analyzing the image for the defects with the image processing system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.