Contouring Patents (Class 702/167)
  • Patent number: 11922653
    Abstract: An object locating system (100) in which there is an observation device (104) observing at least three datums (106, 112, 114), each of which datums (106, 112, 114) having a positioning system that reports it position to the observation device (104). The positioning systems of the datums (106, 12, 114) being calibrated so as to accurately report their relative positions. The observation device (104) has a camera whose field of view (116) contains an object (18) to be located as well as at least two of the datums (106, 112,114) and a range finder that measures the distance (110) between the observation device (104) and at least one object (18) within the field of view (116) of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Forsberg Services Ltd.
    Inventor: Charles Forsberg
  • Patent number: 11915292
    Abstract: An apparatus, a system, and a method for providing a customized clothing recommendation service are provided. The method for providing a customized clothing recommendation service recommending clothing products with a neckline suitable for a user by a neckline recommendation service providing server, comprises: constructing a database for storing clothing product information matching neckline type information to clothing products; receiving an image of a user's upper body; detecting a face from the received upper body image and determining a face type of the detected face; and determining neckline type information matching the determined face type and detecting one or more clothing products matching the determined neckline type information; and providing the detected clothing products to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: NHN CLOUD CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ohk Yeob Heo
  • Patent number: 11906288
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape measuring method includes: projecting a first grid pattern based on a first light and a first full pattern based on a second light onto a target object, the first light and the second light being lights of two colors included in three primary colors of light; picking up, by a three-color camera, an image of the first grid pattern and the first full pattern projected on the target object, and acquiring a first picked-up image based on the first light and a second picked-up image based on the second light; and calculating height information of the target object, using the first picked-up image, and calculating position information of the target object, using the second picked-up image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Narimatsu, Hirosada Horiguchi, Hiroshi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11897452
    Abstract: An automotive electronic lateral dynamics control system of an autonomous motor vehicle, comprising a lateral driving path planner designed to plan a lateral driving path of the autonomous motor vehicle and defined by a reference curvature of the autonomous motor vehicle; an automotive electronic driving stability control system designed to control an automotive braking system to apply to the autonomous motor vehicle a yaw torque to hinder a driving instability condition of the autonomous motor vehicle; and an automotive electronic steering control system designed to control an automotive steering system to apply to the autonomous motor vehicle a steering angle or torque to cause the autonomous motor vehicle to follow the lateral driving path planned by the lateral driving path planner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: C.R.F. SOCIETA' CONSORTILE PER AZIONI
    Inventors: Enrico Raffone, Claudio Rei
  • Patent number: 11840011
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus executes an imprint process for shaping an imprint material by using a mold. The apparatus includes a controller which obtains first height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a first substrate, and a measuring device which obtains second height distribution information indicating a height distribution of a surface of a second substrate. The controller controls the imprint process based on corrected height distribution information which is obtained by removing a first component that is an approximation function, of an order not more than a first predetermined order, for approximating the first height distribution information, from the first height distribution information, and a second component which is an approximation function, of an order not more than a second predetermined order, for approximating the second height distribution information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tadashi Hattori
  • Patent number: 11836833
    Abstract: A technique for displaying a “sense of length” in each case where users having different heights and/or body shapes wear clothing of various designs and/or sizes is presented. An image creation apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set a clothing image data having size information of clothing that is superimposed on a human body image data having height information and body shape information of a human body; a modifying unit configured to modify the human body image data or the clothing image data based on a result of comparing height information or body shape information of a user with the height information or body shape information of the human body image data; and a creating unit configured to superimpose the clothing image data on the human body image data, on an object-by-object basis, based on a reference position dependent on type information of the clothing image data, and create a virtual fitting image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KITEMIRU
    Inventor: Kyoji Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 11814120
    Abstract: A data processing system including a data processing apparatus that can generate an accurate road surface displacement correlating value that is used for a preview damping control is provided. The system includes a cloud having a data processing section and a processing-data-base-section for temporally storing data. The data processing apparatus stores sensing data in the processing-data-base-section, wherein the sensing data is a chunk of sensor values from which a road surface displacement correlating value correlating with a vertical displacement of a road surface on which said vehicle is traveling can be calculated. The sensor values are sequentially and successively detected/obtained by various sensors of the vehicle. The data processing section performs specific offline data processing for a chunk of the sensing data stored in the processing-data-base-section so as to generate data of the road surface displacement correlating value from the sensing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroki Furuta
  • Patent number: 11801863
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device configured to: generate a target trajectory of a vehicle; and determine whether change in speed of a target steering angle in a first period is equal to or larger than a first threshold value and whether change in speed of the target steering angle in a second period is equal to or larger than a second threshold value; and change, in a case where the driving mode of the vehicle is a second driving mode, the driving mode of the vehicle to a first driving mode when the change in speed of the target steering angle in the first period is determined to be equal to or larger than the first threshold value or when the change in speed of the target steering angle in the second period is determined to be equal to or larger than the second threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Oniwa
  • Patent number: 11796304
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product is provided for tracking the shape of a surface. The method includes generating a first plurality of surface models based on the surface, each surface model associated with surface parameter values and representing a different shape, determining an estimated position of the plurality of RF transponders on each surface model of the first plurality of surface models, communicating at least one activation signal to the plurality of RF transponders arranged on the surface, the surface comprising an unknown shape, receiving a plurality of response signals from at least a subset of the plurality of RF transponders, determining radio environment parameters for each surface model of the first plurality of surface models, and determining at least one selected surface model of the first plurality of surface models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
    Inventors: Haojian Jin, Jingxian Wang, Swarun Kumar Suresh Kumar, Jason I. Hong
  • Patent number: 11700899
    Abstract: An artificially-intelligent body size and body shape identification system is provided. The system may include a graphical user interface (“GUI”). The GUI may display a plurality of body shapes. The GUI may also receive a selection of one of a plurality of body shapes. The selection may indicate that a body corresponds to the selected body shape. The GUI may receive measurement information including: a height measurement, a weight measurement, a bra cup size, a bra length size relating to the body. The system may include an artificially-intelligent, sizing application. The application may receive the measurement information and the selected body shape. The application may identify one or more combinations of one or more body shapes and one or more body sizes that correspond to the body. The GUI may display the one or more combinations. The GUI may receive a selection of one of the combinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Pari Passu New York, LLC
    Inventor: Shanna Goldstone
  • Patent number: 11688617
    Abstract: Provided is an electrostatic capacitance sensor which can remove an influence of a noise occurring from a static eliminator or a driving source and accurately perform measurement even on electrostatic capacitance detected by a thin-type detection unit which can be passed to a finger surface of a wafer transfer robot. The present invention is provided with an AC supply source which supplies an AC voltage to a detection unit, a parasitic capacitance compensation circuit, an operational amplifier, a differential amplifier, a phase detection means, and a low pass filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Inventor: Yoshiki Fukuzaki
  • Patent number: 11668557
    Abstract: An inspection system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the inspection system includes an interferometer sub-system configured to acquire an interferogram of a sample. The inspection system may further include a controller communicatively coupled to the interferometer sub-system. The controller is configured to: receive the interferogram from the interferometer sub-system; generate a phase map of the sample based on the received interferogram, wherein the phase map includes a plurality of pixels; select a sub-set of pixels of the plurality of pixels of the phase map to be used for phase unwrapping procedures; perform one or more phase unwrapping procedures on the sub-set of pixels of the phase map to generate an unwrapped phase map; and generate a surface height map of the sample based on the unwrapped phase map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: KLA Corporation
    Inventors: Helen (Heng) Liu, Guoqing Zhang
  • Patent number: 11656068
    Abstract: A workpiece diameter measurement method includes: detecting positions of a probe while relatively rotating an uncalibrated standard and a detector around a rotation center in a state where the probe is in contact with a circumferential face of the standard from one side in a displacement direction of the probe, detecting the positions of the probe while relatively rotating the standard and the detector around the rotation center in a state where the probe is in contact with the circumferential face from another side in the displacement direction, calculating the position of the rotation center based on the detected positions, relatively rotating a workpiece and the detector around the rotation center in a state where the probe is in contact with the workpiece from the other side, and calculating a diameter of a circumferential face of the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO SEIMITSU CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kosuke Tomita, Ryo Takanashi
  • Patent number: 11557578
    Abstract: The present embodiment comprises: a plurality of light-emitting units; and a reflector including reflector units having spaces formed to receive the plurality of light-emitting units, respectively. Each of the plurality of light-emitting units includes an LED package mounted on a substrate and a light diffusion layer having a groove portion formed on a surface opposite to the substrate in the LED package, wherein the outer circumference of the light diffusion layer faces the inner surface of a reflector unit. In the reflector, the plurality of reflector units are integrally formed, the spaces expand along a direction extending away from the substrate, and a wall forming each of the spaces surrounds the outer circumference of each of the LED package and the light diffusion layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sujin Sim, Minho Kim, Uihyung Lee, Yongmin Jung, Juyoung Joung
  • Patent number: 11514555
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a point cloud denoising method based on deep learning for an aircraft part, in which different degrees of Gaussian noise are added based on a theoretical data model of the aircraft part, a heightmap for each point in the theoretical data model is generated, and a deep learning training set is constructed. A deep learning network is trained based on the constructed deep learning training set, to obtain a deep learning network model. A real aircraft part is scanned via a laser scanner to obtain measured point cloud data. The normal information of the measured point cloud is predicted based on the trained deep learning network model. Based on the predicted normal information, a position of each point in the measured point cloud data is further updated, thereby completing denoising of the measured point cloud data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: NANJING UNIVERSITY OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
    Inventors: Jun Wang, Dening Lu, Dawei Li
  • Patent number: 11506481
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for rolling weight deflection measurement comprising a rolling wheel to be moved along a measuring surface in a first direction. The apparatus comprises a number of spaced apart range sensors arranged on at least one carrier and configured to measure a distance to said measuring surface at pavement locations passed by the apparatus. A first of said range sensors is arranged at a predetermined location with respect to said rolling wheel, and the remainder of the range sensors are arranged in spaced apart manner in line with said first range sensor in the in first direction. At least one inclination sensor is configured to measure at least a change in inclination of said at least one carrier, a curvature parameter value for said measuring surface is calculated using measurements from said range sensors and said inclination sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Ramboll Sweden AB
    Inventors: Mathias Bækbo Andersen, Jack Larsen, Søren Norup Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 11466976
    Abstract: In a method and system for measuring a height map of a surface of an object, the following steps are carried out. Height maps of different sections of the surface of the object are measured, using an optical profilometer having a field of view covering an individual section, wherein each height map comprises height data. The measured height maps are grouped into different sets of height maps, wherein within each set each one of the height maps of the set has a valid overlap to at least one other height map of the set, and wherein each height map belongs to one set and does not have a valid overlap with any height map of another set. Within each set, the measured height maps are stitched to a sub-composite stitched height map. The sub-composite stitched height maps are combined to a composite height map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Johannes Anna Quaedackers
  • Patent number: 11442025
    Abstract: An interferometer and an imager may include a tunable light source, a beam splitter, a digital imager, and a processor system. The tunable light source may be configured to emit a beam. The beam splitter may be configured to direct the beam toward a sample with a floor surface and a raised surface feature. The digital imager may be configured to receive a reflected beam and to generate an image based on the reflected beam. The reflected beam may be a coherent addition of a first reflection of the beam off a reference plate and a second reflection of the beam off the raised surface feature and third reflection of the beam off the floor surface. The processor system may be coupled to the digital imager and may be configured to determine a distance between the reference surface and the feature surface based on the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Inventor: Arun Anath Aiyer
  • Patent number: 11403866
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying items of clothing on a model having a similar body shape to that of an ecommerce user. In one aspects, a system includes one or more hardware processors configured to perform operations comprising receiving, by one or more hardware processors, an image, the image representing a user height, user weight, and user gender, causing display, by the one or more hardware processors, of a second image via a computer interface, the second image representing a model, the model selected based on a comparison of a model height, weight, and gender with the user height, weight, and gender respectively, receiving, by the one or more hardware processors, a selection of an item of clothing, and causing display, by the one or more hardware processors, of a representation of the selected model wearing the selected item of clothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Qiaosong Wang, Robinson Piramuthu, Vignesh Jagadeesh, Bryan Kent Ressler
  • Patent number: 11398024
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to the invention includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a two-dimensional image of a person and a three-dimensional registered image of a registrant; and a generation unit that, when superimposing the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional registered image to generate a composite image, performs an editing process for changing an appearance of the person or the registrant for at least one of the two-dimensional image, the three-dimensional registered image, and the composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Junichi Fukuda, Ryosuke Nakamura, Yasushi Hamada
  • Patent number: 11378427
    Abstract: A method of sensor fusion for systems including at least one sensor and at least one target object is provided. The method includes receiving configuration data at a processing device. The configuration data includes a description of a first system including one or more sensors and one or more target objects. The configuration data includes an indication that one or more geometric parameters and/or one or more sensor parameters of the first system are unknown. The method includes receiving an instruction at the processing device that the received configuration data is to be adjusted into adjusted configuration data. The adjusted configuration data includes a description of a second system including one or more sensors and one or more target objects, wherein the second system is different from the first system. The adjusted configuration data includes an indication that one or more geometric parameters and/or one or more sensor parameters of the second system are unknown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Shhuna GmbH
    Inventors: Juri Platonov, Pawel Kaczmarczyk
  • Patent number: 11381050
    Abstract: The disclosure describes aspects of laser cavity optical alignment, and more particularly, in situ alignment of optical devices in an optical system for replacement or upgrade. In one aspect, a method for optical alignment in an optical system is described that includes providing, via a positioning system, an optical beam to measure surface features and position of a first device under test (DUT), removing the first DUT from the optical system, placing a second DUT in the optical system at substantially the same position from which the first DUT was removed, providing, via the positioning system, an optical beam to measure surface features and position of the second DUT, aligning the second DUT based on the measurements made of the first DUT and the second DUT, and verifying operation of the second DUT in the optical system. The DUT can be an optical device such as an output optical coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignees: IONQ, INC., UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
    Inventor: Kai Hudek
  • Patent number: 11307015
    Abstract: A method for calculating eccentricity of rotor assembly axis based on radial runout measurement comprises matrix characterization of data and calculation of relative runout value at each point, establishment of a spring equivalent model and calculation of contact force, eccentric direction and magnitude; calculation of relative runout value; establishment of a spring equivalent model to analyze the relationship between force and displacement in each phase of a contact process, and then an uneven contact force at each point is obtained; and determination of eccentricity is to determine the magnitude of eccentricity. Based on the measured radial runout data in production practice, this method realizes the prediction of eccentricity of axis before assembly, improves the coaxiality of rotors after assembly, and has important practical guiding significance for axis prediction as well as assembly phase adjustment and optimization in the assembly process of aero-engine rotor pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: DALIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Qingchao Sun, Xin Liu, Yichao Gao, Yunlong Wang
  • Patent number: 11300407
    Abstract: A method of evaluating flatness of a two-dimensional area of a surface of an unfinished workpiece prior to performance of a process step in which a prescribed operation is performed on the surface by a tool. A flatness value for the surface is calculated and used either to allow or to disallow the prescribed operation to proceed, and when allowed, uses the flatness value for parameter adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Inventors: Boris Novakovic, Christian Peter Holtkamp
  • Patent number: 11275673
    Abstract: A system for generating simulated LiDAR data may include a depth offset generator and an intensity value generator. The depth offset generator may be configured to receive environment data including depth information, e.g., a depth map, the environment. The depth offset generator may determine an optical flow field from the depth information and estimate depths for positions to simulate LiDAR sensor data. field. The depth offset generator can also generate timestamp information based on attributes of the simulated LiDAR sensor, and determine the estimated depths using the timestamp information. The intensity value generator may be configured to determine an intensity for pixels based on physical attributes associated with those pixels. The simulated LiDAR data may be used in simulations run on autonomous vehicle control systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: James Graham Dolan, Tod Cameron Semple
  • Patent number: 11068739
    Abstract: A method and a system of object contours comparisons are described. A first tree structure that connects all points of a set of points is determined such that a length of the first tree structure is smaller than a length of any other possible tree structures for connecting all points. Based on the first tree structure, a first subset of the set of points is determined such that it includes points ordered to form a path that satisfies a selection criterion for representing a first contour of a first object. From the first subset of points and a second set of points that forms a contour of a second object, a set of points of interest is determined. The first object and the second object are compared based on characteristics of the shape indicative of a difference between the first and the second contours formed by the points of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: MATROX ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS LTD.
    Inventor: Émile Ducrocq
  • Patent number: 11039905
    Abstract: A prosthesis design method according to an embodiment includes loading 3D oral model data from a memory, displaying an oral image and an arch line of the 3D oral model data, providing an alignment interface for aligning the oral image with the arch line, and displaying the oral image aligned with the arch line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: DDS COMPANY
    Inventors: Jin Ah Je, Geon Choi, Yu Bin Lee, Ji Min Kim, Dong Hyun You
  • Patent number: 11025812
    Abstract: To provide an image analyzing technology capable of obtaining an image with less shading and with enough speckle contrast. An imaging apparatus includes: a light source that irradiates an imaging object with coherent light with a first irradiation condition and a second irradiation condition; a speckle imaging unit that captures a first speckle image obtained from scattered light of the imaging object irradiate at the first irradiation condition, and a second speckle image obtained from scattered light of the imaging object irradiate at the second irradiation condition; and an information processing unit that separates speckle images at boundaries of average luminance difference formed in the first speckle image and the second speckle image, connecting the separaged speckle images at the boundaries, and analyzes the combined speckle combined image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ichiki, Isamu Nakao, Tetsuro Kuwayama, Noriyuki Kishii, Yusaku Nakashima, Takeshi Matsui
  • Patent number: 11014556
    Abstract: A driving support control unit of a driving support apparatus executes driving support control for supporting at least part of driving by a driver. A support determining unit determines whether or not predetermined conditions for terminating the driving support control are satisfied. A physical amount acquiring unit acquires a physical amount corresponding to a curviness degree of a driving lane on which an own vehicle drives. A curviness degree determining unit determines whether or not a curviness degree indicated by the physical amount acquired by the physical amount acquiring unit is smaller than a predetermined degree in the case where the predetermined conditions for terminating the driving support control are satisfied. A termination command unit commands the driving support control unit to terminate the driving support control if the curviness degree determining unit determines that the curviness degree is smaller than the predetermined degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Mukai, Hiroaki Ooshima, Hitoshi Wada
  • Patent number: 10995915
    Abstract: A LED module is disclosed comprising a LED chip including at least one LED arranged to direct a luminous output centered about an optical axis towards a light exit surface; an optical layer separated from the light exit surface by a spacing region having a lower refractive index than the optical layer and a material comprising the light exit surface, the optical layer being arranged to redirect the luminous output in a direction under a non-zero angle with the optical axis; and a collimating element over the optical layer, the collimating element being arranged to collimate the redirected luminous output in said direction. A lighting module including one or more of such LED modules is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Lumileds LLC
    Inventors: Marc Andre de Samber, Norbertus Antonius Maria Sweegers, Floris Maria Hermansz Crompvoets
  • Patent number: 10957066
    Abstract: A system including at least three robots. Each robot including a proximity sensor unit and an imaging device. At least one robot including a processor to perform a method of estimating a pose of a human, the method including obtaining a first pose estimate for the human, the first pose estimate based on proximity sensor information, obtaining a second pose estimate for the human, the second pose estimate based on imaging device information, and generating a refined pose estimate for the human by fusing the first pose estimate with the second pose estimate, where the first pose information provides predictive values and the second pose estimate provides correction values. The method including applying a deep neural network (DNN) human model, and applying a DNN human pose model. A method to generate a refined pose estimation for a human and a non-transitory computer readable medium are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Huan Tan, Li Zhang, Yakov Polishchuk, Bo Wang
  • Patent number: 10937705
    Abstract: Defects are detected using surface topography data. The defects may be detected by determining topography characteristics within a region of interest on a sample, and the same topography characteristics of at least one reference surface. By comparing the topography characteristics in the region of interest for the sample and reference surface, common pattern structures may be removed, leaving only variations, which may be used to identify the presence of defects. For example, thresholds may be used to identify variations in the topography characteristics as defect candidates. Defects may be identified based on, e.g., size, height, shape, texture, etc. of candidate defects. In some implementations, rather than using a reference surface, the topography characteristic of the surface within the region of interest may be inspected based on prior knowledge of a required surface topography for the region of interest to determine if a defect is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Onto Innovation Inc.
    Inventors: Nigel P. Smith, Holly M. Edmundson, Michael A. Gilmore
  • Patent number: 10933450
    Abstract: A vent hole cleaning method for cleaning a vent hole provided on a molding surface of a mold for vulcanizing a rubber product includes a step of detecting a shape of the molding surface; a step of calculating a position of the vent hole by comparing the shape of the molding surface obtained in the step of detecting with molding surface information stored in a controlling device in advance and including a position of the vent hole; a step of moving a cleaning means to the vent hole based on the calculated position of the vent hole; and a step of cleaning the vent hole by the cleaning means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuichiro Amaiwa
  • Patent number: 10761034
    Abstract: A device and method for expediting spectral measurement in metrological activities during semiconductor device fabrication through interferometric spectroscopy of white light illumination during calibration, overlay, and recipe creation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent Immer, Tal Marciano, Etay Lavert
  • Patent number: 10699409
    Abstract: A method for removing ghost markers from a measured set of medical markers, wherein the measured set of markers represents the positions of real markers and the positions of ghost markers, comprising the steps of: —calculating all possible minimal marker sets, wherein a minimal marker set is a subset of the measured set and a minimal marker set consists of the smallest possible number of markers which would cause the measured set to be measured; —calculating the smallest extent of each minimal marker set, wherein the smallest extent is the smallest extent among the extents in three orthogonal directions; and —selecting the minimal marker set having the smallest out of the smallest extents as a marker set without ghost markers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: BRAINLAB AG
    Inventors: Hubert Goette, Steffen Heinrich
  • Patent number: 10672118
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting a feature on a surface. A mesh comprising a plurality of mesh elements is generated using surface data generated for a surface region. The plurality of normal vectors is computed for the plurality of mesh elements. A distribution for the plurality of normal vectors is generated. A dominant subset of the plurality of mesh elements is identified in which a Z component of a corresponding normal vector for each mesh element of the dominant subset is in substantially a first direction. Z components of a portion of the plurality of normal vectors corresponding to a remaining subset of the plurality of mesh elements are analyzed to determine whether the feature is present within the surface region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Alan R. Katz, Stephen J. Bennison
  • Patent number: 10663275
    Abstract: Producing a component having an in use gas washed surface includes: obtaining a reference component having a reference shape with an in use gas washed surface; setting one or more performance threshold for the reference shape, the threshold defining an acceptable performance for the reference shape; obtaining a manufactured component made to the reference shape; measuring the manufactured component and determining a displacement distribution indicative of the geometric deviation of the manufactured component from the reference shape; determining a performance sensitivity distribution for the reference component, the sensitivity distribution having a plurality of points, each point indicative of a performance factor for the reference component; combining the sensitivity distribution and displacement distribution to determine a performance prediction for the manufactured component; determining whether the performance prediction is within the performance threshold; accepting or rejecting the component for use if
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventors: Simon Bather, Giulio Zamboni
  • Patent number: 10571262
    Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling a surface texture measuring apparatus equipped with a probe that cannot detect an edge portion so as to automatically perform edge detection and automatically set a workpiece coordinate system. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce discrepancies by individual operators when setting a coordinate system, and improve the workability of coordinate system setting. A surface to be measured is scanned with a probe along a preset preliminary measurement path. When a detection error which causes when the surface to be measured is out of the tracking range of the probe occurs, a measurement value immediately before the detection error has occurred is temporarily registered as a temporary edge point. When the detection error continues during the subsequent scanning for a predetermined distance along the preliminary measurement path, the temporarily registered temporary edge point is set to an edge point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kotaro Hirano
  • Patent number: 10512524
    Abstract: In particular embodiments, method, apparatus and system for receiving digital representations of the initial parameters of a dentition; simulating a first orthodontic treatment process on the digital representations of the initial parameters, displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, simulating a second orthodontic treatment process on the output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, and displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the second orthodontic treatment process are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Kuo
  • Patent number: 10503087
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus uses a height sensor to obtain height sensor data representing a topographical variation across a substrate. The height sensor data is used to control focusing of a device pattern at multiple locations across the substrate. A controller identifies one or more first areas where height sensor data is judged to be reliable and one or more second areas where the height sensor data is judged to be less reliable. Substitute height data is calculated for the second areas using height sensor data for the first areas together with prior knowledge of expected device-specific topography. The focusing of the lithographic apparatus is controlled using a combination of the height data from the sensor and the substitute height data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Rene Marinus Gerardus Johan Queens, Arend Johannes Donkerbroek, Pietro Andricciola, Ewoud Frank Van West
  • Patent number: 10451979
    Abstract: A method of evaluating a focus control of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography apparatus includes preparing a wafer exposed by using the EUV lithography apparatus. The wafer includes test patterns formed of a photoresist and having circular islands or holes prepared by multiple exposures of EUV at different foci of exposure. The method further includes measuring a roughness parameter of the test patterns and estimating a function representing a dependence of the roughness parameter on the focus. A best focus is estimated based on an extremum of the function. Exposure wafers are then exposed to EUV with the best focus. The exposure wafers include the test patterns. The roughness parameter for the test patterns on the exposure wafers obtained by exposing the exposure wafers at the best focus is periodically measured. An abnormality in focus is then determined based on the measured roughness parameter and the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yi-Lun Liu, Ming-Jhih Kuo, Yuan-Yen Lo
  • Patent number: 10401495
    Abstract: Doppler correction of broadband LIDAR includes mixing, during a first time interval, a returned optical signal with an in-phase version of the transmitted signal to produce a first mixed optical signal that is detected during the first time interval to produce a first electrical signal. During a non-overlapping second time interval the returned optical signal is mixed with a quadrature version of the transmitted signal to produce a second mixed optical signal that is detected during the second time interval to produce a second electrical signal. A complex digital signal uses one of the digitized electrical signals as a real part and a different one as the imaginary part. A signed Doppler frequency shift of the returned optical signal is determined based, at least in part, on a Fourier transform of the complex digital signal. A device is operated based on the Doppler frequency shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Blackmore Sensors and Analytics Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen C. Crouch, Krishna Rupavatharam
  • Patent number: 10302416
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for processing materials using wavelength beam combining for high-power operation in concert with interferometry to detect the depth or height of features as they are created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: TERADIODE, INC.
    Inventor: Parviz Tayebati
  • Patent number: 10290233
    Abstract: A system and method to integrate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and radiotherapy data for accurate simulation of spatio-temporal flow and deformation in real human lung is presented. The method utilizes a mathematical formulation that fuses the CFD predictions of lung displacement with the corresponding radiotherapy data using the theory of Tikhonov regularization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.
    Inventors: Anand P. Santhanam, Olusegun Ilegbusi
  • Patent number: 10265149
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for modeling the mandibular kinematics of a patient, comprising: acquiring at least one stereoscopic image of the face of the patient by means of a stereoscopic camera, constructing, from said stereoscopic image, a three-dimensional surface model of the face of the patient, identifying characteristic elements of the face of the patient on said stereoscopic image or on said three-dimensional surface model of the face of the patient, from said characteristic elements, determining, on said stereoscopic image, respectively said three-dimensional surface model of the face of the patient, reference points, axes and planes of the face of the patient, obtaining a three-dimensional model of the maxillary dental arch and a three-dimensional model of the mandibular dental arch of the patient, registering the three-dimensional models of the dental arches with respect to the reference planes of the three-dimensional surface model of the patient, recording the mandibular kinematics o
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: MODJAW
    Inventor: Maxime Jaisson
  • Patent number: 10247559
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to disambiguate probe points within an ambiguous probe regions to permit more reliable association with a road segment. In regards to a method, probe trajectory identifiers (IDs) of probe points along at least a portion of the first and second branches that lead away from an ambiguous probe region are separately identified and form first and second sets of probe trajectory IDs, respectively. For the ambiguous probe region, the probe trajectory IDs of probe points along a third branch that leads toward the ambiguous probe region are identified and form a third set of probe trajectory IDs. The method also includes classifying probe trajectory IDs from the third set as being associated with the first branch or the second branch in an instance in which the probe trajectory IDs are additionally included in the first set or the second set, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Ole Henry Dorum
  • Patent number: 10203195
    Abstract: A measurement method and system include illuminating an object to be measured with light at two different wavelengths and an incident angle; capturing an image of the object; detecting a frequency of an interference pattern from the image using Fractional Bi-Spectrum Analysis; and calculating a thickness of the object based on the Fractional Bi-Spectrum Analysis. The thickness is calculated based on a relationship between the thickness and the frequency of the interference pattern. The Fractional Bi-Spectrum Analysis is performed on a linear medium with the two different wavelengths being known.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
    Inventors: Faramarz Farahi, Gelareh Babaie, Mehrdad Abolbashari
  • Patent number: 10040463
    Abstract: The present application involves a railroad track inspection system comprising a plurality of track scanning sensors, a data store, and a scan data processor. The data store is used for storing track scan data recorded by the track scanning sensors. The scan data processor is used for automatic analysis of the track scan data upon receipt thereof to detect one or more track components within the scan data from a predetermined list of component types according to one or more features identified in said scan data. The system comprises a common support structure to which the track scanning sensors, the data store and scan data processor are attached, the common support structure having a mounting for attachment of the system to a railway vehicle in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Inventor: Sameer Singh
  • Patent number: 10012500
    Abstract: A method and a system for the quality control of objects after they have been supplied. After manufacturing, the object is checked by means of a measuring machine vision system. The measurement results of the machine vision system are recorded in a data system together with the corresponding calibration data. When the calibration data is known, new measurements can be conducted later from the recorded images at a time when the actual object has already been supplied and possibly placed in an end product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: OY MAPVISION LTD.
    Inventor: Antti Knuuttila
  • Patent number: 9928615
    Abstract: A 3D model can be modeled using “pattern-instance” representation, wherein an instance component may be represented as transformation (for example, rotation, translation, and scaling) of a pattern. To improve compression efficiency, the quantization parameters for the rotation part and translation part for transformation of an instance can be determined based on the quantization parameter used for encoding a corresponding pattern. Specifically, the quantization parameter for the rotation part may depend on the size of the instance, and the quantization parameter for the translation part may depend on the scale of translation. That is, a larger instance may use a finer quantization parameter for the rotation part. The quantization parameters are so determined that quantization errors caused by compressing the patterns, the translation part of transformation, and the rotation part of transformation are at similar levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Kangying Cai, Wenfei Jiang, Jiang Tian