JPS61157985A - Object recognizing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit the recognition of the status of an object with high precision by changing and controlling the brightness of the image surface portion corresponding to the area to be observed so as to superpose with the observing image surface of the monitor. CONSTITUTION:An object recognizing device 1 receives video signals VD from a video camera and supplies them to a discriminating circuit 3 while supplying synchronizing signals SY to a synchronizing signal generator 4. The generator 4 supplies clock signals CL synchronized with the signal SY to a timing generator 5. The discriminating circuit 3 has a hold device 6, which is respective to a take-in command signal S1 produced by the generator 5 to fetch the portion of the signal VD corresponding to the measure of the area to be observed. In addition to the above constitution, the device 1 supplies signal VD through a mixing circuit 15 to a monitor 16 to display the object to be observed. Also the generator 5 transmits to the circuit 15 brightness changing signals S11 produced at the same timing as the signal S1. In such a manner, the portion of the signal VD displayed on the monitor 16 corresponding to the area to be observed is improved in the brightness.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an object recognition device, and in particular, detects the presence or absence of an object based on a video signal obtained by imaging an object to be recognized using a television camera. It is possible to observe the condition of an object, such as the presence or absence of defects.

[Conventional technology]

As this type of object mat device, a video signal obtained from a television camera is displayed on the display screen of a display device made of, for example, a cathode ray tube, and observation positions of the covering are determined in advance on the display screen, and each observation position A device that recognizes the presence or absence of an object or the presence or absence of defects in each part of the object by determining whether the video signal level (i.e., the level C of the brightness signal) falls within a predetermined range. Proposed.

When attempting to observe a moving object using this type of object recognition device, it is necessary to perform an operation to acquire judgment data from a video signal when the desired position of the object to be observed reaches a predetermined position on the display screen.

The timing of such data acquisition is, for example, when the observed object passes a predetermined processing position from an object processing machine (for example, a machine tool, an injection molding machine, a conhair, etc.) that grips or conveys the moving observed object. In many cases, a data acquisition command signal is supplied to the object recognition device.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

When attempting to determine the presence or absence of an object or the presence or absence of a defect with high precision using an object recognition device with such a configuration, the object processing machine that processes the object and the It is necessary to be able to reliably and easily perform a synchronized operation with an object recognition device configured to obtain determination information of a predetermined observation position.

Incidentally, if the object recognition device were to acquire data without establishing this synchronization relationship, it would not be possible to correctly obtain observation data from a predetermined position of the observed object, and therefore the judgment accuracy would not be improved. .

In practice, in order for an object processing machine and an object recognition device to operate while maintaining a correct synchronization relationship, firstly, a timing signal in a predetermined signal format must be supplied from the object processing machine to the object recognition device. Second, it is necessary that the observed object does not deviate from a predetermined determination position when the timing signal is supplied to the object recognition device.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose an object recognition device that allows the synchronized operation of the object processing machine and the object recognition device to be easily confirmed on the display screen of a monitor. It is.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, the video signal VD obtained by imaging the object to be observed by the television camera 2 is based on the signal level of the signal portion corresponding to the predetermined observation areas A1 and A2. A monitor 16 is provided to display the video signal VD on the observation screen 11 so as to recognize the observed object, and a brightness change signal S11 is superimposed on the video signal VD at the timing of the above-mentioned signal portion of the video signal VD. By doing so, the brightness of the observation area on the observation screen 11 of the monitor 16 is changed.

[Effect]

Of the images of the observed object displayed on the observation screen ll,
The brightness of the observation area of the observation screen 11 is changed by a brightness change signal superimposed on the video signal VD at the timing when the video signal for the predetermined observation area is taken into the determination circuit. Therefore, by observing the image of the part whose brightness has been changed, the operator can easily determine whether the part to be observed of the object being processed by the object processing machine falls within the observation areas A1 and A2. The object processing machine and the object recognition device can thus be controlled to be properly synchronized.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 indicates the object recognition device as a whole;
A standard television video signal VD including horizontal and vertical synchronization signals is obtained from the video camera 2 and supplied to the determination circuit 3, and the synchronization signal SY is supplied to the synchronization signal generator 4 as a trigger signal. The synchronization signal generator 4 generates a clock signal C in synchronization with the synchronization signal SY.
L is supplied to the timing generator 5.

The determination circuit 3 has a hold device 6, and the hold device W6 horizontally and vertically multiplies signal levels at a plurality of predetermined observation positions, for example, two observation positions, on the screen formed by the video signal VD. be memorized as .

In the case of this embodiment, the observation areas A1 and A2 are defined as areas surrounded by four points on the display screen 11 when the X-axis and y-axis are assigned in the horizontal and vertical directions, as shown in FIG. expressed.

In other words, the observation area A1 includes the points (Xs,)'l), (
X+ +m, Y*), (Xs, 7+ +n), (X
It consists of an area surrounded by four points: s+ff1%)'I+mouth).

In addition, observation area A2 includes points (Xz, Yt), (xz+m,
y, ), (Xz, Yz +n), (xl+m.

It consists of an area surrounded by four points Yt+n).

The timing generator W15 provides an acquisition command signal S1 to the hold circuit 11 during a section in which the scanning line crosses the observation area A1 or A2 in the cathode ray tube forming the display screen, and thus outputs the acquisition command signal S1 to the hold circuit 11 during the section where the scanning line crosses the observation area A1 or A2 in the cathode ray tube forming the display screen. The portions corresponding to A2 and A2 are sequentially taken into the hold device rI16 and held.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the timing generator 5 generates the first, second, . . . Of the scanning lines, the acquisition command signal Sl is generated at a timing corresponding to the observation areas AI and A2 for the scanning line that crosses the observation areas A1 and A2.

In the case of the example shown in Fig. 2, the observation area A1 extends from the 11th line (Fig. 3 (B) Fl)) to the (y++n)th line (Fig. 3 (B (y+ +n))). For the line, the horizontal synchronization signal Hy + ~ H (yl + n)
When the time corresponding to the coordinate x1 in the X-axis direction has elapsed from the start of the acquisition command signal SIA (Fig.
This acquisition command signal SIA, which sequentially generates ye) to (B (y+ +n))), rises only for a time m corresponding to the distance in the X-axis direction of the observation area A1, and thereby the acquisition command signal SIA of the observation area AI A video signal VD displaying a screen portion corresponding to the area is taken into the hold device 6.

Regarding the observation area A2 in Figure 2, from the 72nd line to the 'It+nth line (Figure 3 (Byg
) to (B (yt + n) ),
The acquisition command signal SIB is sequentially generated at a time point corresponding to the coordinate Xt of the observation area A2 after the rise time of each horizontal synchronization signal Hyt to H (yz+n). As a result, the video signal VD corresponding to the screen portion of the observation area A2 is taken into the hold device 6.

The capture of the video signal VD into the hold device f6 is as follows:
It is generated based on the determination operation trigger signal S2 supplied from the object processing machine. In practice, the judgment operation trigger signal S2 is generated from the object processing machine when the object to be observed comes to a predetermined position in the shooting scene of the television camera 2, and the timing generator 5 receives the judgment operation trigger signal S2 after receiving the judgment operation trigger signal S2. ,
After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the capture command signal S1 is generated for one field. As a result, at the timing when the object to be observed reaches a predetermined position on the display screen, the hold device 6 captures an amount corresponding to the area of observation areas AI and A2 out of the video signal for one field. .

The hold device 6 integrates the thus captured video signal VD using an analog integration circuit, and thus detects and holds the signal level of the video signal VD in the observation areas AI and A2. Note that the level signal held in the hold device 6 in this way is cleared prior to the holding operation of the video signal for the next one field, and thus a new video signal level is sent to the hold device 6 for each field. It will be held.

The observation area level signal S3 held in the hold device 6 in this way is converted into digital data in the analog-to-digital converter 7, and this digital data is sent to the reference value calculation device 8 and comparison/judgment device 9 as measurement result data. Supplied.

The reference value calculation bag R8 calculates a judgment level for determining the quality of the measurement result data S4 currently obtained from the analog-to-digital converter 7. A determination reference level signal S5 is supplied to the comparison determination device 9 using the value. Here, the calculation operation of the reference value calculation device 8 is controlled by a calculation command signal S7 supplied from the timing generation device 5.

The comparison/determination device 9 uses the determination reference level signal S5 to determine whether the signal level of the measurement result data S4 supplied from the analog-to-digital converter 7 falls within a predetermined level range. If it falls within the specified level range, it will be judged as pass, or if it does not fall within the specified level range, it will be judged as fail,
The determination result is sent out as a determination result output S6.

In this way, the determination circuit 3 measures the signal level of the video signal VD in the observation areas AI and A2 on the observation screen 11, thereby synchronizing the determination operation trigger signal S2 with the timing supplied from the object processing machine. Thus, it is possible to send out a determination result output S6 having content corresponding to the presence or absence of the observed object currently imaged by the television camera 2 or the presence or absence of a defect.

In addition to the above configuration, the object recognition device 1 supplies the video signal VD of the television camera 2 to the monitor 16 through the mixing circuit 15, so that the television is currently being imaged by the camera 2 on the display screen of the monitor 16. Display the observed object.

At the same time, the timing generator 5 supplies the mixing circuit 15 with a brightness change signal Sll generated at the same timing as the acquisition command signal 31 (SIA, 5IB) described above with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the brightness change signal Sll indicates that the scanning beam for the observation screen 11 is in the observation area A, similar to the acquisition command signal 31 (SIA, 5IB).
It has a signal level that increases the brightness level at the timing when it crosses the observation area A1 or A2, and thus increases the brightness of the observation areas A1 and A2 of the video signal VD displayed on the observation screen ll of the monitor 16. is being done.

In the above configuration, observation screen 1! displays the moving observed object imaged by the television camera 2 moment by moment, and also displays an area of the display screen 11 corresponding to the video signal portion taken into the hold device 6 of the determination circuit 3. It can be displayed so as to be superimposed on the observed object displayed on the observation screen 11.

Therefore, by observing the observation screen 11 of the monitor 16, the operator can determine where on the observation screen 11 the portion of the video signal VD that the object recognition device 1 is currently capturing in order to perform the judgment operation is located. can be distinguished at a glance. As a result, for example, when the timing of the video signal acquisition operation of the object recognition device W, 1 is not synchronized with the movement of the observed object of the object processing machine, the observed object on the observation screen 11 is Brightness change signal A is applied to a predetermined area to be observed in the image of the observed object.
It is possible to easily determine whether or not synchronization is achieved by simply checking whether the portion where the brightness has increased due to ll is shifted or not. If a deviation is detected as a result, the operator can check the operating state of the object processing machine and perform an adjustment operation to eliminate the deviation.

In the above description, a case has been described in which the brightness of the observation areas A1 and A2 on the observation screen 11 is increased as the brightness change signal Sll. Upper observation area A
The I and A2 portions may be made darker, and the same effect as in the above case can also be obtained.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the observed object is monitored by the monitor 16.
display on the observation screen 11 of the observation screen 1.
By controlling the brightness of the screen portion corresponding to the observation areas A1 and A2 so that it is superimposed on the observation areas A1 and A2, it is possible to easily and easily check whether a predetermined part of the observed object is included in the observation areas A1 and A2. This can be confirmed with certainty. Therefore, even if the position of the object to be observed deviates from the observation areas A1 and A2 on the observation screen 11, by adjusting the movement of the object while looking at the observation screen 11, the object can be observed with high accuracy. Object recognition 1m'lJ that can recognize the state? &
can be easily realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the object recognition device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a route map showing the relationship between the observation screen 11 of the monitor 16 and observation areas A1 and A2, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a signal waveform diagram showing the timing for taking in the video signal VD to the determination circuit 3 shown in the figure. 1...Object recognition device, 2...Television camera, 3...Judgment circuit, 4...
Synchronous signal generator, 5...timing generator, 11...observation screen, 15...mixing circuit, 16...monitor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An object recognition device configured to recognize an observed object based on the signal level of a signal portion corresponding to a predetermined observation area of a video signal obtained by imaging the observed object with a television camera. has a monitor that displays the video signal on an observation screen, and superimposes a brightness change signal on the video signal at the timing of the signal portion of the video signal, thereby changing the brightness on the observation screen of the monitor. An object recognition device characterized in that the brightness of the observation area is changed.