JP2006258582A - Image input device and image input method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image input device capable of performing detection of higher sensitivity in both of fine unevenness and a concentration change part. <P>SOLUTION: The image input device is equipped with an imaging part 101 for detecting the reflected light from the surface of a measuring target by two-dimensionally arranged optical elements to photograph the two-dimensional image of the measuring target, a partial image acquiring part 102 for acquiring a partial image satisfying a predetermined pixel selecting condition from the two-dimensional image on the basis of the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image photographed by the imaging part 101, a linear image calculation part 103 for shifting a plurality of the partial images continuously acquired from the partial image acquiring part 102 by the number of pixels calculated on the basis of the moving speed of the measuring target to add them and calculating the line image and an image acquiring part 10 for sub-scanning the line image calculated in the line image calculation part 103 as a main scanning image to acquire the two-dimensional image of the measuring target. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image input apparatus and an image input method for obtaining a two-dimensional image of a surface shape of a material using optical means.

  Conventionally, a method for detecting or inspecting scratches, irregularities, dirt, etc. on the object surface from an image obtained from the reflected light distribution by irradiating the surface of the object to be measured with a uniform illumination means has been generally used. Has been done. In particular, for planar and cylindrical objects such as roll paper and sheets, a line sensor is used as an image sensor, and a method of sub-scanning by relative movement and rotation of the object to obtain a surface image is widely used. Has been.

  In such a method, the inspection object is irradiated with line-shaped light on a cylindrical inspection object such as a photosensitive drum or a charging roll, which is a component inside the copying machine, and the inspection object is rotated. The line-shaped light reflected by the inspection object is detected by a line sensor, and an image obtained by the line sensor is processed to perform defect processing. In such a method, when the image is acquired at a position closer to the specularly reflected light, the change in the amount of light due to the surface shape becomes more severe, and finer irregularities can be detected.

  However, in an actual surface defect detection apparatus, the light receiving position of the reflected light and the position of the line sensor fluctuate due to distortion of the shape of the inspection object, uneven rotation or vibration, and this relative position fluctuation is detected as surface irregularities. This causes a detection error, and there is a problem that the sensitivity has to be lowered by separating a little.

  In order to solve this problem, a sensor that actually measures the reflected light amount distribution and a moving unit that moves the line sensor, a technique that actually moves and follows the line sensor by measuring the reflected light amount distribution, an illumination unit, and an imaging unit There has been proposed an apparatus that controls the angle position of the surface to be inspected so that the irradiation angle and the imaging angle are constant.

  In such an apparatus, there are further problems such as operation delay due to actual movement of the imaging system or the object to be measured, complication of the apparatus configuration, and error due to vibration of the moving mechanism. As a method for solving such a problem, there has been proposed an image input method for selecting pixels with substantially constant sensitivity using a two-dimensional optical element that can be partially read (for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in a conventional line sensor, in order to detect not only unevenness but also a change in density, a time delayed integration type TDI (Time Delayed Integration) type sensor is used, so that even a small amount of diffuse reflected light can be obtained. A technique has been proposed in which density changes are detected with high accuracy by integration and both unevenness defects and density defects appearing as luminance change components of directly reflected light are detected.

  In the method using a two-dimensional optical element capable of partial reading as shown in Patent Document 1, depending on the defect level and the surface state of the object, both the sensitivity to unevenness and the sensitivity to density defects can be adjusted. Can be detected satisfactorily.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to stably input an image with respect to an imaging target with a speed fluctuation, a means for detecting the amount of movement of the target to be imaged is provided, and the TDI shift is based on the amount of movement. An image input device that changes the amount has been proposed.

JP 2004-108828 A JP 2003-324658 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to select a pixel in the vicinity of the bright line having a high luminance change in order to increase the detection sensitivity for minute unevenness, and it is necessary to reduce the amount of light because the directly reflected light component increases. was there.

  On the other hand, the density change needs to detect the diffuse reflection component. However, if the light amount is decreased, the diffuse reflection component is lowered, which makes it difficult to detect the density defect. That is, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect minute unevenness and density change at the same time. Similar problems can also arise when the surface condition of an object approaches a mirror surface.

  If the diffuse reflected light can be integrated using the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, a change in density can be detected with high accuracy. However, the method of Patent Document 2 uses the TDI shift amount based on the speed fluctuation of the inspection object. Therefore, the method cannot be applied to a method using a two-dimensional optical element that needs to calculate the TDI shift amount from the fluctuation of the position of the image caused by the protrusion or the inclination.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in an image input method using a two-dimensional optical element, the detected reflected light is integrated using a TDI technique, so that minute irregularities and density change portions can be obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image input apparatus capable of performing detection with higher sensitivity in both cases.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is an image input device that detects reflected light reflected by the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged two-dimensionally. An imaging unit that captures a two-dimensional image of an object to be measured, and a partial image that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit from the two-dimensional image A line image is calculated by adding the partial image acquisition unit to be acquired and the plurality of partial images acquired successively by the partial image acquisition unit by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. A line image calculation unit that performs the sub-scanning with the line image calculated by the line image calculation unit as a main scanning image, and acquires a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. That.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image input device, an imaging means for detecting a reflected light reflected by the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. And calculating a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit. One line image calculation unit, a partial image acquisition unit that acquires a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image from the two-dimensional image, and the partial image acquisition unit. A second line image calculation means for calculating the second line image by adding the plurality of partial images shifted by the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured; First image acquisition means for sub-scanning the first line image calculated by the first line image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured; and the second line image And second image acquisition means for sub-scanning the second line image calculated by the calculation means as a main scanning image and acquiring a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image input apparatus, the imaging means for detecting the reflected light reflected from the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. And calculating a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit. One line image calculation means, a partial image acquisition means for acquiring a partial image existing at a predetermined position in the two-dimensional image from the two-dimensional image, and a plurality of images acquired successively by the partial image acquisition means A second line image calculating means for calculating a second line image by adding the partial images of the second image by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured; First image acquisition means for sub-scanning the first line image calculated by the image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured; and calculation by the second line image calculation means And second image acquisition means for sub-scanning the second line image as a main scanning image and acquiring a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to the second or third aspect, the first line image calculation means delays the acquisition of the first line image, and the second line The second line image output by the image calculation means and the first line image calculated from the same part of the object to be measured are output.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pixel selection condition is a predetermined position away from the bright line that is the brightest part of the reflected light. It is a condition for selecting the selected pixel.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pixel selection condition is a condition for selecting a pixel having a predetermined amount of reflected light. Features.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pixel selection condition is a predetermined position away from a pixel having a predetermined amount of reflected light. It is a condition for selecting the selected pixel.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image input apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the pixel selection condition is to select a pixel whose reflected light change rate is a predetermined value. It is the conditions to do.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the moving speed of the measured object is a pixel that is calculated based on the moving speed of the measured object. The moving speed is such that the number is 1.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to the second or third aspect, the second line image calculation means calculates an average value or an integrated value of a plurality of pixels included in the partial image. The calculated average value or integrated value is shifted by the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the second line image is calculated.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image input device according to the second or third aspect, the second line image calculation means calculates the number of pixels obtained by calculating the partial image based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. The second line image is calculated by calculating an average value or an integrated value of the values shifted and added.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image input method, an imaging means for detecting a reflected light reflected by the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. Based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image taken by the camera, a partial image acquisition step for acquiring a partial image satisfying a predetermined pixel selection condition from the two-dimensional image, and the partial image acquisition step continuously. A line image calculation step for calculating the line image by adding the plurality of acquired partial images by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the line image calculated by the line image calculation step And an image acquisition step of acquiring a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured by sub-scanning as a main scanning image.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image input method, an imaging means for detecting a reflected light reflected by the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. First line image calculation that calculates a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by A partial image acquisition step of acquiring from the two-dimensional image a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image, and a plurality of the continuous images acquired by the partial image acquisition step A second line image calculation step of calculating the second line image by adding the partial images by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured; A first image acquisition step of sub-scanning the first line image calculated in the first line image calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured; and the second line image And a second image acquisition step of sub-scanning the second line image calculated in the calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image input method, imaging means for detecting a reflected light reflected by the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. First line image calculation that calculates a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by A partial image acquisition step of acquiring a partial image existing at a predetermined position in the two-dimensional image from the two-dimensional image, and a plurality of partial images acquired successively by the partial image acquisition step. A second line image calculation step of calculating a second line image by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured and adding the first line image; A first image acquisition step in which the first line image calculated in the in-image calculation step is sub-scanned as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured, and the second line image calculation step is calculated. And a second image acquisition step of sub-scanning the second line image as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by introducing a TDI-like method, the pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is shifted by the moving speed of the object to be measured. However, it is possible to obtain a two-dimensional image by calculating a line image by performing time delay integration, performing sub-scanning using the line image as a main scanning image. For this reason, there is an effect that the surface density fluctuation with a low reflected light amount can be detected well while the detection of the light amount is large and the unevenness is highly sensitive.

  According to the invention of claim 2, by introducing a TDI-like method, the pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is set as the first line image. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured. A two-dimensional image can be obtained by performing sub-scanning with the line image as a main-scanning image. For this reason, there is an effect that detection with a large amount of light and high sensitivity to unevenness and detection of surface density fluctuation with a low amount of reflected light can be performed better.

  According to the invention of claim 3, by introducing the TDI method, the pixel selected according to the predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is set as the first line image. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing in a predetermined fixed area of the two-dimensional image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the first and second line images Can be sub-scanned using a main scanning image to obtain a two-dimensional image. For this reason, it is possible to perform the detection of the surface density fluctuation with a large amount of light and high sensitivity to the unevenness and the detection of the surface density fluctuation with a low amount of reflected light better, and the configuration object by focusing on the fact that the detection target of the density change is larger than the unevenness There is an effect that can be simplified.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, detection with high sensitivity to unevenness and detection of surface density fluctuation with low reflected light amount can be made at the same timing with respect to the same place, and different imaging conditions can be obtained. There is an effect that the corresponding positions of a plurality of images can be easily detected.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since the pixel existing at the specified offset position is selected from the bright line that becomes brightest by the specular reflection light component, the optical measurement condition can be made constant with respect to the bright line. There is an effect that can be done.

  In addition, according to the invention of claim 6, since a pixel having a predetermined amount of reflected light is selected, the optical measurement condition can be made constant with respect to the specific luminance.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the optical measurement condition is made constant with respect to the specific luminance in order to select the pixel existing at the specified offset position from the pixels having the predetermined reflected light amount. There is an effect that can be.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, in order to select a pixel in which the rate of change in reflected light in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction is present at a predetermined position, the optical measurement condition is changed according to the change in the reflected light amount distribution. There is an effect that the rate can be kept constant.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 9, since the moving speed of the object to be inspected can be set so that the basic shift amount of the time delay becomes 1, the cost can be reduced and the apparatus can be simplified. Play.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 10, since the integration can be an average value or an integration value of a plurality of adjacent pixels, the cost can be reduced by reducing the circuit scale, the apparatus can be simplified, and the S / N ratio can be reduced. There is an effect that it can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 11, since the integration can be an average value or an integration value of a plurality of adjacent pixels, cost reduction by reducing the circuit scale, simplification of the apparatus, and S / N There is an effect that it can be improved.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, by introducing a TDI method, a pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from a two-dimensional image acquired by a two-dimensional optical element is selected according to the moving speed of the object to be measured. A line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting, and a two-dimensional image can be obtained by performing sub-scanning using the line image as a main-scanning image. For this reason, there is an effect that the surface density fluctuation with a low reflected light amount can be detected well while the detection of the light amount is large and the unevenness is highly sensitive.

  According to the invention of claim 13, by introducing the TDI method, the pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is set as the first line image. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured. A two-dimensional image can be obtained by performing sub-scanning with the line image as a main-scanning image. For this reason, there is an effect that detection with a large amount of light and high sensitivity to unevenness and detection of surface density fluctuation with a low amount of reflected light can be performed better.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, by introducing a TDI-like method, the pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is set as the first line image. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing in a predetermined fixed area of the two-dimensional image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the first and second line images Can be sub-scanned using a main scanning image to obtain a two-dimensional image. For this reason, it is possible to perform the detection of the surface density fluctuation with a large amount of light and high sensitivity to the unevenness and the detection of the surface density fluctuation with a low amount of reflected light better, and the configuration object by focusing on the fact that the detection target of the density change is larger than the unevenness. There is an effect that can be simplified.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image input apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
The image input apparatus according to the first embodiment performs time delay integration while shifting pixels selected according to a predetermined condition from a two-dimensional image acquired by a two-dimensional optical element according to the moving speed of the object to be measured. Thus, a line image is calculated, sub-scanning is performed using the line image as a main scanning image, and a two-dimensional image is obtained.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image input apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image input apparatus 100 includes an imaging unit 101, a partial image acquisition unit 102, a line image calculation unit 103, and an image acquisition unit 104.

  The imaging unit 101 detects reflected light obtained by reflecting the illumination light emitted from the illumination unit by the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions such as an area sensor, and captures a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured. The partial image can be read from the photographed two-dimensional image.

  The partial image acquisition unit 102 acquires a partial image from the distribution of reflected light of the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit 101 according to a predetermined pixel selection condition for keeping detection sensitivity constant. The image acquired by the partial image acquisition unit 102 is a line-shaped image having a certain width. A line image calculated by the line image calculation unit 103 described later by acquiring a plurality of these images and performing time delay integration. In order to distinguish them from each other, they are called partial images.

  The line image calculation unit 103 calculates a line image by adding a plurality of partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition unit 102 by shifting the number of pixels calculated from the moving speed of the object to be measured. is there. As described above, by applying a method similar to that of a conventionally used TDI type line sensor, the detection sensitivity of reflected light can be increased.

  The image acquisition unit 104 acquires a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured by sub-scanning the line image calculated by the line image calculation unit 103 as a main scanning image in the moving direction of the object to be measured.

  Next, details of the image input processing in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a state when a camera shoots light emitted from a line light source with respect to a planar object to be measured.

  When the irradiation surface is irradiated from the light source 211 to the object surface 210 under the imaging conditions as shown in FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A, and the two-dimensional camera 212 is used for the camera unit. The obtained images are shown in FIGS. 2B, 3B, and 4B, respectively. 2A is a condition in which there is no inclination or protrusion of the object to be measured, FIG. 3A is a condition in which the object to be measured is inclined with respect to the optical system, and FIG. 4A is a protrusion on the object to be measured. Represents a condition that exists.

  Usually, when an abnormal part such as a protrusion is present on the surface, the scattering direction is not constant, so that the reflected light distribution covers a wider range or the angle at which the specularly reflected light is generated changes. The reflected light distribution also changes depending on the relative position and angle of the optical system and the imaging system and the surface of the object to be inspected. 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams showing the reflected light distributions superimposed. However, FIG. 6 has smaller unevenness than FIG. 5, and the difference in distribution is smaller because the shape change is small. The following matters can be seen from both figures.

  1. When the line sensor is placed at point A, it can be detected because there is a light amount difference from the protrusion in the normal state, but there is no light amount difference from the protrusion when the relative position is changed, and the protrusion cannot be detected from the image.

  2. When a line sensor is placed at point B, a defect can be detected in both normal and relative position fluctuations in FIG. 5, but in FIG.

  3. At points A and B, the difference in the amount of light is greater at point A in the reflected light distribution at normal time and the reflected light distribution when there is a protrusion.

  Conventionally, since the surface image was acquired at point B so that the unevenness can be detected even when the relative position fluctuates, the minute unevenness as shown in FIG. 6 could not be detected. In the present invention, as in Patent Document 1, this problem is solved by the following method using a camera composed of optical elements arranged two-dimensionally.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, it can be seen that the reflected light amount distribution of the scattered light is shifted in the sub-scanning direction. By calculating the shift amount from the two-dimensional image and sequentially acquiring the images under predetermined pixel selection conditions so as to obtain a constant reflected light distribution, the relative position variation of the optical system can be corrected.

  At this time, a line image can be obtained using an area sensor that can randomly access each pixel data and partially read out. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an area sensor access method when the reflected light distribution is obtained from the area sensor.

  As in the pixel indicated by symbol Y in FIG. 7, a method of obtaining the reflected light amount distribution by reading only the vicinity from the past bright line G position (FIG. 7A), and a method of reading out every several lines in the sub-scanning direction (FIG. 7). (B)) The line image S can be obtained in real time by detecting the reflected light distribution after reducing the amount of data to be read using a method such as thinning-out reading (FIG. 7C). It becomes possible.

  In the method of Patent Document 1, depending on the distance relationship between the bright line portion G and the output line data S and the state of the reflected light distribution, the light quantity ratio may be 10 times or more. In such a case, the line data S There arises a problem that the S / N ratio becomes very poor. In addition, detecting only the value close to the bright line portion in order to detect unevenness significantly changes the scattered light due to unevenness on the surface, and relatively detects changes in surface density (color unevenness) and the like. The problem that it is difficult arises.

  This is considered to be an adverse effect of obtaining only one line image from one image. In the present invention, the above-described problem is solved by adopting a conventionally used method of time delay integration so that the concentration distribution on the surface can be detected in a wider detection range.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image integration region according to the first embodiment. The upper part of FIG. 8 shows an integration area corresponding to FIG. This is image data taken at a certain moment. The lower part of FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram relating to integration in the time direction, and represents an integration model when there is no fluctuation of the bright line. Here, t indicates an imaging cycle. The basic shift amount corresponds to the movement amount of the object to be measured by integration. This integrated area corresponds to the partial image acquired by the partial image acquisition unit 102.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an integration model in which the shift amount changes due to bright line fluctuations. The image data in the integration area shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is output as a line image after integrating the specified number of times. The lower part of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic diagrams in which a part of the image is cut out from the entire image of FIG. 8 for the sake of explanation, and actually the same processing is performed on the entire imaging region.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the location to be integrated can be changed as the basic shift amount + the variation amount of the pixel selection condition, and thereby, the distribution of diffuse light with little reflected light, that is, the concentration distribution on the surface. Can be detected in addition to the conventional scattered light component, and the amount of light can be further reduced.

  As the calculation area for performing pixel selection, there are FIG. 7 (b) and FIG. 7 (c) in addition to FIG. 7 (a). Also, the number of times of integration is three in the figure, but in actuality, a larger number of times may be set, and it may be configured to vary depending on the target.

  Note that the pixels in the integration region are configured to be selected under the following conditions, as in Patent Document 1. First, since the magnitude of the offset amount is determined by the size of the pixel in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the image to be formed, the optimum value is determined from the degree of change in the reflected light distribution and the size of the pixel. be able to.

  Further, the position of the reflected light distribution having a predetermined amount of reflected light may be set as the pixel selection position. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the pixel selection position at this time. At this time, the distribution in the sub-scanning direction is set so as not to follow too much a minute change by linearly approximating the vicinity of the reflected light amount or applying a low-pass filter.

  Further, it may be configured to select pixel data that is further away from the predetermined offset amount d from the position of the reflected light distribution having a predetermined amount of reflected light. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the pixel selection position at this time. As described above, since the distribution of reflected light differs depending on the surface irregularities, the change rate in the sub-scanning direction changes. For this reason, the difference in change rate is captured as an image by moving away from the prescribed reflected light amount.

  Further, the pixel selection position may be determined from the rate of change of the reflected light amount in the sub-scanning direction. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the pixel selection position at this time. As the rate of change, a differential value distribution of the reflected light distribution is used. In FIG. 12 (a), the point at which the rate of change is maximum is used, and in FIG. 12 (b), the concept of selection based on a specified value is shown.

  As described above, in the image input device according to the first embodiment, the pixel selected according to the predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is shifted by the moving speed of the object to be measured. It is possible to obtain a two-dimensional image by calculating a line image by performing time delay integration and performing sub-scanning using the line image as a main scanning image. For this reason, it is possible to detect the fluctuation of the surface density with a small amount of reflected light satisfactorily while performing detection with a large amount of light and high sensitivity to unevenness.

(Second Embodiment)
The image input apparatus according to the second embodiment uses a pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from a two-dimensional image acquired by a two-dimensional optical element as a first line image, and from the first line image. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing at the predetermined offset position according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the first and second line images are used as the main scanning image. Sub-scanning is performed to obtain a two-dimensional image.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image input apparatus 1300 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the image input device 1300 includes an imaging unit 101, a partial image acquisition unit 1302, a second line image calculation unit 1303, a second image acquisition unit 1304, and a first line image calculation. A unit 1305 and a first image acquisition unit 1306.

  The image input device 1300 according to the second embodiment includes a second line image calculation unit 1303, a second image acquisition unit 1304, a first line image calculation unit 1305, and a first image acquisition unit 1306. And the function of the partial image acquisition unit 1302 are different from those of the image input device 100 according to the first embodiment. Other configurations and functions are the same as those in FIG. 1, which is a block diagram showing the configuration according to the first embodiment, and thus are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted here.

  The first line image calculation unit 1305 has a width of at least one pixel according to a predetermined pixel selection condition for keeping detection sensitivity constant from the distribution of reflected light of the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit 101. The first line image is acquired.

  The first image acquisition unit 1306 uses the line image calculated by the first line image calculation unit 1305 as a main scanning image, and acquires a two-dimensional image of the measurement object by performing sub-scanning in the movement direction of the measurement object. Is.

  The partial image acquisition unit 1302 acquires a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image calculated by the first line image calculation unit 1305.

  The second line image calculation unit 1303 calculates a line image by adding a plurality of partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition unit 102 by shifting the number of pixels calculated from the moving speed of the object to be measured. To do.

  The second image acquisition unit 1304 uses the line image calculated by the second line image calculation unit 1303 as a main scanning image, and acquires a two-dimensional image of the measurement object by performing sub-scanning in the movement direction of the measurement object. Is.

  Next, details of the image input processing in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image integration area according to the second embodiment.

  The upper part of FIG. 14 shows the integration area corresponding to FIG. This is image data taken at a certain moment. The lower part of FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram relating to integration in the time direction, and represents an integration model when there is no fluctuation of the bright line. Here, t indicates an imaging cycle. The basic shift amount corresponds to the movement amount of the object to be measured by integration. The output line data 2 is an object to be integrated.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an integration model in which the shift amount changes due to bright line fluctuations. The image data of the integration area shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is output as a line image after integrating the specified number of times. The lower part of FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are schematic diagrams in which a part of the image is cut out from the entire image of FIG. 14 for the sake of explanation, and the same processing is actually performed on the entire imaging region.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the line data 1 closer to the bright line portion G is used to detect the surface irregularities with good sensitivity, and at the same time, the line data 2 away from the bright line portion G changes the density. It is possible to detect with high sensitivity. The line data 1 may be configured to execute the same integration function as the line data 2.

  As described above, in the image input device according to the second embodiment, the pixel selected according to the predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element is set as the first line image, and the first A second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from one line image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the first and second line images. Can be sub-scanned using a main scanning image to obtain a two-dimensional image.

(Third embodiment)
In the image input device according to the third embodiment, a pixel selected according to a predetermined condition from a two-dimensional image acquired by a two-dimensional optical element is used as a first line image, and a predetermined two-dimensional image is determined. The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting the partial image existing in the fixed area according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and sub-scanning is performed using the first and second line images as the main scanning image. To obtain a two-dimensional image.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an image input device 1600 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the image input device 1600 includes an imaging unit 101, a partial image acquisition unit 1602, a second line image calculation unit 1303, a second image acquisition unit 1304, and a first line image calculation. A unit 1305 and a first image acquisition unit 1306.

  The image input device 1600 in the third embodiment is different from the image input device 1300 in the second embodiment in the function of the partial image acquisition unit 1602. Other configurations and functions are the same as those in FIG. 13, which is a block diagram showing the configuration according to the second embodiment, and thus are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted here.

  The partial image acquisition unit 1602 acquires a partial image existing at a predetermined position from the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit 101.

  Next, details of the image input processing in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an image integration region according to the third embodiment.

  In general, the uneven defect has a problem such as contact with other parts, and it is necessary to detect a small image. On the other hand, when detecting a wide distribution as a density defect, the line in the second embodiment is used. Even if the integrated position of the data 2 is fixed, there is a case where there is no big problem.

  The upper part of FIG. 17 shows an integration area corresponding to FIG. This is image data taken at a certain moment. The lower part of FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram relating to integration in the time direction, and represents an integration model when there is no fluctuation of the bright line. Here, t indicates an imaging cycle. The basic shift amount corresponds to the movement amount of the object to be measured by integration.

  FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an integration model in which the shift amount changes due to bright line fluctuations. The image data in the integration region shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is output as a line image after integrating the specified number of times. The output line data 2 is an object to be integrated. While the readout pixel changes due to the bright line fluctuation in the line data 1, the integrated position of the line data 2 does not change. Note that the lower part of FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are schematic diagrams in which a part of the image is cut out from the entire image of FIG. 17 for the sake of explanation.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, by fixing the integration place of the line data 2, the processing amount can be reduced, and the circuit scale can be reduced in hardware, so that the cost can be reduced. Become. In addition, even when the diameter of the object to be inspected is small, the reflected light may have a change in the bright line position larger than the actual amount of movement of the object to be measured due to the convex lens effect. The embodiment can be applied. The line data 1 may be configured to execute the same integration function as the line data 2.

  As described above, in the image input device according to the third embodiment, the pixels selected according to the predetermined condition from the two-dimensional image acquired by the two-dimensional optical element are set as the first line image, and the two The second line image is calculated by performing time delay integration while shifting a partial image existing in a predetermined fixed region of the dimensional image according to the moving speed of the object to be measured, and the first and second line images are converted into the main image. Sub-scanning can be performed as a scanned image to obtain a two-dimensional image.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments described above, and various modifications as exemplified below are possible.

  In the second and third embodiments, since the object to be measured is moved between the detection of the line data 2 and the detection of the line data 1, there is a problem that the same portion is output as a different frame. For example, if there is an image that can be detected by line data 1 but cannot be detected by line data 2, the type of defect is classified based on the difference in the results of different detection systems, such as the corresponding part being an uneven defect. It is considered possible. In this case, if a frame difference occurs as described above, a position error occurs, and therefore, an extra work occurs, such as the need to correct the shift amount in the subsequent image processing unit.

  Furthermore, there arises a problem that the user must be aware of each time the process is performed, for example, when the deviation amount of each output stage can be changed by setting. In order to solve this problem, the output of the line to be imaged first may be temporarily buffered so that the two line outputs are output at the same timing with respect to the same place.

  Furthermore, the configuration can be simplified by setting the moving speed of the inspection object so that the basic shift amount of the time delay becomes 1.

  In addition, as described above, the detection of the density change may be performed over a wide range with respect to the unevenness change, and in such a case, the integration of the line data 2 of claims 2 and 3 is calculated using an average value of adjacent pixels or By using the integrated value, the circuit scale can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the averaging method. As an averaging method, as shown in (a) of the figure, after integration, the final averaging is performed, and the vertical and horizontal of the integrated output are further averaged, as shown in (b) of the figure, A method of averaging after first averaging, or a method of averaging only in the direction parallel to the bright line first and then averaging in the direction perpendicular to the bright line as shown in FIG. Further, S / N is also improved by averaging.

  Further, as another example, it may be configured such that an image obtained by correcting the rotation component of the bright line portion is integrated to correct and integrate the variation in the inclination direction, thereby increasing the detection accuracy. FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image integration area when the rotation is corrected and integrated.

  Moreover, you may comprise so that the resolution | decomposability of the integrating | accumulating part with a small light quantity may be improved by making a two-dimensional optical element into a logarithmic conversion type. This can be realized by converting the logarithmic conversion type output linearly before the integration circuit and integrating the output.

  As described above, the image input device and the image input method according to the present invention detect the surface defects such as minute irregularities and protrusions of the test object, and also detect and inspect the defects accompanying the change in the surface density. Suitable for defect detection equipment.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image input device concerning 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the state at the time of imaging with the camera the light irradiated from the line light source with respect to a planar to-be-measured object. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the state at the time of imaging with the camera the light irradiated from the line light source with respect to a planar to-be-measured object. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the state at the time of imaging with the camera the light irradiated from the line light source with respect to a planar to-be-measured object. It is explanatory drawing which overlapped and showed the reflected light distribution. It is explanatory drawing which overlapped and showed the reflected light distribution. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the area sensor access method when calculating | requiring reflected light distribution from an area sensor. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the integration | accumulation area | region of the image in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the integrating | accumulating model from which a shift amount changes with a bright line fluctuation | variation. It is the schematic diagram which showed the pixel selection position. It is the schematic diagram which showed the pixel selection position. It is the schematic diagram which showed the pixel selection position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image input device concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the integration | accumulation area | region of the image in 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the integrating | accumulating model from which a shift amount changes with a bright line fluctuation | variation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the image input device concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the integration | accumulation area | region of the image in 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the integrating | accumulating model from which a shift amount changes with a bright line fluctuation | variation. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the averaging method. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the integration area | region of an image when correct | amending rotation and integrating | accumulating.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image input device 101 Image pick-up part 102 Partial image acquisition part 103 Line image calculation part 104 Image acquisition part 210 Measurement object surface 211 Light source 212 Camera 1300 Image input device 1302 Partial image acquisition part 1303 Line image calculation part 1304 Image acquisition part 1305 Line Image calculation unit 1306 Image acquisition unit 1600 Image input device 1602 Partial image acquisition unit

Claims (14)

An imaging means for detecting reflected light reflected from the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions, and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured;
A partial image acquisition means for acquiring a partial image satisfying a predetermined pixel selection condition from the two-dimensional image based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging means;
A plurality of the partial images continuously acquired by the partial image acquisition means, adding a shifted number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured, and a line image calculation means for calculating a line image;
Image acquisition means for sub-scanning the line image calculated by the line image calculation means as a main scanning image and acquiring a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured;
An image input device comprising: An imaging means for detecting reflected light reflected from the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions, and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured;
A first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition is calculated based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit. A line image calculating means;
Partial image acquisition means for acquiring a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image from the two-dimensional image;
A second line for calculating a second line image by adding a plurality of the partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition means while shifting by the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. Image calculating means;
First image acquisition means for sub-scanning the first line image calculated by the first line image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
Second image acquisition means for sub-scanning the second line image calculated by the second line image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
An image input device comprising: An imaging means for detecting reflected light reflected from the surface of the object to be measured by an optical element arranged in two dimensions, and photographing a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured;
A first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition is calculated based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging unit. A line image calculating means;
Partial image acquisition means for acquiring a partial image existing at a predetermined position in the two-dimensional image from the two-dimensional image;
A second line for calculating a second line image by adding a plurality of the partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition means while shifting by the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. Image calculating means;
First image acquisition means for sub-scanning the first line image calculated by the first line image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
Second image acquisition means for sub-scanning the second line image calculated by the second line image calculation means as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
An image input device comprising:   The first line image calculation means outputs the first line image calculated from the same part of the object to be measured as the second line image in synchronization with the second line image. The image input device according to claim 2 or 3.   The image input according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pixel selection condition is a condition for selecting a pixel that is a predetermined position away from a bright line that is the brightest part of reflected light. apparatus.   The image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pixel selection condition is a condition for selecting a pixel having a predetermined amount of reflected light.   The image input according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pixel selection condition is a condition for selecting a pixel at a predetermined position away from a pixel having a predetermined amount of reflected light. apparatus.   The image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pixel selection condition is a condition for selecting a pixel whose reflected light change rate is a predetermined value.   The image input according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving speed of the object to be measured is a moving speed at which the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured is 1. apparatus.   The second line image calculation means calculates an average value or integrated value of a plurality of pixels included in the partial image, and calculates the calculated average value or integrated value based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. The image input device according to claim 2, wherein the second line image is calculated by adding the components while being shifted.   The second line image calculation means calculates an average value or an integrated value of values obtained by shifting the partial image by the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured, and calculates a second line image. The image input device according to claim 2, wherein the image input device is an image input device. Based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging means that captures the two-dimensional image of the object to be measured by detecting the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be measured with a two-dimensionally arranged optical element. A partial image acquisition step of acquiring a partial image satisfying a predetermined pixel selection condition from the two-dimensional image;
A line image calculation step of calculating a line image by adding a plurality of the partial images continuously acquired by the partial image acquisition step by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured;
An image acquisition step of sub-scanning the line image calculated in the line image calculation step as a main scanning image and acquiring a two-dimensional image of the object to be measured;
An image input method comprising: Based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging means that captures the two-dimensional image of the object to be measured by detecting the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be measured with a two-dimensionally arranged optical element. A first line image calculation step of calculating a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition;
A partial image acquisition step of acquiring from the two-dimensional image a partial image existing at a predetermined offset position from the first line image;
A second line for calculating a second line image by adding a plurality of the partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition step by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. An image calculation step;
A first image acquisition step of sub-scanning the first line image calculated in the first line image calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
A second image acquisition step of sub-scanning the second line image calculated by the second line image calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
An image input method comprising: Based on the distribution of the reflected light in the two-dimensional image captured by the imaging means that captures the two-dimensional image of the object to be measured by detecting the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be measured with a two-dimensionally arranged optical element. A first line image calculation step of calculating a first line image that is a line image having a width of at least one pixel that satisfies a predetermined pixel selection condition;
A partial image acquisition step of acquiring a partial image existing at a predetermined position in the two-dimensional image from the two-dimensional image;
A second line for calculating a second line image by adding a plurality of the partial images successively acquired by the partial image acquisition step by shifting the number of pixels calculated based on the moving speed of the object to be measured. An image calculation step;
A first image acquisition step of sub-scanning the first line image calculated in the first line image calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
A second image acquisition step of sub-scanning the second line image calculated by the second line image calculation step as a main scanning image to acquire a two-dimensional image of the surface of the object to be measured;
An image input method comprising:

Images