Patent Document ID: 4783828
Application ID: 06870603
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A classification processor for classifying an unknown two-dimensional object having a chain code by correlating an unknown object's chain code histogram with stored chain code histograms of known two-dimensional objects comprising: means for generating a histogram from the unknown object's chain code reflecting size and orientation of the unknown object; means for correlating the generated histogram with a stored chain code histogram of a known object, comprising: means for selecting a stored chain code histogram of a known object; means for comparing the unkown object's chain code histogram with the selected known object's histogram in a vertical chain code histogram domain; first means for generating a first correlation factor in the vertical domain to determine scaled size of the unknown object; means for comparing the unknown object's chain code histogram with the selected known object's histogram in a horizontal chain code histogram domain; second means for generating a second correlation factor in the horizontal domain to determine rotational orientation of the unknown object; means for normalizing the known object's chain code hostogram by shifting the known object's chain code histogram horizontally and vertically as required to match a scaled size and a rotational orientation of the chain code histogram of a known object; and means for applying a Viterbi algorithm for resolving a final ambiguity in deciding whether or not the generated histogram and the stored histogram are similar by processing the histograms with a distance function.