Face lighting for edge location in catalytic converter inspection

1. A method for inspecting an object having a planar face with surface variations, comprising:

providing light sources above the planar face of the object for lighting the face of the object;

providing at least one obscuration positioned proximate the planar face of the object to limit the lighting of the planar face of the object to thereby provide a low depth field of lighting;

imaging the planar face of the object to provide an image representation of the planar face of the object;

evaluating the image representation of the planar face of the object to characterize edge chip damage;

providing an output indicative of the edge chip damage; and

acquiring an image representation associated with side cracks in the object and wherein the step of evaluating includes evaluating the image representation of the planar face of the object and the image representation associated with side cracks to characterize the edge chip damage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the object is a honeycomb structured object.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the object is a catalytic converter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of imaging uses a line scan camera.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the line scan camera includes a standard lens.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of light sources is a first light source and a second light source, each of the first light source and the second light source having a lighting angle of less than 45 degrees with the planar surface.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first light source and the second light source are linear fiber lights.

8. A method for inspecting a honeycomb structured object having a planar face, comprising:

providing a first light source and a second light source above the planar face of the object for lighting the planar face of the object;

providing at least one obscuration positioned proximate the planar face of the object to limit the lighting of the planar face of the object to thereby provide a low depth field of lighting;

imaging the planar face of the object with the scan camera with a standard lens to provide an image representation of the planar face of the object;

acquiring an image representation associated with side cracks in the object;

evaluating the image representation of the planar face of the object and the image representation associated with side cracks in the object to characterize edge chip damage of the object; and

providing an output indicative of the edge chip damage of the object.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the object is a catalytic converter.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the first light source and the second light source are linear fiber lights.

11. A system for inspecting a honeycomb structured object to determine edge chip damage, comprising:

a camera positioned for imaging a face of the object;

a plurality of light sources for lighting the face of the object;

a plurality of obscurations positioned proximate the face of the object to limit lighting of the face of the object to thereby provide a low depth field of lighting such that the imaging of the face of the object reveals edge chip damage of the honeycomb structured object;

means for characterizing edge chip damage of the object based on the imaging of the face of the object and imaging of side cracks of the object.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the honeycomb structured object is a catalytic converter.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the camera is a line scan camera.