Abstract: An automatic system for inspecting products having an edge or edges which, for an acceptable product, are straight (within predetermined tolerances) without accurate orientation of such products which includes a raster-scanned television camera (or its equivalent) for generating a composite video signal corresponding to the product being inspected. The number of horizontal sweep intervals in each edge to determine its length and comparing such length information with pre-stored reference length to determine if the two correspond, rejecting the capsule if it is shorter than the reference length but, if it is longer than the acceptable length, determining if the greater length is a result of the product's being tilted or torn.

Abstract: An automated pattern inspection system comprising first means for measuring an area value of an object digitized pattern, second means for computing a first square value of a boundary length from the area value, third means for detecting a boundary of the object digitized pattern, fourth means for computing a second square value of a length of the boundary detected by the third means, fifth means for computing a subtraction value between the first square value from the second means and the second square value from the fourth means, and sixth means for comparing the subtraction value from the fifth means with a reference level, whereby a condition of defect in the pattern is evaluated. According to this invention, any defect in an object pattern, regardless of its size, can be detected with a high speed operation, since this system does not require a square root extraction process.