JPH01296384A - Pattern processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a pattern processor adaptable to a picture process for a picture having continuously or partial changing properties by causing different filters of act at every picture coordinates containing an object pattern in the pattern processor. CONSTITUTION:An object pattern is converted into analog picture signals 1S by means of an image pickup device 1 and further converted into digital picture data 2S by means of an A/D converter 2. The picture data are segmented by a partial pattern segmentation circuit 3 into partial pattern data groups (P0), (P1), (P2),... of the number corresponding to the number of various filter factors. Synchronously to the segmentation, data 4a indicating that which filter factor group is to be selected at each picture coordinates are read out of the address of a memory 4 for selecting filter factor designated by an address generation circuit 10. Then one set of filter factor group is selected from filter factor groups (a0), (a1), (a2),... in accordance with the value of the data 4a by means of a selection circuit 8.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention has the following features: The present invention relates to a pattern processing device for performing different processing and determination for each position of a pattern, which is necessary for sorting one item, etc.

[Conventional technology]

Image processing technology is being actively introduced to automate the assembly and sorting of industrial products. For example, "Application of pattern recognition technology to inspection" (Hitachi Review voQ).

59 Na1l p, 29),
In order to sort parts and products on a conveyance device, a television camera is usually installed directly above the conveyance device, and the images obtained from the camera are processed to automatically recognize the objects.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, due to the surrounding environment and atmosphere of the equipment, it is not possible to install the television camera directly above it, and it is often necessary to place it diagonally with respect to the transport device. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the object to be inspected becomes blurred in proportion to the distance from the focused position (A) of the television camera. Even if a lens with a deep focal depth is used, when a large object is to be sorted, some blurring will occur at the centrifugal position (B), although there are differences in degree. The elegant point of processing an image containing such blur is 1. For example, even if you try to find the boundary edge to detect the position of an object, the spread of edge information differs depending on the position of the image, so the first If The edge detection filter in (A) is! This may not be useful for edge detection in (B).

[Means to solve the problem]

The objects of the invention have been stated above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pattern processing device that is optimal for image processing when image properties represented by blurring are different continuously or in nine parts. To this end, it has a mechanism that can perform filtering and logical operations of different sizes at high speed at each position in one image.

[Effect]

In this way, the amount of image information required to determine the pattern characteristics at each position can be dynamically controlled. For example,
In the case of an image like that shown in FIG. 2, if the direction of the television camera and the characteristics of the lens are known, the approximate degree of blur can be determined at each position in the image by calculation or experiment. Therefore,
The data is obtained in advance as shown in Figure 2 (b),
When performing image processing, change the filter size using that data as a reference. In this way, the 1st position (A)
Edge detection using image information corresponding to the spread of each blur becomes possible for the image space from to position (B).

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1(a) shows an embodiment of the configuration of a pattern processing apparatus of the present invention.

A target pattern as shown in FIG. 2(a) is converted into an analog image signal 1s by the imaging device 1 and into digital image data 2s by the A/D converter 2. Then, these image data are cut out by the partial pattern cutting circuit 3 into partial pattern data groups (poL (ptL (pz), ...) with the number of pixels corresponding to the number of various filter coefficients. Synchronously, data 4a indicating which filter coefficient group to select at each image coordinate is read from the address of the filter coefficient selection memory 4 specified by the address generation circuit 10. It is stored in the filter coefficient selection memory 4 in a format that allows specifying a filter coefficient group for each coordinate of the image. Then, according to the value of the data, the selection circuit 8 selects the filter coefficient groups (ao), (al ), (
az), . . . one set of filter coefficients is selected.

In Figure 1(b), (ao), (al), (az
) This filter is sensitive to horizontal and vertical edges.

This data 4a is also used by the selection circuit 7 to select a specific partial pattern data group having the same number of pixels as the number of coefficients in one selected filter coefficient group. The partial pattern data group and filter coefficient group selected in this way are used for the product-sum calculation in the product-sum circuit 9, that is, the filtering process. Then, the product-sum calculation processing result is output as image data 9S. This image data is
The partial pattern cutout circuit 3, which emphasizes edges and corresponds to FIG. 2(c), is configured to
Shift register group 1 with a length corresponding to the maximum length of the required filter in the Y direction, and a width corresponding to the maximum length of the filter in the X and Y directions for holding partial patterns. The shift register group 2 consists of a number of shift registers. Since the image data input to this circuit is sequentially shifted within each shift register every basic clock of the device, the partial pattern corresponding to the largest filter is stored in the shift register group 2. Therefore, each filter (ao
), (al), (az), ... partial patterns (po), (pl), (pz
).

... is obtained from each element of this shift register group.

The shift register 5 is used to eliminate a timing discrepancy caused by a delay in image data in the partial pattern extraction circuit when a filter with a desired filter coefficient is applied to a partial pattern at a certain image coordinate. Ru.

As described above, the present invention can be fully implemented by storing appropriate data in the filter coefficient selection memory so that a different filter acts on each position of the image including the recognition target.

In this embodiment, a method is adopted in which appropriate data is stored in the filter coefficient selection memory 4, but the address generation circuit 10
The type of filter coefficient to be selected may be directly determined by calculation using the address value. Further, in this embodiment, a case has been described in which edges are emphasized, but by changing the filter coefficients, it is also possible to perform averaging processing of different sizes for each position of one image.

Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described with a-light side image processing in mind, in the case of binary image processing, the same function can be realized by replacing the product-sum circuit with an appropriate logic circuit.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the pattern processing device of the present invention,
Since a different filter can be applied to each image coordinate including the target pattern, it is suitable for image processing in which the properties of the image are continuously or partially changing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of blocks and filter coefficient groups showing the configuration of a pattern processing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram explaining the present invention in detail. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Photographing device, 2... A/D converter, 3... Partial pattern extraction circuit, 4... Memory for filter coefficient selection, 5... Shift register, 6... Filter coefficient group , 7... selection circuit, 8... selection circuit, 9...
Product-sum circuit, 10...address generation circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a pattern processing device, means for storing a plurality of types of filter coefficient groups having different numbers of coefficients and coefficient values, and means for storing different numbers of pixels from pixel data inputted in time series. means for temporarily storing a plurality of types of partial images consisting of a data group; means for specifying which of the filter coefficient group and the partial image is to be used at each timing of inputting the pixel data; A pattern processing device comprising means for performing a product-sum operation using the filter coefficient group and the partial image. 2. In a pattern processing device, a means for storing a plurality of types of binary mask coefficient groups having different numbers of coefficients and coefficient values, and a means for storing a plurality of types of binary mask coefficient groups having different numbers of coefficients and coefficient values, and a means for storing different numbers of pixel data groups from pixel data inputted in time series. means for temporarily storing a plurality of types of partial images; means for specifying which of the binary mask coefficient group and the partial image is to be used at each input timing of the pixel data; A pattern processing device characterized by having means for performing a logical operation using a value mask system coefficient group and the partial image.