Patent ID: 6430315
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
An image processing method which includes acquiring an intensity image formed by a matrix of points having non-binary intensity values, representing filiform objects, which method also includes steps for detecting filiform objects comprising:determining automatically a field of intensity vectors, forming an image of states comprising characteristics including the magnitudes and angles of intensity vectors at the various points of the intensity image, and chaining the points of an individual filiform object by means of automatic filtering of the image of the states, thus performing a selection of a dense and continuous field of intensity vectors corresponding to points of the filiform object, wherein chaining by automatic filtering of the image of the states comprises: defining a criterion for filtering which yields the filtered value of the magnitude of the intensity vector at a given state point of the image of the states as a sum of the non-filtered magnitude of the intensity vector at this point and of the filtered magnitude of the intensity vector at a neighboring state point, weighted by a coefficient of probability of matching of the state points in dependence on a measure of their disparity, and searching a point from among the neighboring state points whose characteristics including the magnitude and angle of the intensity vectors maximize the filtering criterion at the given state point.