Pattern recognition

• US 6,980,689 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Deco, Gustavo, Schuermann, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US09/979,677
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/153, 382/156, 382/190, 382/291, 382/181, 382/155, 382/209, 382/203, 382/318, 382/259, 706/15, 706/21, 706/52, 706/25, 706/18, 706/27, 706/40, 706/20
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for recognizing a prescribed object, having a storage device for storing attribute information relating to the prescribed object, detecting means for detecting attributes in a detection range and for outputting corresponding detection information, first processing means for processing, in parallel and separately for each possible attribute type, the detection information for the detection means by using the attribute information from the storage device and for outputting corresponding processing information, and second processing means for processing the process information from the first processing means and for outputting the information for determining the position of the prescribed object in the detection range.

Claims

1. A method for searching in a search field for a reference pattern characterized by prescribed parameters, said method comprising:

separately generating a group of topographic maps of the search field for each parameter, a topographic map being generated for each value which a corresponding parameter can assume, having levels at respective positions determined by a function of a value of the corresponding parameter at a corresponding position in the search field;

varying the levels of the topographic maps as a function of values of the prescribed parameters of the reference pattern by mutual interaction of the topographic maps of each group;

combining the levels of corresponding positions of the topographic maps to produce a combined topographic map; and

determining that the reference pattern has been found at a position of the search field which corresponds to a position of the combined topographic map having a highest level.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said varying produces the levels of the topographic maps as a function of a correspondence with actual values of the parameters of the reference pattern.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generating of the topographic maps is performed by one of parallel and pseudo-parallel processing of information in the search field.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising dynamically varying levels of the combined topographic map by increasing levels above a predetermined limiting value and reducing levels no larger than the predetermined limiting value.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reference pattern represents an object to be picked up by a robot.