Image acquisition control method for clothes processing equipment and clothes processing equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of clothes treatment equipment, particularly provides a control method for a camera of clothes treatment equipment and the clothes treatment equipment, and aims to solve the problem that the function realization of a clothes care machine is influenced as the camera cannot accurately identify clothes due to serious exposure in an inner barrel of the existing clothes treatment equipment. The clothes processing equipment comprises a camera, the camera is rotatably installed on an inner barrel of the clothes processing equipment, the camera is in communication connection with a controller of the clothes processing equipment, and the control method comprises the steps that the camera is controlled to obtain image information in the inner barrel; judging whether overexposure occurs or not based on the image information in the inner barrel; and if overexposure occurs, controlling the camera to rotate. Therefore, in the use process of the clothes treatment equipment, when overexposure occurs in imaging of the camera, reflected light in the metal inner barrel is prevented from excessively entering the camera by rotating the shooting angle of the camera, and the situation that overexposure occurs in imaging of the camera is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of clothing processing equipment technology, specifically providing an image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment and clothing processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Existing smart garment care machines typically use an internal camera to photograph the clothes inside the tub. The camera then processes the images, such as triggering a program upon detecting clothing. However, because both the camera and the internal light are mounted above the viewing window's rubber seal, the light reflecting off the metal tub and into the camera causes severe overexposure. If clothing happens to be in an overexposed area, the overlap between the clothing and the exposed area negatively impacts the camera's recognition rate. Inaccurate clothing identification can affect the garment care machine's functionality, and adjusting the light's brightness and exposure parameters does not solve the problem of severe overexposure.

[0003] In view of this, there is a need in the art for a new control method for a camera in a garment processing device and a garment processing device in general to solve the existing problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, namely, to solve the problem that the camera cannot accurately identify clothes due to severe exposure inside the inner drum of existing clothing processing equipment, thus affecting the function of the clothing care machine.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an image acquisition control method for a garment processing device, the garment processing device including a camera rotatably mounted on an inner drum of the garment processing device, the camera being communicatively connected to a controller of the garment processing device, the control method including: controlling the camera to acquire image information inside the inner drum; determining whether overexposure occurs based on the image information inside the inner drum; and if overexposure occurs, controlling the camera to rotate.

[0006] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "if overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate" further includes: if overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate 30° to 90° in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

[0007] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "if overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate" further includes: if overexposure occurs, acquire the overexposure area S; determine the size of the overexposure area S and the overexposure threshold S1; and control the camera to rotate based on the determination result.

[0008] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: if the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then controlling the camera to rotate 30° in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

[0009] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: if the overexposed area S is greater than the overexposed threshold S1, then controlling the camera to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1. In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: if the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then controlling the camera to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1.

[0010] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the control method further includes: controlling the camera to acquire image information inside the inner tub; controlling the inner tub to rotate at a first preset speed for a first preset time; determining whether there is a target area whose position remains unchanged based on the image information inside the inner tub; and excluding the target area whose position remains unchanged if there is a target area whose position remains unchanged.

[0011] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition and control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "determining whether there is a target area with an unchanged position based on the image information inside the inner tub" further includes: determining whether there is a target area with an unchanged position based on the image information inside the inner tub by means of continuous frame detection.

[0012] In a specific embodiment of the image acquisition control method for the above-mentioned clothing processing equipment, the step "if there is a target area with an unchanged position, then exclude the target area with an unchanged position" further includes: if there is a target area with an unchanged position, then exclude the target area with an unchanged position by means of frame difference method.

[0013] The present invention also provides a garment processing device, the garment processing device including a camera, the camera being rotatably mounted on the inner drum of the garment processing device, the camera being communicatively connected to the controller of the garment processing device, and the garment processing device being capable of executing the image acquisition control method for garment processing device as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0014] The technical effect of this invention is as follows: In the process of using the clothing processing device of this invention, the camera is first controlled to acquire image information of the clothing to be processed inside the inner drum. Then, based on the acquired image information of the clothing to be processed, it is determined whether overexposure occurs (specifically, it can be done by high-brightness area detection or pixel value analysis). When the light emitted by the lighting lamp of the clothing processing device enters the camera after being reflected by the metal inner drum, causing the camera image to be overexposed, the camera is rotated to adjust the shooting angle of the camera to avoid excessive reflection from the metal inner drum entering the camera, thereby avoiding the overexposure of the camera image. This solves the problem that the existing clothing processing devices cannot accurately identify the clothes due to severe exposure inside the inner drum, thus affecting the function of the clothing care machine. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of step S3 in Embodiment 2 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of step S34 in Embodiment 2 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of step S34 in Embodiment 3 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a main flowchart of Embodiment 4 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of step S5 in Embodiment 4 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of step S6 in Embodiment 4 of the image acquisition and control method for clothing processing equipment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments as needed to adapt to specific applications. For example, although the specification describes a garment care machine as an example, the present invention can obviously be applied to various other garment processing devices, as long as the garment processing device includes a camera and the aforementioned problems are addressed.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," indicating directional or positional relationships, are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These are merely for ease of description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] First, existing garment processing equipment is described. Current intelligent garment care machines typically use an internal camera to photograph the garments inside the drum. The captured images are then processed logically, such as triggering a corresponding program upon garment detection. However, because both the camera and the internal lighting are mounted above the rubber pad of the observation window inside the drum, the light from the lighting reflects off the metal drum and into the camera, causing severe overexposure in the captured images. If clothing happens to be in an overexposed area, the overlap between the clothing and the exposed area affects the camera's recognition rate. Inaccurate garment recognition may impair the garment care machine's functionality, and adjusting the lighting brightness and exposure parameters does not solve the problem of severe overexposure. Therefore, this invention proposes the following implementation method.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, to solve the problem that in existing garment care machines, severe exposure inside the inner drum prevents the camera from accurately identifying clothes, thus affecting the machine's functionality, the garment care machine of this invention includes a camera. The camera is rotatably mounted on the inner drum of the garment care machine, and the camera is communicatively connected to the controller of the garment care machine. The control method includes:

[0029] S1. Control the camera to acquire image information of the inside of the inner barrel;

[0030] S2. Determine whether overexposure has occurred based on the image information inside the inner barrel;

[0031] S3. If overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate.

[0032] Of the above steps, step S3 further includes:

[0033] S31. If overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate 30° to 90° clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0034] In the above-described implementation, during the use of the garment care machine of the present invention, the camera is first controlled to acquire image information inside the inner drum. Then, based on the image information inside the inner drum, it is determined whether the camera's image is overexposed. If the image is overexposed, the camera is controlled to rotate 30° to 90° clockwise or counterclockwise. Specifically, while controlling the camera to rotate, the camera continues to acquire image information inside the inner drum, and the camera continues to determine whether the image is overexposed based on the image information inside the inner drum until overexposedness no longer occurs. At this point, the camera stops rotating and re-captures the image. Thus, the controller of the garment care machine can accurately determine and control the garment care machine to execute the corresponding operating logic based on the image information acquired by the camera, solving the problem in existing garment care machines where severe exposure inside the inner drum causes the camera to be unable to accurately identify clothes, thereby affecting the functionality of the garment care machine.

[0035] The advantages of the above-described implementation are: by continuously acquiring image information from inside the inner barrel for judgment, and simultaneously continuously controlling the camera rotation to adjust the camera's shooting angle, overexposure during image capture can be avoided through automatic adjustment of the camera's shooting angle, making operation simple and convenient. Regarding the camera's rotation direction and angle, those skilled in the art will understand that the camera can be controlled to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. Alternatively, it can initially rotate clockwise (or counterclockwise), and if overexposure cannot be eliminated by clockwise (or counterclockwise) rotation, then rotate counterclockwise (or clockwise). These modifications do not exceed the technical principles of this invention and are therefore all within the scope of protection of this invention. Similarly, regarding the camera's rotation angle, the aforementioned range of 30° to 90° is merely a preferred embodiment. Its purpose is to limit the camera's rotation angle to prevent excessive reflections from the metal inner tub from entering the camera if the rotation angle is too small, and also to prevent the camera from failing to capture the clothing inside the inner tub if the rotation angle is too large. Those skilled in the art can adjust the camera's rotation angle range according to actual usage conditions. These changes do not exceed the technical principles of this invention and are therefore all included within the protection scope of this invention.

[0036] Example 2

[0037] The aforementioned embodiment one mentioned that if overexposure occurs, it is determined by continuously acquiring image information of the inner barrel and simultaneously controlling the camera rotation to adjust the camera's shooting angle. While this method can avoid overexposure during camera imaging by automatically adjusting the camera's shooting angle, the continuous acquisition of information, calculation, and control places high demands on the controller's performance and energy consumption. Therefore, this embodiment is proposed. Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, step S3 further includes:

[0038] S32. If overexposure occurs, obtain the overexposure area S;

[0039] S33. Determine the relationship between the overexposure area S and the overexposure threshold S1;

[0040] S34. Control the camera to rotate based on the judgment result.

[0041] Of the above steps, step S34 further includes:

[0042] S341. If the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then control the camera to rotate 30° clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0043] S342. If the overexposed area S is greater than the overexposed threshold S1, then control the camera to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1.

[0044] In the above-described embodiments, during the use of the garment care machine of the present invention, the camera is first controlled to acquire image information inside the inner tub. Then, based on the image information inside the inner tub, it is determined whether the camera image is overexposed. If the camera image is overexposed, the overexposed area S is obtained through the image information inside the inner tub, and the size of the overexposed area S and the overexposed threshold S1 are determined. Then, based on the determination result, the camera is controlled to rotate. If the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, it means that the angle that the camera needs to rotate is relatively small. Therefore, controlling the camera to rotate 30° clockwise or counterclockwise can avoid overexposed imaging. If the overexposed area S is greater than the overexposed threshold S1, it means that the angle that the camera needs to rotate is relatively large. Therefore, controlling the camera to rotate an angle A clockwise or counterclockwise, where A = S * 30° / S1.

[0045] The advantages of the above implementation method are as follows: Compared with the aforementioned method of continuously acquiring image information inside the inner drum for judgment and continuously controlling the camera rotation to adjust the camera's shooting angle, this implementation method acquires and compares the size of the overexposed area S and the overexposed threshold S1, and uses the relationship between the overexposed area S and the overexposed threshold S1 as the determining condition for controlling the camera rotation angle. This avoids continuously acquiring information, calculating, and then controlling the camera rotation. Only one acquisition, calculation, and control are needed to achieve precise control of the camera rotation angle. This solves the problem that existing garment care machines cannot accurately identify clothes due to severe exposure inside the inner drum, thus affecting the functionality of the garment care machine. It also reduces the performance and energy consumption requirements of the garment care machine controller.

[0046] Example 3

[0047] As mentioned in the aforementioned Embodiment 2, when the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, it indicates that the angle at which the camera needs to rotate is relatively small. Therefore, controlling the camera to rotate 30° clockwise or counterclockwise can avoid overexposure during imaging. However, fixing the camera's rotation angle to 30° when the required rotation angle is small may have problems in certain situations. For example, when the garment to be cared for in the garment care machine is a small item, rotating the camera by 30° may cause the small garment to move out of the camera's shooting range, resulting in incomplete acquisition of information about the garment and affecting the subsequent execution of the garment care machine's logic. Therefore, this embodiment is proposed. Figure 2 , Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, step S34 further includes:

[0048] S343. If the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then control the camera to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1.

[0049] The advantages of the above implementation are as follows: When the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, it indicates that the angle at which the camera needs to rotate is relatively small. Under this condition, if the overexposed area S is equal to the overexposed threshold S1, the camera is rotated 30° clockwise or counterclockwise. If the overexposed area S is less than the overexposed threshold S1, the camera is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by multiplying the ratio of the overexposed area S to the overexposed threshold S1 by 30°. In this way, when the overexposed area S is close to the overexposed threshold S1, the rotation angle of the camera is close to 30°. When the exposed area S differs significantly from the overexposure threshold S1, the camera's rotation angle approaches 0°. Therefore, when the overexposure area S is less than the overexposure threshold S1, the camera's rotation angle A is positively correlated with the overexposure area S. Consequently, the camera's rotation angle A is relatively large only when the overexposure area S is relatively large, and relatively small when the overexposure area S is relatively small. This prevents small garments from being moved out of the camera's field of view, thus avoiding incomplete information acquisition and affecting the subsequent logic execution of the garment care machine. Furthermore, step S342 in the aforementioned embodiment also achieves the effect of a positive correlation between the camera's rotation angle A and the overexposure area S, which will not be elaborated further.

[0050] Example 4

[0051] In home settings, garment care machines are typically placed on balconies or in bathrooms. Balconies often have strong sunlight, while bathrooms have insufficient light. In both cases, external objects can be reflected to varying degrees through the machine's door and enter the inner tub, affecting the accuracy of the camera's image recognition. This implementation method is proposed to address this issue. Figures 5-7 As shown, the control methods include:

[0052] S1. Control the camera to acquire image information of the inside of the inner barrel;

[0053] S4. Control the inner tub to rotate at a first preset speed for a first preset time;

[0054] S5. Determine whether there is a target area whose position remains unchanged based on the image information inside the inner barrel;

[0055] S6. If there are target areas whose positions remain unchanged, then exclude the target areas whose positions remain unchanged.

[0056] Of the above steps, step S5 further includes:

[0057] S51. Based on the image information inside the inner barrel, determine whether there is a target region whose position remains unchanged by continuous frame detection.

[0058] Of the above steps, step S6 further includes:

[0059] S61. If there are target regions whose positions remain unchanged, then the target regions whose positions remain unchanged are excluded by the frame difference method.

[0060] In the above implementation method, the camera is first controlled to acquire image information of the inner tub, while the inner tub is controlled to rotate at a first preset speed (e.g., 100 rpm) for a first preset time (e.g., 5 seconds) to ensure that the clothes to be cared for fall and roll under the rotation of the inner tub. Then, based on the image information of the inner tub, continuous frame detection (e.g., 30 frames) is used to determine whether there is a target area with an invariant position. If there is a target area with an invariant position, it is excluded by frame difference method. Specifically, continuous frame detection is a technique that uses information between adjacent frames in a video or image sequence to enhance the performance of target detection. This technique improves the accuracy and robustness of detection by analyzing each frame in the video stream and considering the correlation between frames. Frame difference method is used between consecutive frames. Regions with invariant positions after subtracting two consecutive frames can be retained and removed by the algorithm, thereby eliminating the situation where external objects reflect light into the inner tub and are captured by the camera, leading to recognition errors and improving the recognition accuracy of the camera.

[0061] In addition, the present invention also provides a garment processing device, which includes a camera rotatably mounted on the inner drum of the garment processing device. The camera is communicatively connected to the controller of the garment processing device, and the garment processing device is capable of executing any of the above-described image acquisition control methods for garment processing devices.

[0062] It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely used to illustrate the principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can adjust the above structure so that the present invention can be applied to more specific application scenarios.

[0063] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described garment care machine also includes other known structures, such as processors, controllers, and memories. These memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, serial memory, parallel memory, or registers. Processors include, but are not limited to, CPLD / FPGA, DSP, ARM processors, and MIPS processors. To avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of this disclosure, these known structures are not shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0064] Although the steps in the above embodiments are described in the above order, those skilled in the art will understand that in order to achieve the effect of this embodiment, different steps do not necessarily have to be executed in this order. They can be executed simultaneously (in parallel) or in reverse order. For example, S1 and S4 can be executed simultaneously or in a sequential order. These simple variations are all within the protection scope of this invention.

[0065] The technical solution of the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after such changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device, characterized in that, The garment processing device includes a camera, which is rotatably mounted on the inner drum of the garment processing device. The camera is communicatively connected to the controller of the garment processing device, and the control method includes: Control the camera to acquire image information of the inside of the inner barrel; Determine whether overexposure has occurred based on the image information inside the inner barrel; If overexposure occurs, the camera will be rotated.

2. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step "If overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate" further includes: If overexposure occurs, the camera is controlled to rotate 30° to 90° clockwise or counterclockwise.

3. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step "If overexposure occurs, control the camera to rotate" further includes: If overexposure occurs, the overexposure area S is obtained; Determine the relationship between the overexposed area S and the overexposed threshold S1; The camera is controlled to rotate based on the judgment result.

4. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: If the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then the camera is controlled to rotate 30° clockwise or counterclockwise.

5. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: If the overexposed area S is greater than the overexposed threshold S1, then the camera is controlled to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1.

6. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step "controlling the camera to rotate based on the judgment result" further includes: If the overexposed area S is less than or equal to the overexposed threshold S1, then the camera is controlled to rotate by an angle A in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, where A = S * 30° / S1.

7. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: Control the camera to acquire image information of the inside of the inner barrel; The inner tub is controlled to rotate at a first preset speed for a first preset time; Based on the image information inside the inner barrel, determine whether there is a target area whose position remains unchanged; If there are target areas whose positions remain unchanged, then exclude those target areas.

8. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step "determining whether there is a target area with an unchanged position based on the image information inside the inner barrel" further includes: Based on the image information inside the inner barrel, the system uses continuous frame detection to determine whether there is a target area whose position remains unchanged.

9. The image acquisition and control method for a garment processing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step "If there are target areas whose positions remain unchanged, then exclude target areas whose positions remain unchanged" further includes: If there are target regions whose positions remain unchanged, then the target regions whose positions remain unchanged are excluded by the frame difference method.

10. A garment processing device, characterized in that, The garment processing device includes a camera, which is rotatably mounted on the inner drum of the garment processing device. The camera is communicatively connected to the controller of the garment processing device, and the garment processing device is capable of executing the image acquisition control method for garment processing devices as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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