Patent ID: 6700603
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: G01N,G01R

Abstract:
An inspection system for inspecting discrete wiring patterns (14) formed integrally on a continuous substrate sheet (10) of a flexible material, said system comprising:an inspection zone (30) provided with camera means (51, 54) for inspecting the individual wiring patterns and detecting a position of said wiring pattern on said substrate sheet; draw-in roller means (31, 32) for introducing the substrate sheet into said inspection zone; draw-out roller means (33, 34) for drawing out said substrate sheet from said inspection zone, said draw-out roller means being positioned to define said inspection zone between said draw-in roller means and said draw-out roller means and to give a tension to said substrate sheet for extending said substrate sheet straight within said inspection zone; control means (60) which controls a position of said substrate sheet passing through said inspection zone based upon a position signal detected by said camera means as indicative of said position of said individual wiring patterns on said substrate sheet within said inspection zone; a feeder (20) for feeding said substrate sheet towards said draw-in roller means from a first stock (21) of said substrate sheet; a collector (40) for collecting said substrate sheet past through said draw-out roller means into a second stock (41) of said substrate sheet; and a dancer roller (35, 45) being provided at least one of two locations, one between said feeder and said draw-in roller means, and the other between said draw-out roller means and said collector; wherein said camera means comprises an inspection camera means (54) and a position camera means (51), said inspection camera means (54) providing an image of said wiring pattern to an image inspector (64) where said image is compared with a reference image for determination of a defect in said wiring pattern, said inspection camera means (54) comprising an array of inspection cameras arranged in a direction transverse to a feeding direction of said substrate sheet in such a manner to cover a whole width of said wiring patterns, said position camera means (51) detecting marks (16) on said substrate sheet to acknowledge a pre-inspection position of said wiring pattern which is just before being inspected by said inspection camera and providing said position signal indicative of said pre-inspection position, a speed sensor (35) detecting the feeding speed of said substrate sheet and providing a speed signal indicative of said feeding speed, said control means controlling to feed said substrate through said inspection zone at a uniform speed based upon said speed signal, said control means being responsive to said position signal and said speed signal to activate said inspection camera means (54) for scanning the image of said wiring pattern in synchronism with the position of the wiring patterns.