Inspection system with vibration resistant video capture
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of acquiring at least two images with a single frame transfer CCD array, the method comprising:
- a) illuminating an object, and acquiring a first image on an image area of the array;
b) shifting at least a portion of the first image into a memory area of the array;
c) resetting the image area of the array; and
d) illuminating the object and acquiring a second image on the image area of the array, while the first image is in the memory area of the single frame transfer CCD array; and
wherein the at least two images are acquired within about 1 millisecond.
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Abstract
Methods and an apparatus are disclosed for providing enhanced vibration immunity in a solder paste inspection system, although they are usable in any number of industries that require rapid acquisition of several images. The method includes capturing at least three images on a frame transfer CCD array before any data is sequentially read from the array. The present method is extendable to a larger number of images. Additionally, the masked memory area can be larger than the image area of the frame transfer CCD array.
132 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of acquiring at least two images with a single frame transfer CCD array, the method comprising:
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a) illuminating an object, and acquiring a first image on an image area of the array;
b) shifting at least a portion of the first image into a memory area of the array;
c) resetting the image area of the array; and
d) illuminating the object and acquiring a second image on the image area of the array, while the first image is in the memory area of the single frame transfer CCD array; and
wherein the at least two images are acquired within about 1 millisecond. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of acquiring at least three fringe pattern images on a surface feature, the method comprising:
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successively acquiring at least first, second, and third fringe pattern images with a single frame transfer CCD array;
wherein all images are acquired before any data is read from the CCD array; and
wherein all images are acquired within about 1 millisecond.
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7. A method of acquiring three fringe pattern images of a feature with a single frame transfer CCD array having an image area with a width W and a height H, and a memory area, the method comprising:
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a) exposing the feature with a first fringe pattern, and acquiring a first image thereof on the image area;
b) shifting the first image by a distance corresponding to a length of H/2;
c) resetting the image area of the array;
d) exposing the feature with a second fringe pattern, and acquiring a second image thereof on the image area;
e) shifting the second image by a distance corresponding to a length of H/2;
f) resetting the image area of the array;
g) exposing the feature with a third fringe pattern, and acquiring a third image thereof on the image area; and
h) shifting the first, second and third images out of the array. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of capturing at least three video images on a surface feature with a single frame transfer CCD array having an image area and a memory area, the method comprising:
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a) energizing an illumination source to project illumination on the surface feature;
b) acquiring an image in the image area;
c) transferring contents of the image area and the memory area by an amount equal to a fraction of the height of the image area;
d) resetting the image area of the CCD array;
e) repeating steps a) through c) a number of times equal to the inverse of the fraction and executing step d) between each iteration of steps a) through c); and
wherein the inverse of the fraction is an integer greater than one. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method of acquiring three fringe pattern images of a feature with a single frame transfer CCD array having an image area with a width W and a height H and a memory area having a width W and a height 2H, the method comprising:
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a) exposing the feature with a first fringe pattern of light, and acquiring a first image thereof on the image area;
b) shifting the first image completely into the memory area;
c) exposing the feature with a second fringe pattern of light, and acquiring a second image thereof on the image area;
d) shifting the second image completely into the memory area, e) exposing the feature with a third fringe pattern of light, and acquiring a third image thereof on the image area; and
f) shifting the first, second and third images out of the array.
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Specification