Patent · US Expired

System and method for detecting defects in a surface of a workpiece

US6266138A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
12References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 12, 1999
Grant dateJul 24, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 12, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/30164
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A surface inspection system is provided for detecting defects on a surface of a workpiece. The surface inspection system includes a diffused light source for emitting an elongated line of light onto the surface of the workpiece, a movable member for translating the workpiece in relation to the light source, an imaging device positioned at a vantage point such that the line of light is within its field of observation for capturing two or more sets of image data representative of a portion of the surface of the workpiece, and a data structure for storing model data, where the model data is indicative of the spatial relationship between the surface of the workpiece and the observation plane of the imaging device. The surface inspection system further includes an anomaly detection module adapted to receive the image data from the imaging device and for identifying at least one potential surface defect in the image data, and a defect tracking module connected to the data structure and the anomaly detection module for tracking the potential surface defect from the first set of image data to the second set of image data by using said model data, thereby assessing if the potential surface …

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