Method for determining the orientation in which an object was placed when the image of the object was recorded

Claim 1

A method for determining an orientation from a recorded image of a physical object, wherein the orientation, in which the physical object was placed when the image of the physical object was recorded, is determined, the method comprising the steps of: i) retrieving an image signal of the physical object which is stored on an image storing means, the image represented by said image signal being capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) sending the retrieved image signal to an image processing means, iii) calculating, using said image processing means, the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iv) using said image processing means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to determine whether the image of the object represents a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation.

Claim 2

A method for determining an orientation from a recorded image of a physical object, wherein the orientation, in which the physical object was placed when the image of the physical object was recorded, is determined, the method comprising the steps of: i) retrieving an image signal of the physical object which is stored on an image storing means, the image represented by said image signal being capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) sending the retrieved image signal to an image processing means, iii) calculating, using said image processing means, the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iv) using said image processing means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to determine whether the image of the object represents a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation.

Claim 5

A method as defined in any one of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the values of the image signal components representing the picture elements in the image are binarized with a predetermined threshold value, and thereafter the predetermined operation is carried out on the binary values which have thus been obtained.

Claim 12

An apparatus for determining an object orientation from a recorded image, wherein the orientation, in which the object was placed when the image of the object was recorded, is determined, the apparatus comprising: i) means for obtaining an image signal, which represents the image capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) means for calculating the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and for calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iii) means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to whether the image is a symmetric image or is an asymmetric image.

Claim 13

An apparatus for determining an object orientation from a recorded image, wherein the orientation, in which the object was placed when the image of the object was recorded, is determined, the apparatus comprising: i) means for obtaining an image signal, which represents the image capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) means for calculating the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and for calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iii) means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to whether the image is a symmetric image or is an asymmetric image.

Claim 20

A method for determining an orientation from a recorded image of a physical object, wherein the orientation, in which the physical object was placed when the image of the physical object was recorded, is determined, the method comprising the steps of: i) obtaining an image signal of the physical object using an image readout means, said image signal representing the image capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) sending the obtained image signal to an image processing means, iii) calculating, using said image processing means, the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iv) using said image processing means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to determine whether the image of the object represents a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation.

Claim 21

A method for determining an orientation from a recorded image of a physical object, wherein the orientation, in which the physical object was placed when the image of the physical object was recorded, is determined, the method comprising the steps of: i) obtaining an image signal of the physical object using an image readout means, said image signal representing the image capable of taking either a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation with respect to a center line of the image serving as the axis of symmetry, said image signal being made up of a series of image signal components representing picture elements in the image, ii) sending the obtained image signal to an image processing means, iii) calculating, using said image processing means, the difference between values of image signal components representing at least a single pair of picture elements, which correspond symmetrically to each other with respect to the center line of the image, and calculating a characteristic value, which represents symmetry or asymmetry of the image, from the value of said difference by carrying out a predetermined operation, and iv) using said image processing means for making a judgment from the level of said characteristic value as to determine whether the image of the object represents a symmetric orientation or an asymmetric orientation.