Patents Examined by J. Jon Brophy
  • Patent number: 4598197
    Abstract: A projection aligner wherein light from a light source is passed through a mask so as to focus an image of a pattern of the mask on a wafer, characterized in that at least one sensor for monitoring a luminosity and a distribution thereof is disposed in an optical path between the light source and the mask, whereby a luminosity and a distribution thereof on the wafer can be controlled to proper values. The projection aligner is effective for application to minute processing technologies for the production of semiconductor devices, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1986
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Ome Electronic Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koyo Morita, Keizo Nomura, Hiroshi Nishizuka, Tai Hoshi, Yoichiro Tamiya, Terushige Asakawa
  • Patent number: 4587420
    Abstract: In a light beam scanning device, first and second light spots scan a scanning plane and a planar grating pattern, respectively. The grating pattern has alternating transparent and opaque parts extending parallel to one another and is rotated by a predetermined angle in its own plane. A speed of scanning the grating pattern by the second light spot is detected to correct irregularities in a speed of scanning the scanning plane with the first light spot. Further, the scanning length on the scanning plane can be finely adjusted by the rotation of the grating pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1986
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaru Noguchi, Akihiro Ohga
  • Patent number: 4585947
    Abstract: This invention relates to new and useful electro-optical methods and apparatus using photodetector arrays for measurement of parts and other objects in industrial environments. Several particularly useful optical embodiments are illustrated together with desirable electronic circuitry for improving the accuracy of practical systems of this type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1986
    Assignee: Diffracto, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nicholas Liptay-Wagner, Roland Renaud, Timothy R. Pryor, Donald A. Clarke
  • Patent number: 4580042
    Abstract: A relay optical system used for focus detection including an optical lens system for forming the image of the exit pupil of a photographing lens, all or a part of said lens optical system for forming a secondary image of an image which is formed on a focusing plane by the photographing lens and a reflecting mirror provided in a plane where the image of said exit pupil is formed. The reflecting mirror is made up of a plurality of reflecting mirror portions which are obtained by dividing the reflecting mirror. The mirror portions divide the image of the exit pupil and have different optical axes, so that an image formed by the photographing lens is formed into secondary images the number of which is equal to the number of mirror parts. Sensor arrays are provided to receive the secondary images, respectively, to detect focusing from correlation of the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seijiro Tokutomi, Osamu Shindo, Hideaki Yuda
  • Patent number: 4578576
    Abstract: An operational amplifier is disclosed having a phototransistor at its input for reading a bar code wherein the saturation point of an operational amplifier is controlled by a clamping feedback voltage having a positive control controlling the saturation point of the operational amplifier while prohibiting the operational amplifier from reaching its saturation point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Opto Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jay A. Wheeler, James A. Willmore
  • Patent number: 4577095
    Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic focusing apparatus which comprises an objective disposed in opposition to a substrate with patterns formed thereon, a first line sensor disposed at a first focal point of the focal length of the objective, second and third line sensors which are disposed closer to and farther from the objective by a given distance with respect to second and third focal points of the focal length of the objective, first to third differential circuits for differentiating the output signals from the first to third line sensors, a detecting circuit for detecting a displacement of the substrate from a predetermined proper distance between the objective and the substrate on the basis of the output signals from the first to third differential circuits, and a correcting device for correcting the displacement on the basis of the output signal from the detecting circuit. Thus, a single optical system is used for automatically correcting focus and pattern inspection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohide Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4574199
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for sensing the presence or location of an object in a plane perpendicular to a reference axis is disclosed. An optical detector using triangulation techniques is used to sense the presence or rough location of the object. A contact detector is then used to determine the precise location of the object. The presence or location of the object can also be detected in a plane including the reference axis. The probe device containing the two detectors is preferably moved quickly while the rough location is determined and more slowly to determine the precise location. The contact detector can be an optical contact probe moved by an auxiliary moving device attached to a main moving device. Various optical contact detectors are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1986
    Assignee: Diffracto Ltd.
    Inventor: Timothy R. Pryor
  • Patent number: 4571497
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of continuously determining the perimeter of an elongated object of generally uniform cross section which comprises wrapping the object with a sheet of flexible material having a pair of detectable parallel lines formed thereon, such that the lines extend axially parallel to the object, placing detection means in position to detect the lines, the detection means being capable of determining the distance between the lines, moving the object and the detection means relative to each other in a manner such that continuous detection of the lines and measurement of the distance therebetween occurs, and correlating the measured distance between the lines to the perimeter of said object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James W. Henry, Robert C. Mumpower
  • Patent number: 4567372
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of continuously determining the perimeter of an elongated object of generally uniform cross-section which comprises wrapping the object with a sheet of flexible material having a single band imprinted thereon in such manner that the single band extends axially parallel to the object and becomes partially obscured by an overlapping edge of the sheet, placing detection means in position to detect the width of the unobscured portion of the single band, the detection means being capable of determining the width of the unobscured portion of the single band, moving the object and the detection means relative to each other in a manner such that continuous detection of the single band and the measurement of the width of the unobscured portion of the single band occurs and correlating the measured width of the unobscured portion of the band to the perimeter of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1986
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James W. Henry, Robert C. Mumpower
  • Patent number: 4564755
    Abstract: A transmission and reception device for a fiber-optical sensor system functioning with two wavelengths is disclosed wherein light of a first wavelength and light of a second wavelength are supplied over in-coupling fibers of a fiber-optical brancher to a fiber path of the sensor system and wherein light returning over the fiber path is supplied over an out-coupling fiber of the brancher to an evaluation means. The brancher is designed such that the greatest part of the returning light is coupled out over the out-coupling fiber. Two advantageous embodiments of such a brancher are disclosed, the one being designed in the form of a non-frequency-selective, asymmetrical quad-gate brancher and the other being designed in the form of a frequency-selective, five-gate brancher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1986
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Winzer, Hans Mahlein
  • Patent number: 4563577
    Abstract: An optical sensor is disclosed comprising a transmitter which transmits a light beam, a receiver 2 for receiving reflected light and a reflector for directing light from the transmitter to the receiver. The reflector converts the wavelength of the light transmitted by the transmitter and the receiver is tuned to detect light of the converted wavelength. Objects located in the area between the reflector and the combination transmitter/receiver are detected as they do not convert the wavelength of the light from the transmitter even if they reflect light to the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1986
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Werner Schaller
  • Patent number: 4563576
    Abstract: A focusing detecting system for discriminating a focusing state of an object lens by detecting a relative positional relation of a plurality of object images formed by light fluxes from the object lens, by photo-sensing means is disclosed. A plurality of object images are formed based on a light flux from a center area of the object lens around an optical axis and a plurality of object images are formed based on a light flux an area in the periphery of the center area around the optical axis, by optical means disposed behind an image plane of the object lens. Light shielding means having a plurality of slits is disposed near the image plane. By those means, a state is which the object images based on the light fluxes from the center area of the object lens around the optical axis and the peripheral area are detectable and a state is which the object images based on only the light flux from the center area of the object lens around the optical axis is detectable are discriminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1986
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Susumu Matsumura, Takashi Suzuki, Kenji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 4562344
    Abstract: An endoscope provided with a light receiving device on the eyepiece side in respect of an image guide and with a driving means for moving an objective lens near an eyepiece, to make the whole endoscope slim and to make it simple in formation despite its being provided with an automatic focus detecting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1985
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin-ichi Mihara, Toshihiro Imai, Ken-ichi Nakahashi, Youichi Iba, Masaki Imaizumi, Akio Taira
  • Patent number: 4562349
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for scanning an object with a probe in which scanning lines for the forward and backward motions run parallel to each other and their mutual spacing from each other remains constant. In one form, the object transportation speed Vt is set relative to the speed Va of the forward and backward motions in such a way that Vt/Va=tangent .alpha.=constant where .alpha. is of the angle between the line of reciprocating movement and a normal to the transportation direction. According to another feature, the angle may be controlled by Vt such that parallelism of the scanning lines is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1985
    Assignee: Institut Dr. Friedrich Forster Prufgeratebau GmbH & Co KG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Stumm
  • Patent number: 4560865
    Abstract: An objective, for example for a television camera, has a pinhole aperture (3) and an electronic image intensifier (5) arranged behind the aperture. The pinhole aperture gives extreme depth of field and the image intensifier has adequate gain to compensate for the low yield of the aperture. The aperture may be defined in an opaque layer deposited on a glass plate. The image intensifier may comprise a multichannel plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1985
    Inventor: Arne Bergstrom
  • Patent number: 4559445
    Abstract: A novel optical transmitter/receiver device is described which comprises a source of radiation providing a collimated coherent light beam, such as a laser beam, along a first optical axis; a magneto-optic light deflector device controllably deflecting the beam off the first optical axis in the direction of a target; optical beam expander and collimating lenses transmitting the expanded beam toward the target and receiving the expanded and reflected beam from the target; the reflected beam then being deflected back along the first optical axis to a scraper mirror which optically turns the reflected beam along a viewing axis toward a photo detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 17, 1985
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Raymond C. Hedin, Fred G. Hewitt
  • Patent number: 4558216
    Abstract: Checking device for protecting against faults arising from a paper wind-up in a rotary printing machine having a printing unit with a blanket cylinder and a printing-unit protecting grid, the checking device including at least one control device disposed in stationary relationship with respect to and adjacent the blanket cylinder and upstream in travel direction of paper through the printing machine, of a location at which the paper wind-up is produced and including a photoelectric sensor formed as a contrast measurement detector for scanning the blanket of the blanket cylinder and generating a signal when a print product is present, the sensor being mounted on the protecting grid at a lower region thereof and being foldable away together with the protecting grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1985
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Anton Rodi, Udo Blasius, Dieter Uhrig
  • Patent number: 4558217
    Abstract: An optical temperature measuring instrument for detecting illuminescense of phosphor temperature sensing elements, wherein a two or more point temperature calibration system allows compensating for different temperature sensor characteristics, and a single optical system is utilized for simultaneously reading the temperatures of a plurality of temperature sensors in a multiplexing arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1985
    Assignee: Luxtron Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald V. Alves
  • Patent number: 4556787
    Abstract: The photosensor is provided with a light-receiving surface for receiving a reflected image of an object and in which an aperture is provided. The aperture is positioned so as to receive a focused image and means are provided to prevent light from leaking directly to the light-receiving surface from the aperture. Prevention of light leakage permits focusing to be detected at high precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1985
    Assignee: Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Shishido, Shinichi Nishigaki, Shinichi Kato, Kazumasa Matsuo, Atsushi Miyazaki, Susumu Takahashi, Takeaki Nakamura, Akibumi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 4556800
    Abstract: An optical image sensor apparatus in which a plurality of photosensors arrayed in a primary scanning direction are scanned to produce readout signals. The plurality of photosensors are classified into a number of groups each including a predetermined number of the photosensors, wherein those photosensors occupying equivalently the same position in the different groups are combined in common. The outputs of the photosensors are sequentially and selectively scanned on a group basis to produce readout signal for each of the groups. To provide a scanning readout operation at an increased speed, an integrating circuit is provided for each of the photosensors exchangeably for each group. The outputs of all the photosensors belonging to a given one of the group are simultaneously supplied to the respective integrating circuits. The readout signal output is obtained by scanning sequentially the outputs of the integrating circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1983
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1985
    Assignees: Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Public Corp., Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Ohta, Toru Baji, Yuji Izawa, Eizou Ebisui, Toshihisa Tsukada, Hideaki Yamamoto