The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 27, 2007
Filed:
Jul. 31, 2003
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Fujisawa, JP;
Minori Noguchi, Mitsukaido, JP;
Tetsuya Watanabe, Honjo, JP;
Takuaki Sekiguchi, Honjo, JP;
Hidetoshi Nishiyama, Fujisawa, JP;
Minori Noguchi, Mitsukaido, JP;
Tetsuya Watanabe, Honjo, JP;
Takuaki Sekiguchi, Honjo, JP;
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A foreign matter monitoring system comprises: a production management system which manages the processing of workpieces in a manufacture line; foreign matter monitors mounted as on-machine equipment in plural process processing apparatuses of the manufacture line, said foreign matter monitors each having an optical head containing a detecting optical system for irradiating a workpiece with light and a detecting optical system for receiving reflected and scattered light from the workpiece and converting the received light to a detection image signal and an A/D converter for converting the detection image signal, which is obtained through conversion by the detecting optical system, to a detection digital image signal; and a base system having a control unit for acquiring control information, a buffer memory for storing said detection digital image signal which is acquired from each foreign matter monitor, a database storing inspection recipes each associated with a foreign matter monitor and an image signal processing unit used for, based on a detection digital image signal associated with a foreign matter monitor and acquired from the buffer memory, judging whether foreign matter and other defects are present on a workpiece according to an inspection recipe which is selected for the corresponding foreign matter monitor based on control information from the control unit.