Patent Document ID: 9025027
Application ID: 13230009
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An object identification device, comprising: an image capturing device to receive polarized light polarized in two different directions included in light reflected from an object in an image capturing area and capture two polarized images, one polarized image for each type of polarized light; circuitry configured to: remove a noise component included in each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device, using a noise removing parameter; divide each of the two polarized images captured by the image capturing device into identification-processing areas to compute an object identification index value for each of the identification-processing areas using light intensity data of each of the two polarized images from which the noise component is removed by the circuitry; conduct an object identification process that determines a plurality of identification processing areas corresponding to an identification target object based on the object identification index value of each of the identification processing areas computed by the circuitry, and identify a plurality of adjacent identification processing areas as the identification processing areas corresponding to the identification target object as an image area of the identification target object; obtain environment information to determine an environmental condition of an object in an image capturing area; and determine an environmental condition of the object in the image capturing area based on the environment information obtained by the circuitry; and a memory to store one or more noise removing parameters to remove a noise component included in the two polarized images captured under an environmental condition determined by the circuitry, each of the one or more noise removing parameters being specifically prepared and stored, respectively, for each one of a plurality of mutually exclusive environmental conditions, wherein the circuitry is configured to read out a specific noise removing parameter for the environmental condition determined by the circuitry from the memory, and to conduct a noise removing process using the specific noise removing parameter, and wherein the specific noise removing parameter set for each of the environmental conditions and stored in the memory is obtained by taking a plurality of polarized light sample images and obtaining two polarized images for a plurality of image capturing areas under one environmental condition and adjusting to a value to remove a noise component in the two polarized images captured under the environmental condition when conducting the noise removing process.