DEVICE AND METHOD FOR IMAGE FEATURE EXTRACTION, MONITOR AND INSPECTION SYSTEM, SEMICONDUCTOR EXPOSURE SYSTEM, AND INTERFACE SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an image feature extracting device, which monitors a field according to a picked-up image, to easily extract features of a body in the field at a high speed. SOLUTION: A differential image signal is generated by picking up an image of the field. This differential image signal is processed by lines to detect the left end edge and right end edge of the field. An expanding and contracting process is carried out for the detected left end edge and right end edge to remove dot noise and blur noise. Calculated values such as body area and a body position are found from both the end edges having noise removed and abnormality in the field is decided according to the calculated values. A series of those processes is for only both end edges of two points per line. The information processing quantity is much less than that of processes by pixels and the processes are fast and simple. Consequently, an image feature extracting device is actualized which is suitable, specially, for real-time monitoring by a moving picture.