Patent ID: 7221797

Claim:
An apparatus for recognizing images, comprising: a) behavior command output means for outputting behavior commands to cause a mobile unit to move; b) local feature extraction means for extracting local features from image of external environment captured by said mobile unit when said mobile unit moves according to said behavior command, said local feature extraction means: b1) capturing two temporally consecutive images, b2) applying Gabor filters to the two images in plural directions with respect to each of a plurality of local areas produced by segmenting a total area of the image, thereby determining a magnitude of optical flow of said two images in each direction of the Gabor filter, and b3) extracting local feature data for each of said local areas by determining probability density distribution for the direction having the largest optical flow in each local area; c) global feature extraction means for extracting feature of global area of said image using said extracted features of said local areas; and d) learning means for calculating probability models to recognize behavior of the mobile unit based on said extracted feature of said global area.