Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for optical inspection

US5699153A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
7References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 31, 1995
Grant dateDec 16, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 31, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/4735
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention provides an inspecting method and an apparatus therefor. A light illuminates an object to be inspected having optical diffusive characteristics such as a ceramics plate. A part of the light diffuses in the object from an illumination area is reflected at or passes through a defect such as a crack and reaches an imaging area. An image sensor detects the image of the imaging area. A signal showing a larger change is processed thereby to inspect the defect. The object is displaced stepwise relative to the light source and the image sensor. Thus, a crack or the like in an object can be inspected with high accuracy and at a high speed.

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