Techniques are disclosed for extracting micro-features at a pixel-level based on characteristics of one or more images. Importantly, the extraction is unsupervised, i.e., performed independent of any training data that defines particular objects, allowing a behavior-recognition system to forgo a training phase and for object classification to proceed without being constrained by specific object definitions. A micro-feature extractor that does not require training data is adaptive and self-trains while performing the extraction. The extracted micro-features are represented as a micro-feature vector that may be input to a micro-classifier which groups objects into object type clusters based on the micro-feature vectors.

A system and process for extracting information from filled form images is described. In one example the claimed invention first extracts textual information and the hierarchy in a blank form. This information is then used to extract and understand the content of filled forms. In this way, the system does not have to analyze from the beginning each filled form. The system is designed so that it remains as generic as possible. The number of hard coded rules in the whole pipeline was minimized to offer an adaptive solution able to address the largest number of forms, with various structures and typography. The system is also created to be integrated as a built-in function in a larger pipeline. The form understanding pipeline could be the starting point of any advanced Natural Language Processing application.

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture to simulate sensor data are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a noise characteristic identifier to extract a noise characteristic associated with a feature present in first sensor data obtained by a physical sensor. A feature identifier is to identify a feature present in second sensor data. The second sensor data is generated by an environment simulator simulating a virtual representation of the real sensor. A noise simulator is to synthesize noise-adjusted simulated sensor data based on the feature identified in the second sensor data and the noise characteristic associated with the feature present in the first sensor data.

Methods and image processing systems are provided for determining a dominant gradient orientation for a target region within an image. A plurality of gradient samples are determined for the target region, wherein each of the gradient samples represents a variation in pixel values within the target region. The gradient samples are converted into double-angle gradient vectors, and the double-angle gradient vectors are combined so as to determine a dominant gradient orientation for the target region.

A background image is acquired by imaging an opening plate as a background of an original document in a state where the original document is not arranged. Next, an original document including background image is acquired by imaging the same range as the background image in a state where the original document is arranged on an upper surface of the opening plate. Next, a difference image is generated by subtracting the background image from the original document including background image. In addition, an inverse difference image is generated by subtracting the original document including background image from the background image. A region of the original document is detected based on the difference image and the inverse difference image.

A system and a method for searching an image within another image are disclosed. The method includes producing template edge images and target edge images, having image scales, based on determination of edge gradients of a template image and a target image in one or more directions. The template image indicates an image to be searched. The target image indicates another image within which the image needs to be searched. Further, images comprising correlation coefficient values are produced for each of the directions by computing correlation coefficients between the template edge images and the target edge images. At least one local peak is identified from each of the images comprising the correlation coefficient values. Spatial locations along with the correlation coefficients corresponding to the local peak are determined. Thereafter, a presence of the template image in the target image is identified based upon an intersection of the spatial locations.

A system and process r extracting information from filled form images is described. In one example the claimed invention first extracts textual information and the hierarchy in a blank form. This information is then used to extract and understand the content of filled forms. In this way, the system does not have to analyze from the beginning each filled form. The system is designed so that it remains as generic as possible. The number of hard coded rules in the whole pipeline was minimized to offer an adaptive solution able to address the largest number of forms, with various structures and typography. The system is also created to be integrated as a built-in function in a larger pipeline. The form understanding pipeline could be the starting point of any advanced Natural Language Processing application.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining a lane, the method including extracting plural straight-line segments from a captured stereo image including a first image and a second image of a driving road, selecting a first lane from the stereo image based on line segments of the plural straight-line segments, corresponding to lanes of the driving road, predicting a second lane candidate, based on the first lane, including at least a portion of a lane area excluding the line segments in the stereo image, and determining a second lane by updating a position of the predicted second lane candidate based on a confidence value of the predicted second lane candidate.

Methods and systems for identifying areas of interest in an image are disclosed. To manage identification of areas of interest in an image, a trained inference model may generate inferences based on the pixels of the image. The inferences may include areas of interest that contributed to the generation of the inferences. Some areas of interest may be highly relevant to the inferences and may be classified as primary areas of interest. Auxiliary areas of interest may also be identified using a trained inference model. Auxiliary areas of interest may be obtained by calculating gradients for each pixel that contributed to the identification of the primary areas of interest. By rank ordering the pixels, pixels with the highest contribution to the identification of the primary areas of interest may be identified. Proximate groupings of these pixels may be classified as auxiliary areas of interest in the image.

A method of label detection includes: obtaining, by an imaging controller, an image depicting a shelf; increasing an intensity of a foreground subset of image pixels exceeding an upper intensity threshold, and decreasing an intensity of a background subset of pixels below a lower intensity threshold; responsive to the increasing and the decreasing, (i) determining gradients for each of the pixels and (ii) selecting a candidate set of the pixels based on the gradients; overlaying a plurality of shelf candidate lines on the image derived from the candidate set of pixels; identifying a pair of the shelf candidate lines satisfying a predetermined sequence of intensity transitions; and generating and storing a shelf edge bounding box corresponding to the pair of shelf candidate lines.