Television – Camera – system and detail – Solid-state image sensor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-29
2003-02-25
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Solid-state image sensor
C348S312000, C348S222100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06525770
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Description of Related Art
It has been widely used that, in a FA (Factory Automation) manufacturing process, for example, the image of objects (products) which are transferring on a belt conveyer is picked up using an image pickup device to identify the condition of objects by processing the image of the objects.
However, it is difficult to pick up a defined image because of movement of objects in the case that objects are moved very fast on a belt conveyer.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 34A
, in the case of an object of triangle (A in the drawing) in view from an image pickup device, movement of the object causes the image pickup device to pick up the object as, for example, a pentagon, and it is difficult to identify the condition of the object correctly.
To cope with such a problem, various methods, in which an image is picked up after the object is brought to a stop, an image is picked up in a moment under irradiation of the light from a stroboscope in a dark atmosphere, or an image is picked up in a very short exposure time using an electronic shutter of the image pickup device, have been used.
However, in the case that an image is picked up after an object is brought to a stop, this method is disadvantageous in that a mechanism for stopping the belt conveyer in the field of view of the image pickup device is required, the requirement results in difficulty in cost reduction, and additionally productivity is reduced because objects are brought to a stop. In the case that an image is picked up in a moment under irradiation of the light from a stroboscope in a dark atmosphere, this method is disadvantageous in that a shade curtain is required to darken the atmosphere, and the requirement results in difficulty in cost reduction and additionally it is required to irradiate the object with the light so that an image of the object is picked up in good condition. Further in the case that an image is picked up in a very short exposure time using an electronic shutter of the image pickup device, this method is also disadvantageous in that a highly sensitive image pickup device or a high illumination lighting system is required because quantity of light obtained from the object decreases in proportion to the exposure time and the requirement results in difficulty in cost reduction. In addition, in the case that a high illumination lighting system is used, such lighting system can cause smearing.
The present invention is accomplished in view of such problems, it is the object of the present invention to prevent an image from being blurred when an image of an object is picked up without using a highly sensitive image pickup device and without using a high illumination lighting system by applying a method in which electric charge is outputted from an photoelectric transducer with a period figured out by dividing the distance interval (pitch) of a plurality of photoelectric transducers arranged in parallel to the transferring direction of the object by speed of an image of the object projected on the plurality of photoelectric transducers, the electric charge is superimposed on the electric charge accumulated at the position corresponding to the photoelectric transducer and the electric charge is moved at the same speed as that of the image of the object.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The image pickup device described in claim
1
is provided with a plurality of photoelectric conversion means arranged in the prescribed direction for converting the incident light photoelectrically to generate electric charge, an electric charge transfer means for superimposing the electric charge outputted from the photoelectric conversion means on electric charge accumulated at the position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion means, and for transferring the electric charge in the prescribed direction at the same speed as the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object projected on the photoelectric conversion means, a driving means for outputting the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion means to the electric charge transfer means at a prescribed number of times with a period calculated by dividing the distance interval of the plurality of photoelectric conversion means by the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object, and a processing means for processing electric charge transferred from the electric charge transfer means.
The image pickup method described in claim
5
comprises a step for superimposing the electric charge outputted from the photoelectric conversion means on electric charge accumulated at the position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion means, and for transferring the electric charge in the prescribed direction at the same speed as the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object projected on the photoelectric conversion means, a step for outputting the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion means to the electric charge transfer means at a prescribed number of times with a period calculated by dividing the distance interval of the plurality of photoelectric conversion means by the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object, and a step for processing electric charge transferred from the electric charge transfer means.
The transmission medium described in claim
6
comprises a step for superimposing the electric charge outputted from the photoelectric conversion means on electric charge accumulated at the position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion means, and for transferring the electric charge in the prescribed direction at the same speed as the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object projected on the photoelectric conversion means, a step for outputting the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion means to the electric charge transfer means at a prescribed number of times with a period calculated by dividing the distance interval of the plurality of photoelectric conversion means by the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object, and a step for processing electric charge transferred from the electric charge transfer means.
The image pickup system described in claim
7
is provided with a transfer means for transferring an object in a prescribed direction, a detection means for detecting the position of the object, a plurality of photoelectric conversion means arranged in the prescribed direction for converting the incident light photoelectrically to generate electric charge, an electric charge transfer means for superimposing the electric charge outputted from the photoelectric conversion means on electric charge accumulated at the position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion means, and for transferring the electric charge in the prescribed direction at the same speed as the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object projected on the plurality of photoelectric conversion means, a driving means for outputting the electric charge from the photoelectric conversion means to the electric charge transfer means at a prescribed number of times with a period calculated by dividing the distance interval of the plurality of photoelectric conversion means by the transferring speed in the prescribed direction of the image of the object depending on the position of the object detected by means of the detection means, the first processing means for processing electric charge transferred from the electric charge transfer means and generating an image signal, and the second processing means for processing the image signal generated by the first processing means.
The image information providing device is provided with an image pickup means for panning image picking up an object, a transferring means for transferring the image pickup means relatively to the object, a synthesis means for synthesizing image data of the object picked up by means of the image pickup means at different timing, a me
Kubozono Takeshi
Ueda Kuzuhiko
Ho Tuan
Kananen, Esq. Ronald P.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Sony Corporation
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