METHOD OF CHARACTERIZING IMAGE FOR SHAPE CONTENT AND OPTICAL IMAGE SHAPE CONTENT ANALYZER

摘要

There is disclosed a method of characterizing an image for shape content, comprising producing a Fourier transform optic pattern of the image with light energy; spatial filtering the light energy from the Fourier transform optic pattern by selecting light energy from discrete portions of the Fourier transform optic pattern at a plurality of angular orientations and separating such discrete portions from other portions of the Fourier transform optic pattern to create a plurality of filtered patterns of light energy from those discrete portions; projecting the light energy of said discrete portions that have been spatially filtered in the Fourier transform optic pattern in the respective angular orientations to inverse Fourier transform such light energy to where such light energy locates in the same spatially related sites as the features in the image from which such light energy emanated; detecting intensities of light energy as it is distributed in the filtered and then inverse Fourier transformed patterns for the respective angular orientations; and storing the intensities of light energy detected in the filtered and then inverse Fourier transformed patterns along with the respective angular orientations.