Optical information reading device

• US 10,268,853 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Original Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Inventors: Nagata, Hidezumi, Tajika, Taichi, Ohori, Hiroomi, Nomi, Taiga
• Primary Examiner(s): St Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/849,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20180239937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 23546211, 23546214, 23546215, 23546223
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1408 the method being specifically adapted for the type of code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes

Abstract

[Object] To enhance a reading accuracy of a code even when a light amount, which can be received by an imaging element, varies greatly. [Means to solve the problems] A plurality of second images in response to a plurality of different conversion characteristics is generated by using the first image obtained at the time of setting of an optical information reading device. The results, in which codes included in the generated second images are respectively decoded by a decoding part, are analyzed, and one of the conversion characteristics is selected. The second image in response to the selected conversion characteristic is generated by using the first image at the time of operation of the optical information reading device.

Claims

1. An optical information reading device which includes

an imaging part provided with an imaging element which takes an image of a code attached to a workpiece,

a conversion part generating a second image by converting from a pixel value of a first image obtained by the imaging part to a pixel value in response to a predetermined conversion characteristic, and

a decoding part decoding a code included in the second image generated by the conversion part,

the optical information reading device comprising:

a conversion characteristic storage part storing a plurality of different conversion characteristics used as the predetermined conversion characteristic at a time of conversion of the pixel value in the conversion part;

a processing part controlling the conversion part to generate a plurality of second images in response to each of the plurality of different conversion characteristics stored in the conversion characteristic storage part by using the first image obtained by the imaging part at a time of setting of the optical information reading device before operation of the optical information reading device, and to select one of the plurality of different conversion characteristics by analyzing a result in which the code included in each of the plurality of generated second images is decoded by the decoding part; and

a parameter setting storage part storing setting information including a parameter which constitutes the conversion characteristic selected by the processing part,

wherein the conversion part generates a new second image in response to the conversion characteristic corresponding to the parameter stored in the parameter setting storage part by using a new first image obtained by the imaging part at a time of the operation of the optical information reading device, and

the decoding part decodes a code included in the new second image generated by the conversion part.

2. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the processing part is configured to control the imaging part to obtain a plurality of first images at the time of setting of the optical information reading device, and controls the conversion part to generate a plurality of second images in response to each of the conversion characteristics, which are stored in the conversion characteristic storage part, for each of the plurality of first images.

3. The optical information reading device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an illumination part illuminating the code attached to the workpiece;

the processing part is configured to control the imaging part to obtain the plurality of first images by taking images multiple times while changing an imaging condition or an illumination condition at the time of setting of the optical information reading device.

4. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the processing part is configured to control the imaging part to obtain one first image and to control the conversion part to generate a plurality of second images in response to each of the conversion characteristics, which are stored in the conversion characteristic storage part, by using the one first image at the time of setting of the optical information reading device.

5. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion characteristic storage part includes at least a first conversion characteristic, which is formed of a substantially logarithmic curve for suppressing a brightness variation of the first images obtained by the imaging part at the time of operation of the optical information reading device, and a second conversion characteristic, which is formed on a substantially exponential curve for enhancing a contrast of the first images obtained by the imaging part at the time of operation of the optical information reading device,

wherein the processing part is configured to control the conversion part to generate a second image in response to the first conversion characteristic and a second image in response to the second conversion characteristic, and by analyzing results in which codes included in the second images are decoded by the decoding part, one of the first conversion characteristic and the second conversion characteristic is selected.

6. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the processing part is configured to control the decoding part to decode each of the codes included in the plurality of second images, and to analyze a reading margin indicating easiness of reading the codes which are successfully decoded.

7. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a parameter setting storage part storing a parameter setting including a plurality of parameters which constitutes at least one of the imaging condition of the imaging part and the image processing condition in the decoding part;

wherein the parameter setting includes a parameter which constitutes a conversion characteristic selected by the processing part.

8. The optical information reading device according to claim 7, wherein the processing part selects a plurality of conversion characteristics based on the results in which a code included in each of the plurality of second images is decoded by the decoding part, and a parameter setting including a parameter, which constitutes each of the plurality of selected conversion characteristics, is stored in the parameter setting storage part.

9. The optical information reading device according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of different parameter settings is stored in the parameter setting storage part,

the optical information reading device further comprising:

a parameter setting switching part switching from one parameter setting to another parameter setting.