System and method for controlling illumination in a vision system

• US 9,894,286 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cognex Corporation
• Inventors: Burrell, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Henn, Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US14/277,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 348187, 348188, 348370, 348371, 396155
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

This invention provides a system and method for enabling control of an illuminator having predetermined operating parameters by a vision system processor/core based upon stored information regarding parameters that are integrated with the illuminator. The parameters are retrieved by the processor, and are used to control the operation of the illuminator and/or the camera during image acquisition. In an embodiment, the stored parameters are a discrete numerical or other value that corresponds to the illuminator type. The discrete value maps to a corresponding value in look-up table/database associated with the camera that contains parameter sets associated with each of a plurality of values in the database. The data associated with the discrete value in the camera contains the necessary parameters or settings for that illuminator type. In other embodiments, some or all of the actual parameter information can be stored with the illuminator and retrieved by the camera processor.

Claims

1. A system for controlling illumination of a vision system camera comprising:

an illuminator coupled to the vision system camera;

an illumination configuration source integrated with the illuminator that stores a set of parameters for a predetermined type of the illuminator and a numerical value representative of the predetermined type of illuminator;

a controller being constructed and arranged to read and identify the value and control at least one of (a) the image acquisition by an image sensor and (b) signals provided to control the illuminator based upon the numerical value, wherein the controller associates the numerical value with the set of parameters.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a vision system camera having an image sensor that performs image acquisitions.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the illuminator is mounted on a housing of the vision system camera.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the illumination configuration source comprises an analog resistor arrangement storing the numerical value.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the illumination configuration source comprises a data store having a plurality of entries, each with discrete parameters associated with the illuminator.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the set of parameters of the illuminator include at least one of illuminator operating current, operating voltage, illumination intensity, or timing.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to retrieve parameters from a data store integrated with the illuminator.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the illuminator is mounted external of and remote from a housing and is interconnected thereto by a communication link.

9. A method for controlling illumination of a vision system camera having an image sensor comprising the steps of:

coupling a first illuminator to the vision system camera;

accessing, by a controller integrated with a processor core of the vision system camera, an illumination configuration source that is integrated with the first illuminator and that stores predetermined information indicative of parameters of the first illuminator and a first set of parameters for the first illuminator;

controlling at least one of (a) the image acquisition by the image sensor and (b) signals provided to control the first illuminator based upon the parameters indicated for the first illuminator; and

wherein the step of controlling includes retrieving at least one of a numerical value representative of a type of illuminator and associating the numerical value with the first parameters or the first set of parameters for the first illuminator.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising decoupling the first illuminator and coupling a second illuminator to the vision system camera, and

accessing, by the controller integrated with the processor core of the vision system camera, a second illumination configuration source with the second illuminator that stores predetermined information indicative of parameters of the second illuminator and a second set of parameters for the second illuminator, and

controlling at least one of (a) the image acquisition by the image sensor and (b) signals provided to control the second illuminator based upon the parameters indicated for the second illuminator.