Abstract: A hybrid surface mount component inspection system which includes both vision and infrared inspection techniques to determine the presence of surface mount components on a printed wiring board, and the quality of solder joints of surface mount components on printed wiring boards by using data level sensor fusion to combine data from two infrared sensors to obtain emissivity independent thermal signatures of solder joints, and using feature level sensor fusion with active perception to assemble and process inspection information from any number of sensors to determine characteristic feature sets of different defect classes to classify solder defects.

Abstract: The invention automatically inspects the bond of a wire to a contact pad on a semiconductor chip. The apparatus includes a movable platform for holding semiconductor chips situated in lead frames; a video camera for sensing images; illumination means for illuminating a chip in a lead frame; an image processor to digitize and analyze the images; a bonding mechanism; and a host controller electronically connected to bonding mechanism, movable platform, video camera, and image processor. Image processor locates a bond on a pad in a digitized image and provides a first nominal center of ball bond image. The invention aligns the center of a polar coordinate transform image having one or more segments with the nominal center of ball bond image and evaluates ball bond image using the polar coordinate transform image to create a polar projection histogram array and store it. An edge filter is applied to histogram array to detect peaks and store their number and values.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position, size and/or shape of a ball formed on a pad of a semiconductor chip when a wire is bonded between the pad and a lead of a lead frame. The ball is detected in at least three directions from the center of the ball towards the edge of the ball.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically locating the bond of a wire to a lead frame and semiconductor chip or similar device as an in-process operation to facilitate in-process inspection. The apparatus includes a wire bonding machine, or similar apparatus, having a movable platform such as an X-Y table for holding semiconductor chips situated in lead frames; a video camera or other optical sensing or imaging device for generating images, which camera is typically positioned over the target chip and lead frame to be bonded; illumination means for illuminating the chip in a lead frame; an image processor capable of digitizing and analyzing the optically sensed images; a bonding mechanism; and a host controller connected to the bonding mechanism, the movable platform, the camera and the image processor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for locating and measuring capillary indentation marks on wire bonded leads by creating a normalized, one-dimensional circumferential projection of a candidate center location in an image of a capillary indentation mark and detecting signals in the one-dimensional circumferential projection that correspond to a predefined pattern. The one-dimensional circumferential projection can be generated and evaluated for a full or a sub-sampled set of candidate center locations according to a number of different methods.

Abstract: A semiconductor chip with bumps to be inspected is placed directly below a CCD, which captures an image of the bumps under dark field illumination. A reference window is set around each bump in the image. The reference window is enlarged or reduced or divided into subwindows such that optimal windows are provided for extraction of characteristic values of various defects. Characteristic values of particular defects are extracted from the image data within the corresponding optimal windows. The characteristic values for the bumps are statistically processed to obtain an evaluation value having a permissible range. The characteristic value of each bump is compared with the evaluation value and when the comparison indicates that the characteristic value is outside of the range, the bump is decided as a defective bump.

Abstract: A color image pickup 33 picks up a color image of cores 9 soldered to the inner wall of a metal tube 12 of a connector 11 by a solder 16b. A component image of the color of the cores 9 is extracted from the color image. A non-soldered area of the cores 9 exposed from the solder 16b is calculated based on the extracted component image. The calculated non-soldered area is compared with a first threshold value to determine whether or not the cores 9 are satisfactorily soldered (i.e., the wires are satisfactorily connected). Connection of the wires can be checked with a uniform quality and an improved accuracy.

Abstract: An imaging device for imaging an object is situated above the object. A downward-illumination device for emitting light to the object is situated as one unit with the imaging device. A background-illumination device for emitting light to the object is situated below the object. An image obtained by the imaging device is stored in a memory unit of an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes a processing unit for logically processing the image. The illumination devices are connected to power supplies. The image processing apparatus and the power supplies are controlled by a controller. Thus, a bonding position is recognized easily with simple structure, the reliability of test results is enhanced, and the cost for testing is reduced by a decrease in the processing time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a bonded joint between components. A cross-sectional image of the joint is analyzed by determining the location of a first characteristic of the joint, the centroid of the joint in the cross-sectional image; and then measuring a second characteristic of the joint in reference to the location of the centroid. This measurement may be used by comparing it with a predetermined specification expected for the measurement for the purpose of determining the quality of the joint. The invention is particularly advantageous for studying cross-sectional X-ray images of solder joints between electronic components and substrata upon which they are mounted and can be implemented for analyzing the images produced in cross-sectional X-ray inspection machines such as scanned beam X-ray laminography systems or digital tomosynthesis systems.

Abstract: Pieces of feature information in a bi-level image such as a width, a branching point and an ending point of a wiring pattern are detected in a design rule checking section according to a micro inspection to find out pieces of feature information departing from a design rule. Also, feature codes in the bi-level image such as a corner of the wiring pattern are detected in a specific shape detecting section according to a macro inspection. The feature information are compared with pieces of referential feature information pertaining to a non-defective wiring pattern in a first comparing and judging section to judge whether the wiring pattern indicated by the feature information is defective or non-defective. The feature codes are compared with referential feature codes pertaining to a non-defective wiring pattern in a second comparing and judging section to judge whether the wiring pattern indicated by the feature codes is defective or non-defective.

Abstract: An image taking device serves to take an image of an object to be inspected, and outputs an image signal representative thereof. A first deciding device serves to decide a condition of the object in response to the image signal. A measuring device serves to measure a shape of the object, and outputs a height signal representative of a height of the object. A second deciding device serves to decide a condition of the object in response to the height signal. A control device serves to, in cases where the first deciding device can not detect the condition of the object, enable the measuring device to measure the shape of the object and enable the second deciding device to decide the condition of the object, and enable the first deciding device to execute a leaning process on the object in response to a result of the decision by the second deciding device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting a bonded joint between components. A cross-sectional image of the joint is analyzed by determining the location of a first characteristic of the joint, the centroid of the joint in the cross-sectional image; and then measuring a second characteristic of the joint in reference to the location of the centroid. This measurement may be used by comparing it with a predetermined specification expected for the measurement for the purpose of determining the quality of the joint. The invention is particularly advantageous for studying cross-sectional X-ray images of solder joints between electronic components and substrata upon which they are mounted and can be implemented for analyzing the images produced in cross-sectional X-ray inspection machines such as scanned beam X-ray laminography systems or digital tomosynthesis systems.

Abstract: The invention automatically inspects the bond of a wire to a contact pad on a semiconductor chip. The apparatus includes a movable platform for holding semiconductor chips situated in lead frames; a video camera for sensing images; illumination means for illuminating a chip in a lead frame; an image processor to digitize and analyze the images; a bonding mechanism; and a host controller electronically connected to bonding mechanism, movable platform, video camera, and image processor. Image processor locates a bond on a pad in a digitized image and provides a first nominal center of ball bond image. The invention aligns the center of a polar coordinate transform image having one or more segments with the nominal center of ball bond image and evaluates ball bond image using the polar coordinate transform image to create a polar projection histogram array and store it. An edge filter is applied to histogram array to detect peaks and store their number and values.

Abstract: A method of inspecting an array of balls used as connections in integrated circuit modules such as Solder Ball Connection modules, by means of an inspection apparatus that includes a microprocessor (34), a support (32) for holding in place the modules to be inspected (30), the microprocessor controlling a vertical camera (38) and a tilted camera (40) for obtaining images of the balls, wherein said method includes measuring the X and Y coordinates of each ball of the array to determine a best fitting grid of the balls, detecting the Z coordinate of each ball to determine the best fitting plane for the array of balls, offsetting the best fitting plane such that the offset plane also includes the lowest ball of the array, computing the deviation between each ball and the offset plane, and comparing the computed deviations with predetermined specifications to ascertain whether the inspected module is in compliance with the specifications.

Abstract: An inspecting apparatus is arranged on an electronic component mounting line for inspecting whether a mounting state of the component mounted by a mounting apparatus in a precedent process or a printing state of a cream solder by a cream solder printing apparatus in a precedent process is non-defective or defective.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically locating the bond of a wire to a lead flame and semiconductor chip or similar device as an in-process operation to facilitate in-process inspection. The apparatus includes a wire bonding machine, or similar apparatus, having a movable platform such as an X-Y table for holding semiconductor chips situated in lead frames; a video camera or other optical sensing or imaging device for generating images, which camera is typically positioned over the target chip and lead flame to be bonded; illumination means for illuminating the chip in a lead flame; an image processor capable of digitizing and analyzing the optically sensed images; a bonding mechanism; and a host controller connected to the bonding mechanism, the movable platform, the camera and the image processor.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining quality of a weld bead of an welded assembly of different metal sheets, wherein a slit beam of light is obliquely thrown on the weld bead to make an illuminated band on an upper surface of the welded assembly. A CCD camera disposed above the welded bead photographs the illuminated band to make an image of the illuminated band. The image is treated in an image pretreatment device so that a surface of a transverse cross section of the weld bead can be expressed in the form of one-dimensional data. Characteristics of the cross section of the weld bead are extracted from the one-dimensional data and are compared with predetermined references in a personal computer so that it is determined whether the weld bead is acceptable. Since the speed of data treatment is high, an on-line and real-time determination of the quality of the weld bead is possible.

Abstract: A solder portion is inspected as follows. An image of the solder portion is obtained. The image of the solder portion is collated with a plurality of predetermined reference patterns corresponding to different solder portion types respectively. A type of the solder portion is identified in response to a result of the collation. A decision is made as to whether the solder portion is satisfactory or unsatisfactory in response to the identified type thereof.

Abstract: An automated electronic module inspection system having illumination sources that produce digitized gray scale images that are then analyzed by a computer. The inspection system illuminates the module including solder joints, components and printed circuit board using a sequence of illumination that produce visual images which are used to identify defects. The inspection system inspects for all defects as specified in MIL-STD-2000A (Section 4.4) by using both surface reflectance properties as well as topological properties of objects. The system comprises two video cameras. A positioning table aligns a module-under-test with the optical axis of each camera thereby enabling the same field-of-view to be observed under different lighting conditions. A dark field illumination associated with a first camera preferentially illuminates non-flat surfaces, but not vertical surfaces. A bright field illumination associated with a second camera preferentially illuminates relatively flat surfaces.