Apparatus and method for producing a representation of a rasterized image and detecting a rasterized image

• US 6,229,522 B1
• Filed: 02/24/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Don G. Reid
• Original Assignee: Don G. Reid
• Inventors: Reid, Don G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/256,133
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 345/138, 345/443, 348/590, 348/715, 348/700, 348/907, 358/908, 382/184, 382/193, 382/194, 725/9, 725/22, 725/32, 725/34-36
• US Class Current: 345/643
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/40 Extraction of image or video features

Abstract

A representation of an image is made from a set of image line signals. The method includes producing a plurality of image component values. Each image component value comprises a value derived from least one selected image line signal included in the set of image line signals. The various image component values are arranged into and ordered sequence and this ordered sequence provides a representation of the image with which the set of image line signals is associated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating a representation of an image, the image being produced from an input signal which includes a plurality of image line signals, each image line signal including information for a plurality of points in the image, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an image processing arrangement for receiving a set of image line signals associated with an image and producing from the set of image line signals an ordered sequence of image component values, each image component value in the ordered sequence comprising a value derived from at least one selected image line signal included in the set of image line signals, each ordered sequence of image component values providing a representation of the image with which the set of image line signals is associated; and

(b) a storage device for storing the ordered sequence of image component values in response to a capture signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a comparison arrangement for comparing the ordered sequence of image component values with at least one previously stored ordered sequence of image component values stored in the storage device, at least one previously stored ordered sequence of image component values having been produced from a set of image line signals which have previously been received by the image processing arrangement.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the image comparison arrangement includes:

(a) a sorting device for sorting each stored ordered sequence of image component values according to a common segment of image component values.

4. The apparatus of claim 2:

(a) wherein the image processing arrangement includes a counter for producing a duration value representing the duration of a segment of the input signal, the duration being the time of the segment occurring after the ordered sequence of image component values which is stored in response to the capture signal;

(b) wherein the storage device is also for storing the duration value; and

(c) further comprising a control signal device for generating a control signal in response to a match between the ordered sequence of image component values and a stored ordered sequence of image component values.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the image processing arrangement includes:

(a) an averaging device for averaging at least two of the selected image line signals to produce one of the image component values in the ordered sequence of image component values.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each image line signal comprises a signal for a line of a rasterized image, and the signal processing arrangement includes:

(a) a circuit for summing each image line signal in the received set of image line signals to produce a summed signal; and

(b) an analog-to-digital converter for converting each summed signal to a digital representation and wherein each image component value in the ordered sequence of image component values comprises a digital value.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

(a) a timing control system for detecting a horizontal sync signal within the input signal and controlling the operation of the analog-to-digital converter using the received horizontal sync signal.

8. A method for creating a representation of an image, the image being produced from an input signal which includes a plurality of image line signals, each image line signal including information for a plurality of points in the image, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a set of image line signals, the set of image line signals being associated with the image;

(b) producing a plurality of image component values, each image component value comprising a value derived from at least one selected image line signal included in the set of image line signals; and

(c) arranging the plurality of image component values into an ordered sequence, the ordered sequence of image component values providing a representation of the image with which the set of image line signals is associated.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

(a) storing the ordered sequence of image component values in response to a capture signal.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

(a) comparing the ordered sequence of image component values with at least one stored ordered sequence of image component values.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of comparing the ordered sequence of image component values with at least one stored ordered sequence of image component values includes the step of:

(a) sorting each stored ordered sequence of image component values by a common segment of image component values in the respective ordered sequence.

12. The method of claim 9 including the step of:

(a) producing a control signal for an input signal duration in response to a match between the ordered sequence of image component values and a stored ordered sequence of image component values.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising step of:

(a) producing a duration value representing a duration of a segment of the input signal, the duration being the time of that portion of the segment occurring after the ordered sequence of image component values which is stored in response to the capture signal.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

(a) averaging at least two of the selected image line signals to produce one of the image component values in the ordered sequence of image component values.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein each image line signal comprises a signal for line of a rasterized image, and further comprising the steps of:

(a) summing each image line signal to produce a summed signal; and

(b) converting each summed signal to a digital representation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

(a) detecting a horizontal sync signal within the input signal and using the received horizontal sync signal to control the conversion of the summed signal to the digital representation.

17. An apparatus for detecting an image, the image being produced from an input signal which includes a plurality of image line signals, each image line signal including information for a plurality of points in the image, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an image processing arrangement for receiving a set of image line signals associated with an image and producing from the set of image line signals an ordered sequence of image component values, each image component value in the ordered sequence comprising a value derived from at least one selected image line signal included in the set of image line signals, each ordered sequence of image component values providing a representation of the image with which the set of image line signals is associated;

(b) a storage device for storing at least one captured ordered sequence of image component values; and

(c) a comparison arrangement for comparing the ordered sequence of image component values with at least one captured ordered sequence of image component values stored in the storage device to determine if the ordered sequence of image component values matches any captured sequence of image component values.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the image processing arrangement includes:

(a) an averaging device for averaging at least two of the selected image line signals to produce one of the image component values in the ordered sequence of image component values.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the image comparison arrangement includes:

(a) a sorting device for sorting each stored ordered sequence of image component values according to a common segment of image component values.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each image line signal comprises a signal for a line of a rasterized image, and the signal processing arrangement includes:

(a) a circuit for summing each image line signal in the received set of image line signals to produce a summed signal for each image line signal; and

(b) an analog-to-digital converter for converting each summed signal to a digital representation.