Velocity matching imaging of a target element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12593131-B2
Application number	US-202318514791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2023
Priority date	Sep 5, 2023
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A system may include an image sensor. A system may include an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor. A system may include a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity, determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A part inspection imaging system comprising:
an image sensor; an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity; determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time,
wherein the controlled movement includes an imaging period where a maximum velocity of the image sensor is within a range of at least about 20% to about 1% of the operating velocity and a reset period, the imaging period having a first time length that is greater than the designated exposure time.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the image sensor is located at a distal end of a borescope unit, wherein the distal end of the borescope unit is inserted through a port along a tool axis into an interior region that contains the target element.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the actuator linearly translates the borescope unit perpendicular to the tool axis to perform the controlled movement.

4 . The system of claim 2 wherein the actuator pivots the borescope unit around a pivot axis to perform the controlled movement, wherein the pivot axis is located at a point outside the interior region and is disposed perpendicular to a tool axis of the borescope unit at the point outside the interior region.

5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the actuator includes at least one of a linear actuator, a voice coil, a torque motor, a crank and rocker, a cam and cam follower, or a four-bar linkage.

6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to activate the actuator to perform the controlled movement of the image sensor relative to the target element.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the controlled movement includes an initiation period where the actuator accelerates the image sensor to a steady state velocity that matches the operating velocity, a steady state period where the actuator holds the image sensor at the steady state velocity, and a deceleration period where the actuator decelerates the image sensor away from the steady state velocity.

8 . A part inspection imaging system comprising:
an image sensor; an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity; determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time,
wherein the controlled movement includes an initiation period where the actuator accelerates the image sensor to a steady state velocity that approximately matches the operating velocity, a steady state period where the actuator holds the image sensor at the steady state velocity, and a deceleration period where the actuator decelerates the image sensor away from the steady state velocity,
wherein the steady state velocity is an angular velocity around a tool axis through which the image sensor is inserted into an interior region that contains the target element, wherein the angular velocity approximately matches the operating velocity when a center point of a camera lens associated with the image sensor has a velocity that approximately matches the velocity of a key point on the target element that is moving at the operating velocity.

9 . A part inspection imaging system comprising:
an image sensor; an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity; determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time,
wherein the controlled movement includes an initiation period where the actuator accelerates the image sensor to a steady state velocity that approximately matches the operating velocity, a steady state period where the actuator holds the image sensor at the steady state velocity, and a deceleration period where the actuator decelerates the image sensor away from the steady state velocity,
wherein the controlled movement includes a reset period where the actuator returns the image sensor to the initial position.

10 . The system of claim 9 wherein the reset period includes equal magnitude and opposite direction inverses of the deceleration period, the steady state period, and the initiation period to return the image sensor to the initial position.

11 . A part inspection imaging system comprising:
an image sensor; an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity; determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time,
wherein the controlled movement includes an initiation period where the actuator accelerates the image sensor to a steady state velocity that approximately matches the operating velocity, a steady state period where the actuator holds the image sensor at the steady state velocity, and a deceleration period where the actuator decelerates the image sensor away from the steady state velocity,
wherein the steady state period is longer than the designated exposure time, and wherein the controller sets the activation time to occur during the steady state period such that the designated exposure time expires before an end of the steady state period.

12 . A part inspection imaging system comprising:
an image sensor; an actuator configured to cause a controlled movement of the image sensor relative to a target element, the controlled movement being based on an operating velocity of the target element relative to an initial position of the image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the image sensor, the controller configured to: identify the operating velocity: determine an activation time to activate the image sensor for a designated exposure time based on the operating velocity and the controlled movement; and activate the image sensor at the activation time,
wherein the controlled movement includes a continuous periodic velocity pattern for the image sensor, wherein the continuous periodic velocity pattern includes a positive peak period that includes a maximum velocity of the image sensor for the continuous periodic velocity pattern that is within a range of about 20% to about 1% of the operating velocity, and wherein

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Oliver Crispin Robotics Ltd

Inventors

• Kommareddy Vamshi Krishna Reddy
• Graham Andrew Crispin

Classifications

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/695 Primary

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

• H04N23/81 Primary

  for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation · CPC title