Automatic optical inspection apparatus
First Claim
1. An automatic inspection apparatus for inspecting a series of illuminated objects comprisingmeans positionable on a properly configured object for identifying portions on the properly configured object;
- means for recognizing the identifying means on the properly configured object including means for obtaining reference data from the identified portions and for deriving inspection instructions from the identifying means and from the reference data; and
data processing means responsive to the inspection instructions for evaluating data in accordance with the inspection instructions to derive an accept-or-reject decision, the data originating from subsequent objects, wherein the data processing means evaluate data corresponding to portions of the subsequent objects which portions are the counterparts of the identified portions of the properly configured object.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic optical inspection method apparatus wherein optical preprogramming means are utilized to designate the locations of reference features on a reference object, and to instruct the system regarding the reference feature characteristics, and of reference feature parameters, the automatic optical inspection apparatus is then utilizing information obtained from the optical pre-programming means to analyze image data obtained from objects under inspection, the apparatus initially obtaining a larger amount of optical imaging data and systematically thereafter reducing the quantity of such data by appropriate signal processing and gating, so that an accept or reject decision is based upon a small portion of the originally obtained data.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. An automatic inspection apparatus for inspecting a series of illuminated objects comprising
means positionable on a properly configured object for identifying portions on the properly configured object; -
means for recognizing the identifying means on the properly configured object including means for obtaining reference data from the identified portions and for deriving inspection instructions from the identifying means and from the reference data; and data processing means responsive to the inspection instructions for evaluating data in accordance with the inspection instructions to derive an accept-or-reject decision, the data originating from subsequent objects, wherein the data processing means evaluate data corresponding to portions of the subsequent objects which portions are the counterparts of the identified portions of the properly configured object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An automatic optical inspection apparatus for inspecting an illuminated, sequentially-presented series of visually similar objects, wherein the objects are compared against a number of reference features from a reference object and a decision is made to accept or reject the current object under test, the apparatus comprising
optical pre-programming means positionable upon the reference object for optically designating the reference features on the reference object, and for optically indicating a number of reference feature parameters and providing inspection instructions; -
imaging and video signal-generating means, having a specified field of view for obtaining a complete video image of an object within the field of view, and for converting the video image into an equivalent electrical image signal; signal processing and gating means responsive to the image signal for processing the image signal and for recognizing portions of the image signal as designated by the optical pre-programming means including means for deriving reference feature specifications from the recognized image signal portions and the inspection instructions from the optical pre-programming means and the recognized image signal portions; comparative evaluation means responsive to the reference feature specifications and the inspection instructions for comparing the selected portions of the image signal from the object under test against the reference feature specifications to provide an indication of the similarity between the selected image signal and the corresponding reference feature specifications; and control means responsive to the inspection instructions for examining the indication of similarity provided by the comparative evaluation means to accept or reject the object under inspection. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An automatic optical inspection apparatus for inspecting an illuminated, sequentially-presented series of visually similar objects, wherein the objects are compared against a number of reference features from a reference object and a decision is made to accept or reject the current object under test, the apparatus comprising
optical pre-programming means positionable upon the reference object for optically designating the reference features on the reference object, and for optically indicating a number of reference feature parameters, wherein the reference feature parameters include a nominal location for each reference feature, a characterization of the optical nature of each feature, and information concerning the tolerance with which each feature is to be examined; -
imaging and video signal-generating means, having a specified field of view for obtaining a complete video image of an object within the field of view, and for converting the video image into an equivalent electrical image signal; signal processing and gating means responsive to the image signal for processing the image signal and for recognizing portions of the image signal as designated by the optical pre-programming means including means for deriving reference feature specifications from the recognized image signal portions; comparative evaluation means responsive to the reference feature specifications for comparing the selected portions of the image signal from the object under test against the reference feature specifications to provide an indication of the similarity between the selected image signal and the corresponding reference feature specifications; and control means for examining the indication of similarity provided by the comparative evaluation means to accept or reject the object under inspection.
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31. A method of automatic optical inspection wherein a series of illuminated, visually similar objects are inspected and accepted or rejected, the method comprising the steps of
positioning optical specifying means on a properly configured object to identify portions thereof; -
obtaining optical data from the properly configured object; recognizing the presence of data from the optical specifying means in the optical data; analyzing data from the identified portions of the properly configured object to derive reference parameters and inspection instructions for each selected portion; comparing selected data from subsequent objects to the reference parameters in accordance with the inspection instructions, the selected data originating from those portions of each subsequent object which correspond to the specified, selected portions of the properly configured object; and evaluating the comparison results to derive an accept-or-reject decision. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A method of automatic optical inspection, wherein a series of illuminated, sequentially presented, visually similar objects are compared against a reference object, and a decision is made to accept or reject the current object under inspection, the method comprising the steps of
positioning targets on the reference object to optically designate a number of reference features and corresponding reference feature specifications and locations on the reference object; -
recognizing the presence of the targets and the designated features on the reference object; converting the designated optical reference features and parameters into an equivalent electrical digital reference signal; processing the digital reference signal in an intelligent processing and control means to obtain inspection instructions including location, tolerance and optically descriptive information about the reference features; obtaining an equivalent electrical image signal from a complete video image of the object under inspection; processing and gating the image signal so that the image signal is converted to digital form and so that the portions of the image signal which correspond to the locations of the reference features are selected for further processing; comparing the selected digitized image signals to the corresponding digital reference signal so that an indication of similarity between the two signals is obtained; and analyzing the indication of similarity in accordance with the reference feature parameters to obtain an accept or reject determination.
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35. A method of automatic optical inspection, wherein a series of illuminated, visually similar objects are inspected, and accepted or rejected, the method comprising the steps of
selecting an object as a reference object against which all other objects are compared; -
optically specifying particular features on the reference object for examination by placing a target over each reference feature, the target having a window through which the particular feature can be optically scanned, the target further having optically coded information; scanning the reference object to obtain information from each target and the reference feature within each target window; analyzing the target and reference feature information; deriving a set of timing, control, and processing instructions and a set of reference data for use in evaluating the objects to be inspected from the target and reference feature information; scanning the objects to be inspected according to the instruction set so that an equivalent electrical image signal of the video image of each object is obtained; processing the electrical image signals according to the instruction set so that portions of the image signal are selected which originate from the locations on the inspected object corresponding to the locations on the reference object which were designated by each target window; comparing the selected portions of the object image with the reference data set; and evaluating the comparison results according to the instruction set to obtain an accept-or-reject decision.
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Specification