Abstract: A video inspection system with collimated viewing of plural containers has a conveyor for continuously transporting bodies disposed immediately adjacent one another to an inspection zone at which the bodies are backlighted. A video detector for capturing and analyzing a digital image of successive containers views the containers through a preferably fresnel collimating lens disposed between the bodies and the video detector, whereby an elevation view of the bodies is achieved. A data processing device operable to correlate the portions of successive images corresponding to a single body proceeding through the inspection zone analyzes the images and operates a downstream apparatus for segregating the bodies based upon visible features.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting the sidewalls of containers on a continuously-moving conveyor includes recording instantaneous upper and lower angularly-spaced images of the bottles as they pass. Data on the images is stored as numeric data indicating the grey shade of each pixel in a matrix of pixels, which matrix is examined for edges and then divided based on detected edges into inspection windows. The windows are subject to separate criteria between typically scuffed areas and open areas. The occurrence of pixels in at least three grey ranges reflecting clear glass, opaque glass, and scuffed glass, together with the correlation of such occurrences between angularly-spaced views and upper and lower views, is processed to detect defects. A memory stores a status indication in a queue representing the acceptability of the bottles being examined, which are then segregated by a downstream reject kicker mechanism.