APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR A MULTI-POSITION IMAGE SENSOR

• US 20150222820A1
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Inventors: COSTIGAN, George, NUNNINK, Laurens, WALLACK, Aaron, SUMNER, Roger
• Granted Patent: US 9,584,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/027 using light, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet or holographic techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/95638 for PCB's
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8806 Specially adapted optical and illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/28 Systems for automatic generation of focusing signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/155 Control of the image-sensor operation, e.g. image processing within the image-sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/1562 for selective scanning, e.g. windowing, zooming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

The disclosed apparatus, systems, and methods provide for a displacement sensor with a multi-position image sensor. The displacement sensor includes an optical lens. The displacement sensor includes an image sensor configured to view an object through the lens along a plane of focus that is not parallel to an image plane of the image sensor. The displacement sensor includes a laser for illuminating the object by the displacement sensor, wherein the laser is: spaced from the lens at a fixed distance, and configured to project a line of light along the plane of focus of the image sensor. The displacement sensor comprises a first configuration wherein the image sensor is at a first location along an image plane with a first field of view along the plane of focus, and a second configuration at a second location with a different field of view.

Claims

1. A displacement sensor for determining characteristics of an object, comprising:

an optical lens;

an image sensor configured to view an object through the lens along a plane of focus that is not parallel to an image plane of the image sensor;

a laser for illuminating the object by the displacement sensor, wherein the laser is;

spaced from the lens at a fixed distance; and

configured to project a line of light along the plane of focus of the image sensor;

wherein the displacement sensor comprises;

a first configuration wherein the image sensor is at a first location along an image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a first field of view along the plane of focus; and

a second configuration wherein the image sensor is at a second location along the image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a second field of view along the plane of focus that is wider than the first field of view.

2. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein the first configuration is a near-field configuration for viewing a small object or feature of the small object with a first level of detail, and the second configuration is a far-field configuration for viewing a large object or large feature of an object with a second level of detail, wherein the first level of detail is higher than the second level of detail.

3. The displacement sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a motion stage configured to move along an axis defined within the image plane, wherein the image sensor is mounted on the motion stage; and

a controller configured to move the motion stage to position the image sensor in the first configuration and in the second configuration.

4. The displacement sensor of claim 1, further comprising one or more locator pins, wherein the locator pins can be configured in:

a first locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the first location of the first configuration; and

a second locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the second location of the second configuration.

5. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor comprises a third configuration wherein the image sensor is at a third location in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a third field of view along the plane of focus, such that the third field of view is wider than the second field of view.

6. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is configured to view the object through the lens using the Scheimpflug principle to achieve the first configuration and the second configuration by shifting the image sensor along the image plane and maintaining the field of view along the plane of focus.

7. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the laser is configured to project a first line of light with a first thickness to illuminate the object for inspection using the first configuration; and

the laser is configured to project a second line of light with a second thickness greater than the first thickness to illuminate the object for inspection using the second configuration.

8. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor is configured so that the laser is removable to use a first laser to project a first line of light and a second laser to project a second line of light.

9. The displacement sensor of claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor is configured so that the image sensor is removable to use a first image sensor for the first configuration and a second image sensor for the second configuration.

10. A displacement sensor for determining characteristics of an object, comprising:

an optical lens;

an image sensor configured to view an object through the lens along a plane of focus that is not parallel to an image plane of the image sensor;

a laser for illuminating the object by the displacement sensor, wherein the laser is;

spaced from the lens at a fixed distance; and

configured to project a line of light along the plane of focus of the image sensor;

wherein the displacement sensor is adjustable to achieve;

a first configuration wherein the image sensor is at a first location along an image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a first field of view along the plane of focus; and

a second configuration wherein the image sensor is at a second location along the image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a second field of view along the plane of focus that is wider than the first field of view.

11. The displacement sensor of claim 10, further comprising:

a motion stage configured to move along an axis defined within the image plane, wherein the image sensor is mounted on the motion stage; and

a controller configured to move the motion stage to position the image sensor in the first configuration and in the second configuration.

12. The displacement sensor of claim 10, further comprising one or more locator pins, wherein the locator pins can be configured in one of a plurality of configurations to move the image sensor, the plurality of configurations comprising:

a first locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the first location of the first configuration; and

a second locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the second location of the second configuration.

13. The displacement sensor of claim 10, wherein the displacement sensor comprises a third configuration wherein the image sensor is at a third location in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a third field of view along the plane of focus, such that the third field of view is wider than the second field of view.

14. A method of manufacturing a displacement sensor, comprising:

mounting an optical lens to a displacement sensor housing;

mounting an image sensor to the displacement sensor housing, wherein the image sensor is configured to view an object through the lens along a plane of focus that is not parallel to an image plane of the image sensor, and wherein the displacement sensor is mounted in one of a plurality of configurations comprising;

a first configuration wherein the image sensor is at a first location along an image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a first field of view along the plane of focus; and

a second configuration wherein the image sensor is at a second location along the image plane of the image sensor in the displacement sensor, such that the image sensor has a second field of view along the plane of focus that is wider than the first field of view; and

mounting a laser for illuminating the object by the displacement sensor on the displacement sensor housing, wherein the laser is;

spaced from the lens at a fixed distance; and

configured to project a line of light along the plane of focus of the image sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising mounting the image sensor on a motion stage configured to move along an axis defined within the image plane.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising installing one or more locator pins in the displacement sensor housing in one of a plurality of locator pin configurations comprising:

a first locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the first location of the first configuration; and

a second locator pin configuration in the displacement sensor so that when the image sensor is mounted inside the displacement sensor, the one or more locator pins align the image sensor in the second location of the second configuration.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the locator pins are machined in the one of the plurality of locator pin configurations.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the laser is removably mounted to the displacement sensor housing to allow for use of a first laser to project a first line of light and a second laser to project a second line of light.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the image sensor is removably mounted to the displacement sensor housing to allow for use of a first image sensor for the first configuration and a second image sensor for the second configuration.