AU768161B2

AU768161B2 - Method for receiving and storing optically detectable data

Info

Publication number: AU768161B2
Application number: AU96391/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Markus R. Muller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-09-11
Filing date: 1998-09-11
Publication date: 2003-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 2018-09-11
Also published as: WO1999013431A1; ATE227037T1; RU2000109297A; DE59806129D1; BR9812641A; DE19841555A1; EP1012790B1; CA2306755A1; JP2001516108A; CN1271447A; AU9639198A; EP1012790A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for receiving and storing optically detectable data of an object on a storage medium. According to the invention, a camera is used to take a sequence of several individual images of the object whose position is spatially adjusted with regard to the relative position between the object and the camera. The sharp displayed areas of the individual images are determined and one or more resulting images are composed therefrom.

Description

06/10 '03 15:42 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE HELB AUTS 0003 -1- Method to record and store opticaly acqdirable data.

State-of-the-an The invention is based on a method to record and store the opocally acquirable data of an object on a storage medium Such methods are used with various wave lengths, e.g. in the fange of infrared or ultraviolet radiation, of the visible light or heat radiation. De4endiug from the range of the wavelengths, correspondingcameras and optics necessary forithis are being used. The 'object of interest is photographed either in its totality or in single sections. Each of the individual photographs has a certain size. Based on the setting of the optical components of the camera and the spatial distance between the object and #he camera the photograph "•has sharp and less sharp regions. A photograph which is shart in all regions cannot be achieved, since only those parts of the object which are in the 'focus of the optics will appear sharp. The focus is spatially limited and in most cases is smaller than the object. If "the object is three-dimensional, not all regions of the surface t of the layers lying directly under the surface can have a sharp image with the aid of one shot. In addition, it is also of disadvantage that the lens of the camera cannot be opened wie and thus the brilliancy of the recording is low, since a widely opened lens would reducelthe definition in depth and consequently only a correspondingly small portion of the objejt will have a sharp image.

From the state-of-the-art (DE 39 31 934 C2, DE 39 05 619 Al; a picture input and output device is known, provided with a focussing device. The optic components of the picture input device can be set by means of this focussing device to seeral planes of the objective.

To photograph picture information, a plurality of pictures are +corded from an object with various settings of the optical components and the informationlobtained therefrom is combined- For this purpose numerical methods are necessary. 1 In the case of this known device it is a disadvantage that the modifiable setting of the optical components requires a mechanism that displaces the optical components with high acquracy. The production of this mechanism is elaborate and susceptible to damages, wear Jnd impairments in operation. In addition, due to the various optical settings, the mornbination of the information can be achieved only with great effort, since due tq the changing of the optical components the scale changes for each photograph.

I0O6/I0'93,chb iiOO.ipcI COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by iP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:42 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MIELB AtTS [004 -2-

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In contrast to this, the method according to the invention to pJotograph and store the optically acquirable data of an object has the disadvantage that with one camera a sequence of a plurality of individual photographs of the object is taken under various spatial settings with regard to the relative position between the object and the camera. The setting of the optical components and the resulting therefrom 'focus remain inchanged on this occasion.

By virtue of this the application of the method can be much si npler than in the case of the method according to the state-of-the-art. A mechanism for an accurate changing of the optical components is not necessary. Due to this the method cdan be used in a more costeffective manner and is less susceptible to impairments, malf nctioning or wearing its application.

The sharply image regions of the individual photographs are dtermined and combined into S one or several resulting pictures. Since the. optical components remain unchanged during the various individual photographs, the scale does not change. The result of this is that when combining the individual photographs a modification with regard to the scale is unnecessary. Therefore the combination of the information is less elaborate than in the case of known methods.

The method can be used both for photographing individual im ges of objects and for taking films. The method can be carried out manually by cutti g out and combining the sharp regions or by means of lenses, it is, however, particularly applicable to be carried out with the aid of a computer. In the case of two-dimensional objects or objects for which a two-dimensional resulting picture is adequate, it could be sufficient to combine the sharp 25 regions into a single resulting picture. In the case of three-dim nsional objects the sharp regions of various planes of the object can be combined into onie or several resulting pictures. The latter has the advantage that different features are illustrated in various resulting pictures. This will facilitate the processing of picture, in particular the recognition of features. Various resulting pictures can also be ised depending from the different penetration depths in the object of the radiation. In an advantageous manner the individual photographs can be taken with larger lens aperture o the camera objective. On this occasion sharp resulting pictures are achieved despite the large lens aperture. The light sensitivity of the photographs is also increased on this occsion. The camera does not have to be set sharp for each individual photograph, since the sarp pictures are 06/10O03.ehI I t.pc,2 COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:42 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUlS [Z005 -3electronically selected and stored and the non-sharp pictures Jre not stored. The movement of the object during the taking of the photographs results in a .harp resulting picture. The number of individual photographs per object depends from th relevant application. As a nde, approx. 20 individual photographs should suffice. HowOver, in special cases in could be far more than 100 individual photographs or less, e.g. 5 incividual photographs. The illumination period is chosen in accordance with the object arT the camera. It depends from the number of the desired individual photographs per seqond or minute. Some types of cameras, like, for example, CCD cameras, allow an electroie reduction of the illumination time.

The objects photographed may be machines, components, arte.facts, jewellery or other valuables or persons or animals. For the recognition or iden4cation of persons or animals, in particular animals for breeding, biometric or anatojic features are taken into account and included in the individual photographs- Both intentional and unintentional movements of the object cah be used to obtain information. Parallel displacements or rotations at right angle o the optical axis are used to obtain a greater resolution with the camera. The greater resolution can also be achieved by calculations. Parallel displacements of the object at right aigle to the optical axis can be evaluated for the purpose of achieving stereoscopic or three-dimensional resulting pictures, even if only one camera is used for the recording a seruence of individual photographs. In this case use is made of the fact that certain rgegions of the object recorded have continuously changing sharpness in sequential individual photographs. In this manner information regarding topography and surface structuri of an object can also be

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25 obtained.

Based on a sequence of several photographs at specified time itervals, dynamic processes of the objective can also be determined. Thus the method allo/s investigations of the object using time resolution. Accordingly, the movement of an object can be followed and recorded This recorded movement can be used, for example, fr the recognition or identification of the object or for the control of certain processds. Thus, for example, defective parts in a production process can be recognised or pe'sons can be identified.

Intentional movements of a person may provide additional information.

061WlhIIWp, COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:43 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AITS -4- The limited definition of depth can be used to record, reduce And evaluate features below the surface of the object.

NI06 The method according to the invention makes the use of a lar Nevertheless, a certain sharpness of the image is achieved in t e lens aperture feasible.

is case.

a a a a a According to an advantageous development of the invention fe individual photographs are stored in a computer and the regions of the individual photogr hs with sharp images are determined with the aid of numerical methods using the compner. The combining of the resulting pictures is also carried out with the aid of the computer. For this purpose a suitable software is used. This determines also the boundarie of the sharp image regions.

When combining the resulting picture the findings of the Trell-method, know from the information theory and signal recognition method, can also be'useL The individual recordings are temporarily stored, for example, in the RAM o] on the hard disk of the computer. The sequence of the individual photographs will b required only until a resulting picture is produced. Afterwards the sequence of the individual photographs is deleted.

Various methods are possible for the production of a resulting picture. In a first method n individual pictures are filtered with a high-pass filter and the sharp regions are copied. On this occasion the transition frequency of the filter is harmonisej to suit the regions of the definition in depth. The filter may also be made up from variobs filters. As numerical methods Fourier transforms, Wavelet transforms, digital filterst differential or difference formation, Bessel, Butterworth or Gauss filters may be used. 1h addition to the sharply imaged regions of the individual pictures further information cn also be evaluated, like, for example, the enlargement or reduction of the image relativq to the focussing plane in the vicinity on both sides of the focussing plane. The combinig of the sharply imaged regions of the individual pictures is carried out, for example, with the aid of known numerical methods. Depending on the shape of the object and its surface structure as well as the number of the layer depths which are of interest or types of features one or several resulting pictures are combined.

a a a a.

In a second method, compared with the first method, the topolc of characteristic features of the object are additionally taken imt gy and/or the morphology p consideration. If one 061'O/03,ah 12001m0,4 COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:43 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS 1 deals, for example, in the case of an object to be imaged, withj a finger, then with this method different layers of the skin and glands, like, for examlle, the papillary layer or the sweat and sebaceous glands can be evaluated. In this case it culd be taken into consideration that the papillary lines are cohesive to great extjnt and run on the surface.

In a third method three-dimensional resulting pictures are produced from the sequence of the individual photograph with the aid of numerical functions.! These can be rotated, tilted, inclined or moved later in the computer in any manner, so that the user can consider several views of the object on the display screen. This method is particularly suitable when the data recorded with the method aecording to the invention have to be recognised again in a set of data photographed subsequently. A rotation or displacement of the object in the first set of data relative to thd second set of data can be numerically corrected and compensated, so that despite this a lecognition is possible.

1 According to a further advantageous development of the invention the sharply imaged regions are determined by numerically forming the differentiaion. The derivative is to formed in both dimensions of the two-dimensional individual 'hotographs. At the sharply imaged positions the differentiation is maximal or minimal, respectively. When using suitable filters, the sharply imaged regions can also be obtained by comparing the images obtained with various filters. I 007 9 9 9* 9.

9 9 9999 9.99 9 .9.9.9 99 9990 9 9 According to a further advantageous development of the inven photographing the sequence of individual recordings can be sp 25 the progress of the photographs is controlled by this computer.

ion the parameters for the ,cified by a computer and According to a further advantageous development of the invention the photographing of

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the sequence of individual photographs is automatically startediL Thus, for example, the photographing can commence at a fixed time or at a certain ponition of the object. The photographing can also commence when a computer, processing the individual photographs, recognises sharply imaged regions.

According to a further advantageous development of the invent photographing of individual photographs is started by a light ba on the recording of the rrier. This is particularly 06/iA3.fll20..Sc COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:44 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS [0008 -6suitable when during the photographing the abject is displacea toward or away from the camer-a. The photographing will automatically start when thei object has approached the camnera to a specified distance.

According to a further advantageous development of the inveAtion the individual photographs are taken at specified time intervals. Accordingl{, the camera can make, for example, 25 individual photographs as pictures or 50 individual photographs as half-frame photographs per second, which are transferred to the memory pf the computer. This is the case for a CCIR standard. In the case of other standards otheri corresponding values occur.

Not ill individual photographs have to be stored. The time of khL commencement of the photographing and of the commencement of the storing in the Icomputer may be different.

Basically the photographing of the sequence of the individual k hotographs and their storage in the computer are processes not coupled with each oijher.

According to a further advantageous development of the inveition the individual

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photographs are made at strictly specified relative distances belveen the camera and the object. This can be achieved, for example, by correspondingly arranged light barriers.

According to a further advantageous development of the invention a CCD camera is used 20 as camera to photograph the sequence of individual photorap s. Instead of a CCI) camera a line camera or a scanner may also be used.

According to a further advantageous development of the invenjion first all individual photographs of the sequence are stored in the computer. After'concluding the 0

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sa w dg25 photographing of the the sharply imaged regions of t rdua p oth :c:aredeerminTed andgp~ MIatmtial tr sequenceeindividuha aphoroahst ae t a combined into a resulting picture.

According to a further advantageous development of the invention from each individual photograph of the sequence immediately following the taking if the photograph the sharp regions are determined and inserted into the resulting picture. 1he individual photographs are not stored. Provided the processor of the computer operates fast enough, the determination of the sharp regions and the insertion in the resijing picture can take place in real time. Should this not be the case, then the data of the intividual photographs have to be stored temporarily. If several resulting pictures are prcded from the individual *610? 3Ab1l2OO.nPcd COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:44 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS la 009 -7photographs, then the combining of the individual resulting pibctures can be carried out in accordance with various methods. To additionally accelerate the recording of the data and the storing in the computer to combine one or several resultinj pictures a plurality of processors can be used. The cooperation of the processors cair be organised according to various points of view. One of these is that the numerical calJulations of the above meutioned methods I to 3 can be divided into that many sectijns, as they can run simultaneously. Each section is processed by a different procqssor. The synchronisation of the processors is carried out by input or output or by the end of the process per section.

The data is passed on or a RAM is used with more than one access pad (multiported i0 RAM). The combining of several resulting pictures can take place partly parallel. Thus all resulting pictures can be formed already while the object approaches the camera. If this is not possible, the missing resulting pictures are calculated subsquently. Lattice patterns with all read-out or calculated information are produced.

i 15 According to a further advantageous development of the inveniiuon several resulting pictures are made up from the sequence of the individual photographs, while different regions of the object are illustrated in each resulting picture.

According to a further advantageous development of the invention the plane of the picture is divided into a plurality of regions and the regions are procesled parallel. This process is

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particularly suitable when several processors are available for the processing. The regions may be squares, rectangles, circles, ovals or other shapes. Thele may be situated adjacent to each other or may be superposed.

9o According to a further advantageous development of the inveniion the method to recognise the features of a finger, in particular of the finger tip, are used. ITo record the data, the finger is brought close to a camera. The photographing of the scquence of individual photographs will commence already during the approach. Individual photographs can be taken also during the removal of the finger away from the camera. For the recognition particularly characteristic features of the finger tip are determind from the resulting picture and searched for during a renewed recording of the fingtr. Particularly characteristic features of a finger tip are the sweat and sebaceous glands as well as the papillary layer that determine the shape of the surface of the dermis and partly also of the epidermis. The papillae are also the base of the skin ridges. Thic papillary layer, the sweat I 3 COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:44 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS o010

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and sebaceous glands as well as the orifices of the glands on tlie epidermis can be recorded in different resulting pictures. This facilitates the recognitioni With the aid of the method I according to the invention it could also be determined whethe I blood is circulating in the finger. When the finger is transillunminated using an infrared light source, fluctuations in I the brilliancy can be recorded based on a sequence of individual recordings as the function

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of the heartbeat of the person. Moreover, the blood circulatioy of the finger causes a periodic shifting of the vessel cells of the finger, that can be determined with the aid of the method according to the invention..

According to a further advantageous development of the inven by a light source.

According to a further advantageous development of the invedri used that is synchronised with the camera. The object is illum lion the object is illuminated don a pulsed light source is nated only when an 0 0000 9 0000 @0 9 0 0 000000 0@ 0000 09@0 *A«I*W viljt44 1 JLL'tLj 5 ju sAA 10 UIs liaU i According to a fiurther advantageous development of the invelion the object is illuminated by a plurality of light sources having different wave lengths and under varying arrangements. Various types of illumination may be used. By virtue of the various spatial arrangements different angles of incidence of the light will occur. In this manner different spatial, geometric or perspective individual photographs can bI taken. Flashlights, for example, with different optical filters can be used as light sources. With the aid of a light source electromagnetic radiation of various wave lengths can he achieved by using the filter.

According to a further advantageous development of the invenhion the object is illuminated while it moves toward and away from the camera. Individual lphotographs are also taken in this time interval. In this manner individual photographs are oitained at different distances from the camera and consequently at different depths in definition.

According to a further advantageous developmnent of the invent the object are illuminated which are in the focus of thie camera.

focus of the camera does not change between the photographin photographs. The evaluation and the combining of the individi ion only those regions of This is possible since the of the individual al photographs is o06/10 o3.dI 1200.Rxqc,f COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 08/10 '03 15:45 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS 1 i facilitated, since there is no information available from the non-sharp regions in the individual photographs.

0011 By carrying out the method according to the invention, in an z device is used, wherein a computer, a camera and a control de Further advantages and advantageous developments of the in\ from the claims.

All features mentioned in the description and the claims are es individually and in any combination with each other.

a oo**o* 0 :0o04, .00 .*so 00.0 0 0000 0 00 006 *000 0 *oo o*o dvantageous manner a vice are provided.

ention become apparent sential for the invention both So6/O1 3lI. a1200n.o,9 COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06

Claims

1. A method to record and store optically acquirable data of an object on a storage medium, characterised in that by using one camera a lurality of single recordings of the object are made at various spatial settings with regard o the relative position between the object and the camera without changing the settirg of the optical components and the resulting therefrom focus, that the sharply imaged regions of the individual recordings are determined and that the sharply imaged regions of all individual recordings are combined into one or several resultant pictures. 9e*O** 0 9 S 0S 0~ SO* oO o 0 9 0999 9 *900 9@* *900 o o o oooo o* .ZZ.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterise1 recordings are stored in a computer, that the sharply imaged r recordings are determined by the computer with the aid ofnu4l resulting pictures are combined with the aid of the computer.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterisel regions are determined by numerical pictures of the shunt.

4. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, chara 20 parameters for the recording the sequence of the individual rec computer, and that the progress of the recordings is controlled!

5. A method according to any one of the prece< that the commencement of the sequence of the individual reco

6. A method according to claim 5, characterise< of the sequence of the individual recordings is started by a ligt

7. A method according to any one of the precec that the individual recordings are carried out at firmly specifie

8. A method according to any one of the preced that the individual recordings are carried out at firmly specifiei the camera and the object. Sin that the individual ,gions of the individual erical methods and that the Sin that the sharply imaged .cterised in that the tordings are specified by a by this computer. ling claims, characterised in rding starts automatically. 1 in that the commencement tbarrier. ling claims, characterised in ii time intervals. ing claims, characterised in l relative distances between 6Io3l '0 0 10/03,eh l l200.fpI u COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:45 FAX 61 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS @a13 -11- I

9. A method according to any one of the prece i that as camera a CCD camera is used to commence the sequer Ling claims, characterised in ce of individual recordings. @909*S 0 0@ 40 9 9. 9 9 @9 9 4 *949 9 P 9 A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that first all individual recordings of the sequence are stored ini the computer and that after the completion of the recordings of the sequence the sharply naged regions are determined from the individual recordings.

11. A method according to any one of the preceLing claims, characterised in that from each individual recording of the sequence the sharp regions are determined immediately after its recording and inserted into the resulting image.

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a plurality of resulting images are compiled from the sequl nee of the individual recordings, wherein different regions of the object or different features are illustrated in th( resulting images.

13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in o I/ that the plane of the image is divided into a plurality of regions and that the regions are i processed parallel.

14. A method according to any one of the prececing claims, characterised in that it is used to recognise the features of a finger. 0 00 @9 .9 9 *900 9 9 0 99 99 9 9 9

15. A method according to any one of the preced that the object is illuminated by a light source.

16. A method according to claim 15, characterise source is used which is synchronised with the camera.

17. A method according to claim 15 or 16, charac illuminated by a plurality of light sources having different wayv arrangements. ing claims, characterised in d in that a pulsed light ,terised in that the object is Slengths and in various 06/1IO3.eh I 1200-.s I COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06 06/10 '03 15:45 FAX 81 3 9859 1588 CALLINAN LAWRIE MELB AUS 1014 -12-

18. A method according to any one of claims 15 the object is illuminated until it moves to and from the camen

19. A method according to any one of claims 15 only those regions of the object are illuminated which are in ti Dated this 6" day of October, 2003 S SeSSSO 0 6O 0@ 0 0S SW 0 S S@ S 0 @050 5055 *S S MARKUS R. MULLER By Their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE to 17, eharacterised in that to 18, characterised in that xe focus of the camera. I1/3.c120 P1 0Ofi lQO03jhl1200.ape.12 oo* o 0 0 @00o 0500 SOS. 0 SOOS 50 5 0 On.O COMS ID No: SMBI-00441801 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:44 Date 2003-10-06