Abstract: An appearance inspection system enabling a route to be easily set when a target is imaged while causing a relative position of an imaging device with respect to the target to be different is provided. A decision part decides a plurality of relative position candidates of the imaging device with respect to the target at which focus of a lens module is possible on the inspection target position with regard to each of a plurality of the inspection target positions on the target. A selection part selects relative positions one by one from corresponding plurality of relative position candidates for each of the plurality of inspection target positions and selects a route candidate satisfying a preset requirement from a plurality of route candidates generated by sequentially connecting the plurality of selected relative positions as a designation route.

Abstract: An appearance inspection system enabling a route to be easily set when a target is imaged while causing a relative position of an imaging device with respect to the target to be different is provided. A decision part decides a plurality of relative position candidates of the imaging device with respect to the target at which focus of a lens module is possible on the inspection target position with regard to each of a plurality of the inspection target positions on the target. A selection part selects relative positions one by one from corresponding plurality of relative position candidates for each of the plurality of inspection target positions and selects a route candidate satisfying a preset requirement from a plurality of route candidates generated by sequentially connecting the plurality of selected relative positions as a designation route.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, connected to an imaging part to capture an image of workpieces conveyed on a conveyer, includes an interface that receives a signal indicating a travel distance of the conveyer, an interface that communicates with a control device for controlling a moving machine disposed downstream of an imaging area of a imaging part, a positional information acquisition unit that processes the image captured by the imaging part and thereby acquiring positional information of a pre-registered workpiece in the image, a travel distance obtaining unit that obtains the travel distance of the conveyer synchronized with the control device, an initiating unit that initiates the capturing by the imaging part in response to an imaging command, and a transmission unit that transmits, to the control device, the positional information and the travel distance upon the capturing of the image used to acquire the positional information.

Abstract: In a measurement apparatus, higher-quality measurement is realized in measurement of measurement object displacement or imaging of a two-dimensional image. In a controller, a light receiving signal of a photodiode is supplied to a displacement measuring unit of a sensor head in order to measure a height of a measurement object, and the height of a surface of the measurement object is measured based on the light receiving signal. Then, in the controller, image obtaining timing is determined based on the height of the measurement object. Specifically, a focus adjustment value corresponding to the computed height of the measurement object is obtained from the table, and an image obtaining signal is transmitted to an imaging device at the timing the focus adjustment value is realized. Therefore, a length between two points on the measurement object is computed from the thus obtained image based on the height of the measurement object.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, connected to an imaging part to capture an image of workpieces conveyed on a conveyer, includes an interface that receives a signal indicating a travel distance of the conveyer, an interface that communicates with a control device for controlling a moving machine disposed downstream of an imaging area of a imaging part, a positional information acquisition unit that processes the image captured by the imaging part and thereby acquiring positional information of a pre-registered workpiece in the image, a travel distance obtaining unit that obtains the travel distance of the conveyer synchronized with the control device, an initiating unit that initiates the capturing by the imaging part in response to an imaging command, and a transmission unit that transmits, to the control device, the positional information and the travel distance upon the capturing of the image used to acquire the positional information.

Abstract: An user support apparatus includes a display unit configured to display an image obtained by image capturing with the image capturing unit, an input unit configured to receive a designation of a region of a workpiece to be detected in the image displayed on the display unit, and a determining unit configured to determine an image capturing start condition for the image capturing unit that is defined in terms of the amount of movement of a conveying apparatus, based on the size of the region indicating the workpiece to be detected by using a relationship between the image capturing range of the image capturing unit and the physical length of the conveying apparatus.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a management unit to manage position information of a workpiece on the conveying apparatus, an obtaining unit to perform measurement processing on an image obtained by image capturing with an image capturing unit and thereby obtaining position information of a region corresponding to a pre-registered workpiece in the image, an update unit to update the position information of the workpiece managed by the management unit to values corresponding to a time when the image capturing unit performed image capturing, an identifying unit to identify a workpiece newly conveyed into the image capturing range of the image capturing unit by comparing the position information that has been updated by the update unit and the position information of the workpiece obtained by the measurement processing, and a transmitting unit to transmit position information of the workpiece identified by the identifying unit to the control apparatus.

Abstract: In a measurement apparatus, higher-quality measurement is realized in measurement of measurement object displacement or imaging of a two-dimensional image. In a controller, a light receiving signal of a photodiode is supplied to a displacement measuring unit of a sensor head in order to measure a height of a measurement object, and the height of a surface of the measurement object is measured based on the light receiving signal. Then, in the controller, image obtaining timing is determined based on the height of the measurement object. Specifically, a focus adjustment value corresponding to the computed height of the measurement object is obtained from the table, and an image obtaining signal is transmitted to an imaging device at the timing the focus adjustment value is realized. Therefore, a length between two points on the measurement object is computed from the thus obtained image based on the height of the measurement object.

Abstract: To enables realization of an image data collection function, a bank switch function and the like at low cost in a juxtaposedly placed type sensor system for handling an image, such as a visual sensor or a displacement sensor, by introduction of the minimum required number of new units into an existing system. A first operation of storing image data acquired by a sensor controller from a sensor head and/or measurement data obtained by processing the image data, into a non-volatile record medium of a data storage unit, and/or a second operation of writing the setting data having been stored into the non-volatile record medium of the data storage unit, on a bank memory inside the sensor controller unit, are made possible.

Abstract: To provide a displacement sensor device capable of fast data read-out processing. A sensor device includes: a light-emitting element for irradiating an object to be measured with light at a prescribed angle; an image pickup element for shooting the light-irradiated object to be measured at another angle; a normal measurement area setting device capable of setting a normal measurement area in the visual field of the image pickup element; a receiving-light signal detecting device for detecting a receiving-light signal distribution area of the object to be measured from the set normal measurement area; a following-type measurement area setting device for setting at least one following-type measurement area which includes the detected receiving-light signal distribution area and is narrower than the normal measurement area; a displacement measuring device for measuring a target displacement by measuring the following-type measurement area; and an output device for outputting the measured displacement.

Abstract: A cable includes a first connector half holding a conductor terminal, a second connector half holding a conductor terminal, an electric cord electrically connecting the conductor terminal of the first connector half to the conductor terminal of the second connector half, and a waveform shaping circuit performing waveform shaping of a signal passing through the electric cord, and the first and second connector halves are structured to allow attachment to and detachment from each other.

Abstract: To enables realization of an image data collection function, a bank switch function and the like at low cost in a juxtaposedly placed type sensor system for handling an image, such as a visual sensor or a displacement sensor, by introduction of the minimum required number of new units into an existing system. A first operation of storing image data acquired by a sensor controller from a sensor head and/or measurement data obtained by processing the image data, into a non-volatile record medium of a data storage unit, and/or a second operation of writing the setting data having been stored into the non-volatile record medium of the data storage unit, on a bank memory inside the sensor controller unit, are made possible.

Abstract: An optical reflection sensor emits light and its reflection from a target object is received. A signal processor carries out a measurement on the received reflected light such as the distance to the target object each time the reflected light is received. Repeatability of measured values is calculated and displayed on a display device incorporated into the housing of the sensor. The display device may have two display areas such that the calculated repeatability and the measured value can be displayed simultaneously. The calculated repeatability may be compared with a specified threshold value, with the result of the comparison displayed. The housing may also incorporate an input device through which a required level of accuracy may be set.

Abstract: An optical reflection sensor emits light and its reflection from a target object is received. A signal processor carries out a measurement on the received reflected light such as the distance to the target object each time the reflected light is received. Repeatability of measured values is calculated and displayed on a display device incorporated into the housing of the sensor. The display device may have two display areas such that the calculated repeatability and the measured value can be displayed simultaneously. The calculated repeatability may be compared with a specified threshold value, with the result of the comparison displayed. The housing may also incorporate an input device through which a required level of accuracy may be set.

Abstract: A cable includes a first connector half holding a conductor terminal, a second connector half holding a conductor terminal, an electric cord electrically connecting the conductor terminal of the first connector half to the conductor terminal of the second connector half, and a waveform shaping circuit performing waveform shaping of a signal passing through the electric cord, and the first and second connector halves are structured to allow attachment to and detachment from each other.

Abstract: To provide a displacement sensor device capable of fast data read-out processing. A sensor device includes: a light-emitting element for irradiating an object to be measured with light at a prescribed angle; an image pickup element for shooting the light-irradiated object to be measured at another angle; a normal measurement area setting device capable of setting a normal measurement area in the visual field of the image pickup element; a receiving-light signal detecting device for detecting a receiving-light signal distribution area of the object to be measured from the set normal measurement area; a following-type measurement area setting device for setting at least one following-type measurement area which includes the detected receiving-light signal distribution area and is narrower than the normal measurement area; a displacement measuring device for measuring a target displacement by measuring the following-type measurement area; and an output device for outputting the measured displacement.

Abstract: An optical reflection sensor emits light and its reflection from a target object is received. A signal processor carries out a measurement on the received reflected light such as the distance to the target object each time the reflected light is received. Repeatability of measured values is calculated and displayed on a display device incorporated into the housing of the sensor. The display device may have two display areas such that the calculated repeatability and the measured value can be displayed simultaneously. The calculated repeatability may be compared with a specified threshold value, with the result of the comparison displayed. The housing may also incorporate an input device through which a required level of accuracy may be set.

Abstract: An optical reflection sensor emits light and its reflection from a target object is received. A signal processor carries out a measurement on the received reflected light such as the distance to the target object each time the reflected light is received. Repeatability of measured values is calculated and displayed on a display device incorporated into the housing of the sensor. The display device may have two display areas such that the calculated repeatability and the measured value can be displayed simultaneously. The calculated repeatability may be compared with a specified threshold value, with the result of the comparison displayed. The housing may also incorporate an input device through which a required level of accuracy may be set.