Frame grabber

• US 20050093990A1
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Aoyama, Chiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,405,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

A frame grabber comprising image signal decoders to convert the analog image signal to digital image data, a multiplexer to select the image data stream sent from the image signal decoders, frame memories and a memory controller to control the digital image data in a unit of frame data to be transferred to an external main image processor unit further has a pulse generator, a pulse counter, a bus controller for transferring the frame data and a time stamping code generator to consolidate the same time base between the in-frame image data and other data used for robot controlling.

Claims

1. A frame grabber which has a function to output digital image data sourced from analog image signals taken by video cameras to a main image processor unit and a function to make same time base to consolidate said image data with other data to be used for a controller unit under association with said digital image data comprising,

a pulse generator to generate pulses in synchronous to image synchronous pulses to be output to said video cameras;

a pulse counter to count said pulses generated by said pulse generator;

an image data transfer means that has a function to transfer said digital image data in synchronous to sending count numbers obtained as a result of counting said pulses to said controller unit; and

a synchronous signal transmitter to send said count number to said controller unit.

2. A frame grabber according to claim 1, wherein said image data transfer means includes

a frame memory that is configured to store in-frame image in a unit of frame data and has a capacity to store at least an amount of in-frame image data corresponding to two full-size frames;

a raster line comparator that keeps checking whether each frame data has been sent in an amount of necessary in-frame image up to a raster line number thereof given by said main image processor unit; and

a memory controller that sends a report of “

Completion”

of said each frame data to said main image processor unit

3. A frame grabber according to claim 1, wherein said image data transfer means includes a memory controller that has a function to manage a flag attached to each in-frame image data that is stored in a unit of frame data configured in a frame memory by said memory controller where said flag indicates to accept or prohibit a memory region to be allocated for new frame data to overwrite existing frame data.

4. A frame grabber that further has a lighting apparatus in addition to said frame grabber according to claim 1, wherein said pulse generator includes a memory means to store plural data to control said lighting apparatus to shine objects of which image is acquired by said frame grabber by means of at least any one of variations as time delay-against pulses generated by said pulse generator, pulse duration time and pulse height.