Image processing method and apparatus for correlating a test image with a template
First Claim
1. An apparatus for recognizing a preselected object within a test image, comprising:
- template generation means for creating a template comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels, wherein said template generation means comprises template processing means for partitioning the template into a plurality of labels, and wherein each label is comprised of at least one pixel;
object designation means, responsive to said template generation means, for designating the selected object within the template;
image capturing means for capturing a test image comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels;
offset means, responsive to said template generation means and said image capturing means, for creating at least one relative offset between the template and the test image;
comparison means, responsive to said template generation means and said image capturing means, for 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 comparison means comprises;
means for determining, at each relative offset and 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;
means for determining, at each relative offset and 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
correlation means for determining, at each relative offset, 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 wherein jmin and jmax are the minimum and maximum gray levels, respectively;
means, responsive to said comparison means, for determining the relative offset between the test image and the template which provides the greatest correlation X therebetween; and
object recognition means, responsive to said object designation means and said relative offset determining means, for 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.
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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. Thus, the test image can be compared to the template at each relative offset and the relative offset which provides the greatest correlation therebetween can be determined. Consequently, the test image and the template can be effectively matched such that a preselected object designated within the template can be located and identified within the test image.
72 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An apparatus for recognizing a preselected object within a test image, comprising:
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template generation means for creating a template comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels, wherein said template generation means comprises template processing means for partitioning the template into a plurality of labels, and wherein each label is comprised of at least one pixel; object designation means, responsive to said template generation means, for designating the selected object within the template; image capturing means for capturing a test image comprised of a plurality of pixels representative of predetermined gray levels; offset means, responsive to said template generation means and said image capturing means, for creating at least one relative offset between the template and the test image; comparison means, responsive to said template generation means and said image capturing means, for 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 comparison means comprises; means for determining, at each relative offset and 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; means for determining, at each relative offset and 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 correlation means for determining, at each relative offset, 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 wherein jmin and jmax are the minimum and maximum gray levels, respectively;means, responsive to said comparison means, for determining the relative offset between the test image and the template which provides the greatest correlation X therebetween; and object recognition means, responsive to said object designation means and said relative offset determining means, for 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 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification