Abstract: A rubber product inspection method for inspecting internal flaws and/or surface defects of a vulcanized transparent or translucent rubber product includes: irradiating illumination light onto the rubber product, so that the light transmitted through the rubber product can be picked-up; and determining an absence or presence of internal flaws of the rubber product, based on an image of the transmitted light picked-up by an image pickup device. An inspection apparatus for executing the inspection method includes a transparent or translucent table on which the rubber product in placed; at least one light source and an image pickup CCD camera which are provided on opposite sides of the table.

Abstract: The present invention disclosed a method and system inspecting cotton web homogeneity by a digital image processing technique, in particular, for an on-line cotton web homogeneity test. It uses optical principles in conjunction with a charge coupled device type camera to find a theoretical equation indicating the correlation between the transmittance of cotton webs and basic weights (weights per unit area). Next, the invention makes use of a numerical analysis method to find the optimal approximation equation representing a relationship between measured transmittance and basic weights of cotton webs. When executing an on-line inspection, a system according to the invention detects the transmittance of cotton webs by means of the computer controlled visual device and then calculates correlated data of cotton web homogeneity variations according to the approximation equation acquired previously.

Abstract: A reflectometer, comprising an illuminator in a 45°/0° configuration with a light source formed by a lamp and an illuminator optic. Light emitted by the lamp is passed after reflection via a measuring opening into a housing and supplied to a measuring system contained therein. Furthermore, the illuminator optic is formed by a number of light guides which start at the light source and end in the form of a rim with a conoidal emission side. The light guides form one or several groups, a group of light guides being made in one piece of plastic.

Abstract: To detect yarn defects such as protruding filaments, broken filaments, ringers, fuzzballs, stripbacks and the like, a yarn sheet 9 traveling in a plane is scanned by light beams from at least two light barriers 10, 11. When a yarn defect interrupts the light beam of a light barrier, a detector pulse is triggered, appropriately amplified and transformed and sent to evaluating means 22. Such a detector pulse is triggered each time a yarn defect passes through a light barrier, so that the travel time or time difference T1,2 between the trip times of a yarn defect through the two light barriers can be determined by the evaluating means. Since the yarn sheet 9 passes through the light barriers at a constant velocity v, the travel times for the various individual ends from one light barrier to the next will differ and therefore can be used to determine the distance S normal to the yarn traveling direction of the yarn defect to the point of intersection of the light beams of the two light barriers.

Abstract: A first parameter is detected on a fast moving strip or yarn with a wave field, and a first signal indicating potentially present contaminants or impurities is generated. This first parameter preferably detects reflection properties that can be detected on the surface of the product. A further parameter is detected on the strip or yarn in a field, and a second signal is generated which also indicates contaminants or impurities. This second parameter preferably detects properties such as mass or diameter of the yarn or strip. Evaluations of the first signal and the second signal that occur at the same location on the product are considered together, and labeled to indicate the specific type of impurity or contaminant that they represent. Using empirical analysis, evaluation specifications can be selected to identify a group of impurities which are most likely to include a specific impurity of interest, e.g. non-vegetable contaminants.

Abstract: An optical fiber sorter system (10) includes a measurement system (14) operable to determine a measurement characteristic of an optical fiber. The system (10) also includes a guide system (12) operable to direct the optical fiber to a measurement position (54) relative to the measurement system (14). The system also includes a collection system (16) disposed adjacent an outlet (126) of the guide system (12). The collection system (16) includes a plurality of receivers (24) for receiving the optical fibers from the guide system (12). The system further includes a controller (18) operable to automatically position a particular receiver (24) of the collection system (16) adjacent the outlet (126) of the guide system (12) corresponding to the measurement characteristic of the optical fiber.

Abstract: Method of measuring a distortion angle between the longitudinal extent of the weft threads or rows of stitches in a textile strip (T) that is being continuously transported in a transporting apparatus (M) and the perpendicular to the transport direction, by means of a lighting arrangement (100A), a photoelectric sensor arrangement (107) with a plurality of sensor elements and an evaluation device (115) connected to the sensor arrangement for processing the values sampled from the sensor fields in order to obtain the distortion angle, wherein an arrangement of sensor elements with a plurality of rows and columns is used in which individual elements can be accessed as desired, and in a sequence of scanning steps different predetermined groups of sensor elements are interrogated, each of which is situated substantially on a sensor-field line, the groups involved in each scanning step being determined such that the scanned sensor-field lines are positioned at progressively altered angles with respect to the trans

Abstract: The invention relates to method for determining the existence of contaminations in a material, which method comprises: providing a relatively small partial quantity of said material as a sample quantity, and detecting the existence of any defects in said sample quantity. The method comprises detecting defects of a first size and at least a second size, determining a relationship of the number of detected defects as a function of the size of the defects, and determining the sizes of a number of defects which is so large that the distribution of detected defects in said sample quantity provides information regarding the existence of defects of additional sizes in said material. The invention also relates to a device for determining the existence of contaminations in a material. By means of the invention, an accurate and efficient assessment of the quality of a material, e.g. a polymer material, is provided.

Abstract: A machine vision inspection system for industrial parts such as plastic molded caps or the like can reliably detect defects at very high inspection rates on the order of 1600 per minute of a variety of cap colors and liners including previously difficult to inspect combinations. Advantageously, the system includes an inclined inspection ramp which provides separation between the caps which are processed through an inspection station to provide accurate imaging of each individual cap without interference from adjacent caps. Further, the inspection station includes a light source which is provided on the back side of the cap in the form of an infrared LED strobe light which provides accurate and reliable lighting for appropriate imaging of caps of any color to detect and identify defects therein.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for visually inspecting tubular garments such as socks, sleeves, stockings, panties or the like. The article is loaded onto or unloaded from a support or stretcher, and the article is checked or inspected by means of a computer-aided vision system during the loading onto or unloading off of the support or stretcher.

Abstract: An apparatus reading out a pattern formed on a cloth, includes a detector configured to detect amounts of vertical movements of a probe, the probe held movable in the vertical direction and held to be in contact with the cloth and the pattern, and a processor unit configured to process signals of the amounts of vertical movements and obtain pattern data. Another reading apparatus reading out a pattern formed on a cloth, includes an image sensor configured to detect data on brightness corresponding to two-dimensional positions on the cloth pattern, and a processor unit configured to process to select data on one-dimensional brightness in the width direction of the pattern from two-dimensional brightness data and to decode the pattern data based on the selected data.

Abstract: A moving fabric web vision inspection system. The apparatus includes at least two electronic cameras on one side of the moving fabric web for measuring the light intensity of a predetermined area of the moving fabric web. A high frequency, backlight, contrast panel on the other side of the moving fabric web provides reference point for the cameras to detect a defect. A controller connected to each of the electronic cameras generates a stop signal if the light intensity of the predetermined area of the moving fabric web deviates from a predetermined value. The predetermined value corresponds to a detected defect in the moving fabric web. Finally, a repair station downstream from the cameras allows an operator to repair a defect detected by the vision inspection system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting impurities (F) in a fiber stream (1) of mainly textile fibers, wherein the fiber stream and at least one reference quantity (15) are artificially visually sensed. To enable even impurities which are difficult to detect to be removed with improved efficiency, the reference quantity is to be adapted at least periodically.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a detector (1) of foreign fibres and to a corresponding detection method, which can be used for detecting foreign fibres and foreign materials in a measurement object (5) in the textile industry, for example in yarns, slithers and unformed fiber bands on, for example, weaving machines, spinning machines, bobbin winding machines, doubling machines, cards, drawing benches and bobbin frames . . . . The principle of the detection is based on the fact that a measurement object (5) and foreign fibres or materials which are situated in the measurement object (5) absorb the light emitted into the measurement volume (4) by a light source (2) to different extents. All the light in the measurement volume (4), or a representative sample thereof, is measured by photodetectors (3) and converted into a photoelectric signal.