Apparatus for determining the degree of variation of a feature in a region of an image that is divided into discrete picture elements
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- first means for recording a first image of a physical object or scene and dividing said first image into discrete picture elements;
second means for transforming said first image which has been divided into discrete picture elements into a vector representation, said vector representation comprising complex valued signals,third means for accessing said complex valued signals from a plurality of picture elements which collectively form a plurality of overlapping regions of a vector valued image, one complex valued signal for each picture element of said plurality of picture elements, each of said complex valued signals having a phase which describes feature class and a magnitude which describes certainty in feature assertion, said complex valued signals representing said feature;
fourth means for accessing a corresponding complex valued multiplication factor signal for each picture element in said plurality of picture elements, each of said complex valued multiplication factor signals having a phase and a magnitude, the complex valued multiplication factor signals, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, collectively forming a mask which represents a predetermined idealized variation of said feature in a respective region of said plurality of overlapping regions; and
,fifth means coupled to each of said third and fourth means for receiving and processing, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, said complex valued signals and said complex valued multiplication factor signals to measure, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, the correspondence between the collection of complex valued signal, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, which characterizes the degree of variation of said feature therein thereby producing a second image representing characterizing properties of a recorded image of said physical object or scene.
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Abstract
The invention concerns an apparatus for determining the degree of variation of a feature in a region of an image that is divided into discrete picture elements, the feature being represented by complex valued signals, one for each picture element, the signal phase representing the feature class and the signal magnitude representing the certainty in the feature assertion. The apparatus includes a unit (3) for providing the complex valued signals (8) within the region and complex valued multiplication factor signals (9) corresponding to the complex valued signals. In a first summation unit (4), a first sum signal is generated by the magnitude products of the signals (8) and corresponding multiplication factor signals (9), and a second sum signal is generated by the complex valued scalar products of the signals (8) and corresponding complex conjugate of the multiplication factor signals. In a second summation unit (5), a third sum signal is generated by the signals (8) that are weighted with the magnitude of corresponding multiplication factor signals (9), and a fourth sum signal is generated by the complex conjugate of the multiplication factor signals (9) weighted with a magnitude of corresponding signals (8). A norming unit (6) is provided for norming the output signals from the summation units in a predetermined way (FIG. 2).
20 Citations
11 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising:
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first means for recording a first image of a physical object or scene and dividing said first image into discrete picture elements; second means for transforming said first image which has been divided into discrete picture elements into a vector representation, said vector representation comprising complex valued signals, third means for accessing said complex valued signals from a plurality of picture elements which collectively form a plurality of overlapping regions of a vector valued image, one complex valued signal for each picture element of said plurality of picture elements, each of said complex valued signals having a phase which describes feature class and a magnitude which describes certainty in feature assertion, said complex valued signals representing said feature; fourth means for accessing a corresponding complex valued multiplication factor signal for each picture element in said plurality of picture elements, each of said complex valued multiplication factor signals having a phase and a magnitude, the complex valued multiplication factor signals, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, collectively forming a mask which represents a predetermined idealized variation of said feature in a respective region of said plurality of overlapping regions; and
,fifth means coupled to each of said third and fourth means for receiving and processing, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, said complex valued signals and said complex valued multiplication factor signals to measure, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, the correspondence between the collection of complex valued signal, for each region of said plurality of overlapping regions, which characterizes the degree of variation of said feature therein thereby producing a second image representing characterizing properties of a recorded image of said physical object or scene. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification