Method, apparatus, and system for a parametric representation of signs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10325166-B2
Application number	US-201715487069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Apr 13, 2017
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

An approach is provided for parametric representation of signs. The approach involves receiving a request to detect and encode signs depicted in an input image into a parametric representation. The approach also involves assigning processing nodes of a computer vision system to independently process each grid cell of the input image to detect at least one edge of a sign. The processing nodes are assigned based on proximity to each grid cell. Each respective grid cell is created by overlaying a grid onto the input image. The approach further involves encoding, by the processing nodes, an angle and a location of a detected edge as edge parameters of a cell-based parametric representation for each grid cell. The approach further involves aggregating the cell-based parametric representation for each respective grid cell in which at least one edge is detected to output the parametric representation of the at least one sign.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computer vision system, a request to detect and encode at least one sign depicted in an input image into a parametric representation of the at least one sign;
assigning respective one or more processing nodes of the computer vision system to independently process each respective grid cell of the input image to detect at least one edge of the at least one sign, wherein said processing nodes are assigned based on a proximity to said each respective grid cell, and wherein said each respective grid cell is among a plurality of grid cells created by overlaying a grid onto the input image;
encoding, by said respective processing nodes, an angle and a location of a detected at least one edge as edge parameters of a cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell; and
aggregating the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell in which the at least one edge of the at least one sign is detected to output the parametric representation of the at least one sign.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein there are more than one of said processing nodes assigned to process the respective grid cell to generate a plurality of redundant cell-based parametric representations for said each respective grid cell, and wherein the plurality of redundant cell-based parametric representations are processed into a single cell-based parametric representation to represent the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a confidence value associated with the detected at least one edge,
wherein the confidence value is further encoded into the cell-based parametric representation.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a reference point and a reference angle for said each respective grid cell;
encoding the location of the detected at least one edge as a distance along a line segment drawn from the reference point to the detected at least one edge, wherein the line segment is perpendicular to the detected at least one edge; and
encoding the angle of the detected at least one edge in relation to the reference angle.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the reference point is a centroid of an area of said each respective grid cell that represents image data corresponding to the at least one sign.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the cell-based parametric representation includes a plurality of output channels, and wherein each of the plurality of output channels corresponds to an edge detector that is responsible for a different range of edge angles.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a predicted sign center for said each respective grid cell in which the at least one edge of the at least one sign is detected,
wherein the cell-based parametric representation further includes a parameter indicating the predicted sign center.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
clustering the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell in which the at least one edge of the at least one sign is detected into one or more clusters based on the predicted sign center for said each respective grid cell; and
designating each of the one or more clusters as representative of a different sign when the input image depicts more than one sign.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein a parameter representing the predicted sign center is indicated as an X, Y displacement from said each respective grid cell to the predicted sign center.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective cell in the parametric representation to reconstruct one or more line segments corresponding to the detected at least one edge cell; and
joining the line segments to reassemble a polygonal representation of the at least one sign.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein cell-based parametric representation further includes an attribute parameter, and wherein the attribute parameter indicates one or more characteristics of the detected at least one edge, the at least one sign, or a combination thereof.

12. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,
receive, by a computer vision system, a request to detect and encode at least one sign depicted in an input image into a parametric representation of the at least one sign;
assign respective one or more processing nodes of the computer vision system to independently process each respective grid cell of the input image to detect at least one edge of the at least one sign, wherein said processing nodes are assigned based on a proximity to said each respective grid cell, and wherein said each respective grid cell is among a plurality of grid cells created by overlaying a grid onto the input image;
encode, by said respective processing nodes, an angle and a location of a detected at least one edge as edge parameters of a cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell; and
aggregate the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell in which the at least one edge of the at least one sign is detected to output the parametric representation of the at least one sign.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein there are more than one of said processing nodes assigned to process the respective grid cell to generate a plurality of redundant cell-based parametric representations for said each respective grid cell, and wherein the plurality of redundant cell-based parametric representations are processed into a single cell-based parametric representation to represent the cell-based parametric representation for said each respective grid cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to:
determine a confidence value associated with the detected at least one edge,
wherein the confidence value is further encoded into the cell-based parametric representation.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to:
determine a reference point and a reference angle for said each respective grid cell;
encode the location of the detected at least one edge as a distance along a line segment drawn from the reference point to the detected at least one edge, wherein the line segment is perpendicular to the detected at least one edge; and
encode the angle of the detected at least one edge in relation to the reference angle.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the apparatus is further caused to:
determine a predicted sign center for said each respective grid cell in which the at least one edge of the at least one sign is detected,
wherein the cell-based parametric representation further includes a parameter indicating the predicted sign center.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform:
receiving, by a computer vision system, a request to detect and encode at least one sign depicted in an input image into a parametric representation of the at least one sign;
assigning respective one or more processing nodes of the computer vision system to independently process each respective grid cel

Assignees

• Here Global Bv

Inventors

• Kwant Richard
• Mittal Anish
• Lawlor David
• Gupta Himaanshu

Classifications

• B60W30/0956

  the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters · CPC title

• B60W2554/00

  Input parameters relating to objects · CPC title

• B60W40/04

  Traffic conditions · CPC title

• B60W2555/60

  Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way · CPC title

• G06F18/23

  Clustering techniques · CPC title