Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
356609000 | By focus detection | 22 |
20080316502 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT, SURFACE PROFILE AND INNER RADIUS - An apparatus and a method are proposed for measuring displacement, surface profile and roughness of a moving object or an inner radius of a hollow cylinder. The apparatus includes a light emitting unit, a light dispersing unit for receiving light from the light emitting unit and focusing rays with different wavelengths into different focal points with different intervals, and a wavelength measuring unit for measuring wavelengths of the rays. When the moving object is moving within a dispersing range of the focal points, the rays with different wavelengths are reflected or scattered, and the displacement of the moving object is learned from variation of the wavelengths being measured by the wavelength measuring unit. Given that a reflecting component is disposed in the centre of an inner circle of the hollow cylinder, the inner radius of the hollow cylinder can be measured by the principle of the apparatus for measuring displacement. | 12-25-2008 |
20090153879 | Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure - An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion ( | 06-18-2009 |
20100128285 | THREE DIMENSIONAL PROFILE INSPECTING APPARATUS - A three-dimensional profile inspecting apparatus includes at least two optical inspecting apparatuses and a tilt angle adjusting mechanism. The tilt angle adjusting mechanism is equipped with the at least two optical inspecting apparatuses so as to adjust the tilt angles of the at least two optical inspecting apparatuses. When the tilt angles of the optical inspecting apparatuses are changed, the focuses of the optical inspecting apparatuses remain at a single position and a subject to be inspected is within the fields of view of the optical inspecting apparatuses. The three-dimensional profile of the subject can be obtained by building the images collected by the two optical inspecting apparatuses. | 05-27-2010 |
20100165357 | Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure - An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion of a three-dimensional structure is provided, that includes a probing member, an illumination unit, a light focusing optics, a translation mechanism, a detector and a processor. | 07-01-2010 |
20100165358 | Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure - An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion of a three-dimensional structure is provided, that includes a probing member, an illumination unit, a light focusing optics, a translation mechanism, a detector and a processor. | 07-01-2010 |
20100284025 | INTENSITY COMPENSATION FOR INTERCHANGEABLE CHROMATIC POINT SENSOR COMPONENTS - Methods for providing compensation for non-uniform response of a light source and wavelength detector subsystem of a chromatic point sensor (CPS) are provided. Light from the light source is input into an optical path that bypasses the measurement path through a CPS optical pen and provides the bypass light to the wavelength detector to provide a raw intensity profile distributed over the pixels of detector. The resulting set of raw intensity profile signals are analyzed to determine a set of error compensation factors for wavelength-dependent intensity variations that occur in the raw intensity profile signals. Later, the error compensation factors may be applied to reduce distortions and asymmetries that may otherwise occur in the shape of the signals in the peak region of CPS distance measurement profile signal data. The disclosed methods may provide enhanced accuracy, robustness, field-testing, and interchangeability for CPS components, in various embodiments. | 11-11-2010 |
20110007324 | PROBE MICROSCOPE - A probe microscope includes a cantilever having a probe for contact with an object, first and second displacement detection optical systems, and an object lens. The first displacement detection optical system includes a first light source and a first displacement detecting section that detects displacement of the cantilever. The second displacement detection optical system includes a second light source and a second displacement detecting section that detects displacement of the object. The object lens is provided between the cantilever and the first light source and between the cantilever and the second light source. The object lens has a focal position for the light that is emitted from the first light source and has a first wavelength at the position of the cantilever and has a focal position for the light that is emitted from the second light source and has a second wavelength at the position of the object. | 01-13-2011 |
20110188053 | FOCUSING METHODS AND OPTICAL SYSTEMS AND ASSEMBLIES USING THE SAME - A method for controlling a focus of an optical system. The method includes providing a pair of incident light beams to a conjugate lens. The incident light beams are directed by the lens to converge toward a focal region. The method also includes reflecting the incident light beams with an object positioned proximate to the focal region. The reflected light beams return to and propagate through the lens. The method also includes determining relative separation measured between the reflected light beams and determining a degree-of-focus of the optical system with respect to the sample based upon the relative separation. | 08-04-2011 |
20110279826 | NONCONTACT SURFACE SHAPE MEASURING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREOF - Even if a return beam from a work to be measured does not agree with the center of a two-piece sensor, a correction value is calculated according to a voltage difference between two sensors of the two-piece sensor if the voltage difference is within a neighborhood range. The correction value is added to an actual position of an objective lens in an up-down direction, to calculate a movement amount of the objective lens up to a focused state (a state in which the return beam agrees with the center of the two-piece sensor). | 11-17-2011 |
20110286006 | CHROMATIC CONFOCAL POINT SENSOR APERTURE CONFIGURATION - A central ray blocking aperture element is utilized in a chromatic confocal point sensor optical pen for chromatic range sensing. The central ray blocking aperture element blocks light which would otherwise pass through the chromatic confocal point sensor optical pen proximate to its optical axis. The average numerical aperture of the operative light rays of the optical pen is thereby increased, which decreases the width of a corresponding spectral peak that the optical pen provides in the spectrometer of a chromatic confocal point sensor system and thereby improves the overall measurement resolution. | 11-24-2011 |
20110317171 | PHOSPHOR WHEEL CONFIGURATION FOR HIGH INTENSITY POINT SOURCE - A phosphor point source element comprises a disk substrate and light emitting phosphor particles arranged on the substrate to provide a circular operational track having a desirable tightly packed particle arrangement adjacent to a flat operational surface of an operational track region. The operational track region is rotated while illuminated to provide a high intensity point source of radiation. The tightly packed particle arrangement may be achieved by spinning the phosphor particles in a cavity between a fabrication plate and the substrate, to compress the phosphor against the fabrication plate at the periphery of the cavity, or by mechanically compressing the phosphor. An adhesive binding agent may permeate the phosphor particles and be cured to maintain the tightly packed arrangement. A window element may support and/or protect the operational surface, in some embodiments. | 12-29-2011 |
20120026511 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING SURFACE PROFILE OF AN OBJECT - A method for measuring a surface profile of an object, the method includes, acquiring information about a first direction where a step of a surface of the object extends relative to a scanning direction, setting phase distribution applied to the irradiation beam according to the information, and scanning the object in the scanning direction with the irradiation beam. | 02-02-2012 |
20120069353 | PROFILE MEASURING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR MEASURING PROFILE, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCT - There is provided a profile measuring apparatus which measures a profile of an object, including an imaging element; an image formation optical system including an objective lens; a measuring direction changing unit which is configured to change inclination of a surface of the object with respect to the objective lens based on information of the inclination of the surface of the object so that a light flux enters the objective lens with an aperture angle not less than a predetermined degree; and a measuring unit which is configured to measure the profile of the object based on the image, of the object on which the pattern is projected, obtained by the imaging element. | 03-22-2012 |
20120140243 | NON-CONTACT SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION USING MODULATED ILLUMINATION - Methods for forming a three-dimensional image of a test object include directing light to a surface of best-focus of an imaging optic, where the light has an intensity modulation in at least one direction in the surface of best-focus, scanning a test object relative to the imaging optic so that a surface of the measurement object passes through the surface of best-focus of the imaging optic as the test object is scanned, acquiring, for each of a series of positions of the test object during the scan, a single image of the measurement object using the imaging optic, in which the intensity modulation of the light in the surface of best-focus is different for successive images, and forming a three-dimensional image of the test object based on the acquired images. | 06-07-2012 |
20130094031 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMAGING THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE - An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion of a three-dimensional structure is provided, that includes a probing member, an illumination unit, a light focusing optics, a translation mechanism, a detector and a processor. | 04-18-2013 |
20130163006 | CHROMATIC POINT SENSOR COMPENSATION INCLUDING WORKPIECE MATERIAL EFFECTS - A method of error compensation in a chromatic point sensor (CPS) reduces errors associated with varying workpiece spectral reflectivity. The errors are associated with a distance-independent profile component of the CPS measurement signals. Workpiece spectral reflectivity may be characterized using known spectral reflectivity for a workpiece material, or by measuring the workpiece spectral reflectivity using the CPS system. CPS spectral reflectivity measurement may comprise scanning the CPS optical pen to a plurality of distances relative to a workpiece surface and determining a distance-independent composite spectral profile from a plurality of resulting wavelength peaks. By comparing the distance-independent composite spectral profile obtained from a workpiece with that corresponding to the CPS distance calibration procedure, the contribution of the reflectivity characteristics of the workpiece will be indicated in the differences between the profiles, and potential CPS position errors due to varying workpiece reflectivity characteristics may be calculated and/or compensated. | 06-27-2013 |
20130169975 | COMPUTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SCANNING EDGES OF AN OBJECT - In a method for scanning edges of an object using a computing device, the computing device is connected to an image measuring machine including an image capturing device. A start point, an end point, a scan direction, and a scan distance interval are set. Scan points on the edges of the object are determined. For each scan point, the computing device aims the image capturing device at the scan point, controls the image capturing device to capture images of the object at different depths, and records focal points. Definition values of the images are calculated and an image with a highest definition value is determined. A focal point corresponds to the image with the highest definition value and so coordinates of the scan point are determined. Scanned edges of the object are formed based on all the scan points. | 07-04-2013 |
20130201488 | THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE MEASURING APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, a three-dimensional shape measuring apparatus includes at least an aperture plate that is provided with a plurality of confocal apertures which are two-dimensionally arranged to have a predetermined arrangement period, and an aperture plate displacement portion that displaces the aperture plate at a constant speed in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction. Further, the aperture plate is provided with a cover member which is moved integrally with the aperture plate and which includes a transparent body allowing the light beams from the light source to pass therethrough and to be irradiated to the plurality of confocal apertures, and protects the plurality of confocal apertures from dust. Further, an imaging optical system, by which each of reflected light beams is guided to a photo-detector, is designed in consideration of optical properties of the whole optical system including the transparent body of the cover member. | 08-08-2013 |
20130235388 | DYNAMIC AUTOFOCUS METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSAY IMAGER - Method of detecting surface features of a microarray. The method includes providing a microarray to an optical scanner, wherein the microarray includes a surface having features. The method also includes carrying out a scanning process using the optical scanner, wherein the scanning process includes: (i) acquiring images of sequential regions on the surface, wherein a defocus spread is applied to the optical scanner during the acquiring, (ii) determining a focus score for the images, (iii) adjusting the optical scanner to a different defocus spread based on the focus score, and (iv) repeating (i) through (iii) at the different defocus spread, thereby acquiring images of further sequential regions on the surface. The method also includes analyzing the images to distinguish different target molecules at the features of the microarray. The images that are analyzed were acquired at the defocus spread and at the different defocus spread during the scanning process. | 09-12-2013 |
20140146325 | Shape Measuring Device, Shape Measuring Method, And Shape Measuring Program - The invention provides a shape measuring device, a shape measuring method, and a shape measuring program capable of accurately and easily positioning a measuring object at a focus of a light receiving unit when measuring the shape of the measuring object. An image of a measuring object captured by a light receiving unit is displayed on a display section, and an arbitrary position on the image of the measuring object is specified by a user. A relative distance between the light receiving unit and a stage is changed so that the specified position coincides with a focus of the light receiving unit. The light emitted from a light projecting unit is reflected by the measuring object and received by the light receiving unit. Stereoscopic shape data of the measuring object is generated by a triangular distance measuring method based on a light receiving signal output by the light receiving unit. | 05-29-2014 |
20140233040 | Methods and Devices for Measuring Homogeneously Reflective Surfaces - A focal point generated by a confocal sensor system is moved along a visual axis, orthogonal to the x, y-plane of an x, y, z-coordinate system, to a target z-coordinate of a point to be measured on a surface of an object. A light intensity of light reflected by the surface is dependent on a distance of the focal point along the z-axis to the point to be measured, and is detected and used in determining the actual z-coordinate of the point to be measured by an evaluation device. | 08-21-2014 |
20160113742 | CONFOCAL SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY MEASUREMENT WITH FIXED FOCAL POSITIONS - An apparatus is described for measuring surface topography of a three-dimensional structure. In many embodiments, the apparatus is configured to focus each of a plurality of light beams to a respective fixed focal position relative to the apparatus. The apparatus measures a characteristic of each of a plurality of returned light beams that are generated by illuminating the three-dimensional structure with the light beams. The characteristic is measured for a plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure. Surface topography of the three-dimensional structure is determined based at least in part on the measured characteristic of the returned light beams for the plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure. | 04-28-2016 |