Electronic parts recognition method and apparatus therefore

• US 4,847,911 A
• Filed: 11/10/1987
• Issued: 07/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okumura, Kazumasa, Morimoto, Masamichi, Okahashi, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/118,913
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 382/8, 382/22, 358/101, 358/106, 358/107, 364/470, 364/468, 364/490
• US Class Current: 382/146
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30148 Semiconductor; IC; Wafer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/443 by matching or filtering

Abstract

Image of an electronic part is subdivided into a plurality of segments and is taken in a picture area of a video camera, and picture area is shifted in a predetermined direction along a circumference portion or boundary; a characteristic portion positioned on an end portion of the picture area is also included in the beginning part of a successive picture area, and then the positions and shapes of the respective characteristic portions in the successive picture area are detected on the basis of the image data of characterisitc portion at the end portion of the previous picture area.

Claims

1. An electronic parts recognition method comprising the steps of:

picking up image of a divided shape of an electronic part in a picture area by video means to produce a video signal and detecting characteristic portions from said video signal,

shifting picture areas along the characteristic portions of said electronic parts in a predetermined circulating direction around a predetermined center portion of said electronic part in a manner to overlap a characteristic portion at end part of a picture area with a characteristic portion at beginning part of the next picture area,

converting said video signal of the video means to a binary signal,

detecting boundary squares showing a contour of the characteristic portion on the basis of said binary signal,

computing an angle between a reference line and a line connecting centers of two boundary squares which are apart from each other with a predetermined number of the boundary squares,

computing angle increments between neighboring two lines,

recognizing a position and shape of a corner in the characteristic portion on the basis of maximum angle,

recognizing the characteristic portion on the basis of the position and shape of the corner,

deciding a shift direction of the picture area on the basis of a shape of the characteristic portion which is at the end of said picture area, and

recognizing positions and shapes of the characteristic portions on the basis of the characteristic portion which is at the end of the previous picture area and overlaps with that of the successive picture area.

2. An electronic parts recognition method comprising the steps of:

picking up image of a divided shape of an electronic part in a picture area by video means to produce a video signal and detecting characteristic portions from said video signal,

shifting picture areas along the characteristic portions of said electronic parts in a predetermined circulating direction corresponding to an inclination of the electronic parts being detected on the basis of a difference in the horizontal position of the picture area of a plurality of the characteristic portions, in a manner to overlap a characteristic portion at end part of a picture area with a characteristic portion at beginning part of the next picture area,

converting said video signal of the video means to a binary signal,

detecting boundary squares showing a contour of the characteristic portion on the basis of said binary signal,

computing an angle between a reference line and a line connecting centers of two boundary squares which are apart from each other with a predetermined number of the boundary squares,

computing angle increments between neighboring two lines,

recognizing a position and shape of a corner in the characteristic portion on the basis of maximum angle,

recognizing the characteristic portion on the basis of the position and shape of the corner,

deciding a shift direction of the picture area on the basis of a shape of the characteristic portion which is at the end of said picture area, and

recognizing positions and shapes of the characteristic portions on the basis of the characteristic portion which is at the end of the previous picture area and overlaps with that of the successive picture area.

3. An electronic parts recognition apparatus comprising:

a video camera for picking up image of a divided shape of an electronic part in a picture area to produce a video signal and detecting characteristic portions from said video signal,

binary signal conversion circuit for converting said video signal to a binary signal,

computing means for detecting boundary squares showing a contour of the characteristic portion on the basis of said binary signal,

computing an angle between a reference line and a line connecting centers of two boundary squares which are apart from each other with a predetermined number of the boundary squares and angle increments between neighboring two lines,

recognizing a position and shape of a corner in the characteristic portion on the basis of maximum angle,

recognizing the characteristic portion on the basis of the position and shape of the corner,

deciding a shift direction of the picture area on the basis of a shape of the characteristic portion which is at the end of said picture area, and

recognizing positions and shapes of the characteristic portions on the basis of the characteristic portion which is at the end of the previous picture area and overlaps with that of the successive picture area, and

an X-Y table controller for driving an X-Y table having said electronic part in order to shift picture area along the characteristic portions of said electronic parts in a predetermined circulating direction around a predetermined center portion of said electronic part in a manner to overlap a characteristic portion at end part of a picture area with a characteristic portion at beginning part of the next picture area.