EP0680205A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Imaging system for object segmentation
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1995-02-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-02-01
Abstract
Abstract Described herein is an image processing system and a method for segmenting an object from the background of a scene by controlling a light source to illuminate the object more in one scene image than in another scene image. The two scene images are captured by an image input device and are then compared. The part of the image that experienced an increase in intensity is segmented as corresponding to the object. The image input device and the light source can also be placed in an opaque enclosure with an opening through which the input device can view and the light can illuminate the object. By placing the enclosure the correct distance away from the object, the effects of ambient light on the image are removed. Object glare is removed by a polarizing filter system.
Inventors
- 👤 Rudolf Maarten Bolle
- 👤 Jonathan Hudson Connell
- 👤 Norman Haas
- 👤 Rakesh Mohan
- 👤 Gabriel Taubin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:56
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/222; H04N5/262; H04N5/272; H04N5/275; G; G06; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/50; G06T7/00; G06T7/10; G06T7/11; G06T7/194; H04N23/00; H04N23/70; H04N23/74
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
An image processing system for separating one or more objects in a scene from a background of the scene, comprising: a controllable light source for illuminating the scene; an image input device for taking two or more images of the the scene, a first scene image taken with the controllable light source on and a second scene image taken with the controllable light source at a reduced illumination level, the first scene image having an object image brighter than the object image in the second scene; and a comparator for comparing the first and second scene images and for segmenting the object from the background by creating a segmented object image that includes one or more pixels that were brighter in the first scene image than in the second scene image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
72 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the comparator creates a segmented background image instead of the segmented object image by selecting one or more pixels that had the same brightness, within a tolerance, in the first and second scene images; or where the comparator also creates a segmented background image by selecting one or more pixels that had the same brightness, within a tolerance, in the first and second scene images.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the comparator is a digital circuit for selecting the pixels that were brighter in the first scene image than the second scene image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system, as in claim 3, where the digital circuit is a computer and one or both of the scene images is stored on a memory storage device before being compared.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the comparator is an analog circuit which subtracts and tolerances two synchronized video signals.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the desired object is closer to the light source than the undesired background objects whereby the illumination of the scene by the light source makes the desired object brighter, by more than a tolerance, than a brightness of the background.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the reduced illumination level of the light source is off.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the angle formed by the image input device, the object, and the light is between 0 and 15 degrees.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the image input device is a camera.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
A system, as in claim 1, further comprising an output device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
72 words
A system, as in claim 1, where the part of the image kept is further separated into a part that was dark in the first image and the part that was light in the first image, the part that was dark in the first image being an image of the the opaque parts of the object and the part that was light being an image of the translucent parts of the object.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
79 words
A system as in any one of the above claims further comprising: an opaque enclosure that encloses the image input device and the light, the enclosure having an opening facing the object so that the light can illuminate the object and the image input device can image the object, the enclosure opening being placed a first distance from the object so that there is a reduction in the ambient light reflected from the object to the imaging input device.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system, as in claim 12, where there is a transparent cover over the enclosure opening.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
13 words
A system, as in claim 13, where the transparent cover supports the object.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system, as in claim 12, where polarized light is used to reduce glare from the objects and from the supporting surface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system, as in claim 15, where a linear polarizer is placed over the light source and another linear polarizer is placed over the image input device such that the polarization axes of the two polarizers are perpendicular.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system, as in claim 12, where there is a mesh covering the opening in the enclosure for supporting the object.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system, as in claim 1, where more than two images are taken, each image being taken at a different light intensity.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
116 words
A method for separating an image of an object from an image of a background in a scene comprising the steps of: taking two or more images of the the scene, a first scene image taken with a controllable light source on and a second scene image taken with the controllable light source at a reduced illumination level, the first scene image having an object image brighter than the object image in the second scene; and comparing the first and second scene images; and segmenting the object from the background by creating a segmented object image that includes one or more pixels that were brighter in the first scene image than in the second scene image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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