US 2011/0033116 A1Published application

Object position recognition system, object positioning system, and system and method for adjoining objects

AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Corporation

InventorTsuyoshi Imagawa

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Abstract

A system recognizes the outline of an object that includes, at its edge, a portion including a rollover or a chipped portion. An image processing unit finds an outline of an object having a flat face from an image captured perpendicular to the flat face. A dark-transition-boundary detecting unit detects, on each of a plurality of recognition lines, a possible boundary point of dark-transition where a bright-to-dark transition occurs from outside toward inside of the object. A bright-transition-boundary detecting unit detects a possible boundary point of bright-transition where a dark-to-bright transition occurs from outside toward inside of the object. An edge detecting unit detects an edge point on the basis of the possible dark-transition-boundary point and the possible bright-transition-boundary point. An outline-determining unit determines an outline of the object that minimizes the sum of deviations between the outline and the respective edge points detected on the recognition lines.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An object positioning system that recognizes a position of an object having a flat face on the basis of its outline in a captured image of the object and that positions the object at a predetermined place, the object positioning system comprising:

an image capturing unit that captures an image of the object from a direction perpendicular to the flat face of the object;
an illuminating unit that illuminates the flat face of the object from a direction parallel to an optical axis of the image capturing unit;
an image processing unit that performs calculation to find an outline of the object in the image captured by the image capturing unit;
and
an object arranging unit that moves the object,
wherein the image processing unit includes:
a recognition-line setting unit that sets a plurality of recognition lines that are to be across the outline of the object in the image captured by the image capturing unit;
a brightness-detecting unit that detects brightness of image on each of the recognition lines;
a possible dark-transition-boundary detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of dark-transition where a bright-to-dark transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the object;
a possible bright-transition-boundary detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of bright-transition where a dark-to-bright transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the object;
an edge detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, an edge point on the basis of the possible dark-transition-boundary point and the possible bright-transition-boundary point;
and
an outline-determining unit that determines an outline of the object so that the outline minimizes the sum of deviations between the outline and the respective edge points detected on the recognition lines.

10 more elements

An object position recognition system that recognizes an outline of an object having a flat face in a captured image of the object and recognizes the position of the object on the basis of the position of the outline, wherein the object positioning system comprises:

an image capturing unit that captures an image of the object from a direction perpendicular to the flat face of the object;
an illuminating unit that illuminates the flat face of the object from a direction parallel to an optical axis of the image capturing unit;
and
an image processing unit that performs calculations to find an outline of the object in the image, captured by the image capturing unit,
wherein the image processing unit includes:
a recognition-line setting unit that sets a plurality of recognition lines that are to be across the outline of the object in the image captured by the image capturing unit;
a brightness-detecting unit that detects brightness of image on each of the recognition lines;
a possible dark-transition-boundary detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of dark-transition where a bright-to-dark transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the object;
a possible bright-transition-boundary detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of bright-transition where a dark-to-bright transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the object;
an edge detecting unit that detects, on each of the recognition lines, an edge point on the basis of the possible dark-transition-boundary point and the possible bright-transition-boundary point;
and
an outline-determining unit that determines an outline of the object so that the outline minimizes the sum of deviations between the outline and the respective edge points detected on the recognition lines.

9 more elements

A method for adjoining objects that adjoins together a first object and a second object having a flat face, comprising:

a position correcting step of performing matching between a coordinate system used for recognizing position of the first object and a coordinate system used for recognizing position of the second object;
a first position recognition step of recognizing position of the first object;
a second position recognition. step of recognizing position of the second object;
an arranging step of moving the second object to a place at which the first object and the second object are to be adjoined together;
and
an adjoining step of adjoining the first object and the second object are adjoined together,
wherein the second position recognition step includes:
a recognition-line setting step of setting a plurality of recognition lines that are to be across the outline of the second object in its captured image;
an image capturing step of capturing an image of the second object being illuminated is captured;
a brightness-detecting step of detecting brightness of image on each of the recognition lines;
a possible dark-transition-boundary detecting step of detecting, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of dark-transition where a bright-to-dark transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the second object;
a possible bright-transition-boundary detecting step of detecting, on each of the recognition lines, a possible boundary point of bright-transition where a dark-to-bright transition in brightness occurs from outside toward inside of the second object;
an edge-point detecting step of detecting, on each of the recognition lines, an edge point of the second object on the basis of the possible dark-transition-boundary point and the possible bright-transition-boundary point;
and
an outline-determining step of determining an outline of the second object so that the outline minimizes the sum of deviations between the outline and the respective edge points detected on the recognition lines,
to recognize the position of the second object according to the determined outline.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.