Patent Document ID: 4139303
Application ID: 05761365
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of recognizing and counting randomly sized, randomly located and randomly oriented objects of a distinct geometrical shape in a mass of objects of varying geometrical shapes, said method comprising the steps of: arraying said mass of objects in a non-overlapping field; passing a beam of coherent light through said non-overlapping field such that said field scatters said beam of coherent light; positioning a Fourier transform lens such that the lens collects light scattered by said non-overlapping field and forms a composite Fourier spectrum of said non-overlapping field; measuring the intensity of the light at selected points in said composite Fourier spectrum; and, combining said light intensity measurements by nonuniformly weighting each light intensity measurement made by a predetermined weighting factor, B; and, summing said nonuniformly weighted light intensity measurements to provide an estimated count of the number of objects of a distinct geometrical shape located in said non-overlapping field.