Image inspecting apparatus, image inspecting method and image inspecting program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11080843-B2
Application number	US-201816219958-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

An image inspecting apparatus includes at least one image capturing part, a lighting part, a control part including a moving part, a searching part analyzing an image captured by the image capturing part under a first image capturing condition and searching for a defect candidate from an object under inspection, and a determining part. When the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part controls an image capturing condition such that a part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under a second image capturing condition that is clearer than the first image capturing condition. The determining part analyzes an image captured by the image capturing part under the second image capturing condition and determines whether the defect of the object under inspection is present or absent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image inspecting apparatus for inspecting an object under inspection by using an image, the image inspecting apparatus comprising:
at least one image capturing part which captures an image of the object under inspection;
a lighting part which irradiates the object under inspection with light;
a control part of image capturing condition which comprises a moving part for changing a mutual relative positional relationship of at least two of the image capturing part, the object under inspection, and the lighting part;
a searching part which analyzes an image captured by the image capturing part under a first image capturing condition and searches for a defect candidate from the object under inspection; and
a determining part which analyzes the image captured by the image capturing part and determines whether a defect of the object under inspection is present or absent,
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the searching part calculates a feature value of the defect candidate comprising at least one of circularity, perimeter, and a Feret's diameter of the defect candidate, and the control part controls an image capturing condition based on the calculated feature value, such that a part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under a second image capturing condition that is clearer than the first mage capturing condition, and
wherein the determining part analyzes an image captured by the image capturing part under the second image capturing condition and determines whether the defect of the object under inspection is present or absent.

2. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the searching part analyzes an image captured by the image capturing part at a first resolution and searches for the defect candidate from the object under inspection, and
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part changes a relative position of the image capturing part with respect to the object under inspection or a field of view of the image capturing part, such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed at a second resolution that is a resolution higher than the first resolution.

3. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the searching part analyzes the image of the object under inspection photographed at the first resolution by moving the image capturing part to a first position by the control part and searches for the defect candidate from the object under inspection, and
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part moves a position of the image capturing part to a second position closer to the object under inspection than the first position, such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed at the second resolution.

4. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part changes at least one of a relative angle between an optical axis of the image capturing part and the object under inspection, relative positions between the lighting part and the object under inspection, and a relative angle between an optical axis of the lighting part and the object under inspection based on the feature value calculated by the searching part, such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under the second image capturing condition.

5. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the searching part analyzes an image captured by a first image capturing part under the first image capturing condition and searches for the defect candidate from the object under inspection, and
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under the second image capturing condition in an image captured by a second image capturing part different from the first image capturing part.

6. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the searching part analyzes an image captured by a first image capturing part under the first image capturing condition and searches for the defect candidate from the object under inspection, and
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under the second image capturing condition in an image captured by a second image capturing part different from the first image capturing part.

7. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the searching part analyzes an image captured by a first image capturing part under the first image capturing condition and searches for the defect candidate from the object under inspection, and
wherein when the searching part finds the defect candidate from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition such that the part where the defect candidate is found by the searching part is photographed under the second image capturing condition in an image captured by a second image capturing part different from the first image capturing part.

8. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the searching part finds a plurality of defect candidates from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition, such that a part of a candidate whose value indicating a grade of a defect is great, among the defect candidates found by the searching part, is preferentially photographed under the second image capturing condition.

9. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein when the searching part finds a plurality of defect candidates from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition, such that a part of a candidate whose value indicating a grade of a defect is great, among the defect candidates found by the searching part, is preferentially photographed under the second image capturing condition.

10. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein when the searching part finds a plurality of defect candidates from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition, such that a part of a candidate whose value indicating a grade of a defect is great, among the defect candidates found by the searching part, is preferentially photographed under the second image capturing condition.

11. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein when the searching part finds a plurality of defect candidates from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition, such that a part of a candidate whose value indicating a grade of a defect is great, among the defect candidates found by the searching part, is preferentially photographed under the second image capturing condition.

12. The image inspecting apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein when the searching part finds a plurality of defect candidates from the object under inspection, the control part controls the image capturing condition, such that a part of a candidate whose value indicating a grade of a defect is great, among the defect candid

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Inazumi Shingo
• Kato Yutaka

Classifications

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title

• H04N23/61

  based on recognised objects · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• G01N2021/8867

  using sequentially two or more inspection runs, e.g. coarse and fine, or detecting then analysing · CPC title

• G01N2021/95638

  for PCB's · CPC title