JP5814668B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus including a processing unit that performs image processing on a captured image.

  Conventionally, as this type of image processing apparatus, an apparatus having a function of detecting an abnormal operation in which an image memory is not updated has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  The image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 stores video obtained from a camera in an image memory, performs image processing on an image (image signal) in the image memory, and displays the image after image processing on a display. . This image processing apparatus detects whether or not the image in the image memory has been updated, and warns the user when an abnormal operation in which the image is not updated due to a defect in the image memory is detected. As a result, the image processing apparatus can prevent a video different from the video shot by the camera from being transmitted to the user in a frozen state where the image in the image memory is not updated.

JP 2008-283431 A

  By the way, when various causes are considered for the abnormal operation of the image processing apparatus, it is necessary to analyze the data of the image processing apparatus itself when the abnormal operation occurs in order to identify the cause. However, since the image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 merely gives a warning for notifying the user of an abnormality when an abnormal operation is detected, the user can acquire data of the image processing apparatus itself. Therefore, the cause of abnormal operation may not be identified.

  Further, when the output result (image processing result) of the image processing apparatus is not correct and the manufacturer of the image processing apparatus performs maintenance on the image processing apparatus, data such as image data and setting data necessary for the maintenance is stored in the image processing apparatus. There is also a problem that it is difficult to obtain from. In other words, since an engineering company mediates between the manufacturer of the image processing apparatus and the user, it is difficult for the manufacturer to acquire the data of the image processing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described reasons, and an object thereof is to provide an image processing apparatus that can easily acquire data necessary for specifying the cause of abnormal operation, maintenance, and the like.

An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a processing unit that captures an image and performs image processing on the image, an external interface to which an external device is connected, and a diagnostic unit that monitors an abnormality of the processing unit, Detecting an abnormal operation of the processing unit, and classifying the content of the abnormal operation into a plurality of stages of error levels based on a predetermined criterion, and when the error level reaches a predetermined level, a plurality of at least part of the data to the processing unit holds, automatically have a data extracting unit that outputs to the external device as extraction data, the data extraction unit, wherein the processing unit is holding The type of data to be extracted data is automatically selected from the types of data according to the error level .

  In this image processing apparatus, it is desirable that the external device is an external storage device that stores data, and the data extraction unit writes the extracted data into the external storage device.

  In this image processing apparatus, it is more preferable that the external device is a display device that displays data, and the data extraction unit displays the extracted data on the display device.

  In the image processing apparatus, the external device is a server device connected to the external interface via a network, and the data extraction unit connects the external interface to the server device, and the extracted data is transmitted to the server device. It is more desirable to send to the server.

  In this image processing apparatus, the processing unit holds at least two types of data, that is, setting data used for the image processing and image data representing the image, and the data extraction unit has an error level of The setting data is selected as the extraction data when it is at the first level, and the setting data and the image data are selected as the extraction data when the error level is at a second level higher than the first level. It is more desirable to select both.

  In the present invention, when the error level reaches a predetermined level, the data extraction unit automatically outputs at least a part of the data held by the processing unit to the external device as the extracted data. It is possible to easily acquire data necessary for identification and maintenance of the cause.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
The image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is connected to a camera that captures an image of an inspection object, and is used, for example, to determine whether the inspection object is a non-defective product or a defective product.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 1 is connected to the image capturing unit 11 connected to the camera 2, the processing execution unit 12 connected to the image capturing unit 11, and the image capturing unit 11. And an external interface 13. Further, the image processing apparatus 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 14 connected to the image capturing unit 11, the process executing unit 12, and the external interface 13, and the image capturing unit 11, the process executing unit 12, The operation of each part of the external interface 13 is controlled by the central processing unit 14. A first memory 15 is connected to the image capturing unit 11, a second memory 16 is connected to the processing execution unit 12, and a third memory 17 is connected to the external interface 13.

The camera 2 is a CCD (Charge Coupled) capable of capturing a two-dimensional image. Devices) and other area image sensors are used as image sensors. Here, the camera 2 is a camera that captures a grayscale image (monochrome image) having a grayscale value as a pixel value, but may be a color camera that captures a color image.

The image capture unit 11 is an FPGA (Field-Programmable Image data captured by the camera 2 is captured from the camera 2. The image capturing unit 11 accumulates data of captured images (hereinafter referred to as “acquired images”) in an internal buffer (not shown). Note that the image capturing unit 11 can connect a plurality of cameras 2 (for example, up to four cameras), and even if the number of cameras 2 increases by storing acquired images in separate internal buffers for each camera 2. The time required for capturing the acquired image is not increased.

  When the internal buffer is saturated with the acquired image, the image capturing unit 11 transfers the acquired image data to the first memory 15 one screen (one frame) at a time. Here, the image capturing unit 11 performs preprocessing such as various types of filter processing, and then outputs the acquired image to the first memory 15. That is, images captured by the camera 2 are sequentially stored in the first memory 15 via the image capturing unit 11. In the present embodiment, the image capturing unit 11 outputs the acquired image to the third memory 17 as well as the first memory 15, and stores the acquired image in the third memory 17.

The process execution unit 12 is a DSP (Digital Signal The acquired image captured by the image capturing unit 11 and stored in the first memory 15 is subjected to various image processing such as pattern matching. For example, the process execution unit 12 automatically determines the quality of the inspection object based on the size and shape of the inspection region in the acquired image. Here, when the acquired image is stored in the first memory 15, the process execution unit 12 sequentially captures the acquired image from the first memory 15 into an internal memory (not shown), and simultaneously captures the acquired image. The image processing is executed in order from the acquired image previously captured in step (b). At this time, the first memory 15 sequentially deletes the acquired images taken into the internal memory of the process execution unit 12. The process execution unit 12 captures the acquired image in the internal memory in units of one screen (one frame), thereby minimizing the time required for capturing the acquired image from the first memory 15.

  The second memory 16 stores in advance data such as various parameters used for image processing in the processing execution unit 12 as setting data. Even when the processing execution unit 12 executes image processing on the same acquired image, the result of the image processing differs depending on the setting data stored in the second memory 16. The setting data stored in the second memory 16 can be arbitrarily rewritten.

  Here, the image capturing unit 11 and the processing execution unit 12 together with the first to third memories 15 to 17 constitute a processing unit 10 that realizes a basic function as the image processing apparatus 1. That is, the image capturing unit 11, the process executing unit 12, and the memories 15 to 17 constitute a processing unit 10 that captures an image from the camera 2 and performs image processing on the image.

  The external interface 13 is mainly composed of an FPGA, and has three output paths of a first output unit 131, a second output unit 132, and a third output unit 133. The first output unit 131 is connected to the external storage device 3 including a memory card such as an SD card or a compact flash (registered trademark). The second output unit 132 is connected to the server device 4 via a network using, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark). The third output unit 133 is connected to the display device 5 such as a liquid crystal monitor.

  Accordingly, the image processing apparatus 1 is connected to the external storage device 3 connected to the first output unit 131, the server device 4 connected to the second output unit 132, and the third output unit 133. Data such as an image can be output from the external interface 13 to the display device 5. In short, the external storage device 3, the server device 4, and the display device 5 are external devices connected to the external interface 13, and the image processing device 1 outputs data from the external interface 13 to these external devices.

  Specifically, the first output unit 131 includes a memory interface to which the external storage device 3 is detachably connected, and writes data to the external storage device 3 and reads data from the external storage device 3. That is, the user can remove the external storage device 3 from the image processing device 1 and read the data stored in the external storage device 3 with another device such as a personal computer.

  The second output unit 132 includes, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication interface, and is connected to the server apparatus 4 managed by the manufacturer of the image processing apparatus 1. That is, the second output unit 132 transmits data to the server device 4 via the network and receives data from the server device 4. Thereby, the image processing apparatus 1 can exchange data with the server apparatus 4 installed in a remote place.

  The third output unit 133 outputs data such as image processing results to the display device 5 and displays the data on the display device 5. That is, the user can visually acquire data such as the result of image processing by looking at the screen of the display device 5.

  Here, the image processing apparatus 1 stores the acquired image captured by the image capturing unit 11 in the first memory 15 and the third memory 17 in advance, and the central processing unit 14 executes the third memory. The image processing result in the processing execution unit 12 is added to the acquired image in 17 to generate an output image. The third memory 17 is configured to be able to store a plurality of output images generated in this way. The external interface 13 outputs the output images once accumulated in the third memory 17 in order from the old output image (that is, the output image previously stored in the third memory 17). As a result, the external interface 13 can output, from the first output unit 131 or the second output unit 132, an image obtained by overlaying the acquired image on the inspection result (image processing result) as an output image.

  Incidentally, the image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a diagnostic unit that monitors the abnormality of the processing unit 10 in addition to the processing unit (image capturing unit 11 and processing execution unit 12) 10 and the external interface 13 as described above. It has the function of. Here, the central processing unit 14 has a function as a diagnostic unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the central processing unit 14 as a diagnostic unit extracts, as extracted data, an abnormality detection unit 18 that detects an abnormal operation of the processing unit 10 and at least a part of data held by the processing unit 10. And a data extraction unit 19 for outputting to an external device.

  The abnormality detection unit 18 classifies the content of the abnormal operation of the processing unit 10 into a plurality of stages of error levels based on a predetermined determination criterion. In other words, the content of the abnormal operation is correct, for example, due to an abnormal operation caused by an incorrect setting of a parameter as setting data or setting data that is not appropriate for the acquired image. There are abnormal operations that cannot obtain image processing results. Furthermore, there are also abnormal operations caused by hardware failures of peripheral devices such as the processing unit 10 and the camera 2.

  The abnormality detection unit 18 of this embodiment evaluates the contents of these abnormal operations based on the determination criteria, and classifies the abnormal operations into a plurality of stages of error levels according to the degree of the abnormality. In the present embodiment, the abnormality detection unit 18 classifies the error level into three levels of “tier 1”, “tier 2”, and “tier 3”. Here, the error level “Level 1” has the highest degree of abnormality (that is, a serious abnormality), then “Level 2” has the highest degree of abnormality, and “Level 3” has the lowest degree of abnormality. (In other words, it is a mild abnormality).

  Below, the specific example of the criterion of the abnormal operation | movement of the process part 10 by the abnormality detection part 18 is shown. First, the abnormality detection unit 18 is the most severe if the CPU 10 is in an uncontrollable situation, such as when the processing unit 10 stops operation completely and does not return unless the power is turned on again (if it does not restart). It is determined as abnormal, and is classified into “Level 1”. In addition, the abnormality detection unit 18 determines that the abnormality is serious when the CPU can recognize the error, such as when an error occurs during the processing of the processing unit 10 and falls into an infinite loop, and determines that the abnormality is “tier 2”. Classify into: Further, the abnormality detection unit 18 determines that the processing unit 10 is mild or more in a situation where an error is specified in the program, such as when an instruction not allowed in the program is given by the user. To classify as “Layer 3”.

  When the error level classified by the abnormality detection unit 18 reaches a predetermined level, the data extraction unit 19 automatically extracts at least a part of the data held by the processing unit 10 as extracted data. Output to. As an example, when the error level reaches “tier 1”, the data extraction unit 19 outputs the extracted data to the external storage device 3 as an external device. However, the error level when the data extraction unit 19 outputs the extraction data and the external device that is the output destination of the extraction data can be arbitrarily set by the user. That is, for example, the data extraction unit 19 outputs the extracted data to the server device 4 as an external device when the error level reaches “hierarchy 2”, or displays as an external device when the error level reaches “hierarchy 1”. The configuration may be such that the extracted data is output to the device 5.

  Here, the extracted data is data necessary for specifying the cause of the abnormal operation, maintenance, and the like, and is data held by the processing unit 10 itself when the abnormal operation occurs. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 10 holds two types of data, setting data used for image processing and image data representing an image, stores the setting data in the second memory 16, and stores the image data. They are stored in the first memory 15 and the third memory 17. The data extraction unit 19 outputs the setting data and the image data at the time when the abnormal operation is detected by the abnormality detection unit 18 to the external device as extraction data. When a device log representing the operation history of the processing unit 10 is held in the processing unit 10, the data extraction unit 19 sends the device log to the external device as the extracted data together with the setting data and the image data. It may be output.

  When outputting the extraction data to the external storage device 3, the data extraction unit 19 outputs the extraction data from the first output unit 131 to the external storage device 3 and writes the extraction data to the external storage device 3. . Further, when outputting the extracted data to the server device 4, the data extracting unit 19 transmits the extracted data from the second output unit 132 to the server device 4 and writes the extracted data to the server device 4. Further, when outputting the extracted data to the display device 5, the data extracting unit 19 transmits the extracted data from the third output unit 133 to the display device 5 and displays the extracted data on the display device 5.

  The data extraction unit 19 automatically outputs the extracted data to the external device (external storage device 3, server device 4, display device 5) according to the error level, so that the user or the like can specify the cause of the abnormal operation or perform maintenance. It is possible to easily acquire data necessary for the above. That is, when the extracted data is output to the external storage device 3, the user removes the external storage device 3 from the image processing device 1 and acquires the extracted data stored in the external storage device 3 with another device such as a personal computer. can do. If the extracted data is output to the server apparatus 4, the administrator (maker) of the server apparatus 4 can directly acquire the extracted data without going through the engineering company or the user of the image processing apparatus 1. If the extracted data is output to the display device 5, the user can visually obtain the extracted data by looking at the screen of the display device 5.

  The display device 5 displays a menu screen in which display contents can be selected from the operating status of the image processing device 1, acquired images, output images, and the like, and an item for displaying extracted data on the menu screen (here, “Maintenance”) may be displayed. In this case, the user selects an item “maintenance” from the menu screen displayed on the display device 5 by using an input device such as a dedicated keypad or a mouse that can be connected to the image processing device 1. The extracted data can be displayed on the screen of the display device 5.

  According to the image processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above, the abnormality detection unit 18 classifies the abnormal operation of the processing unit 10 into a plurality of error levels, and when the error level reaches a certain level, the data extraction unit 19 Output the extracted data to an external device. In other words, the image processing apparatus 1 automatically outputs at least part of the data held by the processing unit 10 to the external device as extracted data according to the degree of abnormal operation of the processing unit 10. That is, the image processing apparatus 1 determines the degree of abnormality, and does not output the extracted data if the abnormality is very slight, and automatically outputs the extracted data to the external apparatus if the abnormality is more than a certain level. Become. As a result, the user of the image processing apparatus 1 or the administrator of the server apparatus 4 (hereinafter referred to as “user etc.”) can easily extract extracted data necessary for specifying the cause of abnormal operation, maintenance, and the like from the image processing apparatus 1. It can be acquired.

  As a result, the user or the like can specify the cause of the abnormal operation of the image processing apparatus 1 or perform maintenance of the image processing apparatus 1 by using the acquired extracted data. Specifically, for example, when the processing unit 10 has completely stopped operating due to a hardware failure of a peripheral device such as the processing unit 10 or the camera 2, the user or the like Need to be identified and addressed. In such a case, when the error level determined by the abnormality detection unit 18 reaches “hierarchy 1”, the user or the like can easily acquire the extracted data from the image processing apparatus 1, and thus can quickly identify the cause, It is possible to deal with repair and replacement of the image processing apparatus 1 and peripheral devices.

  By the way, in this embodiment, when the error level reaches a predetermined level, the data extraction unit 19 outputs the extracted data to a predetermined external device. An external device that is the output destination of the extracted data may be automatically selected. For example, the data extraction unit 19 sets the display device 5 as the output destination when the error level reaches “hierarchy 3”, sets the server device 4 as the output destination when the error level reaches “hierarchy 2”, and sets the error level to “hierarchy 1”. ", The extracted data is output using the external storage device 3 as the output destination. In this configuration, the data extraction unit 19 can output the extracted data to different external devices depending on the degree of abnormality, so that the range of countermeasures against abnormal operations by the user or the like is expanded. A plurality of external devices may be selected as the output destination of the extracted data.

(Embodiment 2)
In the image processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 19 automatically selects the type of data to be extracted data from a plurality of types of data held by the processing unit 10 according to the error level. This is different from the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, the data extraction unit 19 automatically switches the type of data output as extraction data to an external device when the error level reaches a predetermined level according to the error level. . Therefore, for example, the data extraction unit 19 outputs different types of data to the external device as extracted data when the error level is “hierarchy 3” and “hierarchy 2”.

  In the present embodiment, the processing unit 10 holds three types of data: setting data used for image processing, image data representing an image, and an apparatus log representing an operation history of the processing unit 10. The data extraction unit 19 identifies the error level classified by the abnormality detection unit 18 as shown in FIG. 3 (S1 in FIG. 3), and sets the extracted data from the three types of data according to the error level. select.

  That is, if the error level identification result is “layer 3”, the data extraction unit 19 selects setting data as the extraction data (S2), and if the error level identification result is “layer 2”, the extracted data Then, both setting data and image data are selected (S3). In other words, the data extraction unit 19 outputs the setting data to the external device when the error level is the lowest “level 3” (first level), and “level 2” where the error level is higher than “level 3”. If (second level), both setting data and image data are output to the external device.

  In addition, if the error level classified by the abnormality detection unit 18 is “tier 1”, the data extraction unit 19 selects three types of data of setting data, image data, and device log as extraction data, Output to an external device (S4). The external device that is the output destination of the extracted data may be any of the external storage device 3, the server device 4, and the display device 5.

  According to the image processing apparatus 1 having the configuration described above, when the processing unit 10 holds a plurality of types of data, the data extraction unit 19 automatically selects the type of data to be extracted data according to the error level. Since it is selected, appropriate data corresponding to the degree of abnormality can be output to the external device. Therefore, even when the type of data necessary for specifying the cause of abnormal operation, maintenance, or the like differs depending on the degree of abnormality, the user or the like can easily acquire necessary data from the image processing apparatus 1.

  In particular, the data extraction unit 19 outputs only the setting data as the extraction data if the error level is low, and outputs both the setting data and the image data as the extraction data when the error level is high. Can be appropriately dealt with. Specifically, for example, if the parameter as the setting data is a minor abnormality due to an incorrect setting, the user or the like obtains the setting data as extracted data and sets the abnormal value of the setting data. Abnormal operation can be resolved simply by setting correctly. On the other hand, if the setting data that is not appropriate for the acquired image is set to be slightly abnormal due to setting of the setting data, the user or the like acquires the setting data and the image data as extracted data, and sets the appropriate setting for the acquired image. Abnormal operation can be resolved by obtaining and resetting the data.

  If the error level is “hierarchy 1”, the data extraction unit 19 outputs three types of data, that is, setting data, image data, and device log, as extracted data. Appropriate measures can be taken for severe abnormalities that cannot be set.

  Other configurations and functions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

1 Image processing device 3 External storage device (external device)
4 Server device (external device)
5. Display device (external device)
10 Processing Unit 13 External Interface 14 Central Processing Unit (Diagnostic Unit)
18 Anomaly detection unit 19 Data extraction unit

Claims (5)

A processing unit that captures an image and performs image processing on the image;
An external interface to which an external device is connected;
A diagnostic unit for monitoring the abnormality of the processing unit,
The diagnostic unit
Detecting an abnormal operation of the processing unit, and classifying the content of the abnormal operation into a plurality of stages of error levels based on a predetermined determination criterion;
Upon reaching the level of the error level is predetermined, at least a part of the data to the processing unit holds, automatically have a data extracting unit that outputs to the external device as extraction data,
The data extraction unit automatically selects the type of data to be the extraction data from a plurality of types of data held by the processing unit according to the error level. apparatus. The external device is an external storage device for storing data,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data extraction unit writes the extracted data into the external storage device. The external device is a display device for displaying data,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data extraction unit displays the extracted data on the display device. The external device is a server device connected to the external interface via a network,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data extraction unit connects the external interface to the server apparatus and transmits the extracted data to the server apparatus.   The processing unit holds at least two types of data, that is, setting data used for the image processing and image data representing the image,
  The data extraction unit selects the setting data as the extraction data when the error level is at the first level, and the extraction data when the error level is at a second level higher than the first level. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein both the setting data and the image data are selected.

Images