Hardware and software image processing system

• US 5,058,181 A
• Filed: 01/24/1990
• Issued: 10/15/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Tateisi Electronics Co. (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamoto, Hiroshi, Yoneda, Satoshi, Naitoh, Hitosi, Kurioka, Hidenori, Ishihara, Hideshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US07/469,351
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 382/22, 382/21, 382/27, 382/41, 382/28
• US Class Current: 382/199
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/66 of image moments or centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/46 Descriptors for shape, contour or point-related descriptors, e.g. scale invariant feature transform [SIFT] or bags of words [BoW]; Salient regional features colour feature extraction G06V10/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/94 Hardware or software architectures specially adapted for image or video understanding

Abstract

A hardware and software image processing system is disclosed in which geometric features are extracted from a graphic image included in a picture image of an object according to data on edge addresses by carrying out an edge detection and address data collection requiring a large amount of processing work using dedicated hardware circuitry and carrying out arithmetic and other processes by means of software and a microcomputer.

Claims

1. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal; and

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by first processing said binary signal to produce edge information of said picture image and then processing said edge information to extract said geometric feature of said picture image.

2. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said feature extracting means comprises:

an edge detection circuit having a hardware structure for detecting an edge defining a picture image as given by reversion of said binary signal stored in said storage means, and writing addresses of said detected edge into an edge information memory; and

an arithmetic processing unit for computing, through a software process, geometric features from a graphic image included in said picture image of said object according to data on edge addresses stored in said edge information memory.

3. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said storage means comprises first storage means for storing a plurality of windows defined in a frame of said picture image, window signal generating means for reading data from each of said windows in synchronism with each horizontal scanning process and producing a window signal to identify locations of said windows, second storage means for storing the sequence of encounters of said windows during said horizontal scanning process; and

said feature extracting means comprises arithmetic operation means for computing a number of pixels occupied by a graphic image included in each of said windows, a horizontal first moment of said graphic image with respect to its horizontal coordinate for each pixel in said graphic image, and a vertical first moment of said graphic image with respect to its vertical coordinate for each pixel in said graphic image, cumulative arithmetic operation means for summing up said horizontal first moments and said vertical first moments for a graphic image included in each of said windows, and gravitational center computing means for computing a gravitational center of the graphic image in each of said windows according to the number of pixels occupied by the graphic image, a cumulative sum of said horizontal first moments and a cumulative sum of said vertical first moments for a graphic image included in each of said windows.

4. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said storage means comprises a window memory which is partitioned into a plurality of sections corresponding to a plurality of windows fixedly defined in a single display frame; and

said feature extracting means comprises a measurement processing unit for allocating each of a plurality of objects included in a single frame to one or more of said windows without regards to its physical location of said object in said frame.

5. An image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

gradation input means for obtaining a gradation signal representing a distribution of gradation in a picture image to be processed;

said storage means comprising an image memory unit which may be partitioned into a plurality of sections corresponding to a plurality of windows defined in a single frame and which is adapted to store data on said gradation signal supplied from said gradation input means, and a table memory unit storing a plurality of tables each for an associated one of said windows so as to permit individual extraction of an arbitrary gradation level for each of said windows.

6. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said feature extracting means comprises means for detecting an edge of a picture image, means for detecting a vertical component, a horizontal component or an oblique component from each detected edge, and means for adding up said components over an entire length of the periphery of said picture image to obtain a peripheral length thereof.

7. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said storage means comprises first storage means for defining a plurality of windows in a single frame, window generating means for reading out the windows in synchronism with a scanning operation of picture taking means and generates a window signal indicating the location and the size of each of said windows, second storage means for storing a sequential pattern of appearance of said windows on each of horizontal scanning lines, and third storage means for storing data for designating the sequential pattern of appearance of said windows for each horizontal scanning of said picture taking means on each of horizontal scanning lines, and a fourth storage means for storing data for obtaining a geometric feature of said picture image for each of said windows;

and

said feature extracting means comprises means for extracting representative pixels which are required for determination of a geometric feature of a picture image included in each of said windows along each horizontal scanning line, and means for allocating pixels detected on each horizontal scanning line to memory areas designated for different one of said windows to allow extraction of a geometric feature of image signals for each of said windows.

8. An image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for scanning an object by a 2 to 1 interlacing, means for detecting positional shifting between two of said fields defining a single frame, and means for correcting positional shifting for each field according to the detected amount of positional shifting.

9. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal; and

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals, wherein said feature extracting means comprises;

an edge detection circuit having a hardware structure for detecting an edge defining a picture image as given by reversion of said binary signal stored in said storage means, and writing addresses of said detected edge into an edge information memory; and

an arithmetic processing unit for computing, through a software process, geometric features from a graphic image included in said picture image of said object according to data on edge addresses stored in said edge information memory.

10. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal; and

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals, and wherein said storage means comprises first storage means for storing a plurality of windows defined in a frame of said picture image, window signal generating means for reading data from each of said windows in synchronism with each horizontal scanning process and producing a window signal to identify locations of said windows, second storage means for storing the sequence of encounters of said windows during said horizontal scanning process; and

said feature extracting means comprises arithmetic operation means for computing a number of pixels occupied by a graphic image included in each of said windows, a horizontal first moment of said graphic image with respect to its horizontal coordinate for each pixel in said graphic image, and a vertical first moment of said graphic image with respect to its vertical coordinate for each pixel inn said graphic image, cumulative arithmetic operation means for summing up said horizontal first moments and said vertical first moments for a graphic image included in each of said windows, and gravitational center computing means for computing a gravitational center of the graphic image in each of said windows according to the number of pixels occupied by the graphic image, a cumulative sum of said horizontal first moments and a cumulative sum of said vertical first moments for a graphic image included in each of said windows.

11. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal; and

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals, and wherein

said storage means comprises a window memory which is partitioned into a plurality of sections corresponding to a plurality of windows fixedly defined in a single display frame; and

said feature extracting means comprises a measurement processing unit for allocating each of a plurality of objects included in a single frame to one or more of said windows without regards to its physical location of said object in said frame.

12. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal;

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals; and

gradation input means for obtaining a gradation signal representing a distribution of gradation in a picture image to be processed;

said storage means comprising an image memory unit which may be partitioned into a plurality of sections corresponding to a plurality of windows defined in a single frame and which is adapted to store data on said gradation signal supplied from said gradation input means, and a table memory unit storing a plurality of tables each for ann associated one of said windows so as to permit individual extraction of an arbitrary gradation level for each of said windows.

13. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal; and

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals, and

wherein said storage means comprises first storage means for defining a plurality of windows in a single frame, windows generating means for reading out the windows in synchronism with a scanning operation of picture taking means and generates a window signal indicating the location and the size of each of said windows, second storage means for storing a sequential pattern of appearance of said windows on each of horizontal scanning lines, and third storage means for storing data for designating the sequential pattern of appearance of said windows for each horizontal scanning of said picture taking means on each of horizontal scanning lines, and a fourth storage means for storing data for obtaining a geometric feature of said picture image for each of said windows; and

said feature extracting means comprises means for extracting representative pixels which are required for determination of a geometric feature of a picture image included in each of said windows along each horizontal scanning line, and means for allocating pixels detected on each horizontal scanning line to memory area designated for different one of said windows to allow extraction of a geometric feature of image signals for each of said windows.

14. An image processing system, comprising:

camera means for taking a picture image of an object and producing a corresponding picture image signal;

a binary discrimination means for converting said picture image signal into a binary signal;

storage means for storing said binary signal;

feature extracting means for extracting a geometric feature of said picture image by processing said binary signals; and

means for scanning an object by a 2 to 1 interlacing, means for detecting positional shifting between two fields defining a single frame, and means for correcting positional shifting for each field according to the detected amount of positional shifting.