Virtual measuring instruments are useful tools in surface topography measurement and can be applied for the prediction of measuring results and the determination of measurement uncertainty. For optical measuring instruments, often computationally expensive ray-tracing algorithms are applied. Other models provide an approximation of the transfer behavior based on techniques from signal processing or physical considerations of the instrument setup. For confocal microscopy, we suggest the application of a hybrid model which combines a linear filter model with limitations caused by physical properties of the measuring instrument. The application of the comprehensive model and the estimation of measurement uncertainty based on the instrument characteristics are presented. The results are in good compliance with experimental data and the model requires very few computing effort. An easy-to-use approach to implement the corresponding models for a specific measuring instrument is presented.

虚拟测量仪器是表面形貌测量中的有用工具，可用于预测测量结果和确定测量不确定度。对于光学测量仪器，通常应用计算上昂贵的光线跟踪算法。其他模型基于信号处理技术或仪器设置的物理考虑，提供了传输行为的近似值。对于共聚焦显微镜，我们建议应用混合模型，该模型将线性滤波器模型与测量仪器的物理特性所引起的局限性相结合。介绍了综合模型的应用以及基于仪器特性的测量不确定度估计。结果与实验数据完全吻合，该模型只需要很少的计算工作。提出了一种易于使用的方法来实现特定测量仪器的相应模型。