A vision comparison inspection system is disclosed for use in a printed circuit assembly production line having a plurality of component processing locations and a conveyor system for transporting circuit assemblies between processing locations in an upstream to downstream work flow direction. The vision comparison inspection system includes a printed circuit assembly image capture and inspection conveyor disposed in the production line, the image capture and inspection conveyor being adapted to receive printed circuit assemblies from an upstream portion of the production line and to transport the printed circuit assemblies to a downstream portion of the production line for subsequent processing. An electronic imaging device is fixedly positioned to capture an image of a printed circuit assembly located on the image capture and inspection conveyor. A lighting system is mounted for illuminating a printed circuit assembly located in the field of view of the imaging device. A position control system positions a printed circuit assembly within the field of view of the imaging device. An imaging control system including a programmed image processing computer, an input device, and an electronic display device presenting a graphical user interface are provided for alternatingly displaying on the display device a stored image of a known good printed circuit assembly and an image of a printed circuit assembly under test, whereby defects in the printed circuit assembly under test can be visually identified.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application relates to two applications filed on even date herewith by the same inventor and respectively entitled "Vision Comparison Inspection System Camera And Lighting Arrangement" and "Vision Comparison Inspection System Graphical User Interface."
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
A system comprising automatic apparatus for automatic optical inspection (AOI), verification and correction of defects in an article, and a processor operative to select between AOI, verification and correction for performing on the article.
A system comprising automatic apparatus for automatic optical inspection (AOI), verification and correction of defects in an article, and a processor operative to select between AOI, verification and correction for performing on the article.
An image comparison apparatus includes an observation image capturing means for capturing at least one of a macroscopic observation image of a specimen and a microscopic observation image of the specimen, a photographing means for photographing an observation image captured by the observation image capturing means, a recording means for recording a reference image prepared in advance, and a display means for displaying the observation image photographed by the photographing means as a comparison image, and also displaying the reference image recorded on the recording means on the display means so as to allow comparison between the comparison image and the reference image.
A method of detecting image quality defects in the output of an image output device includes the steps of generating a test pattern at a known time, analyzing the test pattern to generate image quality defect records, storing the image quality defect records in memory linked to a time stamp indicating known time when the test pattern was generated, repeating the generating, analyzing and storing steps at a plurality of different known times to generate a database of time stamped image quality defect records, reconstructing isolated defect data from each of a plurality of image quality defect records in the database, constructing cumulative defect data by probabilistic summation of the isolated defect data and analyzing the cumulative defect data using an image quality assessment/analysis engine.
A method for examining a circuit board in a predetermined area of the circuit board uses an apparatus that has a stationary camera and a display unit. The circuit board is arranged so as to be freely movable in the scanning zone of the camera. According to the invention, an image of the circuit board recorded by the camera, the camera image, is brought into congruence with a circuit board image, wherein the camera image and the circuit board image, after a first alignment process, are enlarged at least once in the same ratio and then re-aligned. This results in even greater congruence between camera image and circuit board image, and the predetermined area to be examined is marked in this enlarged view. In this way a user of the method according to the invention may rapidly locate the area of the circuit board to be examined, in an enlarged display, and may analyze it accordingly.
