Patents by Inventor Henry P. Squyres

Henry P. Squyres has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Methods of separating selected items from a mixture including raisins and the selected items
    Patent number: 5464981
    Abstract: Methods of operating an automated optical inspection system to separate selected items, e.g., grape stems (124, 126, 128), grape leaves (122), or rocks from a mixture (16) of those items and raisins (120) include illuminating the mixture with illumination (37', 37") characterized by a spectral power distribution (86, 98) in the near infrared (88, 90, 100, 102), detecting reflections of wavelengths of the illumination in the near infrared, identifying the selected items based on the detected reflections, and sorting the selected items from the mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Simco/Ramic Corporation
    Inventors: Henry P. Squyres, Duncan B. Campbell
  • Method and apparatus for illuminating target specimens in inspection systems
    Patent number: 5440127
    Abstract: An illumination system (12) for an optical inspection and sorting apparatus (10) includes a rare gas discharge lamp (36) for emitting select wavelengths of radiation. Rare gas discharge lamp (36) includes a light transmissive outer envelope (58) and contains one or more rare gases, and in particular neon, argon, or xenon. A hemi-elliptical reflector (48) having reflecting surface (38) directs the select wavelengths of radiation toward target specimens (16) in optical scanning area (24) in illumination area (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Simco/Ramic Corporation
    Inventor: Henry P. Squyres
  • Shadowless spherical illumination system for use in an article inspection system
    Patent number: 5201576
    Abstract: A shadowless illumination system (10) according to the present invention includes a spherical chamber (14) having a chamber entrance opening (18) and a chamber exit opening (20). The inside surface (32) of the spherical chamber is coated with highly reflective flat white paint. A clear rigid plastic cylindrical tube (22) is positioned in the spherical chamber between the chamber entrance and exit openings. A circular fluorescent ring lamp (36) is positioned inside the spherical chamber to form an annulus around the tube. The lamp and the white inside surface of the spherical chamber provide shadowless illumination for articles (30) that are dropped or otherwise projected through the tube. The articles are inspected as they pass through the tube by at least two video inspection cameras (52 and 62) that view opposite sides of the articles through respective viewing openings (44 and 48). Whenever no articles are present in the image plane of a camera, the lamp provides a saturated background for the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Assignee: Simco/Ramic Corporation
    Inventor: Henry P. Squyres