IMAGE MEASURING DEVICE AND PROGRAM

Abstract

An image measurement device and a user-friendly program are provided, even if the information display screen is small or the user's skill is limited. An image measurement device according to the present invention captures an image of a target object and measures the dimensions of the target object through a plurality of processing steps. The image measurement device comprises: a display unit that shows user interfaces that accept input from a user; a process control unit that causes the display unit to show only the user interfaces that accept the inputs necessary to use the available functions in each of the processing steps; and a function execution unit that executes the function for which the usage-related input is made at the user interface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to an image measurement apparatus and a program.PRIOR ARTAn image measurement device is a device that captures an image of a measurement object and measures the dimensions of the measurement object by analyzing the image (see, for example, JP 2010-169584A).SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONPROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTIONConventionally, applications for image measurement devices that control image measurement devices have displayed user interfaces on a display screen for all functions to input instructions for use of the functions provided by the application. Therefore, when the display screen is small, the area displaying the user interfaces occupies a high percentage of the screen, resulting in a situation where the area displaying the image of the measurement object is very small or it is difficult to know which functions are available when the skill of the user is low, which hinders the operability.An object of the present invention is to provide an image measuring apparatus and a program having good operability even when the screen for displaying information is small or the skill of the user is low.SOLUTION OF THE OBJECTSAn image measurement apparatus according to the present invention captures an image of a measurement object and measures the dimensions of the measurement object by a plurality of processing steps. The image measurement apparatus includes: a display unit that displays user interfaces that accept inputs through input operations from a user; a process control unit that causes the display unit to display only the user interfaces that accept the inputs necessary to use the available functions in each of the editing steps; and a function execution unit that executes the function for which the input related to the use is made at the user interface.The plurality of processing steps may include a first processing step of sequentially extracting a plurality of geometric elements from the image of the measurement object, and a second processing step of obtaining measurement results by sequentially performing dimension measurement from measurement elements for which the geometric elements necessary for measurement have been obtained by extracting the geometric elements in the first processing step.The functions of the image measurement apparatus of the present invention can be described in a program, and the functions of the image measurement apparatus of the present invention can be realized by causing a computer to execute the program.EFFECT OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the image measurement device and the program, when the user performs an input operation, user interfaces are displayed to input instructions for use of functions limited to the available functions. Thereby, the area displaying the user interfaces occupies a smaller proportion of the display screen, which enables a relatively large area for displaying the image of the measurement object and improves the operability of extraction of geometric elements. Moreover, even less skilled users can easily find the functions they wish to use by displaying the user interfaces limited to the available functions, thereby improving operability.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 shows an example of the appearance of an image measurement apparatus 1 that performs the image measurement method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the image measurement apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the image measurement device 1. FIG. 4 shows an example of the user interfaces in processing step S 1. FIG. 5 shows an example of the user interfaces in processing step S 2. FIG. 6 shows an example of the user interfaces in processing step S 3. FIG. 7 shows an example of the user interfaces in processing step S 3 in another view.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSHereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description and drawings, the same functional parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the functional parts explained once are either omitted or explained as appropriate.FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of an image measurement device 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the image measurement apparatus 1. FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the image measurement device 1. in the present embodiment, the case where the coaxial episcopic illumination is used as the illumination method is explained as an example, but any illumination method is acceptable as long as the image of the measurement object can be captured.An image measurement apparatus according to the present invention captures an image of a measurement object and measures the dimensions of the measurement object by a plurality of processing steps.The image measurement apparatus 1 includes a mounting table 2, an image capturing unit 3, a control and calculation unit 4, a storage unit 5, a display unit 6, a telecentric optical system 7, an illumination unit 8, and an input unit 10.The mounting table 2 is a stage on which a measurement object (not shown in the drawings) is placed.The image pickup unit 3 is disposed opposite to the mounting table 2, and captures images of the measurement object mounted on the mounting table 2 by receiving light from the direction of the mounting table 2. The image pickup unit 3 includes an image sensor that converts the brightness or darkness of an image formed on its light receiving surface into an electric signal, thereby generating image data. For the image sensor, a solid-state semiconductor imaging device such as a CCD (charge-coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is used.The storage unit 5 is any storage means capable of storing digital data.The telecentric optical system 7 includes an objective lens 71 that collects light from the direction of the mounting table 2, and an imaging lens 72 that forms an image of the light arriving through the objective lens 71 on the light receiving surface of the image pickup unit 3. The objective lens 71 and the imaging lens 72 may each have a plurality of lens surfaces. Note that the image measurement device 1 may be equipped with another optical system instead of the telecentric optical system 7.The illumination unit 8 is a coaxial episcopic illumination means provided with a light source 81 that emits illumination light and a beam splitter 82 that interrupts the illumination light from the light source 81 into the telecentric optical system 7 and directs the light as coaxial episcopic illumination light whose optical axis coincides with that of the image pickup unit 3 to the mounting table 2. The illumination unit 8 may be provided with transmitted light or side illumination for image clarity and other purposes in addition to coaxial episcopic illumination.The display unit 6 is any display means, and displays images of the measurement object captured by the image capturing unit 3 and user interfaces that accept inputs from the user based on the control by the display control unit.The input unit 10 is an input means by which information is manually input. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which a touch screen display is employed and configured integrally with the display unit 6, but the input unit 10 may be configured as an independent input means such as a mouse or keyboard. When a touch screen display is employed, the input unit 10 accepts the input of the touched position or the area tracked by the user's finger. When a mouse is used, the input unit 10 accepts the input of the position of the pointer when the user clicks on the button, the area tracked by the pointer when the button is pressed, or the like.The control and calculation unit 4 controls each part in the image measurement device 1 to realize the image capturing and the image measurement by the image measurement device 1.In the present invention, the control and calculation unit 4 includes a process control unit 41 and a function execution unit 42.The process control unit 41 causes the display unit 6 to display only the user interfaces that take inputs necessary for use of the available functions in each of the processing steps performed by the user in the image measurement using the image measurement device 1. The user interfaces are typically graphical user interfaces (GUI) such as buttons, but they may be other such as menu bars or tool bars.The user interfaces may be automatically displayed upon entering each editing step, or may wait for the user to enter a trigger for displaying the user interfaces. When the user interfaces cannot be fully displayed even if they are limited to the available functions, for example, the user interfaces concerning functions frequently used based on the past machining history may be displayed with priority.The process control unit 41 accepts the input by the user necessary for using the function via the user interface from the input unit 10 in each processing step, and causes the function execution unit 42 to execute the function in question.The processing steps include, for example, a processing step to be performed when the measurement object is placed on the mounting table 2 and measurement is started (hereinafter referred to as "processing step S 1"), a processing step to be performed when one of the measurement elements is selected in the processing step S 1 (hereinafter referred to as "processing step S 2"), and a processing step to be performed when dimensions are measured from geometric elements extracted from the image of the measurement object (hereinafter referred to as "processing step S 3").Functions available in the processing step S 1 include, for example, selection of measurement items such as various length and angle dimensions, selection of tools such as brushes and erasers for extraction of geometric items, adjustment of the imaging position, adjustment of illumination, and the like. Therefore, in the processing step S 1, the user interfaces limited to the functions available in this processing step, such as buttons for accepting selection of measurement items and tools, buttons for calling up the user interface for setting the image pickup position and illumination, etc., are displayed on the display unit 6. FIG. 4 shows an example of a display form of the user interfaces in the processing step S 1. In FIG. 4, an example is shown in which the measurement item selection button K, the tool selection button B, the imaging position setting tool call button P, and the illumination setting tool call button L are displayed together with the image of the measurement object W as user interfaces.When one or more measurement elements are selected in the processing step S 1, the process proceeds to the processing step S 2. On the other hand, when the brush tool is selected for geometric element extraction, the process shifts to a state waiting for the input by the user. When geometric elements are sequentially identified by the user's operation of the input unit 10, such as tracking the image of the measurement object, the geometric elements are sequentially extracted and their edges are detected. In this sense, when the brush tool is selected, the machining step S 1 may be regarded as a geometric element sequential extraction machining step.When the process proceeds to the processing step S 2, the functions available in the processing step S 2 include, for example, selection of tools such as brushes and erasers to extract geometric elements. Therefore, in the editing step S2, the user interfaces limited to the functions available in this editing step, such as buttons accepting the selection input of these tools, are displayed on the display unit 6. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display form of the user interfaces in the processing step S 2. In FIG. 5, an example is shown in which the tool selection keys B are displayed together with the image of the measurement object W as the user interfaces. However, specific display elements and display shapes are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 5.When the geometric element extraction brush tool is selected in the processing step S 2, the process shifts to a state waiting for the input by the user. When geometric elements are sequentially identified by the user's operation of the input unit 10, such as tracking the image of the measurement object, the geometric elements are sequentially extracted and their edges are detected. The dimension measurement is performed based on the edges detected for each extracted geometric element. For example, when the measurement element is the diameter dimension of a circle, the number of required geometric elements is one, and when the measurement element is the distance dimension between two lines or the angle dimension between two lines, the number of required geometric elements is two.In parallel with extraction of geometric elements in the processing step S 1 or the processing step S 2, the processing step S 3 for dimension measurement is performed based on the extracted geometric elements.Functions available in processing step S 3 include, for example, the selection of the measuring element such as various length dimensions and angle dimensions. Moreover, since these functions can be performed in parallel with extraction of geometric elements in the machining step S 1 and the machining step S 2, selection of tools such as brushes and erasers must also be available. Therefore, in the processing step S 3, the user interfaces limited to the functions available in this processing step, such as buttons assuming the selection of measurement items and tools, are displayed on the display unit 6.In the case where geometric elements are extracted in the processing step S 1, no measurement elements are identified. Therefore, when one or more measurement items are selected in the processing step S 3 and the geometric items necessary for measurement of the selected measurement items have been extracted, the measurement is performed and the measurement results are output to the display unit 6 or other devices. If the extracted geometric elements are insufficient, the extraction of geometric elements is continued in the processing step S 1, and if the necessary geometric elements have been extracted, the measurement results are output to the display unit 6 or other devices.When no measurement element is specified, the geometric elements may be sequentially extracted in processing step S 1, and in parallel, in processing step S 3, measurement may be performed sequentially starting from the measurement element for which the geometric elements necessary for measurement are obtained by the geometric element extraction in processing step S 1, and the measurement results may be sequentially output to the display unit 6 or other devices. In this case, for example, one button or the like may be automatically set to a selected state for each measurement item for which a measurement result is obtained, and the other button or the like may be configured such that unnecessary measurement results can be excluded by dialing the button or the like.On the other hand, when the measurement element is selected in the processing step S 1, geometric elements are sequentially extracted in the processing step S 2, and once the geometric elements necessary for measurement of the measurement element concerned are obtained, the measurement is performed in the processing step S 3, and the measurement results are output to the display unit 6 or other device. When a plurality of measurement elements are selected in the processing step S 2, geometric elements necessary for measurement are sequentially extracted, and the measurement results are output to the display 6 or other devices by executing the processing step S 3 starting from the measurement element for which the extraction of geometric elements necessary for measurement has been completed or once the extraction of geometric elements necessary for all the selected measurement elements has been completed.FIG. 6 shows an example of a display form of the user interfaces in the processing step S 3. In FIG. 6, an example is shown in which the measurement item selection buttons K and the tool selection buttons B are displayed together with the image of the measurement object W as the user interfaces. However, specific display elements and display shapes are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 6. Since the extraction of geometric elements has already advanced at this stage, the two extracted geometric elements E1 and E2 are also displayed.FIG. 7 shows an example of the display state in the process of extracting the next geometric element after two straight lines E 1 and E 2 are extracted. Since the geometric elements necessary for measuring the length dimension between the two straight lines have already been extracted, the measurement is performed and the length dimension is displayed in FIG. 7.In the image measurement apparatus of the present invention, the control and calculation unit 4 may be constituted by a CPU, and each function may be realized by executing a program (an application for an image measurement apparatus) that describes the functions of the process control unit 41 and the function execution unit 42 as well as the functions for controlling the image pickup unit 3, the illumination unit 8, etc. by the CPU. The program may be read from the storage unit 5 and executed, or may be read from another storage means and executed. The control and calculation unit 4 and the storage unit 5 may be provided in the main body of the image measurement apparatus 1 or in a personal computer or other device communicatively connected to the main body of the image measurement apparatus 1.According to the above-described image measurement apparatus and program of the present invention, when the user performs an input operation, the user interfaces are displayed to input instructions for using functions limited to the available functions. Thereby, the area displaying the user interfaces occupies a smaller proportion of the display screen, which enables a relatively large area for displaying the image of the measurement object and improves operability such as designation of the measurement part. Moreover, even less skilled users can easily find the functions they wish to use by displaying the user interfaces limited to the available functions, thereby improving operability.The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and variations. The above-mentioned embodiments and variations are only examples, and everything having a configuration substantially matching the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and producing similar effects is included in the technical scope of the present invention. In other words, changes can be made as appropriate within the scope of the technical ideas expressed in the present invention, and forms having such changes and improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedJP 2010-169584A

[0002]

Claims

An image measurement device that captures an image of a measurement object and measures dimensions of the measurement object through a plurality of processing steps, comprising: a display unit that displays user interfaces that accept inputs through input operations from a user; a process control unit that causes the display unit to display only the user interfaces that accept the inputs necessary to use the available functions in each of the processing steps; and a function execution unit that executes the function for which the input related to the use is made at the user interface.The image measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing steps includes: a first processing step of sequentially extracting a plurality of geometric elements from the image of the measurement object; and a second processing step of obtaining measurement results by sequentially performing dimension measurement from measurement elements for which the geometric elements necessary for measurement have been obtained by extracting the geometric elements in the first processing step.A program for causing a computer to function as the image measurement device according to claim 1.

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