IP Library Granted Patent US 12,517,337
Granted Patent B2
US 12,517,337 · App. 18/473,928 · Granted Jan 6, 2026

Panel inspection device having first, second and third mirrors, and method for inspecting a panel

Inventor: Achim Zirkel (Goettingen, DE)
Assignee: Excelitas Deutschland GmbH
G02B17/0626G01N21/95G02B17/0642G02B17/0684G01N2201/0636
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,517,337
App. No.
18/473,928
Granted
Jan 6, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An inspection device for inspecting a panel, in particular a display, or a PCB, includes a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and a sensor. The first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror are arranged to display a section of the panel to be inspected on the sensor with a magnification factor greater than one. At least two of the group of the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror, have both a first type of curvature, and a remaining mirror has a second type of curvature, opposite to the first type of curvature. The first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror form a telecentric system which is telecentric on a panel facing side and/or on a sensor facing side.

Claims (38)

1 . An inspection device for inspecting a panel, comprising:

a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and a sensor, wherein the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror are arranged to display a section of the panel to be inspected on the sensor with a magnification factor M, where M>1, and wherein at least two of the group of the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror, have both a first type of curvature, and a remaining mirror has a second type of curvature, opposite to the first type of curvature,

and the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror form a telecentric system which is telecentric on a panel facing side and/or on a sensor facing side, wherein:

a first vertex of the first mirror, a second vertex of the second mirror, and a third vertex of the third mirror, all lie on a common optical axis;

a first aperture of the first mirror, and a third aperture of the third mirror are decentered relative to the common optical axis; and

a second aperture of the second mirror remains symmetric, and non-decentered about the common optical axis.

2 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first type of curvature is concave, and the second type of curvature is convex.

3 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the group of the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror, is spherical.

4 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first mirror and the third mirror are aspheric and the second mirror is spherical or aspheric.

5 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first mirror comprises the first aperture, and the third mirror comprises the third aperture; and

the first mirror and the third mirror are arranged so that:

the first aperture of the first mirror comprises a first offset with the common optical axis, and

the third aperture of the third mirror comprises a third offset with the common optical axis.

6 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second mirror, comprises the second aperture, and wherein a second centre of the second aperture coincides with the common optical axis and a chief ray.

7 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein;

the first mirror has a focal length f 1 , the second mirror has a focal length f 2 , and the third mirror has a focal length f 3 ; and

|f 1 |>|f 2 |, |f 1 |≤|f 3 |, for f 1 of the first mirror, and

|f 2 |<|f 1 |, |f 2 |<|f 3 |, for f 2 of the second mirror.

8 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a line sensor.

9 . The inspection device according to claim 8 , wherein the line sensor has a line sensor length of at least 57 mm.

10 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein a radius R 1 of the first mirror, and a radius R 3 of the third mirror are chosen in a ratio of R 3 /R 1 being equivalent to the magnification factor M.

11 . The inspection device according to claim 10 , wherein a Seidel aberration of an image of the panel detected by the sensor is reduced according to an arrangement of the first mirror with an object distance D between the panel and the first mirror equal to or on the order of R 1 .

12 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first planar fold mirror and/or a second planar fold mirror,

wherein the first planar fold mirror is arranged before the first mirror, and wherein the second planar fold mirror is arranged after the third mirror.

13 . The inspection device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a camera unit to which the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror are mounted, and further comprises X/Y-stage being adapted to receive the panel,

wherein the X/Y-stage is movable in an X/Y-plane in accordance with a main plane of the panel and relative to the camera unit, so that images of different sections of the panel can be captured depending on a relative position of the X/Y-stage relative to the camera unit.

14 . The inspection device of claim 2 , wherein the first mirror and the third mirror are of the first type of curvature, the second mirror is of the second type of curvature, the inspection device is arranged so light coming from the section of the panel is reflected towards the first mirror, light from the first mirror the light is reflected to the second mirror, light from the second mirror is reflected towards the third mirror, light from the third mirror is reflected towards the sensor, and an image of the section of the panel is displayed on or reflected towards the sensor so the image of the section is displayed in the sensor with a magnification factor M.

15 . A method of inspecting a panel, comprising the steps of:

providing a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, and a sensor, wherein the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror have a combined magnification factor M greater than one and are arranged to convey an image of a section of the panel to be inspected on the sensor, and wherein at least two of the group of the first mirror, the second mirror, and the third mirror, have both a first type of curvature, and the remaining mirror has a second type of curvature, opposite to the first type of curvature;

capturing the image of the section of the panel with the sensor; and

visually displaying the section of the panel on the sensor with a magnification factor M greater than one, wherein:

a first vertex of the first mirror, a second vertex of the second mirror, and a third vertex of the third mirror, all lie on a common optical axis;

a first aperture of the first mirror, and a third aperture of the third mirror are decentered relative to the common optical axis; and

a second aperture of the second mirror remains symmetric, and non-decentered about the common optical axis.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the panel comprises a display or a printed circuit board.

Assignments (3)
MERGER Recorded Nov 25, 2025
From: QIOPTIQ PHOTONICS GMBH & CO. KG
To: EXCELITAS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 073707/0418 →
MERGER Recorded Nov 21, 2025
From: EXCELITAS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
To: EXCELITAS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 073768/0690 →
CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 11, 2024
From: ZIRKEL, ACHIM
To: QIOPTIQ PHOTONICS GMBH & CO. KG
Reel/Frame 067697/0976 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTUS2021024880 · Mar 30, 2021
Related Publication 20240011920A1 · Jan 11, 2024
References Cited (16)
US 3748015A · Offner · 1973 [cited by examiner]
US 6373917B1 · Roder · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20020186368A1 · Rosengaus · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20120249985A1 · Wischmeier · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20130063716A1 · Mann · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20150192459A1 · Kvamme · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20170219807A1 · Zhang · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180180898A1 · Zhu et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
CN 107621691A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
EP 1367425B1 · 2003 [cited by applicant]
JP 2008089832A · 2008 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2006069725A1 · 2006 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2016147071A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2021054845A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion for International Application No. PCT/US2021/024880 mailed Jan. 7, 2022. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability for International Application No. PCT/US2021/024880 mailed Oct. 12, 2023. [cited by applicant]