Inspection apparatus, inspection method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683943-B2
Application number	US-201514718110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	Jun 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

To facilitate setting of a parameter at the time of generating an inspection image from an image acquired by using a photometric stereo principle. A photometric processing part generates an inspection image based on a plurality of luminance images acquired by a camera. A display control part and a display part switch and display the luminance image and the inspection image, or simultaneously display these images. An inspection tool setting part adjusts a control parameter of the camera and a control parameter of an illumination apparatus. Further, when the control parameter is adjusted, the display control part updates the image being displayed on the display part to an image where the control parameter after the change has been reflected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inspection apparatus comprising:
an illumination section for illuminating an inspection target by a photometric stereo method;
an imaging section for capturing an image of the inspection target illuminated by the illumination section;
an inspection image generating section for obtaining a normal vector of a surface of the inspection target based on a plurality of luminance images acquired by the imaging section, to generate an inspection image made up of a plurality of pixel values in accordance with the normal vector;
a display section for switching and displaying at least one of the plurality of luminance images and the inspection image, or simultaneously displaying at least one of the plurality of luminance images and the inspection image;
an adjustment section for adjusting at least one of a control parameter of the imaging section and a control parameter of the illumination section; and
an updating section for updating an image being displayed on the display section to an image where the control parameter has been reflected when the control parameter is adjusted, wherein, when the display section displays the inspection image, the adjustment section adjusts a generation condition for the inspection image by the photometric stereo method, and the adjustment section adjusts a characteristic size out of the generation conditions.

2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
when the adjustment section changes exposure time of the imaging section, the imaging section captures an image of the inspection target based on the exposure time to acquire a plurality of luminance images, and
the updating section switches and displays, or simultaneously displays, at least one of the plurality of luminance images acquired after the exposure time is changed and the inspection image on the display section.

3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when an illumination light amount is changed by the adjustment section, an illumination light amount of each of a plurality of light sources provided in the illumination section is changed.

4. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, at the time of displaying a luminance image, the display section emphasizes pixels whose pixel values are saturated out of pixels constituting the luminance image, or displays information indicating a ratio of pixels whose pixel values are saturated to pixels whose pixel values are not saturated.

5. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, at the time of displaying a synthesized luminance image obtained by synthesizing the plurality of luminance images, the display section emphasizes pixels whose pixel values are saturated out of pixels constituting the synthesized luminance image, or displays information indicating a ratio of pixels whose pixel values are saturated to pixels whose pixel values are not saturated.

6. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, at the time of displaying the inspection image, the display section emphasizes pixels whose coordinates match with those of pixels whose pixel values are saturated in the luminance image out of pixels of the inspection image, or displays information indicating a ratio of pixels whose pixel values are saturated to pixels whose pixel values are not saturated.

7. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment section adjusts the number of lighting times of the illumination section.

8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment section changes a light source to be lighted out of a plurality of light sources provided in the illumination section.

9. The inspection apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the display section displays a user interface for designating the light source to be lighted when the adjustment section changes the light source to be lighted, and
the adjustment section accepts designation of the light source to be lighted in the user interface.

10. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display section switches and displays, or simultaneously displays, a plurality of inspection images whose generation conditions are respectively different.

11. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the display section displays one inspection image selected out of a plurality of inspection images whose generation conditions are respectively different,
the inspection image generating section regenerates the one selected inspection image in accordance with the characteristic size adjusted by the adjustment section, and
the updating section displays the regenerated inspection image on the display section.

12. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation conditions include a common setting item that is commonly set for a plurality of inspection images and individual setting items that are individually set for the plurality of inspection images.

13. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an image selection section for selecting an image, which is to be saved or outputted, out of a plurality of luminance images acquired by the imaging section and the inspection image.

14. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the image selection section selects an image, which is to be saved or outputted, out of the plurality of luminance images, the inspection image, a luminance image acquired by lighting all of the plurality of light sources provided in the illumination sections, and a synthesized luminance image obtained by synthesizing the plurality of luminance images.

15. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the image selection section selects an image, which is to be saved or outputted, out of the plurality of inspection images with respectively different characteristic sizes.

16. The inspection apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the image selection section selects an image, which is to be saved or outputted, out of the plurality of luminance images, the inspection image, and a reflectance image whose pixel value is a reflectance of the surface of the inspection target.

17. A control method for an inspection apparatus which includes
an illumination section for illuminating an inspection target by a photometric stereo method;
an imaging section for capturing an image of the inspection target illuminated by the illumination section;
an inspection image generating section for obtaining a normal vector of the surface of the inspection target based on a plurality of luminance images acquired by the imaging section, to generate an inspection image made up of a plurality of pixel values in accordance with the normal vector; and
a display section for switching and displaying at least one of the plurality of luminance images and the inspection image, or simultaneously displaying at least one of the plurality of luminance images and the inspection image,
the method comprising:
an adjustment step of adjusting at least one of a control parameter of the imaging section and a control parameter of the illumination section, wherein, when the display section displays the inspection image, the adjustment step adjusts a generation condition for the inspection image by the photometric stereo method, and the adjustment step adjusts a characteristic size out of the generation conditions; and
an updating step of updating an image being displayed on the display section to an image where the control parameter has been reflected when the control parameter is adjusted.

18. A comput

Assignees

• Keyence Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ando Daisuke

Classifications

• G06T2207/30164

  Workpiece; Machine component · CPC title

• G06T2207/10152

  Varying illumination · CPC title

• G06T7/0004 Primary

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• G06T7/586

  from multiple light sources, e.g. photometric stereo · CPC title

• G01N2201/06

  Illumination; Optics · CPC title