EP-4738862-A1 - AUTOMATIC IMAGING SYSTEM, AUTOMATIC IMAGING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM

EP4738862A1EP 4738862 A1EP4738862 A1EP 4738862A1EP-4738862-A1

Abstract

Provided is an automatic imaging system, an automatic imaging method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program, each of which enables high-quality image-capture of scrap with no risk of image blurring at a given position during conveyance of the scrap. An automatic imaging system (1) automatically captures an image of scrap (S) that is conveyed and moved by a conveyance unit (50). The automatic imaging system (1) includes: an imaging device (30) configured to capture an image of the scrap (S); a conveyance speed detecting unit (10) configured to detect a conveyance speed of the scrap (S); and a control device (20) configured to determine whether or not the conveyance speed of the scrap (S) which conveyance speed is detected by the conveyance speed detecting unit (10) is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and to control the imaging device (30) to capture an image of the scrap (S) when the conveyance speed of the scrap (S) is determined to be equal to or lower than the predetermined value.

Inventors

NAGAYA, HIROKI
ISHIGAKI, Yusuke
NISHINA, YOSHIAKI

Assignees

JFE Steel Corporation

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240411

Claims (9)

An automatic imaging system for automatically capturing an image of scrap conveyed and moved by a conveyance unit, the automatic imaging system comprising: an imaging device configured to capture an image of the scrap; a conveyance speed detecting unit configured to detect a conveyance speed of the scrap; and a control device configured to determine whether or not the conveyance speed of the scrap, detected by the conveyance speed detecting unit, is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and to control the imaging device to capture an image of the scrap when the conveyance speed of the scrap is determined to be equal to or lower than the predetermined value.
The automatic imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a PTZ camera capable of panning at a predetermined speed.
The automatic imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance speed detecting unit includes: a visible camera configured to capture a plurality of images of an imaging target; a scrap detecting section configured to perform image processing on the plurality of images captured by the visible camera and detect the scrap in each of the plurality of images; a position specifying section configured to specify a position of the scrap, detected by the scrap detecting section, in the each of the plurality of images; and a speed detecting section configured to detect the conveyance speed of the scrap based on a change in the position of the scrap across the plurality of images which position is specified by the position specifying section.
The automatic imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance speed detecting unit includes: a PTZ camera serving as the imaging device, capable of panning at a predetermined speed, and configured to pan and capture a plurality of images of an imaging target; a scrap detecting section configured to perform image processing on the plurality of images captured by the PTZ camera and detect the scrap in each of the plurality of images; a position specifying section configured to specify a position of the scrap, detected by the scrap detecting section, in the each of the plurality of images; and a speed detecting section configured to detect the conveyance speed of the scrap based on the position of the scrap in the each of the plurality of images which position is specified by the position specifying section, and a panning speed of the PTZ camera.
The automatic imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance speed detecting unit is a speed sensor provided in the conveyance unit and configured to detect the conveyance speed of the scrap.
The automatic imaging system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the control device includes: an imaging condition computing section configured to compute and determine imaging conditions for the PTZ camera as the imaging device based on the position of the scrap in the each of the plurality of images which position is specified by the position specifying section of the conveyance speed detecting unit; and an imaging condition control section configured to control the PTZ camera to track the scrap under the imaging conditions for the PTZ camera which imaging conditions are determined by the imaging condition computing section.
An automatic imaging method for automatically capturing an image of scrap that is conveyed and moved by a conveyance unit, the automatic imaging method comprising: a conveyance speed detecting step of a conveyance speed detecting unit detecting a conveyance speed of the scrap; a determination step of a control device determining whether or not the conveyance speed of the scrap which conveyance speed is detected in the conveyance speed detecting step is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; and an imaging control step of the control device controlling an imaging device to capture an image of the scrap when it is determined, in the determination step, that the conveyance speed of the scrap is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.
A program causing a control device to execute: a determination step of determining whether or not a conveyance speed of scrap which conveyance speed is detected by a conveyance speed detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; and an imaging control step of controlling an imaging device to capture an image of the scrap when it is determined, in the determination step, that the conveyance speed of the scrap is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.
A computer-readable recording medium storing a program causing a control device to execute: a determination step of determining whether or not a conveyance speed of scrap which conveyance speed is detected by a conveyance speed detecting unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; and an imaging control step of controlling an imaging device to capture an image of the scrap when it is determined, in the determination step, that the conveyance speed of the scrap is equal to or lower than the predetermined value.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to an automatic imaging system, an automatic imaging method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program, each of which makes it possible to automatically capture an image of scrap that is conveyed and moved by a conveyance unit. Background Art Generally, in steel works or the like, at the time of receiving scrap, determination of the grade of scrap, detection of unwanted materials (materials that should be removed, e.g., foreign material), and the like are performed. When scrap is melted in a melting furnace, the chemical composition of the scrap is analyzed each time to adjust the scrap ratio. Here, for example, a monitoring system described in PTL 1 has been known in the related art as a monitoring system capable of accurately distinguishing an unwanted material without omission even in a case where the presence or absence of the unwanted material contained in iron scrap is automatically determined. The monitoring system described in PTL 1 includes: an imaging unit configured to capture a plurality of images of the iron scrap at different viewpoints or at different times; an unwanted material specifying unit configured to input the plurality of images captured by the imaging unit into a predetermined learning model to specify each of a type and a position of an unwanted material and a probability of being an unwanted material; and an output unit configured to output each of the type and position of the unwanted material when the probability specified by the unwanted material specifying unit has exceeded a predetermined threshold. Here, the iron scrap is kept in motion by a conveyance device, and the iron scrap being conveyed is an imaging target for a single or a plurality of cameras constituting the imaging unit. In the meantime, a scrap image capture system described in PTL 2 has been known in the related art as a scrap image capture system for generating a still image every time iron scrap is lifted by a lifting device, for example. The scrap image capture system described in PTL 2 includes: a crane configured to lift the iron scrap by the lifting device and convey the iron scrap; and a camera configured to capture an image of a region including the lifting device and generate a still image when the lifting device reaches a predetermined height. Citation List Patent Literatures PTL 1: WO 2022/260133PTL 2: JP 2021-76711 A Summary of Invention Technical Problem However, the monitoring system described in PTL 1 and the scrap image capture system described in PTL 2 in the related art have the following problems. That is, in the case of the monitoring system described in PTL 1, an image of the iron scrap during conveyance, that is, the scrap moving at a predetermined speed is captured, so that the image of the scrap may not be captured at the appropriate time. Particularly, in a case where the scrap moves at a speed equal to or higher than the panning speed of the camera, there are problems that a captured image of the scrap is blurred and the camera fails to capture an image of the scrap thus moving. In contrast, in the case of the scrap image capture system described in PTL 2, an image of a region including the lifting device is captured when the lifting device reaches a predetermined height. Because of this, an image of the scrap can be captured at the appropriate time, and the captured image of the scrap is less likely to be blurred. However, only the image of the scrap when the lifting device reaches the predetermined height can be captured, and an image of the scrap at a given position cannot be captured. In view of this, the present invention is achieved in order to solve these problems in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic imaging system, an automatic imaging method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program, each of which enables high-quality image-capture of scrap with no risk of image blurring at a given position during conveyance of the scrap. Solution to Problem In order to achieve the above object, an automatic imaging system according to one aspect of the present invention is an automatic imaging system for automatically capturing an image of scrap conveyed and moved by a conveyance unit. The automatic imaging system is summarized as including: an imaging device configured to capture an image of the scrap; a conveyance speed detecting unit configured to detect a conveyance speed of the scrap; and a control device configured to determine whether or not the conveyance speed of the scrap, detected by the conveyance speed detecting unit, is equal to or lower than a predetermined value and to control the imaging device to capture an image of the scrap when the conveyance speed of the scrap is determined to be equal to or lower than the predetermined value. An automatic imaging method according to another aspect of the present invention is an autom