Patent ID: 6658148
Filing Date: 2003-12-02
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
An image processing apparatus for detecting pattern matching between an input image and a template image, comprising:a first memory for storing a reference pattern as a template; a second memory for storing an input image for which pattern matching with the template is to be detected; means for compressing both the template from the first memory and the input image from the second memory by a same predetermined compression ratio; a compressed data memory for storing the compressed input image and the compressed template from the compressing means; and a main processor for computing inter-correlation between averaged pixel values of the compressed input image and that of the compressed template by scanning the compressed input image for each sub-block thereof and determining a location of the compressed input image showing a best match in a current pattern matching mode; wherein the current pattern matching mode is one of plural matching modes with different degrees of compression ratio involved in the compression means and the inter-correlation is determined through two or more pattern matching modes in the order from higher compression ratio to lower compression ratio, and wherein a pixel size of the input image from the second memory is gradually increased to properly contain the best match location when it is compressed by the different degrees of compression ratio.