A method for operating a vehicle having at least one surface region designed to come into direct contact with a user, and at least one sensor to register a direct contact between the at least one surface region and the user. The method includes registering the beginning of a use of the vehicle by the user, registering direct contacts of the user with the at least one defined surface region by using the at least one sensor, registering the end of the use of the vehicle by the user, evaluating the registered direct contacts of the user with the at least one surface region, wherein the surface region is classified with respect to a potential degree of soiling of the surface region caused by the direct contacts during the use, and outputting a notification on the potential degree of soiling of the surface region.

A surface inspection method includes: an irradiating step of emitting oblique illumination light onto an inspection target region of steel material using two or more oblique line light sources; an imaging step of receiving each of reflected light beams of the oblique illumination light from the respective oblique line light sources, the reflected light beams being from the inspection target region, and capturing images of the inspection target region, by one or more line sensors; and a detecting step of detecting a linear surface defect at the inspection target region using the images captured at the imaging step, wherein orthographic projections of at least two oblique illumination light beams, out of the oblique illumination light from the two or more oblique line light sources, onto a surface of the steel material are orthogonal to each other on the inspection target region.

The invention provides a defect inspection apparatus. The defect inspection apparatus includes: an illumination optical system configured to irradiate a sample with an illumination spot; a detection unit configured to detect, from a plurality of directions, reflected light from the sample irradiated with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; a control unit configured to control a scan of the sample with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system by overlapping detection regions such that the detection regions partially overlap, the detection regions being detected by the detection unit configured to execute a detection from the plurality of directions when the sample is scanned with the illumination spot of the illumination optical system; and a signal processing unit configured to process a signal obtained by detecting the reflected light from the sample by the detection unit to detect a defect. The signal processing unit includes: a data integration unit configured to synthesize an integrated signal by processing the signal detected a plurality of times by overlapping the reflected light of the sample for each detection region by the detection unit; and a defect detection unit configured to detect the defect on a surface of the sample based on the integrated signal synthesized by the data integration unit.

Provided is a technique capable of more accurately determining a solder protruding defect in an appearance inspection device that acquires an image of an inspection region of an inspection target and measures a height of a predetermined place in the inspection region with a height measurement device. The appearance inspection device includes: an imaging unit (3); a height measurement unit (20); a moving mechanism (5) that moves the imaging unit (3) and the height measurement unit (20). When a restricted region (M) in the inspection target is irradiated with the measurement light emitted from the height measurement unit (20), the determination unit restricts defect determination based on the information on the height of the predetermined place measured by the height measurement unit (20).

An inspection apparatus includes: a light emitter to emit light to a sealing portion of a package containing a light energy absorbing material, the light having a wavelength absorbable by the light energy absorbing material; a light receiver to receive thermal radiation from the sealing portion as thermal information; and circuitry including multiple image processing algorithms, the circuitry to: acquire the thermal information on the sealing portion from the light receiving unit as a two-dimensional image; determine whether the sealing portion is pass or fail based on the two-dimensional image acquired; and discriminate a type of a sealing defect from other types of sealing defects previously set in the multiple image processing algorithms in response to a determination that the sealing portion is fail.

An automatic determination process device 1 comprises image acquisition units 14, 147, 247, an automatic determination unit 15, and determination result output units 14, 148, 248. An error detection verification device 2 displays a defect candidate image on a display device. The error detection verification device 2 acquires, via an input device, secondary inspection determination result information about the defect candidate image. The image acquisition units 14, 147, 247 read the defect candidate image displayed by the error detection verification device 2 from a medium for displaying the same on the display device. The automatic determination unit 15 executes a determination process on the basis of the content of the defect candidate image read by the image acquisition units 14, 147, 247 and outputs a determination result. The determination result output units 14, 148, 248 generate a signal in accordance with the determination result. Said signal is equivalent to pressing, via the input device connected to the error detection verification device 2, either a “defect” button or a “good” button included on a screen displayed by the error detection verification device 2.

A portable visual inspection apparatus comprises a box including a lower box portion and an upper box portion. The upper box portion defines a first accommodation space and is connected to the lower box portion such that is capable of being opened and closed. A visual inspection device is installed in the first accommodation space and is adapted to be switched between an expanded configuration in which the visual inspection device is at least partially expanded for photographing an image of an article, and a folded configuration in which the visual inspection device is at least partially folded for storage in the first accommodation space. A support platform is arranged in the lower box portion and defines an inspection area below the visual inspection device in the expanded configuration. The portable visual inspection apparatus is switchable between a use configuration and a transportation configuration.

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining a like grade and value or range of values for collectible cards. The system is configured to perform a method comprising: providing a graded card database comprising identifying attributes, physical characteristics, and grade information of each of graded cards, wherein the grade information comprises grade and corresponding grading entity of the graded cards; receiving at least one image of an object card; determining identifying attributes and physical characteristics of the object card based on the at least one image; selecting, from the graded card database, a comparison group including potentially a plurality of comparison cards based on the identifying attribute of the object card; determining a similarity between the object card and each comparison card based on the physical characteristic; and determining a likely grade for the object card based on the similarity. A card value database with information of traded card may be additionally provided and a likely value or range of values may be determined.

A deterioration diagnosis device according to an example aspect of the present invention includes: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor performs operations. The operations include: acquiring an image including a portion to be diagnosed in a structure; calculating, by using the image, deterioration degree that is a degree of deterioration of the portion; calculating reliability for the deterioration degree based on imaging information that is information related to capturing of the image; and outputting the deterioration degree and the reliability in association with each other.

The present disclosure provides techniques for optical inspection systems and methods for moving objects. In some embodiments, an optical inspection system includes: a first and a second image capturing device configured to acquire images from moving objects; a first and a second first-stage storage system; a first and a second second-stage processor; a second-stage storage system; a third-stage processor; and a third-stage storage system. In some embodiments, an optical inspection system, includes: a first and a second image capturing device; a first and a second volatile memory system; a first and a second second-stage processor; a third second-stage processor; and a third-stage storage system. The first and second second-stage processors can be configured to analyze the images from the image capturing devices. The third-stage processor or the third second-stage processor can be configured to process information from a processor and/or storage system and produce a report.