US 2013/0258094 A1 · HARDNESS TESTER

Abstract

A hardness tester enabling a user to form an indentation in a desired test position, capable of performing an accurate hardness test even when center positions of an indenter and a field lens are offset. The hardness tester includes an XY stage displacing a sample stage in a horizontal direction; a CCD camera capturing images of a sample surface via a field lens; a monitor displaying the images; a turret capable of selectively positioning the indenter or the field lens in a predetermined position opposite the sample; a memory storing an amount of horizontal direction offset between the center positions of the indenter and the field lens when positioned in the predetermined position; and a CPU displaying, based on the amount of offset stored in the memory, a mark indicating the center position of the indenter on the monitor when the field lens is positioned in the predetermined position.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A hardness tester for measuring hardness of a sample placed on a sample stage by loading a predetermined test force on the sample with an indenter to form an indentation in a surface of the sample, then measuring dimensions of the indentation, the hardness tester comprising:

a horizontal stage displacer configured to displace the sample stage in a horizontal direction;
an image capturer configured to capture an image of the surface of the sample via a field lens;
a display configured to display the image of the surface of the sample captured by the image capturer;
a switcher configured to selectively position one of the indenter and the field lens in a predetermined position opposite the sample;
a memory configured to store an amount of offset in the horizontal direction between a center position of the indenter when positioned in the predetermined position and the center position of the field lens when positioned in the predetermined position;
and
a display controller configured to display a mark indicating the center position of the indenter on the display based on the amount of offset stored in the memory when the field lens is positioned in the predetermined position by the switcher.

4 more elements

a horizontal stage displacer configured to displace the sample stage in a horizontal direction;
an image capturer configured to capture an image of the surface of the sample via a field lens;
a switcher configured to selectively position one of the indenter and the field lens in a predetermined position opposite the sample;
a memory configured to store an amount of offset in the horizontal direction between a center position of the indenter when positioned in the predetermined position and a center position of the field lens when positioned in the predetermined position;
and
a stage displacement controller configured to displace the horizontal stage displacer to a position corresponding to a center position of one of the indenter and the field lens when positioned in the predetermined position by the switcher, based on the amount of offset stored in the memory.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hardness tester

Life of this patent

Hardness tester

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10