Abstract: A measurement system includes a multi-axis robot, a measurement unit coupled to the multi-axis robot, and a data processing apparatus, wherein the measurement unit includes one or more imaging devices movable with respect to a reference position of the multi-axis robot, and a position specification device for specifying a position of one or more of the imaging devices with respect to the reference position, wherein the data processing apparatus includes an acquisition part for acquiring a plurality of pieces of captured image data generated by having one or more of the imaging devices capture images at two or more positions, and a measurement part for measuring a distance between the plurality of feature points in a workpiece on the basis of a position of the feature point of the workpiece included in the plurality of pieces of captured image data.

Abstract: A metrology system is provided including a projected pattern for points-from-focus type processes. The metrology system includes an objective lens portion, a light source, a pattern projection portion and a camera. Different lenses (e.g., objective lenses) having different magnifications and cutoff frequencies may be utilized in the system. The pattern projection portion includes a pattern component with a pattern. At least a majority of the area of the pattern includes pattern portions that are not recurring at regular intervals across the pattern (e.g., as corresponding to a diverse spectrum of spatial frequencies that result in a relatively flat power spectrum over a desired range and with which different lenses with different cutoff frequencies may be utilized). The pattern is projected on a workpiece surface (e.g., for producing contrast) and an image stack is acquired, from which focus curve data is determined that indicates 3 dimensional positions of workpiece surface points.

Abstract: A calibration method for an X-ray measuring device includes mounting a calibration tool on a rotating table, identifying centroid positions from an output of an X-ray image detector, calculating projection transformation matrixes from the centroid positions and known relative positional intervals, repeating to identify the centroid positions from the output of the X-ray image detector and to calculate the projection transformation matrixes from the centroid positions and known relative positional intervals while the rotating table is rotated twice or more by a predetermined angle, and calculating a rotation center position of the rotating table on the basis of the projection transformation matrixes. The calibration method thereby allows easy calculation of the rotation center position of the rotating table on which an object to be measured is mounted in a rotatable manner, with the simple process.

Abstract: A high-power fast-pulse driver and illumination system for high speed metrology imaging is provided, which includes an illumination source and a driver circuit configured to overdrive the illumination source using high currents and/or high current densities. The high currents are currents higher than manufacturer-recommended currents used to drive the illumination source and the high current densities are current densities higher than manufacturer-recommended current densities used to drive the illumination source. The illumination source is operated using a lifetime preserving technique selected from a first technique of operating the illumination source at low duty cycles of 2% or less or a second technique of operating the illumination source in a burst mode at higher duty cycles for short intervals. The driver and illumination system may be incorporated in a variable focus lens (VFL) system, to define multiple exposure increments for acquiring one or more images focused at one or more focus planes.

Abstract: A roundness measuring machine includes: a turntable on which a workpiece is to be placed; a displacement detector detecting a displacement of a stylus; a column provided on a base shared with the turntable; a Z-axis slider supported by the column and movable in a Z-axis direction extending vertically; an X-axis slider supported by the Z-axis slider and movable in an X-axis direction intersecting the Z-axis direction; and an attitude adjusting mechanism provided to the X-axis slider and supporting the displacement detector such that an attitude of the displacement detector is adjustable. The attitude adjusting mechanism includes: a Y-axis slider supported by the X-axis slider and movable in a Y-axis direction intersecting the Z-axis and the X-axis directions; and a detector holder supported by the Y-axis slider and supporting the displacement detector such that the displacement detector is turnable around the X-axis direction.

Abstract: The inspection gauge is an inspection gauge for a coordinate measuring apparatus having a triangular pyramid shape, and includes a plurality of support members in which first ends are provided at positions corresponding to vertexes of the triangular pyramid and second ends are connected to each other in a region inside the triangular pyramid, and a plurality of spheres provided at positions corresponding to the vertexes of the triangular pyramid on the plurality of support members, and at least three support members of the plurality of support members have mutually different shapes.

Abstract: In measuring a dimension of an object to be measured W made of a single material, a plurality of transmission images of the object to be measured W are obtained by using an X-ray CT apparatus, and then respective projection images are generated. The projection images are registered with CAD data used in designing the object to be measured W. The dimension of the object to be measured W is calculated by using a relationship between the registered CAD data and projection images. In such a manner, high-precision dimension measurement is achieved by using several tens of projection images and design information without performing CT reconstruction.

Abstract: A form measuring instrument includes: a contact tip configured to contact with a workpiece; a movement mechanism configured to cause relative movement of the contact tip with respect to the workpiece; a movement controlling unit configured to control the movement mechanism; a contact sensor configured to detect a contact amount of the contact tip with the workpiece and output a detection signal corresponding to the contact amount; and an abnormality determining unit configured to determine an abnormality of sensitivity of the contact sensor based on a change in the detection signal outputted from the contact sensor during an operation of the movement mechanism in which the contact tip is pressed against the workpiece.

Abstract: A main reference point PM is provided to a base portion of a shape measuring apparatus including a rotary table. An origin-point relative-value registration includes measuring a main reference point with a probe to acquire a coordinate value of the main reference point and registering as a calibration-reference-point coordinate value Pp, registering a rotation center point of the rotary table as a calibration-rotation-center coordinate value Rp, and calculating a relative coordinate value of the calibration-rotation-center coordinate value Rp with respect to the calibration-reference-point coordinate value Pp and registering as a rotary-table origin-point relative coordinate value ?D1.

Abstract: A variable focal length lens device includes: a variable focal length lens whose focal length cyclically changes in accordance with an inputted drive signal; an image detector configured to detect an image of a measurement target through the variable focal length lens; a pulsed light illuminator configured to emit a pulsed light to illuminate the measurement target; and an illumination controller configured to control the pulsed light illuminator so that the pulsed light is emitted twice in one cycle of the drive signal based on two detection phases corresponding to a designated focal distance of the variable focal length lens.

Abstract: A caliper measurement force detecting device includes a fixed unit that is securely attached to a slider so as not to displace relative to the slider; a movable unit that is provided to allow a slight displacement relative to the fixed unit along a direction parallel to a displacement direction of the slider; and pressure detectors that are arranged between the fixed unit and the movable unit and are provided so as to detect pressure applied in the direction parallel to the displacement direction of the slider. The movable unit includes an alternative finger hook that is arranged near a finger hook of the slider and serves as an operator that pushes and pulls the slider instead of the finger hook of the slider.

Abstract: An inductive position detector for stylus position measurement in a scanning probe comprises a coil board configuration located along a central axis in the probe. The coil board configuration includes a field generating coil configuration and top and bottom axial and rotary sensing coil configurations. The field generating coil configuration generates a changing magnetic flux, and coil signals indicate conductive disruptor element and/or stylus positions. At least one misalignment compensation element is configured to reduce a signal offset that results from a misalignment of at least one coil of the coil board configuration (e.g., the coil board configuration may comprise a printed circuit board with a plurality of layers in which the coils are located and the misalignment of the at least one coil may result from a registration error, such as within manufacturing tolerances, in a layer to layer registration as part of a fabrication process).

Abstract: An illumination device has a light source unit, a lens unit, and a filter unit An imaging device receives object light, generated by the illumination light, from the measurement object at a predetermined observation solid angle, and pixels of the imaging device can each identify the different light wavelength ranges. A processing device includes an arithmetic unit configured to obtain a normal vector at each point of the measurement object corresponding to each pixel from inclusion relation between the plurality of solid angle regions, constituting the object light, and the predetermined observation solid angle, and a shape reconstruction unit configured to reconstruct the shape of the measurement object.

Abstract: A hardness tester includes an image acquirer (controller) acquiring an image of a surface (surface image) of a sample captured by an image capturer, an identifier (controller) identifying, based on the surface image of the sample, a non-conformity region inside the image that is unsuitable for the hardness test using predetermined conditions, and a test position definer (controller) defining a test position in an area outside the non-conformity region identified by the identifier.

Abstract: A method for calibrating parameters includes a measurement step that obtains measurement data by scanning a defined surface; a correction step that obtains corrected data by correcting the measurement data based on the parameters; a determination step that calculates a roundness of the corrected data and determines whether the calculated roundness is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and an adjustment step that increases or reduces at least one of the parameters when the roundness is determined to be greater than the predetermined value, and the correction step, the determination step, and the adjustment step are repeated until the roundness is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus that includes a laser apparatus outputting a frequency-modulated laser beam, a branching part branching the frequency-modulated laser beam into a reference light and a measurement light, a beat signal generation part generating a beat signal by mixing the reference light and a reflected light that is reflected by radiating the measurement light onto an object to be measured, an extraction part extracting a signal component corresponding to a resonator frequency of the frequency-modulated laser beam, a clock signal generation part generating a first clock signal on the basis of the signal component, a conversion part converting the beat signal into a first digital signal using the first clock signal, and a calculation part calculating a difference in a propagation distance between the reference light and the measurement light on the basis of the first digital signal.

Abstract: A shape measuring apparatus applies, to a light beam, a periodic pattern having periodicity in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis and displaceable in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis, relatively displaces a focal point of an objective lens in a direction parallel to the optical axis, and calculates, based on amplitude of intensity of the light beam detected by a photodetector, face shape data on the object to be measured. Then, a top surface measuring step of acquiring face shape data on a top surface of the object to be measured, and a bottom surface measuring step of acquiring face shape data on a bottom surface of the object to be measured by transmitting through the top surface of the object to be measured and aligning the focal point of the objective lens on the bottom surface of the object to be measured are performed.

Abstract: A measurement point determination method for determining the number or an arrangement of measurement points for a measurement apparatus that performs measurement processing of a measurement item at a plurality of measurement points, the method comprises the steps of acquiring a minimum value and a maximum value of the number of measurement points, acquiring a target value of uncertainty for the measurement item of the measurement apparatus, estimating uncertainties when the measurement item is measured by the measurement apparatus using two or more of the numbers of measurement points between the minimum value and the maximum value of the number of measurement points, and determining the number of measurement points of the measurement apparatus on the basis of the target value and the estimated uncertainties.

Abstract: An optical measuring device includes: an emission device configured to emit a scanning light, of which an optical axis parallelly moves, to an object; a light receiving element configured to perform photoelectric conversion with respect to the scanning light after passing over the object; a calculation device configured to calculate, from a voltage wave obtained from time change of an electrical signal that is output by the light receiving element, a distance corresponding to a time range from a first edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is not interrupted by the object and a second edge with respect to a voltage value where the scanning light is interrupted by the object, when a part of the scanning light is interrupted by the object for the time range.

Abstract: An illuminator includes: a light emitter including a light-emitting diode; a temperature sensor configured to detect a current temperature of the light emitter; and an illumination controller configured to adjust a drive voltage being supplied to the light emitter in accordance with the current temperature. The illumination controller includes a reference temperature storage in which a reference temperature is stored in advance and is configured to adjust the drive voltage by detecting the current temperature from the temperature sensor on a constant time cycle and comparing the current temperature with the reference temperature.