Optical Gaging Products, Inc.

Other

Automation Gages, Inc.

Quality Vision International Inc.

Albert G Choate

Edward Tarry Polidor

Edward Stokes

Karl J Lenz

Mehdi N Araghi

Stephanie M Bloch

David Scott Davis

Terry L Herbeck

Jason N Couvutsakis

William R Gilman

A method for generating a vertical section of an object surface under inspection by a digital optical-video inspection system movable along a vertical Z axis, comprising obtaining a video image of the object surface; overlaying over the video image on the object surface a sectioning band along a section vector to make a vertical section of the object, the band comprising a number of regions of pixels, the center of each region being a sampling point along the section vector; generating a series of video images of the object surface at several Z axis positions; computing a focus quality measurement Q(n) for each region at each Z axis position Z(n); computing a best focus quality measurement the series of Q(n); and generating a vertical cross-section of the object surface from a set of points x,y,z obtained at each best focus location.

Digital video optical inspection apparatus and method for vertically sectioning an object's surface

The objective lens assembly of an optical inspection device is surrounded coaxially of its optical axis by an illuminator housing having therein a central opening surrounded by a circular array of reflective mirror surfaces or facets that are inclined at like angles to the optical axis, and which register with the light emitting of a like circular array of LEDs mounted in the housing in radially spaced, coaxial relation to the mirror facets. Mounted coaxially beneath the illuminator housing for vertical adjustment relative thereto is a generally disc-shaped Fresnel lens. The lens is movable by drive means optionally between an uppermost position adjacent the underside of the housing and a lowermost position adjacent the work that is to be inspected. When the lens in its uppermost position light beams from the LEDs are reflected by the mirror facets downwardly through an opening in the bottom of the illuminator housing in the form of an expanding cone of illumination and annularly onto the upper surface of the Fresnel lens. The Fresnel lens then refracts the cone of light and directs it toward the work that is to be inspected at an angle of incidence of 15&#xb0; with respect to the optical axis. When the lens is shifted downwardly toward the workpiece, the angle of incidence of the refracted illumination increases to a maximum of 75&#xb0;.

Variable incidence oblique illuminator device

The upper end of an elongate, rigid, mirror supporting arm is releasably secured at its upper end to an orientation ring, which is removably and rotatably mounted on the lower, cylindrically shaped end of the objective lens housing of an optical autofocus measurement system. The arm extends at its lower end beneath the housing and has secured thereon a mirror which is spaced beneath the housing, and lies in a plane that intersects and is inclined relative to the optical axis of the optical system contained in the housing. The mirror faces the surface of an object disposed in an object plane spaced laterally from the optical axis of the lens system, so that the system is focused along a supplemental optical axis which is inclined to, and intersects, the optical axis of the system in the housing. Images of the object in the offset object plane are therefore projected along the supplemental axis and then from the mirror to the optical system along its optical axis. This system enables a method of effecting autofocus measurements of an object placed in a first object plane that is intersected by the system optical axis when the mirror arm is removed from the lens housing, and, which also enables autofocusing of object surfaces in a second object plane when the mirror is attached by the arm to the lens housing.

Multi-directional mirror device and method for optical inspection and autofocus measurement of objects

A yoke is supported on a frame for vertical movement in a Z direction above a transparent work support that is mounted on the frame for horizontal adjustment in a Y direction, normal to the Z direction. A carriage which is mounted for horizontal adjustment on the yoke in an X direction, normal to the Y and Z directions, carries a video camera and lens system which overlies the work support to project an image of an inspected workpiece to the camera. A substage collimator which is mounted on the frame beneath the work support for adjustment in the X direction, has thereon a souce of collimated light that registers with the lens system. The collimator is connected to the carriage to be moved in unison therewith in the X direction, and always to maintain the light source in registry with the lens system.

Compact video inspection apparatus with Y, Z, X compounded measurement axes

The substage illuminator is in the form of a housing having therein an opening disposed to register with the underside of a workpiece that is being inspected by optical gaging apparatus which is disposed to overlie the workpiece and which has an image inlet aperture registering with the opening in the substage housing. A collimating lens is mounted in the opening of the housing beneath an anti-reflection filter, and a light source which is mounted in or connected to the housing, projects a circular beam of light successively through the collimator lens and filter toward the underside of the inspected workpiece. The light source may be in the form of a plurality of radially spaced, circular arrays of LED's that can be selectively illuminated to control the diameter of the beam emitted thereby, or the source may comprise an L.C.D. aperture generator which may be energized to produce light beams of selectively different diameters. An adjustable iris aperture also can be mounted in the housing between the light source and collimating lens further to control the diameter of the light beam transmitted to the collimating lens. A light shaping diffuser may be mounted in the housing between the light source and the adjustable iris diaphragm to homogenize light transmitted by the light source.

Variable F/number substage illuminator for multiple magnification and zoom telecentric system

The reticle of a single magnification reticle projector mechanism of a multiple magnification video inspection apparatus may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD) module the pixels of which are selectively energized by a conventional plug-in video card that forms part of a CPU. As the magnification setting of the apparatus is changed, the CPU causes a corresponding change in the size and spacing of the pixels that are energized. The energized pixels form clear or transparent dots on the reticle, while the remaining, unenergized pixels cause corresponding areas of the reticle to remain opaque. Alternatively the reticle is provided with a plurality of viewing areas or fields of different size, each area comprising a plurality of spaced openings or transparencies of equal size, and progressively larger fields having progressively larger openings. The reticle is mounted for lateral adjustment in the mechanism, and depending upon the selected magnification of the apparatus, the reticle is shifted either manually or under control of the CPU selectively to place the center of any one of the different fields into registry with the axial centerline of the reticle projector. In this way when the magnification is changed a corresponding change is effected in the size of the openings of the projected reticle image.

Reticle projection system for video inspection apparatus

A lens housing has an axial bore containing a lens system for projecting through the bore the image of an illuminated object which is located beyond one end of the lens housing. The lens housing is surrounded by a lamp housing which contains a plurality of spaced lamps that are operable to direct spaced, parallel, collimated beams of light through an open end of the lamp housing, and toward the object that is to be illuminated. A paraboiloidal or ellipsoidal reflector, which is interposed between the lamp housing and the object, has in one end thereof a relatively large diameter opening which is releasably secured over the open end of the housing, and has in its opposite end a smaller opening registering with, and for accommodating a portion of the object that is to be illuminated. The collimated light beams are directed by the reflector onto the portion of the object at angles of incidence in the range of 40&deg; to in excess of 90&deg;.

High-incidence programmable surface illuminator for video inspection systems

The illuminator includes a housing having thereon a transparent work supporting stage overlying an opening formed in the top of the housing. A plurality of light sources in the housing emit an array of spaced, parallel light beams through a like plurality of collimating lenses which collimate each of the beams emitted by the sources. The collimated light beams pass through a light transmissive diffuser which is interposed in the housing between its opening and the collimating lenses, which homogenizes the collimated light beams produced by said lenses. The homogenized light then passes through the housing opening, either directly or via one or more reflective surfaces, onto a workpiece located on the stage. In certain embodiments the collimated light beams pass through a beamsplitter before passage through the diffuser.

Large area collimated substage illuminators for gaging applications

Several different magnification lenses are adjustably mounted in a contour projector housing for movement selectively and one by one into operative registry with an entrance lens that faces a workpiece that is to be inspected. Spaced illuminators in the housing direct light beams onto opposite sides of the workpiece to produce combined profile and surface images thereof that are projected by the entrance lens and the registering magnification lens onto the reflective surface of a first mirror. This mirror projects the combined, magnified images in the housing onto a second mirror, which then projects the combined images onto a projection screen mounted in the housing for observation by the person using the projector.

Multiple magnification contour projector

The illuminator has a cylindrical or truncated-conical array of LEd's producing collimated light beams that are directed onto axially-spaced, inclined surfaces formed on the outer periphery of a hollow, similarly shaped (i.e., cylindrical or truncated-conically shaped) Fresnel-like diffuser which refracts and directs rings of light beams onto the surface of a workpiece at angles of incidence ranging anywhere from 15.degree. to 80.degree.. The array of LED's surrounds the associated Fresnel-like diffuser coaxially thereof, and in turn is surrounded by a circuit board which supplies power selectively to illuminate LED's in the array thereof. The Fresnel-like diffusers have in the outer peripheral surfaces thereof circumferential grooves forming on their outer surfaces annular, prism-shaped projections which differ in shape depending upon the desired angle of incidence of the light beams that are to be projected thereby onto a workpiece.

Oblique led illuminator device

Two stereoscopic images of the surface of an inspected object are projected by two different lens systems to two separate video cameras for recording thereby and for display via a CPU on a 3D monitor. The optical axes of the two lens systems are equiangularly spaced from a central Z axis extending normal to the object plane, so that the height of a feature on the surface of the workpice may be calculated by determining the difference in the amount of lateral offset in the X direction from the center of a displayed image of a given feature as shown in one of the displayed images from the amount of its corresponding lateral offset in the other image, and then calculating Z in accordance with the formula Z=the difference in the offset in the X direction divided by twice the tangent of the angle of inclination of a respective viewing axis relative to the Z axis. Alternatively, the two images may be superimposed to form a stereoscopic image, and the two lens systems are shifted on the Z axis until the slight offset images of the feature coincide.

Optical system for stereoscopically measuring feature heights based on

A plurality of light emitting diodes are secured coaxially around the lower end of a cylindrical objective lens housing in radially spaced, circular arrays or rings disposed coaxially of the housing. The diodes in each ring are equi-angularly spaced from each other about the axis of the housing; and their light emitting ends overlie a work table so as to direct beams of light obliquely downwardly onto an object supported thereon. The diodes are energizable in generally pie-shaped sectors disposed coaxially of the housing so that arcuate clusters of diodes in a given segment may be illuminated to enable the orientation of the resultant illumination to be varied. The diodes of each ring may have their beam axes inclined at different angles to the axis of the housing so that the inclination of the projected illumination may be varied by selected energization of the rings; and a collimating lens may be secured over the light emitting end of each diode.

Surface illuminator with means for adjusting orientation and inclination

An objective lens is secured in an afocal mode to a support for movement vertically toward and away from a workpiece. An illumination collimator fixed on the support above the objective lens projects the image of a reticle downwardly and successively through a second lens assembly, a beamsplitter plate, and coaxially of the objective lens to the workpiece. A combined image of the reticle and workpiece is then projected by the objective lens upwardly onto the beamsplitter, and laterally to a mirror which projects the combined image upwardly along an axis spaced from and parallel to the axis of the objective lens, and through one of several different magnifying lens assemblies to the image detector of a video camera. The magnifying lens assemblies can be selectively indexed one at a time into registry with the camera, and each has a telecentric opening or stop which always registers with the rear focal point of the objective lens each time such assembly is indexed into its operative position.

Telecentric, parfocal, multiple magnification optical system for

A magnifying lens system is fixed to the lower end of a vertically adjustable support plate to overlie a workpiece, and to project an image thereof upwardly through a beamsplitter to the image sensor of a video camera that is mounted for vertical adjustment on the support plate above the lens system. A portion of the lens system registers with the reflective surface of a mirror which is inclined to the horizontal, and which registers also with the output of a reticle projecting mechanism that is operatively connected to the video camera for vertical adjustment therewith on the support plate. During auto-focusing, an image of a reticle contained in the reticle projecting mechanism is projected via the mirror, the lens system and the beamsplitter onto the surface of the workpiece. Since the reticle projecting mechanism is coupled to the camera, magnification of the images of the workpiece surface and the reticle will occur simultaneously.

Growing community of inventors

Rush, NY, United States of America

Albert G Choate