Image recognition method and apparatus

• US 7,388,970 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Yasunobu, Morishita, Akira, Mihara, Isao, Doi, Miwako
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US11/251,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20060034490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/107, 382/151, 382/154, 382289-294, 382/236, 348/154, 348/155, 348/699, 734/88, 356/27, 356/12, 345419-427
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

An image recognition apparatus has an image capture section for capturing a range image, an image deformation section for deforming the range image captured by the image capture section, and a recognition section for recognizing the presence/absence of three-dimensional motion of an object by comparing the deformed image obtained by the image deformation section, and a new range image captured by the image capture section.

Claims

1. An image recognition method, comprising:

emitting light having a time variable intensity from a light-emitting unit to an object;

generating a reflected light image that corresponds to light components emitted by the light-emitting unit and reflected by the object by computing a difference between an amount of light received by a light-receiving unit when the light-emitting unit emits light and an amount of light received by the light-receiving unit when the light-emitting unit fails to emit light and that is formed of a spatial intensity distribution of reflected light from the object as a range image having a depth value that reflects a three-dimensional shape of the object;

obtaining a deformed image by deforming the range image in units of given data; and

recognizing three-dimensional motion of the object in the range image by comparing the deformed image with a new range image.

2. An image recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the deformed image is a rotated deformed image.

3. An image recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the deformed image is moved in parallel.

4. An image recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the deformed image is contracted by rotation.

5. An image recognition apparatus, comprising:

a light emitter to emit light having a time variable intensity to an object;

an image generation unit configured to generate a reflected light image that corresponds to light components emitted by the light emitter and reflected by the object by computing a difference between an amount of light received when the light-emitting unit emits light and an amount of light received when the light emitter fails to emit light and that is formed of a spatial intensity distribution of reflected light from the object as a range image having a depth value that reflects a three-dimensional shape of the object;

an image deformation unit configured to deform the range image in units of given data; and

a recognition unit configured to recognize three-dimensional motion of the object by comparing a deformed image obtained by said image deformation unit and a new range image generated by said image generation unit.

6. An image recognition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the deformed image is a rotated deformed image.

7. An image recognition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the deformed image is moved in parallel.

8. An image recognition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the deformed image is contracted by rotation.

9. A computer readable medium storing a computer program which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

emitting light having a time variable intensity from a light emitter to an object;

generating a reflected light image that corresponds to light components emitted by the light-emitting unit and reflected by the object by computing a difference between an amount of light received when the light-emitting unit emits light and an amount of light received when the light-emitting unit does not emit light and that is formed of a spatial intensity distribution of reflected light from the object as a range image having a depth value that reflects a three-dimensional shape of the object;

deforming the range image in units of given data; and

recognizing the presence/absence of three-dimensional motion of the object by comparing a deformed image obtained by deforming the range image and a newly generated range image.

10. A computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the deformed image is a rotated deformed image.

11. A computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the deformed image is moved in parallel.

12. A computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the deformed image is contracted by rotation.