An auxiliary device for collecting images of items in a transparent bottle

Abstract

The present invention provides an auxiliary device for capturing images of items in a transparent bottle. The device comprises a controller, a support base for placing the transparent bottle, and a light-shielding box located above the support base. The light-shielding box has an open side, and a spotlight is provided on the top inner wall of the light-shielding box, capable of shining light onto the support base. The controller is controllably connected to the spotlight. The device has a simple structure, is compact and portable, and the position of the spotlight and the arrangement of the light shield optimize lighting conditions for shooting, eliminating interference from reflections from the glass container in photographing the contents of the bottle. Furthermore, the lighting conditions and shooting angles are highly repeatable, reaching a standardized level. The use process is simple, quick, stable, and repeatable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of image acquisition devices, and more particularly to an auxiliary device for acquiring images of items in a transparent bottle. Background Art

[0002] When capturing images of sterile culture materials, such as in vitro-preserved crop germplasm resources, it is often necessary to observe and capture images of the material within the bottle. Currently, there are three main approaches to image capture. The first involves directly removing the culture and photographing it. This method, however, suffers from contamination of the photographed material, forcing it to be discarded after photographing. This destructive image acquisition method is detrimental to the preservation of important materials. The second involves opening the bottle cap and photographing from above, which also contaminates the experimental materials. To address the contamination issue with the first two methods, a sterile camera must be placed permanently within a clean bench. To obtain standardized batch image capture results, a tripod must be constructed within the clean bench and the camera secured to the tripod. Even with these methods, standardized batch image capture results are difficult to obtain due to the instability of the light source within the clean bench and the natural light source. Furthermore, since the bottle caps are always opened, even the slightest misoperation can contaminate the in vitro-preserved material, resulting in incalculable losses for these important resources. The third method is to directly use a camera to focus and photograph the material in the transparent bottle from directly above. For example, Chinese patent CN201718269U discloses an image acquisition light box, the top plate of which has a camera hole for fixing a camera device for vertical photography, and a tray for placing the object to be measured directly below the camera hole. This method is only suitable for directly photographing the object and is not suitable for photographing items in the transparent bottle. Due to the reflection of the transparent bottle wall, part of the fluorescent light is first reflected on the outer wall of the transparent bottle, and the remaining part of the light enters the transparent bottle and illuminates the object in the bottle. It does not directly illuminate the surface of the object to be measured. The lighting effect is poor, making it difficult to focus accurately and easy to lose focus, resulting in blurred objects in the photo, or obstruction and interference of the reflected white light due to reflection. More importantly, if the transparent bottle is placed vertically, the camera is blocked by the bottle cap and cannot capture the object in the bottle at all. If the transparent bottle is placed horizontally, the object in the bottle may fall off the bottom of the bottle and fall to the side wall below the bottle, causing the object in the bottle to lose its original appearance and be damaged. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the problems described in the background art above, such as the difficulty in accurately focusing and the tendency to lose focus due to reflections from transparent bottles and the lack of direct fluorescent light illumination on the surface of the object being measured, the present invention provides an auxiliary device for capturing images of objects within transparent bottles. This device optimizes the lighting conditions for capturing images of the objects within the bottle, eliminating interference from reflections from the glass container.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: an auxiliary device for capturing images of items in a transparent bottle, comprising a controller, a supporting base for placing the transparent bottle, and a light-shielding box body arranged above the supporting base, one side of the light-shielding box body is provided with an opening for shooting, the top inner wall of the light-shielding box body is provided with a spotlight capable of irradiating light onto the supporting base, and the controller is connected to the spotlight control.

[0005] Furthermore, the light-shielding box includes a back panel, a top panel and two side panels, and the back panel, top panel and two side panels are all light-shielding panels. The supporting base and the top panel are connected to opposite sides of the back panel, and the side panels are respectively connected to the other opposite sides of the back panel. The spotlight is installed on a side surface of the top panel close to the supporting base.

[0006] Furthermore, it also includes a lifting mechanism, which includes a fixed end and a movable end. The fixed end of the lifting mechanism is connected to the back plate or the support base, and the movable end of the lifting mechanism is connected to a side of the top plate close to the support base. The controller is controlled and connected to the lifting mechanism.

[0007] Preferably, the lifting mechanism is an electric push rod, the controller is control-connected to the electric push rod, the base of the electric push rod is provided on the back plate, and the telescopic rod of the electric push rod is vertically connected to a side of the top plate close to the support base.

[0008] Furthermore, a balancing block for preventing the device from tipping over is fixedly provided on the side of the support base opposite to the back plate.

[0009] Preferably, the balance weight is made of a material with relatively stable physical and chemical properties and relatively high density, such as lead, iron, copper or marble.

[0010] Furthermore, the support base is provided with an angle adjustment plate, and one side of the angle adjustment plate is hinged to a side of the support base opposite to the back plate.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes an automatic conveying mechanism, which includes an annular conveyor belt for conveying transparent bottles, and the annular conveyor belt passes through the upper end surface of the support base. Both sides of the back panel connected to the side panels are provided with telescopic mechanisms that can drive the side panels to move back and forth within the plane in which they are located, and the controller is independently connected to the automatic conveying mechanism and the telescopic mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, the spotlight includes a lampshade and a bulb located inside the lampshade, the inner wall of the lampshade is coated with a reflective layer, the bulb is connected to the controller, and a colorless lens is provided on one end face of the lampshade close to the support base.

[0013] Furthermore, the lens is connected to the lampshade through a buckle, and a diaphragm is also installed on the lens.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects are:

[0015] 1. The present invention has a simple structure, is compact and portable, and the position of the spotlight and the setting of the sunshade optimize the shooting light conditions, which can eliminate the interference of the reflection of the glass container on the shooting of the objects in the bottle. The top light fully displays the subject in the transparent bottle, making it easy to focus and fully display the details of the subject in the bottle. At the same time, the shooting lighting conditions and shooting angles are highly repeatable and reach a standardized level. The use process is simple, fast, stable and repeatable.

[0016] 2. The transparent bottles are placed vertically for shooting, and the items in the bottles will not be blocked by the bottle caps during shooting. In addition, with a lifting mechanism, it is suitable for transparent bottles of different heights. And with an automatic conveying mechanism, there is no need to manually put in or take out the objects to be photographed, which reduces manpower and improves work efficiency. By using the device disclosed in the present invention and combining it with the standard shooting method, the efficiency of batch standardized collection of images of items in transparent bottles is significantly improved, and the quality of the collected images is significantly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention when the side panels are retracted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting this patent. To better illustrate the embodiments, some components in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced in size, and do not represent actual product dimensions. Those skilled in the art will understand that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted from the drawings. The positional relationships depicted in the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting this patent.

[0020] The same or similar numbers in the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention correspond to the same or similar parts; in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "long", "short", etc. indicating the orientation or position relationship, they are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms describing the position relationship in the drawings are only used for illustrative purposes and cannot be understood as limiting this patent. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0022] Example 1

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, an auxiliary device for capturing images of items in a transparent bottle comprises a controller, a support base 1 for placing the transparent bottle, and a light-shielding box 101 which is covered above the support base 1. The front side of the light-shielding box 101 is open, and the opening is used for the camera to shoot from a direction close to the horizontal angle (in actual shooting, it is often shot at a top-down angle of about 0°-40° relative to the plane where the bottom of the culture bottle is located, so as to fully display the culture in the bottle. The device described in this patent can achieve clear and standardized shooting). The transparent bottle can be a bottle made of glass, plastic or any other transparent medium. The top inner wall of the light-shielding box 101 is provided with a hole that can be opened to the support base 1. A spotlight 5 is provided for irradiating light upward, and a controller is connected to the spotlight 5. The light-shielding box 101 includes a back panel 2, a top panel 3, and two side panels 4. The back panel 2, top panel 3, and two side panels 4 are all light shields made of opaque black matte material. The support base 1 and the top panel 3 are connected to opposite sides of the back panel 2, and the side panels 4 are connected to other opposite sides of the back panel 2. The spotlight 5 is mounted on one side of the top panel 3 near the support base 1. The spotlight 5 includes a lampshade and a bulb located within the lampshade. The inner wall of the lampshade is coated with a reflective layer. The bulb is connected to the controller, and a colorless lens is provided on one end of the lampshade near the support base 1. The lens is connected to the lampshade via a snap and is also equipped with an aperture. The entire light-shielding box 101 constitutes a box-like structure. The front of the box is open for camera aiming. Light shields are provided on the left, right, top, bottom, and top to block external light and prevent it from interfering with the shooting. A well-lit shooting area is formed within the box. A light bulb or LED lamp bead is used as the light source, with a color temperature of 5500K, a color rendering index > 80, preferably a color rendering index > 95, preferably a flash light with a flash index of 28, and specific flash intensity parameters can be set and read. The colorless lens is generally a colorless frosted lens, and the aperture can limit the release of light in a specific direction.

[0024] The device further includes a lifting mechanism 6, which includes a fixed end 61 and a movable end 62. The fixed end 61 of the lifting mechanism 6 is connected to the back panel 2 or the support base 1, and the movable end 62 of the lifting mechanism 6 is connected to the side of the top panel 3 near the support base 1. The controller is connected to the lifting mechanism 6 for control. The lifting mechanism 6 is an electric push rod, and the controller is connected to the electric push rod for control. The base of the electric push rod is set on the back panel 2, and the telescopic rod of the electric push rod is vertically connected to the side of the top panel 3 near the support base 1. The lifting mechanism 6 is mainly used to adjust the height of the top panel 3 and the spotlight 5 to match the objects to be photographed in the transparent bottles of different heights. The lifting stroke of the top panel 3 is within the height range of the back panel 2 and will not exceed the top edge of the back panel 2 to ensure the light shielding effect. The center line and ruler are marked at the center of the upper end of the support base 1 for determining the position of the transparent bottle and the distance between its center and the back panel 2, thereby determining the position of the spotlight. The transparent bottles can be placed vertically on the supporting base 1, and the camera shoots horizontally from the opening of the light-shielding box 101. The photographed objects will not be blocked by the bottle caps, and the shooting angle is better.

[0025] A balancing block 7 is fixed on the side of the support base 1 opposite to the back plate 2 to prevent the device from tipping over. The balancing block 7 is a heavy object used to press down one side of the support base 1 to prevent it from tipping over due to excessive gravity on one side of the back plate 2. The balancing block 7 is made of a material with relatively stable physical and chemical properties and a relatively high density, such as lead, iron, copper or marble.

[0026] It also includes an automatic conveying mechanism. As a more preferred embodiment, the automatic conveying mechanism includes an annular conveyor belt 9 for conveying transparent bottles. The annular conveyor belt 9 passes through the upper end surface of the supporting base 1. Both sides of the back panel 2 connected to the side panels 4 are provided with telescopic mechanisms that can drive the side panels 4 to move back and forth within the plane in which they are located. The controller is independently connected to the automatic conveying mechanism and the telescopic mechanism. After adding the automatic conveying mechanism, it is used for shooting when the quantity is large. The items in the transparent bottles to be photographed are placed in order on one side of the circular transmission belt, and the controller controls the conveyor belt 9 to transport the items in the transparent bottles to be tested in a step-by-step moving network shooting box; that is, only one item in the transparent bottle is allowed to enter the shooting area at a time. After the shooting of the item in the current transparent bottle is completed, the telescopic mechanism drives the two side panels 4 to retract backward, and the transmission belt runs to move the previous transparent bottle out of the shooting area. Manual or robotic arms can take away the photographed items in the transparent bottle on the conveyor belt 9 outside the shooting area, and the next transparent bottle enters the shooting area. After the next transparent bottle is in place, the telescopic mechanism drives the two side panels 4 to extend forward and reset to perform left and right light shielding, and then the shooting of the next transparent bottle can be carried out.

[0027] The support base 1 is also provided with an angle adjustment plate 8, one side of which is hinged to the side of the support base 1 opposite to the back plate 2. When the angle adjustment plate 8 is coplanar with the support base 1, the support surface of the entire support base 1 is on the same horizontal plane. When the angle adjustment plate 8 rotates around the side to a certain angle, the hinged connection between the angle adjustment plate 8 and the support base 1 can fix the two at a certain angle and no longer rotate, which is equivalent to the front side of the support base 1 being lifted and the support surface tilted at a certain angle. In addition, the support base 1 is generally provided with a groove 10 to prevent the transparent bottle from moving or tipping over. When an automatic conveying mechanism is added, the groove 10 and the transparent bottle are both located on the transmission belt, so that the transparent bottle will not move or tip over within a certain range. This design is to enable adjustment of multiple angles for shooting.

[0028] In actual use, the camera is equipped with a macro lens with a fixed focal length of 40, 50, 60, 85, or 100mm, preferably an 85mm fixed focal length lens. The camera parameters are manually set to an aperture of 1 / 22, ISO 200, and an exposure time of 1 / 60s. The camera is fixed to a tripod. The camera is used to photograph the object in the transparent bottle through the open side of the box. The object in the transparent bottle is adjusted to be centered in the viewfinder image. The camera is connected to a shutter release cable or remote control. Based on the shooting results, the light intensity is adjusted to fully illuminate the details of the object while keeping the background dark. The light intensity parameters at this time are recorded and locked. The angle of the angle adjustment plate 8 is recorded and locked. A macro lens with the same focal length is used. The shutter is triggered to shoot. After each sample is shot, when changing samples, the scale line on the support base 1 is read to ensure that the next sample is placed in the same position as the previous sample. If the shooting conditions change after pausing during the shooting, the shooting conditions can be restored the next time according to the recorded light intensity and angle adjustment plate 8 parameters to continue shooting. This device has a simple structure, is compact and portable, and the placement of the spotlight 5 and the light shield optimize the lighting conditions for photography, eliminating interference from reflections from the glass container that might interfere with photographing the contents. This also ensures highly repeatable and standardized lighting conditions and shooting angles, making the process simple, quick, stable, and repeatable. Furthermore, an automatic conveying mechanism eliminates the need for manual placement and removal of objects to be photographed, reducing labor and increasing operational efficiency. This device is suitable for photographing plant samples, including but not limited to those in plant tissue culture bottles. Utilizing the apparatus disclosed in this embodiment, combined with the photographing method described herein, the efficiency of batch, standardized acquisition of images of objects in transparent bottles is significantly improved, as is the quality of the captured images.

[0029] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An auxiliary device for collecting images of items in a transparent bottle, characterized in that: The invention comprises a controller, a support base (1) for placing a transparent bottle, and a light-shielding box (101) arranged above the support base (1); a spotlight (5) capable of irradiating light onto the support base (1) is provided on the inner wall of the top surface of the light-shielding box (101); an opening for shooting is provided on one side of the light-shielding box (101); and the controller is connected to the spotlight (5); The light-shielding box (101) comprises a back panel (2), a top panel (3) and two side panels (4); the support base (1) and the top panel (3) are connected to two opposite sides of the back panel (2); the side panels (4) are respectively connected to the other two opposite sides of the back panel (2); and the spotlight (5) is mounted on a side surface of the top panel (3) close to the support base (1); The device further comprises a lifting mechanism (6), the lifting mechanism (6) comprising a fixed end (61) and a movable end (62), the fixed end (61) of the lifting mechanism (6) being connected to the back plate (2) or the support base (1), the movable end (62) of the lifting mechanism (6) being connected to a side surface of the top plate (3) close to the support base (1), and the controller being control-connected to the lifting mechanism (6); The invention also includes an automatic conveying mechanism, wherein the automatic conveying mechanism includes an annular conveyor belt (9) for conveying transparent bottles, the conveyor belt (9) passes through the upper end surface of the support base (1), and both sides of the back plate (2) connected to the side plate (4) are provided with a telescopic mechanism capable of driving the side plate (4) to move back and forth within the plane where the side plate (4) is located, and the controller is independently connected to the automatic conveying mechanism and the telescopic mechanism.

2. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism (6) is an electric push rod, the controller is connected to the electric push rod, the base of the electric push rod is arranged on the back plate (2), and the telescopic rod of the electric push rod is vertically connected to a side of the top plate (3) close to the support base (1).

3. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A balancing block (7) for preventing the device from tipping over is also fixedly provided on the side of the support base (1) opposite to the back plate (2).

4. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The balancing weight (7) is made of lead, iron, copper or marble.

5. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support base (1) is further provided with an angle adjustment plate (8), and one side of the angle adjustment plate (8) is hinged to a side of the support base (1) opposite to the back plate (2).

6. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spotlight (5) comprises a lampshade and a light bulb located in the lampshade, the inner wall of the lampshade is coated with a reflective layer, the light bulb is connected to the controller, and a colorless lens is provided on one end face of the lampshade close to the support base (1).

7. The image acquisition auxiliary device for items in a transparent bottle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lens is connected to the lampshade through a buckle, and a diaphragm is also arranged on the lens.

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