Patent · US Expired

Circle location

US6178262A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
16References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 11, 1994
Grant dateJan 23, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 11, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH05K3/0008
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

This invention provides an apparatus and method for locating a curvilinear symbol by generating a grey scale model of a segment of a curvilinear symbol and interpolating curvature at the segment's periphery; reflecting this segment around the axes of symmetry to generate a full size model; generating full resolution subfeature models; assigning coordinate axes weighting to each subfeature model x and y axis; defining tolerance thresholds for deviations from an idealized curvilinear symbol; searching a digitized image for shapes corresponding to the subfeature models; assigning weights to scores returned for positions found corresponding to the subfeature models; producing weighted positions combining both coordinate axis weighting and score weighting; computing a best fit for the image found; comparing the positions found to tolerance thresholds and discarding those positions outside the thresholds; substituting and weighting alternate positions found, if any, to compute the location of the curvilinear symbol from remaining positions within the threshold.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.