IP Library Granted Patent US 12712954
Granted Patent B2
US 12712954 · App. 18/711,281 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Method and apparatus for external appearance inspection of mobile terminal

Inventors: Toshihiro Sekiguchi (Tokyo, JP); Masahiro Ishizaka (Tokyo, JP); Nozomi Harada (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Eco-Movement, Inc.
H04M1/0264H04N23/60H04N23/611H04N23/62
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12712954
App. No.
18/711,281
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The method for external appearance inspection of a terminal T includes: using a camera 6 being placed to face a front surface or a back surface of a terminal T; capturing images of both left and right side surfaces, an upper surface, and upper left and right corner portions of the terminal, and simultaneously imaging the front surface or the back surface of the terminal. The mirrors 11 to respectively corresponds to both the left and right side surfaces, the upper surface, and the upper left and right corner portions of the terminal. The mirrors each are arranged with a reflective surface being inclined outward with respect to an optical axis of a photographing lens 6 L of the camera; and inverting the placed terminal in its up-down direction after the imaging, and imaging the terminal in this posture using the camera.

Claims (18)

1 . A method for external appearance inspection of a terminal, comprising:

using a camera being placed to face a front surface or a back surface of a terminal placed for imaging;

capturing images of both left and right side surfaces, an upper surface, and upper left and right corner portions of the terminal, and simultaneously imaging the front surface or the back surface of the terminal, and thereby acquiring image data of the front surface or the back surface of the terminal, both the left and right side surfaces, the upper surface, and the upper left and right corner portions of the terminal, with the camera, the images being reflected in mirrors, the mirrors respectively corresponding to both the left and right side surfaces, the upper surface, and the upper left and right corner portions of the terminal, the mirrors each being arranged with a reflective surface being inclined outward with respect to an optical axis of a photographing lens of the camera; and

inverting the placed terminal in its up-down direction after the imaging, and imaging the terminal in this posture using the camera, and thereby acquiring image data of the back surface or the front surface of the terminal, a lower surface, and lower left and right corner portions of the terminal.

2 . The method for external appearance inspection according to claim 1 , wherein inclination angles of the mirrors are each an angle adjusted and set between substantially 40 degrees and 60 degrees outward with respect to the optical axis of the lens of the camera.

3 . The method for external appearance inspection according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is illuminated by an illuminating device provided around the camera and the terminal is imaged.

4 . The method for external appearance inspection according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is manually placed and manually inverted.

5 . An apparatus for external appearance inspection of a terminal, comprising:

a base board that includes a mounting table allowing a terminal to be placed in a horizontal posture;

an erection frame section that is erected on the base board, so as to surround the mounting table;

a camera that is arranged in an upper part of the erection frame section and has a lens directly facing the terminal;

an illuminating device arranged around the camera so as to radiate illumination light toward the terminal;

mirrors provided at parts on the base board, each mirror having a reflective surface inclined outward with respect to an optical axis of the lens of the camera, the parts respectively corresponding to both left and right side surfaces, an upper surface, and upper left and right corner portions with respect to the terminal placed on the mounting table in a horizontal posture; and

a light-shielding member that is disposed on the erection frame section and surrounds the erection frame section in a darkroom-like manner, wherein

the camera images a front surface or a back surface, and captures images of: both the left and right side surfaces, the upper surface, and the upper left and right corner portions of the terminal, the images being reflected in the respective mirrors while the illuminating device is in operation and the illumination light is controlled for the terminal placed on the mounting table in the horizontal posture, and the camera images the terminal that is inverted in an up-down direction on the mounting table.

6 . The apparatus for external appearance inspection according to claim 5 , wherein inclination angles of the mirrors are each an angle adjusted and set between substantially 40 degrees and 60 degrees outward with respect to the optical axis of the lens of the camera.

7 . The apparatus for external appearance inspection according to claim 5 , wherein an upper surface of the base board and an inner surface of the light-shielding member are formed into light-diffuse-reflection-surfaces.

8 . The apparatus for external appearance inspection according to claim 5 , wherein a touch panel with a monitor function is provided on a front surface of the erection frame section as an input/output device of a control section for the camera and the illuminating device.