Coin identification system and method using image processing
View Patent ↗A coin identification system and method is disclosed for determining the identity of a source coin by way of image processing. The system comprises a source coin image capture means, an image processing means, and an output that relays information to the user or sorts the coin according to its match results. The processing means compares at least one image of the source coin to a plurality of reference coin images, whereby the image of the source coin is manipulated and overlaid onto the reference coin images to determine if a match is available with a given probability. An embodiment of the system employs a coin collection and sorting device. Another embodiment contemplates a handheld electronic device that captures and processes the source coin. Both embodiments may connect to a remote server housing the reference coin information or store the information locally.
1. A method of identifying a coin using image processing, comprising the steps of:
capturing at least one input image of a source coin using an image capture means, said image capture means comprising a handheld electronic device having a display and a digital camera;
processing said input image of said source coin by detecting edges and lines from said input image using an image processing means;
comparing said edges and lines with a reference coin image;
determining if a match is found between said input image and said reference coin image;
displaying said match on said display of said handheld electronic device;
wherein said detecting said source coin edges and lines from said input image and comparing said edges and lines with a reference coin image further comprises:
adjusting said input image based on skew or angle of said source coin;
scaling said input image to match approximate size of said reference image;
blurring said input image;
finding said input image edges with an edge detector algorithm;
finding said input image lines with a line transform algorithm;
marking said lines and edges into a modified input image;
overlaying said modified input image over a reference coin image.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
loading a subsequent reference image if no match is determined between said reference image and said source coin.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
classifying said source coin in an output category based on a successful or unsuccessful match with said reference coin image.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if a match is found between said source coin and said reference coin image further comprises the steps of:
using several matching algorithms in an iterative fashion to determine a match with highest probability or non-match with highest probability.
5. The method of claim 1 , comparing said edges and lines with a reference coin image further comprises:
normalizing said match determination output;
localizing regions of higher matching probability for identifying marks;
recognize identifying marks using optical character recognition.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
utilizing a remote server and network connection to store said reference coin images.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
utilizing a remote server and network connection to store said reference coin images and said image processing means.
8. A method of identifying a coin using image processing, comprising the steps of:
capturing at least one input image of a source coin using an image capture means, said image capture means comprising a handheld electronic device having a display and a digital camera;
processing said input image of said source coin by detecting edges and lines from said input image using an image processing means;
comparing said edges and lines with a reference coin image by at least:
normalizing said match determination output;
localizing regions of higher matching probability for identifying marks;
recognize identifying marks using optical character recognition;
determining if a match is found between said input image and said reference coin image;
displaying said match on said display of said handheld electronic device.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said detecting said source coin edges and lines from said input image and comparing said edges and lines with a reference coin image further comprises:
adjusting said input image based on skew or angle of said source coin;
scaling said input image to match approximate size of said reference image;
blurring said input image;
finding said input image edges with an edge detector algorithm;
finding said input image lines with a line transform algorithm;
marking said lines and edges into a modified input image;
overlaying said modified input image over a reference coin image.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
loading a subsequent reference image if no match is determined between said reference image and said source coin.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
classifying said source coin in an output category based on a successful or unsuccessful match with said reference coin image.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining if a match is found between said source coin and said reference coin image further comprises the steps of:
using several matching algorithms in an iterative fashion to determine a match with highest probability or non-match with highest probability.
13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
utilizing a remote server and network connection to store said reference coin images.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
utilizing a remote server and network connection to store said reference coin images and said image processing means.