Patent ID: 7822230

Claim:
An image measuring system for moving an imaging means relative to a measurement stage that supports an object to be measured and taking in instantaneous image information about the object without making a stop of the imaging means at any of a plurality of measurement locations, thereby performing image measuring, the system comprising: a measurement point acquirer operative to acquire measurement points; a movement direction calculator operative to acquire a shortest path connecting between the measurement points and to calculate a movement direction on the shortest path, executed by a computer; a synthesized direction calculator operative to calculate a synthesized direction resulted from synthesis of a movement direction to a certain measurement point from an anterior measurement point of the certain measurement point and a movement direction from the certain measurement point to a posterior measurement point of the certain measurement point, executed by a computer; a fore/aft-running point calculator operative to calculate a forerunning point at a position spaced a certain distance backward in the synthesized direction from the certain measurement point and to calculate an aft-running point at a position spaced a certain distance forward in the synthesized direction from the certain measurement point, executed by a computer; a way point calculator operative to calculate a plurality of way points arranged on a path connecting the aft-running point related to the certain measurement point to the forerunning point related to the posterior measurement point of the certain measurement point, such that the path forms a curve which follows the synthesized direction at the aft-running point and the forerunning point, executed by a computer; and a measurement path setter operative to set a measurement path following the synthesized directions and passing through the calculated way points and all measurement points, executed by a computer.