US4553260A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Means and method of processing optical image edge data
Assignee: Honeywell Inc
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Filing: 1983-03-18
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Granted: 1985-11-12
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Expires: 2003-03-18
Abstract
Abstract Means and methods are provided for processing the quantity Si which corresponds to a point i in space where Si=(Xi 2 +Yi 2 ) 1/2 and Xi and Yi are quantities lying along mutually orthogonal axes in the space. Si is approximated by the expression A|Xi|+B|Yi| where A and B are constant coefficients selected to minimize the error in value of Si according to a selected error computation. A and B can be approximated as a binary power series with each series including a preselected number of terms. Another embodiment does not require means for approximating A and B as binary power series, but segments the coordinate space into m sectors and computes and Am and Bm for each of said m sectors. A particularly advantageous application of the invention is its use in a device and method for processing edge data concerning an edge in an optical image where Si is the Sobel, Prewitt or Roberts square root edge operators.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald A. Belt
- 👤 James D. Joseph
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 11:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/10; G06T7/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
A method of processing edge data concerning an edge of an image where the edge gradient magnitude Si at a point i in space is approximated by an expression of the form Si=(Xsi 2 +Ysi 2 ) 1/2 , where Xsi and Ysi are the vertical and horizontal edge gradient components for point i lying along mutually orthogonal axes in said space, comprising: sensing light from a scene, said scene including an object; generating electrical signals with said sensed light, said electrical signals representing the intensity of said sensed light with sensed light from said object providing said image; digitizing said electrical signals; generating Xsi and Ysi from said digitized electrical signals; forming the expression AmUi+BmVi where m is an index and an integer greater than or equal to 1. Am and Bm are constant coefficients to be determined, ##EQU14## determining the values of Am and Bm which minimize the error in the value of Si according to a selected error computation when Si is approximated by AmUi+BmVi; reforming AmUi+BmVi with said error minimizing values of Am and Bm; and determining whether or not the i th point is an edge point so that further processing of edge data can proceed.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
201 words
A method of processing edge data concerning an edge of an image where the edge gradient magnitude Si at a point i in space is approximated by an expression of the form Si=(Xsi 2 +Ysi 2 ) 1/2 , where Xsi and Ysi are the vertical and horizontal edge gradient components for point i lying along mutually orthogonal axes in said space, comprising: sensing light from a scene, said scene including an object; generating electrical signals with said sensed light, said electrical signals representing the intensity of said sensed light with sensed light from said object providing said image; digitizing said electrical signals; generating Xsi and Ysi from said digitized electrical signals; forming the expression AmUi+BmVi where m is an index and an integer greater than or equal to 1. Am and Bm are constant coefficients to be determined, ##EQU14## determining the values of Am and Bm which minimize the error in the value of Si according to a selected error computation when Si is approximated by AmUi+BmVi; reforming AmUi+BmVi with said error minimizing values of Am and Bm; and determining whether or not the i th point is an edge point so that further processing of edge data can proceed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 further including: after said determining of the values of Am and Bm to minimize error, approximating Am and Bm as a binary power series with each of said series having a limited number of terms.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 further including: after forming AmUi+BmVi, segmenting said space into m sectors, and generating Am and Bm for each of said m sectors to minimize error within each of said m sectors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 3 wherein: said segments are represented as polar coordinates and one of the boundaries between two of said segments is π/8.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 further including: displaying said edge point in relation to said scene.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said reforming forms the products AmUi and BmVi by bit shifting and adding operations.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
220 words
An apparatus for processing edge data concerning an edge of an optical image where the edge gradient magnitude Si at a point i in space is approximated by an expression of the form Si=(Xsi 2 +Ysi 2 ) 1/2 , where Xsi and Ysi are the vertical and horizontal edge gradient components for point i lying along mutually orthogonal axes in said space, comprising: means for sensing light from a scene, said scene including an object; means for generating electrical signals with said sensed light, said electrical signals representing the intensity of said sensed light with sensed light from said object providing said image; means for digitizing said electrical signals; means for generating Xsi and Ysi from said digitized electrical signals; means for forming the expression AmUi+BmVi where m is an index and an integer greater than or equal to Am and Bm are constant coefficients to be determined, ##EQU15## means for determining the values of Am and Bm which minimize the error in the value of Si according to a selected error computation when Si is approximated by AmUi+BmVi; means for reforming AmUi+BmVi with said values of Am and Bm which minimize error; and means for determining whether or not the i th point is an edge point so that further processing of said edge data can be performed.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
220 words
An apparatus for processing edge data concerning an edge of an optical image where the edge gradient magnitude Si at a point i in space is approximated by an expression of the form Si=(Xsi 2 +Ysi 2 ) 1/2 , where Xsi and Ysi are the vertical and horizontal edge gradient components for point i lying along mutually orthogonal axes in said space, comprising: means for sensing light from a scene, said scene including an object; means for generating electrical signals with said sensed light, said electrical signals representing the intensity of said sensed light with sensed light from said object providing said image; means for digitizing said electrical signals; means for generating Xsi and Ysi from said digitized electrical signals; means for forming the expression AmUi+BmVi where m is an index and an integer greater than or equal to Am and Bm are constant coefficients to be determined, ##EQU15## means for determining the values of Am and Bm which minimize the error in the value of Si according to a selected error computation when Si is approximated by AmUi+BmVi; means for reforming AmUi+BmVi with said values of Am and Bm which minimize error; and means for determining whether or not the i th point is an edge point so that further processing of said edge data can be performed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The device of claim 7 further including: means for approximating Am and Bm as a binary power series wherein each of said series which includes a limited number of terms.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 7 further including: means for segmenting said space into m sectors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further including: means for displaying said edge point in relation to said scene.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for reforming includes means for forming the products AmUi and BmVi by bit shifting and adding operations.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-11-11 | 1989-05-13 | 1989-11-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-11-11 | 1993-05-13 | 1993-11-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-11-11 | 1997-05-13 | 1997-11-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |