IP Library Granted Patent US 12,379,323
Granted Patent B2
US 12,379,323 · App. 17/823,780 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

Optical inspection method, non-transitory storage medium storing optical inspection program, processing device, and optical inspection apparatus

Inventors: Hiroshi Ohno (Tokyo, JP); Hiroya Kano (Kanagawa, JP); Hideaki Okano (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
G01N21/8851G01N21/01G01N21/41G01N21/8806G01N2021/8845
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,379,323
App. No.
17/823,780
Granted
Aug 5, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to an embodiment, an optical inspection method includes calculating irradiation field information concerning an irradiation field on a surface of a subject when irradiating the surface of the subject with a light beam from an illumination device that is supported by a movable body and moved; and performing path calculation processing of calculating, based on the irradiation field information, a path for the illumination device to move.

Claims (29)

1. An optical inspection method comprising:

calculating irradiation field information concerning an irradiation field on a surface of a subject when irradiating the surface of the subject with a light beam from an illumination device that is supported by a movable body and moved; and

performing path calculation processing of calculating, based on the irradiation field information, a path for the illumination device to move.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

the irradiation field information includes information concerning an imaging irradiation field where the surface of the subject can be captured by a moving imaging device, and

the path calculation processing includes calculating, based on the irradiation field information, a moving path of the illumination device supported by the movable body and a moving path of the imaging device.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the imaging device is supported by the movable body.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the path calculation processing includes, when calculating the paths of the illumination device and the imaging device, calculating a timing of exposure in capturing an image by the imaging device.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein calculating the timing of exposure includes calculating a timing of operating at least one of a shutter of the imaging device and ON/OFF of the illumination device.

6. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

acquiring shape data of the surface of the subject expressed by a number of point groups on the surface of the subject; and

calculating an imaging point of the imaging device based on the shape data.

7. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the path calculation processing includes, when calculating the paths of the illumination device and the imaging device, calculating a position and orientation of the movable body such that the imaging irradiation field of the imaging device exists in the irradiation field of the illumination device.

8. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising acquiring a captured image by the imaging device including a multiwavelength opening which includes a plurality of wavelength selection regions and in which a light beam that has passed through the wavelength selection regions changes to light beams having wavelength spectra different from each other.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing an optical inspection program, the program causing a computer to execute:

causing the computer to calculate irradiation field information concerning an irradiation field on a surface of a subject when irradiating the surface of the subject with a light beam from an illumination device that is supported by a movable body and moved; and

causing the computer to calculate, based on the irradiation field information, a path to move the illumination device.

10. A processing device concerning optical inspection of a surface of a subject using a movable body and an illumination device supported by the movable body, comprising:

a processor configured to:

calculate irradiation field information concerning an irradiation field on the surface of the subject when irradiating the surface of the subject with a light beam from the illumination device that is supported by the movable body and moved; and

calculate, based on the irradiation field information, a path to move the illumination device.

11. An optical inspection apparatus comprising:

a processing device defined in claim 10 ;

a movable body controlled by the processing device; and

an illumination device supported by the movable body and configured to emit illumination light under control of the processing device, whose irradiation field information on a surface of a subject is calculated by the processing device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising an imaging device configured to, after the illumination device irradiates the surface of the subject, capture an image by a light beam reflected by the surface of the subject,

wherein the irradiation field information includes information concerning an imaging irradiation field in which, after the illumination device irradiates the surface of the subject, the light beam reflected by the surface of the surface enters the imaging device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the imaging device comprises a multiwavelength opening which includes a plurality of wavelength selection regions and in which the light beam that has passed through the wavelength selection regions changes to light beams having wavelength spectra different from each other.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the movable body integrally moves the illumination device and the imaging device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2022
From: OHNO, HIROSHI; KANO, HIROYA; OKANO, HIDEAKI
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 061292/0129 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-042560 · Mar 17, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230314335A1 · Oct 5, 2023
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