System and method for imaging reflecting objects
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsYonatan Hyatt, Ran Ginsburg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for automated visual inspection of an object include using different patterns of illumination, each pattern including constant frequency pulses of illumination. The pulses of each different pattern of illumination are temporally offset so as to enable obtaining images illuminated by one or another illumination pattern. The images are combined using different parts of the different images in which the most details of the object are available, to produce a full image of the object which is essentially glare-free. The use of constant frequency pulses enables obtaining different pattern illumination images, to enable creating a glare-free image of an object, while providing a flicker-free inspection environment for human workers.
Claims17
A method for an automated visual inspection process of an object on an inspection line, the method comprising:
- illuminating the object on the inspection line, with pulses of a first pattern illumination and pulses of a second pattern illumination, the pulses being repeated at a constant frequency, to provide a flicker-free inspection environment for human workers, the pulses of the first and second patterns being temporally offset from each other and partially overlapping in time;
- controlling camera exposure events in synchronization with the pulses to capture a plurality of images of the first and second illumination patterns separately and simultaneously;
- and
- utilizing at least one of the plurality of images to perform visual inspection of the object.
A system for automated visual inspection, the system comprising:
- a camera configured to capture images of an object on an inspection line;
- a light source to produce light pulses repeated at a constant frequency, the light pulses temporally offset and partially overlapping, and illuminating a field of view (FOV) of the camera in a first pattern of illumination and second pattern of illumination;
- and
- a processor in communication with the camera and light source, the processor being configured to control the light source to differentially illuminate the FOV of the camera and to synchronize exposure events of the camera with the light pulses such that exposure events of the camera capture a first pattern of illumination and a second pattern of illumination separately and simultaneously, to produce different illumination pattern images in a flicker-free inspection environment for human workers.
A method for an automated visual inspection process of an object on an inspection line, the method comprising:
- illuminating the object on the inspection line, with pulses of a first pattern illumination and pulses of a second pattern illumination, the pulses being repeated at a constant frequency, to provide a flicker-free inspection environment for human workers, and the pulses of the first pattern and second pattern being temporally offset from each other;
- controlling camera exposure events in synchronization with the pulses to capture a plurality of images, each of the images being illuminated with a different illumination pattern;
- utilizing at least one of the plurality of images to perform visual inspection of the object;
- obtaining a high dynamic range (HDR) image of the object on the inspection line prior to obtaining the plurality of images of the object;
- and
- obtaining the plurality of images of the object if the HDR image comprises an area of high reflectance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.