USER SUPPORT APPARATUS FOR AN IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM, PROGRAM THEREOF AND IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20120236140A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: IKEDA, Yasuyuki, NAKASHITA, Naoya, HAZEYAMA, Hiroyuki, FUJIKAWA, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US13/296,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236140A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/94
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40014 Gripping workpiece to place it in another place
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40022 Snatching, dynamic pick, effector contacts object, moves with object
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40554 Object recognition to track object on conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40607 Fixed camera to observe workspace, object, workpiece, global
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45063 Pick and place manipulator

Abstract

An user support apparatus includes a display unit configured to display an image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit, an input unit configured to receive a designation of a region of a workpiece to be detected in the image displayed on the display unit, and a determining unit configured to determine an image capturing start condition for the image capturing unit that is defined in terms of the amount of movement of a conveying apparatus, based on the size of the region indicating the workpiece to be detected by using a relationship between the image capturing range of the image capturing unit and the physical length of the conveying apparatus.

Claims

1. A user support apparatus for an image processing system,

the image processing system comprising:

an image capturing unit disposed to capture an image of a workpiece conveyed on a conveying apparatus; and

an image processing apparatus connected to the image capturing unit, and

the user support apparatus comprising;

a display unit configured to display an image obtained by image capturing by the image capturing unit;

an overlapping range determining unit configured to determine an overlapping range between image capturing ranges in images displayed on the display unit; and

an image capturing start condition determining unit configured to determine an image capturing start condition for the image capturing unit that is defined by an amount of movement of the conveying apparatus, the image capturing start condition being determined based on a size of the determined overlapping range, using a relationship between an image capturing range of the image capturing unit and a property of the conveying apparatus.

2. The user support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit configured to change the determined image capturing start condition in response to a user operation.

3. The user support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement unit configured to perform measurement processing on the image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range from a range detected by the measurement processing.

4. The user support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range in response to a designation of a region to be detected in the image displayed on the display unit.

5. The user support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range such that the overlapping range includes at least a region indicating a workpiece to be detected.

6. The user support apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range such that the overlapping range is longer than a diagonal line of the region indicating a workpiece to be detected.

7. The user support apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit comprises:

a unit configured to simultaneously display a range corresponding to a workpiece conveyed on the conveying apparatus and a plurality of image capturing ranges captured consecutively; and

a unit configured to determine the overlapping range in response to a user operation on the displayed plurality of image capturing ranges.

8. The user support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit configured to determine an allowable conveying speed of the conveying apparatus, based on a relationship between the image capturing start condition and a measurement processing time of the image processing apparatus.

11. The user support apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a measurement unit configured to performe measurement processing on the image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range from a range detected by the measurement processing.

12. The user support apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range in response to a designation of a region to be detected in the image displayed on the display unit

13. The user support apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range so that it can include at least a region indicating a workpiece to be detected.

14. The user support apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit determines the overlapping range such that the overlapping range is longer than a diagonal line of the region indicating a workpiece to be detected.

15. The user support apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the overlapping range determining unit comprises:

a unit configured to simultaneously display a range corresponding to a workpiece conveyed on the conveying apparatus and a plurality of image capturing ranges captured consecutively; and

a unit configured to determine the overlapping range in response to a user operation on the displayed plurality of image capturing ranges.

9. A program that can be executed by a computer and thereby cause the computer to function as a user support apparatus for an image processing system,

the image processing system comprising:

an image capturing unit disposed so as to capture a workpiece conveyed on a conveying apparatus; and

an image processing apparatus connected to the image capturing unit, and

the program causing the computer to function as;

a display unit configured to display an image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit;

an overlapping range determining unit configured to determine an overlapping range between image capturing ranges in the images displayed on the display unit; and

an image capturing start condition determining unit configured to determine an image capturing start condition for the image capturing unit that is defined by an amount of movement of the conveying apparatus, the image capturing start condition being determined based on a size of the determined overlapping range, using a relationship between an image capturing range of the image capturing unit and a property of the conveying apparatus.

10. An image processing apparatus that can be connected to an image capturing unit disposed to capture a workpiece conveyed on a conveying apparatus, the image processing apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display an image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit;

an overlapping range determining unit configured to determine an overlapping range between image capturing ranges in images displayed on the display unit; and

an image capturing start condition determining unit configured to determine an image capturing start condition for the image capturing unit, wherein said image capturing start condition is defined in terms of an amount of movement of the conveying apparatus, and is determined based on a size of the determined overlapping range using a relationship between an image capturing range captured by the image capturing unit and a property of the conveying apparatus.