US 5,060,276 AGranted

Technique for object orientation detection using a feed-forward neural network

AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories

InventorsRobert J. T. Morris, Lawrence D. Rubin

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a technique in the form of an exemplary computer vision system for detecting the orientation of text or features on an object of manufacture. In the present system, an image of the features or text is used to extract lines using horizontal bitmap sums, and then individual symbols using vertical bitmap sums, using thresholds with each of the sums. The separated symbols are then appropriately trimmed and sealed to provide individual normalized symbols. A Decision Module comprising a Feed-Forward Neural network and a sequential decision arrangement determines the "up", "down" or "indeterminate" orientation of the text after a variable number of symbols have been processed. The system can then compare the determined orientation with a database to further determine if the object is in the "right-side up" "upside down" or "indeterminate" orientation.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of determining the orientation of features or text on an object, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) extracting a predetermined sized image of each of at least one of the features, or at least one symbol of the text, disposed on the object;
(b) normalizing each of the at least one feature or symbol obtained in step (a) within a second predetermined sized image;
(c) processing the predetermined sized image for each of the at least one feature or symbol obtained in step (a) or (b) for determining a similarity measure between the second sized image and a reference image and determining therefrom first and second conditional probabilities indicative of the at least one feature or symbol having an "up" or "down" orientation, respectively;
(d) determining from the first and second conditional probabilities for each of the at least one feature or symbol obtained in step (c) whether the feature or text is in the "up" or "down" orientation or is in an "indeterminate" orientation;
and
(e) determining from the indication of the orientation of each one feature or symbol obtained in step (d) whether the object is in the "right-side up", "upside-down" or indeterminate orientation.

3 more elements

Apparatus for determining the orientation of a feature or text on an object comprising:

means for extracting a feature or symbol of the text from an image, and generating an output signal representative of a normalized sized bitmap for each extracted symbol;
and
a decision arrangement comprising
first means responsive to the output signal from the extracting and generating means for determining a similarity measure between each such output signal for each extracted feature or symbol and each of a set of reference images, and generating an output signal for each extracted feature or symbol indicating the probability that each such extracted feature or symbol is in an "up", "down" or "indeterminate" orientation, and
second means for generating an output signal indicating that the object is in the "up", "down" or "indeterminate" orientation in response to an accumulation of each output signal of the first means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.