Electro-optical unit for scanning the entire lateral surface of articles substantially cylindrical in shape

摘要

A continuous cigarette rod advancing along a set path is directed through an electro-optical scanning station where its entire cylindrical surface is inspected by a unit comprising an illumination device of which the function is to shed light in substantially uniform manner on a given annular area of the surface, a line scan television camera positioned relative to the path in such a way as to enable acquisition of a direct image from a first portion of the annular area, and a reflecting element located on the side of the path opposite to the camera, embodied and oriented in such a way as to reflect two images back toward the camera which combine with the direct image to make up the entire annular area.