JP2008123365A - Object recognition system, object recognition method, and object recognition robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an object recognition system, an object recognition method, and an object recognition robot capable of reducing erroneous recognition of an object in object recognition carried out by using an image of the object. <P>SOLUTION: The object recognition system is provided with an image data acquisition device 20 acquiring image data of the object and image data of an article to be operated, which is affected by operation of the object, before and after the operation of the object, a shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracting a shape feature quantity of the object from the image data of the object, a function feature quantity extraction unit 13 extracting change of the article to be operated as a function feature quantity of the object from the image data before and after the operation, an object concept learning unit 15 applying the shape of the object identified by using the shape feature quantity and the function of the object identifier by using the function feature quantity to an object concept model for performing statistical processing to learn the object, and an object recognition unit 16 applying observed information of the shape or function of a recognition target object to the object concept model of the object for performing statistical processing to estimate unmeasured information of the recognition target object for recognizing the recognition target object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an object recognition technique, and more particularly to an object recognition system, an object recognition method, and an object recognition robot for recognizing an object using shape information of the object.

  As a method for recognizing an object, a method of comparing a large number of images prepared in advance with an image of an object to be recognized and matching shape features is used. (For example, refer nonpatent literature 1.).

However, in the above method, it is necessary to acquire a large number of images in advance and learn in advance. In addition, the shape of an object may be erroneously recognized due to image noise. Furthermore, even if an object is specified, the object is recognized based only on shape information, so the function and usage of the object cannot be specified, and there is a problem that objects with similar shapes but different functions cannot be distinguished. .
By Baback Moghaddam, Alex Pentland, “Probabilistic Visual Learning for Object Representation, American Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers” “Transaction on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol. 19, No. 7 (IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol.19, No.7)”, July 1997, p. 696-710

  The present invention provides an object recognition system, an object recognition method, and an object recognition robot capable of reducing erroneous recognition of an object in object recognition performed using an object image.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, (a) an image data acquisition device that respectively acquires image data of an object and image data before and after the operation of the object of the object affected by the operation of the object; (B) A shape feature quantity extraction unit that extracts the shape feature quantity of the object from the image data of the object, and (c) functional feature quantity extraction that extracts a change in the object as a function feature quantity of the object from the image data before and after the operation. An object concept model that uses units and (d) function, shape, and object concept as elements and expresses the dependency between the elements as conditional probabilities. An object concept learning unit that applies a function of an object that is recognized using the object and statistically processes the object to learn the object concept by estimating the object concept of the object; and (e) a less-recognized object shape or function When At least one of the object concept, shape and function of the recognition target object is estimated by applying the observed information to the object concept model of the learned object and statistically processing it, and estimating the unobserved information of the recognition target object There is provided an object recognition system comprising an object recognition unit for recognizing.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, (a) acquiring image data of an object, and image data before and after the operation of the object of the object affected by the operation of the object; ) A step of extracting the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object, (c) a step of extracting the change of the object as the functional feature amount of the object from the image data before and after the operation, and (d) the function, shape, and An object concept model that uses an object concept as an element and expresses the dependency between the elements as a conditional probability. The shape of the object recognized using the shape feature and the function of the object recognized using the function feature. Applying and statistically processing, estimating the object concept of the object, learning the object, and (e) the object of the object in which at least one of the shapes or functions of the recognition target object has been observed concept An object recognition method comprising: applying statistical processing to Dell, estimating unobserved information of a recognition target object, and recognizing at least one of an object concept, a shape, and a function of the recognition target object. .

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, (a) a camera that acquires image data of an object and image data before and after the operation of the object of the object affected by the operation of the object; (B) A shape feature amount extraction unit that extracts the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object, and (c) a function feature amount extraction unit that extracts changes in the object as the function feature amount of the object from the image data before and after the operation. (D) Using object shape and function features recognized using shape features in an object concept model that uses function, shape, and object concepts as elements, and that expresses the dependency between the elements as conditional probabilities. An object concept learning unit that applies statistical processing to the object function to be recognized and estimates the object concept of the object to learn the object; and (e) at least one of the shape or function of the recognition target object One Apply the observed information to the object concept model of the learned object and statistically process it, and estimate the unobserved information of the recognition target object to recognize at least one of the object concept, shape, and function of the recognition target object And an object recognition unit that estimates unobserved information using Bayes' theorem, and has an object conceptual model of a Bayesian network.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an object recognition system, an object recognition method, and an object recognition robot capable of reducing erroneous recognition of an object in object recognition using an object image.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. Further, the following embodiments exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention describes the structure, arrangement, etc. of components as follows. It is not something specific. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the object recognition system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes image data of an object and image data before and after the operation of the object of an object affected by the operation of the object. An image data acquisition device 20 for acquiring the object, a shape feature amount extraction unit 11 for extracting the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object, and a change in the object as the function feature amount of the object from the image data before and after the operation The function feature extraction unit 13 that performs functions, shapes, and object concepts as elements, and the object shapes and functions that are recognized using shape features in object concept models that express the dependency relationships between the elements as conditional probabilities An object concept learning unit 15 that applies a function of an object recognized using the feature quantity and statistically processes the object concept to learn the object by estimating the object concept of the object; Information on at least one of the shape or function is applied to the object concept model of the learned object and statistically processed to estimate the unobserved information of the recognition target object and the object concept and shape of the recognition target object And an object recognition unit 16 for recognizing at least one of the functions. As the image data acquisition device 20, for example, an imaging device such as a camera can be employed. Here, the “subject to be affected” is an object on which the operated object acts when the object is operated so as to exhibit its function. The “shape feature amount” is a feature amount related to the shape of the object. The “functional feature value” is a feature value related to the function of the object extracted by observing the object. Details of the shape feature quantity and the function feature quantity will be described later.

  The object recognition system 1 includes a shape learning unit 12 that learns the shape of an object by vector quantization of a shape feature amount extracted from the image data of the object, and the image data of the subject before and after being affected by the operation of the object. It further includes a function learning unit 14 that statistically processes the function feature amount extracted as the change in the object to learn the function of the object. The shape feature amount extraction unit 11, the shape learning unit 12, the function feature amount extraction unit 13, the function learning unit 14, the object concept learning unit 15, and the object recognition unit 16 are included in the processing device 10.

  The object recognition system 1 further includes a storage device 30, a shape model database 40, a function model database 50, and an object concept model database 60. The storage device 30 includes an input data storage area 301, a shape feature amount storage area 302, a shape model storage area 303, a function feature amount storage area 304, a function model storage area 305, an object concept model storage area 306, and a recognition result storage area 307. Have

  The input data storage area 301 stores image data transferred from the image data acquisition device 20. The shape feature amount storage area 302 stores the shape feature amount extracted by the shape feature amount extraction unit 11. The shape model storage area 303 stores a shape model generated by the object recognition system 1. The function feature quantity storage area 304 stores the function feature quantity extracted by the function feature quantity extraction unit 13. The function model storage area 305 stores a function model generated by the object recognition system 1. The object concept model storage area 306 stores an object concept model generated by the object recognition system 1. The recognition result storage area 307 stores the object recognition result by the object recognition system 1.

  The shape model database 40 stores shape data of a plurality of objects as code vectors. The code vector stored in the shape model database 40 is used as a code book when the vector feature quantity related to the shape of the object is vector quantized.

  The function model database 50 stores function models of a plurality of objects. Although the details of the function model will be described later, the function model stored in the function model database 50 is used when classifying the function of the object to be learned using the observation result of the object.

  The object concept model database 60 stores object concept models of a plurality of objects. As will be described later, the object concept model stored in the object concept model database 60 is a model in which the concept of an object is a shape, function, and object as elements, and the dependency relationship between the elements is expressed by a conditional probability.

  The object recognition system 1 further includes an input device 70 and an output device 80. The input device 70 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen, a flexible disk device, or the like. An object learning and object recognition performer (user) from the input device 70 designates input data related to the object to be learned or the object to be recognized, data to be output, execution or cancellation of the object learning operation and object recognition operation, and the like. It is possible to input the instruction.

  As the output device 80, a display or printer that displays the results of object learning and object recognition, or a recording device that stores data in a computer-readable recording medium can be used. Here, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a medium capable of recording electronic data such as an external memory device of a computer, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a magnetic tape. means. Specifically, a “flexible disk, CD-ROM, MO disk, etc.” are included in the “computer-readable recording medium”. The user can confirm the learning result or recognition result of the object by the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG.

  First, the concept of an object learned by the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The function of an object can be considered as an item of high importance among the elements that constitute the concept of an object, particularly a tool. This is because an object usually has a purpose of use and application, and it is necessary for the object to have a function to satisfy them. In general, the shape of an object depends on the function. That is, the object has a function for achieving the intended purpose, and the shape is determined in order to execute the function. Therefore, the object recognition system 1 captures the concept of an object as a combination of shape and function.

  By the way, the information on the function of the object can be observed as a physical change of the object to which the action of the object is exerted by operating the object. For example, when the object is “scissors”, an increase in the number of objects is caused by cutting with scissors. In addition, when the object is a “pen”, the brightness of the surface of the object on which characters and figures are written is changed by the pen.

  Therefore, when an object is manipulated by a user or the like so that the action is applied to the object, the change in the shape or the like that occurs in the object due to the manipulation of the object is observed, and the observable action The function of an object can be estimated by extracting changes in the object from the observation results. For example, by using the observed change as a feature vector, the feature vector can be used as a functional feature amount of the object. Then, the function of the object can be estimated as a pattern of change of the object using the feature vector related to the function. That is, a specific physical change pattern generated in the object based on the original function of the object is used as “function” information that can be acquired by observing the object.

  When learning the concept of an object by regarding the concept of the object as a combination of shape and function, the concept of the object is expressed as shown in FIG. 2, for example. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing that the object recognition system recognizes that an object is “scissors” having a function of cutting an object by observation of the object. The object conceptual model corresponding to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 2A can be expressed using a graphical model having the object concept O, the shape S, and the function F as elements (nodes) as shown in FIG. 2B. . The “graphical model” is a probability model having a graph structure in which random variables are represented by nodes and whether or not there is a dependency such as a causal relationship between nodes is represented by a directed graph. Here, the object concept O is a name indicating an object captured as a concept, such as “scissors”, “pen”, and the like. The shape S is the shape of an observable object. The function F is a function of an object that can be observed as a physical change of the object.

  In the object concept model shown in FIG. 2B, the prior probability of the object concept O is the probability P (O), the strength of the dependency between the object concept O and the shape S is the conditional probability P (S | O), the object The strength of the dependency relationship between the concept O and the function F is indicated by the conditional probability P (F | O). The conditional probability P (S | O) indicates the probability of the shape S when the object concept O is given, and the conditional probability P (F | O) is the function F of the function F when the object concept O is given. Shows the probability.

  The object conceptual model shown in FIG. 2B is a Bayesian network having an acyclic directed graph structure in which the direction of the link has only a dependency direction and the path following the link does not return to the original node. Bayesian networks are suitable for handling events that have unobservable elements. In a Bayesian network, elements that cannot be observed are estimated by giving prior probabilities to the nodes and calculating the posterior probability by updating the probabilities of each variable by the propagation probability from the observed definite value.

  In the object conceptual model of the object shown in FIG. 2B, the shape S and the function F are variables from which information can be acquired by observation. However, the object concept O is a variable from which information cannot be obtained by observation. By using the Bayesian network, the object concept O can be probabilistically inferred by observing the shape S and the function F, and the object concept O that cannot be directly observed can be estimated.

  Therefore, in the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1, “object learning” is to learn the dependency relationship between the shape S and the function F in order to estimate the object concept O. That is, an object is learned by estimating a conditional probability in a Bayesian network that includes the shape S and function F that can be acquired by observation and the object concept O that cannot be observed as elements.

  Hereinafter, a method in which the object recognition system 1 learns an object that is a learning target of an object concept (hereinafter referred to as a “learning target object”) will be described.

  First, an example of a method in which the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts a shape feature quantity related to the shape of the learning target object from the observation result will be described. As the shape feature amount, for example, the contour of an object can be adopted. When the contour of the object is adopted as the shape feature amount, the shape feature amount extraction unit 11 extracts the contour of the object as the shape feature amount from the image data of the learning target object.

  Specifically, the learning object region extraction module 111 included in the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts the shape of the region of the learning target object from the image data of the learning target object as contour data using the background difference method. Here, the “background difference method” is a method for acquiring a region shape of an object using a difference between image data of a background acquired in advance and image data in which an object is arranged on the background. The image data of the learning target object may be any image data before or after the operation.

  The contour data is extracted as, for example, a set of pixel position coordinates, so that the amount of data is generally large. Therefore, the shape feature value calculation module 112 of the shape feature value extraction unit 11 calculates the contour data with the reduced data amount as the shape feature value. Specifically, the shape feature quantity calculation module 112 converts the contour data into polar coordinates from the center of gravity, and then performs frequency conversion using a Fourier descriptor. Then, the shape feature quantity calculation module 112 cuts the high-frequency component of the frequency-converted contour data by the low-pass filter function. For example, by leaving about 10 frequency components from the lowest, noise included as high-frequency components in the contour data is removed, and at the same time, the shape feature amount is calculated as contour data with a reduced data amount. The calculated shape feature quantity is stored in the shape feature quantity storage area 302.

  Next, a method in which the shape learning unit 12 learns the shape of the learning target object will be described. The shape learning unit 12 generates a code vector of the learning target object using the shape feature amount. In this specification, a code vector to be generated is defined as a shape model, and generating a shape model is defined as “shape learning”.

  Specifically, the shape learning unit 12 vector-quantizes the shape feature amount of the learning target object using a set of code vectors of various objects stored in the shape model database 40 as a code book, and Generate a shape model. That is, by representing the shape feature quantity of the learning target object by the nearest code vector with the highest similarity included in the code book, the shape feature quantity is vector quantized to generate a code vector. The code book is generated, for example, by clustering object shape data by the k-average method or the like.

  The generated shape model is stored in the shape model storage area 303. Further, the generated shape model is stored in the shape model database 40. As a result, the types of shape models stored in the shape model database 40 can be increased.

  Next, a method example in which the object recognition system 1 learns the function of the learning target object from the observation result of the object to be operated will be described. As already described, a pattern of physical change that occurs in the actuated object when the operated learning target object affects the actuated object is observed as a function of the learned object. However, it is unclear what function the observed change in the object means. Therefore, the object recognition system 1 analyzes the functional feature amount of the learning target object extracted by observing the object, estimates the pattern of the change of the object as the function of the learning target object, and Generate a functional model of the object. In this specification, the generation of a function model is defined as “function learning”. Details of the function model will be described later.

  In order to observe the function of an object to be learned as a pattern of change in an object, it is very important to observe what kind of change the object is observed. Is determined. In the following, an example will be described in which four changes, that is, a color change, a contour change, a position change, and a number change of an actuated object are adopted as parameters indicating the change of the acted object in consideration of a general object function.

  Here, the “color change” is a correlation of luminance histograms before and after the change of the subject that changes when the learning target object is operated. “Correlation” is the degree of change of the feature vector before and after the change. “Contour change” is the correlation between the frequency components of the contour of the object before and after the operation of the learning target object. As described above, the contour frequency component is obtained by frequency-transforming the contour image using a Fourier descriptor. “Position change” is the movement distance of the position of the object. “Number change” is a change in the number of objects.

  Hereinafter, an example of a method in which the functional feature amount extraction unit 13 extracts the functional feature amount of the learning target object from the observation result will be described. The function feature amount extraction unit 13 extracts a feature vector of functions having the above four parameters of color change, contour change, position change and number change as function feature amounts.

  Specifically, the object feature region extraction module 131 included in the functional feature quantity extraction unit 13 compares the image data before and after the change for the subject that changes due to the operation of the learning target object, and determines the background difference. Using a method or the like, four parameters of color change, contour change, position change, and number change of the object are extracted. Then, the function feature quantity calculation module 132 included in the function feature quantity extraction unit 13 calculates a function feature vector having the extracted four parameters as components as a function feature quantity. The calculated function feature amount is stored in the function feature amount storage area 304.

  Next, a method in which the function learning unit 14 learns the function of the learning target object using the function feature amount will be described. The function learning unit 14 analyzes the function feature amount, and generates a function model that models a specific change pattern of the object before and after the change for the object that is changed by the operation of the learning target object. To do.

  Specifically, for example, a mixed Gaussian distribution is assumed for the functional feature quantity, and an average value and a variance are calculated for each functional feature quantity distribution using a statistical learning method such as a variational Bayes method. Here, the average value and the variance calculated for each distribution of functional feature values are referred to as “functional model”. In other words, the “function model” generated by the function learning unit 14 is a function feature quantity is classified according to distribution, and an average value and variance are calculated for each function feature quantity distribution. Represents a state. The function learning unit 14 estimates that each distribution of the function feature amount is one function.

  For example, a feature vector having two components x and y as parameters indicating the change in the object is a feature vector displayed with a class C1 and a black circle (●) including the feature vector displayed with a white circle (◯) in FIG. When the function features are divided and distributed to the class C2 including the function feature amount extracted by observation, the feature features of two types are included. Then, the function learning unit 14 calculates the average value and the variance for each of the class C1 and the class C2, so that the two functions represented by the function feature amount included in the class C1 and the function feature amount included in the class C2 are obtained. Learning and two functional models are generated.

  The generated function model is stored in the function model storage area 305. Further, the generated function model is stored in the function model database 50. As a result, the types of function models stored in the function model database 50 can be increased. The function model database 50 stores a plurality of function models each consisting of an average value and a variance for each distribution of functional feature quantities classified into classes.

  When a change indicating a plurality of functions is observed for the object, the function feature amount indicates a plurality of distributions as shown in FIG. 3, and a function model is generated for each distribution. In other words, the function learning unit 14 classifies the function feature values according to the distribution from the observation results of the plurality of objects, and calculates the average value and variance of the function feature values for each distribution. For ease of explanation, FIG. 3 exemplifies the case where there are two feature vector components. However, when there are three or more feature vector components, the distribution of the feature vectors in the vector space is similarly shown. A functional model is generated while classifying.

  The reason why the variational Bayes method is used above is that the number of models, that is, the number of functions can be estimated, and the parameters are estimated not as point estimates but as probability distributions. It can be done. Here, “estimating a parameter as a probability distribution” means estimating a function by giving reliability to an average and a variance. For example, when the learning target object is a pen, it is predicted that the variation in color change is large, but the variation in position change is small. According to the variational Bayes method, it is possible to learn the function of the learning target object including the importance of the change for each parameter.

  An example of learning the function of an object by the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described using an experiment conducted using the object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B as an example. The object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B includes five types of objects, and the A set shown in FIG. 4A includes scissors a11 to a17, pens a21 to 28, and pliers a31 to a32. , A total of 23 objects including tweezers a41 to a43 and cutters a51 to a53. The set B shown in FIG. 4B includes a total of 12 objects including scissors b11 to b13, pens b21 to b23, pliers b31 to b32, tweezers b41 to b42, and cutters b51 to b52. The function of the scissors is to cut the object, which is observed as a change in the number of objects. The function of the pen is to fill in the object and is observed as a color change of the object. The function of the pliers is deformation of the object, and is observed as a change in the contour of the object. The function of tweezers is the movement of the object, which is observed as a change in the position of the object. The function of the cutter is to cut the object, which is observed as a change in the number of objects.

  Hereinafter, a method in which the object recognition system 1 learns the functions of the object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  (A) In step S10, the image data acquisition apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 observes the influence of the learning target object operated by the user or the like on the object, and the effect before and after the operation of the learning target object. Obtain image data of each object. Here, a total of 35 learning target objects including the A set shown in FIG. 4A and the B set shown in FIG. 4B are each operated 10 times. The acquired image data is stored in the input data storage area 301.

  (B) In step S20, the functional feature amount extraction unit 13 reads out the image data of the object before and after the influence of the operation of the learning target object from the input data storage area 301, and uses the method described above. The functional feature amount of the learning target object is extracted from the image data of the object. In other words, a feature vector whose component is a parameter indicating a pattern of change of the object before and after the operation of the learning target object is extracted from the image data of the object as a functional feature amount. The extracted function feature amount is stored in the function feature amount storage area 304.

  (C) In step S30, the function learning unit 14 reads the function feature amount from the function feature amount storage area 304, and statistically processes the function feature amount to learn the function of the learning target object. Specifically, as already described, an average value and a variance are calculated for each distribution of functional feature quantities of the learning target object by a variational Bayes method or the like, and a functional model for each distribution is generated. The generated function model is stored in the function model storage area 305.

  In FIG. 6, the user of the object recognition system 1 evaluated the result of the learning experiment example in which the object recognition system 1 learned the function of the object using the object group shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). A table is shown. FIG. 6 shows how the function learning results are classified. In the table illustrated in FIG. 6, “function 0” to “function 3” are types of functions estimated using the function feature amount of the learning target object acquired from the image data.

  From FIG. 6, it can be seen that the object recognition system 1 has identified the functions of the learning target object group as four functions from the observation of the object group shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). It is estimated that “function 0” shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to “number change”, “function 1” corresponds to “contour change”, “function 2” corresponds to “color change”, and “function 3” corresponds to “position change”. The As shown in FIG. 6, six cases in which the change in the object to be observed as “number change” is classified as “function 2” instead of “function 0” are observed as “contour change”. In one example, the change in the subject to be observed is classified as “function 2” instead of “function 1”, and the change in the subject to be observed as “color change” is not “function 2” but “function 1”. There are three cases classified as "", but in most of the other cases, the change in the object is classified as the correct function. In the learning experiment results shown in FIG. 6, there are 340 correctly learned cases, 10 wrongly learned cases, and the correct answer rate is 97.1%. As a cause of erroneous classification, noise generated in image data can be considered.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the number of functional models estimated when the functional models are generated by the variational Bayes method by observing the object group shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 is the number of functions, and the vertical axis is free energy. Here, “free energy” is a numerical value indicating whether or not the number of functions is appropriate for the model. As shown in FIG. 7, when the number of functions is 4, the free energy is the maximum, so it is estimated that the number of functions of the learning target object is 4.

  A method in which the object concept learning unit 15 shown in FIG. 1 learns a learning target object using the calculated shape feature amount and functional feature amount will be described below.

  The shape recognition module 151 included in the object concept learning unit 15 performs shape recognition of the learning target object using the shape feature amount. Here, “shape recognition” is vector quantization of shape feature quantities using a code book made up of code vector groups of learned object shapes. That is, the shape of the object is recognized by applying the shape model of the object to the learned shape model. Specifically, the shape recognition module 151 recognizes the shape of the learning target object by vector quantization of the shape feature amount of the learning target object using the code vector group stored in the shape model database 40 as a code book. Information on the shape S shown in 2 (b) is acquired.

  The function recognition module 152 included in the object concept learning unit 15 performs function recognition of the learning target object using the function feature amount. “Function recognition” refers to estimating the class to which an object belongs by comparing the distribution of the functional feature amount of the object with the learned distribution of the functional feature amount classified into classes. Specifically, the function recognition module 152 generates a function model by calculating the average value and the variance of the function feature amount for each distribution while classifying the function feature amount of the learning target object according to the distribution. Then, the function recognition module 152 determines a generated function model from among a plurality of function models stored in the function model database 50 by a maximum likelihood estimation method or the like, and recognizes the function of the learning target object. That is, by applying the function model of the object to the learned function model, it is determined which class the function of the object belongs to, and the function of the learning target object is recognized. As a result, information on the function F shown in FIG. 2B is acquired.

  The object concept model generation module 153 of the object concept learning unit 15 estimates the conditional probability of the Bayesian network shown in FIG. Generate a model. The generated object concept model is stored in the object concept model storage area 306. Further, the generated object concept model is stored in the object concept model database 60. As a result, the types of object concept models stored in the object concept model database 60 can be increased.

  For the estimation of the conditional probability of the Bayesian network, for example, a statistical learning method such as an extraction / maximization (EM) algorithm can be employed. The EM algorithm is an algorithm for numerically obtaining a maximum likelihood estimate from incomplete data, and is an effective technique for estimating a conditional probability of a Bayesian network when unobserved information is included. By applying the EM algorithm with the object concept O as a hidden variable, the conditional probability is estimated. Moreover, you may employ | adopt a variational Bayes method for estimation of conditional probability.

  Hereinafter, a method in which the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 learns the object concept of the object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. .

  (A) In step S100, the image data acquisition apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 observes how the user or the like affects the object by operating the learning target object, and before and after operating the learning target object. Thereafter, image data of each learning target object and the subject is acquired. Here, a total of 35 learning target objects including the A set shown in FIG. 4A and the B set shown in FIG. 4B are operated by the user of the object recognition system 1 10 times each. The The acquired image data is stored in the input data storage area 301.

  (B) In step S110, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 reads the image data of the learning target object before or after the operation from the input data storage area 301. The shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts the shape feature quantity by frequency-converting the image data of the learning target object using a Fourier descriptor, as already described. The extracted shape feature amount is stored in the shape feature amount storage area 302.

  (C) In step S <b> 120, the functional feature quantity extraction unit 13 reads out image data of the object before and after the operation of the learning target object from the input data storage area 301. The functional feature amount extraction unit 13 extracts the functional feature amount of the learning target object from the image data of the object using the method described above. The extracted function feature amount is stored in the function feature amount storage area 304.

  (D) In step S130, the object concept learning unit 15 reads the shape feature value and the function feature value from the shape feature value storage area 302 and the function feature value storage area 304, respectively. As described above, the object concept learning unit 15 learns the object concept by creating an object concept model of the learning target object using the shape feature quantity and the function feature quantity. Specifically, the object concept learning unit 15 recognizes the shape of the learning target object by vector quantization of the shape feature amount, and acquires information on the shape S shown in FIG. Further, the object concept learning unit 15 classifies the functional feature values of the learning target object according to the distribution, generates a functional model by calculating the average value and variance of the functional feature values for each distribution, and learns The function of the target object is recognized, and information related to the function F shown in FIG. Then, the object concept learning unit 15 learns the object concept of the learning target object using a statistical learning method such as an EM algorithm, and generates an object concept model. The generated object concept model is stored in the object concept model storage area 306.

  FIG. 9 shows a table in which the user has evaluated the results of a learning experiment example in which the object recognition system 1 has learned the object concept using the object group shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). FIG. 9 shows how learning results from the object recognition system 1 are classified. In the table shown in FIG. 9, “index 1” to “index 5” are object categories classified by the object recognition system 1. From FIG. 9, it can be seen that the object recognition system 1 identifies five types of objects shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B as five categories.

  For example, after the conditional probability is estimated, the object concept is constructed by giving the object concept model a name as the object concept O based on the observed shape and function. For example, by assigning names such as “scissors” and “pen” to the category of the classified object, the concept of the object shown in FIG. 2B is learned. In the table shown in FIG. 9, “index 1” is “scissors”, “index 2” is “tweezers”, “index 3” is “pen”, “index 4” is “pliers”, and “index 5” is “index”. "Cutter". As shown in FIG. 9, there are cases where the learning target object to be learned as “scissors” is erroneously learned, for example, there are five cases that are classified as “index 5” instead of “index 1”. Most of the objects to be learned are learned correctly. In the learning experiment results shown in FIG. 9, there are 340 correctly learned cases, 10 wrongly learned cases, and the correct answer rate is 97.1%.

Next, a method for recognizing an object by the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The object recognition system 1 recognizes an object by estimating complete data from incomplete data including unobserved information using the object conceptual model shown in FIG. 2B and information acquired by observation or the like. . Specifically, an object to be recognized (hereinafter referred to as “recognition target object”) is recognized by estimating an unobserved conditional probability from the acquired information based on Bayes' theorem. Bayes' theorem is shown in equation (1):

P (a | b) = {P (b | a) P (a)} / P (b) (1)

In Equation (1), P (a) and P (b) are conditional probabilities of the nodes of the Bayesian network shown in FIG. 2B (a, b = O, S, F). P (a | b) and P (b | a) are conditional probabilities between nodes. For example, the conditional probability P (a | b) is the probability of the node a when the node b is observed. Indicates.

  The shape recognition module 161 included in the object recognition unit 16 illustrated in FIG. 1 performs shape recognition of the recognition target object using the shape feature amount. Specifically, the shape recognition module 161 vector-quantizes the shape feature amount of the recognition target object using the code vector of the learned shape model as a code book, so that the shape model of the recognition target object is learned. Is applied to recognize the shape of the object to be recognized, and information about the shape is acquired.

  The function recognition module 162 included in the object recognition unit 16 performs function recognition of the recognition target object using the function feature amount. Specifically, the function recognition module 162 estimates an average value and variance for the function feature amount of the recognition target object to estimate a function model. Then, compare the estimated function model of the recognition target object with the learned class model function group, and determine which class of the function model group the function model of the recognition target object has been learned by the maximum likelihood estimation method etc. It is determined whether it belongs to. As a result, the function of the recognition target object is recognized, and information regarding the function is acquired.

  The estimation module 163 of the object recognition unit 16 recognizes by estimating the conditional probability of the unobserved node of the recognition target object from the learned object concept model using the information of the recognition target object acquired by observation or the like. Recognize unobserved nodes of the target object.

  For example, the estimation module 163 recognizes an object from the object conceptual model of the recognition target object using information on the shape and function of the recognition target object acquired by the shape recognition module 161 and the function recognition module 162. In addition, the estimation module 163 estimates the function of the recognition target object using information regarding the shape of the recognition target object acquired by the shape recognition module 161. Further, the estimation module 163 estimates the shape of the recognition target object using the input information regarding the function of the recognition target object.

  Hereinafter, a method in which the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 recognizes a recognition target object by observing the shape and function will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  (A) In step S200, the image data acquisition device 20 observes how the user or the like operates on the object to be recognized, and affects the object to be recognized. Obtain image data of the object and the object. The acquired image data is stored in the input data storage area 301.

  (B) In step S210, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 reads the image data of the recognition target object before or after the operation from the input data storage area 301. As described above, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts the shape feature quantity by frequency-converting the image data of the recognition target object using a Fourier descriptor. The extracted shape feature amount of the recognition target object is stored in the shape feature amount storage area 302.

  (C) In step S220, the functional feature quantity extraction unit 13 reads the image data of the object before and after the operation of the recognition target object from the input data storage area 301. The functional feature amount extraction unit 13 extracts the functional feature amount of the recognition target object from the image data of the object using the method described above. The extracted function feature amount is stored in the function feature amount storage area 304.

  (D) In step S230, the object recognition unit 16 reads the shape feature value and the function feature value of the recognition target object from the shape feature value storage area 302 and the function feature value storage area 304, respectively. Then, the object recognition unit 16 recognizes the recognition target object from the shape feature amount and the functional feature amount of the recognition target object. Specifically, in step S231, the shape recognition module 161 of the object recognition unit 16 vector-quantizes the shape feature amount of the recognition target object using the code vector group stored in the shape model database 40 as a code book, and the recognition target Recognize the shape of an object. In step S232, the function recognition module 162 estimates the function model from the function feature amount of the recognition target object by comparing with the function model group stored in the function model database 50, and recognizes the function of the recognition target object. To do. In step S233, the estimation module 163 estimates the unobserved conditional probability of the recognition target object by a statistical method such as Bayes' theorem shown in Expression (1) using the recognized shape and function. As a result, the recognition target object is recognized using the learned object concept model stored in the object concept model database 60. The recognition result of the recognition target object, that is, the estimated object conceptual model of the recognition target object is stored in the recognition result storage area 307. The user of the object recognition system 1 can check the recognition result stored in the recognition result storage area 307 via the output device 80.

  As described above, the object recognition system 1 extracts the functional feature amount and the shape feature amount from the image data acquired by observing the recognition target object. Then, the recognition target object is recognized by estimating an unobserved conditional probability using the extracted functional feature amount and shape feature amount and the object conceptual model.

  In the above description, the example in which the recognition target object is recognized by estimating the conditional probability of the object conceptual model using the observation result of the shape and the function has been described. Hereinafter, an example in which the object recognition system 1 observes the shape and recognizes the function of the recognition target object by using the object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B will be described as an example. It explains using. In the following, an example of recognizing the object group included in the B set in FIG. 4B using the result of learning the object group included in the A set illustrated in FIG. Will be described. That is, a total of 23 objects included in the A set are learned as learning target objects, and a total of 12 objects included in the B set are recognized as recognition target objects.

  (A) In step S300, a conceptual model of the learning target object is generated using the method described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, and the learning target object is learned. Specifically, the image data acquisition device 20 shown in FIG. 1 observes how the learning target object is manipulated and affects the actuated object, and each learning target object before and after the operation of the learning target object is observed. And image data of the object to be processed. Here, a total of 23 learning target objects included in the A set shown in FIG. 4A are each operated 10 times by the user or the like. From the acquired image data of the learning target object, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts the shape feature quantity of the learning target object, and the function feature quantity extraction unit 13 extracts the shape feature quantity of the learning target object. The shape learning unit 12 generates a shape model from the extracted shape feature amount of the learning target object, and the generated shape model is stored in the shape model storage area 303. The function learning unit 14 generates a function model from the function feature amount of the extracted learning target object, and the generated shape model is stored in the function model storage area 305. Then, the object concept learning unit 15 learns the object concept of the learning target object using the extracted shape feature quantity and functional feature quantity, and generates an object concept model. The generated object concept model is stored in the object concept model storage area 306.

  (B) In step S310, the image data acquisition apparatus 20 observes an object group included in the B set shown in FIG. 4B, which is a recognition target object, and acquires image data. The acquired image data of the recognition target object is stored in the input data storage area 301.

  (C) In step S320, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 reads the image data of the recognition target object from the input data storage area 301. As described above, the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts the shape feature quantity by frequency-converting the image data of the recognition target object using a Fourier descriptor. The extracted shape feature amount of the recognition target object is stored in the shape feature amount storage area 302.

  (D) In step S330, the object recognition unit 16 reads the shape feature value of the recognition target object from the shape feature value storage area 302. The object recognition unit 16 recognizes the function of the recognition target object using the shape feature amount of the recognition target object. Specifically, in step S331, the shape recognition module 161 of the object recognition unit 16 uses the code vector group of the object group included in the A set stored in the shape model storage area 303 as a code book, and the shape feature of the recognition target object. The quantity of the vector is quantized to recognize the shape of the recognition target object. In step S332, the estimation module 163 of the object recognition unit 16 reads the functional model and the object concept model of the learning target object from the function model storage area 305 and the object concept model storage area 306, respectively. The estimation module 163 applies a statistical method such as Bayes' theorem to the object conceptual model, estimates the conditional probability of the function from the functional model of the learning target object using the information on the shape of the recognition target object, and recognizes the recognition target Recognize the function of an object. The recognized function of the recognition target object is stored in the recognition result storage area 307.

  FIG. 12 shows a table of results of a recognition experiment example for recognizing the function of an object using the object group shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B described above. FIG. 12 shows the functions of the object groups included in the B set classified according to the observation results of the shapes of the object groups included in the B set using the learning results of the object groups included in the A set. Show. The table shown in FIG. 12 shows an experiment for recognizing a function by observing the operation of the object group included in the A set 10 times each and then observing the shape of the object group included in the B set. This is an example performed three times.

  From FIG. 12, it can be seen that the object recognition system 1 learns the functions of the object group included in the A set as four functions and classifies the object group included in the B set into the learned four functions. In FIG. 12, “function 0” to “function 3” are types of functions estimated using observation results of object group functions included in the B set, and “function 0” to “function” shown in FIG. 3 ". That is, “function 0” corresponds to “number change”, “function 1” corresponds to “contour change”, “function 2” corresponds to “color change”, and “function 3” corresponds to “position change”.

  As shown in FIG. 12, there is a case where the function of the cutter b52 to be recognized as “function 0” is erroneously recognized as “function 2”, but most of the recognition target objects are recognized correctly. Yes. In the recognition experiment results shown in FIG. 12, 33 cases were correctly recognized, 3 cases were erroneously recognized, and the correct answer rate was 91.7%.

  In the above, the example which recognizes the object group contained in B set using the learning result of the object group contained in A set was shown. Of course, the object group included in the B set may be recognized using not only the learning result of the object group included in the A set but also the object concept model previously learned and stored in the object concept model database 60. It is.

  As described above, the object recognition system 1 can estimate the function of an unlearned object by estimating an unobserved conditional probability from shape information using an object concept model.

  Next, an example in which the object recognition system 1 recognizes the shape of the recognition target object using the function of the recognition target object will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

  (A) In step S400, information on the function designated by the user is input via the input device 70. The input function information is stored in the input data storage area 301 as the function information of the recognition target object. Here, it is assumed that the function information is a function that the object recognition system 1 has learned, such as “function 0” to “function 3” illustrated in FIG.

  (B) In step S410, the object recognition unit 16 reads out information on the function of the recognition target object from the input data storage area 301. The object recognition unit 16 estimates the shape of the recognition target object using information on the function of the recognition target object. Specifically, the estimation module 163 of the object recognition unit 16 reads the shape model and the object concept model of the learning target object from the shape model database 40 and the object concept model database 60, respectively. The estimation module 163 applies a statistical method such as Bayes' theorem to the object conceptual model, estimates the conditional probability of the shape from the learned shape model using the function information of the recognition target object, and recognizes the recognition target object. Recognize the shape. The shape of the recognized recognition target object is stored in the recognition result storage area 307.

  In the above description, an example is described in which the function information to be input is a function that has already been learned, such as “function 0” to “function 3” illustrated in FIG. 6, but a more general object function is input. Then, the object recognition unit 16 may convert the input function into a learned function model with reference to the learned function model stored in the function model database 50. For example, the function necessary for the function specified by the user from the input information “cut” is changed to the function learned using “number change” as the parameter of change of the object when the function feature amount is extracted. Convert.

  As described above, the object recognition system 1 estimates the shape of the unlearned object by estimating the unobserved conditional probability from the input function information using the object concept model. That is, it is possible to estimate what shape of the object can execute the designated function.

  The series of object learning operations shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 and the series of object recognition operations shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 13 are performed by the algorithm program equivalent to these figures, and the objects shown in FIG. The recognition system 1 can be controlled and executed. This program may be stored in the storage device 30 constituting the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. The program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and the recording medium is read into the storage device 30 shown in FIG. 1 to execute a series of object learning operations and object recognition operations of the present invention. Can do.

  According to the object recognition system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the concept of the object of the learning target object is learned using the information on the shape of the learning target object and the shape of the object to be acquired obtained by observation. That is, in the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the shape of the learning target object, information on the function of the learning target object extracted using the change in the shape of the object can be applied to the nodes of the Bayesian network. Extracted as feature quantity. Then, an object concept model is generated as a Bayesian network, and the object is learned. Therefore, unlike the object learning method that uses only the image data of the shape of the learning target object, it is possible to reduce the erroneous recognition of the object due to the influence of noise in the image data, etc., and the highly accurate object considering the function of the learning target object Learning is possible. In addition, since the object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 uses the Bayesian network object conceptual model, unrecognized recognition is performed from the information of the recognition target object obtained by observation by a statistical method such as Bayesian theorem. Information on the target object can be estimated with high accuracy.

<Modification>
The object recognition system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be mounted on a home, industrial, or entertainment robot. In the robot equipped with the object recognition system 1, a receiving unit such as a microphone and a sensor that receives a command from a user is mounted as the input device 70. Further, as the image data acquisition device 20, in order to acquire image data of an object around the robot, it is possible to mount a movable camera or the like that can change the range in which the image data is captured. Furthermore, it may have a wheel for approaching the learning target object or the recognition target object, an arm for grasping the recognized object and handing it to the user.

  A robot equipped with the object recognition system 1 automatically learns an operated object when the object is operated in an observable area around the robot, even if not explicitly instructed by the user. Can be set. Therefore, it is not necessary to program for object learning in advance, and the robot can learn objects autonomously at home or in a factory.

  Further, by mounting the object recognition system 1 on the robot, the object can be recognized while communicating with the robot. For example, the robot can estimate an object having a function designated by the user by using the function of recognizing the shape from information on the function of the object included in the object recognition system 1 and notify the user of the object. In this case, when information on a function required by the user is input to the robot, the robot estimates a shape for executing the function required by the user using the method described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Then, when the robot observes the surroundings and recognizes an estimated shape object among the surrounding objects of the robot, the robot notifies the user of the position of the object that performs the input function. Alternatively, the user may be guided to a location where the recognized object is located, or the user may be moved to the location where the object is located, acquire the recognized object using an arm or the like, and hand it to the user. Alternatively, the robot may recognize each function from the shape of surrounding objects and notify the user of the location of the recognized object when executing the function designated by the user.

  In addition, the robot recognizes the affordance of the object by learning the Bayesian network that represents the relationship between the shape and the function.For example, when the user specifies scissors to cut the object, the cutter The robot can estimate that the function according to the specified function can be realized. Or, when the user designates chopsticks to grab the object, the function that depends on the shape can be realized and used by using two pens. The robot can be estimated.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the present invention has been described according to the embodiment. However, it should not be understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In the description of the embodiment described above, an example in which a learning target object is learned using a shape model or function model learned in the past stored in the function model database 50 or the shape model database 40 has been described. However, when there is no shape model or function model learned in the past, the object concept model is learned using the shape model or function model generated from the information obtained by observing the learning target object. May be generated. For example, when the shape feature quantity extraction unit 11 extracts shape feature quantities of a plurality of learning target objects, the codes used for vector quantization from the observation results are obtained by clustering the shape feature quantities by the k-average method or the like. A book is generated.

  As described above, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the concept of an object applied to the object recognition system according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing object recognition by the object recognition system; FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an object conceptual model corresponding to the schematic diagram illustrated in FIG. It is a graph which shows distribution of the feature vector which the object recognition system concerning an embodiment of the invention analyzes. It is an example of the object which the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention learns. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the method of learning the function of an object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the example of the learning result of the function of the object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the example of the number of functional models estimated by the object recognition system concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the method of learning an object concept with the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the example of the learning result of the object concept by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the method of recognizing an object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the method of recognizing the function of an object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the example of the recognition result of the function of the object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the method of recognizing the shape of an object by the object recognition system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Object recognition system 10 ... Processing apparatus 11 ... Shape feature-value extraction unit 12 ... Shape learning unit 13 ... Functional feature-value extraction unit 14 ... Function learning unit 15 ... Object concept learning unit 16 ... Object recognition unit 20 ... Image data acquisition apparatus DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Memory | storage device 40 ... Shape model database 50 ... Functional model database 60 ... Object concept model database 111 ... Learning object area | region extraction module 112 ... Shape feature-value calculation module 131 ... Operate object area | region extraction module 132 ... Functional feature-value calculation module 151 ... shape recognition module 152 ... function recognition module 153 ... object concept model generation module 161 ... shape recognition module 162 ... function recognition module 163 ... estimation module

Claims (15)

An image data acquisition device for acquiring image data of an object and image data before and after the operation of the object of an object affected by the operation of the object;
A shape feature amount extraction unit for extracting the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object;
A functional feature amount extraction unit that extracts changes in the object as functional feature amounts of the object from image data before and after the operation;
Recognize using the shape of the object and the feature feature amount of the object that is recognized using the shape feature amount in an object concept model that uses the function, shape, and object concept as elements and represents the dependency relationship between the elements with conditional probabilities. An object concept learning unit that applies the function of the object to be statistically processed, estimates the object concept of the object, and learns the object;
Information obtained by observing at least one of the shape or function of a recognition target object is applied to the learned object conceptual model and statistically processed, and unrecognized information of the recognition target object is estimated to perform the recognition. An object recognition system comprising: an object recognition unit that recognizes at least one of an object concept, a shape, and a function of a target object.   2. The object recognition system according to claim 1, wherein the object concept learning unit includes a shape recognition module that recognizes the shape of the object by vector quantization of the shape feature amount using a codebook of the object shape. .   The object concept learning unit includes a function recognition module that compares the functional feature quantity distribution with a classified distribution, determines a class to which the functional feature quantity distribution belongs, and recognizes the function of the object. The object recognition system according to claim 1 or 2.   The object recognition system according to claim 3, wherein the function recognition module calculates an average value and a variance of the distribution of the function feature amount.   The object recognition system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the object recognition unit estimates the unobserved information using Bayes' theorem.   The object recognition system according to claim 1, wherein the object conceptual model is a Bayesian network.   The object recognition according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the change of the object includes at least one of a color change, a contour change, a position change, and a number change of the object. system. Obtaining image data of an object and image data before and after the operation of the object affected by the operation of the object;
Extracting the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object;
Extracting a change in the object from the image data before and after the operation as a functional feature of the object;
Recognize using the shape of the object and the feature feature amount of the object that is recognized using the shape feature amount in an object concept model that uses the function, shape, and object concept as elements and represents the dependency relationship between the elements with conditional probabilities. Applying the function of the object to be statistically processed, estimating the object concept of the object, and learning the object;
Information obtained by observing at least one of the shape or function of a recognition target object is applied to the learned object conceptual model and statistically processed, and unrecognized information of the recognition target object is estimated to perform the recognition. Recognizing at least one of an object concept, a shape, and a function of a target object.   9. The object recognition method according to claim 8, wherein the shape feature quantity is vector-quantized using an object shape codebook to recognize the shape of the object.   10. The function of the object is recognized by comparing the distribution of the functional feature quantity with a plurality of classified distributions to determine a class to which the distribution of the functional feature quantity belongs. The object recognition method described.   The object recognition method according to claim 10, wherein the function of the object is recognized by calculating an average value and a variance of the distribution of the functional feature amount.   The object recognition method according to claim 8, wherein the unobserved information is estimated using Bayes' theorem.   The object recognition method according to claim 8, wherein the object conceptual model is a Bayesian network.   The object recognition according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the change in the object includes at least one of a color change, a contour change, a position change, and a number change of the object. Method. A camera that respectively obtains image data of an object and image data before and after operation of the object affected by the operation of the object;
A shape feature amount extraction unit for extracting the shape feature amount of the object from the image data of the object;
A functional feature amount extraction unit that extracts changes in the object as functional feature amounts of the object from image data before and after the operation;
Recognize using the shape of the object and the feature feature amount of the object that is recognized using the shape feature amount in an object concept model that uses the function, shape, and object concept as elements and represents the dependency relationship between the elements with conditional probabilities. An object concept learning unit that applies the function of the object to be statistically processed, estimates the object concept of the object, and learns the object;
Information obtained by observing at least one of the shape or function of a recognition target object is applied to the learned object conceptual model and statistically processed, and unrecognized information of the recognition target object is estimated to perform the recognition. An object recognition unit that recognizes at least one of the object concept, shape, and function of the target object, the object recognition unit estimates the unobserved information using Bayes' theorem, and the object concept model is a Bayesian network. An object recognition robot characterized by being.

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