Super - High Resolution Vision System

Accompanying the development of various highly technological materials, electronics and printing techniques advancing towards super-high precision and density, demands are progressively increasing for precisely automated visual inspections in their manufacturing processes. Despite these demands, inspections of printed patterns, sheet surfaces and semiconductors, in which defects on rather large surfaces should be inspected in full detail, have not been put into practice. This is, because conventional vision systems for general use could not meet them. In addition, as for uneven and rounded surface parts inspections, practical use has been restricted since conventional area-sensor CCD (charge coupled device) camera systems were not capable of handling them. The last inspections in the manufacturing processes of these high density and high precision parts or rounded surface parts have now been automated but still partially rely on personal visual inspections. However, as their mounting density and processing precision increase in the future, the personal visual inspection of finished products will be practically impossible. Realizing a highly precise and automated visual inspection with digital image processing technology is now indispensable. The major topics of the super-high resolution vision system encompass the following fields: (1) Printed food vessel surface inspection Printed external surface inspections of cans, resin cups, Styrofoam cups, etc. (2) Sheet surface inspection Inspections of plain or printed continuous sheets including paper, aluminum, film and steel. (3) Semiconductor inspection Super-fine defect inspections in the manufacturing processes of IC wafers, TAB (tape automated bonding), lead frames, etc. (4) Flat panel display inspection Surface defect inspections of flat panel display including liquid crystal panels, and plasma display panels. (5) Cylindrical parts inspection Fine surface defect inspections of cylindrical parts including drums. In response to the above topics, Fuji Electric developed the FAY-1000 super-high resolution and high-speed vision system combining a super-high resolution line-sensor CCD camera with original gray-scale image processing technology and pattern matching technology. An overview of these technologies is described below.