Image processing apparatus and operation condition setting method thereof

• US 7,728,875 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yuji, Kato, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garces-Rivera; Angel L
• Application Number:
  US11/643,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/211.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

An external I/F gives numerical information on an imaging device, input from PC or PLC, to a memory. The memory outputs the numerical information to CPU as well as retaining the numerical information. CPU transmits the numerical information through a camera to an operation control unit. The operation control unit performs correction using a correction value from a correction table. In order to correct a variation individually possessed by a lens unit or an illumination unit, the correction table is previously produced for each lens unit or illumination unit based on the numerical information from the camera. The post-correction control signals are output to a lens unit 62 and an illumination unit.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising an imaging device and a controller, wherein the imaging device includes:

a lens unit which has at least one of a zoom function, a focal distance conversion function, and an iris function;

an imaging unit which takes an image of a subject through the lens unit;

an operation control unit which receives a setting value from the controller and performs control such that an operation condition of the corresponding function of the lens unit becomes an operation condition according to the setting value; and

a correction table storage unit in which a correction value is stored, the correction value correcting a deviation between an operation condition which should be set by the setting value and an operation condition which actually set by the setting value in the imaging device, and

the controller includes;

a setting value storage unit in which the setting value for setting the operation condition of the function of the lens unit is stored; and

an imaging device interface unit which outputs the setting value stored in the setting value storage unit to the operation control unit of the imaging device,

wherein the operation control unit corrects the setting value received from the controller based on a correction value stored in the correction table storage unit, and controls the operation condition using the corrected setting value to thereby perform control in the operation condition which should be set by the setting value.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device further includes an illumination unit which has a function of adjusting a luminance,

the operation control unit receives the setting value from the controller and performs the control such that the luminance of the illumination unit becomes an operation condition according to the setting value, and

a setting value for setting the luminance of the illumination unit is stored in the setting value storage unit of the controller.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes an interface unit which accepts input of the setting value from external equipment.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the controller receives the correction value stored in the correction table storage unit from the imaging device and corrects the setting value based on the correction value, and

the corrected setting value is output through the imaging device interface unit to the operation control unit of the imaging device.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging processing apparatus further comprising a plurality of the imaging devices, at least two of the imaging devices being connected to the controller image processing apparatus,

one, or at least two setting values are stored in the setting value storage unit of the controller, and

at least one setting value is commonly used as the setting value of the at least two imaging devices connected to the controller.

6. An image processing apparatus comprising an imaging device and a controller, wherein the imaging device includes:

an illumination unit which has a function of adjusting a luminance;

an imaging unit which takes an image of a subject;

an operation control unit which receives a setting value from the controller and performs control such that the luminance of the illumination unit becomes an operation condition according to the setting value; and

a correction table storage unit in which a correction value is stored, the correction value correcting a deviation between an operation condition which should be set by the setting value and an operation condition which actually set by the setting value in the imaging device, and

the controller includes;

a setting value storage unit in which the setting value for setting the luminance of the illumination unit is stored; and

an imaging device interface unit which outputs the setting value stored in the setting value storage unit to the operation control unit of the imaging device,

wherein the operation control unit corrects the setting value received from the controller based on a correction value stored in the correction table storage unit, and controls the operation condition using the corrected setting value to thereby perform control in the operation condition which should be set by the setting value.

7. A method for setting an operation condition for an image processing apparatus which an imaging device and a controller are connected to in a separable manner, the imaging device including first and second imaging devices,

the image processing apparatus operation condition setting method comprising:

a step of inputting a setting value from external equipment through an interface unit of the controller, to store the setting value in a setting value storage unit of the controller while the first imaging device is connected the controller, and of controlling the function of a lens unit of the first imaging device based on the setting value such that the function of the lens unit of the first imaging device becomes the operation condition according to the setting value of the operation condition, the lens unit of the first imaging device having at least one of a zoom function, a focal distance conversion function, and an iris function;

a step of disconnecting the first imaging device from the controller and replacing the first imaging device with the second imaging device to connect;

a step of controlling the function of the lens unit of the second imaging device such that the function of the lens unit of the second imaging device becomes the operation condition according to the same setting value as the setting value of the operation condition of the function of the lens unit of the first imaging device, the setting value of the operation condition of the function of the lens unit of the first imaging device being recorded in the setting value storage unit of the controller; and

a step of correcting, by an operation control unit of the imaging device, the setting value received from the controller based on a correction value stored in a correction table storage unit, and controlling the operation condition using the corrected setting value, and

wherein the correction value corrects a deviation between an operation condition which should be set by the setting value and an operation condition which is actually set by the setting value in the imaging device.

8. An image processing apparatus operation condition setting method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a step of receiving, by an operation control unit of the imaging device, the setting value from the controller and performing the control such that the operation condition for a luminance of an illumination unit of the imaging device becomes an operation condition according to the setting value, the illumination unit having a function of adjusting the luminance,

a step of setting a setting value for setting the luminance of the illumination unit and storing the setting value in the setting value storage unit of the controller,

a step of controlling the operation condition of the illumination unit based on the setting value such that the luminance of the illumination unit of the first imaging device becomes the luminance according to the setting value; and

a step of controlling the operation condition concerning the luminance of the illumination unit of the second imaging device such that the operation condition concerning the luminance of the illumination unit of the second imaging device becomes the operation condition according to the same setting value as the setting value of the operation condition concerning the luminance of the illumination unit of the first imaging device, the setting value of the operation condition concerning the luminance of the illumination unit of the first imaging device being recorded in the setting value storage unit of the controller.

9. An image processing apparatus operation condition setting method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a step of receiving, by the controller, the correction value stored in a correction table storage unit from the imaging device and correcting the setting value based on the correction value, and

a step of outputting the corrected setting value through the imaging device interface unit to the operation control unit of the imaging device,

wherein the correction value corrects a deviation between an operation condition which should be set by the setting value and an operation condition which is actually set by the setting value in the imaging device.