Object recognize apparatus

• US 5,018,219 A
• Filed: 02/06/1989
• Issued: 05/21/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hisatomi, Ryouichi, Kudou, Masasi, Matsuzaki, Kichie, Isobe, Mitsunobu, Takeichi, Kenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, David K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, TAN X
• Application Number:
  US07/306,397
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 382/19, 382/8, 382/21, 382/25, 382/28, 382/38, 382/37, 382/48, 382/22, 364/200
• US Class Current: 382/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/40 Extraction of image or video features

Abstract

An object recognize apparatus suitable for recognition of a complex object constituted with a plurality of elements. When specifying a recognition object, a plurality of elements constituting the finally required recognition object are respectively designated as recognition objects, and when specifying an upper-level recognition object, lower-level recognition objects thereof are designated. Furthermore, for each lower-level recognition object, geometric features necessary for the recognition are specified. In an analysis of image data, the lower-level recognition objects are first detected by use of the geometric features so as to next attain the upper-level recognition object based on results of the detection. As a result, a complex object existing at an arbitrary position can be judged and the position thereof is obtained.

Claims

1. An object recognition apparatus comprising:

image input means for imaging an object an arbitrary position so as to input an image;

means for specifying a recognition object as a set including a plurality of lower-level recognition objects;

means for setting, for each of said lower-level recognition objects, at least a preprocessing operation of said each lower-level recognition object, features and contour shape of said each lower-level recognition object as attribute data corresponding to a judgment operation of said each lower-level recognition object and orientation base, position base, measurement items, collision check and coordinate conversion parameters as optional data of said each lower-level recognition object;

means for performing a processing for said each lower-level recognition object according to said preprocessing operation, said judgment operation and said measurement items of said each lower-level recognition object;

means for obtaining geometric features from said inputted image by performing a preprocessing according to said preprocessing operation of said each lower-level recognition object;

means for effecting a judgment and detection of said lower-level recognition objects by comparing said geometric features obtained from said inputted image to features and contour shape of said each lower-level recognition object corresponding to said judgment operation; and

means for detecting a recognition object including said lower-level recognition objects on the basis of results of said detection effected on said each lower-level recognition level object.

2. An object recognize apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

means for retrieving the lower-level recognition objects constituting said recognition object; and

means for effecting the detection beginning from a lower-level recognition object based on a retrieval result so as to finally detect upper-level recognition objects constituted with the lower-level recognition objects.

3. An object recognize apparatus according to claim 1 wherein types of said lower-level recognition objects includes a plane object having an area with an arbitrary shape, a line object, a point object, a stripe object having band-like pattern items with a predetermined distance therebetween, and an amorphous object not having a particular shape.

4. An object recognize apparatus according to claim 3 wherein:

said types of recognition objects specified as a set of lower-level recognition objects include a compound of two points, a compound of a point and a line, a compound of two lines and a compound of a plurality of objects; and

wherein the compound of two points is treated as a line object including the two points respectively as a starting point and an ending point, the compound of a point and a line is handled as a line object defined by a perpendicular drawing from the point onto the line, and the compound of two lines is treated as point object defined by an intersection of the two lines or as a line object defined by a distance between the two lines,

whereby the recognition objects are defined in a hierarchical structure including lower-level objects of recognition objective items specified as a set of recognition objects.