OBJECT IDENTIFICATION DEVICE, MOVING OBJECT CONTROLLING APPARATUS HAVING OBJECT IDENTIFICATION DEVICE, INFORMATION PRESENTING APPARATUS HAVING OBJECT IDENTIFICATION DEVICE, AND SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS
First Claim
1. An object identification device, comprising:
- an image capturing device to receive polarized light polarized in two different directions included in light reflected from an object in an image capturing area and capture two polarized images, one polarized image for each type of polarized light;
a noise removal unit to remove a noise component included in each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device, using a noise removing parameter;
an index value computing unit to divide each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device into identification-processing areas to compute an object identification index value for each of the identification-processing areas using light intensity data of each of the two polarized images from which the noise component is removed by the noise removal unit;
an object identification processing unit that conducts an object identification process that determines a plurality of identification processing areas corresponding to an identification target object based on the object identification index value of each of the identification processing areas computed by the index value computing unit, and identifies a plurality of adjacent identification processing areas as the identification processing areas corresponding to the identification target object as an image area of the identification target object;
an environment information obtaining unit to obtain environment information to determine an environmental condition of an object in an image capturing area;
an environmental condition determination unit to determine an environmental condition of the object in the image capturing area based on the environment information obtained by the environment information obtaining unit; and
a parameter storage unit to store one or more noise removing parameters to remove a noise component included in the two polarized images captured under an environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit, each noise removing parameter being prepared and stored for one of a plurality of mutually exclusive environmental conditions,wherein the noise removal unit reads out a noise removing parameter for the environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit from the parameter storage unit, and conducts the noise removing process using the noise removing parameter.
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Abstract
An object identification device includes an image capturing device to capture images polarized in different directions. A noise removal unit removes noise in the polarized images using a noise removing parameter. An index value computing unit computes an object identification index value for identification-processing areas in the polarized images using data of noise-removed polarized images. An object identification processing unit conducts object identification by determining identification processing areas corresponding to an identification target object based on the object identification index value. An environment information obtaining unit obtains environment information. An environmental condition determination unit determines an environmental condition based on the environment information. A parameter storage unit stores noise removing parameters prepared for mutually exclusive environmental conditions. The noise removal unit reads a noise removing parameter from the parameter storage unit to conduct noise removal. A method of identifying an object and a spectroscopic image capturing apparatus are also provided.
48 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An object identification device, comprising:
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an image capturing device to receive polarized light polarized in two different directions included in light reflected from an object in an image capturing area and capture two polarized images, one polarized image for each type of polarized light; a noise removal unit to remove a noise component included in each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device, using a noise removing parameter; an index value computing unit to divide each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device into identification-processing areas to compute an object identification index value for each of the identification-processing areas using light intensity data of each of the two polarized images from which the noise component is removed by the noise removal unit; an object identification processing unit that conducts an object identification process that determines a plurality of identification processing areas corresponding to an identification target object based on the object identification index value of each of the identification processing areas computed by the index value computing unit, and identifies a plurality of adjacent identification processing areas as the identification processing areas corresponding to the identification target object as an image area of the identification target object; an environment information obtaining unit to obtain environment information to determine an environmental condition of an object in an image capturing area; an environmental condition determination unit to determine an environmental condition of the object in the image capturing area based on the environment information obtained by the environment information obtaining unit; and a parameter storage unit to store one or more noise removing parameters to remove a noise component included in the two polarized images captured under an environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit, each noise removing parameter being prepared and stored for one of a plurality of mutually exclusive environmental conditions, wherein the noise removal unit reads out a noise removing parameter for the environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit from the parameter storage unit, and conducts the noise removing process using the noise removing parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of identifying an object, comprising the steps of:
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receiving light polarized in two different polarization directions included in light reflected from an object in an image capturing area using an image capturing device and capturing a polarized image for each of the two types of polarized light using the image capturing device; dividing each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device into identification processing areas to compute an object identification index value for each of the identification processing areas using an index value computing unit using light intensity data of each of the two polarized images from which the noise component has been removed by the noise removal unit; determining identification processing areas corresponding to an identification target object using an object identification processing unit based on the object identification index value of each of the identification processing areas computed by the index value computing unit; conducting an object identification process in which the object identification processing unit identifies a plurality of adjacent identification processing areas determined as the identification processing areas corresponding to the identification target object as an image area of the identification target object; obtaining environment information to determine an environmental condition of an object in the image capturing area using an environment information obtaining unit; determining an environmental condition of the object existing in the image capturing area based on the environment information obtained by the environment information obtaining unit; storing a plurality of noise removing parameters in a parameter storage unit, each of the noise removing parameters being prepared and stored for a plurality of mutually exclusive environmental conditions; reading out one noise removing parameter from among the plurality of noise removing parameters stored in the parameter storage unit for the environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit to remove a noise component included in the two polarized images captured under the environmental condition; and removing the noise component included in the two polarized images captured under the environmental condition determined by the environmental condition determination unit using the noise removing parameter read from the parameter storage unit.
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13. A spectroscopic image capturing apparatus for obtaining a two-dimensional spectroscopic image correlating each point in an image capturing area with wavelength information measured at each point, the spectroscopic image capturing apparatus comprising:
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an optical filter; an image sensor having a two-dimensionally arranged pixel array to receive and detect light from an image capturing area via the optical filter and output a detection result, wherein the optical filter includes a diffraction grating having a grid pattern, in which one grid area corresponds to one unit area defined on the image sensor, the one unit area being composed of one or more pixels; an image generator to generate a difference-value-based image based on a difference value between received light intensity of one unit area and received light intensity of another adjacent unit area, the difference value computable based on the detection result of the image sensor, in which an interference level on the image sensor changes at each point depending on a diffraction angle of light passing the diffraction grating; and a noise removal unit to remove a noise component included in the difference-value-based image generated by the image generator using a noise removing parameter.
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14. The spectroscopic image capturing apparatus of 13, further comprising a parameter storage unit to store a plurality of noise removing parameters to remove a noise component included in the difference-value-based image generated by the image generator, each noise removing parameter being prepared for a respective one of a plurality of wavelengths,
wherein the noise removal unit reads out a noise removing parameter for a given wavelength for a noise removing area in the difference-value-based image generated by the image generator from the parameter storage unit, and removes noise using the noise removing parameter.
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15. The spectroscopic image capturing apparatus of 13, wherein the noise removing parameter is a threshold value to determine whether a difference value of the difference-value-based image, generated by the image generator, is a noise component,
wherein a difference value between a target unit area and a surrounding unit area surrounding the target unit in the difference-value-based image area that exceeds the threshold value specified by the noise removing parameter causes the difference value for the surrounding unit area to be identified as a noise component that is then removed.
Specification