Image analysis – Applications – Manufacturing or product inspection
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-04
2001-05-15
Mancuso, Joseph (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Applications
Manufacturing or product inspection
C348S082000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233350
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates, in general, to an apparatus for viewing and inspecting a surface area of a three dimensional object, such as a cylinder, square or elliptical wire or cable having an insulative coating or polymeric outer layer. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a hand-held probe, employing a miniature video camera and a light source, and connected to a remote video monitor for viewing and inspecting a surface area of an object.
Inspecting surfaces of three dimensional objects is important in many industries and fields. For example, in the aircraft industry, electrical and control wires and cables must be inspected on a regular basis for the detection of anomalies, flaws or imperfections in the surface of the wires or cables (such as stress cracks and abrasion chipping in the polymeric coatings or insulative layers of the wires and cables), which could lead to an unsafe condition. These inspections are normally performed by an inspector using a light and unaided eyes.
What is desired, however, is an apparatus and method for augmenting and assisting manual inspection procedures by providing lighting, image enlargement and recording capability. Preferably, the apparatus will include a hand-held imaging probe, a real-time image display, an image recorder, and a compact battery pack. The hand-held imaging probe will preferably be relatively small and lightweight, so that the probe can be placed anywhere or pushed up against anything an inspector would normally touch, or would point to within or just beyond arm's length. In addition, the probe will preferably be simple and inexpensive in design, and rugged and durable such that it can withstand rough handling during an inspection process without being damaged.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for viewing the surface area of an object and inspecting the surface area for anomalies, flaws or imperfections. The apparatus includes an imaging probe and an image display. The probe has a viewing window defining a field of view, and an image-forming lens within the probe defining an optical axis extending through the viewing window. An image detector is mounted within the probe on an opposite side of the image-forming lens relative to the viewing window for receiving through the image-forming lens a viewed image of the surface area of the object and transmitting electrical signals indicative of the viewed image to the image display.
The image-forming lens and the image detector define a primary object distance between the lens and a primary target plane wherein image resolution is best, and a primary image distance between the lens and the detector. At least one of a focal length of the lens, the primary object distance, and the primary image distance is selected to: (i) form the primary target plane at approximately the viewing window of the probe to thereby generate a relatively high resolution image of a surface area located at the aperture; (ii) focus approximately the entire field of view onto the image detector, such that the entire field of view will be transmitted to the image display; and (iii) provide a depth of field of view at least approximately equal to a height of the window and, in turn, define a viewing space in front of the window wherein a surface area located anywhere within the viewing space can be viewed and inspected.
The imaging probe also includes at least one light source between the viewing window and the image-forming lens for approximately uniformly illuminating the field of view. The image display is remotely mounted relative to the imaging probe and coupled to the image detector of the probe for receiving the image signals transmitted by the detector. The image display is adapted to provide an enlarged image of the viewed surface area.
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Mehrotra Yogesh
Pike John Nazarian
Cummings & Lockwood
Mancuso Joseph
Materials Technologies Corporation
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