User interface for automated optical inspection systems

• US 6,597,381 B1
• Filed: 07/24/1999
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Reasoning Systems, Inc. (KLA Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Reasoning Systems, Inc. (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Ellison, Michael A., Dunn, Scott A., Huffstutter, Wesley K., Lumeyer, Marc A., Zoch, John R., Eskridge, Thomas C., Newberry, Jeff E., DeYong, Mark R., Grace, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/360,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,459 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/765, 345/771, 345/781, 345/804, 382/149, 382/141, 382/145, 382/147, 382/148, 382/150, 700/95, 700/96, 700/108, 700/109, 700/110, 700/121
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20092 Interactive image processing based on input by user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30141 Printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach

Abstract

A user interface method and system are disclosed that allow for user selection on a display device of one or more functions performed via a computer in an automated optical inspection system. The user interface provides a real-time information display that makes apparent critical board inspection information and potential undesirable operating conditions so that corrective action can be rapidly initiated. The user interface includes one or more button icons respectively associated with the user selectable functions and at least one view area window for displaying information items. The information items displayed in a view window can be dynamically linked to provide interactivity between windows and simultaneous updating of related information items in all windows. A filter area window is used for selecting which information items to discriminate and display in the view windows. The user interface of the present invention can be a graphical user interface having view windows in which either text, graphics or both are displayed simultaneously.

Claims

1. A user interface providing for user selection on a display device of one or more functions performed via a computer, comprising:

one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more user selectable functions;

a plurality of view area windows for displaying one or more information items associated with one or more components, wherein said one or more information items in each of the plurality of view area windows is dynamically linked to a corresponding one of the one or more information items in another one of the plurality of view area windows; and

a filter area window for discriminating out which ones of the one or more information items are displayed on said plurality of view area windows and operable to simultaneously update said displayed one or more information items in each of said plurality of view area windows, wherein the filter area window further contains a plurality of discrimination criteria for selection of information items, and the user interface is operable to update said displayed one or more information items in response to specification of one or more of the plurality of discrimination criteria.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows a user to analyze a defect via a comparison of an image of the defect to one or more other images.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface.

4. The user interface of claim 3, wherein said plurality of view area windows comprise a data list window for listing at least one of said one or more information items, a graphical display window for displaying a linked image of one or more of said one or more components, and a numerical display window to display quantitative result information and a filter area window for displaying filtering criteria.

5. The user interface of claim 4, wherein said at least one or more information items comprise a component name, classification value, component type, confidence value, feeder identification, and reference number.

6. The user interface of claim 4, wherein said one or more components can be color coded within said graphical display window to indicate presence or absence of a defect.

7. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a setup wizard for guiding the user through the initial training of the automated optical inspection system.

8. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising:

a cursor that can be positioned by a user on said one or more button icons to select one of said one or more functions; and

a display controller responsive to the positioning of said cursor by said user.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said filter area window further comprises at least one category area for selecting discrimination criteria and one confidence interval selection area.

10. The user interface of claim 9, wherein said at least one category area further comprises at least one decision class and wherein said confidence interval comprises at least one confidence value or range of confidence values.

11. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a browse window, accessed via a browse button, for the user to impart information to an automated optical inspection system to increase detection and classification accuracy.

12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the automated optical inspection system further comprises a knowledge-base for storing the user imparted information.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the information imparted to said knowledge-base is from a results database of information derived from an image of an inspected one of said one or more components.

14. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the one or more components are installed on a printed wiring board.

15. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said one or more functions include a function for automatically interpreting and displaying information stored on a bar code on said printed wiring board, and further connecting said information to a set of results for said printed wiring board.

16. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising an audio interface for alerting the user of a defect.

17. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said one or more information items are charts or graphs.

18. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a single view area window.

41. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a user interface to an automated optical inspection system.

42. The user interface of claim 1, wherein one or more of said one or more dynamically linked information items comprises a user-selectable information item.

43. The user interface of claim 42, wherein selecting one of said user-selectable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows highlights another of said user-selectable information items in another of said plurality of view area windows.

44. The user interface of claim 42, wherein one or more of said user-selectable information items further comprise a user-modifiable information item.

45. The user interface of claim 44, wherein modifying one of said user-modifiable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows modifies an associated other of said user-modifiable information items in another of said plurality of view area windows.

46. The user interface of claim 42, wherein one or more of said user-selectable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows has an associated user-selectable information item in another of said plurality of view area windows.

47. The user interface of claim 42, wherein said highlighted user-selectable information item shares a common criteria with said selected user-selectable information item.

48. The user interface of claim 47, wherein said common criteria is an association with one of said components.

49. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said filter area window is dynamically-linked to one or more of said plurality of view area windows, wherein being dynamically-linked comprises an interactive relationship for simultaneous updating of related others of said information-items in response to a change in one of said information items.

75. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the discrimination criteria include one or more of the group consisting of:

defect type;

component type;

test type;

confidence level;

component presence;

component polarity; and

component leads.

19. A method for performing one or more functions via a computer user interface, comprising:

displaying one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more functions;

displaying a plurality of view area windows containing one or more information items associated with one or more components, wherein said one or more information items in each of the plurality of view area windows is dynamically linked to a corresponding one of the one or more information items in another one of the plurality of view area windows;

displaying a filter area window for discriminating out which ones of the one or more information items are displayed on said plurality of view area windows and operable to simultaneously update said displayed one or more information items in each of said plurality of view area windows, wherein the filter area window further contains a plurality of discrimination criteria for selection of information items, and the user interface is operable to update said displayed one or more information items in response to specification of one or more of the plurality of discrimination criteria; and

performing one of said one or more functions by selecting one of said one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more functions.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising analyzing an image by comparing the image to an alternative image contained in a database.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said plurality of view area windows comprise a data list window for listing at least one of said one or more information items, a graphical display window for displaying a linked image of one or more of said one or more components, and a filtering display window for displaying filtering criteria and a numerical display window for displaying results, and wherein said at least one or more information items comprise a component name, classification value, component type, confidence value, feeder identification, and reference number.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of color-coding said one or more components within said graphical display window to indicate presence or absence of a defect.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of guiding a user through the initial training of the automated optical inspection system using a setup wizard.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said performing step is performed by a user.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein said performing step further comprises selecting one of said one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more functions by positioning a cursor on said one of said one or more button icons using a display controller responsive to the positioning of said cursor by a user.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said filter area window further comprises at least one category area for selecting discrimination criteria and one confidence interval selection area.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least one category area further comprises at least one decision class and wherein said confidence interval area comprises a confidence value or a range of confidence values.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of inputting information to the automated optical inspection system to increase detection and classification accuracy using a browse window accessed via a browse button on said user interface.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising storing the inputted information in a knowledge-base for the automated optical inspection system.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of modifying a results database to contain said inputted information from an image of an inspected one of said one or more components.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more components are installed on a printed wiring board.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said one or more functions include a function for automatically interpreting and displaying information stored on a bar code on said printed wiring board, and further connecting said information to a set of data results for said printed wiring board.

33. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying a single view area window.

65. The method of claim 19, wherein said user interface comprises a user interface to an automated optical inspection system.

66. The method of claim 19, wherein one or more of said one or more dynamically linked information items comprises a user-selectable information item.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein selecting one of said user-selectable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows highlights another of said user-selectable information items in an other of said plurality of view area windows.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein one or more of said user-selectable information items further comprise a user-modifiable information item.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein modifying one of said user-modifiable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows modifies an associated other of said user-modifiable information items in another of said plurality of view area windows.

70. The method of claim 66, wherein one or more of said user-selectable information items in one of said plurality of view area windows has an associated user-selectable information item in another of said plurality of view area windows.

71. The method of claim 67, wherein said highlighted user-selectable information item shares a common criteria with said selected user-selectable information item.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein said common criteria is an association with one of said components.

73. The method of claim 19, wherein said filter area window is dynamically-linked to one or more of said plurality of view area windows, wherein being dynamically-linked comprises an interactive relationship for simultaneous updating of related others of said information-items in response to a change in one of said information items.

74. The method of claim 19, wherein said one or more functions comprises analyzing an image by comparing said image to a comparison image stored in a database.

76. The user interface of claim 19, wherein the discrimination criteria include one or more of the group consisting of:

defect type;

component type;

test type;

confidence level;

component presence;

component polarity; and

component leads.

34. In an automated optical inspection system, a user interface providing for user selection on a display device of one or more functions performed via a computer, comprising:

one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more user selectable functions;

a plurality of view area windows for displaying one or more information items associated with one or more components, wherein said one or more information items in each of the plurality of view area windows is dynamically linked to a corresponding one of the one or more information items in another one of the plurality of view area windows; and

a filter area window for discriminating out which ones of the one or more information items are displayed on said plurality of view area windows and operable to simultaneously update said displayed one or more information items in each of said plurality of view area windows, wherein the filter area window further contains a plurality of discrimination criteria for selection of information items, and the user interface is operable to update said displayed one or more information items in response to specification of one or more of the plurality of discrimination criteria.

77. The user interface of claim 34, wherein the discrimination criteria include one or more of the group consisting of:

defect type;

component type;

test type;

confidence level;

component presence;

component polarity; and

component leads.

35. A method for training a system to perform a task using a computer user interface, comprising:

displaying one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more functions;

displaying a plurality of view area windows containing one or more information items associated with one or more components, wherein said one or more information items in each of the plurality of view area windows is dynamically linked to a corresponding one of the one or more information items in another one of the plurality of view area windows;

displaying a filter area window for discriminating out which ones of the one or more information items are displayed on said plurality of view area windows and operable to simultaneously update said displayed one or more information items in each of said plurality of view area windows, wherein the filter area window further contains a plurality of discrimination criteria for selection of information items, and the user interface is operable to update said displayed one or more information items in response to specification of one or more of the plurality of discrimination criteria; and

performing one of said one or more functions by selecting one of said one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more functions.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the task is an inspection of printed wiring assemblies.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein using the computer user interface effectively programs the system regarding the inspection task.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising analyzing an image by comparing the image to an alternative image contained in a database.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein said plurality of view area windows comprise a data list window for listing at least one of said one or more information items, a graphical display window for displaying a linked image of one or more of said one or more components, and a filtering display window for displaying filtering criteria and a numerical display window for displaying results, and wherein said at least one or more information items comprise a component name, classification value, component type, confidence value, feeder identification, and reference number.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein said performing step is performed by a user.

78. The method of claim 35, wherein the discrimination criteria include one or more of the group consisting of:

defect type;

component type;

test type;

confidence level;

component presence;

component polarity; and

component leads.

50. An automated optical inspection system user interface for user selection on a display device of one or more functions performed via a computer, comprising:

one or more button icons respectively associated with said one or more user selectable functions;

a plurality of dynamically linked view area windows for displaying one or more information items associated with one or more components, wherein said one or more information items in each of the plurality of dynamically linked view area windows is associated with another of said one or more information items in another one of said plurality of view area windows; and

a filter area window for discriminating out which ones of the one or more information items are displayed on said plurality of dynamically linked view area windows, said filter area window being dynamically linked to one or more of said plurality of dynamically linked view area windows and operable to simultaneously update said displayed one or more information items in each of said plurality of view area windows, wherein the filter area window further contains a plurality of discrimination criteria for selection of information items, and the user interface is operable to update said displayed one or more information items in response to specification of one or more of the plurality of discrimination criteria.

51. The user interface of claim 50, wherein said dynamically linked view area windows are operable to display a current image of a defect and one or more comparison images for a user to compare said defect to said comparison images.

52. The user interface of claim 50, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface.

53. The user interface of claim 52, wherein said plurality of dynamically linked view area windows comprise a data list window for listing at least one of said one or more information items, a graphical display window for displaying a linked image of one or more of said one or more components, and a numerical display window to display quantitative result information and a filter area window for displaying filtering criteria.

54. The user interface of claim 53, wherein said at least one or more information items comprise a component name, classification value, component type, confidence value, feeder identification, and reference number.

55. The user interface of claim 53, wherein said one or more components can be color coded within said graphical display window to indicate presence or absence of a defect.

56. The user interface of claim 50, further comprising a setup wizard for guiding the user through an initial training of said automated optical inspection system.

57. The user interface of claim 50, further comprising:

a cursor that can be positioned by a user on said one or more button icons to select one of said one or more functions; and

a display controller responsive to the positioning of said cursor by said user.

58. The user interface of claim 50, wherein said filter area window further comprises at least one category area for selecting discrimination criteria and one confidence interval selection area.

59. The user interface of claim 58, wherein said at least one category area further comprises at least one decision class and wherein said confidence interval comprises at least one confidence value or range of confidence values.

60. The user interface of claim 50, further comprising a browse window, accessed via a browse button, for a user to impart information to an automated optical inspection system to increase detection or classification accuracy.

61. The user interface of claim 60, wherein the automated optical inspection system further comprises a knowledge-base for storing said user-imparted information.

62. The user interface of claim 61, wherein said user-imparted information is derived from a results database of information derived from an image of an inspected one of said one or more components.

63. The user interface of claim 50, wherein the one or more components are installed on a printed wiring board.

64. The user interface of claim 63, wherein said one or more functions include a function for automatically interpreting and displaying information stored on a bar code on said printed wiring board, and further connecting said information to a set of results for said printed wiring board.

79. The automated optical inspection system user interface of claim 50, wherein the discrimination criteria include one or more of the group consisting of:

defect type;

component type;

test type;

confidence level;

component presence;

component polarity; and

component leads.