IMAGE PROCESSOR

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of obtaining the position of an object with good reproducibility even in the case the variation of a light amount occurs in the objective space. SOLUTION: The image processor comprises: a distance image sensor 10 for creating a distance image; a differential processing part 4 for creating a gradient directional image, the pixel value of which is a gradient directional value obtained from the distance image; a template memory part 6 for storing the distance from reference point set in the gradient directional image of the template to each pixel and an angle of direction connecting the reference point and regarding pixel relating with the grading direction value; a reference candidate calculation part 7 for calculating the candidate of coordinate corresponding to the reference point using the distance and angle obtained by referring the gradient distance value to the template memory part 6, for each pixel of gradient directional image generated from the distance image including the object Ob to be detected; and a determination process part 9 for determining that among the candidate of the coordinate obtained by the candidate of the reference point calculation part 7 the position of coordinate of maximum frequency is the coordinate position corresponding to the reference point. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI