System and method for assigning analysis parameters to vision detector using a graphical interface

• US 7,636,449 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognex Technology & Investment Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cognex Technology & Investment Corporation (Cognex Corporation)
• Inventors: Phillips, Brian S., Eames, Andrew, Keating, John F., Whitman, Steven, Mirtich, Brian V., Tremblay, Robert J. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US10/987,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/141, 382/142, 382/143
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

This invention provides a system and method for automating the setup of Locators and Detectors within an image view of an object on the HMI of a vision detector by determining detectable edges and best fitting the Locators and Detectors to a location on the object image view following the establishment of an user selected operating point on the image view, such as by clicking a GUI cursor. In this manner, the initial placement and sizing of the graphical elements for Locator and Detector ROIs are relatively optimized without excessive adjustment by the user. Locators can be selected for direction, including machine or line-movement direction, cross direction or angled direction transverse to cross direction and movement direction. Detectors can be selected based upon particular analysis tools, including brightness tools, contrast tools and trained templates. The Locators and detectors are each associated with a particular set of operating parameters, such as activation threshold, which are displayed in a control box within the GUI (and can be accessed by clicking on the specific Locator or Detector. A parameter bar can also be provided adjacent to the depiction of the Detector on the image view for easy reference. Both Locators and Detectors may be manually readjusted once automatically placed and sized by drag and drop techniques.

Claims

1. A system for placing and sizing on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) display at least one of Locators and Detectors comprising one or more processors implementing the steps of:

a GUI screen image view of an object derived from a vision sensor having a field of view in which the object is in relative motion thereto and a plurality of captured image frames of the object within the filed of view, the image view being accessible by a GUI cursor;

an edge detection process that determines and analyzes detectable edges in the screen image view and stores edge information;

a selector that allows a user to select either a (a) Locator or (b) a Detector based upon a predetermined analysis tool for placement on the image view; and

an automatic placement process that uses the edge information to place the selected (a) Locator or (b) Detector at a position on the image view upon which the cursor points with a size that is determined based upon a location of adjacent edges of the object image view.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the automatic placement process is constructed and arranged to place the Locator on the image view relative to a nearest adjacent edge of the image view and to adjust the Locator so as to avoid a stronger-magnitude more-distant edge.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the automatic placement process is constructed and arranged to size a width of the Locator according to a predetermined value and reduce the width so as to avoid the stronger-magnitude more-distant edge.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the Locator includes a height based upon a line segment fit within a predetermined deviation away from the nearest adjacent edge.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein the line segment is oriented at a relative angle with respect to a vertical and a horizontal axis within the image view so as to cause the line segment to fit with minimum deviation from the nearest adjacent edge.

6. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the Locator is selected to be oriented with respect to the direction of relative motion.

7. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the Locator is selected to be oriented with respect to (a) the direction of relative motion, and at least one of (b) a direction transverse to the direction of relative motion and (c) a direction at an angle between (a) and (b).

8. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the Locator is adapted to be resized and rotated about a center point by dragging and dropping the cursor at predetermined locations on the Locator so as to allow manual resizing and reorienting of the Locator with respect to the nearest adjacent edge.

9. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein operating parameters relating to a threshold for activating the Locator are displayed in an associated control box within the GUI.

10. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the operating parameters are selectively displayed in the control box by operating the cursor upon the Locator.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the Detector is adapted to be selected based upon at least one of brightness, contrast and a trained template.

12. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the automatic placement process is constructed and arranged to place the Director on the image view relative to the position at which the cursor points so that a relative center of the Detector as at the position at which the cursor points and an outer boundary of the Director extends to a location that is within detected edges of the object image view.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the Detector is adapted to be selected based upon at least one of brightness, contrast and a trained template.

14. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein operating parameters relating to a threshold for activating the Detector, brightness settings and contrast settings are displayed in an associated control box within the GUI and at a location adjacent to the Detector.

15. The system as set forth in claim 14 wherein the operating parameters are selectively displayed in the control box by operating the cursor upon the Detector.

16. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the outer boundary defines a circle and wherein the Detector is adapted to be resized in diameter about a center point by dragging and dropping the cursor relative to the outer boundary.

17. A method for placing and sizing on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) display at least one of Locators and Detectors comprising one or more processors implementing the steps of the steps of:

displaying a GUI screen image view of an object derived from a vision sensor having a field of view in which the object is in relative motion thereto and a plurality of captured image frames of the object within the filed of view, the image view being accessible by a GUI cursor;

determining and analyzing detectable edges in the screen image view and stores edge information;

selecting either a (a) Locator or (b) a Detector based upon a predetermined analysis tool for placement on the image view; and

placing automatically, using the edge information, the selected (a) Locator or (b) Detector at a position on the image view upon which the cursor points with a size that is determined based upon a location of adjacent edges of the object image view.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the step of placing places the Locator on the image view relative to a nearest adjacent edge of the image view and to adjust the Locator so as to avoid a stronger-magnitude more-distant edge.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the step of placing sizes a width of the Locator according to a predetermined value and reduces the width so as to avoid the stronger-magnitude more-distant edge.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the Locator includes a height based upon a line segment fit within a predetermined deviation away from the nearest adjacent edge.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the line segment is oriented at a relative angle with respect to a vertical and a horizontal axis within the image view so as to cause the line segment to fit with minimum deviation from the nearest adjacent edge.

22. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the Locator is selected to be oriented with respect to the direction of relative motion.

23. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the Locator is selected to be oriented with respect to (a) the direction of relative motion, and at least one of (b) a direction transverse to the direction of relative motion and (c) a direction at an angle between (a) and (b).

24. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising resizing and rotating the Locator a center point by dragging and dropping the cursor at predetermined locations on the Locator so as to allow manual resizing and reorienting of the Locator with respect to the nearest adjacent edge.

25. The method as set forth in claim 18 further comprising displaying operating parameters relating to a threshold for activating the Locator in an associated control box within the GUI.

26. The method as set forth in claim 25 wherein the threshold for activating the Locator is automatically determined by computing a threshold value based upon a magnitude value relative to the nearest adjacent edge.

27. The method as set forth in claim 25 further comprising displaying the operating parameters are selectively in the control box by operating the cursor upon the Locator.

28. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the Detector is adapted to be selected based upon at least one of brightness, contrast and a trained template.

29. The method as set forth in claim 17 wherein the step of placing places the Director on the image view relative to the position at which the cursor points so that a relative center of the Detector as at the position at which the cursor points and an outer boundary of the Director extends to a location that is within detected edges of the object image view.

30. The method as set forth in claim 29 further comprising selecting the Detector based upon at least one of brightness, contrast and a trained template.

31. The method as set forth in claim 29 further comprising displaying operating parameters relating to a threshold for activating the Detector, brightness settings and contrast settings in an associated control box within the GUI and at a location adjacent to the Detector.

32. The method as set forth in claim 31 further comprising selectively displaying the operating parameters in the control box by operating the cursor upon the Detector.

33. The system as set forth in claim 29 wherein the outer boundary defines a circle, and further comprising resizing the Detector in diameter about a center point by dragging and dropping the cursor relative to the outer boundary.