Apparatus for automatically inspecting objects and identifying or recognizing known and unknown portions thereof, including defects and the like, and method
First Claim
1. A method of inspection of circuit board conductive shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the method comprising, originally storing digital signal information representing images of desired predetermined object shapes to be learned;
- predetermining at least one of acceptable size or dimension variations in such object shapes;
modifying the stored digital signal information to create a set of fictitious images of said object shapes to be learned that incorporates the acceptable variations therein;
storing the modified digital signal information representing said fictitious images; and
, during circuit board inspections, ignoring said acceptable variations as possible defects by responding to recognition of the acceptable variations in the said fictitious stored images.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method for automatically inspecting objects and identifying or recognizing known and unknown portions thereof, including defects and the like, involving storing digital signal information representing an image of the desired predetermined object shapes to be learned by an image inspecting system and recognized during scanning of objects to be inspected, and modifying the stored digital signal information to create a fictitious image of the object shapes to be learned that incorporates acceptable size or dimension variations and the like in such objects such that during the inspecting of future objects, these acceptable variations will be ignored as defects or unknown elements.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of inspection of circuit board conductive shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the method comprising, originally storing digital signal information representing images of desired predetermined object shapes to be learned;
- predetermining at least one of acceptable size or dimension variations in such object shapes;
modifying the stored digital signal information to create a set of fictitious images of said object shapes to be learned that incorporates the acceptable variations therein;
storing the modified digital signal information representing said fictitious images; and
, during circuit board inspections, ignoring said acceptable variations as possible defects by responding to recognition of the acceptable variations in the said fictitious stored images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- predetermining at least one of acceptable size or dimension variations in such object shapes;
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7. Apparatus for inspection of circuit board conductive shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the apparatus having, in combination, means for storing digital signal information originally representing images of desired predetermined object shapes to be learned;
- means for predetermining at least one of acceptable size or dimension variations in such object shapes;
means for modifying the stored digital signal information to create a set of fictitious images of said object shapes to be learned that incorporates the acceptable variations therein;
means for storing the modified digital signal information representing said fictitious images; and
means operable during circuit board inspections, for ignoring said acceptable variations as possible defects by responding to recognition of the acceptable variations in the said fictitious stored images. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- means for predetermining at least one of acceptable size or dimension variations in such object shapes;
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14. A method of inspection of circuit board conductor shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the method comprising, storing digital signal information representing an image of a predetermined object shape to be learned;
- predetermining size variations in said shape that are acceptable to the inspection;
electronically removing or adding pixel signals to the stored image information to provide modified digital signal information representing a set of images corresponding to different sizes of said object shape, and storing said modified digital signal information. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- predetermining size variations in said shape that are acceptable to the inspection;
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20. A method of inspection of circuit board conductive shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the method comprising originally storing digital signal information representing images of desired predetermined object shapes, said information including information as to a conductor pad in which there may be a via hole;
- and, during the inspecting of boards, monitoring the annular nature of a detected pad to insure that any detected hole therein is an acceptable via hole, and, if the detected hole is an acceptable via hole, electronically adding pixel signals to the stored digital information in effect to fill in the hole to present a fictitious image of a solid conductor pad.
- View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
- 23. Apparatus for inspection of circuit board conductive shapes wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired shapes to be monitored in future board inspections, the apparatus having, in combination, means for storing digital signal information representing images of desired predetermined object shapes and including signal information as to a conductor pad in which there may be a via hole, means operable during the inspecting of boards for monitoring the annular nature of a detected pad to insure that any hole detected therein is an acceptable via hole, and means for electronically adding pixel signals to the stored digital signal information representing a detected acceptable via hole in effect to fill in the hole to present a fictitious image of a solid conductor pad.
- 26. A method of inspection of circuit board conductive patterns and positions wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired patterns and positions to be monitored in subsequent circuit board inspections, the method comprising, storing digital signal information representing desired patterns and positions, inspecting circuit boards to determine the presence of differences from said desired patterns and positions beyond predetermined tolerances, indicating such differences as defects, determining the x-y coordinate locations of said defects, producing separate pictures of local regions of circuit boards at which said defects are located, and producing accompanying recordings of the x-y coordinate locations of said defects.
- 28. Apparatus for inspection of circuit board conductive patterns and positions wherein digital signal information is stored representing desired patterns and positions to be monitored in subsequent board inspections, the apparatus having, in combination, means for storing digital signal information representing desired patterns and positions, means for inspecting circuit boards to determine the presence of differences from said desired patterns and positions beyond predetermined tolerances and for indicating such differences as defects, means for determining the x-y coordinate locations of said defects, means for producing separate pictures of local regions of circuit boards at which said defects are located, and means for producing accompanying recordings of the x-y coordinate locations of said defects.
Specification