Patent ID: 6996255

Claim:
A method for processing image data of an object body containing a specific shape pattern that is recognizable as an image and moving along a given track relative to an observation point, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining time sequence image data recorded by synchronously operating line image acquiring apparatuses arranged transversely to the given track to record time sequence images appearing between parallel line axes at a constant timing determined by a line scanning cycle; computing a size of the line displacement of the object body on the time axis between image acquiring positions of the line image acquiring apparatuses, by correlating the object body between the framed images of time sequence image data, and obtaining a moving time interval according to the computed value of the line displacement and the line scanning cycle; obtaining a relative speed of the object body according to the moving time interval and a distance separating the image acquiring positions of the line image acquiring apparatuses arranged on the given track; matching a time scale of the time sequence image data and a time scale of a template for the specific shape pattern by correcting respective time scales by dividing the time axis in each time sequence image data by the relative speed; computing a similarity degree between the time sequence image data and the template selected from predefined specific shape patterns so as to detect the specific shape pattern contained in the object body in the time sequence image data and identify the object body; and obtaining the relative speed of the object body by recalculating the moving time interval of the portion of the specific shape pattern.