Knowledge-based view control of a neural 3-D object recognition system

The recognition of 3D objects is one of the most challenging goals in computer vision. In this paper we present a robot vision system that analyzes its environment by active vision techniques. Therefore, the system is gathering information about an object in the scene by taking multiple views. It is designed as a hybrid system that brings together the advantages of neural networks and knowledge based strategies. While the analysis of a single view is done by artificial neural networks, a knowledge based control determines viewpoints from which the scene should be analyzed in detail. Semantic networks are used to model 3D objects by holistically recognizable computer structures and by its basic views, thus, merging a part/part-of-hierarchy and an aspect-hierarchy. The system is implemented in conjunction with a six degrees of freedom robot and a hand-mounted camera