computer science

VIEW Engineering

VIEW Engineering is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand VIEW Engineering rather than just read about it. In short: VIEW Engineering was one of the first manufacturers of commercial machine vision systems. These systems provided automated dimensional measurement, defect detection, alignment and quality control capabilities.

Key takeaways

VIEW Engineering belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VIEW Engineering to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VIEW Engineering from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

VIEW Engineering was one of the first manufacturers of commercial machine vision systems. These systems provided automated dimensional measurement, defect detection, alignment and quality control capabilities. They were used primarily in the Semiconductor device fabrication, Integrated circuit packaging, Printed circuit board, Computer data storage and Precision assembly / fabrication industries. VIEW's systems used video and laser technologies to perform their functions without touching the parts being examined.

History

1976 origins

While working as a physicist at Hughes Aircraft Company, Dick Hubach recognized a need for automated dimensional measurement systems, when he discovered that the cost to verify the correct manufacture of some aerospace components actually exceeded the cost to manufacture those components. This recognition led to a new start-up company named VIEW Engineering. VIEW Engineering was founded in Canoga Park, California in 1976. The next year, VIEW introduced the word's first automated, 3-axis, machine vision-based, dimensional measurement system – the RB-1. The RB-1 was the forerunner of modern machine vision-based Coordinate-measuring machines (CMMs). This was followed in 1978 by the introduction of the first pattern recognition (Template matching) system for automated Wirebonding machines and Wafer probers – the PR-1.

Growth As the company's business increased, VIEW Engineering relocated to a facility in Chatsworth, California in late 1977 and again to Simi Valley, California in 1981. General Motors Corporation invested in VIEW Engineering in 1984 as part of its plan to improve automobile manufacturing quality in the U.S. through widespread use of factory floor machine vision technology. In 1989, VIEW Engineering purchased Synthetic Vision Systems, Inc. VIEW Engineering was an OEM for Mitutoyo in the late 1980s. This relationship was concluded when Mitutoyo licensed VIEW's machine vision technology in 1994. This licensed technology became the foundation for Mitutoyo's video and laser-based CMMs. In 1996, Robotic Vision Systems, Inc. (RVSI) first brought a patent infringement lawsuit against VIEW Engineering related to the coplanarity measurement of packaged semiconductor devices. In 2000, RVSI's patent was finally declared invalid and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled in favor of VIEW Engineering. Even after this ruling, RVSI contemplated continuing its appeals through 2001.

1996 purchase and continued existence Also in 1996, VIEW Engineering was purchased by General Scanning, Inc. (GSI). Quality Vision International, Inc. (QVI) purchased the company from GSI Lumonics (previously GSI) in 2000. In 2005, QVI combined VIEW Engineering with Micro Metric, Inc. of San Jose, California, and in 2008 renamed the new company "VIEW Micro-Metrology." In 2009, VIEW's California operations were relocated to QVI's Western Region facility in Tempe, Arizona. VIEW Micro-Metrology continues to be global supplier of high-accuracy video coordinate measuring systems and software, primarily serving micro-electronic, mobile device and data storage manufacturing.

Product timeline

1977: VIEW RB-1 – An automated, 3-axis, binary image, machine vision-based, dimensional measurement system (a forerunner of modern machine vision-based CMMs) 1978: VIEW PR-1 – A binary image, pattern recognition system for automated Wirebonding machines and Wafer probers 1981: VIEW 719 – A general-purpose, binary image, machine vision system for shop floor use 1982: VIEW 1101 – A 2nd generation, binary image, pattern recognition system for automated Wirebonding machines and Wafer probers 1982: VIEW 1119 – A combination of the 719 and the 1101 that provided pattern recognition and edge detection capabilities 1982: VIEW 1200 – A binary image, machine vision-based CMM 1985: VIEW 720 – A 2nd generation, general-purpose, grayscale image, machine vision system for shop floor use 1985: VIEW 1220 – A 2nd generation, grayscale image, machine vision-based CMM 1986: VIEW 725 – A dedicated machine vision system for QFP (Quad Flat Package) and PLCC (Plastic leaded chip carrier) package inspection 1987: VIEW Précis 3000 – A large-travel, machine-vision-based CMM 1988: VIEW Bazic8 & Bazic12 – Machine vision-based CMMs 1989: VIEW Ultra8 – A high-accuracy (sub-micron), machine vision-based CMM 1990: VIEW 7100 – A 2nd generation, machine vision system for QFP and PLCC package inspection 1993: VIEW Voyager 6x12, Voyager 12x12 & Voyager 18x18 – Machine vision-based CMMs 1994: VIEW 830 – A laser-based, 3D scanner system for PGA (Pin grid array) package inspection 1995: VIEW 8100 – A laser-based, 3D scanner system for SMT (Surface-mount technology) process characterization and control 1995: VIEW 880 – A laser-based, 3D scanner system for in-tray inspection of QFP, TQFP (Thin Quad Flat Pack), TSOP (Thin small-outline package) and BGA (Ball grid array) packages 1997: VIEW 890 – A laser-based, 3D scanner system for bump-on-die (Flip chip) inspection 1999: VIEW Pinnacle 250 – A high-accuracy, machine vision-based CMM 2001: VIEW Summit 450 & Summit 600 – High-accuracy, large-travel, machine vision-based CMMs The timeline given above is summarized here.

Patents VIEW Engineering's patents related to correlation-based pattern recognition were the foundation of the company's beginnings

Correlation-based Pattern Recognition hardware and software to find the position of specific, complex part features in video images. (United States Patent 4200861 & 4736437 & 4385322 & 4300164) A number of VIEW Engineering's 31 patents address key video technologies useful in machine vision-based CMMs including

Programmable Ring Light hardware to enhance the appearance of weak-edges in video images by controlling illumination intensity, direction, color and angle of incidence. (United States Patent 4706168) (Japan Patent 2001-324450) (China Patent 200810207342) (Canada Patent CA 1293232) Automatic, Video-based, Camera Focusing to determine the Z-axis position of an object under inspection. (United States Patent 4920273) (Canada Patent CA 1255796) Ronchi Grid Surface Focus hardware to allow automatic camera-focusing on reflective or low-texture surfaces. (United States Patent 4743771) Other VIEW Engineering patents relate to the 3D laser-scanning technology used in VIEW's PGA, QFP, TQFP, TSOP and BGA package inspection systems

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

VIEW Engineering's Logo, circa 1996

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VIEW Engineering

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VIEW Engineering claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VIEW Engineering before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VIEW Engineering ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VIEW Engineering

In research: VIEW Engineering appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VIEW Engineering in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VIEW Engineering is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1976 establishments in California, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, Commercial computer vision systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VIEW Engineering outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study VIEW Engineering in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VIEW Engineering means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VIEW Engineering out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VIEW Engineering in simple terms?

Why does VIEW Engineering matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VIEW Engineering?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VIEW Engineering.