# US 12,008,784 B2 · Systems and methods for image-based electrical connector assembly detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,008,784 B2 - Document ID: US12008784B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/171,100 - Filed: 2021-02-09 - Published: 2022-08-11 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-09 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Raj Sohmshetty; Vikas Rajendra - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008784B2 ## CPC - G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection} - G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods - G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection} - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/13: Edge detection - G06T 2207/20081: Training; Learning - G06T 2207/20084: Artificial neural networks [ANN] - G06T 2207/30108: Industrial image inspection - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method includes defining, in an image, bounding boxes about an electrical connector assembly, identifying an edge of each of the bounding boxes, and determining one or more metrics based on the edge of each the bounding boxes, where the one or more metrics indicate a positional relationship between the edges of the bounding boxes. The method includes determining a state of the electrical connector assembly based on the one or more metrics and transmitting a notification based on the state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: defining, in an image and by a convolutional neural network, bounding boxes about an electrical connector assembly, wherein the bounding boxes include a first component bounding box and a second component bounding box, wherein the first component bounding box is associated with a first component of the electrical connector assembly, and wherein the second component bounding box is associated with a second component of the electrical connector assembly; identifying an edge of each of the bounding boxes; determining a distance and an angle between on the edge of each of the bounding boxes, wherein the distance and the angle between the edge of each of the bounding boxes define a positional relationship between the edges of the bounding boxes; determining a state of the electrical connector assembly based on the positional relationship; and transmitting a notification based on the state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first component bounding box and the second component bounding boxes are rotated bounding boxes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the edge of each of the bounding boxes includes a first adjacent edge of the first component bounding box and a second adjacent edge of the second component bounding box. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the distance is a distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the state is a connected state in response to the distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being less than a threshold distance. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the state is an unconnected state in response to the distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being greater than a threshold distance. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the angle is defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the state is a connected state in response to the angle defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being less than a threshold angle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the state is an unconnected state in response to the angle defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being greater than a threshold angle. ### Claim 10 A system comprising: a processor; and a nontransitory computer-readable medium including instructions that are executable by the processor, wherein the instructions include: defining, in an image and by a convolutional neural network, bounding boxes about an electrical connector assembly, wherein the bounding boxes include a first component bounding box and a second component bounding box, wherein the first component bounding box is associated with a first component of the electrical connector assembly, and wherein the second component bounding box is associated with a second component of the electrical connector assembly; identifying an edge of each bounding box; determining a distance and an angle between the edge of each bounding box, wherein the distance and the angle between each edge of each bounding box define a positional relationship between each edge of each bounding box; determining a connection state of the electrical connector assembly based on the positional relationship; and transmitting a notification based on the connection state. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the edge of each of the bounding boxes includes a first adjacent edge of the first component bounding box and a second adjacent edge of the second component bounding box. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the distance between each edge is further based on a distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the angle between each edge is further based on an angle defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge. ### Claim 14 A method comprising: defining, in an image and by a convolutional neural network, a first component bounding box and a second component bounding box about an electrical connector assembly, wherein the first component bounding box is associated with a first component of the electrical connector assembly, and the second component bounding box is associated with a second component of the electrical connector assembly; identifying a first adjacent edge of the first component bounding box and a second adjacent edge of the second component bounding box; determining a distance and an angle between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge, wherein the distance and the angle between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge define a positional relationship between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge; determining a state of the electrical connector assembly based on the positional relationship; and transmitting a notification based on the state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the state is a connected state in response to the distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being less than a threshold distance, the angle defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being less than a threshold angle, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the state is an unconnected state in response to the distance between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being greater than a threshold distance, the angle defined between the first adjacent edge and the second adjacent edge being greater than a threshold angle, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the neutral network is a region-based convolutional neural network.