Appearance inspection apparatus and appearance inspection method with uneveness detecting

• US 9,310,278 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Sukegawa, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lapage, Michael P
• Application Number:
  US14/365,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/25 by projecting a pattern, e.g. one or more lines, moiré fringes on the object G01B11/255 takes precedence ; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2509 Color coding
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/027 using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/255 Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/57 Measuring gloss
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9515 Objects of complex shape, e.g. examined with use of a surface follower device measuring contours and curvatures G01B11/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/952 Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires G01N21/956 takes precedence

Abstract

An appearance inspection apparatus and an appearance inspection method for detecting a shape, surface unevenness, shine or changes in tone on the surface. The method includes steps of acquiring reflected luminance data on the sample surface by casting a slit light having an intermediate wavelength of three types of lights having different wavelengths, receiving reflected light of the slit light, acquiring surface data by casting two lights of different wavelengths other than the intermediate wavelength at a position other than the position illuminated by the slit light on the sample surface from two different directions so as to overlap two lights with each other and receiving reflected light, detecting surface unevenness from a ratio between the intensities of lights, changes in tone by combining reflected luminance data and surface data, gloss on the sample surface based on the presence or absence of surface unevenness and the changes in color tone.

Claims

1. An appearance inspection apparatus comprising:

a first illuminating unit configured to cast a slit light on a surface of a sample under inspection, the slit light being green wavelength light;

a first camera configured to acquire reflected luminance data on the surface of the sample by receiving reflected light of the slit light;

a second illuminating unit configured to cast two lights of blue wavelength and red wavelength on a position other than a position illuminated by the slit light on the sample surface from two different directions so as to overlap the two lights with each other;

a second camera configured to acquire surface data on the sample surface by receiving reflected light from the position where the two lights are overlapped with each other;

a shaping inspection unit configured to acquire green component images from the reflected luminance data;

a color component separating unit configured to acquire red component images and blue component images from the surface data;

an unevenness defect detecting unit configured to detect presence or absence of surface unevenness from a ratio between intensities of the two lights contained in the surface data;

an extraneous color defect detecting unit configured to detect changes in color tone on the sample surface by normalizing the green component images, the red component images and the blue component images and synthesizing the normalized green component images, the red component images and the blue component images into a 2D color image; and

a gloss defect detecting unit configured to detect gloss on the sample surface based on the presence or absence of surface unevenness and the changes in color tone of the 2D color image.

2. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slit light is cast at a slant on the sample surface.

3. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the slit light is formed by a plurality of first illuminating units.

4. The appearance inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slit light is formed by a plurality of first illuminating units.

5. An appearance inspection method comprising the steps of:

casting a slit light on a surface of a sample under inspection with a first illuminating unit, the slit light being green wavelength light;

acquiring reflected luminance data on the surface of the sample by receiving reflected light of the slit light with a first camera;

casting two lights of blue wavelength and red wavelength on a position other than a position illuminated by the slit light on the sample surface with a second illuminating unit from two different directions so as to overlap the two lights with each other;

acquiring surface data on the sample surface by receiving reflected light from the position where the two lights are overlapped with each other with a second camera;

acquiring green component images from the reflected luminance data with a shaping inspection unit;

acquiring red component images and blue component images from the surface data with a color component separating unit;

detecting presence or absence of surface unevenness from a ratio between intensities of the two lights contained in the surface data with an unevenness defect detecting unit;

detecting changes in color tone on the sample surface by normalizing the green component images, the red component images and the blue component images and synthesizing the normalized green component images, the red component images and the blue component images into a 2D color image with an extraneous color defect detecting unit; and

detecting gloss on the sample surface based on the presence or absence of surface unevenness and the changes in color tone of the 2D color image with a gloss defect detecting unit.