System and method for capturing images of a target area on which information is recorded
First Claim
1. A system for capturing an image of a target area on which information is recorded comprising:
- at least one imaging device capturing an image of said target area; and
a processor in communication with said at least one imaging device, said processor receiving image data from said at least one imaging device and processing said image data to detect the presence of obstacles in the captured image.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for capturing images of a target area on which information is recorded includes a boom assembly adapted to extend outwardly from a generally vertical surface. At least one digital camera is mounted on the boom assembly at a location spaced from the surface. The at least one digital camera is oriented so that the field of view thereof encompasses a target area on the surface. A controller is in communication with the at least one digital camera. The controller conditions the at least one digital camera to acquire an image of the target area. The image acquired by the at least one digital camera is conveyed to the controller and is processed to determine if an obstacle blocking the target area is in the captured image. If so, the captured image is not further processed and additional images are acquired until an image of the target area is captured without the obstacle therein.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A system for capturing an image of a target area on which information is recorded comprising:
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at least one imaging device capturing an image of said target area; and
a processor in communication with said at least one imaging device, said processor receiving image data from said at least one imaging device and processing said image data to detect the presence of obstacles in the captured image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A camera-based system for capturing an image of a target area comprising:
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a generally horizontally extending boom assembly, said boom assembly being positioned above a target area on which information is recorded;
at least one digital camera mounted on said boom assembly at a location spaced from the plane of said target area, said at least one digital camera being oriented so that the field of view thereof encompasses said target area; and
a processor in communication with said at least one digital camera, said processor receiving image data from said at least one digital camera and processing said image data to detect the presence of an obstacle in the captured image, said processor conditioning said at least one digital camera to acquire another image of said target area in the presence of an obstacle in said captured image. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of detecting the presence of an obstacle in front of a background surface on which information is to be recorded, in a captured image of said background surface, said method comprising the steps of:
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comparing the captured image with a reference image and computing a difference image; and
examining the difference image to determine if the difference image has pixels with values suggestive of an obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. A method of capturing and storing images of a background surface on which information is recorded, said method comprising the steps of:
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capturing a low resolution image of the background surface;
processing the low resolution image to determine if an obstacle obscuring the background surface is in said low resolution image; and
if no obstacle is in said low resolution image, capturing a high resolution image of said background surface. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of capturing and storing images of a background surface on which information is recorded, said method comprising the steps of:
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capturing an image of the background surface;
processing the image to determine if an obstacle obscuring the background surface is in the captured image; and
further processing the captured image to highlight information recorded on the background surface when no obstacle is in said captured image. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification