Image processing method and apparatus for correlating a test image with a template
First Claim
1. An apparatus for comparing a test image to a template wherein both the test image and the template are comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of respective predetermined gray levels, and wherein the template is partitioned into a plurality of labels comprised of at least one pixel, the apparatus comprising:
- template memory means for storing indicia representative of the plurality of pixels which comprise the template;
image memory means for storing indicia representative of the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image;
offset means, responsive to said template memory means, for creating a relative offset between the template and the test image;
a plurality of processing elements, responsive to said template memory means and said image memory means, for separately comparing the plurality of pixels which comprise the template to the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image such that at least some of the pixels of the test image correspond to respective pixels of the template, wherein at least one of said processing elements is further responsive to said offset means for comparing the plurality of pixels which comprise the template to the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image and which have a relative offset therebetween, and wherein said processing elements comprise;
means for determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj,i representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to respective pixels of a predetermined label i of the template; and
means for determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to the template;
correlation means, responsive to said plurality of processing elements, for determining the correlation X between the test image and the template according to;
##EQU4## wherein NT is the total number of pixels which comprise the template, Ni is the number of pixels which form each of the plurality of labels i of the template, imin and imax are the minimum and maximum label designations, respectively, and jmin and jmax are the minimum and maximum gray levels, respectively.
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Abstract
The image correlation method and apparatus correlates or matches a test image with a template. The image correlation apparatus includes an image processor for partitioning the template into a number of labels, for determining the total number of pixels NT which form the template and for determining the number of pixels Ni which form each of the labels i. The image correlation apparatus also includes comparison means for comparing the test image to the template. The comparison means determines, for each predetermined gray level j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj,i representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to a predetermined label i of the template. The comparison means also determines, for each predetermined gray level j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to the template. The image correlation apparatus further includes correlation means for determining the correlation X between the test image and the template according to a predetermined equation which is based, at least in part, upon Nj,i, Nj, Ni and NT. The image correlation apparatus can also include an address generator for creating a number of relative offsets between the template and the test image.
28 Citations
37 Claims
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1. An apparatus for comparing a test image to a template wherein both the test image and the template are comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of respective predetermined gray levels, and wherein the template is partitioned into a plurality of labels comprised of at least one pixel, the apparatus comprising:
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template memory means for storing indicia representative of the plurality of pixels which comprise the template; image memory means for storing indicia representative of the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image; offset means, responsive to said template memory means, for creating a relative offset between the template and the test image; a plurality of processing elements, responsive to said template memory means and said image memory means, for separately comparing the plurality of pixels which comprise the template to the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image such that at least some of the pixels of the test image correspond to respective pixels of the template, wherein at least one of said processing elements is further responsive to said offset means for comparing the plurality of pixels which comprise the template to the plurality of pixels which comprise the test image and which have a relative offset therebetween, and wherein said processing elements comprise; means for determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj,i representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to respective pixels of a predetermined label i of the template; and means for determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to the template; correlation means, responsive to said plurality of processing elements, for determining the correlation X between the test image and the template according to;
##EQU4## wherein NT is the total number of pixels which comprise the template, Ni is the number of pixels which form each of the plurality of labels i of the template, imin and imax are the minimum and maximum label designations, respectively, and jmin and jmax are the minimum and maximum gray levels, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for recognizing a preselected object within a test image, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a template comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels, wherein said creating step comprises partitioning the template into a plurality of labels, and wherein each label is comprised of at least one pixel; designating the selected object within the template; capturing a test image comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels; creating at least one relative offset between the template and the test image; comparing the test image to the template at each of the relative offsets such that at least some of the pixels of the test image correspond to respective pixels of the template, wherein said comparing step comprises, for each relative offset, the steps of; determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj,i representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to a predetermined label i of the template; determining, for each of a plurality of predetermined gray levels j, the number of pixels of the test image Nj representative of a predetermined gray level j which correspond to the template; and determining the correlation X between the test image and the template according to;
##EQU5## wherein NT is the total number of pixels which comprise the template, Ni is the number of pixels which form each of the plurality of labels i of the template, imin and imax are the minimum and maximum label designations, respectively, and wherein jmin and jmax are the minimum and maximum gray levels, respectively;determining the relative offset between the test image and the template which provides the greatest correlation X therebetween; and selecting an object within the test image at the relative offset which provides the greatest correlation X which corresponds to the designated object in the template. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification