Television – Special applications – Manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2001-08-21
Lee, Michael (Department: 2714)
Television
Special applications
Manufacturing
C348S094000, C348S125000, C348S128000, C382S141000, C382S204000, C359S452000, C359S453000, C264S001700, C264S001900, C264S002700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278482
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for imaging a sphere disposition in a planer lens and the like constructed in such a way that a plurality of transparent spheres, for example, are disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape, a method and an apparatus for measuring the same, and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing the planer lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, some translucent screens for rear projectors (translucent or rear projection projectors) are of such a construction that a large number of transparent spheres such as glass beads are two-dimensionally disposed in a single layer and the spaces among them are filled with light absorption materials (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,378,252 and 3,552,822, and Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 3-31727, etc.).
By using such a planer lens, there can be obtained a high-performance screen which has wide viewing angles both in horizontal and vertical directions.
With such a planer lens, to improve performance attributes such as screen penetration factor, it is important that transparent spheres are disposed as densely as possible.
For example, there are disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 9-15660 a method and apparatus for dispersing a large number of minute spheres on an adhesive layer and pressing them from top by a pressure roller so as to be embedded in the adhesive layer and disposed in high density.
In the process of manufacturing such a planer lens, however, only persons have been conventionally available to observe and check the disposition of the transparent spheres and the degree of the filling. This has resulted in an increase in labor costs, leading to higher manufacturing costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a method for imaging a sphere disposition which permits the disposition of the transparent spheres and the degree of the filling to be determined relatively easily, a method and an apparatus for measuring the same, and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a planer lens.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for imaging a sphere disposition according to this invention detects peak points of brightness having brightness of a first proper value or greater from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape, and successively paints adjacent pixels with each of the detected peak points of brightness in the image data as a starting point, the adjacent pixels having brightness of a second proper value (the second proper value<the first proper value) or greater, then binarizes the image data painted in a proper area by using a third proper value (the second proper value<the third proper value<the first proper value) as a threshold value.
A method for imaging a sphere disposition according to another embodiment of this invention detects circle or circular arc patterns of a proper size from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape, and paints the inside area of each of the circle or circular arc patterns detected in the image data, then binarizes the image data painted in proper areas.
A method for imaging a sphere disposition according to further another embodiment of this invention detects peak points of brightness having brightness of a first proper value or greater from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape, detects circle or circular arc patterns of a proper size, checks for the presence of correspondences between the detected peak points of brightness and the detected circle or circular arc patterns, successively paints adjacent pixels with each of the detected peak points of brightness having a correspondence with the circle or circular arc patterns in the image data as a starting point, the adjacent pixels having brightness of a second proper value (the second proper value<the first proper value) or greater, then binarizes the image data painted in a proper area by using a third proper value (the second proper value<the third proper value<the first proper value) as a threshold value.
A method for measuring a sphere disposition according to this invention detects peak points of brightness from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of transparent spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape so that a peak point of brightness brighter than the outside area of each sphere is formed in the inside area thereof and a low brightness area darker than the outside area is formed in the circumferential portion thereof, then using a first proper value lower than the brightness level of the outside area of the each sphere and higher than the brightness level of the low brightness area in the circumferential portion of the each sphere in the image data, successively paints adjacent pixels with each of the peak points of brightness detected by the brightness peak point detecting means as a starting point, the adjacent pixels having brightness of the first proper value or greater, and then binarizes the image data painted in a proper area by using a second proper value between the first proper value and the brightness level of the outside area of the each sphere as a threshold value, and measures the disposition of the plurality of transparent spheres based on the obtained binary image of the image data.
A method for measuring a sphere disposition according to another embodiment of this invention detects circle or circular arc patterns of a proper size from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of transparent spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape so that a peak point of brightness brighter than the outside area of each sphere is formed in the inside area thereof and a low brightness area darker than the outside area is formed in the circumferential portion thereof, paints the inside area of each of the circle or circular arc patterns detected in the image data, then binarizes the image data painted in a proper area by a threshold value lower than the brightness level of the outside area of the each sphere and higher than the brightness level of the low brightness area in the circumferential portion of the each sphere, and measures the disposition of the plurality of transparent spheres based on the obtained binary image of the image data.
A method for measuring a sphere disposition according to further another embodiment of this invention detects peak points of brightness from image data obtained by photographing while illuminating a plurality of transparent spheres disposed in a single layer in a substantially plane shape so that a peak point of brightness brighter than the outside area of each sphere is formed in the inside area thereof and a low brightness area darker than the outside area thereof is formed in the circumferential portion thereof, detects circle or circular arc patterns of a proper size, checks for the presence of correspondences between the detected peak points of brightness and the detected circle or circular arc patterns, then using a first proper value lower than the brightness level of the outside area of the each sphere and higher than the brightness level of the low brightness area in the circumferential portion of the each sphere in the image data, successively paints adjacent pixels with each of the peak points of brightness having a correspondence with the circle or circular arc patterns as a starting point, the adjacent pixels having brightness of the first proper value or greater, and then binarizes the image data painted in a proper area by using a second proper value between the first proper value and the brightness level of the outside area of the each sphere as a threshold value, and measure
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Lee Michael
Sony Corporation
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