Patent ID: 6618495
Filing Date: 2003-09-09
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A machine for inspecting the wall of a bottle comprisinga conveyor for supporting a bottle at an inspection station, the inspection station including a CCD camera on one side of the conveyor having a camera image; a light source, having an illumination area, on the other side of the conveyor, for imaging the bottle on said CCD camera image; means for defining on said illumination area light intensities varying between the extremes of black and a maximum brightness level on said light source illumination area, the intensity of the illumination varying spatially cyclically continuously at a rate of change which is less than that required to be detected as a defect; computer means for analyzing said camera image by comparing neighboring pixels (one or more away) alone or in combination to determine the rate of change in intensity to identify defects where the rate of change exceeds a defined value.