Image processing apparatus

• US 5,297,222 A
• Filed: 10/28/1991
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kunai, Yoko, Shingai, Sadanori, Miyamoto, Shoji, Ihara, Hirokazu, Mori, Kinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/785,221
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 382/62, 382/65, 382/8, 382/10, 382/14, 382/41, 382/27, 382/37, 382/18, 382/58, 358/106, 358/107, 358/163, 250/563, 250/223 B
• US Class Current: 382/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition

Abstract

In order to recognize an object to be recognized, the present invention comprises a plurality of photosensors for receiving reflected rays from an object to be recognized, and a plurality of image recognition processors. Said plurality of sensors and processors are connected in network structure, so that each of said plurality of sensors recognizes only a part of the object to be recognized and applies signals to said plurality of image recognition processors, and each of said plurality of image recognition processors recognizes the object to be recognized according only to said image recognition signals applied from said plurality of sensors adjacent to each other. Further, in order to make the image of the object, each of said image recognition processor recognizes the image of the object, in conjunction with adjacent image recognition processors, according to the information showing the profile of each part of the object, and applies signals to light emitting devices for displaying the image.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

inputting means for supplying input signals from respective ones of a plurality of sources of object data, each input signal representing a respective feature of an image of an object;

a plurality of processing means connected with said inputting means for receiving the input signals, each processing means including a programmable processor connected to receive plural input signals for producing an output signal corresponding to a partial image of the object by performing a predetermined processing which is a function of said plural input signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing; and

a plurality of outputting means connected with the plurality of processing means for outputting partial images in response to the output signal produced by said processing means.

2. An image processing system according to claim 1 wherein:

each of said outputting means comprise a light emission device.

3. An image processing system according to claim 1 wherein:

said partial images comprise profile information of the object.

4. An image processing system according to claim 1 wherein:

said outputting means are arranged in two dimensions.

5. An image processing system comprising:

a plurality of detecting means for detecting an image of an object, each detecting means producing an output signal which represents part of said image; and

a plurality of processing means, each processing means including a programmable processor coupled to a different combination of output signals from a plurality of said detecting means for processing said combination of output signals in accordance with a predetermined processing which is a function of said output signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing.

6. An image processing system according to claim 5 wherein:

said predetermined calculation is changeable in response to a predetermined state.

7. A signal processing system comprising:

detecting means for detecting portions of an image and producing signals each corresponding to respective portions of the image;

a plurality of processing means, each processing means including a first interface for receiving a combination of the signals corresponding to respective portions of the image from said detecting means, a receiving buffer for storing said combination of signals from said first interface means, a programmable processor connected to receive said combination of signals from said first interface means for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of said combination of signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing, a result buffer for storing a result of the predetermined processing produced by the processor and a second interface for transmitting the stored processing result; and

output means for outputting the processing result transmitted through said second interface.

8. A signal processing system comprising:

a plurality of input devices for inputting respective signals;

a plurality of processing means, each processing means including a first interface for receiving a combination of the respective signals from a plurality of said input devices, an input buffer for storing data corresponding to said combination of signals from said first interface, a programmable processor connected to receive said combination of signals from said first interface for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of the respective signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing, a result buffer for storing a result of the predetermined processing and a second interface for transmitting the stored processing result; and

an output device for outputting the processing result transmitted through said second interface as data corresponding to said signals, wherein at least one of the input devices is coupled to supply an output in common to at least two processors.

9. A signal processing system comprising:

a plurality of input devices for inputting respective signals;

a plurality of processing devices, each processing device including a programmable processor coupled to a combination of said input devices to receive respective signals from said combination of input devices for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of the respective signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing; and

an output device for outputting a processing result of the predetermined processing as data corresponding to said signals, wherein at least one of the input devices is coupled to supply an output in common to at least two processors.

10. A signal processing system comprising:

a plurality of input devices for inputting respective signals;

a plurality of processing devices, each processing device including a first interface for receiving a combination of the signals from a plurality of said input devices, a receiving buffer for storing said combination of signals from said first interface, a programmable processor connected to receive said combination of signals from said first interface for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of the respective signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing, a result buffer for storing a result of the predetermined processing and a second interface for transmitting the stored processing result, wherein at least one of said input devices is connected to supply an output in common to at least two of said processors for supplying a signal in common to the first interfaces therein; and

an output circuit for outputting the processing result transmitted through said second interface as data corresponding to said signals.

11. A signal processing system comprising:

a plurality of input devices for inputting respective signals;

a plurality of programmable processors, each processor being coupled to a combination of the input devices to receive the respective signals from a plurality of said input devices for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of said signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing, wherein at least one of said input devices is connected to at least two of said processors for supplying a signal in common to the two processors; and

an output circuit for outputting the processing result as data representing features of the input signals.

12. A signal processing system comprising:

an input device for inputting data which includes a plurality of data portions;

a plurality of programmable processors, each processor being connected to receive data representing a combination of data portions for producing a signal by performing a predetermined processing which is a function of the combination of data portions and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing;

a plurality of output devices connected to said plurality of processors for outputting data corresponding to said signals produced by said processors; and

wherein at least one of said processors is connected to receive a combination of signals from at least two of said processors.

13. An image processing system comprising:

(a) a plurality of detecting means for detecting an image of an object to be recognized with each detecting means producing an output signal which is a function of at least part of said image;

(b) a plurality of first processing means, each processing means including a programmable processor corresponding to a different one of the plurality of detecting means and being responsive to a different combination of output signals including output signals from the corresponding detecting means and at least one detecting means adjacent thereto, each of said first processing means being operationally independent and detecting a first level of degree of discrimination of a part of the image; and

(c) a plurality of second processing means, each including a programmable processor responsive to a different combination of output signals from processors in said first processing means for detecting a second level of degree of discrimination of a part of said image.

14. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein each of said first and second processing means performs a plurality of operations with one of the operations being selected on the basis of a detected one of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination.

15. An image processing system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination of the image by said first and second processing means is carried out in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognition which is a synthesis of at least one output signal.

16. An image processing system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination of the image by said first and second processing means is carried out in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognition which is a predetermined equation for processing at least one output signal.

17. An image processing system in accordance with claim 14, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination by said first and second processing means is based upon a predetermined condition.

18. An image processing system in accordance with claim 14, wherein when one or more of the detecting means has failed, said first and second processing means is responsive to an indication from the one or more failed detecting means for processing signals from other detecting means which have not failed.

19. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination of the image by said first and second processing means is carried out in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognition which is a synthesis of at least one output signal.

20. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination of the image by said first and second processing means is carried out in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognition which is a predetermined equation for processing at least one output signal.

21. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the detecting of each of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination by said first and second processing means is based upon a predetermined condition.

22. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of processing means includes means for performing a synthesis process involving a result of the detecting of a level of a degree of discrimination of said image.

23. An image processing system in accordance with claim 22, wherein when one or more of said processing means has failed in recognizing the object, a processing means which has not failed performs said synthesis process receiving a result of detecting a level of degree of discrimination of each received output signal in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognizing the object.

24. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein when one or more of the detecting means has failed, said first and second processing means is responsive to an indication from the one or more failed detecting means for processing signals from other detecting means which have not failed.

25. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the detecting of a level of degree of discrimination of said image by said first and second processing means is carried out in accordance with a predetermined rule for recognition of the object which generates profile information of the object.

26. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the detecting of the first and second levels of degree of discrimination by said first and second processing means is a determination of a degree of recognition.

27. An image processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein each of the processors in said first and second processing means includes means for performing a predetermined processing which is a function of a combination of said output signals and at least one quantity which is selectable in accordance with a desired image processing.