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US6674904B1
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US
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Contour tracing and boundary detection for object identification in a digital image
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 1999-12-14
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Granted: 2004-01-06
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Expires: 2019-12-14
Abstract
Abstract An edge detection algorithm may use contour tracing followed by boundary detection to improve the accuracy of the detected boundaries and to enable the detection of boundaries in cases where the image is either distorted or subject to the effects of noise. The contour tracing and boundary detection may result in an object identification, which if unsatisfactory, may be retried with different threshold values. A high pass gaussian filter may be applied before tracing contours, resulting in the selection of a band limited set of pixel values which are centered around a value of one half the bit depth.
Inventors
- 👤 Ward A. McQueen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 15:24
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/10; G06T7/13; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/40; G06V10/44; G06V10/443; G06V10/449
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
49 words
A method comprising: receiving digital image information; tracing the contour of an object depicted in said image information with a threshold value; detecting the boundary of said contour traced object; evaluating results of tracing the contour and detecting the boundary; and adjusting the threshold value based on the results.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
49 words
A method comprising: receiving digital image information; tracing the contour of an object depicted in said image information with a threshold value; detecting the boundary of said contour traced object; evaluating results of tracing the contour and detecting the boundary; and adjusting the threshold value based on the results.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 further including setting said threshold value initially as a function of a bit depth of the digital image information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 further including subjecting the digital image information to high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 3 including median filtering said digital image information before high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 3 including threshold filtering after high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein contour tracing includes comparing a value of a target pixel to a corresponding value of a plurality of neighboring pixels.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 6 including determining whether the target pixel and any of the neighboring pixels have a value above a predetermined threshold value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 7 including analyzing said pixels based on color.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the boundary includes analyzing a set of eight pixels surrounding a target pixel and locating a surrounding pixel which was exposed by the contour trace filter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 9 including scanning the values of said surrounding pixels one after another in a predetermined sequence.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 10 including scanning said pixels in a clockwise arrangement.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
53 words
An article comprising a medium storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to: trace the contour of an object depicted in image information with a threshold value; detect the boundary of said contour traced object; and evaluate results of contour tracing and boundary detection, and adjust the threshold value based on said results.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
53 words
An article comprising a medium storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to: trace the contour of an object depicted in image information with a threshold value; detect the boundary of said contour traced object; and evaluate results of contour tracing and boundary detection, and adjust the threshold value based on said results.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The article of claim 12 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to set said threshold value initially as a function of a bit depth of said image information.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The article of claim 12 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to subject the image information to high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to median filter said image information before high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The article of claim 14 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to threshold filter said image information after high pass gaussian filtering.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
The article of claim 12 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to compare a value of a target pixel to a corresponding value of a plurality of neighboring pixels.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
The article of claim 17 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to determine whether the target pixel is below a predetermined threshold value and any of the neighboring pixel values are above the predetermined threshold value.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
20 words
The article of claim 18 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to analyze said pixels based on color.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
The article of claim 18 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to analyze a set of eight pixels surrounding a target pixel and locate a surrounding pixel which exceeds a predetermined value.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
The article of claim 20 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to scan the values of said surrounding pixels one after another in a predetermined sequence.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
The article of claim 21 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to scan said pixels in a clockwise order.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
35 words
The article of claim 22 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to scan said pixels beginning from a point counterclockwise from the direction in which a previous pixel exceeded the predetermined threshold value.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
66 words
A digital image processing system comprising: a processor; and a storage coupled to said processor, said storage storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to trace a contour of an object depicted in digital image information with a threshold value; detect the boundary of said contour traced object; evaluate the results of contour tracing and boundary detection; and adjust the threshold value based on said results.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
66 words
A digital image processing system comprising: a processor; and a storage coupled to said processor, said storage storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to trace a contour of an object depicted in digital image information with a threshold value; detect the boundary of said contour traced object; evaluate the results of contour tracing and boundary detection; and adjust the threshold value based on said results.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
31 words
The digital image processing system of claim 24 , wherein the storage further stores instructions to cause the processor-based system to subject the digital image information to high pass gaussian filtering.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-01-05 | 2007-07-07 | 2008-01-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-01-05 | 2011-07-07 | 2012-01-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-01-05 | 2015-07-07 | 2016-01-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |