US3863218A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pattern feature detection system
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1973-01-26
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Granted: 1975-01-28
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Expires: 1993-01-26
Abstract
Abstract A pattern feature detection system which detects the slope at any point of a line pattern to be identified to determine whether the pattern is monotonously increasing or monotonously decreasing at that point, thereby dividing the pattern into line segments at positions where the sign of the monotonousness changes, that is, at positions of zero slope.
Inventors
- 👤 Mitsunori Oka
- 👤 Shinji Yamamoto
- 👤 Shozo Kadota
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:19
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/40; G06V10/46; G06V10/469
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
311 words
A pattern feature detection system comprising: first means for receiving an input pattern and for converting said input pattern into a segmented line pattern; second means, coupled to said first means, for subjecting said line pattern to a mask logic operation, by comparing sequential portions of said line pattern to each of a prescribed number of masks and for providing outputs respectively representative of a branch number corresponding to the total number of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portion of the line pattern being compared, an output direction code number corresponding to the total number of masks among selected ones of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portions of the line pattern being compared, and a direction code corresponding to the directions defined by those masks among said selected ones of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portions of the line pattern being compared, and for producing an output representative of whether a point on said line pattern subjected to said mask logic operation is a characteristic point or a non-characteristic point in accordance with the values of said branch and output direction code numbers; third means, responsive to the output of said second means, for determining whether a non-characteristic point is a dividing point or a continuous point, by detecting whether the slope at a point of the line pattern is monotonously increasing, decreasing or unchanged; fourth means, responsive to said second and third means, for storing information representative of the coordinates of the line pattern of each characteristic point and each dividing point; and fifth means, responsive to said second and third means, for generating and storing a code and a number representative of each sub-chain into which said segmented line pattern is divided between respective dividing and characteristic points.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
311 words
A pattern feature detection system comprising: first means for receiving an input pattern and for converting said input pattern into a segmented line pattern; second means, coupled to said first means, for subjecting said line pattern to a mask logic operation, by comparing sequential portions of said line pattern to each of a prescribed number of masks and for providing outputs respectively representative of a branch number corresponding to the total number of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portion of the line pattern being compared, an output direction code number corresponding to the total number of masks among selected ones of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portions of the line pattern being compared, and a direction code corresponding to the directions defined by those masks among said selected ones of said masks, the individual line patterns of which correspond to the sequential portions of the line pattern being compared, and for producing an output representative of whether a point on said line pattern subjected to said mask logic operation is a characteristic point or a non-characteristic point in accordance with the values of said branch and output direction code numbers; third means, responsive to the output of said second means, for determining whether a non-characteristic point is a dividing point or a continuous point, by detecting whether the slope at a point of the line pattern is monotonously increasing, decreasing or unchanged; fourth means, responsive to said second and third means, for storing information representative of the coordinates of the line pattern of each characteristic point and each dividing point; and fifth means, responsive to said second and third means, for generating and storing a code and a number representative of each sub-chain into which said segmented line pattern is divided between respective dividing and characteristic points.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein said second means includes means for producing an output representative of a non-characteristic point only in response to the values of said branch member and said output direction code number being respectively equal to 2 and 1, and for producing an output representative of a characteristic point for other values.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein said third means is further coupled to the output of said fifth means for receiving therefrom an advance direction code representative of the direction of slope of a previously compared pattern portion and includes means for comparing said advance direction code with the direction codes of said masks of said second means, so as to produce an output indicative of whether said slope is monotonously increasing or decreasing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein a characteristic point of a line portion corresponds to a starting point, a branch point, and a terminal point, while a non-characteristic point corresponds to a continuous point or a dividing point.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 4, wherein each non-characteristic point is located between a starting point and a terminal point.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
78 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein said third means comprises a first decoder, a first register, and a first logic circuit, said first decoder and said first register being coupled in a loop through said first logic circuit, which receives a non-characteristic point indicating signal and an output direction code signal from said second means, said first decoder supplying a pair of signals respectively representative of a dividing point and a true continuous point.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
136 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein said fourth means comprises a pulse generator coupled to the outputs of said second and third means, for generating a prescribed count signal, a first counter circuit connected to said pulse generator, for counting the pulses generated thereby, to provide a first count signal representative of the number of occurrences of a characteristic point and a dividing point during the scan of a pattern, and a first logic circuit, coupled to said second and third means, and responsive to the scan of the coordinates over which said line pattern is defined, for providing signals representative of said branch number, the coordinates of a point of said pattern and a characteristic point sequence number, and a storage register for storing the outputs of said first logic circuit.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
230 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 1, wherein said second means comprises a first plurality of m storage registers sequentially connected for storing and shifting data bits corresponding to said segmented line pattern; a second plurality of m, n-bit registers connected to the outputs of each register of said first plurality for storing signals representative of the respective masks for said mask logic operation, wherein the product of the number of n-bits and the m number of registers of said second plurality corresponds to the data size of an individual mask, wherein m and n are integers; a first decoder connected to the outputs of the registers of said second plurality, for providing respective address signals corresponding to the respective patterns of said masks, an address register connected to said first decoder, for said respective address signals, a first memory containing a plurality of address storage positions each of which corresponds to an individual mask, for receiving respective address signals from said address register, a data register for temporarily storing a decoded address location from said first memory, and a decision circuit, coupled to the output of said data register through a further register which receives each output provided by said data register, for generating a first signal representative of the decoding of a characteristic point, and a second signal representative of the decoding of a non-characteristic point.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
77 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 8, wherein said third means comprises a second decoder, a first register, and a first logic circuit, said second decoder and said first register being coupled in a loop through said first logic circuit, which receives an output direction code signal from said decision circuit and a non-characteristic indicating signal, said second decoder supplying a pair of signals respectively representative of a dividing point and a true continuous point.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
139 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 9, wherein said fourth means comprises a pulse generator coupled to the outputs of said decision circuit and said second decoder, for generating a prescribed count pulse signal, a first counter circuit, connected to said pulse generator, for counting the pulses generated thereby, to provide a first count signal representative of the number of occurrences of a characteristic point and a dividing point during the scan of a pattern, a second logic circuit, coupled to said second decoder, said second means, and responsive to The scan of the coordinates over which said line pattern is defined, for providing signals representative of said branch number, the coordinates of a point of said pattern and a characteristic point sequence number, and a storage register for storing the outputs of said second logic circuit.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
130 words
A pattern feature detection system according to claim 9, wherein said fifth means comprises point detector means, coupled to said further register of said second means, for generating a pair of outputs respectively representative of a terminal point and a starting point of said line pattern, register means for storing data corresponding to the scanning point in a direction over which said line pattern is scanned for a pair of output direction codes, means coupled to said point detector means and said register means, for storing sub-chain sequence number data, and means, coupled to said point detector means, and said sub-chain sequence number data storing means, for enabling the transfer and storage of sub-chain sequence number data in a predetermined address location of said first memory of said second means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
244 words
A pattern feature detection system comprising: a. preliminary processing means for shaping an input pattern into a line pattern; b. mask logic decoding means, including a plurality of masks, for detecting the branch number indicating the number of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among said all masks, the output direction code number indicative of the number of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among the predetermined masks and direction codes indicating codes of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among the predetermined masks by subjecting the line pattern to a mask logic operation and for determining whether a point obtained by the mask logic operation is a characteristic point or a non-characteristic point by the branch number and the output direction code number; c. dividing point processing means for determining whether the non-characteristic point is a dividing point or a continuous point by detecting whether the slope at any point of the line pattern is monotonously increasing or decreasing or not; d. characteristic point processing means for storing information indicative of coordinates of the characteristic point and the dividing point, e. sub-chain processing means for extracting and storing codes and numbers representing sub-chains defined by the dividing point and the characteristic point; and wherein the simultaneous existence of the branch number MX equal to 2 and the output direction code number CN equal to 1 determines whether a point is a non-characteristic point or a characteristic point.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
244 words
A pattern feature detection system comprising: a. preliminary processing means for shaping an input pattern into a line pattern; b. mask logic decoding means, including a plurality of masks, for detecting the branch number indicating the number of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among said all masks, the output direction code number indicative of the number of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among the predetermined masks and direction codes indicating codes of masks which are satisfied by the line pattern among the predetermined masks by subjecting the line pattern to a mask logic operation and for determining whether a point obtained by the mask logic operation is a characteristic point or a non-characteristic point by the branch number and the output direction code number; c. dividing point processing means for determining whether the non-characteristic point is a dividing point or a continuous point by detecting whether the slope at any point of the line pattern is monotonously increasing or decreasing or not; d. characteristic point processing means for storing information indicative of coordinates of the characteristic point and the dividing point, e. sub-chain processing means for extracting and storing codes and numbers representing sub-chains defined by the dividing point and the characteristic point; and wherein the simultaneous existence of the branch number MX equal to 2 and the output direction code number CN equal to 1 determines whether a point is a non-characteristic point or a characteristic point.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-01-27 | 1978-07-29 | 1979-01-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-01-27 | 1982-07-29 | 1983-01-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-01-27 | 1986-07-29 | 1987-01-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |