Patent ID: 8860931

Claim:
A method for enhancing the utility of workpiece height measurements determined by a chromatic range sensor (CRS) system, the method comprising: providing CRS measurement data reliability criteria that define at least three predetermined measurement data reliability categories of CRS measurement data reliability, including at least one reliability criterion related to the shape of measurement spectral intensity profile data, wherein at least one of the three predetermined measurement data reliability categories is classified as being a type of warning wherein a workpiece height measurement can still be determined, and at least one of the three predetermined measurement data reliability categories is classified as being a type of error wherein a workpiece height measurement is not determined; operating the CRS system to provide a set of measurement data, the set of measurement data comprising measurement spectral intensity profile data corresponding to a respective workpiece height measurement at a location on a workpiece; determining a workpiece height measurement based on determining a spectral peak indicated by the measurement spectral intensity profile data; determining a measurement data reliability category for the set of measurement data based on the CRS measurement data reliability criteria; and providing the determined workpiece height measurement and the corresponding determined measurement data reliability category.