Method and apparatus for auto-adjusting illumination
US7557920B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 25, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jul 7, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2201/0626
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A machine-vision system that provides changing and/or automatic adjustment of illumination angle, dispersion, intensity, and/or color of illumination. One such system includes a light source emitting polarized light, a machine-vision imager, an image processor operative to generate a quality parameter based on the image, and one or more of the means described above for selectively directing the light in a predetermined pattern based on its polarization and on the quality parameter of the image. Some embodiments include an imager, a controllable light source, first and second optical elements, that selectively direct light in first and second patterns, and a controller controlling the light characteristics using the first and second light patterns. One method includes setting one or more illumination parameters, illuminating the object based on the illumination parameters, obtaining an image, generating a quality parameter based on a region of interest, and iterating using different illumination parameters.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.