JPH08323964A - Position sensing device for register mark - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To carry out an automatic change-over from automatic sensing to manual sensing or vice versa with high efficiency by enlargedly displaying an image data on a first window indicated by a frame cursor on a second window, computing the central position of a register mark, and changing over to the manual mode in the case when the detection is not possible. CONSTITUTION: A multi-valued image data of a subject 10 to be inspected obtained by a scanner 12 is transferred to a host computer 20, and the whole image is displayed on a first window and the position of a register mark is indicated by a frame cursor operated by a mouse 22. An image in the specified range is enlarged and displayed on a second window, and the given image processing is carried out and the central position of the register mark is computed, and in the case the central position is sensed, a mark is displayed on the central position, while in the case it is not possible, the process is changed over to the manual mode automatically and the manual sensing is carried out. Differences between a first calibration and a recalibration are sensed and output to a printer 14. The automatic changed-over is effected between the manual sensing and automatic sensing to carry out easily the position sensing work.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pattern inspecting apparatus for collating two target patterns and detecting a difference between the two patterns, for example, inspecting by comparing a first school and a re-school in a calibration step of a printing process. The present invention relates to a register mark position detection device used for a plate inspection device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the proofreading stage of a printing process, a proof or a plate-making film is compared with a first school and a re-school to inspect for differences and check whether or not a correction-instructed portion is correctly corrected. Work is done. As a plate inspection device for performing such work, the image data obtained by picking up the original film of the first school and the reprinted school with a TV camera is stored in a memory, and the image data in the stored memory is compared. There is a device that displays different parts. When comparing image data as described above, it is necessary to match the relative positions of the image data. In this case, a common reference point such as a register mark may be set in each image data for alignment. That is, by designating a common register mark on the image data, each image data is aligned based on the position of this register mark.

[0003]

In the above case, the position of the register mark, more specifically, the center position of the register mark,
Must be detected. The detection of the center position can be performed by automatic detection by image processing or by an operator manually instructing. However, since the manual instruction may cause an instruction error or a variation in position designation, it is preferable to perform the automatic image processing as much as possible. On the other hand, in the case of automatic processing, if the register mark has a complicated shape, or if another image or character is included near the register mark, it may not be possible to accurately detect the register mark. . For this reason, the operator needs to switch the automatic and manual processes as appropriate to detect the register mark, but in this case, the operation becomes troublesome.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a register mark position detecting device capable of efficiently switching the automatic or manual detecting process. To provide.

[0005]

A register mark position detecting device according to the present invention made to solve the above problems detects a center position of a register mark on image data obtained by scanning a target pattern. A register mark position detection device for displaying image data on a first window, and an image display means for displaying a frame type cursor of a predetermined size so as to be movable on the image data, and the frame. Indicating means for indicating a predetermined range of image data including a register mark by moving the type cursor;
Enlarging means for enlarging the image data in the designated range and displaying it on the second window of the image display means, and computing means for image-processing the image data on the second window to compute the center position of the register mark. If the center position of the register mark can be detected by the calculating means, the mark display means for displaying the mark at the detected center position of the register mark, and the center position of the register mark cannot be detected by the calculating means. In this case, a manual mode switching means is provided for automatically switching to a manual mode in which the center position of the register mark is manually indicated.

[0006]

According to the register mark position detecting device of the present invention, image data is first displayed on the first window. Next, a frame-shaped cursor is displayed on the first window, and the frame-shaped cursor is moved with a mouse or the like to indicate the approximate position of the register mark. Next, the register mark designated above is enlarged and displayed on the second window. The image in the second window is image-processed to detect the center position of the register mark. A predetermined mark is displayed at the center position of the detected register mark so that the operator can recognize it. If the above detection by image processing fails, the manual mode is entered in which the register mark of the second window is manually indicated.

In the present invention, when the automatic detection by the image processing fails, the manual mode is set, so that the automatic or manual detection processing can be efficiently switched.

[0008]

【Example】

[Hardware Configuration of the Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a plate inspection apparatus incorporating the register mark position detecting apparatus of the present invention. The plate inspection apparatus includes a host computer 20 to which a mouse 22 as a pointing device is connected, and a scanner 12 and a printer 14 connected to the host computer 20.

The scanner 12 has a line sensor or the like for reading the light and shade of the image, reads the images of the original film of the first school and the re-school which are the inspection object 10 in multi-gradation, and outputs the multi-valued image data. obtain. This multi-valued image data is transferred to the host computer. A CCD camera may be used instead of the scanner 12.

The host computer 20 has a CPU, a memory, a monitor, a keyboard, various I / O ports and the like. When the multi-valued image data transferred from the scanner 12 is binarized, binary image data is obtained. At the same time, the difference between the first school and the re-school is detected by comparing the binary image data. The data indicating this different portion is output to the printer 14 as the inspection result.

The mouse 22 is used not only for operating the host computer but also as a pointing device for designating a register mark of a target pattern on a monitor as described later. Instead of the mouse 22, a trackball, digitizer, light pen or the like may be used.

The printer 14 is a host computer 20.
Based on the inspection result data transferred from, the difference between the first school and the re-school is output. Instead of the printer, the plotter or monitor may output different parts.

[Outline of Plate Inspection Work] Before explaining the register mark position detection according to the present invention, the plate inspection work using the plate inspection apparatus will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of plate inspection work when the plate inspection device is used.

In step S1 in the figure, first, an original film, which is an inspection object 10, is scanned by a scanner 12 to capture image data. This image data is multi-valued image data having, for example, 8-bit gradation. Next, in step S2, the captured image data is binarized by the host computer 20. That is, the 8-bit image data is compared with a predetermined binarization level and converted into black and white binary. The binarized image data is stored in the memory of the host computer 20. Step S1
And S2 are respectively performed on two original film films of the first school and the re-school to be compared.

In step S3, position adjustment is performed in order to compare the image data at the same position. That is, when scanning the original film with a scanner, etc.,
There is an inconvenience that the image data is inclined and taken in due to an inclination at the time of setting the original film. This step S
In No. 3, each image data is aligned in order to eliminate such inconvenience. Then, in step S4, the image data are compared. That is, it is determined whether or not the binary values of the pixels at the same position in the image data are equal. Here, when the binary image data is different in a predetermined area by a predetermined number of pixels or more, it is determined that there is a difference in the area.

In step S5, the area where the above difference is found is output to the printer 14 or the like.

The register mark position detecting device according to the present invention executes the step S3 of the above-mentioned process, and relates to the register mark position detecting device which is performed before the position alignment of each image data. Operation of this register mark position detecting device, host computer 2
It is executed by software using the CPU built in 0.

[Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a routine executed by the register mark position detecting device of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are respectively a first window W1 and a second window W2 which will be described later. It is a figure which shows the example of.
The first window W1 and the second window W2 may be ones in which the monitors of the host computer 20 of FIG. 1 are temporally switched, and when two monitors are prepared, those monitors are also provided. May be Widow. In the latter case, image data and an enlarged image, which will be described later, can be displayed in parallel, and the "image display means" in the present invention refers to the entire of these two monitors.

First, in step S10, an image of the entire target pattern is first displayed on the first window W1. In step S11, the frame-shaped cursor EC operated by the mouse 22 is displayed on the first window W1, and the operator moves the frame-shaped cursor EC to indicate the position of the register mark RM (see FIG. 4A). . The frame-shaped cursor EC displays a rectangular frame having a predetermined size, and a range of a predetermined size can be designated by one click of the mouse. A frame type cursor EC
The size of may be changed by the operator.

The image including the register mark RM in the range designated in step S11 is enlarged and displayed on the second window (see FIG. 4B). In step S13,
Predetermined image processing is performed on the image in the second window, and the center position of the register mark RM is calculated. There are various methods for this image processing. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 4-191605 and 4-363609,
Further, since there is a method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-188308, the description thereof will be omitted here.

In the next step S14, it is determined whether or not the center position of the register mark RM can be detected by the above image processing. If it can be detected, the process proceeds to step S15, and if it cannot be detected for some reason, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S15, points are displayed in different display colors at the center position of the detected register mark RM. In step S16, the operator confirms the detected center position. If there is no problem in the center position, the position detection of the register mark RM ends, and if there is an error in the detected center position, the process proceeds to step S17.

When the detection of the register mark RM by image processing has failed, the mode is automatically switched to the manual mode in step S17, and the register mark RM is detected manually. For example, when the register mark RM has a complicated shape as shown in FIG. 4C, characters or other figures are mixed around the register mark, and the reference line of the register mark RM is faint. Failed to process the image and the register mark RM
May not be able to detect the position. In this case step S
At 17, a cross cursor LC that can be operated with a mouse is displayed on the second window W2 as shown in FIG.
The operator moves the cross cursor LC with the mouse to indicate the center position of the register mark RM. For example, if the image processing cannot be performed in step S14, the process proceeds to step S17, and an error warning of image processing failure (for example, an error message is displayed or an alarm sound is generated) is issued and the mouse cursor is automatically moved to the second window W2.
Moves to and becomes a cross-shaped cursor LC. This allows the operator to immediately shift to manual detection of the register mark RM.

Although the mouse cursor at the time of manually detecting the register mark RM is not limited to the cross cursor LC, it is preferable to distinguish it from a normal mouse cursor by changing its shape.

[0024]

According to the register mark position detecting apparatus of the present invention, the automatic detection and the manual detection are automatically switched to easily perform the position detection work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a hardware configuration used in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of plate inspection work according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing in the register mark position detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view for explaining a first window and a second window.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 inspection object 12 scanner 14 printer 20 host computer 22 mouse W1 1st window W2 2nd window EC frame type cursor LC cross cursor RM register mark

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A register mark position detecting device for detecting the center position of a register mark on image data obtained by scanning a target pattern, wherein the image data is displayed on a first window and is predetermined. Image display means for movably displaying a frame-shaped cursor of a size on the image data; instruction means for moving the frame-shaped cursor to indicate a predetermined range of image data including a register mark, Enlarging means for enlarging the image data of the range and displaying it on the second window of the image display means; computing means for image-processing the image data on the second window to compute the center position of the register mark; When the center position of the register mark can be detected by the calculating means, the mark is displayed at the center position of the detected register mark. A register mark having a display means for displaying and a manual mode switching means for automatically switching to a manual mode for manually indicating the center position of the register mark when the center position of the register mark cannot be detected by the calculating means. Position detection device.