Patent Document ID: 6023530
Application ID: 08556367
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. For use in an automatic image processing system, a method for locating a position of an object within an image, the image defined by a plurality of image pixels, each image pixel having a known intensity value and a known coordinate point, comprising the steps of: determining an estimation of the object; translating the estimation of the object into an abstract template by defining said abstract template using a number of vectors comprising a set of coordinate points and corresponding edge directions, each coordinate point lying on an edge of said estimation of the object and a corresponding edge direction passing through said coordinate point substantially perpendicular to said edge at said coordinate point; converting the abstract template into a template based on the estimation of the object including a plurality of coordinate edge pairs, at least one coordinate edge pair formed of a pair of coordinate edge points spaced on opposite sides of the one edge of the estimation of the object; using an equal number of vectors along substantially vertical and substantially horizontal extents of said template; and selecting at least one vector for one edge of said estimation of the object subject to a sufficiently large angular difference between adjacent edges; displacing said template to each of a plurality of known coordinating point locations within said image; and correlating said template with said image at each of said locations until a maximum correlation is located, wherein the location corresponding to said maximum correlation indicates the position of the object.