TWI443330B - Off-axis sheet-handling apparatus and technique for transmission-mode measurements - Google Patents

Description

Device and technology for processing off-axis sheet processing for modulus measurement

The present invention relates to a support structure and method for processing a thin sheet during inspection, particularly as a thin transparent sheet during transmission mode measurement.

Recently, due to the popularity and acceptance of liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions, much attention has been focused on the detection of transparent substrate defects such as glass sheets. Therefore, the industry's current challenge is to meet increasing volume requirements when delivering substrates that meet stringent LCD penetration mode specifications. In addition, the size of the transparent sheets used in the LCD industry has become larger and larger while maintaining the same thickness and even becoming thinner. Accordingly, the challenge is to securely hold the large, thin transparent sheet so that it can be inspected and measured. On the one hand, the accuracy of the measurement must be maintained according to the error caused by the structure used to fix the transparent sheet.

Transmission mode measurement involves passing light from one plane through the transparent glass sheet to another plane and measuring how the light changes as it passes. Transmission mode measurements can be used to detect features caused by the process, such as inclusions, thickness variations, strings, streaks, and stress in the transparent glass sheet.

Taking the stress measurement as an example, due to the shape of the fixed structure and the sheet Interaction can cause stress and the way the sheet is fixed can affect the measurement. If the glass is completely flat, its shape does not change when it is fixed in a substantially planar structure with a fixed structure, so the fixed structure does not affect the stress measurement. However, the transparent sheet is not completely flat, but includes some shape changes (although most of the situation in the display industry is small), such as warping, bending, convex, or concave, it is unlikely that each piece will be the same. Moreover, various degrees of shape changes are included in different regions of the sheet. According to this, when the transparent sheet is flattened by the fixing structure during measurement, the shape of the glass sheet changes, and an error occurs in the transmission mode measurement. For example, in a nominally stationary state, the transparent sheet contains a stress distribution that affects the light transmission through the sheet. When the glass sheet in the support structure is planarized, the stress distribution changes to include the stress caused by the support structure when the glass sheet is flattened. Therefore, the measurement accuracy of the sheet is affected. It is best to be responsible for some extent and to remove the inaccuracies caused by the support structure. However, to distinguish what is the stress caused by the support structure, what is naturally occurring stress in the transparent glass sheet is not easy.

According to the above, we need an inspection method and apparatus that can safely fix a large and thin transparent substrate, and can easily detect the error caused by the support structure and remove it to some extent.

The present application describes an apparatus and technique for measuring the transmission mode of a sheet, such as a thin transparent glass sheet, which can be individually obtained in various combinations of features or other features: securely securing the glass sheet for accurate measurement Distinguish between the error caused by the support structure and the characteristics of the sheet itself; rapid measurement of the entire sheet; and measurement of sheets of various sizes.

Features of the device for securely securing the sheet include: an off-axis direction of the support member relative to the sheet axis; and a support structure extending along the intersecting axis and the downward draw axis of the measured sheet A strip or other support; a source of pressure (vacuum) coupled to the support, acting on the sheet; and/or a support dimension greater than the sheet, although this is not essential. Since the support extends in a direction oblique to the major axis of the sheet, the support spans the edge of the sheet so that only a small section along the edge of the sheet is unsupported at any time, especially during processing The resulting feature measurement period. According to this, the glass piece can be securely fixed.

Device features that can readily distinguish between errors caused by the support and features of interest caused by the process include: a support structure disposed and positioned to cause a measurement error along an axis that is oblique to the features caused by the process in the sheet The pixel along the extended axis; and/or the image capturing unit (of the imaging device) is parallel to the sheet and oblique to the axis of the support structure. The features caused by the process typically extend in the direction in which the sheets are formed. In many instances, these features (such as thickness variations, fines, streaks, discontinuities and inclusions in the glass sheet, and stress) are in a direction that matches the pull of the transparent sheet, ie, the direction in which it is pulled downward. To show the characteristics of itself. In other examples, certain features indicate their characteristics in a direction perpendicular to the drawing of the transparent sheet, that is, in a direction that is crossed. Accordingly, the positioning support structure causes the error caused in the measurement to extend along the axis inclined to the cross-pushing or downward drawing axis, effectively distinguishing the error caused and the characteristic caused by the processing of the object itself to be measured.

Device features that affect processing speed include: sheet images can be The size of the field of view captured is larger than the corresponding size of the measured sheet, and the larger the size is greater than or equal to the size of the blocked or non-image visible area; the size of the visible area of the image is larger than the size of the non-image visible area; The article and the sheet form an angle of from about 25 degrees to about 65 degrees via the transport direction of the measuring device; and/or the size of the support is greater than the size of the glass sheet. Accordingly, the imageable glass piece can be indexed by the size of the blocked or non-image visible area and then imaged. This makes the measurement of the entire glass sheet rarely have two overlapping images, affecting the speed of processing.

Device features that may be contiguous with the size of the sheet include the support extending in a direction that is oblique to the major axis of the sheet. Accordingly, since the support extends across the diagonal of the sheet, it does not need to be spaced apart by a particular sheet size, and the measuring device mostly ignores the size of the sheet to be measured. In another way, with a support extending obliquely to the main axis of the sheet, the support structure can stably fix the glass sheet region even if the size of the support ranges from slightly smaller than the sheet region to much larger than the sheet region.

By way of non-limiting example, various features can be combined in accordance with the following aspects: According to a first aspect, a device is provided for measuring features caused by a transparent sheet processing, the apparatus comprising: a light source; an imaging device; a transparent sheet support structure between the light source and the image device, wherein the support structure is disposed and disposed to support the transparent sheet such that the measurement error caused by the support structure is viewed by the image device as extending along or parallel to the first axis, the first axis Tilting to the second axis, and when the features caused by the process are seen by the imaging device, the features caused by the processing in the transparent sheet extend along or parallel to the second axis.

According to a second aspect, any of the devices of aspect 1, wherein the feature caused by the process comprises stress.

According to a third aspect, the apparatus of aspect 1, wherein the support structure comprises a strip extending along the second axis.

According to a fourth aspect, the apparatus of aspect 3 is provided wherein the strip comprises an opening and the support comprises a vacuum source in communication with the opening.

According to a fifth aspect, the apparatus of aspect 3 is provided, wherein the spacing is between the strips, wherein the strip comprises a first width, and the spacing comprises a second width, and wherein the first width is further less than or equal to the first Two widths.

According to a sixth aspect, the apparatus of aspect 1 is provided, wherein the image device comprises a pixel positioned along a third axis, wherein the support structure comprises an interval at which the image device sees light passing from the light source, the interval comprising parallel to the first axis The longitudinal axis, and further wherein the third axis is inclined to the longitudinal axis.

According to a seventh aspect, a method for measuring a feature caused by a transparent sheet processing process is provided, the method comprising: placing a transparent sheet on a support structure between the light source and the image device; supporting the transparent sheet such that a measurement error caused by the support structure is The imaging device is viewed as extending along or parallel to the first axis, the first axis being inclined to the second axis, and when the features caused by the process are seen by the imaging device, the features caused by the processing in the transparent sheet are along or parallel Extending on the second axis; capturing a first image of the first segment of the transparent sheet; Moving the transparent sheet and then capturing the second image of the first segment of the transparent sheet; combining the first and second images to form an image of the feature caused by the first segment processing of the transparent sheet.

According to an eighth aspect, the method of aspect 7, wherein the first and second images together cover the entire area of the first section of the transparent sheet.

According to a ninth aspect, the method of aspect 8, wherein the first section of the transparent sheet covers the entire area of the transparent sheet.

According to a tenth aspect, the method of any of aspects 7-9, further comprising contacting the transparent sheet with the transport device during the moving step, but the transparent sheet is not in contact with the transport device during the step of capturing the first and second images .

According to the eleventh aspect, the method of any of aspects 7-10, further comprising planarizing the transparent sheet before the first and second image capturing steps, and maintaining the first and second image capturing steps The flat state of the transparent sheet.

According to a twelfth aspect, the method of aspect 11, wherein the planarizing step comprises evacuating the transparent sheet to resist the support structure.

According to a thirteenth aspect, the method of aspect 7, wherein the combining step further comprises removing a measurement error due to the support structure.

According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a method of any aspect of aspect 7-13, wherein the support structure comprises a strip extending along the second axis, wherein the spacing is between the strips, wherein the strip comprises The first width and the interval include a second width, and further the first width is less than or equal to the second width.

According to the fifteenth aspect, the method of the aspect 14 is provided, wherein the image is loaded The image is captured in a third width viewing area, the transparent glass sheet includes a fourth width, and wherein the third width is greater than the fourth width by a magnitude greater than or equal to the first width.

According to a sixth aspect feature, the method of aspect 15 is provided wherein the support structure comprises a fifth width and the fifth width is greater than the fourth width by a magnitude greater than or equal to the first width.

According to a seventeenth aspect, the method of aspect 14, wherein the transparent sheet is moved in a transport direction with respect to the support structure, and wherein the axis of the strip forms an angle with the transport direction, the angle being in the range of 25 to 65 degrees.

According to an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a method of any aspect of aspect 7-17, wherein the transparent sheet moves in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the second axis.

According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a method of any aspect of aspect 7-18, wherein the imaging device comprises a pixel extending along a third axis, and further wherein the third axis is oblique to the first axis.

According to a twentieth aspect, there is provided a method of any aspect of aspect 7-18, wherein the feature caused by the process comprises stress.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and appended claims. The embodiments of the present invention can be understood by the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the invention.

The accompanying drawings are provided to provide a further understanding of the principles of the invention, The drawings illustrate one or more embodiments, and, in the claims people It is understood that the various features of the invention disclosed in the description and the drawings can be used in any and all combinations.

2‧‧‧ device

10‧‧‧Flakes

11‧‧‧ Section

Section 12.‧‧

Section 13‧‧‧

14‧‧‧ Section

16‧‧ ‧ wide

18‧‧‧High

20‧‧‧ edge

22‧‧‧Axis

24‧‧‧Axis

26‧‧‧ thickness

30‧‧‧Support structure

32‧‧‧High

34‧‧ Wide

40‧‧‧ strips

44‧‧ ‧ wide

46‧‧‧Axis

48‧‧‧ openings

50‧‧‧ interval

52‧‧ Wide

54‧‧‧Axis

60‧‧‧Inflatable duct

62‧‧‧ Pressure/vacuum source

64‧‧‧ catheter

70‧‧‧Transportation device

72‧‧‧Roller

74‧‧‧ conveyor belt

80‧‧‧Image installation

81‧‧‧Image capture unit

82‧‧‧ optical axis

83‧‧‧Overlapping

84‧‧‧ pixel array

85‧‧‧Axis

86‧‧‧Axis

90‧‧‧ observation area

92‧‧ ‧ wide

94‧‧‧High

96‧‧‧blocking area

97‧‧ wide

98‧‧‧Image area

99‧‧ wide

100‧‧‧Light source

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an isometric projection of a metrology apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the measuring device of Figure 1 taken along line 2-2.

3 is a schematic view of a support structure and a transport device that can form a partial measuring device.

4 is a schematic diagram of a pixel array of an image capture unit that can form a partial measurement device, and a shaft including features of the support structure superposed thereon.

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a transparent sheet relative to the viewing area of the image device.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of a transparent sheet relative to the viewing area of the image device showing the position of the transparent sheet, which is indicated by the position in Figure 5.

In the following detailed description, for purposes of illustration and description However, it is apparent that the present invention may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the specific details of the invention. In addition, well-known devices, methods, and materials may be omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the invention. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings.

Ranges can be expressed as "about" as a specific value and/or as "about" another particular value. When expressed in the range, the other item consists of one A specific value and/or to another specific value. Similarly, when the value is expressed as an approximation by the addition of "about", it is understood that the specific value forms another. It is further understood that each endpoint value of each range is associated with another endpoint and is independent of the other endpoint.

The singular articles "a", "an" and "the" are used in the s For example, "element" includes two or more elements unless otherwise clearly indicated.

The description of the direction and/or positioning such as left, right, horizontal, vertical, width, and height is only relative to the figure shown, and does not represent an absolute relationship.

In one embodiment, the support structure is provided such that the measurement error caused by the support structure is easily removed from the transmission mode measurement of the feature caused by the transparent sheet processing. Features caused by the process may include, for example, thickness variations, fine cords, streaks, discontinuities or inclusions within the sheet, and/or stress. The support structure can be disposed and disposed such that when it supports the transparent glass sheet, the measurement error caused by the support structure is viewed by the image device as extending along or parallel to the first axis, the first axis being inclined to the second axis, and When the features caused by the process are seen by the imaging device, the features caused by the processing in the transparent sheet extend along or parallel to the second axis. Since the error caused by the support structure is along the different axes from the features caused by the process, the error caused by the support structure can be easily distinguished and removed from the sheet measurement.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the apparatus 2 for performing transmission mode measurement of the transparent sheet 10, the apparatus 2 comprising a light source 100, an image mount having an observation area 90 80, and a support structure 30 for fixing the transparent sheet 10 for transmission mode measurement.

The transparent sheet 10 includes a width 16, a height 18, a side 20, and a shaft 22, 24. The shaft 24 extends in the direction in which the sheet 10 is pulled, that is, the direction in which it is pulled downward. Although strictly speaking, the sheet may be a strip that is cut from the pull, for convenience of explanation, the sheet may be described as being pulled, but we understand that the strip is actually pulled, and The sheet is cut from the strip. For example, the flap 10 can be cut from the web, for example, by pulling down, slotting, pulling up, or floating. The shaft 22 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sheet 10 is drawn, that is, in a direction of drawing. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the shaft 22 extends in the direction indexed by the flap 10, or preferably via the device 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet 10 includes a thickness 26. For example, the transparent sheet can be glass, especially for making glass such as LCD flat panel displays, electric field emitting devices, or plasma displays. As shown in Fig. 1, the sheet 10 is in the X-Y plane.

Features induced by the process, such as inclusions, thickness variations, fine cords, streaks, and stress, confirm their orientation and the transparent glass sheet drawing, i.e., along the direction of the substantially parallel axis 24. In other examples, the features caused by some of the processes confirm that the direction of itself is perpendicular to the direction in which the transparent sheets are drawn, i.e., intersecting the direction of the draw or the direction along or substantially parallel to the axis 22.

Light source 100 (see Figure 2) can be any light source suitable for transmission mode measurement. For example, light source 100 can be monochromatic light, laser light, incandescent light, diffuse light, and/or collimated light, and can include any suitable wavelength in the visible or invisible range. For example, when performing stress measurement, the light source can include polarization A certain degree, whether linear or circular. Light source 100 should be sized to illuminate viewing area 90 of imaging device 80.

The imaging device 80 includes an image capturing unit 81 that covers the viewing area 90 together. The viewing zone 90 includes a width 92 and a height 94 of the image that can be captured. Although the image device 80 shown in FIG. 1 includes four image capture units 81, any suitable number of image capture units 81 can be used, including only one to accommodate a particular viewing area 90. For example, the number of image capturing units 81 may depend on the image capturing area of each image capturing unit 81, the approximate size range of the glass sheet 10 to be inspected, and the required processing speed. The image capturing unit 81 may include, for example, CCD or CMOS technology, and may be an area or line scanning type image device or a PIN (Positive-Intrinsic-Negative) detector. Each image capture unit 81 has an optical axis 82 that extends at any suitable angle relative to the X-Y plane of the glass sheet 10. The image capturing areas of the adjacent image capturing unit 81 are displayed at 83, so that the individual images can be joined together to obtain a complete image of the entire glass sheet 10 without any overlap 83. Although the displayed image capture unit 81 is placed on a vertical column, the viewing area 90 can also be defined in any suitable arrangement, such as horizontally or in a row.

In order to measure the stress of the glass sheet 10, for example, the image capturing unit 81 may be a photo-stress measuring sensor that provides a measurement of the stress in the plane and an optical delay across a defined area. The light source 100 can be aligned with the stress measurement sensor to produce an annular polarization and a uniform light distribution that is transmitted through the glass sheet 10 to the sensor as an analysis of the stress distribution within the glass sheet 10.

The support structure 30 is disposed between the light source 100 and the image device 80 to hold the glass sheet 10 during transmission mode measurement. Support structure 30 includes strips 40, interval 50, and pressure (vacuum) source 62. The strips 40 are separated from each other by a space 50 therebetween.

Referring now to Figure 3, the features of strip 40 and spacing 50 are illustrated in greater detail. However, it should be noted that between Figures 1 and 3, the widths 16 and 18 of the glass sheet 10 and the widths 92 and 94 of the viewing zone 90 are shown in different ratios. Each strip 40 includes a width 44 that is parallel to the X-axis and a longitudinal axis 46 that is oblique to the X-axis (and thus also to the shaft 22). Specifically, the shaft 46 and the X axis form an angle θ. The angle θ can be any suitable value such that the shaft 46 is inclined to the X-axis (and thus also to the shaft 22). The value of the angle θ affects the direction in which the support structure seen by the image device 80 causes an error. The closer the shaft 46 is to the axis 22, the more the error caused by the support structure appears to be the feature caused by the process extending parallel to the axis 22, the more difficult it is to separate the two. Similarly, the closer the shaft 46 is to parallel to the axis 24, the more the error caused by the support structure appears to be the feature caused by the process extending parallel to the axis 24, and the more difficult it is to separate the two. For example, in one embodiment, the angle θ can be 25 to 65 degrees, and in another embodiment, the angle θ can be 35 to 55 degrees, and in another embodiment, the angle θ can make the strip substantially One or two diagonal lines are formed: i) an image capturing area of the image capturing unit 81, such as about 45 degrees of the square image capturing area; and ii) an observation area 90, such as about 45 degrees of the square viewing area 90. As long as the angle θ is in the above range, the device 2 can operate when the features caused by the process are formed along the downward draw shaft 24 or across the draw shaft 22. That is to say, the device 2 does not feel that the positioning of the sheet is a landscape or a portrait. Similar to the strip 40, each of the spaces 50 includes a width 52 that is parallel to the X-axis and a longitudinal axis 54 that is oblique to the X-axis (and thus also to the axis 22).

When the strip 40 is used to hold the glass sheet 10, it affects the transmission mode measurement of the features caused by the process. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory of how the strip affects the characteristics of the process, the present invention provides the following applications. The strip 40 presents a planar surface for holding the glass sheet 10, thereby changing the shape of the sheet 10 when fixed. The strip 40 can be an air strip used to form an air cushion to support the sheet 10, a vacuum that pulls the sheet 10 against the strips of the strip 40, or a pressure that can apply pressure and vacuum. (vacuum) strips. When the strip 40 is a pressure (vacuum) strip, pressure and vacuum can be applied simultaneously to form an air cushion, or pressure and vacuum can be applied sequentially, pressure is used to form an air cushion for transport, and vacuum is used to hold the glass sheet. 10 to resist the strip 40. The strip 40 includes an opening 48 that can be coupled to a source of pressure (vacuum) 62 by a gas such as air under pressure and/or vacuum and with a gas duct 60 and conduit 64. The particular manner in which each strip 40 and its opening 48 are coupled to the pressure/vacuum source 62 is not part of the invention and may include any known technique. In any case, by the use of pressure and/or vacuum, the strip 40 will exert a holding force on the sheet 10, and the force of the strand will cause the sheet 10 on the planar structure to change. The shape of the object, as described above.

By changing the shape of the sheet 10, the strip 40 causes an error in the measurement of the features caused by the processing within the sheet 10, which measurement is taken by the image device 80. Since the longitudinal axis 46 of the strip 40 is inclined to the axes 22 and 24 of the flap 10, the image shows the error caused by the support structure being inclined to the processing caused by the processing within the flap 10. Similarly, the longitudinal axis 54 of the spacing 50 (light passing through the source 100 to the imaging device 80) is inclined to the axis 22 of the glass sheet and 24. Due to the overlap/join, errors caused by any of the support structures may appear in the image as being characteristic of the process being tilted within the sheet 10. Accordingly, the error caused by the support structure can be easily removed by the general image/data processing technique, thereby giving a more accurate depiction of the features caused by the process.

In addition to the above, there are other advantages to the longitudinal axis 46 of the strip 40 being inclined to the shafts 22 and 24. In particular, this arrangement makes the support structure 30, and in particular the width 44, 52, substantially independent of the width 16 and height 18 of the sheet 10. Moreover, this arrangement provides close support to the edge of the sheet 10 during measurement, providing proper support. That is, if the support including the strip 40 is parallel to the shaft 22 or the shaft 24, the longitudinal side of the entire sheet 10 becomes unsupported during imaging, which may result in measurement errors.

The vacuum sheet 10 to strip 40 also provides the following advantages. First, the sheet 10, i.e., the plane defined by the strip 40, is provided at a defined fixed Z-axis position. This arrangement makes it easy to set up the measuring device 2, in particular the imaging device 80. In addition, or in addition, this arrangement can also reduce the measurement error caused by the positional change in the glass sheet 10 when the image is acquired. Moreover, since each of the glass sheets is fixed under known conditions, the vacuum glass sheets 10 to 40 can also provide an easier comparison of the glass sheets to the glass sheets. Second, because of the presence of the glass sheet 10 being a flat panel component or other display manufacturing process, obtaining images of the glass sheet 10 under such conditions provides the benefit of these feature measurements.

Moreover, the orientation of the sheet 10 relative to the horizontal line may affect errors caused by the support structure seen by the image device 80. As shown in Figure 2, a strip 40 can be provided in this arrangement to secure the flap 10 in the X-Y plane. Alternatively, the strip 40 can also be placed at any suitable angle a with respect to the Z axis. To fix the sheet 10 . That is, the sheet 10 can be fixed in a vertical direction, for example, α is 90 degrees as shown (the sheet 10 is in the XY plane), or at any successively smaller and smaller angle α to zero, That is, at a horizontal position (the sheet 10 is in the XY plane). However, α is preferably a small value because when α is increased to 90 degrees, the transparent sheet 10 may sag due to gravity (depending on the width 52 of the interval 50 and the hardness of the sheet 10).

As shown in FIG. 3, the support structure 30 can also include a transport device 70. The transport device 70 includes a roller 72 and a conveyor belt 74 that contacts the edge 20 of the flap 10. The conveyor belt 74 can be driven by the rollers 72 to move or mark the sheets 10 passing through the measuring device 2 to obtain a continuous image of the sheets 10; the continuous images are joined together to form a measurement of the complete sheets. The transport device 70 can be moved from the position shown in solid lines in Figure 3 to the position shown in dashed lines by any suitable mechanism required in the art. Accordingly, when the image of the sheet 10 is taken, the transport device 70 can be contacted or removed from the edge 20. In some respects, the transport device 70 can support the flap edge 20 during visualization, and the wafer 10 can be moved quickly when the equivalent device 2 is left in place. However, in one aspect, the contact of the transport device 70 with the edge 20 may cause errors in the position of the glass sheet 10, thereby reducing the accuracy of the measurement. Therefore, during the imaging, it is preferable to move the transport device 70 to a position away from the sheet 10. Although the display roller and the conveyor belt are used as the transport device 70, any suitable device can be used. For example, the transport device 70 can include a jaw, a suction clamp, and/or a robotic arm.

Still further, as shown in Figure 3, the relative size of the support structure 30 and the viewing zone 90 helps to reduce the time required to perform a complete sheet measurement. In fact, in the right proportions, the measurement of the complete sheet may be loaded with as few images as possible. Set 80 two overlapping images. Support structure 30 includes a width 34 and a height 32. Likewise, viewing zone 90 includes a width 92 and a height 94, while sheet 10 includes a width 16 and a height 18, and each strip 40 includes a width 44. For example, when the height 94 is equal to or greater than the sheet height 18; and the width 92 is greater than the sheet width 16 and at least the width 44, the two images from the image device 80 are sufficient to take measurements of the complete sheet. As shown in FIG. 3, the support structure height 32 and width 34 are equal to or greater than the width 16 and height 18 of the sheet, which may be the case for promoting the accuracy and measurement speed of the smaller sheet, but it is not necessary. It should be noted in the above discussion that the width 44 is used to replace the width 97 of the blocking zone 96, i.e., due to the blockage by the strip 40, the area of the viewing zone 90 is not imaged by the imaging device 80. However, this may not be necessary. That is, depending on the angle of the optical axis 82 relative to the plane of the strip 40 (in order, according to the angle a), the thickness of the strip 40, and the edge contour of the strip 40, the width 97 may be greater than the width 44 ( Likewise, the width 44 of the imageable area 98 may be less than the width 52 of the spacing 50). However, the width 44 provides a minimum amount of width 92 that must exceed a width of 16, with only two images to take measurements of the complete sheet.

The structure for placing the sheet 10 into the measuring device 2, in particular the supporting structure 30, is not particularly limited and may be any suitable structure, such as a bottom conveyor belt, an overhead contact mechanism, a suction jig, a jaw, a robot arm. , and / or fluid bearing rods.

4 is a schematic illustration of one possible arrangement of pixel arrays of image capture unit 81, including axes 46 and 54 superimposed on a pixel array. As shown in the figure, image capture unit 81 has a two-dimensional array of pixels 84 arranged along axes 85 and 86. The image capturing unit 81 is positioned relative to the support structure 30 and the glass sheet 10, The shafts 85 and 86 are made parallel to the axes 22 and 24 of the sheet (corresponding to the X and Y axes) but inclined to the axes 46 and 54.

The operation of the measurement equipment 2 will now be stated.

Referring to the first embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the height 18 of the sheet is equal to or less than the height 94 of the viewing zone, and the width 16 of the sheet is less than the width 92 of the viewing zone and at least the width 44 of the strip 40. In this case, the measurement of the complete sheet can be performed with only two images from the image device 80, and can be accomplished in the following steps. The sheet 10 is loaded onto the support structure 30 such that the width 16 is at the position of the dashed line. As seen in Figure 3, the width 16 (the position of the dashed line) is within the width 92. When the sheet 10 is in this position, the image device 80 can capture the first image of the glass sheet 10, including the imageable area 98 (the area shown in white), but does not include the blocking area 96 adjacent the strip 40 (black) The area shown). Next, the sheet 10 is marked with an amount of blockage width 97 such that the width 16 is at the position shown by the solid line and is still within the width 92 of the observation area 90. As we can see from the comparison of the dashed line and the solid line position of the sheet width 16, the previously blocked region 96 can now be imaged, and as such, the previously imageable region 98 is then blocked. When the sheet 10 is in this position (the width shown by the solid line), the image device 80 captures the second image of the sheet 10. The first and second images can be combined using techniques known in the art to form a measurement of the complete sheet. As shown and described above, the glass sheet 10 can be indicated by the measuring device 2 in the direction of the negative X. Alternatively, the sheet 10 may be indicated in the direction of positive X from the solid line position to the dotted line position. In either case, the flap 10 can be indexed or removed by the delivery device 70.

Another scheme is illustrated with reference to Figures 5 and 6, where the width and width of the sheet 16 is greater than the width 92 of the viewing zone 90, while the height 18 of the flap 10 is equal to the height 94 of the viewing zone 90. This is similar to the situation shown in Figure 1, and a measurement similar to that described below with respect to Figures 5 and 6 can be used to obtain a measurement of the complete sheet; the difference is that in Figure 1, the height 94 of the viewing zone 90 is larger than the sheet. The height 18 of 10, while in Figures 5 and 6, the height 94 of the viewing zone 90 is equal to the height 18. The viewing zone 90 includes blocking zones 96, each having a width of 97, and an imageable zone 98, each having a width of 99. The image capturing unit 81 can obtain an image of the sheet 10 in the imageable area 98, but does not obtain an image of the sheet 10 on the blocking area 96. Support structure 30 (including strip 40, width 44, thickness 42, and angles a and θ) and image device 80 (including optical axis 82) are configured such that width 99 is greater than or equal to width 97. The width 99 is greater than the width 97 and can be easily joined, and the image will contain some overlapping areas of the sheet 10. In the example shown in Figures 5 and 6, more than two images need to be taken and joined together to provide a measurement of the complete flap, which can be taken in the following steps.

The sheet 10 is divided into imaginary sections that are approximately the same width as each other, each having a width approximately half of the width 92 of the viewing area 90; in this example, the first to fourth sections 11, 12, 13, and 14. The first segment 11 is placed in the right half of the viewing zone 90 to obtain a first image; the first image includes data from the imageable region 98, which is approximately half of the segment 11 region. Please see Figure 5. The sheet 10 is then marked or moved such that the segments 11 and 12 are in the viewing zone 90, the segment 11 is in the left half, and the segment 12 is in the right half, with the image device 80 taking the second image. Please see Figure 6. At this point, the entire area of the segment 11 has been imaged, with each of the first and second images including half of the material and about half of the segment 12 area being imaged. The sheet 10 is then marked so that the segments 12 and 13 are in the viewing zone 90, the segment 12 is in the left half, and the segment 13 is in the right half. Set 80 to get the third image. At this point, the entire area of section 12 has been imaged, each of the second and third images includes half of the data, and about half of the section 13 is imaged. This series of visualization and labeling processes are continued until segment 14 is in the left half of viewing zone 90, and a fifth image is taken. The first through fifth images are then joined together using techniques known in the art to obtain a complete sheet measurement of the features caused by the processing. If the width of a particular sheet is not an even multiple of half the width of 92, the sheet can be divided into equal half-width segments, with the remainder being in one or more sections of either end of the sheet width 16.

By selecting an appropriate balance between the size of the support structure 30, the viewing zone 90, the flap 10, the imageable zone 98, and the obstruction zone 96, the time required to obtain a complete flap measurement can be minimized.

For example, at a large scale, the width of the viewing area width 92 and/or the height 94 relative to the corresponding sheet 10 being 16 and/or 18 is greater, so the number of overlapping images required is less, so the processed The shorter the time.

At a more detailed level, because the field of view of the complete sheet can be composed of as few images as possible, the width 99 of the imageable region 98 is greater than the width 97 of the blocked region 96 to enhance shorter processing times. However, if the width 99 (width 52) becomes too much greater than the width 97 (width 44), the sheet 10 may not be properly supported for accurate measurement. That is to say, in this case, the support structure 30 is insufficient to stably fix the sheet and measure in a continuous/fixed plane. Widths 44 and 52 (as described above, and the angle θ of the optical axis 82 builds the X-Y plane and thickness 42) affect the width 97,99. Accordingly, for convenience of explanation, the widths 44 and 96 can be exchanged, and the widths 52 and 99 can be exchanged as long as it is not necessarily a strict case.

In other words, the relative widths 44 and 52 affect the ratio of the supported/obstructed area 96 to the unsupported/imageable area 98, thus also affecting the number of times the sheet needs to be imaged to provide a full sheet amount. Measurement. In order to facilitate the joining of the images together to provide a measurement of the glass sheets, it is preferred to have some overlap between the images to be joined. In addition, it is preferable to image the complete section of the sheet with only two images to speed up processing time. Accordingly, it is preferred that the width 44 is less than or equal to the width 52 (again, the width 97 is less than or equal to the width 99). Although all widths 44 are shown to be the same, they are not necessarily necessary. Similarly, although all widths 52 are shown to be the same, they are not necessarily necessary; although all widths 97 are shown to be the same, they are not necessarily necessary; and although all widths 99 are shown to be the same But not necessarily necessary.

It is emphasized herein that the embodiments of the invention described above, particularly any of the "preferential" embodiments, are merely possible examples of the embodiments, and are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Many changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and are protected by the scope of the following patent application.

For example, even if the support 30 is illustrated on one side of the transparent sheet 10 (as shown in FIG. 2), the support 30 is disposed on both sides of the sheet 10.

2‧‧‧ device

10‧‧‧Flakes

16‧‧ ‧ wide

18‧‧‧High

20‧‧‧ edge

22‧‧‧Axis

24‧‧‧Axis

26‧‧‧ thickness

30‧‧‧Support structure

40‧‧‧ strips

50‧‧‧ interval

60‧‧‧Inflatable duct

62‧‧‧ Pressure/vacuum source

64‧‧‧ catheter

80‧‧‧Image installation

81‧‧‧Image capture unit

82‧‧‧ optical axis

90‧‧‧ observation area

92‧‧ ‧ wide

94‧‧‧High

96‧‧‧blocking area

Claims (7)

A device for measuring a feature caused by a transparent film processing process, the device comprising: a light source; an image device; and a transparent sheet supporting structure disposed between the light source and the image device Wherein the support structure is disposed and disposed to support a transparent sheet such that a measurement error caused by the support structure is viewed by the imaging device as extending along or parallel to a first axis, the first axis being inclined to a second axis The features caused by the processing in the transparent sheet extend along or parallel to the second axis when the features caused by the processing are as seen by the imaging device. The device of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a strip extending along a plurality of axes that are oblique to the second axis. A method for measuring a feature caused by a transparent sheet processing process, the method comprising the steps of: providing a transparent sheet on a support structure between a light source and an image device; supporting the transparent sheet to cause the support structure to cause The measurement error is viewed by the imaging device as extending along or parallel to the first axis, the first axis being tilted by a second axis, and when the feature caused by the processing is seen by the imaging device, the transparent sheet The feature caused by the process extends along or parallel to the second axis; capturing a first image of a first segment of the transparent sheet; Moving the transparent sheet and then capturing a second image of the first segment of the transparent sheet; and combining the first and second images to form the first segment of the transparent sheet to cause a feature in the processing An image of one. The method of claim 3, further comprising: in the moving step, the transparent sheet is in contact with a transport device, but in the step of capturing the first and second images, the transparent sheet is not transported Device contact. The method of claim 3, further comprising planarizing the transparent sheet prior to the step of capturing the first and second images, and maintaining the step of capturing the first and second images The flat state of the transparent sheet. The method of claim 3, wherein the transparent sheet moves in a direction parallel or perpendicular to the second axis. The method of claim 3, wherein the feature caused by the process comprises stress.