Abstract: A digital image analysis system is disclosed in which a digital input image formed by a raster scan method is so modified as to fill up a hole in a clump and a recess at the bottom of a clump viewed in the sub-scanning direction of the raster scan method, for the purpose of forming a control image, the state of a clump at two consecutive scanning lines of the control image (that is, the generation and termination of the clump at one of the scanning lines or the continuity of the clump at the scanning lines) is detected from the values of adjacent pixels on the two consecutive scanning lines, and a feature value of the clump is calculated on the basis of the detected state of the clump.

Abstract: An electron beam exposure system of a variable shaped electron beam type in which an input pattern of any geometrical shape is decomposed into rectangular patterns of a given size, whereby the pattern is exposed by an electron beam having a cross-section corresponding to the decomposed rectangular pattern. Data for the input pattern is compared with data for the rectangular cross-sectional pattern of the electron beam in a comparator. When the comparison results is that the input pattern should be decomposed into rectangular patterns, the former is decomposed into two sub-patterns, one of which is outputted while the other again undergoes the comparison with the rectangular pattern parameters. The processing of decomposition can be executed at a very high speed in a pipelined system which includes a plurality of processing stages of similar arrangement.

Abstract: An exposure method with an electron beam exposure apparatus in which an electron beam is emitted onto a substrate such as a silicon wafer on which an electron-beam sensitive resist is coated, thereby directly forming or writing patterns. A substrate having thereon a number of chips are divided into blocks, which each contain a plurality of chips. Marks are provided on each of the blocks, the positions of the marks are detected and the writing exposure positions of the chips within each block are modified on the basis of the detection results. According to this invention, efficient writing exposure can be made with high accuracy.

Abstract: A visual information processing apparatus which processes image data produced by a TV camera to detect the change in image with the lapse of time. The visual information processing apparatus comprises a circuit which generates the data of coordinates X and Y that represent a scanning position on the image, a memory for storing a plurality of microprograms, a control circuit which addresses an initial instruction of a microprogram corresponding to the coordinate Y when the coordinate X reached a particular value that is specified by an external unit, and a unit for processing the image data from said TV camera in accordance with a microprogram that is read out from said memory, wherein the same microprograms are periodically read out by bringing least significant several bits among the binary data which represents the coordinate Y to correspond to an initial address of each of the microprograms.

Abstract: An image data processor for recognizing the degree of variation in the object in the image by dividing an image plane into a plurality of block regions and by sequentially comparing an input image and a background image for each of the divided block regions. The data to be used for comparing the input image and the background image are either the number of occurences of preset amplitude relationships of the signals which are produced by extracting the signals of plural pairs of picture elements in spacially preset relative position relationships from the output signals of an image pickup device while sequentially shifting the positions of the picture elements and by accomplishing the counting operations for each pair of the picture elements when the picture element extracted is included in a preset block region or the data which are produced by linearly transforming the data of the number of occurences.

Abstract: A group control system comprises multi-combinations of image pick-up devices and an automatic assembly apparatus controlled by information from the image pick-up devices. A computer responds to demands from the image pick-up devices and the automatic assembly apparatus which independently operate with the computer. A plurality of visual information processing apparatus are provided between the interface of the computer and the image pick-up devices, for processing information therefrom, and a pulse generator is coupled to the image pick-up devices and the visual information processing apparatus, for controlling the operations thereof. The image pick-up devices are grouped into a plurality of groups each of which is coupled to each visual information processing apparatus.

Abstract: A pattern recognition system in which an image plane is divided into a large number of micro-regions, the image of the background has been stored in advance by a unit of the micro-region as invariable information independent of the brightness of the image plane, inputted images and the stored information are successively compared, and the proportion of occupation of the image plane by an object getting in the field of vision is detected.