A method for estimating thread parameters of a part which moves relative
to a stage and a plurality of sensors which measure the amount of
radiation contained in directed planar portions of radiation unobstructed
by the part is provided. The amount of radiation is representative of a
respective geometric dimension of the part. The method includes obtaining
calibrated part data from an inspection region between position limits of
the stage. The calibrated part data includes calibrated sensor data for
each sensor of the system and its corresponding coordinate system. The
method further includes processing the calibrated part data to obtain
intermediate data. The method still further includes analyzing the
intermediate data to produce estimates of the thread parameters of the
part.