A light irradiation apparatus for irradiating an object with light, includes a plurality of line-shaped light blockers arranged at a predetermined center-to-center interval, and configured to at least partially block light, and a plurality of line-shaped light irradiators arranged to overlap some of the plurality of light blockers so as to irradiate the object with light. The plurality of light irradiators are arranged to form a period not less than twice as large as the center-to-center interval of the plurality of light blockers.

To provide a surface damage inspection system for a workpiece allowing automation of appearance inspection using imaging technique and allowing appearance inspection of a workpiece efficiently and effectively. A surface damage inspection system comprises: an illumination unit that emits light to an inspection target surface from four directions including frontward and rearward directions in an X direction and rightward and leftward directions in a Y direction; an imaging unit that captures an image of the inspection target surface; a damage detection unit that detects damage at the inspection target surface using the image of the inspection target surface; a robot to which a damage inspection device including the illumination unit and the damage detection unit is attached; a table on which the workpiece is to be placed; and a controller that controls drive of the robot. The controller controls drive of the robot and the damage inspection device so as to make the damage inspection device inspect the workpiece on the table or the workpiece gripped by the robot.

This invention comprises a system and a method for inspecting the inside of delayed petroleum coking vessels to identify deformations, detect and determine the severity of other defects, and visually observe the inside of the inspected vessel.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for inspecting an elongated tube-like object. The apparatus comprises a body (1, 2) for moving along the elongated tube-like object by clamping the object; and a sensor frame (15, 15b, 15c) supporting one or more sensors (20) for measuring a state indication property. One or more one or more body-to-sensor-frame connections (39, 40, 43, 72b, 72c) connect the sensor frame (15, 15b, 15c) to the body (1, 2), wherein the one or more body-to-sensor-frame connections (39, 40, 43, 72b, 72c) are arranged to allow an adjustable relative position between the sensor frame and the body, while the sensor frame can position itself with respect to the tube.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a surface (1) of interest of a part (2) by means of a camera (3) intended to be mounted on a robot (4), the camera (3) comprising a sensor and optics associated with an optical centre C, an angular aperture alpha and a depth of field PC and defining a sharpness volume (6), this method comprising the following operations: loading a three-dimensional virtual model of the surface (1); generating a three-dimensional virtual model of the volume of sharpness (6); paving the model of the surface (1) by means of a plurality of unit models of said three-dimensional virtual model of the volume of sharpness (6); for each position of said unit models (6), calculating the corresponding position, called the acquisition position, of the camera (3).

An operator controlled wire rope maintenance apparatus for remotely discerning and locating wire rope wear problems.

A method of quality inspection is performed by a robotic arm that includes a plurality of segments, a camera at an end of the robotic arm, and a plurality of joints connecting two segments of the plurality of segments. The method includes (i) inspecting, via the camera, a surface of a product with the camera positioned at a first position, (ii) based on the inspecting, identifying: (a) an area of interest on the surface of the product, and (b) a relative location of the area of interest on the surface, (iii) positioning, based on the relative location of the area of interest on the surface, the camera at a second position, and (iv) inspecting, via the camera, the area of interest on the surface of the product with the camera positioned at the second position. Inspecting the area of interest includes inspecting a subset of the surface of the product.

An automobile manufacturing plant for manufacturing automobiles has a series of manufacturing sites including a part forming shop, a body shop, a paint shop and an assembly shop. Each manufacturing site is associated with a respective inspection site. The respective inspection sites provide inspection data representing at least one of dimensional characteristics, shape characteristics or surface characteristics of the car body parts, the car body, the painted car body and the car-on-wheels produced in the series of manufacturing sites. The inspection data from the plurality of inspection sites is correlated in a common data base server. Inspection sites at a later stage of the manufacturing process can use inspection data from previous stages and automatically decide whether or not a car body part, the car body, the painted car body or the car-on-wheels has to be reworked.

A light irradiation apparatus for irradiating an object with light, includes a plurality of line-shaped light blockers arranged at a predetermined center-to-center interval, and configured to at least partially block light, and a plurality of line-shaped light irradiators arranged to overlap some of the plurality of light blockers so as to irradiate the object with light. The plurality of light irradiators are arranged to form a period not less than twice as large as the center-to-center interval of the plurality of light blockers.

Provided is an inspection management device and the like capable of reducing, by an inspection robot, the number of pieces of measurement data indicating measurement failure. The inspection management device includes: a data analysis unit that determines success or failure in measurement at a measurement position of a structure based on measurement data output from an inspection robot that inspects the structure in accordance with an inspection plan, the measurement data being output each time when the inspection robot performs measurement, and estimates a cause of measurement failure in accordance with a determination result; and an inspection planning unit that corrects the inspection plan based on the estimated cause and outputs the corrected inspection plan.