IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,188,876
Granted Patent B2
US 12,188,876 · App. 17/652,493 · Granted Jan 7, 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 (Kawasaki Kanagawa, JP); Takahiro Kamikawa (Tokyo, JP); Hideaki Okano (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP); Akifumi Ohno (Tokyo, JP); Akio Kawasaki (Kawasaki Kanagawa, JP); Toshihiro Kikkawa (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP)
Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation
G01N21/8806G01N21/94G01N2021/8845
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 12,188,876
App. No.
17/652,493
Granted
Jan 7, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to the embodiment, an optical inspection method for a surface state of a subject includes acquiring and discriminating. The acquiring includes acquiring a color vector of a color corresponding to a wavelength spectrum in a color coordinate system of n dimensions (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 1), which is equal to or smaller than a number of a plurality of color channels of pixels of an image sensor, with optical imaging using a wavelength spectrum selection portion that selectively allows a plurality of wavelength spectra different from one another from a surface of the subject to pass. The discriminating includes discriminating the surface state of the subject based on a direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system.

Claims (31)

1. An optical inspection method for a surface state of a subject comprising:

acquiring a color vector with a pixel value of each color for each pixel corresponding to a wavelength spectrum in a color coordinate system of n dimensions (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 1), which is equal to or smaller than a number of a plurality of color channels of pixels of an image sensor, with optical imaging using a wavelength spectrum selection portion that selectively allows a plurality of wavelength spectra different from one another from a surface of the subject to pass; and

discriminating the surface state of the subject corresponding to said each pixel based on a direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system,

wherein

when a color vector corresponding to a specular reflection direction or a first scattering direction from the surface of the subject is represented as a first reference vector and a color vector corresponding to the specular reflection direction or a second scattering direction different from the first scattering direction is represented as a second reference vector,

the discriminating the surface state of the subject includes discriminating a type of the surface according to whether the direction of the color vector is close to the first reference vector or close to the second reference vector.

2. The optical inspection method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

associating the direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system and the wavelength spectra.

3. The optical inspection method according to claim 1 , wherein

the wavelength spectra different from one another respectively have different directions of light from the subject.

4. A non-transitory storage medium storing an optical inspection program for a surface state of a subject, the optical inspection program causing a computer to implement:

acquiring a color vector with a pixel value of each color for each pixel corresponding to a wavelength spectrum in a color coordinate system of n dimensions (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 1), which is equal to or smaller than a number of a plurality of color channels of pixels of an image sensor, with optical imaging using a wavelength spectrum selection portion that selectively allows a plurality of wavelength spectra different from one another from a surface of the subject to pass; and

discriminating the surface state of the subject corresponding to said each pixel based on a direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system,

wherein

when a color vector corresponding to a specular reflection direction or a first scattering direction from the surface of the subject is represented as a first reference vector and a color vector corresponding to the specular reflection direction or a second scattering direction different from the first scattering direction is represented as a second reference vector,

in the processor configured to discriminate the surface state of the subject, the processor is configured to discriminate a type of the surface according to whether the direction of the color vector is close to the first reference vector or close to the second reference vector.

5. A processing device used for an optical inspection of a surface state of a subject, the processing device including a processor being configured to:

acquire a color vector with a pixel value of each color for each pixel corresponding to a wavelength spectrum in a color coordinate system of n dimensions (n is a natural number equal to or larger than 1), which is equal to or smaller than a number of a plurality of color channels of pixels of an image sensor, with optical imaging that selectively allows a plurality of wavelength spectra different from one another from a surface of the subject to pass; and

discriminate the surface state of the subject corresponding to said each pixel based on a direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system,

wherein

when a color vector corresponding to a specular reflection direction or a first scattering direction from the surface of the subject is represented as a first reference vector and a color vector corresponding to the specular reflection direction or a second scattering direction different from the first scattering direction is represented as a second reference vector,

in the processor configured to discriminate the surface state of the subject, the processor is configured to discriminate a type of the surface according to whether the direction of the color vector is close to the first reference vector or close to the second reference vector.

6. An optical inspection apparatus comprising:

an imaging portion including:

a wavelength spectrum selection portion provided in a position of a focus of an imaging optical system, the wavelength spectrum selection portion being an optical film that has at least two different transmission wavelength spectral regions and being configured to selectively allow a plurality of wavelength spectra different from one another from a surface of a subject to pass; and

an image sensor configured to image light passing through the wavelength spectrum selection portion; and

the processing device according to claim 5 configured to acquire the color vector based on an image acquired by the image sensor and discriminate a surface state of the subject based on a direction of the color vector.

7. The optical inspection apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the wavelength spectrum selection portion is rotationally symmetrical with respect to an optical axis of the imaging optical system.

8. The processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to:

associate the direction of the color vector in the color coordinate system and the wavelength spectra.

9. The processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the wavelength spectra different from one another respectively have different directions of light from the subject.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 11, 2022
From: OHNO, HIROSHI; KANO, HIROYA; KAMIKAWA, TAKAHIRO; OKANO, HIDEAKI; OHNO, AKIFUMI; KAWASAKI, AKIO; KIKKAWA, TOSHIHIRO
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA; TOSHIBA DIGITAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059558/0814 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-149457 · Sep 14, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230077793A1 · Mar 16, 2023
References Cited (40)
US 6384917B1 · Fradkin · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 10180529B2 · Ohno et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10620389B1 · Kamikawa et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10732102B2 · Ohno et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10812786B2 · Ohno et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10901134B2 · Ohno et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20150130925A1 · Park et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20170319052A1 · Yasugi · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180047208A1 · Marin · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190364267A1 · Ohno · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200150326A1 · Kano et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210131961A1 · Ohno · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20210293537A1 · Ohno et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220084240A1 · Ohno et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220086326A1 · Ohno et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220146435A1 · Ohno · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP H11118604A · 1999 [cited by applicant]
JP 20009655A · 2000 [cited by applicant]
JP 2008209726A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 5268094B2 · 2013 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014191920A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014526706A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 2016148540A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 20174215A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019124542A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019203796A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 202046232A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 202076717A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020122702A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 202176423A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP 2021148531A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP 202049881A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 2022049047A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 202249047A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 2022049881A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 202275314A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
W.L. Howes, “Rainbow schlieren and its applications,” Applied Optics, vol. 23, No. 14, pp. 2449-2460 (1984). [cited by applicant]
J. Kim et al., “Multiaperture telecentric lens for 3D reconstruction,” Optics Letters, vol. 36, No. 7, pp. 1050-1052 (2011). [cited by applicant]
Japanese Patent Office, Office Action in JP App. No. 2021-149457, 3 pages, with machine translation, 4 pages (Jun. 25, 2024). [cited by applicant]
Japan Patent Office, Office Action in JP App. No. 2021-149457, 3 pages, with machine translation, 2 pages (Sep. 10, 2024). [cited by applicant]