Patent ID: 6690016
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
An apparatus for inspecting a sheet material produced by a production process having a process flow, comprising:a central process controller configured to control at least one aspect of the production process; a source of incident radiation which impinges upon the sheet material; a conveyor for moving the sheet material in a single plane; at least one infrared detector located proximate to a surface of the sheet material, said infrared detector positioned such that it can create an image of the surface of the sheet material at or downstream of the source of incident radiation; and a computer which is in communication with the central process controller and configured to receive and analyze the image from the infrared detector to determine physical characteristics of the sheet material, and transmit the determined physical characteristics to the central process controller, so that the central process controller adjusts the at least one aspect of the production process in response to the determined physical characteristic, wherein the infrared detector outputs early time data and later time data corresponding to a time decaying image of the sheet material, and the computer determines a first physical characteristic of the sheet material on the basis of the early time data, and a second physical characteristic of the sheet material on the basis of the first physical characteristic and the later time data.