Patents by Inventor Stephen Neal Swaringen

Stephen Neal Swaringen 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).

  • Method for detecting particulate contamination under a workpiece
    Patent number: 8515701
    Abstract: A method for detecting particulate contamination under a workpiece fixtured by a calibrated material handling system includes performing 3D measurements of a workpiece at multiple of positions to construct a 3D map of the workpiece, calibrating the 3D map by comparing a pre-computed calibration map to the 3D measurements, and detecting particulate contamination by processing the calibrated map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Neal Swaringen, Kelly Bruland, Andrew Wells
  • METHOD FOR DETECTING PARTICULATE CONTAMINATION UNDER A WORKPIECE
    Publication number: 20080221817
    Abstract: A method for detecting particulate contamination under a workpiece fixtured by a calibrated material handling system includes performing 3D measurements of a workpiece at multiple of positions to construct a 3D map of the workpiece, calibrating the 3D map by comparing a pre-computed calibration map to the 3D measurements, and detecting particulate contamination by processing the calibrated map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Neal Swaringen, Kelly Bruland, Andrew Wells
  • Method for correcting systematic errors in a laser processing system
    Patent number: 7363180
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a laser micro-machining system in three dimensions includes scanning a sample workpiece to determine the 3D surface, calculating the best fit surfaces to the scanned data in a series of steps, and storing the results so that subsequent workpieces can be calibrated to remove systematic errors introduced by variations in an associated material handling subsystem. The method optionally uses plate bending theory to model particulate contamination and splines to fit the 3D surface in a piecewise fashion to minimize the effect of local variations on the entire surface fit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Neal Swaringen, Kelly Bruland, Andrew Wells