METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY VISUALLY INSPECTING AN ARTICLE

A method and system are disclosed for automatically visually inspecting an article such as an electronic circuit wherein both reference and non-reference algorithms are utilized to detect circuit defects. The system includes a pipelined cellular image processor which is utilized to implement the non-reference algorithm and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is coupled to the output of the cellular image processor to perform the reference method. The non-reference method includes a spaces and traces algorithm and the reference method includes a topology matching algorithm. The system also includes an algorithm for locating and gauging critical areas of the circuit with sub-pixel accuracy. The cellular image processor is supported by a matched host image processor system