The disclosure contains a method of quantifying and/or evaluating metal ions in a dentifrice, wherein the method comprises subjecting the dentifrice to X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and wherein the XAS is used to measure and/or evaluate the metal ions in the dentifrice. Also disclosed are methods of selecting and screening for dentifrices based upon the evaluation and quantification of their metal ion content.

A shape inspection apparatus for inspecting a strip-shaped body includes: a line sensor camera; a first illumination light source and a second illumination light source; a measurement control unit; and a data processing unit. The measurement control unit controls the lighting timings and light emission time periods as well as the line image acquisition timing based on a line speed so that overlapping of photographing ranges does not occur between a first line image acquired within a light emission time period of the first illumination light source and a second line image acquired within a light emission time period of the second illumination light source. The data processing unit calculates an inclination of the surface of the strip-shaped body based on a differential line image obtained based on the first line image and the second line image.

A spectroscopic analysis apparatus includes: a light projecting device; a light receiving device; and an output device, wherein the light receiving device includes: a separator configured to separate reflected light into s-polarized light and p-polarized light; a detector for s-polarized light configured to output an electric signal indicating an intensity of the s-polarized light; and a detector for p-polarized light configured to output an electric signal indicating an intensity of the p-polarized light; and the output device is configured to: calculate an absorbance based on a ratio between the intensities of the s-polarized light and the p-polarized light using the electric signals output from the detector for s-polarized light and the detector for p-polarized light; and calculate either or both of the composition and the composition ratio of the surface of the measurement target object using an intensity of the absorbance at any desired wavenumber.

A shape inspection apparatus for inspecting a strip-shaped body includes: a line sensor camera; a first illumination light source and a second illumination light source; a measurement control unit; and a data processing unit. The measurement control unit controls the lighting timings and light emission time periods as well as the line image acquisition timing based on a line speed so that overlapping of photographing ranges does not occur between a first line image acquired within a light emission time period of the first illumination light source and a second line image acquired within a light emission time period of the second illumination light source. The data processing unit calculates an inclination of the surface of the strip-shaped body based on a differential line image obtained based on the first line image and the second line image.

A full width measurement system includes a frame having a first and second rails. The first and second rails are positioned transverse to a moving sheet of material such that the first and second rails are positioned on opposite sides of the moving sheet. Sources may be positioned along the first rail in a predetermined arrangement across a width of the moving sheet. Each of the sources are configured to emit energy toward the moving sheet in a predetermined pattern. Detectors may be positioned along the second rail in a predetermined alignment with respect to the sources such that each of the detectors detect an energy level from multiple respective sources after the energy from the respective sources has passed through the moving sheet. Controller circuitry is configured to receive signals from the detectors and provide real time measured parameters spanning the width of the moving sheet of material.

A method for inspection of a surface of a sheet moving in a direction, in which the surface is illuminated with first and second light sources, with the first light source emitting light under a first incidence angle range onto a first surface area and the second light source emitting light under a second incidence angle range onto a second surface area of the surface of the sheet. The first and second light sources are operated in pulsed fashion in alternation with a stipulated pulse frequency so that the surface of the sheet is illuminated in alternation with the pulse frequency in the first surface area and the second surface area and the first surface area illuminated by the first light source is observable by an inspector via a mirror in the bright field and the second surface area illuminated by the second light source is observable by the inspector via the mirror in the dark field.

A shape inspection apparatus includes N illumination light sources, a line sensor camera, a measurement control unit, and a data processing unit. The measurement control unit controls the illumination light sources to modulate luminescence intensities at a frequency that is 1/N of a frequency of a scan rate of the line sensor camera, and to emit lights by sequentially repeating N different patterns of illumination intensity ratios. The data processing unit generates a first separated image and a second separated image based on a photographed image, generates a first mixing elimination image acquired by removing an unnecessary illumination component from the first separated image, and a second mixing elimination image acquired by removing an unnecessary illumination component from the second separated image, and calculates an inclination of the surface of the strip-shaped body based on a difference between the first mixing elimination image and the second mixing elimination image.

A method for coating a surface of a substrate may involve coating the surface of the substrate with a wet coating by way of a coating station, conveying the substrate by way of a conveying device, and detecting the surface coated with the wet coating by producing a thermal image of a detection region that comprises part of the surface. The thermal image may be recorded in a spectral range that includes a wavelength between 1 micrometer and 20 micrometers. Further, the detection region may be located directly downstream of the coating station, or the detection region may at least partially include the coating station.

A method for measuring the thickness of coatings on metal substrates comprises illuminating a sample comprising a substrate and a coating with light waves of varying wavelengths from a light source, receiving the light waves reflected by the sample at a light collector, diffracting the light waves into a plurality of component wavelengths with a grating, detecting the light intensities of the plurality of component wavelengths at a detector array, generating a reflectance spectral curve using the detected light intensities for each of the plurality of component wavelengths, calculating the thickness of the coating from the reflectance spectral curves of the component wavelengths.

A shape measurement apparatus includes: a linear light source that includes a superluminescent diode and applies linear light spreading in a width direction of the strip-shaped body to a surface of the strip-shaped body; a screen on which reflected light of the linear light off the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected; an area camera that captures an image of the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing apparatus that calculates the surface shape of the strip-shaped body using the captured image of the reflected light of the linear light captured by the area camera.