IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,087,154
Granted Patent B2
US 12,087,154 · App. 17/078,336 · Granted Sep 10, 2024

Reading system, reading method, and storage medium

Inventors: Tsubasa Kusaka (Yokohama, JP); Chiayu Lin (Ota, JP)
Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
G08C19/36G06T7/60G06V10/40H04Q9/00G06V2201/02H04Q2213/002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,087,154
App. No.
17/078,336
Granted
Sep 10, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a reading system includes a calculator and a determiner. The calculator calculates a total value of luminances and fluctuation of the luminances in at least a portion of a second direction at each of a plurality of points in a first direction for at least a portion of an image subjected to a polar transformation. A meter is imaged in the image and includes a pointer, a display panel, and graduations. The pointer rotates around a rotation axis. The graduations are arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis on the display panel. The polar transformation is referenced to a center of the meter. The first direction corresponds to the circumferential direction. The second direction corresponds to a diametrical direction from the center toward the graduations. The determiner uses the total value and the fluctuation to determine a position at which the pointer exists.

Claims (61)

1. A reading system, comprising:

a calculator calculating a total value of luminances in at least a portion of a second direction and fluctuation of the luminances in the at least a portion of the second direction at each of a plurality of points in a first direction for at least a portion of an image subjected to a polar transformation, a meter being imaged in the image, the meter including a pointer, a display panel, and a plurality of graduations, the pointer rotating around a rotation axis, the plurality of graduations being arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis on the display panel, the polar transformation being referenced to a center of the meter, the first direction corresponding to the circumferential direction, the second direction corresponding to a diametrical direction from the center toward the graduations; and

a determiner using the total value and the fluctuation to determine a position at which the pointer exists.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

the determiner extracts positions in the first direction where the total value has extrema, and

the determiner discriminates the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions by using the fluctuation.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

a color of the display panel is brighter than a color of the pointer, and

the total value has a minimum at the position extracted by the determiner.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

a color of the display panel is darker than a color of the pointer, and

the total value has a maximum at the position extracted by the determiner.

5. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

the determiner compares the fluctuation to a first threshold at the extracted positions and discriminates that the pointer exists at the position at which the fluctuation is not more than the first threshold.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the determiner sets the first threshold based on a calculation result of the fluctuation.

7. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

the determiner compares the fluctuations between the extracted positions and discriminates that the pointer exists at the position at which the fluctuation is smaller.

8. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

when two of the extracted positions exist at positions corresponding to diagonal in the meter, the determiner compares the fluctuations between the two positions and discriminates that the pointer exists where the fluctuation is smaller.

9. The system according to claim 2 , wherein

the determiner compares the total value to a second threshold for each of the plurality of points in the first direction, extracts a range in the first direction where the total values are greater than the second threshold, and extracts the position in the range.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein

the determiner sets the second threshold based on a calculation result of the total value.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

when the meter includes a plurality of the pointers and indication ranges of the plurality of pointers are separated from each other, the determiner discriminates the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions for each of the plurality of indication ranges.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

when the meter includes a plurality of the pointers and colors of the plurality of pointers are different from each other, the determiner generates a color space or a color-difference plane for each of the pointers, and discriminates the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions in the color space or the color-difference plane for each of the pointers.

13. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a relative angle calculator calculating a rotation angle of the meter; and

a converter converting an angle into a numerical value and outputting the numerical value externally,

the converter using the calculated rotation angle to convert an angle corresponding to the discriminated position into a numerical value.

14. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a recognizer recognizing positions of the graduations and a relationship between the graduations and numerical values in the meter; and

a converter converting an angle into a numerical value and outputting the numerical value externally,

the converter using a recognition result of the recognizer to convert an angle corresponding to the discriminated position into a numerical value.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein

a rotation range of the pointer is 180 degrees or more.

16. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an imager acquiring the image by imaging the meter.

17. The system according to claim 16 , wherein the imager cuts out, from a video image, the image in which the meter is imaged.

18. A reading system, comprising:

a calculator calculating a total value of luminances in at least a portion of a second direction and fluctuation of the luminances in the at least a portion of the second direction at each of a plurality of points in a first direction for at least a portion of an image subjected to a polar transformation, a meter being imaged in the image, the meter including a pointer, a display panel, and a plurality of graduations, the pointer rotating around a rotation axis, the plurality of graduations being arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis on the display panel, the polar transformation being referenced to a center of the meter, the first direction corresponding to the circumferential direction, the second direction corresponding to a diametrical direction from the center toward the graduations; and

a determiner determining that the pointer exists at a position in the first direction where the total value has an extremum and the fluctuation is not more than a first threshold.

19. A reading method, comprising:

performing a polar transformation of at least a portion of an image, a meter being imaged in the image, the meter including a pointer, a display panel, and a plurality of graduations, the pointer rotating around a rotation axis, the plurality of graduations being arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis on the display panel, the polar transformation being referenced to a center of the meter;

calculating a total value of luminances in at least a portion of a second direction and fluctuation of the luminances in the at least a portion of the second direction at each of a plurality of points in a first direction, the first direction corresponding to the circumferential direction, the second direction corresponding to a diametrical direction from the center toward the graduations; and

using the total value and the fluctuation to determine a position at which the pointer exists.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program,

the program causing a computer to perform the reading method according to claim 19 .

21. A processor, comprising circuitry,

the circuitry being configured to

calculate a total value of luminances in at least a portion of a second direction and fluctuation of the luminances in the at least a portion of the second direction at each of a plurality of points in a first direction for at least a portion of an image subjected to a polar transformation, a meter being imaged in the image, the meter including a pointer, a display panel, and a plurality of graduations, the pointer rotating around a rotation axis, the plurality of graduations being arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis on the display panel, the polar transformation being referenced to a center of the meter, the first direction corresponding to the circumferential direction, the second direction corresponding to a diametrical direction from the center toward the graduations, and

determine a position at which the pointer exists using the total value and the fluctuation.

22. The processor according to claim 21 , wherein

the circuitry being configured to

extract positions in the first direction where the total value has extrema, and

discriminate the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions by using the fluctuation.

23. The processor according to claim 21 , wherein

the circuitry being configured to, when the meter includes a plurality of the pointers and indication ranges of the plurality of pointers are separated from each other, discriminate the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions for each of the plurality of indication ranges.

24. The processor according to claim 21 , wherein

the circuitry being configured to, when the meter includes a plurality of the pointers and colors of the plurality of pointers are different from each other, generate a color space or a color-difference plane for each of the pointers, and discriminates the position at which the pointer exists from the extracted positions in the color space or the color-difference plane for each of the pointers.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 3, 2021
From: KUSAKA, TSUBASA; LIN, CHIAYU
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 055474/0188 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-087716 · Apr 27, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2019011727 · Mar 20, 2019
Related Publication 20210043072A1 · Feb 11, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,579,787