Camera diagnostics

• US 20090174773A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Inventors: Gowdy, Jay W., Pomerleau, Dean
• Application Number:
  US12/220,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174773A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/402 Image calibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8053 for bad weather conditions or night vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8093 for obstacle warning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/683 by defect estimation performed on the scene signal, e.g. real time or on the fly detection

Abstract

Per one example embodiment, apparatus may be provided. The apparatus may include memory and representations of camera diagnostics code and of other code including machine vision code. An image acquirer assembly may be provided, which is configured to take source images. Source images are provided for a camera diagnostics system formed by the camera diagnostics code and for a machine vision system formed by the machine vision code. The camera diagnostics system includes an obscurant detector configured to determine when the source images include artifacts representative of one or more obscurants intercepting a light path between a target object substantially remote from the image acquirer assembly and an imaging plane of the image acquirer assembly. The machine vision system includes machine vision tools configured to locate and analyze the target object in the source images when the target object is not obscured by the one or more obscurants.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

memory;

at least one processor;

computer-readable media including first representations of camera diagnostics code configured to, when interoperably read by the at least one processor, form a camera diagnostics system, and second representations of other code including machine vision code, the machine vision code being configured to, when interoperably read by the at least one processor, form a machine vision system;

an image acquirer assembly configured to take two-dimensional pixel source images;

source images for the camera diagnostics system and for the machine vision system;

the source images each having been acquired by image acquirer assembly, and at least a portion of one or more of the source images being stored in the memory;

the camera diagnostics system including an obscurant detector configured to determine when the source images include artifacts representative of one or more obscurants intercepting a light path between a target object substantially remote from the image acquirer assembly and an imaging plane in the image acquirer assembly, the obscurant detector including a structure data determiner configured to analyze the source images and to produce structure data indicative of the existence of structure at different areas in the source images; and

the machine vision system including machine vision tools configured to locate and analyze the target object in the source images when the target object is not obscured by the one or more obscurants.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle mount configured to mount at least the image acquirer assembly to a movable vehicle.

3. Apparatus comprising:

image storage configured to receive, and to store at least a portion of one or more of, plural images including two-dimensional images;

a structure data determiner configured to analyze two-dimensional images from among the plural images and to produce structure data indicative of the existence of structure at different areas in the two-dimensional image;

a comparator configured to compare one or more first images of the plural images to one or more second images of the plural images, the one or more second images having been taken at times different than when the one or more first images were taken, and configured to determine an extent to which given structure data at a given location common to the first and second images has changed substantially from the one or more first images to the one or more second images; and

an obscurant determiner configured to determine when a obscurant exists at the given location based on factors, wherein a substantial change in a given value of the given structure data is a factor in favor of a determination that an obscurant exists at the given location, and wherein an insubstantial change in the given value of the given structure data is a factor in favor of a determination that an obscurant does not exist at the given location, wherein a change in the given value is deemed to be substantial when it exceeds a substantiality threshold value, and wherein a change in the given value is deemed to be insubstantial when it is below an insubstantiality threshold value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure data includes high spatial frequency components.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure data includes edge-based values.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure data includes pixel intensity statistics.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a speed input configured to receive speed-related data related to a current velocity of movement of a camera taking the images relative to target objects, wherein the factors further include the speed-related data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further including a vehicle mounted camera, wherein the camera taking the images includes the vehicle mounted camera, the speed-related data including a vehicle speed value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a rate-of-turn input configured to receive rate-of-turn related data related to a rate of change in yaw positioning of a camera taking the images, wherein the factors further include the rate-of-turn related data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a vehicle mounted camera, wherein the camera taking the images includes the vehicle mounted camera, the rate-of-turn related data including a vehicle turn rate value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a time of day input configured to receive time of day data, wherein the factors further include the time of day data.

12. The according to claim 3, further comprising an image region determiner, configured to determine an image region, from among a predetermined set of image regions, within which the given location is located, wherein the factors further include which image region, among the predetermined image regions, is where the given location is located.

13. Apparatus comprising:

image storage configured to receive, and to store at least a portion of one or more of, plural images including two-dimensional images;

a structure data determiner configured to analyze two-dimensional images from among the plural images and to produce structure data indicative of the existence of structure at different areas in the two-dimensional image; and

a condensation determiner configured to determine when condensation exists at the given location based on factors, wherein the given structure data including a value exceeding a substantial structure threshold is a factor in favor of a determination that no condensation exists at the given location, and wherein the given structure data including a value below an insubstantial structure threshold is a factor in favor of a determination that condensation does exist at the given location.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the structure data includes high spatial frequency components.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the structure data includes edge-based values.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the structure data includes pixel intensity statistics.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an aggregator configured to aggregate the structure data for the different areas throughout the image into a smaller set of the structure data for a number of regions of the image, each of the regions encompassing a plurality of the different areas.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an image region determiner configured to determine an image region, from among a predetermined set of image regions, within which the given location is located, wherein the factors further include which image region, among the predetermined image regions, is where the given location is located.