WO2003081370A2

WO2003081370A2 - Method to recognize classifiable objects, such as vegetable or animal organisms, minerals or otherwise

Info

Publication number: WO2003081370A2
Application number: PCT/IB2003/001007
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefano Martellos
Original assignee: Universita' Degli Studi Di Trieste
Priority date: 2002-03-21
Filing date: 2003-03-20
Publication date: 2003-10-02
Also published as: AU2003215780A8; AU2003215780A1; WO2003081370A3; ITUD20020070A1

Abstract

Method to recognize classifiable objects, comprising at least a first memorization step (20), during which, in a database of a central electronic calculator, the characters, that is, the parameters and characteristics of a determinate number of objects, are memorized and classified, a second generating step (30, 40) for automatically generating an identification key, by means of the interaction between the values inserted by the user into a peripheral electronic calculator connected to the central electronic calculator, and a series of choices between several options, proposed to the user by the central electronic calculator, by means of the peripheral electronic calculator, and a third displaying step (60) for displaying the results, so that the user can recognize the object in question.

Description

" METHOD TO RECOGNI Z E CLAS S I F IABLE OBJECTS , SUCH AS VEGETABLE OR ANIMAL ORGANI SMS , MINERALS OR OTHERWISE "

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns a method to recognize classifiable objects, such as for example vegetable or animal organisms, minerals or other sets of objects, by identifying a series of "characters", intended as particulars or characteristics belonging to the object to be recognized and by comparing them with a plurality of information memorized in an electronic database, which can be consulted by means of any electronic calculator, until a first group of objects is identified which possess all said particulars or characteristics. With subsequent refining, obtained through interaction between the database and the user who has to recognize the object, the exact and precise recognition of the object in question is obtained.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Until today, in order to recognize classifiable objects, people have used books, manuals, encyclopedias, collections of photographs and other paper supports, in which all the species of one or more kinds of object have been collected, catalogued and illustrated. For example, we might mention publications on animals, plants, minerals, boats, means of transport, etc.

In order to recognize a particular object, or a particular species of objects, which he has seen and whose name and other information he wants to know, the user has to leaf through the volume or volumes containing all the information concerning the genus to which the object or species that he wants to recognize belongs.

Sometimes this takes a very long time, and the user is not always able to recognize the object, due to his inattention or inability to consult efficiently, even if the image of the object which he is searching for and wants to recognize is actually in the volume he is consulting.

The Applicant has devised and embodied the present invention to overcome these shortcomings and to obtain further advantages, as will be explained hereafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other innovative features of the invention.

One purpose of the present invention is to perfect a method which will allow a user, using any electronic calculator of a known type, including a personal computer, portable, palmtop or otherwise, to recognize, simply and in real time, a classifiable object, whether it be a vegetable organism, such as a plant, a fungus, a moss, a lichen or otherwise, an animal, a mineral or any category or genus of object, such as works of art, monuments and otherwise.

In accordance with this purpose, the method according to the present invention comprises a first memorization step, during which, in a database of a central electronic calculator, or server, all the characters, that is the parameters, characteristics and attributes of a determinate number of species, advantageously all, of a determinate genus are memorized and catalogued. Then there follows a second generating step for automatically generating, by means of the interaction between the user and a peripheral electronic calculator connected to the server, an identification key, intended as an instrument which, thanks to a series of choices between several options proposed to the user by the server by means of the peripheral calculator, guides the user to recognize the object to be recognized and identified. To be more exact, the method according to the present invention comprises a configuring step for configuring the server and defining the database, which comprises the following sub-steps: a defining sub-step for defining the characters to identify and insert them into the server; a defining sub-step for defining the states of the characters and inserting them into the server; a defining sub-step for defining the order of priority of the characters in the key; a organizing sub-step for organizing the characters into groups in order to construct the descriptions; a defining sub-step for defining the order of the characters inside the groups; a defining sub-step for defining the order of priority of the groups in the description; a setting sub-step for setting the characters to be used in the query interface.

After the server configuring step there follows an inserting step for inserting the data, which comprises the following sub-steps: an inserting sub-step for inserting the values of the individual objects to be recognized; a correcting sub-step for correcting possible errors of insertion; a modifying sub-step for modifying the data.

There then follows a processing step for processing the data, which comprises the following sub-steps: a defining sub-step for defining the field of objects to be identified by means of the afore-mentioned query interface; a refining or tuning sub-step by means of a connection to possible external databases; a displaying sub-step for displaying the results.

The method according to the present invention, which advantageously, but not exclusively, is implemented in a program for an electronic calculator, has the following advantages : - it allows the user to insert, for every object to be recognized, only the relevant characters, that is, those which are necessary for the identification;

- it is not necessary for the user to collect all the data or characters available on the object, as it is sufficient that he introduces only those which, in his opinion, distinguish the object from others similar thereto; this accelerates the data insertion; the addition of other accessory and/or descriptive characters can in fact be done also at a later moment; - it provides to use a determinate character functioning as a "joker", for example the key "0" (zero), which is recognized and managed by the calculator program, to be introduced by the calculator program into the fields left empty during insertion; the method to generate keys (and the program which implements it) follows the hierarchical order of the characters established by the user; moreover, for every character introduced, the program tries to divide the group of objects which it is analyzing into two subgroups; if even only one of the objects includes a "0" as value of the character under analysis, said character is skipped; in this way the user can use the "0" to decide which characters will be used by the program to identify and classify a particular group of objects;

- it provides the use of "notes", that is, strings of text, as an identification character; in fact, the characters can have a defined number of states, or no state at all; in this latter case, the user can introduce a string of text, called, precisely, "note", into the field assigned to the character in question. The notes can then be used to identify and classify objects which are so similar to each other that they cannot be identified by means of other characters, or between objects which differ from each other by such complex characters that they are not visible to an unaccustomed user. The use of the notes also allows the common user to have available a complex description of the differences between two objects, greatly facilitating the task of identi ication. Moreover, the use of the notes gives a considerable flexibility to the program, without necessarily constraining it to preset values and without obliging the user to provide all the possible attributes of a character.

- it provides the use of "groups" in the descriptions, that is, the possibility to group the characters together into well-defined groups, irrespective of the order of introduction, and of the order of priority in the key. This allows to create descriptions as clear as possible for all the users . The strings which appear in the descriptions are defined at the moment that the characters and their states are introduced.

- the order of priority of the characters is independent of the order of introduction. The order of priority, which is no other than the sequence with which the program reads the characters in order to generate the key, is defined apart and, by default, is the same as the order of introduction. The order of priority can be changed by the user at any time and according to his choice. If the user wants, he can also modify the order according to the group of objects for which he is preparing the key; in this way the key will be nearer the user's requirements, containing only characters which are important for the group of objects in question, and not characters which are less important or more difficult to observe. The method according to the present invention therefore guarantees a greater simplicity of use and total control by the user both of the data introduced and also of the steps of the program. In this way, the need to supply a determinate result is met without requiring an excessive effort in consulting technical manuals or in inserting data .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings wherein: - fig. 1 is a flow chart of the method according to the present invention; - fig. 2 is a diagram of the connection between two calculators, in which the method shown in fig. 1 is able to be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF EMBODIMENT

OF THE INVENTION With reference to fig. 1, a method 10 according to the present invention substantially comprises a selecting step 20 for selecting the objects to be recognized, made on a server 12 (fig. 2) of a known type, to create a database 13 in which the characters of a determinate number of objects, for example the different types of lichens, are memorized and classified.

After step 20 there follows the inserting step 30 (fig. 1) for inserting the known values of the object to be identified, performed by the user by means of a peripheral electronic calculator 15 (fig. 2), also of a known type. During step 30 construction is begun of an identification key which will serve to determine the object to be recognized from among those memorized in the database 13. After step 30 (fig. 1) there follows a processing step 40 performed by the server 12, in order to complete the identification key, by means of the interaction between the user and his peripheral calculator 15, connected to the database 13 of the server 12.

In a subsequent step 60 the results of the search are displayed, either on the monitor of the peripheral calculator 15 or printed on any printer connected thereto. In this case, the step 20 comprises: an introducing sub-step 21 for introducing the characters and the relative values, intended as specific attributes, into the database 13; a subsequent defining sub-step 22 for defining the sequence of characters in the identification key and in the descriptions; a subsequent configuring sub-step 23 for configuring the search masks and a subsequent introducing sub-step 24 for introducing the relative actual data into the database 13. Step 30 comprises: a selecting sub-step 31 for selecting the values of the characters in the search mask; a subsequent sub-step 32 wherein the list of the objects which correspond to the selections is formed; a sub-step 33, which directs to the sub-step 31 and in which the values of the characters are redefined in order to generate a more restricted list, should this be too long; and an accepting sub-step 34 for accepting the list and starting the identification key proper.

Step 40 comprises: a sub-step 41 in which, according to a counter, a character is selected from the sequence determined by the server 12; a subsequent sub-step 42 and a sub-step 43 in which it is determined, respectively, if the objects have different values for a particular character, or if the objects all have the same value for a particular character. After sub-step 42 there follow a sub-step 44 and a sub-step 45 in which it is determined, respectively, if no object has a value of "0" for that character, or if at least one object has a value of "0" for that character. The sub-steps 43 and 45 both lead to a counter increasing sub- step 46 which is connected to the sub-step 41.

After sub-step 44 there follows a sub-step 47 in which the number of objects in the list for every value of the character is counted and the group containing fewest objects is chosen.

After sub-step 47 there follow a sub-step 48 and a sub-step 49 in which it is determined, respectively, if the group contains three or more objects, or if the group contains only one or two objects. After sub-step 48 there follows a sub-step 50, which distinguishes this group of objects inside the list and continues working on this group, after which there follows a zeroing sub-step 51 for zeroing the counter, connected to the sub-step 41. After sub-step 49 there follows a sub-step 52, which generates the description of the object or objects, so that they can be printed and/or displayed on the peripheral calculator 15, and a subsequent sub-step 53 which cancels the object or objects from the list. After sub-step 53 there follow a sub-step 54 and a sub-step 55 in which it is determined, respectively, if there are still objects or if there are no longer any objects. The sub-step 54 is connected to the zeroing sub-step 51 for zeroing the counter, while the sub-step 55 is connected to the displaying step 60 for displaying the results of the search.

We shall now provide two examples of a search to recognize and classify a lichen and, respectively, a tree. In both cases, when the user does not know one or more characters of the object to be recognized and classified, he does not insert any value so that, by default, the value "0" will be automatically inserted.

In the case of lichen, let us suppose that we know the form of growth and the general color of the thallus, the growth substrate, the photobiont and the thallus reaction to K.

On request from the peripheral calculator 15 (fig. 2), the user will insert the values which he knows, as reported in the following table 1.

TABLE 1

The peripheral calculator 15, interacting with the server 12, processes the data following the method 10 as described heretofore and issues the results, reported as an example in the following table 2.

TABLE 2

1 Thallus filamentous

Bryoria capillaris

Thallus fruticose, grey, filamentous, pendulous, K+ yellow, C+ red, KC+ red, P+ yellow. Branches extremely narrow (<0,5 mm), rounded, filamentous. Pseudocyphellae linear. Soredia farinose, K+ yellow, C+ red, KC+ red, P+ yellow. Medulla compact, K+ yellow, C+ red, KC+ red, P+ yellow. Photobiont: green algae not trentepohlioid. On bark or wood.

1 Thallus non filamentous

2 Cilia present

Heterodermia leucomelos

Thallus fruticose, grey, K+ yellow. Edge with marginal cilia. Medulla K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P- . Photobiont: green algae not trentepohlioid. On bark or wood. Sometimes soredia are present on the lower side, apically. 2 Cilia absent

3 Undersurface pale

Evernia prunastri

Thallus fruticose, grey, filamentous, pendulous, K+ yellow, C-, KC-, P- . Branches elongated. Soredia diffused, whitish marginal. Undersurface whitish. Medulla K- , C- KC- , P- . Photobiont: green algae not trentepohlioid On bark or wood. These usnic acid- deficient orphs are distinguished as E. prunastri f herinii (Duvign. ) H. Hawksw.

3 Undersurface dark, from black to dark brown

4 Medulla C- . Medulla KC-

Pseudevernia furfuracea

Thallus fruticose, bifacial, K+ yellow. Isidia cylindrical, diffused. Undersurface from black to whitish. Medulla C- , KC- . Photobiont: green algae not trentepohlioid. On bark or wood.

4 Medulla C red. Medulla KC red

Pseudevernia furfuracea v. ceratea

Thallus fruticose, bifacial, K+ yellow. Isidia cylindrical, diffused. Undersurface from black to whitish. Medulla C+ red, KC+ red. Photobiont: green algae not trentepohlioid. On bark or wood.

In the case of a tree, let us suppose that we know the type of trunk, the shape of the leaves, and the way in which they are inserted in the branches .

On request from the peripheral calculator 15 (fig. 2), the user will insert the values which he knows, reported in the following table 3.

TABLE 3

The peripheral calculator 15, interacting with the server 12, processes the data following the method 10 as described heretofore and issues the results, reported as an example in the following table 4.

TABLE 4

1 Leaves disposed all around the branch

Picea Abies

Height up to 50 mt; crown bright-green, pyramidal. Bark grey-greenish. Leaves needle-shaped, brilliant-green, up to 2,5 cm long, up to 1 mm wide, disposed all around the branch; with acute apex. Female cones down-turned, subcylindrical , dark, up to 15 cm long, up to 4 cm wide; squames bright, flexible. Due seeds at the base of the squames . Branches down-turned. Note: Optimum in the boreal belt, but often cultivated; Italian natural distributional range ends in the norther Appennines .

1 Leaves disposed in two regular series on the branch

2 Upper surface of the leaf dark-green; lower surface of the leaf with two white lines; leaf with obtuse apex

Abies alba Height up to 50 mt ; crown silver-green. Bark white- greyish. Leaves needle-shaped, flattened, up to 2 cm long, up to 3 mm wide, disposed in two regular series on the branch; with obtuse apex; upper surface of the leaf dark-green; lower surface of the leaf with two white lines. Female cones up-turned, cylindrical, dark-green, up to 9 cm long, up to 4 cm wide. Two seeds at the base of the squames. Note: Optimum in the mountain belt, in humid forest, often together with beech. Leaves are inserted all around the branches, but they assume the disposition in two regular series because of the torsion of their base.

2 Upper surface of the leaf dark at the apex, dark-green at the base; lower surface of the leaf without white lines; leaf with acute apex

Taxus baccata Height up to 20 t; crown dark-green, pyramidal. Bark grey. Leaves needle-shaped, flattened, up to 3 cm long, up to 2 mm wide, disposed in two regular series on the branch; with acute apex. Upper surface of the leaf dark at the apex, dark-green at the base; lower surface of the leaf without white lines; fruit red, sweet, with one seed in the middle. Note: Optimum in the beech forests, especially on calcareous substrata. Often cultivated. It is clear that modifications or addition of steps may be made to the method 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention. It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to a specific example, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of the method, all of which shall come within the field and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1 - Method to recognize classifiable objects, characterized in that it comprises at least a first memorization step (20) , during which, in a database (13) of a central electronic calculator (12), the characters of a determinate number of objects are memorized and classified, a second generating step (30, 40) for automatically generating an identification key, by means of the interaction between values inserted by the user into a peripheral electronic calculator (15), connected to said central electronic calculator (12), and a series of choices between several options, proposed to the user by said central electronic calculator (12) by means of said peripheral electronic calculator (15), and a third displaying step (60) for displaying the results, so that the user can recognize the object in question.

2 - Method as in claim 1, characterized in that said second generating step comprises an inserting step (30) for inserting known values of the object to be identified into said peripheral electronic calculator (15), said inserting step (30) comprising a first selecting sub-step (31) for selecting the value of the characters in the search masks of said database (13), a second listing sub-step (32) for listing the objects which correspond to the selections made by the user in said peripheral electronic calculator (15), a third redefining sub-step (33) for redefining the values of the characters in said identification key, in order to generate a more restricted list, and a fourth accepting sub-step (34) for accepting the list and starting a proper generation of the identification key.

3 - Method as in claim 2, characterized in that said second generating step further comprises a processing step (40) for processing the values inserted. 4 - Method as in claim 3, characterized in that said processing step (40) comprises at least a fifth sub-step

(41) in which a character is selected from the sequence determined by said central electronic calculator (12), a sixth sub-step (42) and a seventh sub-step (43) in which it is determined, respectively, if the objects have different values for a particular character, or if the objects all have the same value for a particular character.

5 - Method as in claim 4, characterized in that said processing step (40) further comprises an eighth sub-step

(44) and a ninth sub-step (45) in which it is determined, respectively, if no object has a value of "0" for that character, or if at least one object has a value of "0" for that character 6 - Method as in claim 5, characterized in that said processing step (40) further comprises a tenth sub-step

(47) in which the number of objects in the list for every value of the character is counted and the group containing fewest objects is chosen. 7 - Method as in claim 6, characterized in that said processing step (40) further comprises an eleventh sub-step

(48) and a twelfth sub-step (49) in which it is determined, respectively, if the group contains three or more objects, or if the group contains only one or two objects. 8 - Method as in claim 7, characterized in that said processing step (40) further comprises a thirteenth sub- step (50) which distinguishes said group of objects inside the list and continues working on said group, after which there follows a fourteenth zeroing sub-step (51) for zeroing the counter, connected to the sub-step (41) .

9 - Method as in claim 8, characterized in that after said twelfth sub-step (49) there follow a fifteenth sub-step (52), which generates the description of the object or objects, so that they can be printed and/or displayed on said peripheral calculator (15), and a sixteenth sub-step

(53) which cancels the object or objects from the list.

10 - Method as in claim 9, characterized in that after said sixteenth sub-step (53) there follow a seventeenth sub-step

(54) and an eighteenth sub-step (55) in which it is determined, respectively, if there are still objects or if there are no longer any objects.