Patent ID: 7075662

Claim:
A method of inspecting at least one feature of an article having at least one three-dimensional specular element, said method comprising the acts of: projecting at least one line of light onto said article having said at least one specular element; detecting at least a first image of said at least one line of light reflected from said article at at least a first position; processing said at least a first image to locate said at least one line of light projected on said article and to measure a lateral shift of said at least one line of light at a point on said at least one specular element, for calculating at least a height of said at least one three-dimensional specular element at said point of said lateral shift; and wherein said article includes a plurality of specular elements spaced apart on said article, and wherein said act of projecting at least one line of light onto said article having said at least one specular element comprises projecting a plurality of lines of light onto said article, wherein a spacing of said plurality of lines of light projected onto said article is greater than said spacing of said plurality of specular elements such that one of said lines of light approaches a top of one of said plurality of specular elements while an adjacent one of said lines is on an opposite side of an adjacent one of said plurality of specular elements.