Systems and/or devices for camera-based inspections

• US 8,374,498 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Microscan Systems Inc (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Pastore, Timothy M
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ROCHELLE ANN J
• Application Number:
  US11/904,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20080170380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 396/155, 396/199, 396/267, 396/544, 348/370, 362/16, 362/551, 362/555, 362/558
• US Class Current: 396/199
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8835 Adjustable illumination, e.g. software adjustable screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8806 Specially adapted optical and illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0634 Diffuse illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/03 Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10742 including a diffuser for diffusing the light from the light source to create substantially uniform illumination of the target record carrier

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system comprising: a diffuser defining a camera lens hole in a top portion of said diffuser, said diffuser adapted to receive at least one set of low angle lights; and a plurality of lights mounted on said diffuser in proximity to said camera lens hole.

Claims

1. A system for illuminating an object, the system comprising:

a substantially dome-shaped diffuser, said diffuser including a camera lens hole positioned along an optical axis of the diffuser in a top portion of said diffuser, said diffuser including mounts in a side portion thereof to receive at least one set of low angle lights; and

a plurality of bright field lights mounted on said diffuser substantially adjacent said camera lens hole and pointing substantially parallel to the optical axis, such that the plurality of bright field lights direct light toward the object through the portion of the diffuser adjacent to the camera lens hole.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said diffuser is formed substantially in the shape of a truncated 4-sided pyramid.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said diffuser is formed substantially in the shape of a truncated circular cone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each of said bright field lights comprises at least one LED.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

said at least one set of low angle lights mounted on said diffuser.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

said at least one set of low angle lights mounted on said diffuser, each low angle light in said set mounted at a location on said diffuser adjacent a thinned diffuser wall.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

said a least one set of low angle lights mounted on said diffuser, each of said low angle lights comprised of at least one LED.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera lens mounted co-axially with said camera lens hole, said camera lens attached to a camera.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said diffuser is textured and diffusely reflective.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of dome lights mounted to said diffuser to substantially face at least a portion of said diffuser.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a lighting controller that can selectively energize at least one of:

a low angle light from the set of low angle lights;

a bright field light from the plurality of bright field lights; and

a dome light from the plurality of dome lights.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lighting controller to selectively energize at least one of:

a low angle light from said set of low angle lights; and

a bright field light from said plurality of bright field lights.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lighting controller to, in response to machine instructions, power at least one of:

a low angle light from said set of low angle lights; and

a bright field light from said plurality of bright field lights.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of low angle lights comprise at least four lights that can be selectively energized to illuminate from one direction, two directions, or four directions.

15. An automatic lighting system for camera based inspections, comprising:

a diffuser;

a camera lens positioned in a camera lens hole on the diffuser, the camera lens having an optical axis;

a plurality of bright field LED lights provided on the diffuser substantially adjacent the camera lens and pointing substantially parallel to the optical axis, such that the plurality of bright field LED lights direct light toward an object through the portion of the diffuser adjacent to the camera lens hole; and

at least one set of low angle lights mounted to a side portion of the diffuser, wherein the diffuser is shaped to provide light at angles that enable a plurality of lighting requirements for camera-based inspections.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a low angle LED mount provided on a thinned portion of the diffuser, the thinned portion of the diffuser providing minimal diffusion of low angle lights.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

dome LEDs provided on an end portion of the diffuser.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

dome LEDs provided on an end portion of the diffuser, wherein the dome LEDs include a textured surface for beam splitting.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a lighting controller to selectively energize at least one of:

a low angle light from said set of low angle lights; and

a bright field light from said plurality of bright field lights.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the set of low angle lights comprise at least four lights that can be selectively energized to illuminate from one direction, two directions, or four directions.

21. A method comprising:

illuminating an object via;

at least one set of low angle lights mounted on a side portion of a substantially domed-shaped diffuser, the diffuser defining a camera lens hole positioned along an optical axis of the diffuser in a top portion of the diffuser to allow light reflected from the object to reach a camera lens; and

a plurality of bright field lights mounted on the diffuser substantially adjacent to the camera lens hole and pointing substantially parallel to the optical axis, such that the plurality of bright field lights direct light toward the object through the portion of the diffuser adjacent to the camera lens hole.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the diffuser is formed substantially in the shape of a truncated 4-sided pyramid or substantially in the shape of a truncated circular cone.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the diffuser is textured and diffusely reflective.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising positioning the diffuser and the object relative to each other to align light reflected from the object into the camera lens hole of the diffuser.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising selectively or automatically de-energizing at least one of:

a low angle light from the at least one set of low angle lights; and

a bright field light from the plurality of bright field lights.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising illuminating the object via at least one set of dome lights mounted to the diffuser to direct light toward an interior surface of said diffuser.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising selectively or automatically energizing at least one of:

a low angle light from the set of low angle lights;

a bright field light from the plurality of bright field lights; and

a dome light from the plurality of dome lights.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the set of low angle lights comprise at least four lights, and further comprising selectively energizing the low angle lights to illuminate from one direction, two directions, or four directions.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein each low angle light in the set of low angle lights is mounted at a location on the diffuser adjacent a thinned diffuser wall.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein the plurality of bright field lights substantially encircle the camera lens hole.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising coupling the camera lens to the diffuser.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising capturing an image of the object via a camera coupled to the camera lens.

33. The method of claim 21 wherein the camera lens is mounted substantially co-axially with the camera lens hole, the camera lens attached to a camera.

34. A method comprising:

automatically illuminating an object via at least two lighting sources selected from;

a bright field light mounted on a top portion of a substantially domed-shaped diffuser substantially adjacent to a camera lens hole positioned along an optical axis of the diffuser in the top portion of the diffuser, wherein the bright field light points substantially parallel to the optical axis such that the bright field light directs light toward the object through the portion of the diffuser adjacent to the camera lens hole, wherein the camera lens hole allows light reflected from the object to reach a camera lens,

a low angle light mounted on a side portion of the diffuser and oriented to substantially face an interior zone of the diffuser, and

a dome light mounted to the diffuser to direct light toward an interior surface of the diffuser.