Takeshi Uno

A process for detecting defects in complicated patterns

A method of detecting defects in complicated patterns such as printed circuit boards is described. This method employs two-dimensional nonlinear logical filtering. In the first stage, small portions of the pattern are extracted as potential examples of the defects. These examples include small portions near the boundary of the pattern which are due to the unevenness caused by spatial digitizing. The subsequent process eliminates these small portions on the boundary, thus leaving only the real defects. This method operates without using any prememorized standard patterns and, instead, utilizes a pseudo-standard pattern generated from the input pattern itself. This eliminates the positioning problem between the input and the standard pattern, as well as the need for any memory for the pattern. The effectiveness of this method was confirmed by digital computer simulation, and afterward, a defect extraction device was developed. This device makes it possible to detect the defects in complicated patterns in a real-time mode. It therefore has promise in facilitating the automation of tedious visual inspection processes such as those for printed circuit boards.

A Prototype Intelligent Robot that Assembles Objects from Plan Drawings

An intelligent robot that recognizes and assembles three-dimensional objects by means of vidicon cameras, an articulated mechanical hand, and a digital computer is described. Its problem-solving functions include three essential parts: the recognition of macro-instructions from a human master, the recognition of the objects to be handled, and the decision making for executing the necessary tasks. The instruction is in the form of a three-view plan of a simple polyhedral assemblage whose overall spatial configuration is recognized together with its component parts. In this process the set of planes of the assemblage is disassembled into open shells; these are then reconstructed into closed shells to find the parts by solving a linear equation where the shell vectors are taken into consideration. In the object recognition, all the geometric features of polygonal prisms in the field of vision are extracted to find the specific parts required for the assembly. Further computation is made to search for the assembly procedure and is based on the restraint vectors of each object and consequent disassembly free. Finally, the mechanical hand starts the autonomous manipulation of the parts so as to accomplish the assigned assembly.

An Array Processor for Image Processing

Some early developments in pattern processing are reviewed in Unger (1958), McCormick (1963), and Murtha (1966). Some practical implementations are described by Golay (1969) and by Kruse (1976). For certain industrial and medical applications special processors for image analysis are in practical use such as in computed tomog-graphy (CT). Also, large scale pattern processors have become available in special fields.

An Industrial Eye that Recognizes hole Positions in a Water Pump Testing Process

In the production of small water pumps, an automatic machine was requested for water pressure testing of the final products, in which hoses are automatically connected to inlet and outlet flange holes of the pumps. For this purpose, a visual device has been developed to detect the hole positions by means of CCD type TV cameras. This “industrial eye” also includes special electronic circuitry for pattern matching, which utilizes quarter patterns of a circular hole image as templates.