# US 12,216,739 B2 · Surface processing system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,739 B2 - Document ID: US12216739B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/271,167 - Filed: 2019-08-21 - Published: 2021-11-18 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-05 - Assignees: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation - Applicants: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation - Inventors: Yuichi Okabe; Toshishige Shimamura; Tsuyoshi Yamamoto; Yuzo Ishii - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216739B2 ## CPC - G06F 18/22: Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures - C25D 21/12: Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) - G01N 21/27: using photo-electric detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence){; circuits for computing concentration (logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J)} - G01N 21/31: Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)} - C23C 18/1675: {Process conditions} - G01N 21/25: Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) ## Abstract An image capturing unit captures an image of a surface of a member treated by a surface treatment unit. A comparison unit obtains a correlation coefficient between a reference image stored in a storage unit and the image captured by the image capturing unit. A cross-correlation coefficient between power spectra of the reference image and the image captured by the image capturing unit is obtained. A control unit stops a surface treatment performed by the surface treatment unit when the correlation coefficient obtained by the comparison unit reaches a set value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A surface treatment system comprising: a storage configured to store reference images of a surface of a treatment target member, the reference images capturing a plurality of different final target treatment states of the surface of the treatment target member; a surface treater configured to perform a surface treatment on the surface of the treatment target member based on a selection instruction received from a user, the selection instruction indicating a selected final target treatment state from the plurality of different final target treatment states; an image recorder configured to capture an image of the surface of the treatment target member being treated by the surface treater; a comparer configured to obtain a correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the image captured by the image recorder; and a controller configured to stop the surface treatment performed by the surface treater in response to the correlation coefficient obtained by the comparer reaching a set value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, wherein the image recorder is configured to capture images of the surface of the treatment target member in a plurality of different directions, the storage is configured to store a plurality of reference images corresponding to the images in respective directions captured by the image recorder, and the comparer is configured to obtain a correlation coefficient between each of the plurality of reference images stored in the storage and the corresponding image captured by the image recorder. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, further comprising an image generator configured to generate a three-dimensional image of the treatment target member from the image captured by the image recorder, wherein the comparer is configured to obtain the correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the three-dimensional image generated by the image generator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The surface treatment system according to claim 3, further comprising: a reflectance measurer configured to measure a reflectance of light of a set wavelength on the surface of the target treatment member being treated by the surface treater; and a changer configured to change an image capturing condition of the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer; or a corrector configured to correct the image captured by the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer, wherein the comparer is configured to obtain the correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the image corrected by the corrector. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, further comprising: a reflectance measurer configured to measure a reflectance of light of a set wavelength on the surface of the target treatment member being treated by the surface treater; and a changer configured to change an image capturing condition of the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer; or a corrector configured to correct the image captured by the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer, wherein the comparer is configured to obtain the correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the image corrected by the corrector. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, wherein the reference images stored in the storage are images obtained by capturing images of the surface of the target treatment member in each of the plurality of different final target treatment states. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, wherein the reference images stored in the storage are model images in which each of the plurality of different final target treatment states is reproduced. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, further comprising: a display controller configured to display the reference images stored in the storage on a display unit; and a receptor configured to receive an instruction input for selecting the reference image of the reference images displayed on the display unit corresponding to the selected final target treatment state, wherein the comparer is configured to obtain the correlation coefficient between the reference image corresponding to the instruction input received by the receptor and the image captured by the image recorder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance mechanism configured to move the treatment target member from an accommodation device to the surface treater based on the selection instruction received from the user and from the surface treater to a product take-out area accessible to the user following completion of the surface treatment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The surface treatment system according to claim 1, wherein: the target treatment member comprises a metal member and the surface treatment comprises a plating treatment or a corroding treatment; or the target treatment member comprises a plastic or a paper material and the surface treatment comprises an aging treatment using corona discharge, a plasma treatment, a blast treatment, irradiation with an ultraviolet light, or irradiation with an infrared light. ### Claim 11 A surface treatment method comprising: storing in a storage reference images of a surface of a treatment target member, the reference images capturing a plurality of different final target treatment states of the surface of the treatment target member; performing, by a surface treater, a surface treatment on the surface of the treatment target member based on a selection instruction received from a user, the selection instruction indicating a selected final target treatment state from the plurality of different final target treatment states; capturing, by an image recorder, an image of the surface of the treatment target member being treated by the surface treater; obtaining, by a comparer, a correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the image captured by the image recorder; and stopping, by a controller, the surface treatment performed by the surface treater in response to the correlation coefficient obtained by the comparer reaching a set value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, wherein the image recorder captures images of the surface of the treatment target member in a plurality of different directions, the storage stores a reference images corresponding to the images in respective directions captured by the image recorder, and the comparer obtains the correlation coefficient between each of the reference images stored in the storage and the corresponding image captured by the image recorder. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising generating, by an image generator, a three-dimensional image of the treatment target member from the image captured by the image recorder, wherein the comparer obtains the correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the three-dimensional image generated by the image generator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising: measuring, by a reflectance measurer, a reflectance of light of a set wavelength on the surface of the target treatment member being treated by the surface treater; and changing an image capturing condition of the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer; or correcting, by a corrector, the image captured by the image recorder based on the reflectance measured by the reflectance measurer, wherein the comparer obtains the correlation coefficient between the reference image for the selected final target treatment state stored in the storage and the image corrected by the corrector. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, wherein the reference images stored in the storage are images obtained by capturing images of the surface of the target treatment member in each of the plurality of different final target treatment states. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, wherein the reference images stored in the storage are model images in which each of the plurality of different final target treatment states is reproduced. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The surface treatment method according to claim 16, further comprising: displaying, by a display controller, the reference images stored in the storage on a display unit; and receiving, by a receptor, an instruction input for selecting the reference image of the reference images displayed on the display unit corresponding to the selected final target treatment state, wherein the comparer obtains the correlation coefficient between the reference image corresponding to the instruction input received by the receptor and the image captured by the image recorder. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising: displaying, by a display controller, the reference images stored in the storage on a display unit; and receiving, by a receptor, an instruction input for selecting the reference image of the reference images displayed on the display unit corresponding to the selected final target treatment state, wherein the comparer obtains the correlation coefficient between the reference image corresponding to the instruction input received by the receptor and the image captured by the image recorder. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, further comprising moving, by a conveyance mechanism, the treatment target member from an accommodation device to the surface treater based on the selection instruction received from the user and from the surface treater to a product take-out area accessible to the user following completion of the surface treatment. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The surface treatment method according to claim 11, wherein: the target treatment member comprises a metal member and the surface treatment comprises a plating treatment or a corroding treatment; or the target treatment member comprises a plastic or a paper material and the surface treatment comprises an aging treatment using corona discharge, a plasma treatment, a blast treatment, irradiation with an ultraviolet light, or irradiation with an infrared light.