Method of determining solder paste height and device for determining solder paste height

• US 8,428,338 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2012
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Masanori, Tomomatsu, Michinori, Taniguchi, Masahiro, Hassaku, Yousuke, Okamura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Claire X
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US13/698,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20130089239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 382/106, 382/108, 382/141, 382/144, 382/145, 382/147, 382/150, 348/86, 348/87, 348/92, 348/126, 700/95, 700/96, 700/109, 700/110
• US Class Current: 382/147
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/0608 Height gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/95684 Patterns showing highly reflecting parts, e.g. metallic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30141 Printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30152 Solder
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/507 from shading G06T7/586 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3485 Applying solder paste, slurry or powder thick film methods for applying conductive paste or ink patterns H05K3/12

Abstract

A method of determining a solder paste height of solder paste printed on a circuit board, the method including obtaining a two-dimensional image of the circuit board which is captured from above a solder printed surface, and determining the solder paste height corresponding to a pixel value of each of pixels of the two-dimensional image, based on height information which defines a relationship between the pixel value and the solder paste height, the pixel value being a value representing at least one of luminance of red in a RGB color model, luminance of green in the RGB color model, luminance of blue in the RGB color model, hue in a HSI color model, saturation in the HSI color model, and intensity in the HSI color model.

Claims

1. A method of determining a solder paste height of solder paste printed on a circuit board, the method comprising:

obtaining a two-dimensional image of the circuit board which is captured from above a solder printed surface; and

determining the solder paste height corresponding to a pixel value of each of pixels of the two-dimensional image, based on height information which defines a relationship between the pixel value and the solder paste height, the pixel value being a value representing at least one of luminance of red in a RGB color model, luminance of green in the RGB color model, luminance of blue in the RGB color model, hue in a HSI color model, saturation in the HSI color model, and intensity in the HSI color model,

wherein the height information shows that a difference between an intensity value and a hue value in the HSI color model corresponds to the solder paste height, and

in the determining, the solder paste height is determined by calculating the difference.

2. A device for determining a solder paste height printed on a circuit board, the device comprising:

an image obtaining unit configured to obtain a two-dimensional image of the circuit board which is captured from above a solder printed surface; and

a height determining unit configured to determine the solder paste height corresponding to a pixel value of each of pixels of the two-dimensional image, based on height information which defines a relationship between the pixel value and the solder paste height, the pixel value being a value representing at least one of luminance of red in a RGB color model, luminance of green in the RGB color model, luminance of blue in the RGB color model, hue in a HSI color model, saturation in the HSI color model, and intensity in the HSI color model,

wherein the height information shows that a difference between an intensity value and a hue value in the HSI color model corresponds to the solder paste height, and

the height determining unit determines the solder paste height by calculating the difference.