System for binary encoding a picture

Claim 1

A method for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects, forming a preliminary video signal from said predetermined window of said video image of each said object using said video imaging device; forming a desired video signal for each of said objects using said video imaging device from a complete video image of each said object; analyzing said preliminary video signal to extract density information; setting, for each of said objects, a threshold for binary encoding using said extracted density information from said preliminary video information; and comparing said desired video signal for each of said objects with said threshold for that object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 2

A method for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects, forming a preliminary video signal from said predetermined window of said video image of each said object using said video imaging device; forming a desired video signal for each of said objects using said video imaging device from a complete video image of each said object; analyzing said preliminary video signal to extract density information; setting, for each of said objects, a threshold for binary encoding using said extracted density information from said preliminary video information; and comparing said desired video signal for each of said objects with said threshold for that object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 8

A method of encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; forming a preliminary video signal for each of said objects from a portion of said video image of that object obtained from said video imaging device at said predetermined window; generating, from said preliminary video signal, positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in a field of view of said imaging device; storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of said predetermined point in said field of view; comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates; and adjusting succeeding video images in said predetermined window for each said object by said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of said window in said field of view.

Claim 9

A method of encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; forming a preliminary video signal for each of said objects from a portion of said video image of that object obtained from said video imaging device at said predetermined window; generating, from said preliminary video signal, positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in a field of view of said imaging device; storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of said predetermined point in said field of view; comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates; and adjusting succeeding video images in said predetermined window for each said object by said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of said window in said field of view.

Claim 11

A method for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; forming a preliminary video signal representing a portion of a video image of each of said objects obtained from said video imaging device using said predetermined window; generating from said preliminary video signal positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in a field of view of said imaging device; storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of said predetermined point in said field of view; comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates; analyzing said preliminary video signal in said predetermined window representing said image portion, said window being adjusted according to said offset coordinates to extract density information; setting, for each of said objects, a threshold for binary encoding using said extracted density information from said preliminary video information; forming a desired video signal for each of said objects representing a complete image of each said object subsequent to forming said preliminary video signal; and comparing said desired video signal for each of said objects with said threshold for that object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 12

A method for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising the steps of: transporting said objects past a video imaging device; locating a predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; forming a preliminary video signal representing a portion of a video image of each of said objects obtained from said video imaging device using said predetermined window; generating from said preliminary video signal positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in a field of view of said imaging device; storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of said predetermined point in said field of view; comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates; analyzing said preliminary video signal in said predetermined window representing said image portion, said window being adjusted according to said offset coordinates to extract density information; setting, for each of said objects, a threshold for binary encoding using said extracted density information from said preliminary video information; forming a desired video signal for each of said objects representing a complete image of each said object subsequent to forming said preliminary video signal; and comparing said desired video signal for each of said objects with said threshold for that object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 14

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising: means for forming, for each of said objects, a preliminary video signal from a predetermined window of an image of that object and for forming a desired video signal representing successive complete video images of that object; means for transporting said objects past said video signal forming means; means for aligning, for each of said objects, said predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; peak holding means, coupled to said video signal forming means, for analyzing said preliminary video signal to extract peak density information; threshold means, coupled to said peak holding means, for setting a threshold for each of said objects from said extracted density information; and binary encoding means, coupled to said video signal forming means and to said threshold means, for comparing said desired video signal with said threshold for each said object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 15

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising: means for forming, for each of said objects, a preliminary video signal from a predetermined window of an image of that object and for forming a desired video signal representing successive complete video images of that object; means for transporting said objects past said video signal forming means; means for aligning, for each of said objects, said predetermined window at the same relative position of each of said objects; peak holding means, coupled to said video signal forming means, for analyzing said preliminary video signal to extract peak density information; threshold means, coupled to said peak holding means, for setting a threshold for each of said objects from said extracted density information; and binary encoding means, coupled to said video signal forming means and to said threshold means, for comparing said desired video signal with said threshold for each said object to form a binary video signal representing that object.

Claim 16

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising; imaging means for forming a preliminary video signal from a predetermined window of the video image of each said object and for forming a desired video signal for that object from said video image of that object in a field of view of said imaging means; means for transporting said objects past said imaging means; locating means, coupled to said imaging means, for generating from said preliminary video signal positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in said field of view of said imaging device; memory means for storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of each said predetermined point in said field of view; offset coordinate generating means, coupled to said memory means and to said locating means, for comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinated representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates for each of said objects; repositioning means, coupled to said offset coordinate generating means, for using said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of each said predetermined window at the same relative position for each of said objects; peak holding means, coupled to said imaging means, for analyzing said preliminary video signal in each said window to extract peak density information; and threshold means, coupled to said imaging means and said peak holding means, for setting a threshold for each said object from said extracted density information.

Claim 17

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising; imaging means for forming a preliminary video signal from a predetermined window of the video image of each said object and for forming a desired video signal for that object from said video image of that object in a field of view of said imaging means; means for transporting said objects past said imaging means; locating means, coupled to said imaging means, for generating from said preliminary video signal positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in said field of view of said imaging device; memory means for storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of each said predetermined point in said field of view; offset coordinate generating means, coupled to said memory means and to said locating means, for comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinated representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates for each of said objects; repositioning means, coupled to said offset coordinate generating means, for using said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of each said predetermined window at the same relative position for each of said objects; peak holding means, coupled to said imaging means, for analyzing said preliminary video signal in each said window to extract peak density information; and threshold means, coupled to said imaging means and said peak holding means, for setting a threshold for each said object from said extracted density information.

Claim 18

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising: imaging means for forming a preliminary video signal from a portion of the video image of each said object in a field of view of said imaging means; means for transporting each of said objects past said imaging means; locating means, coupled to said imaging means, for generating, from said preliminary video signal, positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in said field of view of said imaging device; memory means for storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of each said predetermined point in said field of view; offset coordinate generating means, coupled to said memory means and to said locating means, for comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates for each of said objects; and repositioning means, coupled to said offset coordinating means, for adjusting said imaging means by said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of a predetermined window in said field of view corresponding to said video image portion such that said predetermined window is at the same relative position for each of said objects.

Claim 19

An apparatus for encoding a video image of a plurality of objects comprising: imaging means for forming a preliminary video signal from a portion of the video image of each said object in a field of view of said imaging means; means for transporting each of said objects past said imaging means; locating means, coupled to said imaging means, for generating, from said preliminary video signal, positioning coordinates for a predetermined point on each said object in said field of view of said imaging device; memory means for storing standard coordinates representing a standard position of each said predetermined point in said field of view; offset coordinate generating means, coupled to said memory means and to said locating means, for comparing said positioning coordinates to said standard coordinates to generate offset coordinates representing the difference between said standard coordinates and said positioning coordinates for each of said objects; and repositioning means, coupled to said offset coordinating means, for adjusting said imaging means by said offset coordinates to normalize the positioning of a predetermined window in said field of view corresponding to said video image portion such that said predetermined window is at the same relative position for each of said objects.