Patent GB-1456549-A (GB)
Title: System for detecting the position of a pattern
IPC: G06V10/40
Filed: 1974-02-22
Abstract: 1456549 Image position analysis system HITACHI Ltd 22 Feb 1974 [22 Feb 1973] 8242/74 Heading G1A The position of a pattern is detected by viewing the pattern with an image pick-up device, sequentially setting-out sub areas of the pattern and comparing each sub area with a standard sub-pattern stored in a memory, determining which sub area is most co-incident with the stored standard and using the co-ordinates of a selected point of this sub area to calculate the co-ordinates of a specific portion of the pattern. In a machine for bonding wires to the electrodes of transistor chips, a chip having the pattern shown in Fig. 1 is moved into position and the co-ordinates of points P 1  and P 2  at which the wires are to be bonded are calculated from the co-ordinates of one or more of points A, B and C which are specific points of three sub areas indicated by dotted squares and containing patterns which can be uniquely recognized. The recognition circuit, Fig. 4, utilizes the output of a vidicon camera 1 corrected to binary form and applied to a memory 6 and pattern setout circuit 7 which provide parallel outputs corresponding to each of the picture elements of a sub area or window of specific dimensions. The system is arranged so that during a frame scan the area selected is scanned over all the possible sub areas of the picture. One of a number of partial patterns stored in a memory 26, 27, 28 is selected by a switching circuit 29 and transferred to a memory 8 where its elements are compared with the corresponding elements of the instantaneously presented sub area by a co-incidence detector 9 which produces an output whose value depends on the degree of coincidence of the stored and scanned partial patterns. The value of this signal is compared with a value stored in register 12 which represents the degree of coincidence of the most coincident pattern previously scanned. If the new value is lower than the stored value no action is taken but if it is higher a gate 11 is opened to store the new value in register 12 and simultaneously gate 13 is opened to store the co-ordinates of a specific point of the sub area (e.g. the bottom right-hand corner), generated in synchronism with the camera scan signals, in register 14. At the end of the frame scan register 12 holds the degree of coincidence of the most coincident sub area pattern and register 14 holds the co-ordinates of this sub area. During the flyback interval the contents of these registers are transferred by switching circuits 15 and 16 to memories 17 and 20 respectively. Register 12 is then reset to a low coincidence value and a new partial pattern is transferred to memory 8. Comparison with the new partial pattern is effected during the next frame and the final outputs transferred to memories 18 and 21. A third frame scan determines the position of a third partial pattern the information being stored in memories 19 and 22. A judging circuit 23 then determines which of the three pattern identification achieved the two highest degrees of coincidence and the corresponding co-ordinates are selected by circuit 24 and used to compute the co-ordinates of the points P 1  and P 2 . Identification speed can be increased by searching different areas of the image for different partial patterns during the same frame scan. Alternatively three coincidence detectors may be used to enable the input to be simultaneously compared with all three partial patterns. The co-ordinate generator may comprise two counters driven by a high frequency clock, the outputs of the counters also being used to control the scan of the vidicon, Fig. 6 (not shown). The output of the vidicon is applied to a threshold detector via a differential amplifier fed with a signal representing the average brightness of the previous frame. This reference signal is detained by passing the video signal through a gate opened during the scanning of the central area of each frame to an integrator the output of which is sample-held at the end of each frame. The output bits from the theshold detector are applied to the first of a number of series connected shift registers each of which has a length corresponding to the number of picture elements (bits) in a scanning line. The input of the first register and the outputs of all the registers are each connected to the input of one of a set of shift registers each of which has a length equal to the number of picture elements in the width of a sub area, Fig. 7 (not shown). The number of these short shift registers is equal to the number of lines in the height of the sub area. The parallel outputs of the short registers correspond to the picture elements of a selected sub area and as the scanning progresses this sub area is correspondingly shifted over the whole picture area. The comparitor comprises an exclusive-or circuit for each pair of corresponding scanned and stored picture elements, the outputs feeding an analogue adder via resistors. The output of the adder is compared with the stored value and when the degree of coincidence is greater a sample and hold circuit is enabled to store the analogue voltage which is applied via an A:D converter to update the value stored in a digital memory. The output of this memory is applied to a D:A converter to provide the analogue signal with which the adder output is compared Fig. 8 (not shown). In addition to the straightforward standard patterns further patterns corresponding to slightly rotated views of the same area may be provided Fig. 3 (not shown). The processing may be performed on the basis of multivalued video signals. The object viewed may be provided with special patterns for position determining purposes and may also include a coded area which can be used to identify the device type. The use of two special patterns in the form of rings of complementary optical properties enables the pattern recognition circuits to detect the co-ordinates of the two areas simultaneously by determining both the maximum and the minimum coincidence with a standard pattern corresponding to one of the rings, Fig. 9 (not shown).  The image pick-up may comprise a solid state device e.g. a photo-electric element array. Thermal drift compensation of the optical system may be achieved by adapting the system to view a reference plate bearing five patterns the co-ordinates of which are determined and used to compensate the measured co-ordinates of the pattern on the object Fig. 10 (not shown). A single pattern recognition system may be used to provide alignment information for the control of a plurality of bonding machines on a time shared operating basis, Fig, 11 (not shown). By ignoring the corners a square sub area can be used to provide a circular window.