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US 9,588,056 B2Granted
Method for particle detection on flexible substrates
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsNorman Henry Fontaine, Alana Marie Whittier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for detection of particulate on thin, flexible substrates wherein the substrate is positioned in a bend comprising an apex line. The apex line is illuminated by grazing angle illumination, and light from the illumination scattered by the particulate is captured by a detection apparatus.
Claims18
A method of detecting one or more particles on a substrate comprising:
- conveying the substrate over an arcuate surface and producing a first bend in at least a portion of the substrate
- directing a laser beam emitted by a broad area laser through a slow-axis cylindrical lens and a fast-axis cylindrical lens separate from the slow-axis cylindrical lens onto an exterior surface of the substrate at an apex line of the first bend, wherein a central axis of the laser beam is within 10 degrees of a plane tangent to the apex line, the slow-axis cylindrical lens imaging the laser beam onto an image plane transverse to a direction of the laser beam, the fast-axis cylindrical lens collimating the laser beam along a fast axis of the laser beam, the slow-axis cylindrical lens and the fast-axis cylindrical lens forming a rectangular area of illumination of the laser beam at the image plane transverse to the direction of the laser beam, and the laser beam producing scattered light from the one or more particles on the exterior surface at the apex line;
- restricting a numerical aperture of the laser beam along a fast-slow axis of the slow-axis cylindrical lens using a numerical aperture restricting aperture plate positioned between the slow-axis cylindrical lens and the fast-axis cylindrical lens;
- and
- detecting the scattered light with a detection device.
2 more elements
A method of detecting one or more particles on a surface of a glass substrate comprising:
- conveying the glass substrate over an arcuate surface and producing a first bend in at least a portion of the glass substrate;
- directing a laser beam emitted from a broad area laser through a slow-axis cylindrical lens and a fast-axis cylindrical lens separate from the slow-axis cylindrical lens onto an exterior surface of the glass substrate at an apex line of the first bend, wherein a central axis of the laser beam is within 10 degrees of a plane tangent to the apex line, the slow-axis cylindrical lens imaging the laser beam onto an image plane transverse to a direction of the laser beam, the fast-axis cylindrical lens collimating the laser beam along a fast axis of the laser beam, the slow-axis cylindrical lens and the fast-axis cylindrical lens forming a rectangular area of illumination of the laser beam at the image plane transverse to the direction of the laser beam, and the laser beam produces scattered light from the one or more particles on the exterior surface at the apex line;
- and
- restricting a numerical aperture of the laser beam along a fast-slow axis of the slow-axis cylindrical lens using a numerical aperture restricting aperture plate positioned between the slow-axis cylindrical lens and the fast-axis cylindrical lens;
- and
- detecting the scattered light with a detection device.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.