Produce recognition system

THE PRESENT SYSTEM AND APPARATUS MAKES USE OF AN IMAGE TREATMENT TO RECOGNIZE THE OBJECTS FOUND IN A SCENE. THE SYSTEM INCLUDES A LIGHTING SOURCE TO LIGHT THE SCENE. IF THE LIGHTING SOURCE IS CONTROLLED, AN IMAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM MAY TAKE A FIRST DIGITIZED IMAGE OF THE SCENE WITH THE ILLUMINATED OBJECT A HIGHER LEVEL AND A SECOND IMAGE DIGITIZED WITH THE ILLUMINATED OBJECT A LOWER LEVEL. THROUGH THE USE OF AN ALGORITHM, THE IMAGE OF THE OR OBJECTS IS SEGMENTED BY A BACKGROUND IMAGE OF THE SCENE THROUGH A COMPARISON OF THE TWO DIGITALIZED IMAGES TAKEN. A TREATED IMAGE (THAT CAN BE USED TO CHARACTERIZE PARTICULARITIES) OF THE OBJECT OR OF THE OBJECTS IS COMPARED WITH SOME STORED REFERENCE IMAGES. THE OBJECT IS RECOGNIZED WHEN THERE IS A COINCIDENCE. THE SYSTEM MAY RECOGNIZE OBJECTS REGARDLESS OF SIZE AND NUMBER AND MAY BE PROGRAMMED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OBJECTS FOR WHICH IT WAS NOT INITIALLY PROGRAMMED.