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Method and apparatus for three dimensional edge tracing with Z height adjustment

  • US 7,120,286 B2
  • Filed: 11/21/2001
  • Issued: 10/10/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for operating a vision system, comprising:

  • determining a set of coordinates for a plurality of edge points along an edge contour of an object,wherein the plurality of edge points extend over a depth range greater than the depth of field of an image of the edge contour, andwherein determining the set of coordinates comprises;

    (a) determining the XYZ coordinates for at least a latest previous edge point in at least a latest previous edge point source image;

    (b) automatically determining a next edge point XY trial location based at least partially on the XY location of the latest previous edge point;

    (c) determining a next edge point source image that is focused at a different Z coordinate than the latest previous edge point source image, including at least one of;

    (i) evaluating a focus characterization in the vicinity of the next edge point XY trial location for a plurality of previously acquired images corresponding to a plurality of focus positions,(ii) estimating a Z coordinate of the next edge point in the vicinity of the next edge point XY trial location based on previously acquired data,(iii) estimating a focus position corresponding to a well focused image of the next edge point in the vicinity of the next edge point XY trial location based on previously acquired data, and(iv) acquiring a plurality of images that include the next edge point XY trial location and that correspond to a plurality of focus positions over a range that includes a focus position corresponding to the Z coordinate of the latest previous edge point; and

    (d) searching for the next edge point in the next edge point source image.

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