Method and apparatus for automatic object identification

• US 20080219555A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Skoblick, Richard, Phurrough, Larry, Wiedemann, Melissa, Gratsch, Colleen Flynn, Lee, Harry C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2504 Coarse or fine approaches, e.g. resolution of ambiguities or multiscale approaches

Abstract

A method and system for processing image data to identify objects in an image. The method and system operate using various resolutions of the image to identify the objects. Information obtained while processing the image at one resolution is employed when processing the image at another resolution.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A method of identifying linear objects in an image comprising:

receiving an image with a first resolution;

generating a filtered image from the image, the filtered image identifying potential objects which have a smaller radius than the size of a filter and a different brightness than pixels surrounding the potential objects;

receiving a second image identifying regions in the image with the first resolution which are not to be processed;

generating a third image by removing regions in the filtered image which are identified in the another image as regions in the image which are not to be processed;

identifying lines in the third image;

generating a fourth image by removing lines identified in the third image which do not meet predetermined criteria; and

identifying linear objects in the image using the remaining lines in the fourth image.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the step of generating a filtered image comprises:

performing a series of dilations and erosions of the image to produce a spatially filtered image; and

subtracting said spatially filtered image from the image to produce the filtered image.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the identified portions in the second image are portions of the image with a first resolution which contain either clouds or bodies of water.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the step of identifying lines in the third image comprises:

performing a Hough transform on the third image, thereby identifying a number of pixels which line on a line with a particular angle and location.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein the step of generating a fourth image comprises:

eliminating identified lines containing less than a predetermined number of pixels.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the step of generating a fourth image further comprises:

determining a mean and standard deviation of intensities for portions of the image on either side of the remaining lines; and

eliminating a line from the remaining lines if the mean and standard deviation of intensities of the portion of the image on one side of the line is more than a predetermined amount different from the mean and standard deviation of intensities on the other side of the line.

47. A method of identifying linear objects in an image comprising:

receiving an image with a first resolution;

processing the image to produce an image at a second resolution;

generating a filtered image from the image at the second resolution;

receiving a second image identifying portions of the image with the first resolution which are not to be processed;

generating a third image by removing portions of the filtered image which are identified in the second image as portions of the image which are not to be processed;

identifying lines in the third image;

generating a fourth image by removing lines identified in the third image which do not meet predetermined criteria; and

identifying linear objects in the image using the remaining lines in the fourth image.

48. A method for identifying linear objects in an image comprising:

receiving a first and second image identifying linear objects, the first image having a first resolution and the second image having a second resolution;

processing the first and second image to produce a third image, wherein the processing combines linear objects from the first and second image;

identifying linear objects in the image using the third image.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

receiving another image, the another image having a third resolution, wherein the processing step processes the another image when producing the third image.