Inspection control system and method

• US 5,228,112 A
• Filed: 09/21/1990
• Issued: 07/13/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome H.
• Primary Examiner(s): KEMENY, EMANUEL
• Application Number:
  US07/587,549
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 381/42, 381/43, 395/2
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/10 measured by light-responsive means sorting according to colour B07C5/342
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/022 by means of tv-camera scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A system and method are described for automatic analysis of image information, such as dimensional, surface, internal or other information. Analysis is controlled by the electronic analysis of speech signals generated by an operator or by a combination of speech generated signals and devices such as switches and variable potentiometers, capacitors or inductors. Electronic computers are employed to analyze the operator'"'"'s speech signals and to generate control signals. The speech analyzing and control computer is operable to effect the selective operation of recorders of information entered and derived, the relative positioning of the specimen and a sensor, sensors to permit the selective scanning of the field, the initiation of the scanning, the positioning of the scanning device, the intensity of the image of the scanning field, the selection of specimens from storage, the movement of the scanning device about one or more axes, analysis to be performed with respect to information derived from scanning, auxiliary apparatus operation, and other functions. The results of certain or all of the inspection functions may also be presented by means of electronically generated speech which may be automatically presented in response to speech commands of the operator.

Claims

1. An automatic image analyzing system comprising:

(a) first means for generating a video signal containing image information,

(b) second means for electronically processing and analyzing said video signal in a plurality of ways,

(c) third means for generating information signals as a result of said electronic analysis by said second means, said information signals being indicative of at least one select characteristic of the image information contained in said video signal,

(d) microphone means for receiving spoken commands indicative of select analyzing functions to be performed by said second means and for outputting electronic signals,

(e) fourth means for electronically processing the speech signals output by said microphone means to generate control signals representative of the commands defined by the words spoken into said microphone, and

(f) fifth means for applying said control signals to control the operation of said second and third means to cause them to process said video signal in a selected way and to generate resulting information signals.

2. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 1 including sixth means for generating synthetic speech signals indicative of select characteristics of the image information.

3. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 1 including means for generating a cycle-initiating control signal in response to speaking predetermined speech into said microphone means and applying said control signal to said first means to generate said video signal.

4. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first means includes a television camera operable for scanning an image field and generating said video signal.

5. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 2 including seventh means for causing said sixth means to repeatedly generate synthetic speech signals indicative of select characteristics of the image information analyzed, and speaker means for transducing said synthetic speech signals to select words of speech.

6. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said seventh means includes a manual switch operable to cause said sixth means to repeat the generation of synthetic speech signals.

7. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 5 including means for generating a control signal in response to an output of said microphone means and means for applying the control signal to cause said sixth means to repeat the generation of said synthetic speech signals indicative of select characteristics of the image information.

8. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first means includes television camera for generating said video signals, and said second means includes analog-to-digital conversion means operable to convert at least a portion of each video signal generated to digital form prior to its analysis by said second means.

9. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said second means includes an electronic display means for displaying an image field containing information defined by a select video signal generated by said first means, and wherein said signals generated by said third means are operable to select among said image analyzing functions of said second means to analyze the content of the image field displayed.

10. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 9 including means responsive to control signals generated by said fourth means for controllably moving the camera and the image field relative to each other so as to alter the portion of the image field displayed.

11. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 1 including means for detecting and counting discrete image phenomena in said image information.

12. An image analyzing system in accordance with claim 9 including means for effecting select image orientation on said display screen.

13. A method for inspecting an image field by the automatic analysis of video signal generated in scanning said image field, comprising:

(a) speaking select speech into a microphone, to generate electronic signals indicative of respective selected speech commands,

(b) analyzing the signals output by said microphone to recognize said select speech,

(c) generating a plurality of control signals in accordance with the recognized speech, and

(d) applying said control signals

(i) to effect the scanning of at least a select portion of an image field and to generate a select image on a display screen of a video display, and

(ii) to effect the selection of at least one of a plurality of image analyzing operations with respect to said video signals to generate signals indicative of the results of such automatic image analysis.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13 including the step of applying said result-indicating signals to cause a visual display to display information indicative of the results of such automatic image analysis.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13 including the step of applying said result-indicating signals to cause a synthetic speech signal generating means to generate select synthetic speech signals, and transducing said select speech signals to select words of speech indicative of the results of said automatic image analysis.

16. A computer controlled system for analyzing and indicating image information, said system comprising:

(a) first means for generating video signals containing image information to be automatically analyzed,

(b) second means for electronically processing said video signals and generating coded electrical signals indicative of at least one characteristic of the image information contained in said video signals,

(c) third means including a speech signal generating means for receiving said coded electrical signals generated by said second means and employing same to generate synthetic speech signals representing speech and

(d) fourth means for converting said synthetic speech signals to sounds of words of speech indicative of select characteristics of the video signals analyzed by said second means.

17. A computer controlled system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said second means is operable to generate coded electrical signals indicative of a quantitative value of a select characteristic of the image information contained in selected of said video signals.

18. A computer controlled system in accordance with claim 16 wherein said second means is operable to generate coded electrical signals indicative of the presence of select image phenomena in image fields defined by selected of said video signals.

19. A computer controlled system in accordance with claim 16 including a microphone for receiving select speech spoken by a person controlling the operation of said system, a speech signal analyzing circuit operable to receive the speech signals output by said microphone, to analyze same, and to generate control signals, and means for applying said control signals to control the operation of said second means.

20. A computer controlled system in accordance with claim 16 including a microphone for receiving select speech spoken by a person controlling the operation of said system, a speech signal analyzing circuit operable to receive the speech signals output by said microphone, to analyze same, and to generate control signals, and means for applying said control signals to cause said first means to selectively generate video signals.

21. An image analyzing system comprising:

(a) a television camera for generating video signals containing image information,

(b) a display screen for displaying said image information,

(c) means for performing select analyzing functions on said video signals to generate information signals indicative of a select characteristic of the image information contained in said video signals,

(d) analog-to-digital conversion means effective to convert at least a portion of each said video signal to digital form,

(e) a microphone for receiving spoken commands indicative of said select analyzing functions,

(f) means for analyzing said spoken commands to generate corresponding command control signals, and

(g) means for applying said command control signals to select the analyzing function to be performed on said video signals.

22. A method for inspecting work comprising:

(a) speaking select speech commands into a microphone, said speech being related to work inspection functions,

(b) receiving, processing, and computer analyzing the speech signals output by said microphone in response to said spoken commands,

(c) generating a plurality of command control signals depending on the computer analysis of the spoken commands, and

(d) applying said command control signals to select among a plurality of different automatic inspection functions including the sensing of at least one select feature of work under inspection and the generating of sensing signals modulated with information relating to said select feature of the work.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said command control signals are applied to control the operation of a motor used in the performance of said plurality of different automatic inspection functions.

24. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said command control signals are applied to control the operation of a display for displaying information relating to the work inspected.

25. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said command control signals are operable to control the operation of an electro-optical scanning means in the performance of said automatic inspection functions.

26. A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said command control signals are operable to control the operation of a video inspection means operable to scan said work in the performance of said automatic inspection functions.