Abstract: An inspection system and method suitable for high speed inspection of articles having bounded surfaces are disclosed. The apparatus processes the image of the item being inspected to provide a first processed image comprising the modulus of the light intensity from the article being inspected, and a second modified image comprising, for each point, the angle of the highest light intensity gradient at that point in the image. The variability of the angle throughout the image is then determined, and the modulus and variability combined such as, by way of example, by point by point multiplication, to provide image data comprising a quantitative evaluation of the image. This data in turn may be combined into a single quantitative measure indicating the desired characteristics of the article being inspected for acceptance and rejection, or otherwise used to determine surface characteristics, locate known or unknown surface anomalies, and/or determine the size, shape, orientation, etc.

Abstract: Graphics display systems ideally suited for the display of certain types of graphics information are disclosed. The display systems utilize a black and white or color raster scan display having a vertical rather than a conventional horizontal raster scan. Data stored in the refresh memory of the display system is run length encoded so that a display pixel may be defined at any position along each vertical sweep of the raster scan or trace. Multiple channels allow the definition of multiple pixels on each scan, which allows the display of graph type data in a manner simulating the output of a multiple channel strip chart recorder. The system includes alphanumeric character generation and graphics character capabilities which allow the definition of grid lines and the labeling of information displayed.

Abstract: A timing system for a three dimensional vibrating mirror display which controls the display of information throughout the varying rate of sweep through the display volume characteristic of such systems and assures proper interlacing of the forestroke and backstroke images in a simple efficient manner is disclosed. The system includes an anisochronous clock which varies its clocking rate in proportion to the momentary velocity of movement through the display volume so that the displayed image planes are equally spaced throughout the depth of the display volume. The anisochronous clock of the invention utilizes a relatively simple circuit to sequentially address a read-only memory in effect containing predetermined information regarding the velocity of sweep through the display volume for each position of the vibrating mirror, which information is used to generate a clock signal for controlling the display.

Abstract: Sorting and inspection apparatus and methods which may be used for the identification and separation of articles of different characteristics, or the inspection of articles of similar characteristics to reject those of below minimum standards. A typical system will include a transport system for individually transporting the articles past a television camera so that the camera may view the distinctive portions of the articles to be sorted or the area of the articles to be inspected. The output of the television camera is digitized based upon the number of transitions of light to dark (or dark to light) in the scan lines. A correlator then performs a specialized correlation between the digitized image and various previously digitized images representing the different items being sorted or inspected, to determine which of the previously stored images best correlates with the digitized image from the television camera.