WO2005026802A1 - Autofocus control method, autofocus controller, and image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

An autofocus control method, an autofocus controller, and an image processor capable of eliminating influence originated from an optical system, realizing a stable autofocus function. In calculating a focus evaluation value of each sample image obtained at plural focus positions, dark and light patterns of brightness originated from the optical system is reduced by applying smoothing processing to the obtained sample image, and the focus evaluation value is calculated based on the smoothed sample image. Further, the focus evaluation value is standardized by average display brightness of the smoothed sample image to obtain an optimal evaluation value.

Description

 Description: Autofocus control method, autofocus control device, and image processing device

 INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is suitably used, for example, in an apparatus for photographing, observing, and inspecting an object sample with a video camera. The present invention relates to a control method, an autofocus control device, and an image processing device. Background art

 Conventionally, image autofocus control has been performed by using a focus evaluation value that has been quantified by evaluating the degree of focus from image data of a subject sample (work). In other words, the image data of the sample is collected while changing the distance between the lens and the work, and the focus evaluation value ¾ is calculated for each of them to search for a suitable focus position.

 Fig. 21 shows an example of the relationship between the lens-work distance (horizontal axis) and the focus evaluation value (vertical axis). In this method, images are captured by changing the distance between the lens and the workpiece at regular intervals, and the focus evaluation value of each image is calculated and plotted. The maximum focus evaluation value in the graph is the focus position, that is, the optimum focus position (focus position). Hereinafter, the plot of the focus evaluation value with respect to the lens-work distance is referred to as a “focus curve”.

In the conventional technology, the distance between the lens and the workpiece is changed within a predetermined search range. In this graph, the maximum value of the focus evaluation value in this graph was used as the optimum focus position, or the optimum focus position was calculated from the focus evaluation values before and after the maximum value. As the focus evaluation value, the maximum value of the brightness, the differential value of the brightness, the variance of the brightness, the variance of the differential value of the brightness, and the like are used. As an algorithm for finding an optimum focus position from the maximum focus evaluation value, there is a hill-climbing method, and a method of dividing a search operation into several stages has been put to practical use in order to reduce search time (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. No. 6-2171800, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-333351 and Japanese Patent No. 2971892.

 By the way, the size of the target work has been miniaturized, and an improvement in resolution has been demanded for an inspection instrument to which this focus skin surgery is applied. This improvement in resolution can be accommodated by shortening the wavelength of the illumination light source and using a single wavelength. The optical resolution is increased by shortening the wavelength, and the effects of chromatic aberration and the like are avoided by shortening the wavelength.

 However, shortening the wavelength of the illumination light source causes restrictions on optical materials such as lenses used in the optical path, and there is a problem in that the use of a single wavelength has an effect such as speckle. The speckle here refers to a state in which the brightness of the screen is distributed in a patchy manner, and a unique pattern of light and shade is obtained depending on the wavelength of the light source and the configuration of the optical system.

Due to these effects, the above-mentioned focus scab may have a larger value in the affected part of the optical system than the focus evaluation value of the optimum focus position as shown in FIG. Since the shape and numerical value range of the focus curve are not uniquely determined by the surface conditions such as the reflectivity of the object, the conventional technology that determines the focus position from the maximum focus evaluation value in this state stabilizes the optimal focus position You cannot ask for it. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides an autofocus control method, an autofocus control device, and an image processing device capable of realizing a stable autofocus operation by eliminating an influence caused by an optical system. As an issue. Disclosure of the invention

 In order to solve the above-described problems, the autofocus control method of the present invention includes an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of a subject at a plurality of focus positions having different distances between a lens and a subject. An evaluation value calculation step of calculating a focus evaluation value for each of a plurality of focus positions based on each of the acquired image data; and a focus position calculation step of calculating a focus position at which the focus evaluation value becomes maximum as a focus position. Moving the lens relative to the subject to the calculated focus position, performing a smoothing process on the image data obtained in the image obtaining process, and performing the smoothing process on the image data. The focus evaluation value is calculated based on the above.

 That is, the density distribution of the patchy brightness is caused by a single-wavelength scattering. Therefore, in order to reduce the shading distribution pattern, an image smoothing process is added in the present invention. This smoothing process enables the focus evaluation value to be calculated appropriately by capturing the characteristics of the target sample (subject) while reducing the density distribution pattern of speckles.

In performing the image smoothing process, the processing conditions such as the number of images to be processed (unit processing range), filtering coefficients, the number of times of processing, and the presence or absence of weighting are determined by the type of optical system to be applied and the size of the sample. It can be set appropriately according to the surface properties and the like. On the other hand, to calculate the focus evaluation value, it is preferable to detect a difference in luminance data between adjacent pixels in the acquired image data. Edge enhancement processing to be extracted can be used.

 When calculating the focus evaluation value, if the luminance varies due to the focus position in the same target area, the absolute value of the luminance data difference between adjacent pixels changes, and the focus evaluation value must be calculated properly. Can not be done. Therefore, in order to avoid such a problem, it is preferable that the calculated evaluation value is divided by the average luminance of the entire screen to normalize the focus evaluation value by the average luminance of the screen.

 In addition to this autofocus control operation, it is possible to add a function of synthesizing an all-focus image and a stereoscopic image of the object from the focus evaluation values of each sample image acquired at a plurality of focus positions. it can. These processes are performed based on a focus evaluation value and focus position information obtained for each of the divided regions, while dividing the acquired image at each focus position into a plurality of regions in the plane. In this case, it is possible to inspect and observe the three-dimensional object surface with excellent resolution while excluding the influence of the optical system.

In addition, the autofocus control device according to the present invention includes an evaluation unit that calculates a focus evaluation value for each of a plurality of focus positions based on each image data acquired at a plurality of focus positions having different lens-subject distances. Value calculation means, focus position calculation means for calculating a focus position based on the calculated maximum focus evaluation value, and image smoothing means for smoothing the acquired image data. Of each image data based on the image data smoothed by the The focus evaluation value is calculated.

 The autofocus control device of the present invention is configured as one image processing device in combination with image acquisition means for acquiring image data of a subject at a plurality of focus positions, drive means for adjusting the distance between a lens and a subject, and the like. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit and the driving unit may be configured as a separate and independent member.

 According to the present invention, it is possible to stably perform high-precision autofocus control while eliminating the influence due to the optical system, and thus it becomes possible to observe a sample using a short-wavelength Z single-wavelength light source. It is possible to observe, with high resolution, semiconductor wafers and the like, for which fine processing is progressing. Brief Description of Drawings

 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the controller 7. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the image processing apparatus 1.

 FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another operation example of the image processing apparatus 1.

 FIG. 5 is an example of a focus curve for explaining an operation of the present invention. FC 1 is an example when image smoothing processing and luminance normalization processing of focus evaluation values are performed, and FC 2 is an image smoothing processing. FC 3 shows an example in which only the conversion process is performed, and FC 3 shows a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of calculating a focus position by approximating a curve near the maximum focus evaluation value. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the command voltage for the lens driving unit 4 and the actual movement voltage of the lens.

 FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of performing parallel processing of capturing a sample image and calculating a focus evaluation value.

 FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a method of dividing a screen into a plurality of parts and detecting a focus position in each divided region.

 FIG. 10 is a process flow chart according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 11 is a memory configuration diagram applied to the third embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an all-focus image acquiring step.

 FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a stereoscopic image by combining the focus positions of the sample images in the focus axis direction.

 FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of synthesizing the above-mentioned stereoscopic image.

 FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram showing a first configuration example of an auto force control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing a second configuration example of the auto force control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing a third configuration example of the auto force control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram showing a fourth configuration example of the automatic force control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a fifth configuration example of the auto force control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

 FIGS. 20A to 20B are block diagrams showing modified examples of the configuration of the drive system of the image processing apparatus 1. FIG.

 FIG. 21 is an example of a focus curve showing a relationship between a lens-work distance (focus position) and a focus evaluation value.

 FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the problems of the prior art. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

 (First Embodiment)

 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image processing apparatus to which an autofocus control method and an autofocus control device according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied. The image processing apparatus 1 is used for observing the surface of an object sample (work), and is particularly used for detecting a defect of an element structure formed by performing fine processing on a surface such as a semiconductor device. It is configured as a microscope.

 The image processing device 1 includes a measurement stage 2, an objective lens 3, a lens driving unit 4, a lens barrel 5, a CCD (Charge Coupled Dev ice) camera 6, a controller 7, a driver 8, a monitor 9, and an illumination light source 10. Is provided.

 The measurement stage 2 supports a subject sample (for example, semiconductor wafer 18) W and is configured to move in the X-Y direction (the left-right direction in the figure and the direction perpendicular to the paper).

The lens driving unit 4 moves the objective lens 3 to the subject sample W on the measurement stage 2 in a predetermined direction in the focus axis direction (vertical direction in the figure). Relative movement is performed over one spot position search range, and the lens-workpiece distance is variably adjusted. The lens driving section 4 corresponds to the “driving J means” of the present invention.

 In the present embodiment, the lens driving section 4 is constituted by a piezo element, but other than this, a precision feed mechanism such as a pulse motor can be employed. Although the objective lens 3 is moved in the focus axis direction for adjusting the distance between the lens and the work, the measurement stage 2 may be moved in the focus axis direction instead.

 The CCD camera 6 functions as a video camera that takes an image of a specific area on the surface of the subject sample W on the measurement stage 2 via the objective lens 3 that moves within the focus position search range, and outputs the acquired image data to the controller 7. I do. The CCD camera 6, together with the objective lens 3, the lens driving unit 4, and the lens barrel 5, constitutes "image acquisition means" of the present invention. Note that other than the CCD, another solid-state imaging device such as a CMOS imager may be applied.

 The controller 7 is composed of a computer, controls the operation of the entire image processing apparatus 1, and detects an optimum focus position (focus position) in a specific area on the surface of the sample W. ) A control unit is provided. The autofocus controller 11 corresponds to the “autofocus controller” of the present invention.

The driver 8 receives a control signal from the autofocus control unit 11 and generates a drive signal for driving the lens drive unit 4. In the present embodiment, the driver 8 is constituted by a piezo driver having a hysteresis compensation function. Note that this Dryno 8 is It may be incorporated in the single control unit 11.

 The auto focus control unit 11 drives the lens driving unit 4 via the driver 8 and changes the distance (lens-work distance) between the objective lens 3 and the subject sample W at a fixed interval. At the position, the image data of the subject sample W is acquired by the CCD camera 6, and various processes described later are performed to detect an optimal focus position, that is, a focus position, in the imaging region of the subject sample W.

 The monitor 9 displays the contents of processing by the controller 7 and also displays an image of the subject sample W captured by the CCD camera 6, and the like. In the present embodiment, for example, a continuous laser or a pulse laser light source having a wavelength of 196 nm is used as the illumination light source 10. Note that the wavelength range of the illumination light source is not limited to the above-described ultraviolet light range, and it is of course possible to use another ultraviolet light having a different wavelength range depending on the application or a light source in the visible light range.

 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration of the image processing apparatus 1.

 The analog image signal output from the CCD camera 6 is converted into a digital image signal by the A / D converter 13. The output signal of the A / D converter 13 is supplied to the memory 14 and stored. The autofocus controller 11 of the controller 7 reads the converted digital image signal from the memory 14 and performs autofocus control described later. Then, the driver 8 generates a drive signal for the lens drive unit 4 based on a control signal from the controller 7 supplied via the DZA converter 17.

The focus control unit 11 includes a smoothing processing circuit 11 A, an average luminance calculation circuit 11 B, an evaluation value calculation circuit 11 C, and a focus position calculation. Circuit 1 ID is provided.

 The smoothing processing circuit 11 A smoothes the auto-force target area (the entire screen or a partial area within the screen) of each image signal (sample image) of the object sample W acquired at a plurality of focus positions. This is a circuit for performing the image processing, and corresponds to the “image smoothing means” of the present invention. The focus control unit 11 reduces the uneven distribution (speckle) of brightness of each of the acquired sample images by the smoothing processing circuit 11A. An example of the smoothing process is shown in [Equation 1].

 [Number 1]

The processing conditions for image smoothing (number of pixels to be processed (3 x 3 in the above example), filtering coefficients, number of processings, presence / absence of weighting, and how to take the coefficients) are based on the sample W captured by the CCD camera 6. It can be set arbitrarily as long as the original feature and contour of the surface are not crushed, and these processing conditions are set via an input device 16 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel. .

The average luminance calculation circuit 11B is a circuit that calculates the screen average luminance of the autofocus target area of each sample image, and corresponds to “average luminance calculation means” of the present invention. The screen average luminance at each focus position obtained by the average luminance calculation circuit 11B is described later. This is used to calculate the focus evaluation value Pv of the focus position in the evaluation value calculation circuit 11C.

 The evaluation value calculation circuit 11C is a circuit that calculates the focus evaluation value P V of each sample image, and corresponds to “evaluation value calculation means” of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the evaluation value calculation circuit 11C is configured to include an edge enhancement processing circuit.

 In the present embodiment, the focus evaluation value is an index that numerically evaluates a state in which a characteristic portion and a contour portion of an image are clearly visible. Looking at the change in luminance between pixels in the feature-contour portion, a sharp change occurs in a clear image, and a gradual change occurs in a blurred image. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the focus evaluation value Pv is calculated by evaluating the luminance data difference between adjacent pixels using edge enhancement processing. In addition, the focus evaluation value may be calculated based on a differential value of brightness, variance of brightness, or the like.

 In the actual processing example, the calculation shown in [Equation 2] is performed on all the pixels in the captured image, and the luminance data difference with surrounding pixels is obtained. In this equation, the first term detects the luminance change in the vertical direction, and the second term detects the luminance change in the horizontal direction. As a result, it is possible to extract only the change in luminance between the evaluation point and its surroundings irrespective of the processing pixel luminance.

[Number 2]

In this example, the pixel area to be processed is 3 × 3, but it may be 5 × 5 or 7 × 7. Although the coefficients are weighted, the setting of the coefficients is arbitrary, and the processing may be performed without weighting.

 At the time of calculating the focus evaluation value 後 V, after the calculation by the above-described edge enhancement processing formula, the division processing is executed by the screen average luminance at the corresponding focus position calculated by the average luminance calculation circuit 11 回路. That is, as shown in [Equation 3], the focus evaluation value ΡV of each sample image is obtained by dividing the focus evaluation value Ρνο obtained by the edge enhancement processing circuit by the screen average luminance P ave at the corresponding focus position. Value.

 [Number 3]

Pvo (i)

 Pv (i) =

 Pave (i)

[Equation 3] Smell Pv (i) at i-th focus position The focus evaluation value P vo (i) whose brightness has been normalized is the focus evaluation value at the i-th focus position, and P ave (i) is the screen average brightness at the i-th focus position.

 Note that, as shown in [Equation 4], the focus evaluation value Pv may be calculated by multiplying the calculated value obtained in [Equation 3] by the maximum value P avemax of the screen average luminance. This compensates for the loss (quantity decrease) of the focus evaluation value due to division by the average luminance, and makes it easier to see the quantitative change of the focus evaluation value when referring to the focus force later. Further, the screen average luminance to be multiplied is not limited to the maximum value, and may be, for example, a minimum value.

 [Number 4]

Pvo (i)

 Pv (i) =-— — X Pavemax

 Pave (i)

As described above, when the focus evaluation value (Pv) is a value obtained by dividing the evaluation value calculated by the edge enhancement processing by the screen average luminance, the focus evaluation value is calculated based on the evaluation point (pixel) and its surroundings. Since there is a variation in the brightness between the acquired images, the average brightness of the screen (the sum of the brightness of the individual pixels that compose the screen is calculated as This is to prevent the absolute value of the index calculated from the change if the luminance value itself divided by the total number of pixels changes).

For example, assume that there is a 20% difference in luminance from the surroundings. Average luminance of 50 At this time, the 20% luminance difference is 10 and the average luminance is 100 when the average luminance is 100. As described above, even if the rate of change is the same, the absolute value greatly differs depending on the original screen average luminance. This problem is rare in optical systems such as ordinary visible light microscopes, but is significant in optical systems such as ultraviolet light microscopes.

 Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to cope with such a change in screen luminance, the focus evaluation value calculated by the edge enhancement processing is normalized by the screen average luminance (P ave), thereby obtaining the focus evaluation value due to the screen luminance change. To prevent impact on In other words, by using the divided value of the screen average luminance as the focus evaluation value, the focus evaluation value when the screen average luminance is 50 and the luminance difference is 20% is 0.2 (10/50). When the average luminance is 100 and the luminance difference is 20%, the pin evaluation value is also 0.2 (20/100), which matches each other. The effect on the evaluation value is eliminated.

Next, the focus position calculation circuit 11D is a circuit that calculates the focus position based on the maximum value of the focus evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculation circuit 11C, and the “focus position calculation means” of the present invention. Corresponding to In general, image autofocus control involves acquiring sample images at multiple focus positions with different distances between the lens and the workpiece, and detecting the force position of the sample image from which the maximum focus evaluation value can be obtained. Determines the focus position. Therefore, the more the number of sample images (the smaller the amount of focus movement between samples), the more accurate autofocus control can be realized. However, on the other hand, if the number of samples increases, the time required for processing also increases, and the high-speed autofocus control cannot be ensured. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the calculated maximum value Pv (m) of focus evaluation values and a plurality of focus evaluation values (Pv (ml), Pv (m + l), Pv (m-2), Pv (m + 2), Pv (m-3), Pv (m + 3)) to detect the optimal focus position (focus position). are doing.

 As shown in FIG. 6, the vicinity of the focus position is close to a quadratic curve convex upward. Therefore, the approximate quadratic curve is calculated by the least-squares method using the points near the focus position, the vertices are obtained, and this is set as the focus position. In the figure, the solid lines are 3 points (Pv (m), Pv (ml), Pv (m + 1)), and the broken lines are 5 points (Pv (m), Pv (ml), Pv (m + l). ), P v (m-2), P v (m + 2)), and the dashed line is 7 (P v (m), P v (ml), Ρ v (m + l), Ρ v (m-2 ), Ρ v (m + 2), ν ν (ηι-3), Ρ v (m + 3)) It is almost the same, and it turns out that it is an effective approximation method with simple processing.

 In addition to the curve approximation method described above, for example, a straight line passing through two points Pv (m) and Pv (m + l) and another line of PV (m-1) and PV (m-2) Calculate the point of intersection from a straight line passing through two points and use it as the focus position (linear approximation method), or use other approximation methods such as normal distribution curve approximation to detect the bin position. It may be.

Referring to FIG. 2, memory 15 is used for various calculations of the CPU of controller 7. In particular, a first memory unit 15A and a second memory unit 15B that are used for various operations in the autofocus control unit 11 are allocated to the memory space of the memory 15. In the present embodiment, in order to achieve high-speed autofocus control, sample images are respectively obtained at multiple focus positions while continuously changing the distance between the lens and the work. This As a result, the speed of the autofocus control can be increased as compared with the case where the lens is stopped at each focus position to acquire an image.

 FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the command voltage of the driver 8 for the lens driving unit 4 and the actual moving voltage of the lens driving unit 4. The lens driving section 4 composed of a piezo element has a position control movement amount detection sensor. The actual moving voltage in FIG. 7 is this sensor monitor signal. The command voltage is changed by a predetermined amount for each video signal frame of the CCD camera 6 after moving the lens to the autofocus control start position. Comparing the indicated voltage and the actual moving voltage, although the response is delayed, the movement is smooth, and the slopes of both graphs in the gradually increasing region are almost the same while the steps of the indicated voltage are crushed. From this, it can be seen that the lens is operating at a constant speed with respect to the command voltage corresponding to the constant speed. Therefore, if a sample image is acquired in synchronization with the image synchronization signal, it becomes possible to calculate and acquire the focus evaluation value at fixed intervals of the focus axis coordinates.

 Further, in the present embodiment, in order to increase the speed of the autofocus operation, the sample image obtaining step and the focus evaluation value calculating step are performed in parallel.

 As shown in Fig. 8, the focus evaluation value PV is calculated by processing the image data already captured in the second memory unit 15B while loading the image data into the first memory unit 15A as shown in Fig. 8. It can be configured with double buffering. In the case of this example, the first memory unit 15A processes image data captured in even-numbered frames, and the second memory unit 15B processes image data captured in odd-numbered frames.

Next, the image processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as above The operation of will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a process flow chart in the autofocus controller 11.

 First, initial settings such as the autofocus processing area of the subject sample W, the focus position search range, the amount of focus movement between acquired image samples (focus axis step length), image smoothing processing conditions, and edge enhancement processing conditions are input. After that (step S1), the auto force control is executed.

 The objective lens 3 starts moving along the focus axis direction from the auto-force control start position by driving the lens driving unit 4 (in the present embodiment, the direction approaching the subject sample W), and the surface image is synchronized. Acquire a sample image of the subject sample W in synchronization with the signal (steps S2 and S3). Next, the focus axis coordinates (coordinates of the distance between the lens and the work) of the obtained sample image are obtained (step S4).

 Thereafter, focus evaluation processing including screen average luminance calculation processing, image smoothing processing, edge enhancement processing, and luminance normalization processing is performed on the acquired sample image (steps S5 to S8).

 The screen average luminance calculation step (step S5) is calculated by the average luminance calculation circuit 11B. The calculated average screen brightness is later used for calculating the focus evaluation value. This screen average luminance calculation step may be performed after the smoothing processing step (step S6).

 The image smoothing processing step (step S6) is processed by the smoothing processing circuit 11A. In this image smoothing process, the image smoothing process is performed using, for example, an arithmetic expression represented by [Equation 1]. As a result, in the acquired sample image, the influence of the scattering caused by the single-wavelength light source is eliminated.

The edge enhancement processing step (step S 7) includes an evaluation value calculation circuit 1 1 Executed in C. In this step, based on the sample image smoothed in the previous smoothing processing step (step S6), for example, the pixel of the feature part / contour part is obtained by the edge emphasis processing equation shown in the above [Equation 2]. The difference between the luminance data is calculated, and this is used as the basic data for the focus evaluation value.

 Next, a brightness standardization process (Step S8) for normalizing the focus evaluation value calculated in Step S7 with the screen average brightness is performed. This step is executed by the evaluation value calculation circuit 11C. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the focus evaluation value (Pvo (i)) obtained in the previous edge enhancement processing step (step S7) is obtained in the screen average luminance calculation step (step S5). By dividing by the average screen luminance (Pave (i)), the focus evaluation value Pv (i) whose luminance has been normalized in Expression 3 is calculated.

 The above steps S2 to S8 constitute the auto-force sloop (AF loop). In this AF loop, the same processing as described above is executed for each of the sample images at the obtained focus positions.

In the present embodiment, as described above, with the lens drive unit 4 moving the objective lens 3 continuously, the CCD camera 6 images the subject sample W at a predetermined sampling cycle, and performs an image acquisition step (step). Step S3) and the focus evaluation value calculation process (step S8) are processed as parallel stirrups (Figs. 6 and 7). Therefore, while calculating the focus evaluation value of the previously captured sample image, the next sampler image can be obtained. As a result, the focus evaluation value can be calculated in one frame cycle of the video signal, and Faster one-focus operation is realized. When the total moving length of the objective lens 3 reaches the entire search range, the AF loop ends, and the focus evaluation value of each obtained sample image is multiplied by the maximum value of the average screen brightness (Pavemax). Is executed (steps S 9 and S 10). As a result, the focus value Pv of each sample image becomes the same as the case where it is obtained by the arithmetic expression shown in the above [Equation 4].

 Note that, as shown in the process flow shown in FIG. 4, the AF loop is completed by calculating the focus evaluation value by the edge enhancement processing, and as shown by step S10A in FIG. Even if the standardized processing based on the screen average luminance of the focus evaluation value is performed collectively for each sample image using the arithmetic processing shown in [Equation 4], the result is as shown in Fig. 3. Processing equivalent to the above example can be realized.

 In FIG. 5, the focus squib (FC 1) obtained by performing the smoothing process (step S 6 in FIG. 3) and the luminance normalization process (step S 8 in FIG. 3) is represented by a solid line and the screen average The focus curves (FC 2) obtained by performing only the smoothing process without normalizing by the luminance are indicated by dashed lines. For comparison, the conventional focus curve (FC 3) shown in FIG. 22 is indicated by a dotted line.

 As is clear from FIG. 5, according to the present embodiment, the affected part of the optical system is greatly improved, and the peak of the focus evaluation value to be detected as the optimal focus position (focus position) is made to be obvious. Can be done. As a result, stable and accurate autofocus operation can be realized even in an optical system having a short wavelength and a single wavelength.

In addition, since the effect of the optical system is improved only by the smoothing processing of the sample image, the luminance standardization processing step (step S8 in the third step) may be omitted as necessary. Brightness normalization processing By doing so, the effect of the optical system can be further improved, and the focus position can be detected more accurately.

 Subsequently, a focus position calculation process force S is performed (step S11). This focus position calculation processing is executed by the focus position calculation circuit 11D. To calculate the focus position, as described with reference to Fig. 6, an approximate curve passing through the maximum value of the focus evaluation value and each point of a plurality of focus evaluation values in the vicinity is obtained, and the vertex is detected. This is the focus position.

 As a result, the focus position can be detected more efficiently and with higher precision than the hill-climbing method that has been widely used in the past, so that it is possible to significantly increase the speed of autofocus operation. .

 On the other hand, if the distance between the lens and the work on the horizontal axis is the entire search range in Fig. 6, if it can be determined that the camera has passed the focus position during operation, image acquisition after P v 0n + 3) becomes unnecessary. However, since the operation time can be reduced by that amount, it is possible to further increase the speed of the autofocus operation. As a method of judging passage of the focus position, an approximate approximation is made by passing through a mountain that exceeds a certain focus evaluation value (given as a parameter or learned from the focus operation results so far). There is a method to obtain the required number of samples.

 Finally, the autofocus control according to the present embodiment is completed through a movement step of moving the objective lens 3 to the focus position (step S12).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to stably perform high-accuracy autofocus control by eliminating the influence caused by a short-wavelength, single-wavelength optical system. Semiconductors, wafers, etc. It will be possible to observe and inspect fine structures formed on the surface with high resolution.

 (Second embodiment)

 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

 In recent years, semiconductor devices have been miniaturizing the minimum pattern width (process rule) and trying to have a more three-dimensional structure in the height direction. As the wavelength of the light source becomes shorter, the depth of focus also becomes shallower, and objects with height differences tend to be disadvantageous, such as fewer focused parts. If there is a height difference in the screen and the planes in focus are different, an active focus operation of “focusing where” such as using which surface of the sample as a reference is required. However, the conventional autofocus control method for obtaining the optimum focus position from the focus evaluation value has a disadvantage that the desired focus is not focused.

 Thus, a method of applying the autofocus control method of the present invention to focus on an arbitrary surface of a sample where there is a height difference in a screen will be described below.

 In the above-described first embodiment, an example has been described in which the focus evaluation value is calculated for the entire acquired sample screen (or a part of the target area). In the present embodiment, for example, FIG. As shown, the obtained sample screen is divided into a plurality of regions, and a focus evaluation value is calculated for each of the divided regions W ij (i, j = 1 to 3) to calculate a focus position.

To calculate the focus evaluation value in each divided area W ij, the same image smoothing processing and normalization processing based on the screen average luminance as in the first embodiment are executed. This will affect the optics The focus position can be detected with high accuracy without the need.

 As a result of the above processing, a focus curve corresponding to the divided region is obtained for each divided region W ij. At this time, if any one of the divided areas has a different focus position as compared with the other divided areas, it is clear that there is a height difference between the two focused areas. Active focus operation is possible by designating the position in a short time. The following is an example of the parame night.

1. The shortest distance between the lens and the sample (the highest point of the sample) 2. The longest distance between the lens and the sample (the lowest point of the sample)

3. Specific position on the screen

 4. Optimal focus position (more distinctive part) determined by majority decision from screen division result.

 Although FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the number of screen divisions is 3 × 3 = 9, the number of screen divisions is not limited to this. More information is obtained as the number of screen divisions is increased. In addition, the divided screens may overlap each other, and the number of screen divisions may be changed dynamically according to the use situation.

 As described above, according to the present embodiment, by specifying what priority is given to the optimum focus position with respect to the target sample, it is possible to sufficiently perform the active focus operation of “focusing where”. Yes, we can.

 (Third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, by applying the autofocus control method according to the present invention, an all-focus image of the object sample can be obtained from the acquired image data. The method of combining will be described.

 With a normal optical system, when viewing a three-dimensional object that exceeds the depth of focus of the optical system, it is not possible to see an image that is entirely in focus, and the objective of inspection and observation cannot be satisfied. A special optical system such as a confocal optical system is used to obtain an in-focus image that is entirely in focus, or to obtain an all-focus image from images at different angles based on trigonometry. However, these cannot be realized at low cost because they use special optical systems.

 On the other hand, a method has been proposed in which an image of an object is obtained hierarchically and then synthesized (JP-A-2003-281501). However, there remain problems such as the capacity of image information used for composition, the composition processing time, and the result obtained only after acquiring multiple images.

 Thus, in the present embodiment, an all-focus image of the subject sample W is obtained in the process of executing the autofocus control method described in the first embodiment. The control flow is shown in FIG. After the process of standardizing the focus evaluation value of the acquired image (sample point) with the screen average luminance (step S8), an image synthesis process (step S8M) is added.

 Since the other steps are the same as those in the process flow (FIG. 3) described in the first embodiment, the corresponding steps are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. Shall be.

Now, when performing image synthesis, the acquired sample screen is divided into a plurality of regions (FIG. 9) as described in the second embodiment described above, and each divided region W ij is used as an image. Are synthesized. Note that the number of screen divisions is not particularly limited, and the greater the number of divisions, the more finely the processing can be performed, and the smaller the divided area down to one pixel unit. Further, the shape of the divided area is not limited to a square, but can be changed to a circular shape or the like.

 A memory 15 (FIG. 2) includes a first memory unit 15A for processing image data captured in even frames and a second memory unit 15B for processing image data captured in odd frames. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, a third memory section 15C for omnifocal processing is prepared. The third memory unit 15C includes a composite image data storage area 15C1 and a height (distance between lenses and work) information storage area 15C2 of each divided area Wij constituting the composite image. A focus evaluation value information storage area 15 C 3 of each of the divided areas W ij is provided.

 In synthesizing the omnifocal image of the subject sample, sample images are obtained at a plurality of focus positions with different lens-park distances, and the focus evaluation value is calculated for each of the sample images for each divided area W ij Then, after extracting an image having the highest focus evaluation value independently from each other among the divided areas W ij, a process of synthesizing the entire image is performed.

 As described above, the “all-focus image synthesizing unit” of the present invention is configured. Referring to the process flow chart shown in FIG. 10, the steps S1 to S8 are performed in the same manner as in the above-described first embodiment. 'After each execution, move to the image synthesis process in step S8M.

FIG. 12 shows the details of step S8M. After the start of the autofocus operation, the third memory unit 15C is initialized using the first captured image (steps a and b). That is, in step b, the first image is copied to the composite image data storage area 15 C 1. The height information storage area 15 C2 is filled with the first data, and the focus evaluation value is copied to the focus evaluation value information storage area 15 C 3 of each divided area Wij and initialized. .

 After the second time, the focus evaluation value of the acquired image and the focus evaluation value of the composite image are compared for each divided region Wij (step c;). If the focus evaluation value of the acquired image is large, the image is copied, and the corresponding height information and focus evaluation value information are updated (step d). Conversely, if the focus evaluation value of the acquired image is small, no processing is performed. This is repeated for the number of divisions (step e). This completes the processing of one frame (33.3 msec).

 In a series of autofocus control operation flows, the above-described processing is performed, for example, while fetching even-numbered frame image data into the first memory unit 15A, and storing one frame already captured in the second memory unit 15B. The process is performed for each divided area Wij of the previous odd-numbered frame image, and necessary data and information are copied or updated in the corresponding storage area of the third memory unit 15C.

 In the present embodiment, the above-described processing is performed along with the autofocus control of the subject sample W described in the first embodiment, but it is needless to say that the processing is performed alone. Is also possible.

By performing the above processing for the number of images required for autofocus, at the end of the autofocus operation, the best focus, the height information, Reputation can be gained. This allows online and real-time not only the focus position coordinates of the subject sample W, but also the omnifocal image and shape of the subject sample "W" for each divided area Wij. It is possible to obtain at.

 In particular, by displaying the composite image copied to the composite image data storage area 15C1 on the monitor 9 (Fig. 1), the objective lens 3 moves over the entire search range, and is divided by each divided area. Since the in-focus state can be observed, the displayed state of the height distribution of the subject sample W can be easily grasped during the autofocus operation.

 Furthermore, since the all-focus image of the object sample is synthesized by using the auto-focus control method according to the present invention, high-precision auto-focusing is possible while eliminating the influence caused by the short-wavelength, single-wavelength optical system. Control is ensured, so that an all-in-focus image of the surface of a hierarchically developed structure such as a semiconductor wafer can be acquired with high resolution.

 (Fourth embodiment)

 Next, as a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a method of synthesizing a stereoscopic image of a subject sample from image data acquired by an autofocus operation will be described.

As described above, in the image autofocus operation, sample images are acquired at a plurality of focus positions and focus evaluation is performed. Thus, in the present embodiment, a three-dimensional image can be synthesized by extracting a focused part from the acquired sample image and combining this with information in the height direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, after performing focus position detection on each of the sample images Ra, Rb, Rc, and Rd acquired during the autofocus operation, the focus position is determined. By extracting and combining this in the height direction (focus axis direction), A stereoscopic image of the structure R can be synthesized.

 An example of a method of synthesizing a stereoscopic image according to the present embodiment is shown in a flowchart of FIG. In the figure, steps corresponding to those in the above-described first embodiment (FIG. 3) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

 In the present embodiment, after the initial setting (step S1), a vertical #: screen notch clearing step (step S1A) is provided. In this step, the memory area for storing the stereoscopic screen acquired in the past is initialized. Thereafter, similarly to the first embodiment described above, sample images of the subject sample are acquired at a plurality of focus positions, and for each of them, a focus evaluation value is calculated by smoothing processing and edge enhancement processing, and the calculated focus is calculated. The standardization process is performed based on the screen average brightness of the evaluation value (Step S2 to Step S8).

 After calculating the focus evaluation value, compare each point in the screen with the data captured so far and the captured data to see if they are in focus.If the captured data is in focus The data is updated (step S8A). This process is performed for each sample image.

 As described above, the “stereoscopic image combining means” of the present invention is configured. In this example, the screen is divided into a plurality of regions W ij as in the above-described second embodiment, and the above-described processing is performed for each of the divided regions. The processing is not limited, and the processing may be performed in units of one pixel.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, after the end of the auto focus control, not only the optimum focus position information of the subject sample W but also a plurality of focused sample images can be combined in the height direction. Thus, a three-dimensional image of the surface of the object sample can be easily obtained.

 Furthermore, since the stereoscopic image of the subject sample is synthesized using the autofocus control method according to the present invention, the high-precision autofocus control with eliminating the effects caused by the short-wavelength, single-wavelength optical system is eliminated. As a result, a three-dimensional image of the surface of a hierarchically developed structure such as a semiconductor wafer or the like can be acquired with high resolution.

 (Fifth embodiment)

 Subsequently, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

 In each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the autofocus control method according to the present invention is realized by the image processing apparatus 1 having a computer as its core. This configuration is a bit complicated and may not match the need to just focus. That is, if an algorithm for executing the autofocus control method of the present invention can be realized with simple hardware for cases such as when post-focus processing is not required, the scope of application is expanded and industrial automation is greatly contributed. It is thought that we can offer.

Thus, in the present embodiment, a configuration of an auto-focus control device that can realize the above-described auto-focus control method of the present invention without using a computer will be described. As will be described later, this autofocus control device can be configured with a video signal decoder, an arithmetic element represented by an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a memory for storing settings, and the like. Integrated circuits such as a ProcessingUnit), PMC (Pulse Motor Controller), and external memory are used. These elements are common It is used as a single board unit or as a package component that houses it by being mounted on a printed circuit board.

 (First configuration example)

 FIG. 15 shows a functional block diagram according to a first configuration example of the autofocus control device of the present invention. The illustrated auto focus control device 31 includes a video signal decoder 41, an FPGA 42, a field memory 43, a CPU 44, a ROM / RAM 45, a PMC 46, and an I / F circuit 47. It is composed of

 The video signal used for the focus operation is an analog image signal encoded in the NTSC system. This is a horizontal / vertical sync signal by the video signal decoder 41, EVEN (even number) ZO DD (odd number) field information, It is converted into a digital image signal of luminance information.

 The FPGA 42 is configured by an arithmetic element that performs a predetermined arithmetic processing in the autofocus control flow (FIG. 3) according to the present invention described in the above-described first embodiment. “Means”, “edge enhancement processing means”, and “evaluation value calculation means”.

The FPGA 42 extracts effective portion information in the screen from the synchronization signal and the field information digitized by the video signal decoder 41, and stores the luminance information in the field memory 43. At the same time, the data is sequentially read from the field memory 43, and arithmetic processing such as filtering (image smoothing processing), average luminance calculation, and focus evaluation value calculation is performed. Note that, depending on the degree of integration of the FPGA 42, it is possible to incorporate the functions of the field memory 43, the CPU 44, and the PMC 46 into the FPGA 42. The field memory 43 is used for temporarily storing the above-mentioned field information in order to handle a video signal which is output in an interlaced manner and is composed of even and odd fields.

 The CPU 44 changes the distance between the lens and the work by moving the stage that supports the object sample via the PCM 46 and the IZF circuit 47, and is obtained at each focus position and calculated by the FPGA 42. It manages the operation of the entire system, such as calculating the optimal force position (focus position) from the focus evaluation value of each sample image obtained. In this example, CPU 44 corresponds to the “focus position calculating means” of the present invention.

 The ROM / RAM 45 is used for storing the operating software (program) of the CPU 44 and the parameters required for calculating the focus position. The ROM / RAM 45 may be built in the CPU.

 The PMC 46 is a drive control element for a pulse motor (not shown) for moving the stage, and controls the stage via an interface circuit (I / F circuit) 47. Further, the output of the sensor for detecting the stage position is supplied to the PCM 46 through the IZF circuit 47.

In the autofocus control device 31 configured as described above, a video signal of a sample image is supplied from a CCD camera (not shown). This video signal is input to the FPGA 42 through the video signal decoder 41, where the input image is smoothed, the average luminance is calculated, and the focus evaluation value is calculated. The FPGA 42 focuses on the CPU 44 at the timing of the synchronization signal at the end of the field. Transfer pricing data.

 The CPU 44 obtains the coordinates of the focus stage at the end of the field and uses it as the lens-work distance. After repeating the above processing the number of times necessary for the autofocus operation of the present invention, the CPU 44 calculates the focus position. Then, the stage is moved to the optimal focus position, and the auto focus operation ends. As necessary, a screen division function, an all-focus image synthesizing process of a subject sample, and / or a stereoscopic image synthesizing process are performed.

 By organically connecting the autofocus control device of the present invention configured as described above to a focus axis moving means such as an existing CCD camera, monitor, pulse motor, or the like, a function equivalent to that of the image processing device 1 described above is obtained. Therefore, the autofocus control method of the present invention can be implemented with a simple and simple configuration, which is very advantageous in terms of cost and installation space.

 (Second configuration example)

 FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of a second example of the configuration of the autofocus control device according to the present embodiment. Parts corresponding to those in the first configuration example (FIG. 15) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The autofocus control device 32 in this configuration example includes a video signal decoder 41, an FPGA 42, a CPU 44, an R / M / RAM 45, a PMC 46, and an IZF circuit 47. I have.

In the autofocus controller 31 in the first configuration example described above, the field memory 43 is used to process the image of the in-night race as an image similar to a TV (television). Control from the frame information. However, considering only the autofocus operation, there is no need to use the frame information, and processing on a field-by-field basis may be sufficient, and this may be an advantage.

 Therefore, the autofocus control device 32 in the present configuration example has a configuration in which the field memory 43 is removed from the first configuration example. With this configuration, there is no need to perform a timing process for transferring information to the field memory, so that a configuration that is physically and logically simpler than that of the above-described first configuration example can be made. Also, since focus evaluation processing can be performed in field units, there is an advantage that the sampling interval of focus evaluation values is shorter than in the first configuration example in which processing is performed in frame units.

 (Third configuration example)

 FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram of a third configuration example of the autofocus control device according to the present embodiment. Parts corresponding to those in the first configuration example (FIG. 15) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The autofocus control device 33 in this configuration example includes a video signal decoder 41, an FPGA 42, a CPU 44, a ROM / RAM 45>? 46 and a 1 / circuit 47. Has been established.

The autofocus control device 33 in this configuration example incorporates the PMC 46 logic block in the FPGA 42, and does not require an independent logic circuit for the PMC 46 as compared to the second configuration example described above. It has the following configuration. With this configuration, an independent IC chip for the PMC 46 is not required, and the board size and mounting cost can be reduced. (Fourth configuration example)

 FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of a fourth configuration example of the autofocus control device according to the present embodiment. Parts corresponding to those in the first configuration example (FIG. 15) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The auto focus control device 34 in this configuration example is composed of a video signal decoder 41, FPGA 42, CPU 44, ROM / RAM 45, AD (Analog to Digital) DA (Digital to Analog) circuit 4 8, and IZF circuit 47.

 The auto-focus control device 34 in this configuration example shows an example in which the driving source of the force stage is configured by a piezo stage of an analog signal controller from a pulse motor, and in the above-described second configuration example, An ADZDA circuit 48 is used instead of the PMC 46. Note that the circuit 708 can be taken into, for example, the CPU 44. In this case, the circuit 48 need not be an external circuit.

 In addition, the DA circuit part is a circuit for converting the instruction voltage from the CPU 44 into an analog signal, and the AD circuit part detects the moving position of the piezo stage. This is a circuit for converting a signal from a sensor (not shown) to a digital signal and feeding it back to the CPU 44. When the feedback control is not performed, the AD circuit part can be omitted.

 (Fifth configuration example)

FIG. 19 shows a specific configuration example of the autofocus control device 33 in the above-described third configuration example (FIG. 17) as a fifth configuration example of the present embodiment. Note that the corresponding parts in the figure And the same reference numerals are given, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

 The auto-focus control device 35 in this configuration example includes a video signal decoder 41, an FPGA 42, a CPU 44, a flash memory 45A, a SRAM (SRAM) on a common wiring board 50. tic Random Access Memory) 45 B, RS driver 47 A, power supply monitoring circuit 51, FPGA initialization ROM 52, and multiple connectors 53A, 53B, 53C, 53D It is implemented and configured. The flash memory 45 A and the SR AM 45 B correspond to the ROM / RAM 45 described above, while the flash memory 45 A has an operation program of the CPU 44 and an initial state of auto focus operation. The setting information (focus movement speed, smoothing processing conditions, etc.) is stored, and the other SRAM 45 B is used to temporarily store various parameters necessary for the CPU 44 to calculate the focus position. Used.

 The RS dryino, 47A, is an interface circuit necessary for communication with the external device that is connected via the connectors 53A to 53D. Here, a CCD camera is connected to the connector 53A, and a host controller or a CPU is connected to the connector 53B. A power supply circuit is connected to the connector 53C, and a focus stage is connected to the connector 53D. The focus stage includes a pulse motor as a drive source, and its controller, PMC, is incorporated in the FPGA 42.

As described above, according to the autofocus control device 35 of the present configuration example, various elements capable of executing the algorithm for realizing the autoforce control method of the present invention are mounted on one wiring board 50. Thus, it can be configured as a board mounted body having an outer dimension of, for example, 100 mm square. This reduces equipment costs and simplifies equipment configuration. Can be achieved. In addition, since the degree of freedom of equipment installation can be increased, it is possible to easily respond to the on-site needs that require autofocus operation in industrial fields that could not be used until now.

 Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is, of course, not limited to these, and various modifications can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention.

 For example, in the above-described first embodiment, the configuration in which the objective lens 3 side is moved in the focus axis direction so as to make the distance between the lens and the sample different has been described. Di 2 may be moved.

 Further, in the first embodiment described above, the driving system for changing the distance between the lens and the sample is constituted by the lens driving unit 4 composed of a piezo element and its driver 8, but the present invention is not limited to this. Other drive systems may be applied as long as the distance can be changed accurately and smoothly.

 For example, FIG. 20A shows an example in which a pulse motor 20 is used as a drive source. In this case, the dryino 21 generates a drive signal for the pulse motor 20 based on a control signal supplied from the pulse motor controller 22.

 The lens driving unit 4 and the pulse motor 20 are driven by so-called feedforward control. However, a sensor for detecting the lens position or the stage position is provided to control the driving source by feed pack control. A configuration is also applicable.

FIG. 20B shows an example of the configuration of a drive system that controls a drive source by feed pack control. Driver 2 4 is output instruction circuit 2 A drive signal for the drive system 23 is generated based on the control signal supplied from 5. In this case, a cylinder device, a motor, or the like can be applied as the drive system 23. The position sensor 26 can be constituted by a strain gauge, a potentiometer, etc., and the output thereof is supplied to the acquisition circuit 27. The take-in circuit 27 supplies a position compensation signal to the output instruction circuit 25 based on the output of the position sensor 26, and performs position correction of the drive system 23.

 Further, in each of the above embodiments, the video signal supplied from the CCD camera has been described in the NTSC format. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the video signal can be processed in a PAL (Phase Alternation by Line) format. . Also, by replacing the video signal decoder, it is possible to support other formats such as IEEE1394 and camera link. In this case, the function of the video signal decoder circuit can be incorporated into the FPGA 42.

 Further, the focus evaluation value and the focus position of each sample image obtained by executing the auto focus control of the present invention can be displayed on the monitor 9 (FIG. 1) together with the sample image. In this case, an encoder circuit for converting such information into NTSSC or the like and displaying it may be provided separately. This encoder circuit may be, for example, one of the board mounted components of the autofocus control device having the configuration described in the fifth embodiment.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. an image acquisition step of acquiring image data of the subject at a plurality of focus positions having different lens-subject distances;

 An evaluation value calculating step of calculating a focus evaluation value for each of the plurality of focus positions based on each of the acquired image data;

 A focus position calculating step of calculating a focus position at which the focus evaluation value is the maximum as a focus position;

 Moving the lens relative to the subject to the calculated focus position.

 An image smoothing step of smoothing the acquired image data between the image acquiring step and the evaluation value calculating step,

 Calculating the focus evaluation value based on the smoothed image data;

 An auto-focus control method, characterized in that:

 2. Before or after the image smoothing step, there is an average luminance calculating step of calculating a screen average luminance of the acquired image data,

 A value obtained by dividing the calculated screen average luminance is used as the focus evaluation value.

 2. The method for controlling an auto force according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The evaluation value calculation step, wherein the focus evaluation value is calculated based on a luminance data difference between adjacent pixels in the acquired image data overnight. Auto focus control method.

4. The focus position calculating step according to claim 1, wherein the focus position is calculated based on a maximum value of the calculated focus evaluation value and a plurality of focus evaluation values in the vicinity thereof. Auto focus control method.

5. The image acquisition step according to claim 1, wherein in the image acquisition step, the image data is acquired at each of the plurality of focus positions while continuously changing the distance between the lens and the subject. Auto focus control method.

 6. The autofocus control method according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition step and the evaluation value calculation step are performed in parallel.

 7. The autofocus control method according to claim 1, wherein ultraviolet light is used as an illumination light source for the subject.

 8. The autofocus control method according to claim 1, wherein the acquired image data is divided into a plurality of regions, and the focus position is calculated for each of the divided regions. .

 9. The autofocus control method according to claim 8, wherein an omnifocal image of a subject is acquired by combining images at the focus positions of the divided areas between the areas.

 10. The autofocus according to claim 8, wherein a stereoscopic image of a subject is obtained by synthesizing an image at a focus position of each of the divided areas at a plurality of focus positions. Control method.

11. An image acquisition step of acquiring image data of the subject at a plurality of focus positions having different lens-subject distances, An evaluation value calculation step of calculating a focus evaluation value for each of the plurality of force positions based on the obtained image data;

 A focus position calculating step of calculating a focus position at which the focus evaluation value is maximum as a focus position;

 Moving the lens relative to the subject to the calculated focus position.

 An image smoothing step of smoothing the acquired image data, and an average luminance calculating step of calculating a screen average luminance of the acquired image data,

 While calculating the focus grade value based on the smoothed image data,

 A value obtained by dividing the calculated screen average luminance is used as the focus evaluation value.

An auto-focus control method, characterized in that:

 12. The evaluation value calculation step, wherein the focus evaluation value is calculated based on a difference in luminance data between adjacent pixels in the acquired image data. Auto focus control method described.

 13. The focus position calculating step includes calculating a ttr focus position based on the calculated maximum focus evaluation value and a plurality of focus evaluation values in the vicinity thereof. The focus control method described in the section.

14. The image acquisition step, wherein the image data is acquired at each of the plurality of focus positions while continuously changing the distance between the lens and the subject. Item Automatic focus control method described above.

 15. The auto force control method according to claim 11, wherein the image acquiring step and the evaluation value calculating step are performed in parallel.

16. The autofocus control method according to claim 11, wherein ultraviolet light is used as an illumination light source for the subject.

17. The photographing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the acquired image data is divided into a plurality of regions, and the focus position is calculated for each of the divided regions. Scrap control method.

18. The autofocus system according to claim 17, wherein an image at a focus position of each of the divided areas is synthesized between the areas to obtain an all-focus image of a subject. Your way.

 19. The auto focus control according to claim 17, wherein a stereoscopic image of a subject is obtained by combining images at the focus position of each of the divided areas at a plurality of focus positions. Method.

 20. evaluation value calculation means for calculating a focus evaluation value for each of the plurality of focus positions based on each image data acquired at a plurality of focus positions having different lens-subject distances;

 An auto-focus control device comprising: a focus position calculating unit that calculates a focus position based on the calculated maximum focus evaluation value;

 Image smoothing means for smoothing the acquired image data,

The focus evaluation value based on the smoothed image data Calculate

 An auto-focus control device characterized by the following.

21. An average luminance calculating means for calculating an average screen luminance of the acquired image data overnight, wherein a value divided by the calculated average screen luminance is used as the focus evaluation value. Item 20. The autofocus control device according to Item 20.

22. The auto-focusing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said evaluation value calculating means is edge enhancement processing means for calculating a luminance data difference between adjacent pixels in said acquired image data. One-cass control device.

 23. The focus position calculating unit according to claim 20, wherein said focus position calculating means calculates said focus position based on a maximum value of said calculated focus evaluation values and a plurality of focus evaluation values in the vicinity thereof. The autofocus control device described in.

24. The auto-focusing apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising omnifocal image synthesizing means for synthesizing an omnifocal image of the subject using each of the acquired image data. Focus control device.

25. The autofocus control device according to claim 20, further comprising a stereoscopic image synthesizing unit that synthesizes a stereoscopic image of the subject using each of the acquired image data.

26. The autofocus control device includes: an evaluation value calculation unit; a focus position calculation unit; an image smoothing unit; and an average brightness calculation unit that calculates a screen average brightness of the image data. 20. The autofocus control device according to claim 20, wherein the autofocus control device is a board mounted body mounted on the same board as a plurality of elements.

27. The auto-control device according to claim 26, wherein a drive control element for controlling a drive device for adjusting a distance between a lens and a subject is mounted on the substrate. Focus control device.

28. The evaluation value calculating means, the image smoothing means, and the average luminance calculating means are constituted by a single FPGA (field programmable gate array). An autofocus control device according to claim 26.

2 9. Image acquisition means for acquiring image data of the subject at a plurality of focus positions having different lens-subject distances; and focus evaluation values for each of the plurality of focus positions based on the acquired image data. Evaluation value calculation means for calculating the focus value, a focus position calculation means for calculating a focus position based on the maximum value of the calculated focus evaluation value, and moving the lens to the calculated focus position with respect to the object. In an image processing apparatus provided with a driving means for relatively moving

 An image smoothing unit that performs smoothing processing on the obtained image data, and calculates the focus evaluation value based on the smoothed image data

 An image processing apparatus.

 30. An image processing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising an average luminance calculating unit that calculates an average screen luminance of the acquired image data, wherein a division value by the calculated average screen luminance is used as the focus evaluation value. An image processing apparatus according to the item.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein said evaluation value calculation means is edge enhancement processing means for calculating a luminance data difference between adjacent pixels in said acquired image data. Image processing equipment Place.

 32. The focus position calculating means, wherein the focus position calculating means calculates the focus position based on the calculated maximum focus evaluation value and a plurality of focus evaluation values in the vicinity thereof. The image processing device described in the section.

 33. The image processing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising: an all-focus image synthesizing unit that synthesizes an all-focus image of the subject using each of the acquired image data. .

34. The image processing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a stereoscopic image synthesizing means for synthesizing a stereoscopic image of the subject using each of the acquired image data.