Toshiba Engineering Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Japan Tobacco Inc.

Menicon Co., Ltd.

Toshiba Solutions Corporation

Minoru Fujita

Hideki Ueno

Atsuhiro Doke

Tsuyoshi Futamura

Shigehito Shimada

Kouzou Ichiba

Hiroyoshi Suda

Katsumi Maenosono

Norihiro Tanaka

Yasuo Horiguchi

Atsushi Kataoka

Minoru Aoki

According to one embodiment, a visible-light communication apparatus includes an image input unit, a calculation unit, a preamble detection unit, a bit train detection unit, and a reception unit. The image input unit is configured to input image data generated by photographing a source of visible light carrying data. The calculation unit is configured to generate, from the image data, luminance data about an image at a designated position. The preamble detection unit is configured to detect a preamble at the head of the data, on the basis of the luminance data. The bit train detection unit is configured to detect the data bit train from the image data, in accordance with the preamble. The reception unit is configured to reproduce the data from the data bit train.

Method and apparatus for visible light communication with image processing

A light-and-shade inspection apparatus and method therefor include an image pick-up device for picking up an image of an object across a dimension (e.g., width) thereof to produce an image data, a projection operational portion for calculating a projection data by adding together a predetermined number of the image data, the image data being produced at each scan of the image pick-up device at a predetermined position along the width of the object, a background lightness operational portion for calculating, based on the projection data produced by the projection operational portion, a background lightness of the object across its width, and a difference operational portion for subtracting the background lightness produced by the background lightness operational portion from the image data produced by the image pick-up device, thereby substantially eliminating variations of the background lightness across the width of the object from the image data.

Apparatus for inspecting light-and-shade portions and method thereof

A light-and-shade inspecting apparatus and method therefor, includes an image pick-up device for picking up an image of the object to output an image data, an integrated image calculating portion for dividing the image data outputted from the image pick-up device into a mesh pattern of meshes and then adding together the image data within each of the divided meshes to obtain an integrated image, a differentiated image calculating portion for performing a difference operation between each pair of meshes separated by a predetermined interval from each other with respect to their corresponding two integrated images obtained through the integrated image calculating portion, a defect detecting portion for comparing a value obtained through the differentiated image calculating portion with a predetermined value to detect as a defect portion which is partially different in luminance from the other portions on the object, an average value calculating portion for calculating an average value of the integrated image obtained through the integrated image calculating portion, and a light-and-shade deciding portion for deciding whether the defect detected by the defect detecting portion includes a light defect or a shade defect based on the average value obtained through the average value calculating portion and values of the integrated images in respective pairs of meshes apart by the predetermined interval from each other which have been subjected to the difference operation. Thus, low contrast defects can be precisely detect by distinguishing light and shade defects from each other and without mistaking a single defect for two separate defects.

Light and shade inspecting apparatus and light and shade inspecting method

A defect integrated processing apparatus and method for performing a processing in an integrated fashion of various kinds of edfect and then detecting the accurate number, positions, sizes, etc. of the defects in detail, includes detecting light-and-shade defects based on an image data obtained by picking up an object to be inspected. Edges and minute defect on the object are detected by performing a differential processing of the image data, low contrast light-and-shade defects are detected by performing an integral processing of the image data obtained through the image pick-up device and then a differential processing of an obtained integrated image, and an integrated information of defects is obtained by performing a processing in an integrated fashion of detected defects.

Defect integrated processing apparatus and method thereof

In a contact lens visual inspection method and apparatus, a contact lens insertion portion of a container is first imaged by an image pickup device and then an area which locates on the container and is unnecessary for the visual inspection of a contact lens is extracted from the image of the contact lens insertion portion to form a mask image. Thereafter, a system containing the contact lens insertion portion of the container, the preservation liquid filled in the contact lens insertion portion and the contact lens placed in the contact lens insertion portion is imaged as an inspection object by the imaging device to obtain an inspection object image, the inspection object image is overlapped with the mask image, and the mask image is subtracted from the inspection object image to set as a visual inspection area the area corresponding to a subtracting image obtained by said subtracting step. The defects of the contact lens such as soil, foreign matter, scratch, breakage, peripheral damage, etc. detected for the visual inspection area.

Visual inspection method and apparatus for contact lenses

An apparatus for automatically inspecting abnormalities in the external surface of cylindrical objects. The apparatus inspects the appearance of a cylindrical object using image processing. The apparatus includes a transporter and a CCD camera. The transporter rotates the cylindrical object about an axis of the cylindrical object. The CCD camera picks up images showing the appearance of the inspected cylindrical object. The images include picture elements, and each picture element has a corresponding luminance. The apparatus further includes a controller. The controller generates at least one masking window to mask at least one predetermined portion of at least one image; generates at least one luminance sum for each image by adding, for each image, the luminance of a predetermined number of picture elements in unmasked portions of the image; compares each luminance sum to a predetermined threshold; and judges whether the cylindrical object includes a defect based on a result of each comparison.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Minoru Fujita