Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017309011-A1
Application number	US-201715493437-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 25, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image processing apparatus acquires a work inspection image by image-taking one inspection object, acquires a work reference image that is different from the work inspection image, generates an aligned image by arranging the work reference image at the periphery of the work inspection image and subjects the aligned image to singular portion detection processing to detect a singular portion in the aligned image. The singular portion detection processing is performed on a first work inspection image obtained by image-taking a first inspection object, subsequently the singular portion detection processing is performed on a second work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the first inspection object, a second inspection object, and subsequently the singular portion detection processing is performed on a third work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the second inspection object, a third inspection object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image processing apparatus, comprising:
a unit configured to acquire a work inspection image of one inspection object among a plurality of sequentially image-taken objects; a unit configured to acquire a work reference image that is different from the work inspection image and used to inspect the one inspection object; a unit configured to generate an aligned image by arranging the work reference image at the periphery of the work inspection image; and a processing unit configured to subject the aligned image to singular portion detecting processing to detect a singular portion in the aligned image, wherein the processing unit performs the singular portion detection processing on a first work inspection image obtained by image-taking a first inspection object that is one of the plurality of inspection objects, subsequently performs the singular portion detection processing on a second work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the first inspection object, a second inspection object that is one of the plurality of objects and different from the first inspection object, and subsequently performs the singular portion detection processing on a third work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the second inspection object, a third inspection object that is one of the plurality of objects and different from both of the first inspection object and the second inspection object.

2 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an image-taking unit configured to image-taking the plurality of objects; wherein the plurality of inspection objects are carried, at a predetermined speed, via a position at which the image taking by the image-taking unit is possible.

3 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the unit configured to acquire the work reference image acquires the work reference image from an image of an inspection object that is image-taken prior to the image taking of the one inspection object among the plurality of inspection objects.

4 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the work reference image is an image of an inspection object firstly image-taken among the plurality of objects.

5 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the unit configured to acquire the work reference image acquires an image based on an image obtained by image-taking a certain inspection object among the plurality of objects as a work reference image for a work inspection image of an inspection object image-taken after the certain inspection object.

6 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the work reference image for the work inspection image of a certain inspection object is generated from images of a plurality of inspection objects image-taken prior to the image taking of the certain inspection object among the plurality of inspection objects.

7 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the work reference image is changed depending on a feature of a singular portion to be detected by the singular portion detection processing.

8 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the singular portion detection processing is processing to detect a singular portion existing in the inspection object by performing averaging processing on the respective plurality of division regions obtained by dividing the aligned image based on predetermined division size and predetermined phase in the aligned image to subsequently perform processing to add the results of the averaging processing under conditions in which at least one of the division size and the phase varies.

9 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a determination unit configured to determine, based on the result of the singular portion detection processing, whether the aligned image includes a singular portion or not.

10 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
in a case where the determination unit determines that the first work inspection image does not include a singular portion, then the first work inspection image is set as the work reference image in the singular portion detection processing for the second work inspection image and the third work inspection image.

11 . An image processing method, comprising:
an image-taking step of sequentially image-taking a plurality of inspection objects as inspection targets; a step of acquiring a work inspection image of one image-taken inspection object among the plurality of inspection objects in the image-taking step; a step of acquiring a work reference image that is different from the work inspection image and used to inspect the one inspection object; a step of generating an aligned image by arranging the work reference image at the periphery of the work inspection image; and a processing step of subjecting the aligned image to singular portion detection processing to detect a singular portion in the aligned image, wherein the processing step performs the processing on the aligned image including a first work inspection image obtained by image-taking a first inspection object among the plurality of inspection objects in the image-taking step, subsequently performs the processing on the aligned image including a second work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the first inspection object, a second inspection object that is different from the first inspection object and one of the plurality of objects, and subsequently performs the processing on the aligned image including a third work inspection image obtained by image-taking, after the second inspection object, a third inspection object that is different from both of the first inspection object and the second inspection object and one of the plurality of objects.

12 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
the plurality of inspection objects are carried, at a predetermined speed, via a position at which the image taking by the image-taking step is possible.

13 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
the work reference image is acquired from an image of an inspection object that is image-taken prior to the image taking for the work inspection image in the aligned image subjected to the processing step among the plurality of inspection objects.

14 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
the work reference image is an image of an object firstly image-taken among the plurality of objects in the image-taking step.

15 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
an image obtained by image-taking the first inspection object in the image-taking step is set as the work reference image arranged at the periphery of the second work inspection image in the processing step.

16 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
images of a plurality of inspection objects image-taken, from among the plurality of inspection objects, prior to the image taking of the inspection object in the image-taking step are arranged as the work reference image to generate an aligned image.

17 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
the work reference image is changed depending on a feature of a singular portion to be detected by the singular portion detection processing.

18 . The image processing method according to claim 11 , wherein
the singular portion detection processing is processing to de

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Hori Shinjiro
• Ikeda Tohru
• Suwa Tetsuya
• Ishikawa Tomokazu
• Tanaka Wakako

Classifications

• G06T7/38 Primary

  Registration of image sequences · CPC title

• G06T2207/20021

  Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows · CPC title

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title

• G06T2207/20076

  Probabilistic image processing · CPC title