Surface Defect Scanner Image Storage Segmentation

The patent divides the surface scan image into multiple image tiles of a specific size, where each tile represents a discrete segment of the overall image. This segmentation allows for efficient storage and retrieval by treating each tile as an independent unit that can be stored once and referenced multiple times through connection lists, rather than storing overlapping regions repeatedly.

The patent performs preliminary organization of image tiles by creating connection lists that establish spatial relationships between adjacent tiles before actual retrieval operations. The processor pre-processes the image data to determine which tiles are connected and in what order, storing this structural information in advance. This preliminary action enables rapid retrieval by allowing the system to directly access and reconstruct images based on pre-established connections rather than searching through unorganized tile data.

The patent uses connection lists to create virtual copies or references to image tile data rather than storing actual duplicate copies of overlapping regions. Each connection list entry contains references to existing tile data and the transformation parameters needed to reconstruct overlapping regions. This approach maintains detection accuracy by preserving complete coverage information while storing only unique tile data once, with references pointing to the appropriate tiles for reconstruction.