Patent US 5,477,268

An apparatus is utilized to detect defects and finish a surface of a workpiece moving at a predetermined speed along an automatic finishing line. The defects are detected and the surface is finished by a manipulator disposed at a predetermined finishing station of the automatic finishing line. The manipulator has an image pickup device and a finishing device combined into one unit. The apparatus performs the steps of moving the manipulator relative to a workpiece while detecting a surface defect on a surface of the workpiece with the image pickup device. The apparatus moves the manipulator at the same speed as the workpiece while finishing the surface defects on the surface of the workpiece with the finishing device.