Patent · US Expired

Method for on-line thickness monitoring of a transparent film

US4748329A · kind A · utility

37Cited by
2References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 17, 1987
Grant dateMay 31, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 17, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01B11/0691
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical system is described for monitoring the thickness of a translucent film either free-standing or coated on a reflective substrate. A polychromatic light beam is projected onto the surface of the sheet, and the transmitted light is detected at, at least, three wavelengths of which only one corresponds to an absorption band of the film material. By properly processing the three or more detected signals, an accurate evaluation of the film thickness is obtained irrespective of the presence of colored pigments in the material or of wavelength-dependent attenuation due to scattering at the film interfaces. Optical configurations are also described which avoid errors produced by interference fringes or front-surface reflections while simplifying the scanning of the sheet surface.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.