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Surface anomaly-detection and analysis method

  • US 6,028,948 A
  • Filed: 12/29/1997
  • Issued: 02/22/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for the detection and analysis of anomalies in a surface, said method comprising the steps of:

  • obtaining an image of said surface including at least one of said anomalies, wherein said one anomaly is a line anomaly;

    filtering said image to enhance a depiction of said line anomaly by removing non-line-anomalous features of said image, said filtering step producing a line pixel map;

    filtering said image to enhance a depiction of an area anomaly by removing non-area-anomalous features of said image, said filtering step producing an area pixel map;

    combining said line pixel map and said area pixel map to produce a combined pixel map;

    partitioning said combined pixel map into a multiplicity of subimages, wherein each of said subimages includes a plurality of pixels;

    assigning a status characteristic to each of said subimages in response to any anomaly depicted therein;

    forming an anomalous object in response to said status characteristics of said subimages, said anomalous object corresponding to said one anomaly in said surface; and

    producing an object map of said surface, said object map depicting a location of said anomalous object.

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