System and method for expansion of field of view in a vision system

摘要

This invention provides a system and method for expanding the field of view of a vision system camera assembly such that the field of view is generally free of loss of normal resolution across the entire expanded field. A field of view expander includes outer mirrors that receive light from different portions of a scene. The outer mirrors direct light to tilted inner mirrors of a beam splitter that directs the light aligned with a camera axis to avoid image distortion. The inner mirrors each direct the light from each outer mirror into a strip on the sensor, and the system searches features. The adjacent fields of view include overlap regions sized and arranged to ensure a centralized feature appears fully in at least one strip. Alternatively, a moving mirror changes position between acquired image frames so that a full width of the scene is imaged in successive frames.

主权项

1. A system for expanding a field of view of a scene imaged by a vision system camera having an image sensor, the system being constructed and arranged to search and analyze features of interest in the scene comprising:
a first outer mirror oriented at an acute angle with respect to an optical axis of the camera and a second outer mirror oriented at an opposing acute angle with respect to an opposing side of the optical axis; and a beam splitter located forward of the first outer mirror and the second outer mirror in a direction taken from the vision system camera, the beam splitter including a first reflecting surface and a second reflecting surface wherein the first outer mirror and first reflecting surface are arranged to direct a first field of view from the scene along the optical axis to the sensor and the second outer mirror and second reflecting surface are arranged to direct a second field of view from the scene along the optical axis to the sensor, wherein the first outer mirror and the second outer mirror are directed to receive light from different widthwise portions of a field of view that includes the first field of view and the second field of view.