An asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of ROI setting in industrial cameras, and particularly to an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras. The method involves selecting either manual or automatic operating mode for the industrial camera; when automatic operating mode is selected, choosing between automatic ROI switching or conditional ROI switching; setting shooting parameters and one or more sets of ROI data for the industrial camera; each set of ROI data containing one or more ROI parameters; capturing images; executing the ROI data in response to manual or automatic operating mode; determining whether a stop shooting condition is met; and stopping shooting if met. This method simultaneously satisfies the freedom of ROI functionality and optimizes time-consuming performance. With arbitrary freedom of ROI functionality, faster ROI switching is possible, and data from multiple different regions can be obtained in just one frame, solving the problem of only being able to acquire a single ROI per frame. This significantly improves work efficiency in the same application scenario.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ROI setting for industrial cameras, and particularly to an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras. Background Technology

[0002] The ROI (Region of Interest) function, sometimes referred to as AOI in other industries, refers to the region of interest in an image relative to full-frame resolution. Industrial cameras have four parameters for ROI: horizontal offset, vertical offset, width, and height. These parameters are measured in pixels, indicating how many pixels to offset horizontally to extract a specified number of pixels (width) and vertically to extract a specified number of pixels (height), thus extracting pixels within a rectangular region of interest. In many vision-related applications, within the required field of view, vision inspection systems only need to extract, recognize, and detect a portion of the target image, without concern for other areas.

[0003] Traditional industrial camera designs require stopping recording before switching ROI parameters. This necessitates stopping and restarting the entire vision acquisition system's video stream to complete the ROI switching. However, industrial production requires continuous operation, and the need for industrial cameras to stop recording every time to switch ROI parameters presents significant inconvenience for industrial users. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the aforementioned problems by designing an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras. To achieve the above objective, this invention provides the following solution:

[0005] An asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras includes the following steps:

[0006] S1. Select the manual or automatic working mode of the industrial camera; when selecting the automatic working mode of the industrial camera, select the automatic ROI switching mode or the conditional ROI switching mode;

[0007] S2. Set the industrial camera shooting parameters and one or more sets of ROI data; each set of ROI data contains one or more ROI parameters;

[0008] S3. Capture an image; execute the ROI data in response to manual or automatic operation mode;

[0009] S4. Determine if the conditions for stopping filming are met. If they are met, stop filming.

[0010] As a further improvement to this technical solution, each ROI parameter includes horizontal offset pixels, vertical offset pixels, width pixels, and height pixels.

[0011] As a further improvement to this technical solution, in response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, each group of ROIs will automatically execute the next group of ROI data when the switching conditions are met, otherwise, the group of ROI data will continue to be executed for shooting.

[0012] As a further improvement to this technical solution, the switching condition is to detect the target object marked with ROI, and passing the detection is considered to meet the switching condition.

[0013] As a further improvement to this technical solution, in response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, each group of ROIs will automatically execute the next group of ROIs after reaching the set number of shooting frames.

[0014] As a further improvement to this technical solution, in response to the manual operation mode of the industrial camera, after the camera starts capturing images, ROI data is not applied; during the shooting process, a set of ROI data to be applied is manually selected and manually triggered; the industrial camera captures images according to the selected set of ROI data; after the trigger is manually turned off, the industrial camera cancels the ROI data and continues shooting.

[0015] As a further improvement to this technical solution, in response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, after each set of ROI data has been automatically executed, it is determined that the shooting conditions are met and the shooting ends.

[0016] As a further improvement to this technical solution, in response to the manual operation mode of the industrial camera, when a stop shooting command is manually issued, it is determined that the stop shooting conditions are met and the shooting ends.

[0017] As a further improvement to this technical solution, during the operation of the industrial camera, unexecuted ROI data can be modified; new ROI data can be added; and executed ROI data can be modified. When the industrial camera is in automatic operation mode, modifying executed ROI data is regarded as adding a new set of ROI data.

[0018] A shooting system using an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method with an industrial camera includes:

[0019] The input module is used to input shooting parameters, ROI parameters, shooting operations, trigger commands, and add and modify ROI parameters;

[0020] The ROI execution judgment module is used to execute ROI data and determine whether to switch ROI data.

[0021] The camera module is used to capture images. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an example diagram showing the ROI of a video captured by an industrial camera using an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shooting system using an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method with an industrial camera according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term “comprising” as used in this specification means the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0028] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown.

[0031] Select the manual working mode for the industrial camera, set the parameters, and then input three sets of ROI data as needed. The first set of ROI data has three ROI parameters: the first ROI parameter includes horizontal offset pixels (OfferX11), vertical offset pixels (OfferY11), width pixels (W11), and height pixels (W11); the second ROI parameter includes horizontal offset pixels (OfferX12), vertical offset pixels (OfferY12), width pixels (W12), and height pixels (W12); the third ROI parameter includes horizontal offset pixels (OfferX13), vertical offset pixels (OfferY13), width pixels (W13), and height pixels (W13). The second set of ROI data has one ROI parameter, and the third set of ROI data has two ROI parameters, each of which includes horizontal offset pixels, vertical offset pixels, width pixels, and height pixels.

[0032] The user issues a start shooting command, and the camera begins shooting. However, the camera does not execute any ROI data at this time. As needed, at time t1, the user selects to execute the third set of ROI data, marking the range of two ROI parameters in the image captured by the industrial camera based on these two parameters. This parameter is captured until time t1', at which point the user chooses to stop executing this set of ROI data, and the camera continues shooting but does not execute any ROI data. At time t2, the user selects to execute the second set of ROI data, marking the range of one ROI parameter in the image captured by the industrial camera. During the execution of the second set of ROI data, the user modifies the third ROI parameter in the first set of ROI data as needed, changing the horizontal offset pixel OfferX13 to OfferX13' and the width pixel W13 to W13', and also adds a fourth set of ROI data, which includes five ROI parameters. At time t3, the user chooses to switch from the second set of ROI data to the fourth set of ROI data. At time t4, the user selects to switch the fourth set of ROI data to the first set of ROI data. At time t5, the user switches the first set of ROI data back to the second set of ROI data. At time t6, the user issues a stop command, and the industrial camera stops recording.

[0033] Example 2

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown.

[0035] Select the automatic operating mode for the industrial camera; after selecting automatic mode, further select the automatic ROI switching mode. The user has set five sets of ROI data as needed: the first set contains 5 ROI parameters, the second set contains 3 ROI parameters, the third set contains 2 ROI parameters, the fourth set contains 4 ROI parameters, and the fifth set contains 1 ROI parameter. The settings are as follows: the first set of ROI data acquires 80 frames of images, the second set acquires 60 frames of images, the third set acquires 10 seconds of images, the fourth set acquires 1 minute of images, and the fifth set acquires 30 seconds of images. The system is also set to stop operation after all five sets of ROI data have been executed.

[0036] When the user issues a start shooting command, the camera begins shooting. After shooting begins, it executes the first set of ROI data, acquiring 80 frames. Then, it automatically switches to the second set of ROI data. Each set of ROI data is executed sequentially according to the set number of frames or time intervals until the last set of ROI data is completed, at which point the industrial camera stops working.

[0037] Example 3

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown.

[0039] Select the automatic working mode for the industrial camera; after selecting automatic mode, further select the conditional ROI switching mode. The user sets two sets of ROI data and connects the images captured by the industrial camera to the image recognition system, which is used to detect the surface quality of the product in the ROI-marked areas. The user issues a start shooting command, and the industrial camera begins shooting. After shooting begins, the first set of ROI data is executed. The image detection system performs image recognition detection on the ROI-marked areas in each frame of the image captured by the industrial camera. If the product surface quality is qualified, the second set of ROI data is executed; if the product surface quality is unqualified, the work line stops, the industrial camera retains the current ROI data, and an alarm is issued to the user.

[0040] Example 4

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown.

[0042] A shooting system using an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method with an industrial camera includes:

[0043] The input module is used to input shooting parameters, ROI parameters, shooting operations, trigger commands, and to add and modify ROI parameters. Users input the various shooting parameters required for industrial camera shooting into the input module. Users select manual or automatic operating mode for the industrial camera; when selecting automatic operating mode, they choose between automatic ROI switching or conditional ROI switching. One or more sets of ROI data are set. During the operation of the industrial camera, unexecuted ROI data can be modified through the input module; new ROI data can be added; and executed ROI data can be modified. When the industrial camera is in automatic operating mode, modifying executed ROI data is considered adding a new set of ROI data.

[0044] The ROI execution judgment module is used to execute ROI data and determine whether to switch ROI data. In response to the industrial camera's manual operation mode, ROI data is not applied after the camera starts capturing images. During shooting, a specific set of ROI data to be applied is manually selected and manually triggered. The ROI execution judgment module then executes this set of ROI data. The industrial camera captures images according to the selected set of ROI data. After manually disabling the trigger, the industrial camera cancels the ROI data and continues shooting.

[0045] In response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, each group of ROIs, based on the set switching conditions, will automatically execute the next group of ROI data if the switching conditions are met; otherwise, it will continue executing the current group of ROI data for shooting. The switching condition is the detection of the target object marked on the ROI; successful detection is considered as meeting the switching condition.

[0046] In response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, the ROI execution judgment module automatically executes the next group of ROIs after each group of ROIs reaches the set number of shooting frames.

[0047] Once the ROI execution judgment module determines that the stop shooting conditions are met, the industrial camera stops shooting.

[0048] The camera module is used to capture images.

[0049] In summary, this invention proposes an asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras. This invention optimizes and improves upon the time consumption of traditional industrial camera ROI functions and the lack of flexibility in ROI functions of industrial cameras customized for industry applications, simultaneously satisfying the flexibility of ROI functions and optimizing time consumption performance. With arbitrary degrees of freedom in ROI functions, faster ROI switching can be achieved. The specific time consumption depends on the ROI setting time of different image sensors, with no additional communication operation time, only including the time spent setting ROI parameters by the sensor. Furthermore, data from multiple different regions can be obtained in just one frame, solving the problem of only being able to acquire a single ROI per frame, significantly improving work efficiency in the same application scenario.

Claims

1. An asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Select the manual or automatic working mode of the industrial camera; when selecting the automatic working mode of the industrial camera, select the automatic ROI switching mode or the conditional ROI switching mode; S2. Set the industrial camera shooting parameters and one or more sets of ROI data; each set of ROI data contains one or more ROI parameters; S3. Capture an image; execute the ROI data in response to manual or automatic operation mode; S4. In response to the automatic operation mode of the industrial camera, after each set of ROI data has been automatically executed, it determines that the stop shooting conditions are met and ends the shooting; in response to the manual operation mode of the industrial camera, when a stop shooting command is manually issued, it determines that the stop shooting conditions are met and ends the shooting.

2. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each ROI parameter includes horizontal offset pixels, vertical offset pixels, width pixels, and height pixels.

3. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, each set of ROI data will automatically execute the next set of ROI data if the switching conditions are met; otherwise, the current set of ROI data will continue to be executed for shooting.

4. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 3, characterized in that, The switching condition is to detect the target object marked with ROI; if the detection is successful, the switching condition is considered to be met.

5. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to the automatic operation mode of industrial cameras, when the automatic ROI switching mode is selected, each set of ROI data will automatically execute the next set of ROI data after reaching the set number of shooting frames.

6. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to the manual operation mode of the industrial camera, after the camera starts capturing images, ROI data is not applied; during the shooting process, a set of ROI data to be applied is manually selected and manually triggered; the industrial camera captures images according to the selected set of ROI data; after the trigger is manually turned off, the industrial camera cancels the ROI data and continues shooting.

7. The asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for industrial cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the operation of the industrial camera, unexecuted ROI data can be modified; new ROI data can be added; and executed ROI data can be modified. When the industrial camera is in automatic operation mode, modifying executed ROI data is considered as adding a new set of ROI data.

8. A shooting system using the asynchronous multi-ROI shooting method for an industrial camera as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, include: The input module is used to input shooting parameters, ROI data, working mode, trigger commands, and to add and modify ROI data; the working mode can be manual or automatic. The ROI execution judgment module executes each set of ROI data; in the automatic working mode, after each set of ROI data has been automatically executed, it determines that the stop shooting condition is met and ends the shooting; in the manual mode, when a stop shooting command is manually issued, it determines that the stop shooting condition is met and ends the shooting. The camera module is used to capture images.

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