Apparatus for measuring position and shape of pattern formed on sheet

• US 8,823,819 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Ichizawa, Yasushi, Chida, Naomichi, Akutsu, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Navas, Jr., Edemio
• Application Number:
  US13/240,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8903 using a multiple detector array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the position and shape of a pattern formed on a sheet includes a sheet on which a pattern is formed, a camera holding mechanism that is disposed perpendicular to a transportation direction of the sheet, at least one camera that is disposed such that the camera is movable in a longitudinal direction of the camera holding mechanism, and an image processing computer that processes an image picked up by the at least one camera. In the measuring apparatus, when calibration is performed, calibration is performed with reference to a picked up image of the coating pattern and a picked up image of a reference body for calibration.

Claims

1. A coating pattern measuring apparatus for measuring a dimension of a coating portion formed on a sheet-shaped base material, the apparatus comprising:

a camera holding mechanism that is disposed perpendicular to a transportation direction of the sheet-shaped base material;

at least one camera that is held by the camera holding mechanism and is disposed such that the at least one camera is movable in a longitudinal direction of the camera holding mechanism;

a rotation mechanism that rotates the camera holding mechanism by θ

degrees to rotate the at least one camera from a first image pickup position at a first position at which the coating portion is formed on the sheet-shaped based material to a second image pickup position at a second position, wherein the at least one camera is focused at the same object distance at the first image pickup position and the second image pickup position;

a scale for calibration that is disposed at the second image pickup position of the at least one camera and is disposed perpendicular to the transportation direction of the sheet-shaped base material and whose image can be picked up by the at least one camera, the scale for calibration extending across the entire width of the sheet-shaped base material and the scale for calibration not being disposed at the first image pickup position; and

an image processing computer that processes an image picked up by the at least one camera,

wherein the relationship between a pixel of the at least one camera and a position on the sheet-shaped base material is determined with reference to a picked up image of the scale for calibration.

3. The coating pattern measuring apparatus for measuring a dimension of a coating portion formed on a sheet-shaped base material as recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the cameras are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other at intervals of a specified distance in the camera holding mechanism, and the plurality of cameras are secured such that the cameras are movable in the longitudinal direction of the camera holding mechanism.

2. A coating pattern measuring apparatus for measuring a dimension of a coating portion formed on a sheet-shaped base material, the apparatus comprising:

a camera holding mechanism that is disposed perpendicular to a transportation direction of the sheet-shaped base material;

at least one camera that is held by the camera holding mechanism and is disposed such that the at least one camera is movable in a longitudinal direction of the camera holding mechanism;

a rotation mechanism that rotates the camera holding mechanism by θ

degrees to rotate the at least one camera from a first image pickup position at a first position at which the coating portion is formed on the sheet-shaped based material to a second image pickup position at a second position, wherein the at least one camera is focused at the same object distance at the first image pickup position and the second image pickup position;

a scale for calibration that is disposed at the second image pickup position of the at least one camera and is disposed perpendicular to the transportation direction of the sheet-shaped base material and whose image can be picked up by the at least one camera, the scale for calibration extending across the entire width of the sheet-shaped base material and the scale for calibration not being disposed at the first image pickup position; and

an image processing computer that processes an image picked up by the at least one camera,

wherein the relationship between the number of pixels of the at least one camera and a dimension on the sheet-shaped base material is determined with reference to a picked up image of the scale for calibration.

4. The coating pattern measuring apparatus for measuring a dimension of a coating portion formed on a sheet-shaped base material as recited in claim 2, wherein a plurality of the cameras are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other at intervals of a specified distance in the camera holding mechanism, and the plurality of cameras are secured such that the cameras are movable in the longitudinal direction of the camera holding mechanism.