JP2000266862A - Object-detecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive object-detecting device that detects an object with a surface for irregularly reflecting applied light. SOLUTION: An object 10 that has a surface for irregularly reflecting light is arranged in front of a reflector 22 being subjected to surface treatment so that the light is entirely reflected, strong light is applied from a lamp 24 for applying light at a specific angle θ1, and at the same time irregularly reflected light from the object 10 is received by an optic camera 26 being arranged at a specific angle θ2 to light to be applied. The image is binarized by an electronic control unit 30, and the object 10 is specified by processing for counting the number of pixels with luminance in the range of the characteristic part of the object 10. When the object 10 is in a sheet form, it can be judged where one or at least two objects 10 exist according to the number of pixels with luminance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an object detecting device, and more particularly, to an object detecting device for detecting an object having a surface that irregularly reflects irradiated light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of object detecting device,
There has been proposed an apparatus in which an object having a color to be detected is arranged on a white background and an image is input together with the background, and image processing is performed on the contrast to detect the object to be detected. In this device, light that is not so strong is emitted from the front of the object to be detected, and the object to be detected is detected using an image captured from the front of the object to be detected.

Further, as another object detection apparatus, an image is input by receiving light reflected from the detected object, and when the number of pixels of an image corresponding to the detected object falls below a set reference value, the detected object is detected. A system that determines that the standard is not satisfied has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-103903). In this device, the light receiving unit is provided in a direction in which the object to be detected reflects light received from the light source.

[0004]

However, in a device for detecting a colored object, an advanced image input device or image processing device is required to detect the object, and the cost of the device is increased. Was. In order to detect a colored object, a sufficient contrast does not occur depending on the color. Therefore, it is not possible to detect the color by simply binarizing the input image, and it is necessary to consider the color. Therefore, both the image input device and the image processing device have high precision.

Further, in the case of detecting an object by receiving reflected light, there is a problem that an object having a high surface roughness and not sufficiently reflecting irradiated light cannot be detected.

An object of the object detection apparatus of the present invention is to detect an object having a surface that irregularly reflects irradiated light. Another object of the object detection device of the present invention is to provide a low-cost object detection device. Still another object of the object detection device of the present invention is to determine whether a thin plate-shaped object is one object or two or more objects.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects The object detecting apparatus of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve at least a part of the above object.

An object detection device according to the present invention is an object detection device for detecting an object having a surface that irregularly reflects irradiated light, comprising: a reflection member on which the object is disposed; Light irradiating means for irradiating the object of the reflection member on which the object is disposed and the reflection member with light of a predetermined amount or more at a first predetermined angle, and a second light irradiation means for the irradiated light Arranged at a predetermined angle,
The gist comprises irregularly reflected light detecting means for detecting irregularly reflected light from the object and the reflecting member, and object identifying means for identifying the object based on the detected irregularly reflected light.

In the object detecting apparatus according to the present invention, the light irradiating means includes the first predetermined member on the reflecting member on which a surface having a surface which irregularly reflects the irradiated light is disposed and which has been subjected to a smoother surface treatment than the object. Light having a predetermined amount of light or more is emitted at an angle, and irregularly reflected light detecting means arranged at a second predetermined angle with respect to the emitted light detects irregularly reflected light from the object and the reflecting member. The object identifying means identifies the object based on the detected diffusely reflected light. here,
“Light of a predetermined amount or more” means light that is diffusely reflected on an object and is at least the amount of light necessary to detect the irregularly reflected light.

According to the object detecting apparatus of the present invention, the object can be detected based on the irregularly reflected light from the object. Therefore, an object having a surface that does not reflect light well can be detected. In addition, according to the object detection device of the present invention, since irregular light reflected from an object is detected and certified,
There is no need to consider the color for the input, and the irregularly reflected light detection means and the object recognition means can be configured at low cost.

In the object detecting device of the present invention,
The object recognition unit may be a unit that performs image processing on the irregularly reflected light detected by the irregularly reflected light detection unit to identify the object. In this case, the object can be detected more accurately. In the object detection device according to the aspect of the present invention, the image processing in the object recognition unit includes a process of binarizing the detected irregularly reflected light, and the object recognition unit performs processing of the binarized data. The means may be a means for determining whether the object is one object or two or more objects based on data corresponding to the object. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the thin plate-shaped object is one object or two or more objects.Thus, by attaching the object detection device of the present invention to a manufacturing apparatus for assembling the thin plate-shaped object as a part, The parts can be assembled, and the inconvenience of assembling a part with two overlapping parts can be avoided.

In the object detecting apparatus according to the present invention, the first predetermined angle may be an angle of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the surface of the reflection member, and the second predetermined angle may be an angle of 30 to 60 degrees. 3 for the light irradiation angle of the light irradiation means
The angle may be between 0 and 60 degrees.

[0013]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of an object detection device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is to detect an object 10. As shown in the figure, the object detection device 20 of the embodiment includes a reflector 22 having a surface treated to totally reflect light, and a light irradiation lamp for irradiating the reflector 22 with strong light at a predetermined angle θ1. 24,
A light-receiving camera 26 arranged at a predetermined angle θ2 with respect to light emitted from the light irradiation lamp 24 to receive diffusely reflected light from the object 10, an electronic control unit 30 for performing image processing and the like, and a determination result of the object 10 Black and white CR to display
T40.

The light irradiating lamp 24 is capable of irradiating light of such an amount that light diffusely reflected by the surface of the object 10 can be received by the light receiving camera 26 with high sensitivity. Halogen light was used. The light amount is determined by the roughness of the surface of the detection object and the sensitivity of the light receiving camera 26. Further, the angle θ of the light irradiated from the light irradiation lamp 24
1 is set at an angle such that the reflected light of the irradiated light by the reflection plate 22 is not received by the light receiving camera 26,
The angle is set such that diffuse reflection by the surface of the object 10 easily occurs. In the embodiment, the angle is 30 to 60 degrees, preferably 40 to 50 degrees, with respect to the reflection plate 22 from the perpendicular.

The light receiving camera 26 is a general camera capable of receiving diffusely reflected light on the surface of the object 10.
A monotone camera that does not recognize the color 0 may be used. The angle θ2 at which the light receiving camera 26 is installed is
Is set to an angle at which the reflected light of the object 10 is not received and the angle at which the irregularly reflected light from the surface of the object 10 is received,
In the embodiment, the light emitted from the light irradiation lamp 24 is perpendicular to the reflection plate 22, that is, 30 degrees to 6 degrees.
The angle was 0 degrees, preferably 40 to 50 degrees.

The electronic control unit 30 is constructed as a one-chip microprocessor mainly composed of a CPU 32, and has a ROM 3 storing a processing program.
4, a RAM 36 for temporarily storing data, a graphic controller 38 for controlling image output, and an input / output port (not shown). This electronic control unit 30
An image captured by the light receiving camera 26, a switch signal from the recognition start switch 42, and the like are input through an input port, and the electronic control unit 30 transmits an image signal to the monochrome CRT 40 to the graphic controller 38. Has been output through.

An operation related to the detection of the object 10 by the object detection device 20 of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an object recognition processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 30. This routine is executed when the start switch signal from the recognition start switch 42 is turned on.

When the object recognition processing routine is executed, the CPU 32 of the electronic control unit 30
6 is inputted (step S10).
0), a process of performing a binarization process on the input image is executed (step S102). Various types of binarization processing, such as error diffusion and dithering, are known as well-known techniques. Next, the CPU 32 executes a process for specifying the shape or the like based on the data in the predetermined range of the binarized image data (step S104). For example, in the case of an object having a specific shape in a part, a process of counting the number of pixels having luminance in a part of the specific shape corresponds to the processing. Then, it is determined whether or not the object matches the target object by using the result of this processing (Step S).
106 to S110), the determination result is displayed on the black and white CRT 40 (step S112), and this routine ends.

Next, a case where the object detecting device 20 of this embodiment is applied to the assembly of the wave washer 10B will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which one wave washer 10B is picked up. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the object detection device 20 of the embodiment recognizes the wave washer 10B. The wave washer 10B is formed of a steel material, and a plurality of wave washers 10B are stacked on the washer stand 50 as shown in FIG. When magnetism is applied to the wave washer 10B, a repulsive force is generated between the wave washers 10B, so that only one wave washer 10B can be picked up by the washer holder 52. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the washer holder 52 mounts the wave washer 10B on a support rod 22B that has been surface-treated so as to totally reflect light and has a taper from a tip to a lower part. In this state, the wave washer 10B is recognized by the object detection device 20 of the embodiment. In the embodiment, in order to fully automate the operation, the washer holder 52 is used for the wave washer 10.
The recognition start switch 42 is turned on when B is installed on the support bar 22B.

The recognition of the wave washer 10B is performed by a parts inspection processing routine illustrated in FIG. This routine is executed when the recognition start switch 42 is turned on, similarly to the activation of the object recognition processing routine in FIG. When this routine is executed, the CPU 32
First, an image captured by the light receiving camera 26 is input (step S200), and a process of performing a binarization process on the input image is executed (step S202). Then, a process of counting the number of pixels GC having luminance in a predetermined range of the binarized image data is executed (step S20).
4). FIG. 6 shows the image input by the light receiving camera 26 as 2
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when a value-processed image is displayed on a monochrome CRT 40; The predetermined range in the embodiment is:
In this case, it is the range of the frame 60 in the figure. The range of the frame 60 includes only the luminance due to the irregularly reflected light from the wave washer 10B.

Next, the number G of pixels having the counted luminance is calculated.
A process is performed to determine whether C is within the range set by the threshold value GL and the threshold value GH (step S20).
6). The threshold GL is set based on the allowable minimum thickness of the wave washer 10B caused by a manufacturing error or the like, and is set as a value that allows an error due to image processing or an error due to the installation of the light receiving camera 26 or the light irradiation lamp 24. Is set based on the maximum allowable thickness of the wave washer 10B. If the number GC of pixels having luminance is within the range set by the threshold GL and the threshold GH, the wave washer 10B is determined to be a normal component (step S20).
8) When the number of pixels GC is equal to or smaller than the threshold value GL, the wave washer 10B is determined to be defective (step S20).
9) If the number of pixels GC is equal to or greater than the threshold value GH, it is determined that the wave washer 10B is defective or that two or more wave washers 10B are installed on the support rod 22B (step S210), and the determination result is determined in black and white. A message is displayed on the CRT 40 (step S212), and this routine ends.
In the embodiment, the assembly work is temporarily stopped for a judgment other than normal, and an alarm is issued in order to notify the worker or the like.

According to the object detection device 20 of the embodiment described above, an object that diffusely reflects light can be detected.
Moreover, it is possible to determine whether the object is a target object by specifying and comparing features such as the shape of the object. Further, according to the object detection device 20 of the embodiment, since the object is detected based on the irregularly reflected light from the surface of the object, the light receiving camera 26 does not need to identify the color, and the image processing is also performed by the monotone binary processing. Therefore, the object detection device 20 can be configured with an inexpensive device.

According to the case where the object detection device 20 of the embodiment is applied to the inspection of the wave washer 10B, it is possible to determine whether the wave washer 10B is a normal product or not, and it is possible to determine whether two or more wave washers 10B are installed. It can be detected reliably. As a result, the wave washer 10
The inconvenience caused by assembling two B can be avoided.

As an example of the application of the object detection device 20 of the embodiment, a case where the object detection device 20 is applied to the inspection of the wave washer 10B has been described. However, it is needless to say that the object detection device 20 can be applied to any object that diffusely reflects light.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course, it can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a configuration of an object detection device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is to detect an object 10;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an object recognition processing routine executed by an electronic control unit 30;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view exemplifying a state in which one wave washer 10B is picked up.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the wave washer 10B is recognized by the object detection device 20 of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a component inspection processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 30.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an image input by the light receiving camera 26 is binarized and displayed on a monochrome CRT 40;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 objects, 10B wave washer, 20 object detection device, 22 reflector, 22B support rod, 24 light irradiation lamp, 26 light receiving camera, 30 electronic control unit, 32 CPU, 34 ROM, 36 RAM, 38
Graphic controller, 40 monochrome CRT, 42
Recognition start switch, 50 washers, 52
Washer holder.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An object detection device for detecting an object having a surface that irregularly reflects irradiated light, comprising: a reflection member having a smoother surface treatment than the object on which the object is arranged; Light irradiating means for irradiating the object of the reflecting member and the reflecting member with light having a first predetermined angle and a predetermined amount of light or more, and disposed at a second predetermined angle with respect to the irradiated light. An object detection device comprising: irregularly reflected light detection means for detecting irregularly reflected light from the object and the reflection member; and object identification means for identifying the object based on the detected irregularly reflected light. 2. The object detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object recognition unit is a unit that performs image processing on the irregularly reflected light detected by the irregularly reflected light detection unit to identify the object. 3. The object detection device according to claim 2, wherein the image processing in the object recognition unit includes a process of binarizing the detected diffusely reflected light, and the object recognition unit includes An object detection device, which is means for determining whether the object is one object or two or more objects based on data corresponding to the object among the quantified data. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined angle is an angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to a surface of the reflection member.
4. The object detection device according to any one of claims 3 to 3. 5. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein the second predetermined angle is an angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to the light irradiation angle of the light irradiation unit.