Pre-match Prediction for Automated Pattern Testing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automated pattern testing systems face challenges in balancing speed and accuracy, particularly in hardware configurations where lower cost systems often compromise on speed and accuracy due to resource constraints.

Innovation Solution

The system dynamically adjusts the match phase thresholds based on predictions from a pre-match phase, allowing for either a more relaxed or rigorous match process depending on the likelihood of a match, thereby optimizing processing speed without compromising accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a rigorous match process is used to ensure accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvematch accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The pre-match phase performs preliminary evaluation of the sample pattern against the reference pattern before the full match process. This preliminary action identifies obvious matches or non-matches early, allowing the system to skip or simplify the rigorous match process for cases where the outcome is already clear, thus reducing processing time while maintaining accuracy for uncertain cases

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The match process is divided into two distinct phases: a pre-match phase for initial evaluation and a full match phase for rigorous verification. This segmentation allows the system to apply different levels of processing intensity to different cases, performing only the necessary amount of analysis for each pattern comparison, thereby optimizing the balance between speed and accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If processing speed is increased to improve productivity, then output per unit time is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidmatch accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the level of processing applied to each pattern comparison based on the pre-match evaluation results. For high-confidence pre-match outcomes, the system applies minimal additional processing (high speed). For uncertain cases, the system applies full rigorous processing (high accuracy). This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize processing speed without compromising accuracy for cases that require it

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes processing parameters (such as the threshold for accepting a match or the number of features to evaluate) based on the pre-match phase results. When the pre-match phase indicates a clear match or non-match, the system uses relaxed parameters to speed up processing. When results are uncertain, the system switches to strict parameters to ensure accuracy, thus achieving high productivity without sacrificing measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9940502B2Pre-match prediction for pattern testing

Publication Date: 2018.04.10 IDEX ASA

AI summary

A system and method for improving speed of automated pattern testing for any particular hardware configuration. A pattern testing includes a matching process and a pre-match process that establishes features of interest used in the match process. The pre-match process is used to predict a likelihood of a passed match (or a failed match) and alters the subsequent match process in response to the prediction.