초록 ▼

An image processing apparatus for extracting lines from an image using the Hough transform. A processor element is assigned to each quantization point in a Hough space. Each processor element calculates, for each scanning line of the image, intersections of the scanning line and the line correspondi

An image processing apparatus for extracting lines from an image using the Hough transform. A processor element is assigned to each quantization point in a Hough space. Each processor element calculates, for each scanning line of the image, intersections of the scanning line and the line corresponding to this processor element once per scanning line. A black pixel (a Hough transform object point) on the scanning line is also obtained sequentially. The coordinate values of the intersection are compared with those of the Hough transform object point, and when they agree, voting to a ballot box memory of the processor element is performed. The voting results become Hough transform data. This makes it possible to implement a high speed Hough transform, and to reduce the size of the apparatus.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An image processing apparatus for extracting a line in an image space by using a Hough transform to map the line from the image space onto one of a plurality of points in a Hough space, said image processing apparatus comprising:a plurality of processor elements each bein

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An image processing apparatus for extracting a line in an image space by using a Hough transform to map the line from the image space onto one of a plurality of points in a Hough space, said image processing apparatus comprising:a plurality of processor elements each being respectively assigned to one of a plurality of accumulator cells of the Hough space, each of said plurality of accumulator cells corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of points in the Hough space; andmeans for sequentially reading image space pixels on a scanning line in the image space, the sequential reading means determining whether or not a pixel being read from among said image space pixels is a Hough transform object point having a value other than zero, the sequential reading means obtaining coordinate values of the image space pixel when the pixel is the Hough transform object point, the sequential reading means supplying the coordinate values of the image space pixel to respective ones of said plurality of processor elements;wherein each of said plurality of processor elements includes:a ballot box memory for storing a number of votes;means for obtaining, for each of a plurality of scanning lines, coordinate values of an intersection of a respective scanning line and a line in image space corresponding to the plurality of processor elements;means for comparing coordinate values of said Hough transform object point with the coordinate values of said intersection, and storing data as a comparison result as to whether there is coincidence or non-coincidence between the Hough transform object point coordinate values and the intersection coordinate values; andmeans for providing a vote to said ballot box memory when the Hough transform object point coordinate values are coincident with the intersection coordinate values, the vote being provided after the comparison result has been obtained for each pixel on said scanning line;wherein after each of the plurality of scanning lines of the image space have been processed, a line is extracted which corresponds to the processor element whose ballot box memory has a maximum number of votes.