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AssigneeLockwood Graders (UK) Limited
InventorTimothy J. Dennis
Estimating the term…
Image processing apparatus for detecting a bounded region of an image includes a scanning device such as a T.V. camera, to scan the image via a raster scan to produce a signal indicative of image intensity at a plurality of picture points and comparators to compare the image intensity at each of the picture points with that of a neighboring point in each of at least two directions to derive therefrom a difference value and thereby detect a positive-going or negative-going boundary. Picture points are labelled as corresponding to region boundaries whenever the difference values exceed a predetermined threshold value. The region boundaries are then expanded by labelling further picture points as region boundaries. All boundaries in a particular direction are expanded in the same direction irrespective of whether they are negative-going or positive-going. Thus, boundaries between neighboring picture elements along the scan line are expanded to successive neighboring picture elements along the scan line and boundaries between neighboring picture elements on neighboring scan lines are expanded to neighboring successive scan lines. The expanded boundaries are then subjected to a time-shift to superimpose the expanded boundaries for a region lying wholly within a bounded region of the image.
Apparatus for detecting a bounded region of an image, which apparatus comprises means for scanning the image via a raster scan to produce a signal indicative of image intensity at a plurality of picture points, means for comparing the image intensity at each of the said picture points with that of a neighbouring point in each of at least two directions to derive therefrom a difference value, means for labelling the picture points as corresponding to region boundaries whenever the difference values exceed a predetermined threshold value, means for expanding the region boundaries by labelling a number of further picture points as region boundaries such that boundaries between neighbouring picture elements along a scan line are unidirectionally expanded to successive neighbouring picture elements along the said scan line and boundaries between neighbouring picture elements of neighbouring scan lines are unidirectionally expanded to neighbouring successive scan lines, and means for time-shifting the signals associated with different types of expanded region boundaries by different amounts to superimpose the expanded boundaries for a region lying wholly within the bounded region of the image.
A method of detecting a bounded region of an image, which method comprises the steps of scanning the image via a raster scan to produce a signal indicative of image intensity at a plurality of picture points, comparing the image intensity at each of the said picture points with that of a neighbouring point in each of at least two directions to derive therefrom a difference value, labelling the picture points as corresponding to region boundaries whenever the difference values exceed a predetermined threshold value, expanding the region boundaries by labelling a number of further picture points such that boundaries between neighbouring picture elements along a scan line are unidirectionally expanded to successive neighbouring picture elements along the said scan line and boundaries between neighbouring picture elements of neighbouring scan lines are unidirectionally expanded to neighbouring successive scan lines time-shifting the signals associated with different types of expanded region boundaries by different amounts to superimpose the expanded boundaries for a region lying wholly within the bounded region of the image.
Apparatus for detecting a bounded region of an image, which apparatus comprises:
Article sorting apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.