Title: Apparatus for hardware item inspection

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1. Nut inspection apparatus for monitoring the height of nuts and adaptable to also determine if threading is present on the inner surface thereof, comprising:

a. a ramp for carrying said nuts, said ramp having a slot which defines an inspection position;

b. means for generating a laser beam;

c. means for splitting said laser beam into first and second beams;

d. adjustable means for directing said first beam transverse said ramp and over said slot at the inspection position, said means being adjustable to a predetermined position above said ramp;

e. a first photodetector for receiving said first beam in the absence of a nut of prescribed height at the inspection position;

f. means for directing said second beam toward the inner surface of a nut at the inspection position;

g. a second photodetector for receiving through said slot the light reflected from said inner surface;

h. means enabled by the output of said second photodetector and responsive to the output of said first photodetector for generating a height monitoring occurrence indication; and

i. means enabled by the output of said first photodetector for generating a thread indicative occurrence indication when the output of said second photodetector exceeds a predetermined threshold level.

2. Nut inspection apparatus for monitoring the presence of a bore hole in nuts and adaptable to also determine if threading is present on the inner surface thereof, comprising:

a. a ramp for carrying said nuts, said ramp having a slot which defines an inspection position;

b. means for generating a laser beam;

c. means for splitting said laser beam into first and second beams;

d. means for directing the first beam transverse the ramp and over the slot at the inspection position;

e. a first photodetector for receiving said first beam in the absence of a nut at the inspection position;

f. enable means responsive to the output of said first photodetector for generating an enable signal when a nut is at the inspection position;

g. means for directing said second beam toward the inner surface of a nut at the inspection position;

h. a second photodetector for receiving through said slot the light reflected from said inner surface;

i. means enabled by said enable signal and responsive to the output of said second photodetector for counting occurrences during which the output of said second photodetector exceeds a first predetermined threshold level;

j. means for generating a first occurrence indication when the accumulated count during said enable signal is one; and

k. means enabled by the output of said first photodetector for generating a thread indicative occurrence indication when the output of said second photodetector exceeds a predetermined threshold level.

3. Apparatus for automatically examining the surfaces of hardware items progressing along a track and for determining the threading frequency thereof, comprising:

a. means for determining the presence of an item at a predetermined inspection position along the track;

b. means for directing a beam of light toward the inspection position;

c. means for scanning said beam transverse the direction in which threads are running on a surface of an item at the inspection position;

d. a photodetector positioned to detect the light reflected from said surface of the item at the inspection position;

e. counting means coupled to the output of said photodetector for counting pulses which exceed a predetermined threshold level during the presence of an item at the inspection position; and

f. means for generating an occurrence indication as a function of the final count for each item.

Other info:

Inventors: Gugliotta, George (Ridgefield, CT, US)

Application Number: 619785
Filing Date: 1975-10-06
Publication_date: 1976-09-28
Assignee: Automation Systems, Inc. (Bethel, CT)
Primary Class(es): 250/223R 209/587, 209/653, 356/241.1
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

3565248	May, 1969	Messerschmidt	209/111.
3745354	Jul, 1973	Vargo	250/223.
3816746	Jun, 1974	Gugliotta et al.	356/241.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Nelms, David C.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Novack; Martin