Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Wakaba

Hiroshi Wakaba has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8700498
    Abstract: A feature analysis apparatus which enables visual confirmation of features of an inspected object and which enables limitations on the degree of freedom of classification based on the features to made relatively smaller is provided. It acquires inspected object information of an inspected object (S1), analyzes the inspection information to determine values of feature parameters of each of the plurality of layers (S2 to S5), uses values of the plurality of feature parameters and their corresponding directions for each of the plurality of layers to generate a single parameter vector (S2 to S5), converts the parameter vector to a layer vector which is a 3D vector in a predetermined (S2 to S5), and couples the plurality of layer vectors obtained for the plurality of layers in the order of the layers and generates a set of coordinate values of the plurality of nodes obtained in the 3D space as feature information of the inspected object (S6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Koichi Miyazono, Yoko Ono, Hideki Mori
  • Patent number: 8508246
    Abstract: A substrate surface inspection apparatus and method enabling judgment and analysis of the state of even portions of a substrate supported by supports using a captured image are provided. A support mechanism 20 is used where positions of arrangement of substrate support positions along the direction perpendicular to a scan direction by a plurality of first supports 23a to 23d are set outside the image capturing ranges of the substrate 10 by the imaging units 30a, 30b at the first relative position and inside the common image capturing range and where positions of arrangement of substrate support positions along the direction perpendicular to the scan direction by the plurality of second supports 24a to 24d are set outside the image capturing ranges of the substrate by the imaging units at the second relative position and inside the common image capturing range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoshinori Hayashi, Koichi Miyazono, Yoko Ono, Hideki Mori, Shozo Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 8497985
    Abstract: A method of inspection and inspection apparatus able to use a captured image to more precisely inspect the state of film, defect parts, etc. at a surface of an object under inspection are provided. A method of inspection and inspection apparatus illuminating a surface of an object under inspection 10 by white light from an illumination unit LO while scanning the surface of the object under inspection 10 by an image capturing unit 100 to acquire a captured image and using the captured image to inspect a state of the surface of the object under inspection 10, which changes a state of polarization of light LR striking the image capturing unit 100 from an illuminated location of the object under inspection 10 and obtains a plurality of captured images based on light of different polarization states LR striking the image capturing unit 100.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoko Ono, Koichi Miyazono, Masao Kawamura, Hideki Mori
  • Patent number: 8488867
    Abstract: An inspection apparatus to precisely quantitatively inspect positions of formation of film layers formed on the surface of a disk-shaped substrate. It generates captured image data expressing a captured image corresponding to a field of vie based on image signals successively output from an image capturing unit capturing an image of a predetermined surface at an outer circumference part of the disk-shaped substrate and generates film layer edge position information expressing longitudinal direction positions at corresponding positions along the circumferential direction of an edge line of a film layer image pan corresponding to the film layer on the surface image with reference to, from the captured image data, longitudinal direction positions at the different positions along the circumferential direction of a boundary line between a surface image part corresponding to the predetermined surface on the captured image and its outer image part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoko Ono, Koichi Miyazono, Hideki Mori
  • Publication number: 20100310150
    Abstract: A feature analysis apparatus which enables visual confirmation of features of an inspected object and which enables limitations on the degree of freedom of classification based on the features to made relatively smaller is provided. It acquires inspected object information of an inspected object (S1), analyzes the inspection information to determine values of feature parameters of each of the plurality of layers (S2 to S5), uses values of the plurality of feature parameters and their corresponding directions for each of the plurality of layers to generate a single parameter vector (S2 to S5), converts the parameter vector to a layer vector which is a 3D vector in a predetermined (S2 to S5), and couples the plurality of layer vectors obtained for the plurality of layers in the order of the layers and generates a set of coordinate values of the plurality of nodes obtained in the 3D space as feature information of the inspected object (S6).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Koichi Miyazono, Yoko Ono, Hideki Mori
  • Publication number: 20100310152
    Abstract: A substrate surface inspection apparatus and method enabling judgment and analysis of the state of even portions of a substrate supported by supports using a captured image are provided. A support mechanism 20 is used where positions of arrangement of substrate support positions along the direction perpendicular to a scan direction by a plurality of first supports 23a to 23d are set outside the image capturing ranges of the substrate 10 by the imaging units 30a, 30b at the first relative position and inside the common image capturing range and where positions of arrangement of substrate support positions along the direction perpendicular to the scan direction by the plurality of second supports 24a to 24d are set outside the image capturing ranges of the substrate by the imaging units at the second relative position and inside the common image capturing range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: Shibaura Mechatronics Coporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoshinori Hayashi, Koichi Miyazono, Yoko Ono, Hideki Mori, Shozo Kawasaki
  • Publication number: 20100245810
    Abstract: A method of inspection and inspection apparatus able to use a captured image to more precisely inspect the state of film, defect parts, etc. at a surface of an object under inspection are provided. A method of inspection and inspection apparatus illuminating a surface of an object under inspection 10 by white light from an illumination unit LO while scanning the surface of the object under inspection 10 by an image capturing unit 100 to acquire a captured image and using the captured image to inspect a state of the surface of the object under inspection 10, which changes a state of polarization of light LR striking the image capturing unit 100 from an illuminated location of the object under inspection 10 and obtains a plurality of captured images based on light of different polarization states LR striking the image capturing unit 100.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoko Ono, Koichi Miyazono, Masao Kawamura, Hideki Mori
  • Publication number: 20100246934
    Abstract: An inspection apparatus of a disk-shaped substrate able to precisely quantitatively inspect positions of formation of film layers formed on the surface of a disk-shaped substrate is provided, that is, an inspection apparatus of a disk-shaped substrate on which film layers are formed designed to generate captured image data expressing a captured image corresponding to a field of view based on image signals successively output from an image capturing unit capturing an image of a predetermined surface at an outer circumference part of the disk-shaped substrate and to generate film layer edge position information Y4E24 (?) expressing longitudinal direction positions at corresponding positions (?) along the circumferential direction of an edge line E24 of a film layer image part ISa (24) corresponding to the film layer 24 on the surface image ISa with reference to, from the captured image data, longitudinal direction positions YE15aL (?) at the different positions (?) along the circumferential direction of a bound
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshinori Hayashi, Hiroshi Wakaba, Yoko Ono, Koichi Miyazono, Hideki Mori