CA1255796A - Z-axis measurement system - Google Patents
Z-axis measurement systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA1255796A CA1255796A CA000511768A CA511768A CA1255796A CA 1255796 A CA1255796 A CA 1255796A CA 000511768 A CA000511768 A CA 000511768A CA 511768 A CA511768 A CA 511768A CA 1255796 A CA1255796 A CA 1255796A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- camera
- image
- axis
- video camera
- projected
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
- G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
- G01B11/06—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring thickness ; e.g. of sheet material
- G01B11/0608—Height gauges
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
This invention concerns an optical system for use with a television camera for detecting the surface location of an object.
A preferred optical image having a distinct, unique, recognizable pattern is projected on a surface along a defined path that ultimately falls on an imaging sensor associated with a television camera. The optical configuration causes a maximum light pattern energy to fall on the image sensor when the focal point coincides exactly with the surface of the object being detected. The system is not an automatic focussing system, since best focus is normally considered to be that condition which produces an image of maximum detail and sharpness, and the present invention does not rely on detail or sharpness of image for its operation. The invention can be used as an automatic focussing device if desired, since best focus can be derived as a useful by-product of accurate surface detection. In operation the camera moves in the Z direc-tion through the point of maximum light pattern energy. The Z-axis position of the energy peak value is a function of the optical design. An output signal from the camera is filtered and processed and calculated to the Z-axis height of the camera as a measure of the distance to the object surface being detected.
2104-F-l
This invention concerns an optical system for use with a television camera for detecting the surface location of an object.
A preferred optical image having a distinct, unique, recognizable pattern is projected on a surface along a defined path that ultimately falls on an imaging sensor associated with a television camera. The optical configuration causes a maximum light pattern energy to fall on the image sensor when the focal point coincides exactly with the surface of the object being detected. The system is not an automatic focussing system, since best focus is normally considered to be that condition which produces an image of maximum detail and sharpness, and the present invention does not rely on detail or sharpness of image for its operation. The invention can be used as an automatic focussing device if desired, since best focus can be derived as a useful by-product of accurate surface detection. In operation the camera moves in the Z direc-tion through the point of maximum light pattern energy. The Z-axis position of the energy peak value is a function of the optical design. An output signal from the camera is filtered and processed and calculated to the Z-axis height of the camera as a measure of the distance to the object surface being detected.
2104-F-l
Description
i5~7~6 ~34~-139 This invention is concerned generally wi-th the field of noncontact measurement and more specifically with apparatus and method for optically determining the height in the Z-axis of objects having a surface located above or below a reference height or surface.
The field of noncontact measurement has wide application in industry, particularly as part of the manufacturing process, where requirements for both inspection and accurate measurement are critical to successful and profitable production. With the advent 1~ of high quality imaging photoelectric devices it is now technically and economically feasible to automate the functions of noncontact flaw detection, item counting, and precision measurement of vir-tually any type of indùstrial product.
The present invention is concerned with an electro-optical system which is capable of accurately and precisely detect-ing the location in the Z-axis direction and measuring its position in real time, and without the necessity of any physical contact between the measurement system and the surface of the ob-ject being detected.
There are a number of prior art systems designed to accomplish noncontact measurement of the type described here. One widely used method involves the concept of automatic focus. This concept makes use of the idea that best focus occurs when the object to be measured lies in the focal plane of the optical system.
The height of the object relative to a reference can be determined by measuring the degree to which the image of the object to be ~104-F-l 1- ~
~2~ 6 measured is in focus in the image plane of the sensor such as in a television sensor.
The degree of focus can be measured by the content of high frequency energy in the image, based on the fact that the sharpness of an image is generally proportional to the content of high frequency or wideband energy in the image. Thus, by mov-ing the camera through the point of maximum high frequency spatial detail in the image, it is possible to establish the height of the surface by measuring the Z-axis position of the camera at the point of best focus.
Autofocus systems have a major drawback which prevents them from being employed as a Z-axis measurement sys-tem. These prior art systems require surface detail or prominent features on the surface for their operation. They cannot be used to measure the height, for example, of clean specularly reflecting surfaces such as mirrors or polished metal. In addition, these systems cannot be used for measuring featureless Lambertian surfaces such as ceramic substrates, or poorly reflecting surfaces as might be encountered on dark plastic.
Certain types of automatic focussing systems are also sensitive to the orientation of surface features, such as lathe Gr tool marks on metal. If such marks are essentially parallel to the direction of scan lines on the sensor, little or no focus information can be derived from the scanning process, thereby mak-ing accurate Z-axis measurements impossible.
Another prior art Z-axis measurement system makes use of triangulation such as is commonly employed in range finders.
These systems generally lack sufficient accuracy for making the kind of measurements required by industry, where required accur-acies are of the order of one or two ten thousandths of an inch.
These prior art systems also require more complex optical systems than other types of Z-axis measurement systems, as well as shorter working distances for equivalent accuracy. Working distance is the space between the outer surface of the objective lens and the ~urface to be measured, and should be of the order of several inches for maximum usefulness.
1~ A third type of prior art Z-axis measurement system is the laser interferometer. These systems are relatively complex and expensive, and are not generally usable with a wide variety of surfaces. However~ when used with specially designed retroreflec-tors that are carefully and critically adjusted, laser inter-~erometers are capable of extremely accurate and precise measure~
ments.
Air gauges provide another way of making a noncontact surface or Z-axis measurement. These devices are widely used, in-expensive, and capable of achieving accurate and precise measure-~0 ments. However, working distances are extremely short, commonly \sonly a small fraction of an inch, and area resolution'relatively coarse and of the order of 1/16 inch, thus limiting the application of these devices.
It is the purpose of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the systems described above. Specifically, the present invention overcomes the problem of sensitivity to ;5~
surface features, which limits the utility of prior art automatic focus systems for accurate Z-axis measurement. The present inven-tion is capable of accura-te measurement of the location of specular (mirrorlike) surfaces, bland or featureless Lambertian surfaces, such as ceramic substrates, and dark, poorly reflecting surfaces such as are commonly encountered on plastic parts. The present invention can even locate and accurately measure the surface position of essentially transparent materials such as glass, pro-viding that there is sufficient surface reflectivity to overcome 1~ signal to noise ratio limitations in the processing electronics.
There is no requirement for surface features in the processing electronics so that measurement errors associated with surface features do not accumulate or degrade the ~uality of measurement.
The present system does not require short working dis-tances to achieve high accuracies, nor does it require the use of special reflecting devices, such as are required by laser inter-ferometer measurement systems. Nor does the present invention require large area, since the present invention can measure the Z-axis distance of a spot on the surface whose diameter is only a
The field of noncontact measurement has wide application in industry, particularly as part of the manufacturing process, where requirements for both inspection and accurate measurement are critical to successful and profitable production. With the advent 1~ of high quality imaging photoelectric devices it is now technically and economically feasible to automate the functions of noncontact flaw detection, item counting, and precision measurement of vir-tually any type of indùstrial product.
The present invention is concerned with an electro-optical system which is capable of accurately and precisely detect-ing the location in the Z-axis direction and measuring its position in real time, and without the necessity of any physical contact between the measurement system and the surface of the ob-ject being detected.
There are a number of prior art systems designed to accomplish noncontact measurement of the type described here. One widely used method involves the concept of automatic focus. This concept makes use of the idea that best focus occurs when the object to be measured lies in the focal plane of the optical system.
The height of the object relative to a reference can be determined by measuring the degree to which the image of the object to be ~104-F-l 1- ~
~2~ 6 measured is in focus in the image plane of the sensor such as in a television sensor.
The degree of focus can be measured by the content of high frequency energy in the image, based on the fact that the sharpness of an image is generally proportional to the content of high frequency or wideband energy in the image. Thus, by mov-ing the camera through the point of maximum high frequency spatial detail in the image, it is possible to establish the height of the surface by measuring the Z-axis position of the camera at the point of best focus.
Autofocus systems have a major drawback which prevents them from being employed as a Z-axis measurement sys-tem. These prior art systems require surface detail or prominent features on the surface for their operation. They cannot be used to measure the height, for example, of clean specularly reflecting surfaces such as mirrors or polished metal. In addition, these systems cannot be used for measuring featureless Lambertian surfaces such as ceramic substrates, or poorly reflecting surfaces as might be encountered on dark plastic.
Certain types of automatic focussing systems are also sensitive to the orientation of surface features, such as lathe Gr tool marks on metal. If such marks are essentially parallel to the direction of scan lines on the sensor, little or no focus information can be derived from the scanning process, thereby mak-ing accurate Z-axis measurements impossible.
Another prior art Z-axis measurement system makes use of triangulation such as is commonly employed in range finders.
These systems generally lack sufficient accuracy for making the kind of measurements required by industry, where required accur-acies are of the order of one or two ten thousandths of an inch.
These prior art systems also require more complex optical systems than other types of Z-axis measurement systems, as well as shorter working distances for equivalent accuracy. Working distance is the space between the outer surface of the objective lens and the ~urface to be measured, and should be of the order of several inches for maximum usefulness.
1~ A third type of prior art Z-axis measurement system is the laser interferometer. These systems are relatively complex and expensive, and are not generally usable with a wide variety of surfaces. However~ when used with specially designed retroreflec-tors that are carefully and critically adjusted, laser inter-~erometers are capable of extremely accurate and precise measure~
ments.
Air gauges provide another way of making a noncontact surface or Z-axis measurement. These devices are widely used, in-expensive, and capable of achieving accurate and precise measure-~0 ments. However, working distances are extremely short, commonly \sonly a small fraction of an inch, and area resolution'relatively coarse and of the order of 1/16 inch, thus limiting the application of these devices.
It is the purpose of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the systems described above. Specifically, the present invention overcomes the problem of sensitivity to ;5~
surface features, which limits the utility of prior art automatic focus systems for accurate Z-axis measurement. The present inven-tion is capable of accura-te measurement of the location of specular (mirrorlike) surfaces, bland or featureless Lambertian surfaces, such as ceramic substrates, and dark, poorly reflecting surfaces such as are commonly encountered on plastic parts. The present invention can even locate and accurately measure the surface position of essentially transparent materials such as glass, pro-viding that there is sufficient surface reflectivity to overcome 1~ signal to noise ratio limitations in the processing electronics.
There is no requirement for surface features in the processing electronics so that measurement errors associated with surface features do not accumulate or degrade the ~uality of measurement.
The present system does not require short working dis-tances to achieve high accuracies, nor does it require the use of special reflecting devices, such as are required by laser inter-ferometer measurement systems. Nor does the present invention require large area, since the present invention can measure the Z-axis distance of a spot on the surface whose diameter is only a
2() ew thousandths of an inch.
The present invention achieves surface feature indepen-dence in a novel manner. An image is produced optically and projected by optical means to a point in space which is at a fixed distance from the outer surace of the objective lens of the measurement system. This fixed distance thus can be considered the working distance of the system, and is nominally of the order of six inches in the preferred embodiment.
The camera and optical system are rigidly and solidly attached to each other so that the combination can be moved to-gether as a unit in the Z-axis direction with said Z-axis motion being accurately and precisely controllable in either an up or down diredtion Movement is achieved by a servo-motor mechanically coupled to a precision screw or other suitable device which raises or lowers the camera-optical system under precision electronic command and control.
Not only can the Z-axis position be accurately and pre-cisely defined and controlled, but the rate of speed and accelera-tion of the moving system is controlled.
As the camera-optical system is moved, the projected optical image referred to earlier is moved. The projected image is moved up or down with respect to the surface of the object to be measured. The light energy reflected from the surface will vary in accordance with the distance of the projected image from the surface. Maximum light energy from the image will be reflected through the optical system to the sensor when the image plane co-) incides exactly with the surface of the object to be measured.
The image energy falling on the sensitive surface of the sensor will decrease smoothly as a function of the distance between the image and the surface. Although it turns out that maximum reflect-ed energy images on the sensor when the optical image is in focus on the object surface, the present invention does not, strictly speaking, depend on the concept of focus for its operation.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the projec-ted image is derived from a reticle or coarse grating, comprising a number of equally spaced opaque and transparent parallel bars that alternate with one another. A11 bars, opaque and transparent, have equal width and such an arrangement is commonly referred -to as a Ronchi ruling. The Ronchi ruling is illuminated from one side through a lens whose purpose is to fill the aperture of the system's objective lens. The light energy which passes through the Ronchi ruling reflects from a partially silvered mirror or prism (beam splitter) so that its direction of travel is rotated 90 degrees.
The light passes through the objective lens of the system, which brings it to a focus at some point in space which may or may not coincide with the surface of the object whose Z-axis position is to be determined. Whether or not the focussed image of the Ronchi ruling falls on the surface depends on the Z-axis position of the moving system relative to the surface of the object.
If the Ronchi ruling image focusses on the surface some raction of its energy will be reflected back by the surface with the amount being dependent on the nature and reflectivity of the 2d surace. ~fter passing through the objective lens in the reverse direction, and then passing through the beam splitter in a direc-tion othogonal to that of the incident light energy coming directly from the Ronchi ruling itself, the light from the object surface will form a focussed image on the sensor. The optical system is preferably designed so that the distance between the focussed image in space and the Ronchi ruling is equal to the distance between the sensor and the image in space, so that there is a magnification of unity between the Ronchi ruling and the sensor.
The bars of the Ronchi ruling are rotationally oriented so that the image of the bars as it falls on the sensor is perpendi-cular to the direction of scan of the sensor. In other words, each line scan is at some angle and preferably at an angle other than parallel to the orientation of the bar pattern, thereby causing the electrical signal out of the camera to contain a repetitive function having a fixed, stable, and known fundamental frequency component whose value is equal to the reciprocal of the period required to scan or readout one bar pair (opaque + trans-parent = one bar pair). The amplitude of the bar pattern signal is, o course, proportional to the amount of light energy reflected from the object surface. If the bar pattern image plane coincides with the surface of the object, the amplitude of the bar pattern image will be at a maximum value.
Consider now the meaning of the word "focus." In general, an image is said to be focussed when it contains a maximum of fine detail and when edges of objects contained within the image 2() are sharpest. Resolution and definition are at their maximum values in a focussed image. Another way of defining that an image is in focus is to say that the highest spatial frequencies of the image are reproduced to the fullest extent. This expresses focus in terms of spectral energy content (images can be evaluated in terms of two dimensional spectra, similar in concept to the one dimensional Fourier spectrum of a function of time). By analogy ~2~
with one dimensional functions, images can also be said to have transfer functions which are called "modulation transfer functions,"
and which present frequency distribution in one or two dimensional graphic form. Focussed images contain more "high frequency"
spectral energy than those which are not focussed.
Automatic focussing systems operate in a manner calculat-ed to maximize the highest frequency energy in an image by maxi-mally broadening the modulation transfer function. This occurs when maximum detail is visible and the edges of objects in the 1~ image are sharpest (image blur is minimized). In contrast to automatic focu~sing systems, the present invention does not oper-ate to maximize the high frequency spectral content of an image, nor does it operate by enhancing edge sharpness. It operates on the principle that the energy content of any frequency component in the spectrum of the reflected pattern will rise to a maximum value when its modulation transfer function is broadened to the maximum extent. This holds for low spectral frequency components as well as high frequency components. ~he fact that the image contains maximum energy at all frequencies when i-t is in focus 23 allows the invention to be used as an automatic focussing r system as well as a Z-axis measurement system if desired. It is emphasized that automatic focus capability of the invention is a useful byproduct, and not the primary purpose of the invention, nor does the invention depend on the phenomena of focus for its opera-tion.
There are disadvantages to the use of high frequency in-~:~557~i formatlon to obtain Z-axis measurements, or to try to broaden the bandwidth of a measurement system as is commonly done in auto-matic focussing systems by signal differentiation or high frequency enhancement. One principal disadvantage derives from the fact that spectral energy in a image decreases with increasing fre-quency, even in a focussed image, whereas noise content introduced in the sensor and processing electronic circuits either remains constant independent of frequency or rises with increasing fre-~uency. Operation which depends on high frequency enhancement or 1~ even depends on high frequency spectral content for its operation must be excessively prone to noise induced errors and performance limitations.
In the present invention, there would be a serious dis-advantage inherent in the use of high frequency or wide band information because of the nature of some of the types of surfaces that the system may be employed to measure. Specifically, a porous surface such as a ceramic substrate can diffuse and scatter light by virtue of subsurface penetration. Such diffusion and scattering can cause an attenuation of high frequency energy in propor~ion to frequency, thus degrading signal to noise ratio and measurement accuracy. Furthermore, surface irregularities such as are commonly encountered on machined or ground surfaces diffuse high frequency patterns or details much more than lower spatial frequency patterns also degrading signal to noise ratios and measurement accuracy.
Spatial frequencies that are too low will degrade overall performance because the energy peak will be too poorly defined, _ 9 ~;~S;57~6 thereby reducin~ measurement accuracy. The present invention is optimally configured to operate with a Ronchi spatial frequency that does not lie near either extreme of the modulation transfer func-tion, but is selected on the high frequency side of the "knee" of the modulation transfer function. In a preferred embodiment, a compromise spatial Ronchi frequency is selected that will produce a fundamental signal frequency of about 460 kilohertz. This pro-v.ides good results with a wide variety of surfaces, including ceramic surfaces.
The present invention operates solely on the basis of p~ojecting an image on the object surface of interest (in the case of the present invention, the image is that of a Ronchi ruling).
nOr ~`` It is neither necessary ~ desirable for the system to "see" or d~tact object surface features. There are good reasons for this.
In the first place, most surface features are of the type associated with roughness of the surface, and the shadows which result when these irregularities are illuminated. Unless means are incorporat-ed in the processing to discriminate against them, the processor c~nnot distinguish between the projected Ronchi pattern and the ~0 ima~e of the irregularities, thus causing confusion in the proces-sor. If the surface irregularities are of the deep type, signifi-cant measurement errors can occur~
A second reason for rejecting surface features concerns bandwidth and signal to noise ratios. Since surface features can have any size and shape, and size and shape may be randomly distributed, a processor would require wide bandwidth, and wide ~2~;5796 bandwidth would allow more noise to enter the system. A third reason for excluding surface features is that these features may be oriented in any direction. To properly process them requires a capability to differentiate or enhance video features or edges in any direction. Differentiation, as a process, degrades signal to noise ratio, and should therefore be avoided.
The present invention includes means for reducing or substantially eliminating most surface features from the tracking and measurement process. The surface feature elimination process is based on the fact that the signal energy derived by sensor scanning of the surface features generally spreads throughout the video spectrum, decreasing with increasing frequency, whereas the video energy associated with the scanning of the Ronchi ruling bars peaks at the fundamental frequency of the scanned bar pattern, and decreases rapidly on either side of the fundamental. Thus, a filter centered on the fundamental bar frequency, and sufficient-1~ narrow bands to discriminate against (and therefore exclude) nearly all of the signal spectral energy caused by scanning the surface features can virtually eliminate all surface feature energy ~d in the video signal. Such a filter can be considered a matched filter in the sense that the eliminated surface feature signals can be thought of as a form of noise or interference.
The narrow band filter need have only sufficient band-width to allow stable operation of the system at the speeds neces-sary or desirable. In the preferred embodiment, the filter band-width is selected to be approximately forty kilohertz. This bandwidth is sufficient to pass substantially all of the fundamental energy of the bar pattern signal without passing more -than an in-significant amount of energy from other components of the video signal, such as surface features, but at the same tlme the filter bandwidth is not so narrow as to cause problems with center fre-quency selection or frequency drift.
In operation, the Z-axis moving system comprises the camera and its contained television sensor, the optical subsystem, the Ronchi ruling, the means for illuminating the Ronchi ruling, the drive motor and its associated components, and the means for determining the Z-axis position of the moving system which all move together as a unit in a vertical Z-axis direction. The range of this motion includes or brackets the position of maximum detectable Ronchi pattern energy, which is the point to be determined or located in the Z-axis direction with high accuracy. The system movement is at a constant velocity, at the highest speed communsur-ate with accurate measurement.
During each vertical scan of the sensor, the AC output o the narrow band matched filter will have an amplitude propor-tionate to the fundamental frequency of the Ronchi ruling bar 211 pattern energy in the light reflected from the object surface. In the preferred embodiment, this AC signal will comprise a sinusoid whose frequency is 460 kilohertz. Because the filter is wide enough to admit one upper and one lower sideband (caused by modula-tion of the 460 kilohertz "carrier" by the 15,750 Hz. camera hori-~ontal scan blanking), the filter output signal will appear to be amplitude modulated; this modulation is incidental, however, and has no significant effect on operation of the system. Compared to the full video bandwidth of the camera (nominally, about four megahertz), the narrow band filter (about 40 kilohertz) substantial-ly reduces the noise. The signal to noise ratio is therefore enhanced about 20 db., since the signal derived from the Ronchi ruling bar pattern is not sigificantly attenuated by the filter.
After filtering, the Ronchi signal is full wave rectified (absolute valued) and integrated over the measurement area and this inte-grated signal is sampled at the end of the measurement window. A
sample is thus obtained each time a field scan is completed, there-by making the effective sampling rate sixty samples per second.
These samples are then converted to digital form by an analog to digital converter and stored in a digital memory or storage register. Along with these values, the corresponding Z-axis position values (also digital numbers) are stored in memory, so that the two sets of numbers can be correlated. Both sets of numbers are then read out and entered into a computer, where interpolation and smoothing algorithms fit a smooth curveto the data points and linearly interpolate between the Z-axis position ~d values.
As the moving system containing the camera and optics moves smoothly and at a constant speed through the Z-axis region of interest, the mathematical curve which represents the best and smoothest fit to the data points takes the form of a bell shaped curve, whose peak occurs at the point of maximum energy at the Eundamental Ronchi ruling scanned frequency. This peak may or may ~2i~
not occur exactly at a data point, and in fact will probably occur between data points. The peak of the curve will also occur at the point of best focus on the Ronchi bar pattern.
This point represents an exact and repeatable Z-axis position with respect to the object surface whose Z-axis position is to be determined, and the accurate measurement of the Z-axis position of this point is the main purpose of the present inven-~ion. As mentioned, the Z-axis positions of the data points are interpolated, and the smoothed and interpolated position values provide highly accurate Z-axis information about the object sur-~ace. Only differential Z-axis measurements have significance, since the height of a single point without any reference is meaning-less. Therefore in a sense, only thicknesses or height differences, such as the height of an object surface above or below another surface have any useful meaning. Thus, to be useful, a measurement must comprise two separate Z-axis determinations. A typical application might be the determination of the thicknesses of var-ious deposited layers of electrically conductive material on a ~ubstrate or printed circuit board. Another application might be to determine the height of an object by measuring the Z-axis posi-tion of the platform on which the object to be measured rests, and to subtract this reading from the measured Z-axis height of the ob j ect.
In the broadest sense, any kind of unique and recogniz-able pattern can be used in place of the Ronchi ruling, and a suitable matched filter employed to extract the image of the pattern ~LZ5~36 from its background to maximize signal to noise ratio.
Consider now the bell shaped curve of data points gener-ated as the moving system first moves toward the position of maximum energy from a p~sition off to one side of the peak, and then after moving through the position of maximum energy, proceeds away from the maximum point on the other side of the peak. As mentioned, a smooth curve may be fitted to the data points so that the actual peak of the data can be located even if it does not fall directly on a data sample. An alternate method of finding the 1~ peak is to truncate the peak in amplitude, say at 50% of the peak value and then calculate the centroid of the sample values that lie above the truncation threshold. The centroid is equivalent to a center of gravity or center of mass (sometimes called the first moment). This method may be preferred over the process of metha-matically fitting a curve to the data because of its simplicity and speed of computation.
In the preferred embodiment, the camera is moved at a constant speed, and the output data samples occur at the vertical field scanning rate of the camera, which is nominally 60 samples ~) per second. A precision scale is rigidly attached to the fixed structure upon which the camera is mounted in such a way that the position of the camera in the Z-axis direction can be determined with great accuracy by reading the scale with a movable scale reader that is rigidly attached to the camera and moves with it.
A typical scale is made of temperature stable glass and is read out optically to an accuracy of forty millionths of an inch (one ~Z5~7~
micron). The scale reader is interrogated sixty times a second, so that one scale reading is obtained for each data sample.
The invention can be used in what are known as "machine vision" systems, which are specialized optical systems utilized in manufacturing precision components from automobile parts to semiconductors. A part to be inspected is placed on a table that is movable horizontally in Y axis under a TV camera which looks down at it along a Z-axis. The camera is movable along a bridge or an X-axis relative to the part, as well as up and down along 1~ the Z-axis. A computer control system positions the camera so that it "looks" at a certain specific area, by manipulating the X and Y axis controls. The camera is moved along the Z axis by the control system to focus or to measure height, or for other purposes. The height of the part being inspected can be measured at many X and Y positions, with the locations of the positions being precisely measured automatically.
According to a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measurements comprising:
~) an optical system for projecting a given lmage from a reticle through a beamsplitting mirror to form a projected image on a selected area that is aligned with the beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis, said reticle being loca-ted a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror;
a video camera and said optical system mounted for movement in the Z direction and adapted to move in the Z di~ect;ioIl;
~zs~
said camera located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved in the Z
axis for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and a computer for statistically evaluating the output signal to determine the theoretical maximum amplitude of a focus indicating characteristic,of the output signal and correlating that theoretical maximum amplitude with the position of said camera as a function of height of camera above said selected area.
According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for measuring the height of a surface aligned along X and Y axes comprising a video camera aligned with the Z-axis to view said surface, means for pro-jecting an image so that it is focussed a predetermined distance in front of said camera, said image comprising a periodic pattern of alternating light and dark bars aligned in a direction at least partially transverse to the scanning direction of the video camera, means for detecting a signal component from the output of said video camera caused by detection of said image, means for moving said camera and image until said signal component is maximized, thereby indicating that said image is focussed on said surface, and means for measuring the position of said video camera along said Z-axis with respect to a reference location.
-16a-~2~
According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measurements comprising:
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle onto a selected area of a surface, a video camera and said optical system mounted for verticle movement in the Z direction and adapted to move vertically, said camera located a fixed distance above said projected image for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved vertically for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and means for detecting when said output signal is at substantially maximum amplitude.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent by referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the pre-ferred optics for projecting a desired image;
Figure 2 is a block diagram of the system used to detect the encoded projected image; and Figure 3 is a curve illustrating the varying amplitude of the detected encoded signal for different height positions of the camera.
-16b-~2~
Referring now to Figure 1, -there is shown a preferred diagram of the optical system constructed according to -the teach-ings of this invention. A TV camera 10 having a sensor 12 is located coaxially and in a fixed relationship with a beam splitting mirror assembly 14 that is located in line with an objective leans 16, which assembly is located above an object 18 located on a ~uitable substrate 20.
In the preferred embodiment a grating 22 in the form of a Ronchi ruling is located in a coaxial illuminated block and ~
aligned orthogonally with the split mirror 14. A light source 24 .is coa~ially aligned with the grating 22 so as to illuminate it.
The projected image of the grating is focussed via the beam split-ting mirror 14 and the objective lens 16 of the subject surface.
The reflected image is then reimaged at the sensor 12.
The subject surface is like a screen on which the image of the Ronchi ruling is projected and subsequently reflected and reimaged at the camera sensor 12. This image in effect provides a high contrast target for the video system to focus on.
The magnification of the Ronchi ruling to the camera sensor is in all cases one to one and for this reason an electronic narrow band filter can be used to detect a square wave signal of the Ronchi ruling regardless of the system magnification.
The distance A represents the distance from the sensor 12 to the beam splitter 14. The distance B represents the distance from the Ronchi ruling to the beam sp]itter. Distance C represents the distance from the beam splitter to the objective lens. Dis-~5~
6~344-139 tances D and D double prime representing two different height measurements.
In all cases distance A equals distance B and therefore the following relationship holds true:
A = B
C + A = C + B
C + A = magnification = C + B
D D
Having established the optical parameters it can now be appreciated that the image from the grating 22 is simply projected onto the object 18 and that by detecting the encoded image located on the surface it is now possible to detect the location of the surface by measuring the maximum amplitude of the detected encoded signal as the camera assembly is moved in a vertical direction.
In effect, the optical system simply pro~ects an image onto a surface and then the projected image is located by focuss-ing on the detected image which can be at focus at only one loca-tion and that would be on the surface. The camera assembly is 2~ moved up and down in the Z direction very slightly to determine a maximum amplitude in the energy at that detected frequency.
Maximum amplitude output signal correlates to height above the projected image. By projecting the image of light on the surface, it is now possible to determine height above the surface.
The frequency of the detected signal is a function of the sweep rate of the camera being used and the distance between the bars comprising the Ronchi grating. Hence, measuring the height above the projected image becomes completely independent of the surface parameters being optically reviewed by the camera.
Tests have shown that focusing on a subject like a mirror qives the best image and highest contrast, while focusing on a matte surface gives the lowest contrast. In the present invention the surface structure or texture is not being viewed directly by the camera optical system but only the image projected on the surface is being detected. It is now possible to detect the sur-face and heights of items above the surface regardless of thesurface parameters or marks on the surface or any indicia of the surface itself. The Z-axis measuring technique above the surface is now completely independent of the surface parameters.
The encoding of the projected image is completely arbit-rary and is a function of the sweep rate of the television camera and the spacing between the bars on the grating actually used.
In the preferred embodiment a Ronchi grating is used and a conventional vidicon camera producing 60 fields per second is used. Since the TV camera scans 15,750 lines per second across the 2~ ~rojected Ronchi image, an output frequency of approximately 455 kilohertz is generated. Using a grating having different spacing would of necessity generate a different output frequency, however, the principal is the same.
In actual practice the TV camera and optical assembly is moved in the Z direction and a reading is determined by measur-ing the maximum amplitude of the detected output signal as a ~2~7~i measure of the best focus. Once the best focus is determined the system knows wh~re the surface is since A = s and C + A must equal C + B.
Referring now to Figure 2, there is illustrated a block diagram illustrating the overall system for detecting the maximum amplitude of the encoded signal as a function of the best focus and hence the position of the surface.
The primary purpose of the described system is to make height measurements in the Z-axis and hence it is first necessary to determine the location of the surface by the system described in Figure 1. The technique basically involves projecting a predeter-mined grid pattern of known spatial frequency onto the surface through a set of optics and detecting the projected image as a ~nction of the best focus and hence the location of the surface.
In other words, if the optical system is at a distance that allows the image of the surface to be in focus, then the projected image will also be in focus at exactly the same place and same time.
The technique basically involves processing the information which is now an electrical video signal that represents the bar pattern ~) of the preferred image that is projected.
In the preferred embodiment a center frequencey of 455 kilohertz was chosen only because it was most convenient to obtain narrow band filters located at that particular frequency. There is nothing special about the frequency of 455 kilohertz since any other frequency could have been used. This frequency depends only on the spacing of the bars comprising the Ronchi grid and the sweep ~ ~ g ~
frequency of the television camera. The image seen by the -tele-vision camera 30 is actually the projected image of the Ronchi grating illustrated in more detail in Figure 1. The television camera 30 scans the Ronchi grid and produces an electrical waveform representing the optical image. The output signal from the tele-vision camera 30 produces a square wave at 455 kilohertz which corresponds to the optically projected image. The output of the ~,elevision camera is fed into a high pass amplifier 32 which basi-cally amplifies the frequency components in the neighborhood of 455 kilohertz. The output of the high pass amplifier 32 is fed to b~
a narrow band,'filter 34 having a center frequency at 455 kilohertz ~, and a bandwidth of approximately + 15-20 kilohertz from the center :Erequency or a total bandwidth of 30-40 kilohertz.
The output of the narrow band filter 34 is fed to a full ~ave rectifier 36 whose function is to convert the sine wave funda-mental frequency of this bar pattern located at 455 kilohertz into a full wave rectified signal which is used to produce nega-tive-~30in~ cusps at the sine wave frequency which are fed into a low pass filter integrator 38. The integrator 38 acts as a low pass 2a :Eilter which integrates the energy content of that signal during a pre~Eerred time period. In other words, the output of the low pass :Eilter integrator 38 would be a signal that would start at zero volts and ramp up to some positive voltage and in which the magni-tude of the positive voltage would be representative of the degree of focus.
As the TV camera 30 moves in a vertical direction and ~2~;57~16 goes through focus, the amplitude of the detected signal on either side of focus is low and as the system approaches focus the amplitude rises and reaches a peak and as the TV camera passes through focus the amplitude of the output decreases. A review of E`igure ~ will show a curve illustrating the amplitude of the detect-ed signal as the TV camera 30 moves from a point on one side of f~`ocus, through focus, and then to a point on the other side of l~ocus .
At discrete positions determined by the speed of the mechanical motion in the Z-axis of the television camera 30 and the data processing and sampling rates of the electronics in the computer, the system continually makes a measurement of the ampli .ude of the detected signal. This process takes the analog signal s~rom the low pass signal integrator 38 and converts it to an eight ~it digital number. The eight bit digital number is then read by the computer and stored and processed through a step gain ampli-fier 40 that is controlled by a digital control system 42. A
~osition locator 44 also contains a highly accurate scale, such as a Heidenhain glass scale, for accurately determining the position of the TV camera. A central processing unit 46 cooperates with the position locator 44 and feeds an A to D converter 48 which also receives an output of the step gain amplifier 40 for generating the desired output signals for each position of the TV camera 30.
At each point of movement of the TV camera 30, a measure-ment of the amplitude of the signal value which is the output of the low pass filter integrator 38 is determined in order to deter-mine what the Z~axis position a~ is. A complete range of valuesin the Z-axis is determined on either side of the signal peak as shown in Figure 3 and as a result it is possible to set a threshold of measured value as a function of the signal values since exper-ience will determine a relationship between amplitude values of the detected signal and the position of the highest peak value. The CPU 46 processes these values which are above the threshold and takes a centroid of all the data read to determine -the theoretical m~ximum value and then correlates the theoretical maximum value 1~ determined with the actual position of the TV camera from the position locator 44 to generate an output signal from the A/D con-verter 48 indicative of surface position which is also indicative of the position of best focus of the surface under test.
At this point in time, having determined the surface position, the TV camera is then positioned to the position just determined as correlating to the point of maximum calculated output si~nal and at that point height measurements in the Z-axis of items on the substrate can be given. Height measurement differences ~re determined at different points and the surface position at two _~ different points is read by the computer and subtracted and the output si~nal is the height differential between those two points.
All of the information is allowed to come through the matched filter so that the information that is derived is extremely high in signal to noise content.
The video signal from the TV camera 30 is fed into a high pass amplifier 32 due to the fact that most of the video ~z~
content is at the lower frequencies; however, the inEormation re-lative to Z-axis position measurement is located at 455 kilohertz where there is normally not very much surface feature energy.
The actual implementation of the step gain amplifier 40 is functionally determined by the characteristics of the A to D converter 48.
A significant and useful feature of the invention is the incorporation of specific means to discriminate against, and vir-tually eliminate the effects of surface features from the measure-ment process. The purpose of this is to enable the system to be able to detect, track, and measure a wide variety of surfaces, including those which have no recognizable surface features, such as a specularly reflecting mirror, or a piece of glass having low surface reflectivity, as well as surfaces having irregular or regular features, having either smooth or rough finishes.
In operation, the camera system is moved at constant speed through a range which brackets the point of impingement on t:he sensor or maximum reflected energy from the object surface. The direction of camera travel is perpendicular to the nominal X-Y
plane of the system; thus the camera moves parallel to or along the .'-axis. In the process of moving through the said range, light energy reflected from the object surface rises to a maximum and then decays to an arbitrary value at the end of travel. The values of reflected energy throughout the range of travel are dependent on the reflective nature of the object surface. The Z-axis position of the energy peak value is by design a function of the optical system, and once parameters are chosen and design fixed, the dis-tance between a reference point on the moving system and the object surface at which the energy ~eak occurs will not change. It is the Z-axis position of the energy peak which is considered to be the measure of the Z-axis position of the object surface.
The output signal from the moving camera system is filter-ed in a manner calculated to preserve maximum signal from the image projected on the object surface, and to attenuate reflected energy patterns which arise from irregularities or patterns which are part of the object surface itself. It is a further purpose of the filter to narrow the bandwidth of the signal in such a manner as to substantially reduce random or other types of noise. Such a filter may be considered a matched filter in the sense that it enhances ~he desired signal in an optimum manner with respect to all other signals, which can be thought of as performance degrading inter-~erences. The filtered signal then enters a processor, where it is sampled in a periodic manner, nominally the field or frame scan rate of the camera, and correlated against Z-axis position to determine the Z-axis height of the point on the object surface that is being measured. The processor also includes means to control ~he ~ain of the measurement system so as to maximize the dy~amic range of the measurement system. Specifically, the automatic gain control function allows the system to handle a very wide range of object surface reflectivities without manual intervention. Thus the system can automatically determine the Z-axis position of the object surface very accurately, and relatively independent of sur-Eace features and over a wide range of surface reflectivities.
The present invention achieves surface feature indepen-dence in a novel manner. An image is produced optically and projected by optical means to a point in space which is at a fixed distance from the outer surace of the objective lens of the measurement system. This fixed distance thus can be considered the working distance of the system, and is nominally of the order of six inches in the preferred embodiment.
The camera and optical system are rigidly and solidly attached to each other so that the combination can be moved to-gether as a unit in the Z-axis direction with said Z-axis motion being accurately and precisely controllable in either an up or down diredtion Movement is achieved by a servo-motor mechanically coupled to a precision screw or other suitable device which raises or lowers the camera-optical system under precision electronic command and control.
Not only can the Z-axis position be accurately and pre-cisely defined and controlled, but the rate of speed and accelera-tion of the moving system is controlled.
As the camera-optical system is moved, the projected optical image referred to earlier is moved. The projected image is moved up or down with respect to the surface of the object to be measured. The light energy reflected from the surface will vary in accordance with the distance of the projected image from the surface. Maximum light energy from the image will be reflected through the optical system to the sensor when the image plane co-) incides exactly with the surface of the object to be measured.
The image energy falling on the sensitive surface of the sensor will decrease smoothly as a function of the distance between the image and the surface. Although it turns out that maximum reflect-ed energy images on the sensor when the optical image is in focus on the object surface, the present invention does not, strictly speaking, depend on the concept of focus for its operation.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the projec-ted image is derived from a reticle or coarse grating, comprising a number of equally spaced opaque and transparent parallel bars that alternate with one another. A11 bars, opaque and transparent, have equal width and such an arrangement is commonly referred -to as a Ronchi ruling. The Ronchi ruling is illuminated from one side through a lens whose purpose is to fill the aperture of the system's objective lens. The light energy which passes through the Ronchi ruling reflects from a partially silvered mirror or prism (beam splitter) so that its direction of travel is rotated 90 degrees.
The light passes through the objective lens of the system, which brings it to a focus at some point in space which may or may not coincide with the surface of the object whose Z-axis position is to be determined. Whether or not the focussed image of the Ronchi ruling falls on the surface depends on the Z-axis position of the moving system relative to the surface of the object.
If the Ronchi ruling image focusses on the surface some raction of its energy will be reflected back by the surface with the amount being dependent on the nature and reflectivity of the 2d surace. ~fter passing through the objective lens in the reverse direction, and then passing through the beam splitter in a direc-tion othogonal to that of the incident light energy coming directly from the Ronchi ruling itself, the light from the object surface will form a focussed image on the sensor. The optical system is preferably designed so that the distance between the focussed image in space and the Ronchi ruling is equal to the distance between the sensor and the image in space, so that there is a magnification of unity between the Ronchi ruling and the sensor.
The bars of the Ronchi ruling are rotationally oriented so that the image of the bars as it falls on the sensor is perpendi-cular to the direction of scan of the sensor. In other words, each line scan is at some angle and preferably at an angle other than parallel to the orientation of the bar pattern, thereby causing the electrical signal out of the camera to contain a repetitive function having a fixed, stable, and known fundamental frequency component whose value is equal to the reciprocal of the period required to scan or readout one bar pair (opaque + trans-parent = one bar pair). The amplitude of the bar pattern signal is, o course, proportional to the amount of light energy reflected from the object surface. If the bar pattern image plane coincides with the surface of the object, the amplitude of the bar pattern image will be at a maximum value.
Consider now the meaning of the word "focus." In general, an image is said to be focussed when it contains a maximum of fine detail and when edges of objects contained within the image 2() are sharpest. Resolution and definition are at their maximum values in a focussed image. Another way of defining that an image is in focus is to say that the highest spatial frequencies of the image are reproduced to the fullest extent. This expresses focus in terms of spectral energy content (images can be evaluated in terms of two dimensional spectra, similar in concept to the one dimensional Fourier spectrum of a function of time). By analogy ~2~
with one dimensional functions, images can also be said to have transfer functions which are called "modulation transfer functions,"
and which present frequency distribution in one or two dimensional graphic form. Focussed images contain more "high frequency"
spectral energy than those which are not focussed.
Automatic focussing systems operate in a manner calculat-ed to maximize the highest frequency energy in an image by maxi-mally broadening the modulation transfer function. This occurs when maximum detail is visible and the edges of objects in the 1~ image are sharpest (image blur is minimized). In contrast to automatic focu~sing systems, the present invention does not oper-ate to maximize the high frequency spectral content of an image, nor does it operate by enhancing edge sharpness. It operates on the principle that the energy content of any frequency component in the spectrum of the reflected pattern will rise to a maximum value when its modulation transfer function is broadened to the maximum extent. This holds for low spectral frequency components as well as high frequency components. ~he fact that the image contains maximum energy at all frequencies when i-t is in focus 23 allows the invention to be used as an automatic focussing r system as well as a Z-axis measurement system if desired. It is emphasized that automatic focus capability of the invention is a useful byproduct, and not the primary purpose of the invention, nor does the invention depend on the phenomena of focus for its opera-tion.
There are disadvantages to the use of high frequency in-~:~557~i formatlon to obtain Z-axis measurements, or to try to broaden the bandwidth of a measurement system as is commonly done in auto-matic focussing systems by signal differentiation or high frequency enhancement. One principal disadvantage derives from the fact that spectral energy in a image decreases with increasing fre-quency, even in a focussed image, whereas noise content introduced in the sensor and processing electronic circuits either remains constant independent of frequency or rises with increasing fre-~uency. Operation which depends on high frequency enhancement or 1~ even depends on high frequency spectral content for its operation must be excessively prone to noise induced errors and performance limitations.
In the present invention, there would be a serious dis-advantage inherent in the use of high frequency or wide band information because of the nature of some of the types of surfaces that the system may be employed to measure. Specifically, a porous surface such as a ceramic substrate can diffuse and scatter light by virtue of subsurface penetration. Such diffusion and scattering can cause an attenuation of high frequency energy in propor~ion to frequency, thus degrading signal to noise ratio and measurement accuracy. Furthermore, surface irregularities such as are commonly encountered on machined or ground surfaces diffuse high frequency patterns or details much more than lower spatial frequency patterns also degrading signal to noise ratios and measurement accuracy.
Spatial frequencies that are too low will degrade overall performance because the energy peak will be too poorly defined, _ 9 ~;~S;57~6 thereby reducin~ measurement accuracy. The present invention is optimally configured to operate with a Ronchi spatial frequency that does not lie near either extreme of the modulation transfer func-tion, but is selected on the high frequency side of the "knee" of the modulation transfer function. In a preferred embodiment, a compromise spatial Ronchi frequency is selected that will produce a fundamental signal frequency of about 460 kilohertz. This pro-v.ides good results with a wide variety of surfaces, including ceramic surfaces.
The present invention operates solely on the basis of p~ojecting an image on the object surface of interest (in the case of the present invention, the image is that of a Ronchi ruling).
nOr ~`` It is neither necessary ~ desirable for the system to "see" or d~tact object surface features. There are good reasons for this.
In the first place, most surface features are of the type associated with roughness of the surface, and the shadows which result when these irregularities are illuminated. Unless means are incorporat-ed in the processing to discriminate against them, the processor c~nnot distinguish between the projected Ronchi pattern and the ~0 ima~e of the irregularities, thus causing confusion in the proces-sor. If the surface irregularities are of the deep type, signifi-cant measurement errors can occur~
A second reason for rejecting surface features concerns bandwidth and signal to noise ratios. Since surface features can have any size and shape, and size and shape may be randomly distributed, a processor would require wide bandwidth, and wide ~2~;5796 bandwidth would allow more noise to enter the system. A third reason for excluding surface features is that these features may be oriented in any direction. To properly process them requires a capability to differentiate or enhance video features or edges in any direction. Differentiation, as a process, degrades signal to noise ratio, and should therefore be avoided.
The present invention includes means for reducing or substantially eliminating most surface features from the tracking and measurement process. The surface feature elimination process is based on the fact that the signal energy derived by sensor scanning of the surface features generally spreads throughout the video spectrum, decreasing with increasing frequency, whereas the video energy associated with the scanning of the Ronchi ruling bars peaks at the fundamental frequency of the scanned bar pattern, and decreases rapidly on either side of the fundamental. Thus, a filter centered on the fundamental bar frequency, and sufficient-1~ narrow bands to discriminate against (and therefore exclude) nearly all of the signal spectral energy caused by scanning the surface features can virtually eliminate all surface feature energy ~d in the video signal. Such a filter can be considered a matched filter in the sense that the eliminated surface feature signals can be thought of as a form of noise or interference.
The narrow band filter need have only sufficient band-width to allow stable operation of the system at the speeds neces-sary or desirable. In the preferred embodiment, the filter band-width is selected to be approximately forty kilohertz. This bandwidth is sufficient to pass substantially all of the fundamental energy of the bar pattern signal without passing more -than an in-significant amount of energy from other components of the video signal, such as surface features, but at the same tlme the filter bandwidth is not so narrow as to cause problems with center fre-quency selection or frequency drift.
In operation, the Z-axis moving system comprises the camera and its contained television sensor, the optical subsystem, the Ronchi ruling, the means for illuminating the Ronchi ruling, the drive motor and its associated components, and the means for determining the Z-axis position of the moving system which all move together as a unit in a vertical Z-axis direction. The range of this motion includes or brackets the position of maximum detectable Ronchi pattern energy, which is the point to be determined or located in the Z-axis direction with high accuracy. The system movement is at a constant velocity, at the highest speed communsur-ate with accurate measurement.
During each vertical scan of the sensor, the AC output o the narrow band matched filter will have an amplitude propor-tionate to the fundamental frequency of the Ronchi ruling bar 211 pattern energy in the light reflected from the object surface. In the preferred embodiment, this AC signal will comprise a sinusoid whose frequency is 460 kilohertz. Because the filter is wide enough to admit one upper and one lower sideband (caused by modula-tion of the 460 kilohertz "carrier" by the 15,750 Hz. camera hori-~ontal scan blanking), the filter output signal will appear to be amplitude modulated; this modulation is incidental, however, and has no significant effect on operation of the system. Compared to the full video bandwidth of the camera (nominally, about four megahertz), the narrow band filter (about 40 kilohertz) substantial-ly reduces the noise. The signal to noise ratio is therefore enhanced about 20 db., since the signal derived from the Ronchi ruling bar pattern is not sigificantly attenuated by the filter.
After filtering, the Ronchi signal is full wave rectified (absolute valued) and integrated over the measurement area and this inte-grated signal is sampled at the end of the measurement window. A
sample is thus obtained each time a field scan is completed, there-by making the effective sampling rate sixty samples per second.
These samples are then converted to digital form by an analog to digital converter and stored in a digital memory or storage register. Along with these values, the corresponding Z-axis position values (also digital numbers) are stored in memory, so that the two sets of numbers can be correlated. Both sets of numbers are then read out and entered into a computer, where interpolation and smoothing algorithms fit a smooth curveto the data points and linearly interpolate between the Z-axis position ~d values.
As the moving system containing the camera and optics moves smoothly and at a constant speed through the Z-axis region of interest, the mathematical curve which represents the best and smoothest fit to the data points takes the form of a bell shaped curve, whose peak occurs at the point of maximum energy at the Eundamental Ronchi ruling scanned frequency. This peak may or may ~2i~
not occur exactly at a data point, and in fact will probably occur between data points. The peak of the curve will also occur at the point of best focus on the Ronchi bar pattern.
This point represents an exact and repeatable Z-axis position with respect to the object surface whose Z-axis position is to be determined, and the accurate measurement of the Z-axis position of this point is the main purpose of the present inven-~ion. As mentioned, the Z-axis positions of the data points are interpolated, and the smoothed and interpolated position values provide highly accurate Z-axis information about the object sur-~ace. Only differential Z-axis measurements have significance, since the height of a single point without any reference is meaning-less. Therefore in a sense, only thicknesses or height differences, such as the height of an object surface above or below another surface have any useful meaning. Thus, to be useful, a measurement must comprise two separate Z-axis determinations. A typical application might be the determination of the thicknesses of var-ious deposited layers of electrically conductive material on a ~ubstrate or printed circuit board. Another application might be to determine the height of an object by measuring the Z-axis posi-tion of the platform on which the object to be measured rests, and to subtract this reading from the measured Z-axis height of the ob j ect.
In the broadest sense, any kind of unique and recogniz-able pattern can be used in place of the Ronchi ruling, and a suitable matched filter employed to extract the image of the pattern ~LZ5~36 from its background to maximize signal to noise ratio.
Consider now the bell shaped curve of data points gener-ated as the moving system first moves toward the position of maximum energy from a p~sition off to one side of the peak, and then after moving through the position of maximum energy, proceeds away from the maximum point on the other side of the peak. As mentioned, a smooth curve may be fitted to the data points so that the actual peak of the data can be located even if it does not fall directly on a data sample. An alternate method of finding the 1~ peak is to truncate the peak in amplitude, say at 50% of the peak value and then calculate the centroid of the sample values that lie above the truncation threshold. The centroid is equivalent to a center of gravity or center of mass (sometimes called the first moment). This method may be preferred over the process of metha-matically fitting a curve to the data because of its simplicity and speed of computation.
In the preferred embodiment, the camera is moved at a constant speed, and the output data samples occur at the vertical field scanning rate of the camera, which is nominally 60 samples ~) per second. A precision scale is rigidly attached to the fixed structure upon which the camera is mounted in such a way that the position of the camera in the Z-axis direction can be determined with great accuracy by reading the scale with a movable scale reader that is rigidly attached to the camera and moves with it.
A typical scale is made of temperature stable glass and is read out optically to an accuracy of forty millionths of an inch (one ~Z5~7~
micron). The scale reader is interrogated sixty times a second, so that one scale reading is obtained for each data sample.
The invention can be used in what are known as "machine vision" systems, which are specialized optical systems utilized in manufacturing precision components from automobile parts to semiconductors. A part to be inspected is placed on a table that is movable horizontally in Y axis under a TV camera which looks down at it along a Z-axis. The camera is movable along a bridge or an X-axis relative to the part, as well as up and down along 1~ the Z-axis. A computer control system positions the camera so that it "looks" at a certain specific area, by manipulating the X and Y axis controls. The camera is moved along the Z axis by the control system to focus or to measure height, or for other purposes. The height of the part being inspected can be measured at many X and Y positions, with the locations of the positions being precisely measured automatically.
According to a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measurements comprising:
~) an optical system for projecting a given lmage from a reticle through a beamsplitting mirror to form a projected image on a selected area that is aligned with the beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis, said reticle being loca-ted a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror;
a video camera and said optical system mounted for movement in the Z direction and adapted to move in the Z di~ect;ioIl;
~zs~
said camera located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved in the Z
axis for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and a computer for statistically evaluating the output signal to determine the theoretical maximum amplitude of a focus indicating characteristic,of the output signal and correlating that theoretical maximum amplitude with the position of said camera as a function of height of camera above said selected area.
According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for measuring the height of a surface aligned along X and Y axes comprising a video camera aligned with the Z-axis to view said surface, means for pro-jecting an image so that it is focussed a predetermined distance in front of said camera, said image comprising a periodic pattern of alternating light and dark bars aligned in a direction at least partially transverse to the scanning direction of the video camera, means for detecting a signal component from the output of said video camera caused by detection of said image, means for moving said camera and image until said signal component is maximized, thereby indicating that said image is focussed on said surface, and means for measuring the position of said video camera along said Z-axis with respect to a reference location.
-16a-~2~
According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided a non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measurements comprising:
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle onto a selected area of a surface, a video camera and said optical system mounted for verticle movement in the Z direction and adapted to move vertically, said camera located a fixed distance above said projected image for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved vertically for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and means for detecting when said output signal is at substantially maximum amplitude.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent by referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the pre-ferred optics for projecting a desired image;
Figure 2 is a block diagram of the system used to detect the encoded projected image; and Figure 3 is a curve illustrating the varying amplitude of the detected encoded signal for different height positions of the camera.
-16b-~2~
Referring now to Figure 1, -there is shown a preferred diagram of the optical system constructed according to -the teach-ings of this invention. A TV camera 10 having a sensor 12 is located coaxially and in a fixed relationship with a beam splitting mirror assembly 14 that is located in line with an objective leans 16, which assembly is located above an object 18 located on a ~uitable substrate 20.
In the preferred embodiment a grating 22 in the form of a Ronchi ruling is located in a coaxial illuminated block and ~
aligned orthogonally with the split mirror 14. A light source 24 .is coa~ially aligned with the grating 22 so as to illuminate it.
The projected image of the grating is focussed via the beam split-ting mirror 14 and the objective lens 16 of the subject surface.
The reflected image is then reimaged at the sensor 12.
The subject surface is like a screen on which the image of the Ronchi ruling is projected and subsequently reflected and reimaged at the camera sensor 12. This image in effect provides a high contrast target for the video system to focus on.
The magnification of the Ronchi ruling to the camera sensor is in all cases one to one and for this reason an electronic narrow band filter can be used to detect a square wave signal of the Ronchi ruling regardless of the system magnification.
The distance A represents the distance from the sensor 12 to the beam splitter 14. The distance B represents the distance from the Ronchi ruling to the beam sp]itter. Distance C represents the distance from the beam splitter to the objective lens. Dis-~5~
6~344-139 tances D and D double prime representing two different height measurements.
In all cases distance A equals distance B and therefore the following relationship holds true:
A = B
C + A = C + B
C + A = magnification = C + B
D D
Having established the optical parameters it can now be appreciated that the image from the grating 22 is simply projected onto the object 18 and that by detecting the encoded image located on the surface it is now possible to detect the location of the surface by measuring the maximum amplitude of the detected encoded signal as the camera assembly is moved in a vertical direction.
In effect, the optical system simply pro~ects an image onto a surface and then the projected image is located by focuss-ing on the detected image which can be at focus at only one loca-tion and that would be on the surface. The camera assembly is 2~ moved up and down in the Z direction very slightly to determine a maximum amplitude in the energy at that detected frequency.
Maximum amplitude output signal correlates to height above the projected image. By projecting the image of light on the surface, it is now possible to determine height above the surface.
The frequency of the detected signal is a function of the sweep rate of the camera being used and the distance between the bars comprising the Ronchi grating. Hence, measuring the height above the projected image becomes completely independent of the surface parameters being optically reviewed by the camera.
Tests have shown that focusing on a subject like a mirror qives the best image and highest contrast, while focusing on a matte surface gives the lowest contrast. In the present invention the surface structure or texture is not being viewed directly by the camera optical system but only the image projected on the surface is being detected. It is now possible to detect the sur-face and heights of items above the surface regardless of thesurface parameters or marks on the surface or any indicia of the surface itself. The Z-axis measuring technique above the surface is now completely independent of the surface parameters.
The encoding of the projected image is completely arbit-rary and is a function of the sweep rate of the television camera and the spacing between the bars on the grating actually used.
In the preferred embodiment a Ronchi grating is used and a conventional vidicon camera producing 60 fields per second is used. Since the TV camera scans 15,750 lines per second across the 2~ ~rojected Ronchi image, an output frequency of approximately 455 kilohertz is generated. Using a grating having different spacing would of necessity generate a different output frequency, however, the principal is the same.
In actual practice the TV camera and optical assembly is moved in the Z direction and a reading is determined by measur-ing the maximum amplitude of the detected output signal as a ~2~7~i measure of the best focus. Once the best focus is determined the system knows wh~re the surface is since A = s and C + A must equal C + B.
Referring now to Figure 2, there is illustrated a block diagram illustrating the overall system for detecting the maximum amplitude of the encoded signal as a function of the best focus and hence the position of the surface.
The primary purpose of the described system is to make height measurements in the Z-axis and hence it is first necessary to determine the location of the surface by the system described in Figure 1. The technique basically involves projecting a predeter-mined grid pattern of known spatial frequency onto the surface through a set of optics and detecting the projected image as a ~nction of the best focus and hence the location of the surface.
In other words, if the optical system is at a distance that allows the image of the surface to be in focus, then the projected image will also be in focus at exactly the same place and same time.
The technique basically involves processing the information which is now an electrical video signal that represents the bar pattern ~) of the preferred image that is projected.
In the preferred embodiment a center frequencey of 455 kilohertz was chosen only because it was most convenient to obtain narrow band filters located at that particular frequency. There is nothing special about the frequency of 455 kilohertz since any other frequency could have been used. This frequency depends only on the spacing of the bars comprising the Ronchi grid and the sweep ~ ~ g ~
frequency of the television camera. The image seen by the -tele-vision camera 30 is actually the projected image of the Ronchi grating illustrated in more detail in Figure 1. The television camera 30 scans the Ronchi grid and produces an electrical waveform representing the optical image. The output signal from the tele-vision camera 30 produces a square wave at 455 kilohertz which corresponds to the optically projected image. The output of the ~,elevision camera is fed into a high pass amplifier 32 which basi-cally amplifies the frequency components in the neighborhood of 455 kilohertz. The output of the high pass amplifier 32 is fed to b~
a narrow band,'filter 34 having a center frequency at 455 kilohertz ~, and a bandwidth of approximately + 15-20 kilohertz from the center :Erequency or a total bandwidth of 30-40 kilohertz.
The output of the narrow band filter 34 is fed to a full ~ave rectifier 36 whose function is to convert the sine wave funda-mental frequency of this bar pattern located at 455 kilohertz into a full wave rectified signal which is used to produce nega-tive-~30in~ cusps at the sine wave frequency which are fed into a low pass filter integrator 38. The integrator 38 acts as a low pass 2a :Eilter which integrates the energy content of that signal during a pre~Eerred time period. In other words, the output of the low pass :Eilter integrator 38 would be a signal that would start at zero volts and ramp up to some positive voltage and in which the magni-tude of the positive voltage would be representative of the degree of focus.
As the TV camera 30 moves in a vertical direction and ~2~;57~16 goes through focus, the amplitude of the detected signal on either side of focus is low and as the system approaches focus the amplitude rises and reaches a peak and as the TV camera passes through focus the amplitude of the output decreases. A review of E`igure ~ will show a curve illustrating the amplitude of the detect-ed signal as the TV camera 30 moves from a point on one side of f~`ocus, through focus, and then to a point on the other side of l~ocus .
At discrete positions determined by the speed of the mechanical motion in the Z-axis of the television camera 30 and the data processing and sampling rates of the electronics in the computer, the system continually makes a measurement of the ampli .ude of the detected signal. This process takes the analog signal s~rom the low pass signal integrator 38 and converts it to an eight ~it digital number. The eight bit digital number is then read by the computer and stored and processed through a step gain ampli-fier 40 that is controlled by a digital control system 42. A
~osition locator 44 also contains a highly accurate scale, such as a Heidenhain glass scale, for accurately determining the position of the TV camera. A central processing unit 46 cooperates with the position locator 44 and feeds an A to D converter 48 which also receives an output of the step gain amplifier 40 for generating the desired output signals for each position of the TV camera 30.
At each point of movement of the TV camera 30, a measure-ment of the amplitude of the signal value which is the output of the low pass filter integrator 38 is determined in order to deter-mine what the Z~axis position a~ is. A complete range of valuesin the Z-axis is determined on either side of the signal peak as shown in Figure 3 and as a result it is possible to set a threshold of measured value as a function of the signal values since exper-ience will determine a relationship between amplitude values of the detected signal and the position of the highest peak value. The CPU 46 processes these values which are above the threshold and takes a centroid of all the data read to determine -the theoretical m~ximum value and then correlates the theoretical maximum value 1~ determined with the actual position of the TV camera from the position locator 44 to generate an output signal from the A/D con-verter 48 indicative of surface position which is also indicative of the position of best focus of the surface under test.
At this point in time, having determined the surface position, the TV camera is then positioned to the position just determined as correlating to the point of maximum calculated output si~nal and at that point height measurements in the Z-axis of items on the substrate can be given. Height measurement differences ~re determined at different points and the surface position at two _~ different points is read by the computer and subtracted and the output si~nal is the height differential between those two points.
All of the information is allowed to come through the matched filter so that the information that is derived is extremely high in signal to noise content.
The video signal from the TV camera 30 is fed into a high pass amplifier 32 due to the fact that most of the video ~z~
content is at the lower frequencies; however, the inEormation re-lative to Z-axis position measurement is located at 455 kilohertz where there is normally not very much surface feature energy.
The actual implementation of the step gain amplifier 40 is functionally determined by the characteristics of the A to D converter 48.
A significant and useful feature of the invention is the incorporation of specific means to discriminate against, and vir-tually eliminate the effects of surface features from the measure-ment process. The purpose of this is to enable the system to be able to detect, track, and measure a wide variety of surfaces, including those which have no recognizable surface features, such as a specularly reflecting mirror, or a piece of glass having low surface reflectivity, as well as surfaces having irregular or regular features, having either smooth or rough finishes.
In operation, the camera system is moved at constant speed through a range which brackets the point of impingement on t:he sensor or maximum reflected energy from the object surface. The direction of camera travel is perpendicular to the nominal X-Y
plane of the system; thus the camera moves parallel to or along the .'-axis. In the process of moving through the said range, light energy reflected from the object surface rises to a maximum and then decays to an arbitrary value at the end of travel. The values of reflected energy throughout the range of travel are dependent on the reflective nature of the object surface. The Z-axis position of the energy peak value is by design a function of the optical system, and once parameters are chosen and design fixed, the dis-tance between a reference point on the moving system and the object surface at which the energy ~eak occurs will not change. It is the Z-axis position of the energy peak which is considered to be the measure of the Z-axis position of the object surface.
The output signal from the moving camera system is filter-ed in a manner calculated to preserve maximum signal from the image projected on the object surface, and to attenuate reflected energy patterns which arise from irregularities or patterns which are part of the object surface itself. It is a further purpose of the filter to narrow the bandwidth of the signal in such a manner as to substantially reduce random or other types of noise. Such a filter may be considered a matched filter in the sense that it enhances ~he desired signal in an optimum manner with respect to all other signals, which can be thought of as performance degrading inter-~erences. The filtered signal then enters a processor, where it is sampled in a periodic manner, nominally the field or frame scan rate of the camera, and correlated against Z-axis position to determine the Z-axis height of the point on the object surface that is being measured. The processor also includes means to control ~he ~ain of the measurement system so as to maximize the dy~amic range of the measurement system. Specifically, the automatic gain control function allows the system to handle a very wide range of object surface reflectivities without manual intervention. Thus the system can automatically determine the Z-axis position of the object surface very accurately, and relatively independent of sur-Eace features and over a wide range of surface reflectivities.
Claims (21)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measurements comprising:
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle through a beamsplitting mirror to form a projected image on a selected area that is aligned with the beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis, said reticle being located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror;
a video camera and said optical system mounted for movement in the Z direction and adapted to move in the Z direction, said camera located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved in the Z
axis for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and a computer for statistically evaluating the output signal to determine the theoretical maximum amplitude of a focus indicating characteristic of the output signal and correlating that theoretical maximum amplitude with the position of said camera as a function of height of camera above said selected area.
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle through a beamsplitting mirror to form a projected image on a selected area that is aligned with the beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis, said reticle being located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror;
a video camera and said optical system mounted for movement in the Z direction and adapted to move in the Z direction, said camera located a fixed distance from said beamsplitting mirror along the Z axis for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved in the Z
axis for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a function of distance from said selected area, and a computer for statistically evaluating the output signal to determine the theoretical maximum amplitude of a focus indicating characteristic of the output signal and correlating that theoretical maximum amplitude with the position of said camera as a function of height of camera above said selected area.
2. A non contact Z-axis probe according to Claim 1 in which said given image is projected on a selected area located on a surface and in which said computer determines the distance of the camera from said selected area located on the surface.
3. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 1 in which said given image comprises a plurality of equally spaced parallel lines, and in which said parallel lines are projected in a preferred orientation other than parallel to a line scan direction of said video camera.
4. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 3 in which the parallel lines on said image are perpendicular to the scan line direction of said video camera.
5. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 3 in which said parallel lines are formed by a Ronchi ruling.
6. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 3 in which a preferred spacing of parallel bars is selected relative to the scan rate of said video camera for generating a discrete fre-quency signal at each scan while said camera is moved in the Z
direction and in which the amplitude of each signal is a function of the distance of the camera from the projected image on said selected area.
direction and in which the amplitude of each signal is a function of the distance of the camera from the projected image on said selected area.
7. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 1 in which the output signal from said video camera is fed through a filter whereby the amplitude of said output signal is a function of height of camera above the projected image on said selected area.
8. A non-contact Z-axis probe for measuring the height of a surface aligned along X and Y axes comprising a video camera aligned with the Z-axis to view said surface, means for projecting an image so that it is focussed a predetermined distance in front of said camera, said image comprising a periodic pattern of alternating light and dark bars aligned in a direction at least partially transverse to the scanning direction of the video camera, means for detecting a signal component from the output of said video camera caused by detection of said image, means for moving said camera and image until said signal component is maximized, thereby indicating that said image is focussed on said surface, and means for measuring the position of said video camera along said Z-axis with respect to a reference location.
9. A probe as claimed in Claim 8 wherein said pattern is aligned substantially at right angles to the scanning direction of said video camera.
10. A probe as claimed in Claim 9 wherein said pattern is a Ronchi ruling.
11. A probe as claimed in Claim 10 wherein said Ronchi ruling is focused at the focal point of said video camera.
12. A probe as claimed in Claim 11 wherein each Ronchi ruling is projected via a beam splitter in front of the video camera and the image reflected from the surface passes through said beam splitter to said video camera.
13. A non-contact Z-axis probe for making height measure-ments comprising:
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle onto a selected area of a surface, a video camera and said optical system mounted for vertical movement in the Z direction and adapted to move vertically, said camera located a fixed distance above said pro-jected image for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved vertically for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a funtion of distance from said selected area, and means for detecting when said output signal is at substantially maximum amplitude.
an optical system for projecting a given image from a reticle onto a selected area of a surface, a video camera and said optical system mounted for vertical movement in the Z direction and adapted to move vertically, said camera located a fixed distance above said pro-jected image for viewing said projected image, said video camera continuously scanning reflected energy from said projected image while said camera is moved vertically for generating an output signal that varies in amplitude as a funtion of distance from said selected area, and means for detecting when said output signal is at substantially maximum amplitude.
14. A non-contact Z-axis probe according to Claim 13 in which said given image is projected on a selected area located on a surface and in which means are provided to determine the height of the camera above said selected area located on the sur-face.
15. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 13 in which said given image comprises a plurality of equally spaced parallel lines, and in which said parallel lines are projected in a preferred orientation other than parallel to the horizontal scan of said video camera.
16. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 15 in which the parallel lines on said image are vertical relative to the horizontal scan of said video camera.
17. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 15 in which said parallel lines are formed by a Ronchi ruling.
18. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 15 in which a preferred spacing of parallel bars is selected relative to the scan rate of said video camera for generating a discrete frequency signal at each scan while said camera is moved vertically and in which the amplitude of each signal is a function of the distance of the camera from the projected image on said selected area.
19. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 13 in which the output signal from said video camera is fed through a narrow band filter whereby the amplitude of said output signal is a function of height of camera above the projected image on said selected area.
20. A Z-axis probe according to Claim 17 wherein the Ronchi ruling is focused at the focal point of the camera.
21. A Z-axis probe as claimed in Claim 13 including means responsive to said output signal for positioning said video camera at a position where said output signal is at substantially maximum amplitude.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US745,192 | 1985-06-17 | ||
| US06/745,192 US4743771A (en) | 1985-06-17 | 1985-06-17 | Z-axis height measurement system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1255796A true CA1255796A (en) | 1989-06-13 |
Family
ID=24995633
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000511768A Expired CA1255796A (en) | 1985-06-17 | 1986-06-17 | Z-axis measurement system |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4743771A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0206744A3 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH0754252B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1255796A (en) |
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| CN109211130B (en) * | 2018-09-18 | 2020-03-31 | 昆明北方红外技术股份有限公司 | Device and method for measuring central thickness and lens interval of lens |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3895870A (en) * | 1971-06-01 | 1975-07-22 | Autech Corp | Laser dimension comparator |
| JPS5596406A (en) * | 1979-01-19 | 1980-07-22 | Hitachi Ltd | Device for determining roughness of surface |
| US4373804A (en) * | 1979-04-30 | 1983-02-15 | Diffracto Ltd. | Method and apparatus for electro-optically determining the dimension, location and attitude of objects |
| US4473750A (en) * | 1980-07-25 | 1984-09-25 | Hitachi, Ltd. | Three-dimensional shape measuring device |
| JPS5759107A (en) * | 1980-09-26 | 1982-04-09 | Hitachi Ltd | Method and device for measuring plate thickness |
| JPS5811803A (en) * | 1981-07-15 | 1983-01-22 | Hitachi Ltd | Method and device for measuring film thickness |
| US4556313A (en) * | 1982-10-18 | 1985-12-03 | United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Short range optical rangefinder |
| CH667151A5 (en) * | 1985-05-28 | 1988-09-15 | Ballmoos Ag Von | DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY MEASURING THE THICKNESS OF A PLATE- OR STRAND-SHAPED WORKPIECE SLIDING IN ITS LONGITUDE. |
-
1985
- 1985-06-17 US US06/745,192 patent/US4743771A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1986
- 1986-06-17 CA CA000511768A patent/CA1255796A/en not_active Expired
- 1986-06-17 JP JP61141220A patent/JPH0754252B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1986-06-17 EP EP86304670A patent/EP0206744A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPH0754252B2 (en) | 1995-06-07 |
| EP0206744A3 (en) | 1988-08-31 |
| US4743771A (en) | 1988-05-10 |
| JPS622118A (en) | 1987-01-08 |
| EP0206744A2 (en) | 1986-12-30 |
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