Systems and Methods to Optimize Imaging Settings and Image Capture for a Machine Vision Job

{
  "publication_number": "US2022350982A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Systems and Methods to Optimize Imaging Settings and Image Capture for a Machine Vision Job",
  "abstract": "Techniques for optimizing one or more imaging settings for a machine vision job are provided. An example method includes configuring a machine vision job by setting a plurality of banks of imaging parameters, with each of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters being different from each other; transmitting the machine vision job to an imaging device; and executing the machine vision job on the imaging device to: (a) capture an image with the imaging device operating pursuant to one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; (b) attempt to decode a barcode within the image; (c) responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the image, successfully ending the barcode reader tool; and (d) responsive to unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the image, repeating (a)-(d) with another one of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method for operating a fixed industrial scanner system, the fixed industrial scanner system including a computing device executing an application and an imaging device communicatively coupled to the computing device, the method comprising: configuring, via the application, a machine vision job, the configuring the machine vision job including configuring a barcode reading tool, the configuring the barcode reading tool including setting a plurality of banks of imaging parameters, each of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters being different from each other of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; transmitting, from the computing device to the imaging device, the machine vision job; and executing the machine vision job on the imaging device, wherein, during an execution of the barcode reading tool, the machine vision job causes the imaging device to: (a) capture an image with the imaging device operating pursuant to one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; (b) attempt to decode a barcode within the image; (c) responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the image, successfully ending the barcode reader tool; and (d) responsive to unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the image, repeating (a)-(d) with another one of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters, wherein successfully decoding the barcode within the image includes decoding the barcode with a barcode quality metric (BQM) greater than a threshold BQM, and wherein unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the image includes decoding the barcode with a BQM below the threshold BQM. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the machine vision job on the imaging device is performed for each target appearing within a field of view of the imaging device. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of banks of imaging parameters includes three banks of imaging parameters. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging device is stationary and wherein the barcode appears on a target moving past the imaging device at a substantially constant speed. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine vision job includes at least one other tool having only a single bank of imaging parameters. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging parameters include at least one of: a lighting parameter, an exposure parameters, or a focus parameter. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the machine vision job on the imaging device further causes the imaging device to: responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the image, store an indication of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters associated with successfully decoding the barcode within the image; and wherein executing a subsequent machine vision job on the imaging device causes the imaging device to first capture a subsequent image with the imaging device operating pursuant to the stored one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters. 8. (canceled) 9. A method for operating a fixed industrial scanner system, the fixed industrial scanner system including a computing device executing an application and an imaging device communicatively coupled to the computing device, the method comprising: configuring, via the application, a machine vision job, the configuring the machine vision job including configuring a barcode reading tool, the configuring the barcode reading tool including setting a plurality of banks of imaging parameters, each of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters being different from each other of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; transmitting, from the computing device to the imaging device, the machine vision job; and executing the machine vision job on the imaging device, wherein, during an execution of the barcode reading tool, the machine vision job causes the imaging device to: (a) capture a plurality of images with the imaging device operating pursuant to one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters for capturing each of the plurality of images; (b) attempt to decode a barcode within one of the plurality of images; (c) responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the one of the plurality of images, successfully ending the barcode reader tool; and (d) responsive to unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the one of the plurality of images, repeating (b)-(d) with another one of the plurality of images, wherein successfully decoding the barcode within one of the plurality of images includes decoding the barcode within one of the plurality of images with a barcode quality metric (BQM) greater than a threshold BQM, and wherein unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the within one of the plurality of images includes decoding the barcode within one of the plurality of images with a BQM below the threshold BQM. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the executing the machine vision job on the imaging device is performed for each target appearing within a field of view of the imaging device. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of banks of imaging parameters includes three banks of imaging parameters. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the imaging device is stationary and wherein the barcode appears on a target moving past the imaging device at a substantially constant speed. 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the machine vision job includes at least one other tool having only a single bank of imaging parameters. 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the imaging parameters include at least one of: a lighting parameter, an exposure parameters, or a focus parameter. 15. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the machine vision job on the imaging device further causes the imaging device to: responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within one of the plurality of images, store an indication of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters associated with successfully decoding the barcode within the image; and wherein executing a subsequent machine vision job on the imaging device causes the imaging device to first attempt to decode a barcode in a subsequent image captured by the imaging device operating pursuant to the stored one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters. 16. (canceled) 17. A fixed industrial scanner system comprising: a computing device executing an application, the application operable to configure a machine vision job having a barcode reading tool, wherein the barcode reading tool includes a selection of a plurality of banks of imaging parameters, each of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters being different from each other of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; and an imaging device configured to execute the machine vision job such that the, during an execution of the barcode reading tool, the machine vision job causes the imaging device to: (a) capture an image with the imaging device operating pursuant to one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters; (b) attempt to decode a barcode within the image; (c) responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the image, successfully ending the barcode reader tool; and (d) responsive to unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the image, repeating (a)-(d) with another one of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters, wherein successfully decoding the barcode within the image includes decoding the barcode with a barcode quality metric (BQM) greater than a threshold BQM, and wherein unsuccessfully decoding the barcode within the image includes decoding the barcode with a BQM below the threshold BQM. 18. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein the executing the machine vision job on the imaging device is performed for each target appearing within a field of view of the imaging device. 19. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of banks of imaging parameters includes three banks of imaging parameters. 20. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein the imaging device is stationary and wherein the barcode appears on a target moving past the imaging device at a substantially constant speed. 21. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein the machine vision job includes at least one other tool having only a single bank of imaging parameters. 22. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein the imaging parameters include at least one of: a lighting parameter, an exposure parameters, or a focus parameter. 23. The fixed industrial scanner system of claim 17, wherein executing the machine vision job further causes the imaging device to: responsive to successfully decoding the barcode within the image, store an indication of the one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters associated with successfully decoding the barcode within the image; and wherein executing a subsequent machine vision job on the imaging device causes the imaging device to first capture a subsequent image with the imaging device operating pursuant to the stored one of the plurality of banks of imaging parameters. 24 - 36. (canceled)"
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Over the years, industrial automation has come to rely heavily on machine vision components capable of assisting operators in a wide variety of tasks. In some implementations, machine vision components, like cameras, are utilized to track objects passing objects, like those which move on conveyor belts past stationary cameras. Often these cameras, along with the backend software, are used to capture a variety of parameters associated with the passing items. To do this, the software is configured with a job which includes a series of tools that are executing during each job execution. Subsequently, as items (e.g., boxes) pass within the field of view (FOV) of the camera, a job is executed for each such item.\n\nWhile in theory such a setup should be capable of capturing whatever information is sought from every job, in practice, flawless execution is often not achieved. This can happen due to the fact that item characteristics (e.g., shape, size, position, color, quality of markings, etc.) can often vary between items. Consequently, setting up a single set of imaging parameters for the camera, despite working for some jobs, is not guaranteed to capture images of sufficient quality in all cases. In other words, while a preconfigured set of parameters may cause a job to be executed flawlessly for package A, those parameters may result in images/video that are insufficient to execute the job for package B. This issue is compounded further by the fact that jobs are typically configured to terminate upon a failure of one of the tools within the job.",
  "cpc": [
    "G06K 7/1417",
    "B25J 9/1697",
    "G06K 19/06037",
    "G06K 7/10732",
    "G06K 7/1447",
    "G06K 7/1465"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G06K 19/06",
    "G06K 7/14"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Zebra Technologies Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Christopher M. West",
    "Usha Prasad",
    "Matthew Lawrence Horner",
    "James Matthew Witherspoon"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2021-08-06",
  "publication_date": "2022-11-03",
  "priority_date": "2021-04-30",
  "application_number": "US-202117395702-A",
  "family_id": "83807593",
  "cited_by_count": 8,
  "citations": [
    "US20060144945A1",
    "US20180129845A1",
    "US20180239938A1",
    "US20180300515A1"
  ]
}