Claims
- 1. A method for simultaneously generating a plurality of parameters of an object in a field of view, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an electrical image of said field of view;
- (b) processing said electrical image to form a plurality of different representations of said electrical image; wherein each different representation is a Green's function representation of a different parameter of said same field of view;
- (c) generating positional information that represents the boundary of said object;
- (d) simultaneously tracing identical corresponding locations in each of said different Green's function representations of said same field of view in response to the positional information generated; and
- (e) calculating the different parameters from each of said different Green's function representations based upon locations traced in each of said different Green's function representations.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said locations traced in step (d) correspond to positions along the boundary of said object.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said locations traced in step (d) correspond to positions interior to the boundary of said object.
- 4. The method of claim 1 where said step (b) further comprises the steps of:
- (b)(1) segmenting said electrical image into a plurality of pixels and digitizing the image intensity of each pixel into an electrical signal representing the greyscale value;
- (b)(2) processing said electrical signals to form a plurality of different Green's function representations of said electrical image; wherein each different Green's function representation is a representation of a different parameter of said field of view.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said plurality of parameters of said object is the area of said object.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said step (b) (2) further comprises the steps of:
- assigning a number to each pixel location with said numbers being sequential starting from left to right for the representation that is a representation of the area of said field of view.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:
- (i) if present pixel location (X.sub.m, Y.sub.n) compared to previously traced pixel location
- (X.sub.j, Y.sub.k) is such that
- Y.sub.n <Y.sub.k, then adding present pixel value P.sub.i (X.sub.m, Y.sub.n) to A;
- Y.sub.n >Y.sub.k, then adding present pixel value P.sub.i (X.sub.m -1, Y.sub.i) to B
- (ii) subtracting B from A to derive the area of said object.
- 8. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said plurality of parameters of said object is the integrated optical density of said object.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step (b)(2) further comprises the steps of:
- assigning a number to each pixel location (X.sub.m, Y.sub.n) with said number calculated as follows ##EQU2## where P(X.sub.i,Y.sub.n) is the grey scale value at the pixel location of (X.sub.i, Y.sub.n) ,
- for the representation that is a representation of the integrated optical density of said field of view.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step (e) further comprises the steps of:
- (i) if present pixel location (X.sub.m,Y.sub.n) compared to the previously traced pixel location (X.sub.j,Y.sub.k) is such that
- Y.sub.n <Y.sub.k, then adding present pixel value P.sub.i (X.sub.m,Y.sub.n) to A
- Y.sub.n >Y.sub.k, then adding present pixel value P.sub.i (X.sub.m -1, Y.sub.n) to B
- (ii) subtracting B from A to derive the integrated optical density of said object.
- 11. The method of claim 1 wherein said step (c) further comprises the steps of:
- (c)(1) segmenting said electrical signal into a plurality of pixels and digitizing the image intensity of each pixel into an electrical signal representing the greyscale value to form a first representation of said image;
- (c)(2) processing the electrical signal of each of said greyscale value of said first representation to form a second representation of said image by comparing the greyscale value of each pixel to a pre-set threshold value such that as a result a "0" is assigned at each pixel location which is outside the boundary of said object and a "1" is assigned everywhere else;
- (c)(3) converting said second representation into a third representation by assigning a value to a pixel (x,y) in accordance with
- P(X,Y)=a*2.sup.7 +b*2.sup.6 +c*2.sup.5 +d*2.sup.4 +e*2.sup.3 +f*2.sup.2 +g*2+h
- where a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h are the values of the eight nearest neighbors surrounding pixel (X,Y) in accordance with
- ______________________________________g d hc pixel (X,Y) af b e______________________________________
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step (d) further comprises the steps of:
- scanning said third representation until a first non-zero P(X,Y) value is reached;
- comparing said P(X,Y) value and an input direction value to a look-up table to determine the next location of the non-zero value of P(X,Y) and forming a chaining code.
- 13. An apparatus for generating a plurality of parameters of an object in a field of view, said apparatus comprising:
- imaging means for forming an electrical image of said field of view;
- means for processing said electrical image to form a plurality of different representations of said electrical image; wherein each different representation is a Green's function representation of a different parameter of said same field of view;
- means for generating positional information that represent the boundary of said object;
- means for simultaneously tracing identical corresponding locations in each of said different Green's function representations of said same field of view in response to the positional information generated; and
- means for calculating the different parameters from each of said different Green's function representations based upon locations traced in each of said different Green's function representations.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said processing means further comprises:
- means for segmenting said electrical image into a plurality of pixels and digitizing the image intensity of each pixel into an electrical signal representing the greyscale value;
- means for processing said electrical signals to form a plurality of different representations of said electrical image; wherein each different representation is a Green's representation representation of a different parameter of said field of view.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein one of said plurality of parameters of said object is the area of said object.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said processing means further comprises:
- means for assigning a number to each pixel location with said numbers being sequential starting from left to right for the representation that is a representation of the area of said field of view.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said calculating means further comprises:
- means for adding the value of the present pixel location P.sub.i (X.sub.m,Y.sub.n) to A if Y.sub.n <Y.sub.k and P.sub.i (X.sub.m -1, Y.sub.i) to B if Y.sub.n >Y.sub.k where Y.sub.k is the Y component of (X.sub.j, Y.sub.k), the location of the immediately preceding pixel that was traced; and
- means for subtracting B from A to derive the area of said object.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein one of said plurality of parameters of said object is the integrated optical density of said object.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said processing means further comprises:
- means for assigning a number to each pixel location (X.sub.m,Y.sub.n) with said number calculated as follows: ##EQU3## where P(X.sub.i,Y.sub.n) is the greyscale value at the pixel location of (X.sub.i, Y.sub.n).
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said calculating means further comprises:
- means for adding the value of the present pixel location P.sub.i (X.sub.m,Y.sub.n) to A if Y.sub.n <Y.sub.k and P.sub.i (X.sub.m -1, Y.sub.n) to B if Y.sub.n >Y.sub.k where Y.sub.k is the Y component of (X.sub.j,Y.sub.k), the location of the immediately preceding pixel that was traced; and
- means for subtracting B from A to derive the integrated optical density of said object.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said generating means further comprises:
- means for forming a first representation of said image by segmenting said image into a plurality of pixels and digitizing the image intensity of each pixel into an electrical signal representing the greyscale value;
- means for processing the electrical signal of each of said greyscale value to form a second representation of said image;
- logic means for converting said second representation into a third representation whereby the value of a pixel at a location (hereinafter: pixel (X,Y)) in the second representation and the values of the nearest adjacent neighbors of said pixel at said location are converted into a single value at said corresponding location (hereinafter: P(X,Y)) in said third representation;
- storage means for storing said third representation; and
- table means for storing various possible values of P(X,Y), said table means for receiving a value of P(X,Y) and an input direction value, and for producing an output direction value to indicate the next location of P(X,Y) having a non-zero value; said non-zero values of P(X,Y) form the boundary of said object.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein said logic means is adapted to convert said second representation in accordance with the following rules:
- (1) If pixel (X,Y)=0, then assign 0 to P(X,Y);
- (2) If pixel (X,Y)=1 and all eight nearest neighbors of pixel (X,Y)=0, then assign 0 to P(X,Y);
- (3) If pixel (X,Y)=1 and all four nearest neighbors of pixel (X,Y)=1, then assign 0 to P(X,Y);
- (4) Otherwise assign a non-zero value to P(X,Y) wherein said value assigned to P(X,Y) is a number composed of the values of the eight nearest neighbors of pixel (X,Y).
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/350,400, filed May 11, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,436, which is a continuation-in-part application of application, Ser. No. 085,985, filed on Aug. 14, 1987, now abandoned, assigned to the present assignee.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Continuations (1)
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Date |
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Parent |
350400 |
May 1989 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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85985 |
Aug 1987 |
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