阅读说明：本技术 电子设备、致动器控制方法和程序 (Electronic device, actuator control method, and program ) 是由 长沼宏昌 于 2019-09-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种电子设备,其包括：事件驱动视觉传感器,所述事件驱动视觉传感器包括具有传感器的传感器阵列,所述传感器在所述传感器检测到入射光的强度变化时产生事件信号；致动器,其使包括所述视觉传感器的模块移位；以及控制单元,其将控制信号发送到所述致动器,并使所述控制信号反映基于当所述致动器使所述模块移位时产生的所述事件信号的校正值。(An electronic device is provided, which includes: an event-driven vision sensor comprising a sensor array having sensors that generate an event signal when the sensors detect a change in intensity of incident light; an actuator that displaces a module including the vision sensor; and a control unit that transmits a control signal to the actuator and causes the control signal to reflect a correction value based on the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module.)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an event driven vision sensor comprising a sensor array having sensors that generate event signals when the sensors detect a change in intensity of incident light;

an actuator that displaces a module including the vision sensor; and

a control unit that transmits a control signal to the actuator and reflects a correction value in the control signal based on the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

The control unit measures a delay period from the transmission of the control signal to the reception of the event signal, an

The correction value is determined according to the delay period.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

The control unit measures a period of time elapsed from the start of reception of the event signal to the end of the reception, an

The correction value is determined based on the elapsed time period.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein

The correction value includes a flag indicating wear of the actuator, and

the control unit sets the flag when the elapsed period of time exceeds a threshold.

5. The electronic device of any of claims 1-4, wherein

The control unit includes:

a drive mode determination section that generates a drive mode for the actuator,

an event signal analyzing section that performs inverse calculation of the shift of the module based on the event signal,

an error calculation section that calculates an error characteristic of the actuator from a difference between the displacement of the block obtained by the inverse calculation and the drive mode,

a motion prediction section that predicts a movement of the actuator with respect to the control signal based on the error characteristic, an

A control signal generating section that corrects the control signal so that a difference between the predicted movement and the driving mode becomes small.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein

The motion prediction section predicts the movement of the actuator for the corrected control signal again based on the error characteristic, and

the control signal generating section corrects the control signal again so that a difference between the movement predicted again and the driving pattern becomes small.

7. An actuator control method using an event-driven vision sensor including a sensor array having sensors that generate event signals when the sensors detect a change in intensity of incident light, the method comprising the steps of:

driving the actuator to displace a module including the vision sensor; and

reflecting in a control signal of the actuator the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module.

8. A program for causing processing circuitry connected to an event-driven vision sensor comprising a sensor array having sensors that generate event signals when the sensors detect a change in intensity of incident light to perform the steps of:

driving an actuator to displace a module including the vision sensor; and

reflecting in a control signal of the actuator the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an electronic apparatus, an actuator control method, and a program.

Background

Event-driven vision sensors are known in which pixels that detect changes in incident light intensity generate signals asynchronously in time. Compared to a frame type vision sensor, in particular, an image sensor such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), which scans all pixels at a predetermined period, the event-driven vision sensor has an advantage in that the sensor can operate at low power and high speed. Techniques regarding such an event-driven vision sensor are described in patent document 1(PTL1) and patent document 2(PTL 2), for example.

Citation list

Patent document

[PTL 1]

JP-T-2014-535098

[PTL 2]

JP2018-85725A

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

However, although the above-described advantages with respect to the event-driven vision sensor are known, it is difficult to say that a peripheral technique in which features different from those of a conventional vision sensor (such as a frame-type vision sensor) are considered has been sufficiently proposed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic apparatus, an actuator control method, and a program that provide convenience by interaction of an event-driven visual sensor with an actuator.

Solution to the problem

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising an event-driven vision sensor comprising a sensor array having sensors that generate event signals when the sensors detect a change in intensity of incident light; an actuator that displaces a module including the vision sensor, and a control unit that transmits a control signal to the actuator and reflects a correction value based on the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module in the control signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an actuator control method using an event-driven vision sensor including a sensor array having sensors that generate an event signal when the sensors detect a change in incident light intensity, and including the steps of: driving the actuator to displace a module including the vision sensor, and reflecting the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module in a control signal of the actuator.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a program for causing processing circuitry connected to an event-driven vision sensor comprising a sensor array having sensors that generate event signals when the sensors detect a change in incident light intensity to perform the steps of: driving an actuator to displace a module including a vision sensor, and reflecting in a control signal of the actuator the event signal generated when the actuator displaces the module.

According to the above configuration, convenience can be provided by the interaction of the event-driven vision sensor with the actuator.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic apparatus including a sensor module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a third example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic apparatus including a sensor module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of the operation of the sensor module according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the operation of the sensor module according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit of the control unit in the case where motion prediction is performed in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Incidentally, in the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals so that duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic apparatus including a sensor module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the electronic device 10 includes a sensor module 100 and a control unit 200.

The sensor module 100 includes an event driven vision sensor 110, an actuator 120, and a shutter 130. The vision sensor 110 includes a sensor array 111 having sensors 111A, 111B,. corresponding to pixels of an image and processing circuitry 112 connected to the sensor array 111. The sensors 111A, 111B, … include light receiving elements and generate event signals when detecting intensity changes (more specifically, brightness changes) of incident light. For example, the event signal is output from the processing circuit 112 as a time stamp, sensor identification information (e.g., pixel position), and information indicating the polarity of the luminance change (increase or decrease). As an object moves within the angle of view of the sensor array 111, the movement of the object may be detected chronologically from event signals generated by, for example, sensors 111A, 111B,. corresponding to the edges of the object, as the intensity of light reflected or scattered by the object changes.

Here, as has been described, the event-driven vision sensor 110 has an advantage in that the sensor can operate with low power consumption and high speed, compared to the frame type vision sensor. This is because, of the sensors 111A, 111B, which constitute the sensor array 111, only the sensor that detects a change in luminance generates an event signal. Since the sensor that has not detected the change in brightness does not generate an event signal, the processing circuit 112 can process and transmit only the event signal of the sensor that has detected the change in brightness at high speed. Further, in the case where there is no change in luminance, processing and transmission processing do not occur, so that it becomes possible to operate at low power. On the other hand, even if an object exists within the angle of view of the sensor array 111, the luminance does not change unless the object moves, and thus it is difficult to capture an object that does not move by using the event signals generated by the sensors 111A, 111B. That is, it is difficult to obtain information on the surrounding environment including the stationary object only with the vision sensor 110.

In the present embodiment, the sensor module 100 includes an actuator 120 connected to the vision sensor 110. The actuator 120 is driven according to a control signal sent from the control unit 200, and is configured to displace (place) the sensor array 111, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the sensors 111A, 111B, …. When the actuator 120 displaces the sensor array 111, the positional relationship between all the sensors 111A, 111B, … and the object changes. That is, at this time, the same change occurs as when all objects have moved within the angle of view of the sensor array 111. Thus, the object may be detected by, for example, event signals generated by the sensors 111A, 111B,. corresponding to the edges of the object, regardless of whether the object is actually moving. Since the amount of displacement of the sensor array 111 required to produce the above-described variation is not large, the actuator 120 may be a device such as a vibrator that slightly displaces or vibrates the sensor array 111.

Note that, in the above description, an example has been described in which the direction in which the actuator 120 displaces the sensor array 111 is perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the sensors 111A, 111B. Thus, the actuator 120 can displace the sensor array 111 in a given direction. Note that in the configuration in which the shift direction is perpendicular or almost perpendicular to the optical axis direction, it is advantageous that the shift amount of the sensor array 111 required to produce the above-described variation is minimized and the positional relationship with the object changes in a substantially uniform manner throughout the sensors 111A, 111B, ….

Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor module 100 includes a shutter 130. The shutter 130 is arranged so that the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 of the vision sensor 110 can be shielded and opened. The shutter 130 may be a mechanical shutter such as a focal plane shutter or a lens shutter, or an electronic shutter such as a liquid crystal shutter. When the shutter 130, which has been opened, is closed, the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 is shielded, so that the intensity of light incident on all the sensors 111A, 111B, … becomes minimum and constant in principle. Further, when the shutter 130 that has been closed is opened, the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 is opened, which in principle results in a change to increase the brightness in all the sensors 111A, 111B, …. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, such an operation is used to calibrate the sensor array 111 and detect a self-luminous object.

The control unit 200 comprises a communication interface 210, a processing circuit 220 and a memory 230. The communication interface 210 receives an event signal transmitted from the processing circuit 112 of the vision sensor 110 and outputs the event signal to the processing circuit 220. Further, the communication interface 210 sends control signals generated by the processing circuit 220 to the actuator 120. For example, the processing circuit 220 operates according to a program stored in the memory 230 and processes the received event signal. For example, the processing circuit 220 generates an image that maps positions where luminance changes occur in chronological order based on the event signal, and temporarily or continuously stores the image in the memory 230, or further transmits the image to another device via the communication interface 210. Further, the processing circuit 220 generates respective control signals for driving the actuator 120 and the shutter 130.

Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, first, a control signal generated by the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 is transmitted to the actuator 120 (S101). When the actuator 120 that has received the control signal is driven (S102), the sensor array 111 is displaced in a predetermined direction, and an event signal generated by the sensors 111A, 111B,. corresponding to the edges of all objects in principle is transmitted from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200 (S103). The processing circuit 220 detects an object from the received event signal (S104). As described above, at this time, the object can be detected regardless of whether the object actually moves. The processing circuit 220 may perform processes from transmitting a control signal to the actuator 120(S101), to receiving an event signal (S103), and capturing environmental information based on the event signal (S104) as a series of processes. For example, the processing circuit 220 may process an event signal received during a predetermined period of time for transmitting a control signal to the actuator 120(S101) separately from an event signal received at one time as an event signal indicating environment information.

Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, first, in a state where the shutter 130 is opened, a control signal generated by the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 is transmitted to the shutter 130 (S111). By closing the shutter 130 that has received the control signal (S112), the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 is shielded, and the intensity of light incident on all the sensors 111A, 111B, … becomes minimum and constant. Therefore, after an event signal indicating that the brightness has decreased due to the light being blocked is transmitted from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200(S113), the event signal should not be received in principle. However, in the case where the sensor is defective or noise is detected as a change in luminance due to incorrect setting of the threshold value for generating a change in luminance of the event signal in the sensor, for example, the event signal may be generated while the shutter 130 blocks the angle of view of the sensor array 111. Thus, in the control unit 200, the processing circuit 220 keeps the shutter 130 closed for a predetermined period of time, and monitors an event signal received when the shutter 130 blocks the angle of view of the sensor array 111. In the case where an event signal is received during the time period (S114), the processing circuit 220 calibrates the vision sensor 110 based on the received event signal (S115). Specifically, the processing circuit 220 identifies a sensor that has generated an event signal as a defective pixel (light-emitting spot), or adjusts a threshold value for a luminance change that generates an event signal in the sensor.

Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a third example of the operation of the sensor module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, first, in a state where the shutter 130 is closed, a control signal generated by the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 is transmitted to the shutter 130 (S121). When the shutter 130 having received the control signal is opened (S122), the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 is opened, and an event signal indicating that the brightness has increased in principle in all the sensors 111A, 111B, … is transmitted from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200 (S123). Thereafter, the control signal generated by the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 is sent to the shutter 130 again (S125), and when the shutter 130 is closed (S126), so that the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111 is shielded, an event signal indicating that the brightness has decreased in all the sensors 111A, 111B, … is sent from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200 (S127). In this way, the control unit 200 transmits a control signal for repeatedly shielding and opening the angle of view of the sensor array 111 to the shutter 130, and at the same time, receives an event signal generated by the vision sensor 110, particularly during a period from the open angle of view to the shielded angle of view.

Here, if the time period t1 from the opening (S122) to the shielding (S126) of the perspective of the shutter 130 is short (specifically, for example, 300 milliseconds or less), the object hardly moves, and therefore an event signal indicating the movement of the object should not be received. As an exception, in the case where the blinking cycle of the light sources in self-luminous objects such as lighting or a display is shorter than the time period t1, event signals indicating blinking of these objects are received (S124). Therefore, by making the period t1 (i.e., the period of repeating the shielding and opening of the angle of view) longer than the blinking period of the light source included in the self-luminous object (while keeping the period t1 short as described above), the control unit 200 can identify the self-luminous object based on the received event signal (S128).

In the first embodiment of the present invention as described above, since the actuator 120 displaces the sensor array 111, an event is forcibly generated in the vision sensor 110, and information on, for example, the surrounding environment including a stationary object can be obtained. Further, in the present embodiment, since the shutter 130 shields the entire angle of view of the sensor array 111, the sensor array 111 can be calibrated. In addition, by repeating the opening and closing of the shutter 130 at a predetermined cycle, a self-luminous object such as lighting or a display can be detected.

Note that, in the above example, the sensor module 100 includes both the actuator 120 and the shutter 130, but since these functions are independent of each other, the actuator 120 or the shutter 130 may be included in the sensor module 100. Further, although the control unit 200 is shown and described separately from the sensor module 100 in the above example, the control unit 200 may be included in the sensor module 100. In this case, the processing circuit 112 of the sensor module 100 and the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 may be configured separately or may be common.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic apparatus including a sensor module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the electronic device 20 includes a sensor module 300, a control unit 200, and a movable support mechanism 400.

The sensor module 300 includes an event-driven vision sensor 110 and a shutter 130 similar to those in the first embodiment. The sensor module 300 is supported by a movable support mechanism 400 including frames 410A, 410B, and 410C and actuators 420A and 420B. In the illustrated example, the actuators 420A and 420B are rotary actuators driven according to a control signal transmitted from the control unit 200. Actuator 420A causes a predetermined angular rotational displacement between frames 410A and 410B in accordance with the control signal, and actuator 420B similarly causes a predetermined angular rotational displacement between frames 410B and 410C. Thus, the actuators 420A and 420B displace the sensor module 300 including the vision sensor 110.

Also in the present embodiment, for example, by forcibly generating an event in the vision sensor 110 using the actuator 420B in the same manner as the actuator 120 of the first embodiment, information on the surrounding environment including, for example, a stationary object can be obtained. In this case, for example, the actuator 420B may be understood as being included in the sensor module 300. In addition, in the present embodiment, as in the example described below, when the actuators 420A and 420B displace the sensor module 300, the control unit 200 may reflect the correction value in the control signals of the actuators 420A and 420B based on the event signal generated by the vision sensor 110.

Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of the operation of the sensor module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, first, a control signal generated by the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 is transmitted to one or both of the actuators 420A and 420B (S131). When the actuators 420A and 420B are driven according to the control signal (S132), the sensor module 300 is displaced, and the positional relationship between the sensors 111A, 111B. At this time, the event signal generated by the sensors 111A, 111B. In the control unit 200, the processing circuit 220 measures a delay period d1 from the transmission of the control signal to the actuators 420A and 420B (S131) to the reception of the event signal (S133), and calibrates the actuators 420A and 420B based on the delay period d1 (S134). Specifically, the processing circuit 220 determines a correction value of the control signal according to the delay period d1, and the determined correction value is reflected in the control signal subsequently generated by the processing circuit.

In the above example, if a control signal is sent to actuator 420A or 420B, for example, actuator 420A or 420B may be calibrated independently. Further, if control signals are sent to both actuators 420A and 420B, the composite system including actuators 420A and 420B may be calibrated. For example, when the control unit 200 corrects the parameter of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control performed in a case where the actuators 420A and 420B are expected to achieve a shift following a specific pattern, the correction value of the control signal determined according to the delay time period d1 is used.

Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the operation of the sensor module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, similar to the example illustrated in fig. 6 above, a control signal is sent (S131), and the actuators 420A and 420B that have received the control signal drive to cause a rotational displacement in the vision sensor 110 (S132). Here, for example, in the case where the actuators 420A and 420B are worn, the rotational displacement of the vision sensor 110 does not become stable instantaneously, and vibration occurs, for example. In this case, event signals generated by the sensors 111A, 111B,. and the object due to a change in the positional relationship between the sensors 111A, 111B,. and the object are transmitted from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200 at a plurality of timings (S133-1 and S133-2). The processing circuit 220 measures delay time periods d1 and d2 from transmitting a control signal (S131) to the actuators 420A and 420B to receiving an event signal at a plurality of timings (S133-1 and S133-2), respectively. Thus, as a result, the processing circuit 220 measures the time period d2-d1 that elapses from the start of reception (S133-1) to the end of reception (S133-2) of the event signal. The processing circuit 220 determines the correction value from the elapsed time periods d2-d1, and the determined correction value is reflected in the control signal generated by the processing circuit thereafter. Specifically, in the event that the elapsed time periods d2-d1 exceed the threshold, the processing circuit 220 sets a flag indicating that the actuators 420A and 420B are worn. In this case, the processing circuit 220 may set a value such as an operation torque different from that of the other actuators for the actuators 420A and 420B that have generated wear.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a processing circuit of the control unit in the case where motion prediction is performed in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 includes, for example, a drive pattern generation section 221, a control signal generation section 222, an event signal analysis section 223, an error calculation section 224, and a motion prediction section 225 as functions realized by operations according to programs stored in the memory 230. The drive pattern generation section 221 generates drive patterns for the actuators 420A and 420B. Here, the driving mode may be predetermined by, for example, a program stored in the memory 230, or determined based on the measurement values of other sensors such as an acceleration sensor included in the electronic device 20. The control signal generating section 222 generates control signals for the actuators 420A and 420B according to the driving pattern generated by the driving pattern generating section 221.

When the actuators 420A and 420B are driven according to the control signal generated by the control signal generating part 222, an event signal is transmitted from the vision sensor 110 to the control unit 200. In the processing circuit 220, the event signal analyzing section 223 performs inverse calculation of the displacement of the sensor module 300 based on the received event signal. Specifically, for example, the event signal analysis section 223 performs inverse calculation of the motion vector of the vision sensor 110 from the motion vector of the object obtained by analyzing the event signal. The event signal analysis section 223 supplies information including the displacement of the sensor module 300 obtained by the inverse calculation to the error calculation section 224. For example, the error calculation section 224 calculates the error characteristics of the actuators 420A and 420B from the difference between the displacement of the sensor module 300 obtained by the inverse calculation and the drive pattern generated by the drive pattern generation section 221 while considering the delay time period d1 of the operation of the actuators 420A and 420B specified by the example described above with reference to fig. 6. For example, the error characteristics may be normalized for each type of movement (specifically, translation and rotation in each axial direction) of actuators 420A and 420B for storage in memory 230.

After that, in the case where the drive pattern generation section 221 generates a new drive pattern for the actuators 420A and 420B, the control signal generation section 222 inputs the generated control signal to the motion prediction section 225 before outputting the control signal. The motion prediction section 225 predicts the motions of the actuators 420A and 420B with respect to the input control signal based on the error characteristics of the actuators 420A and 420B calculated by the error calculation section 224. The control signal generation section 222 corrects the control signal so that the difference between the movement predicted by the motion prediction section 225 and the drive pattern generated by the drive pattern generation section 221 becomes small. Further, the control signal generating section 222 inputs the corrected control signal to the motion predicting section 225 again, and the motion predicting section 225 predicts the movements of the actuators 420A and 420B again for the control signal corrected based on the error characteristics, and then the control signal generating section 222 may correct the control signal again so that the difference between the motion predicted again and the drive mode becomes small.

In the second embodiment of the present invention as described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the processing circuit 220 of the control unit 200 may calibrate the delay amounts of the actuators 420A and 420B and detect vibration due to wear of internal components of the actuators 420A and 420B by measuring the delay time periods d1 and d2 from the transmission of the control signals to the actuators 420A and 420B to the reception of the event signals. Further, in the present embodiment, the processing circuit 220 implements the functions of the error calculation section 224 and the motion prediction section 225 to correct the control signal in consideration of the error generated in the motion of the actuators 420A and 420B, and can operate the actuators 420A and 420B more accurately with respect to the intended driving mode.

Note that, in the above-described example, the calibration of the delay amount of the actuators 420A and 420B, the detection of the vibration, and the correction of the control signal have been described in the same embodiment, but since these operations may be performed independently of each other, some of these operations may be implemented in the electronic device 20 or the sensor module 300, and the remaining operations may not be implemented in the electronic device 20 or the sensor module 300. Further, in the above example, the vision sensor 110 has been described as being capable of forcing an event similarly to the first embodiment, but this function is not essential. Since the shutter 130 is also unnecessary, in the present embodiment, the vision sensor 110 does not necessarily include the shutter 130.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the above drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is apparent that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can propose various changing examples or modified examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and naturally understand that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

10. 20 … electronic device, 100, 300 … sensor module, 110 … vision sensor, 111 … sensor array, 111A, 111B … sensor, 112 … processing circuit, 120 … actuator, 130 … shutter, 200 … control unit, 210 … communication interface, 220 … processing circuit, 221 … driving mode generating section, 222 … control signal generating section, 223 … event signal analyzing section, 224 … error calculating section, 225 … motion predicting section, 230 … memory, 300 … sensor module, 400 … movable supporting mechanism, 410A, 410B, 410C … frame, 420A, 420B … actuator.