Abstract: A method is disclosed for finding a pose of a geometric model of a fiducial mark within an image of a scene containing the fiducial mark. The method includes receiving input from a user including geometric model shape information and geometric model dimensions, selecting a pre-defined model having sub-models by using the model shape information, the pre-defined model being parameterized by the geometric model dimensions; and then using the pre-defined model to find an image of the fiducial mark in the image of the scene. The act of selecting a pre-defined model having sub-models, includes pre-defining a model such that the sub-models and the relationships among the sub-models are selected by exploiting knowledge of features and properties of the fiducial sought so as to provide more accurate location of the fiducial. The invention provides enhanced ease of use of a sub-model-based search method by requiring only the shape and dimensions of the fiducial sought.

Abstract: A method is provided for measuring distances between locations in an image. The method includes finding a position of a full model using sub-models to find a plurality of locations in an image, then labeling the locations and determining distances using the labels. The method improves upon conventional gauging techniques by exploiting information typically provided by a sub-model based shape finder so as to eliminate one or more computationally intensive applications of one or more vision tools. More specifically, the features of the found instance of the model that are used as a basis for performing measurements are those features that have already been accurately located by the sub-model based shape finder.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for finding a pose of a geometric model of a fiducial mark within an image of a scene containing the fiducial mark. The method includes receiving input from a user including geometric model shape information and geometric model dimensions, selecting a pre-defined model having sub-models by using the model shape information, the pre-defined model being parameterized by the geometric model dimensions; and then using the pre-defined model to find an image of the fiducial mark in the image of the scene. The act of selecting a pre-defined model having sub-models includes pre-defining a model such that the sub-models and the relationships among the sub-models are selected by exploiting knowledge of features and properties of the fiducial sought so as to provide more accurate location of the fiducial. The invention provides enhanced ease of use of a sub-model-based search method by requiring only the shape and dimensions of the fiducial sought.

Abstract: A method is provided for finding a pose of a geometric model of an object within an image of a scene containing the object that includes providing sub-models of the geometric model; and providing found poses of the sub-models in the image. The method also includes selecting sub-models of the geometric model based on pre-fit selection criteria and/or post-fit selection criteria so as to provide selected sub-models of the geometric model. Thus, the invention automatically removes, disqualifies, or disables found sub-model poses when they fail to satisfy certain user-specified requirements. Examples of such requirements include thresholds on deviations between the found sub-model poses and their corresponding expected poses with respect to the final model pose, as well as limits on the sub-model. The remaining, validated sub-models can then be used to re-compute a more accurate fit of the model to the image.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of locating an object within a client region, where the object has a plurality of portions. The method includes defining a full geometric model of the object; defining a plurality of geometric sub-models of the object; determining coarse candidate poses of the object within the region using an image of the region and the full geometric model of the object; determining the fine pose of each of a plurality of portions of the object using the coarse candidate poses of the object within the region, and at least some of said geometric sub-models, to provide a plurality of object portion fine poses within the region; and then determining the fine poses of the object within the region using said plurality of object portion fine poses of a plurality of portions of the object includes determining the coarse poses of each of a plurality of portions of the object, and using each coarse pose, determining the fine pose of each of the plurality of portions of the object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus optimizes the process of locating an image of a part by exploiting at least one set of regular co-linear features in the image of the part. A selected one of the at least one set of regular co-linear features is used to quickly correlate a set of image points and a set of model points which are likely to correspond to each other. A one to one correspondence of a subset of model points to a subset of image points yields a single possible location for the part in the image, which location can be quickly and reliably checked for correctness, and if incorrect, a next possible set to set correspondence can be tested until the correct location is found.