WO2001037692A1

WO2001037692A1 - Method and system for anthropomorphic identification and classification for military and civilian purposes

Info

Publication number: WO2001037692A1
Application number: PCT/IT2000/000475
Authority: WO
Inventors: Elisabeth Duhamel
Original assignee: T.M. Srl
Priority date: 1999-11-24
Filing date: 2000-11-23
Publication date: 2001-05-31
Also published as: ITPC990043A0; IT1309631B1; EP1244367B1; ITPC990043A1; WO2001037692A9; DE60022090D1; DE60022090T2; ES2249311T3; EP1244367A1; ATE301943T1; AU1886201A

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and an apparatus for automatic identification of shapes of the volume of the human body. The method consists in acquiring a number of contrasted silhouettes to calculate the perimeters of the ellipsoids obtained by intersection of the planes passing through the vertical axis of the body being examined. The apparatus comprises a fixed telecamera (1) and a revolving platform (2) which enable to highlight the silhouettes obtained by contrasting the human body with an illuminating panel (3).

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFICATION AND ANTHROPOMORPHIC CLASSIFICATION FOR MILITARY AND CΓVTL USE

military and civilian.

Subject of the invention and field of application.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus suitable for the automatic identification and classification of "anthropometric conformations", by the method and apparatus of the present invention,

a with the automatic raising of the volume of the human body, b. to the comparison of said volume with volumes of normotypes codified according to the form of said volume, c to the consequent classification of said volume according to criteria which characterize codified normotypes

The fields of application of the present invention relate both to the industry of

clothing than all the other areas for which the volume of the human body is of decisive importance vis-à-vis the final result, as for example in the military field

In this last field, in fact, it is fundamental to repθfκire_.à 1, 'requirement of the correct and comfortable fit of uniforms for reasons, normally in conflict, of security-

eLde functionality

Still in the military field, the process and the apparatus of the present invention find their applications where it is important to optimize the relationship between the user's bodily parameters (weight, volume, shape) and the equipment or work or combat equipment (length of the straps to support weapons in shoulder strap, cabins, cockpits, etc.) _ 1_

Other possible applications of the present invention invest the industry of

transport in which, in order to project both civil and

military, such as cars, Jeep, trucks, tanks and planes, knowledge of

different shapes of the human body have parity of volume allows to carry out the cockpits and

seats ergonomically The same requirements are found in the

furnishing, or support furniture projects such as chairs, sofas and armchairs

can be optimized taking into account statistically volumetric real shapes

defined users

Advantages of the invention

A serious and typical viable drawback, as a nonlimiting example, in the industry

of clothing, derives from the huge amount of unsold clothing because of

their wrong fit

In fact, millions of pieces of clothing introduced to the market are manufactured

according to ideal morphologies, which differ, however, considerably from

real anthropometric configurations the result of said mismatch resuite in this

that the product is generally unfit to dress users This serious and typical

clothing industry's economy stems from the fact that ideal body shapes

human, classified according to a system of sizes, drop, or indications of type S, M, L, XL,

etc according to ISO standards. are only representative of the volume of the human body

but not, a volume volume, its form, the or for form means the distribution of

ellipsoid measurements along the height development of the volume of the human body,

the sizes, regulated by ISO 3635 standards, are not sufficient for a construction correct clothing, for this purpose the ISO 8559 standard provides anthropometric statistics for a more correct construction of clothing

In addition, the well-being of the pieces of clothing must be tested on the body in movement, the joints being the critical points for modeling the garment.

The methodology actually used for the project and the mass production of clothing parts is, as mentioned above, based on the size system and on the development of linear measures of the perimeters of the parts making up the part, the measures being variable within a deviation of which the ends are calculated according to the type of population to be dressed, population for which the differences between the adjacent sizes are of the order of 2-4 cm

Such a formulation, as can be seen in the size tables reported in the mail-order catalogs or, for example, in the qualifier "Boo of the Ostend

Institute of Berlin ", preferably used for German anthropometric control, implies by approximation that the chest measurement, waist measurement, hip measurement and other fundamental reference measurements established by ISO standards increase from the minimum value to the maximum with the same proportion

This methodology therefore implies that the human body is assimilated to an "elastic balloon" of anatomical shape which, in a manner analogous to the spheπque balloon, inflates and extends uniformly and proportionally in all its parts, that is to say that an increase in the chest measurement corresponds to a necessary and proportional increase in the waist and other ellipsoids

In practice, the human body does not increase according to this law and, as we know that among certain age categories (for example during the transition from adolescent to adult) such a model can be adopted to approach the mode development of the human body, has from a certain age, on the other hand, we verify an independent increase and not correlation of the different parts of the body, we can therefore verify that the waist size increases where the chest measurement remains constant: we therefore verify a change anthropometric conformation in the sense that the increase in volume involves a variation in the shape of the body, since the ellipsoids which characterize the volume change in the correlation ratio. Said problem, although it concerns the clothing industry, is inherent in the industrial production of large series of parts; in the past it was regulated by artisanal fashion houses by adaptations of the piece to the body of the user, in order to respect its real volumetric conformation, also taking into account other parameters affecting the well-being of the garment, such as example the mechanical characteristics of the fabric and its elasticity.

The result was that, on par with standard measurements (size), the garment required adjustments according to the characteristics of the fabric and the particular shape of the body, that is to say, the actual anthropometric conformation of the user.

A first partial solution to this problem is represented by the adoption for the manufacture of clothing of anthropometric mannequins of the type disclosed in EP

06341 14 (Cad-Modeling).

The forms of the said models are based on basic anthropometric statistics, computed by computer means and taking into account weighted average values of the volumes of the human body.

Said articulated anthropometric mannequins, which correspond to the volumes and proportions representing the average values of the anthropometric conformations, adopt the classification methodology which is the basis of the present invention. In order to optimize the production process for clothing items, or for all

other aforementioned applications in other sectors of ^industry, to optimize

final forms of the products, the present invention uses a "digitization" of the

conformations of said articulated mannequins

Said digital representations of the conformations are then memoπsees in order to

build a database that consents to confront said digital representation

with the digital codification of the anatomical shape to be dressed

the anatomical form is identified and digitized by the method of the main claim

We individualize, in this way, the exact conformation of the representable user

according to the correct classification of the anthropometric conformation and therefore, by

Therefore, we individualize the correct fit of the garment

State of the art

On the basis of the operation of the present invention, as mentioned above, is a

classification system for human forms, as disclosed by EP 06341 14. according to

said classification system, forms can be distinguished into six classes

morphological for men, seven for women and twenty for children / adolescents

The theory behind the classification system is also disclosed in "Bπnging

Anthropométrie Data mto the 20 * Century "by Manuel Gaétan Ph D, Apparel

Manufacturer, Nov 1989

Another theoretical support on the basis of the present invention is given by the methods of

dimensional representation of forms, as they are determined in "Algoπthms for graphie and images processing "by Théo Pavlidis, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, particularly in chapter 17, pages 77-392

The problem of raising the geometric characteristics of the human body has also been dealt with by JP-A-6104430 in which a system for producing configurations for the clothing industry is described, consisting in the digital production of "silhouettes" of 'a person pπses by means of a video system, the limits of the system are inherent in the recovery system which, being made up of two orthogonal images, front and profile, does not allow a precise volumetπque representation of human forms In addition, the system is limited to measuring the body in an identical way to the corresponding manual operations, without pretensions of its anthropometric classification, by absence of a standard anthropometric reference So, even if we solve the problem of contactless measurement, the lessons disclosed by JP -A-6104430 do not solve the problem of rationalizing industrial reproduction in order to reduce e wastage but they only solve the problem of taking measurements without the annoying contact when using a sewing meter for manual readings

In EP 05241 19 (Telmat) a method and a device for the identification and the representation of human subjects are disclosed. The limits verified for such a disclosure, with respect to the method and the apparatus of the present invention, consist in that the three-dimensional representation in digital form is obtained by means of calculation methods based on simulation with neural networks (self-learning systems), which involves complex and costly calculation methods and the use of expensive calculators also using the parallel computing, or according to the method of the present invention, commercial computers are used without the need for complicated software Another problem solved by the present invention is that of using a single telecamera to obtain the entanglement of the shape of the volume of the subject examined, by rotating said subject 360 ° at the moven of a rolling platform synchronized with the system of acquisition of views this is possible by setting a reference for the start of the rotation and synchronizing the rotation and scansion with the data acquisition module from telecamera, the image acquisition technique (s) the prior art founds the method of calculation on two views, respectively from the front and from the profile, the same state of the prior art provides for the realization with several views of using several cameras, or rotating telecameras with a consequent variation in the depth of 1 image, in addition, in the case of consecutive and / or continuous shooting, the cameras are not referred to an initial position reference of the scansion, with a consequent imprecision or even the impossibility of raising The preferential embodiment of the present invention provides for the solution of the problems exposed by means of a recording of views of the subject to be raised from a reference position, called position of reference constituting the beginning of the scansion of the views, said views being between a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 92 and being taken in succession in a time of approximately 10 seconds

At the moven of said process, the need to calculate by means of a neural network simulator the outline of the human figure is eliminated, as it is on the contrary necessary in the case of EP 05241 19

Subsequently, according to the method of the prior art, said contours are raised by successive approximations based on an unspecified number of views (at least one) and using a method of classification and representation of human forms by means of a pπse device. planar views, based on a learning process a neural networks the consequence is obvious inaccuracies in the recognition and classification of said forms as a function of either the number of cameras used, or also of their arrangement, or again the number of views recorded by each of the bearings.

In order to raise the profile of the body, the system discloses by EP 05241 19, at least in its preferred embodiment, uses two orthogonal telecameras and thus founds the construction of the actual volume in an approximate manner which entails the impossibility or insufficient precision in the determination and characterization of the shape of said volume Starting, on the contrary, from the aforementioned theory of anthropometric conformations, the present invention makes it possible to arrive at a method and an apparatus for correct identification of the shapes and their precise anthropometric classification according to the above-mentioned classes. morphological, by means of rotary scansion of the subject from a reference position and with synchronized digital acquisition of views, said views being acquired at a rate between 90 and 92 for each complete revolution of approximately 10 seconds Morphological classes identify structures of form and volume, called normotypes, q which are represented graphically in a realistic way In addition, as we see in Tables 1 and II A, said classes, called bases, are consistent with the ISO size system, this simplifies self-identification and does not upset the existing standardization of ISO standards adopted by the industry of the sector Each of said normotypes is characterized by a volume, from which are extrapolated a series of ellipsoids, themselves noted in parts and in fundamental anatomical reference points for the construction of a garment

The fundamental observation is that these measures have a very precise relationship among them, remaining constant for different statures and oscillating anyway around a value which results to be the statistical average of a particular anthropometric conformation this conformation represents, therefore, the most representative value of this particular volume, having these specific proportions (distribution of measurements along the volume of the body)

The gradation, or even the change in the ratios of the measurements, will only look at a limited amplitude compared to the central value, for the different possible heights inside this specific anthropometric conformation, known as the basic model, the relative piece of clothing. will undergo interventions that refer only to simple changes in length of elements not characterizing the fit and the silhouette

In conclusion, a determined anthropometric conformation is statistically viable in a limit range of heights and in an even more limited range of sizes. A change in measurements which is greater than the amplitudes provided for in Tables I and II involves the change in conformation and the relative model does can no longer be obtained by a simple gradation Once an anthropometric conformation has been individualized, one of these possible volumetric amplitudes which keeps the membership relationships to this class is statistically justified only for an average measurement and it prevails in a limit group of statures a superior deviation involves a change in proportions among the fundamental parts of the body and. therefore, a change in anthropometric conformation an individual, during growth, does not pass continuously from one measurement to another but, in certain particular phases of his morphological evolution, he changes anthropometric conformation These considerations allow the constitution of a limited database which simplifies the

comparison with the digitized data acquired by the scansion of the subject's views which

runs and makes the identification software less complex

Description of the invention

The present invention can be better understood by means of the figures

Fig 1 represents a fiow chart of the process,

Fig.2 shows schematically the device that performs the invented process,

Fig 3 shows the data entry mask for the subject to be surveyed and data output

recovery,

Fig 4 illustrates how to measure ellipsoids for planes tilted one way

parametric with respect to the vertical axis of the subject of the scansion,

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the flow of operations to be carried out at the act of recovery,

Fig 6 shows the anthropometric conformations according to the classification of the shapes of

volumes in relation to heights, represented in digital form in the database,

Fig 7 shows the parts that make up the rotating system (platform)

The method of the present invention is based on the digital acquisition of images (views)

obtained by the scansion of a subject, whether a man, a woman or a child

digital information represents linear measurements that look at parts of the

human body and consist essentially of lengths of linear segments

(limbs, shoulders, height) or by ellipsoids (chest measurement, neck measurement, hips,

etc.) When acquired, said measurements are related to each other, and by internal comparisons with the conformation database, also based on conforming linear measurements, they provide a classification of the anatomies according to criteria that characterize the volumes and their form, as has been described previously. Ultimately, therefore, the method according to claim 1 is capable of providing the measurements of the human body and a classification of the body according to normotypes whose characteristic parameters are previously stored in the memory in the form of data. Numeric stored in the database The principle of recovery is centered, as we said, on the analysis of a minimum of 90 to a maximum of 92 silhouettes, made up of as many views of the human body, the subject under recovery is rotated around its longitudinal axis of 360 degrees, the number of views taken from a minimum of 90 a maximum of 92 is obtained as an optimization between the requirement to have the major number of said views in order to be able, by integration, to obtain the volume with a high degree of precision, and the requirement to minimize the RAM memory, which keeps the digital data relating to said views The views are analyzed in relation to the outline of the body

Each silhouette is obtained by contrast between the body itself and a panel (3) with homogeneous luminosity poses last him The lifting system therefore provides a fixed lifting point, constituted by a camera (1), in relation to the subject to be raised, which , on the contrary, will turn on itself that avoids vanations of the depth of the field as in the case of telecameras and panel which turn around the subject and is, moreover, mechanically more reliable This rotation is generated by means of a rotating platform (2), provided with means (15) to allow replacement in the initial position after having completed a full 360 ° turn.

During the recovery operation, it must be ensured that the person under investigation does not move, that is to say that he does not change position or volume.

A time of approximately 10 seconds of revolution of the platform (2) results in being expeπmentalement the just compromise to obtain an angular speed not dangerous for the individual, and at the same time being a sustainable period of time for the purposes of the constancy of the position to keep

There follows, moreover, a recovery time which is not too long for the purposes of using the system for repetitive readings such as, for example, it might be necessary in points of sale, in medical recovery seats. or military recruitment

In order to analyze the outline of the human body, the subject to be surveyed must be undressed or in clothing conditions such as not to provide distorted images of said actual outline

Description of the device

The fundamental parts which constitute the device are a digital telecamera (1) a rotating platform (2) a computer with at least a Pentium Intel 333Mhz and 128 KB of RAM and Hard Disk of 2 Gigabyte (4) acquisition card Grabber type video (5) graphics card with 1024x740 pixel definition, 65,000 colors (installed on the computer's motherboard) - 17 inch SVGA color monitor (7) laser or inkjet graphic printer (8) The telecamera (1) is progressive of the digital type and equipped with an optic composed of interchangeable lenses capable of reading from a distance of 2 meters of individuals belonging to the size band which goes from 600 millimeters up to 2200 millimeters. This is mounted in a fixed position at a distance of approximately 2 meters from the center of the rotating platform and at a height of approximately 165 centimeters from the ground and is connected by means of two power and data transmission cables, to the specific card (5) installed in the computer.

The rotating stage (2), which contains the motorization (9) and the encoders (10) for controlling the rotation passes, is controlled by cards and switches placed on a control panel (1 1) which is placed, usually near the computer (4).

The rotating stage (2) is also equipped with photodetectors (15) which allow a module (6) to signal to the control panel the position of the reference (initial and at rest) of the rotation of the footrest (2) . The control panel (11) will inform the grabber card (5) that the platform (2) is in the reference position 0 degrees (i.e. it has completed 360 degrees of complete revolution). Above the base of the platform are located two die-cast shapes (12) to accommodate and indicate the correct position of the feet and to ensure the stability of the body during rotation. For the same stability function, two sticks (13, 13 ') integral with the rotating platform (2) which project by diverging at the top, provided with handles (14,14') which are screwed at different heights depending on the height of the subjects to be raised so that they facilitate a positioning of the body for the study in contrast and position of the arms, spaces of the body and folded so as to form an angle suitable for the measurement of their lengths

The light panel (3), preferably having the dimension 250 cm x 1150 cm and distant 16 cm from the subject to be surveyed, generally consists of an opaque white Plexiglas panel, behind which are installed five neon lamps (15) of power total equal to 175

Watt (35 x 5) The function of said panel is to provide a surface with rigorously constant brightness so that the contours of the human body can be raised by the telecamera (1) in a sufficiently precise and contrasted way, it is obviously possible to adopt d other materials that perform the same contrast function

The precision and the contrast of the image depend on a situation of brightness appropriate to the environment. A variant of the embodiment of the present invention provides that the lifting system is inside a cabin with non-reflective black walls. , that is to say so as not to provide an indirect illumination, by reflection or reverberation on the parts of the body seen by the camera The cabin, not indicated in the figures, and which surrounds the rotating platform, can be built as a mobile structure in which the walls are removable, or as a fixed installation

The software is schematically composed of three main modules

A - basic software

B - software for image acquisition and measurement

C - software for the conformation conformation

The basic software is the operational environment in which the other two modules operate

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, MS WINDOWS NT is used, or, for the relational data base, to carry out the data management function, the program is used.

ACCESS belonging to the OFFICE 97 SUITE, the same operations of the present invention can obviously be performed by operational systems and

programs different from the ones we used

The image acquisition software used is an application with modules in

C language and Assemble and uses libraries and acquisition card primitives

specialized

The macro proceeds can be described by the following flow

1) the telecamera acquires the images of the outline of the body and sends them to the map,

2) the card memorizes the 92 silhouettes and makes them available for the development of the module

following software,

3) said module calculates the perimeter of the ellipsoids corresponding to the sections of the planes

transverse to the vertical axis of the body under bearing the number and position of

such cross sections are assigned by considerations inherent in the choice of

important measures for the determination of conformations, and in general, for the

construction of a piece of clothing

Therefore the basic sections are, for example in the case of application to

clothing sector, those placed at waist point, pelvis, chest

(under armpit), neck, summer

The inclination of such transverse planes relative to the longitudinal axis of the body can vary

parametrically and the software calculates the ellipsoids corresponding to

the intersection of the oblique planes with the body of the subject under bearing this offers the

possibility of obtaining sections inclined with respect to the aforesaid vertical axis and therefore of

allow measurements of complex parts of the human body (fig 4) whose applications

are useful in the field of medical anthropology and ergonomics The software module can also obtain linear measurements by calculating the length of the segments relating to determined frontal or lateral views of the human body acquired as images, as in Figures 3-4, making possible the applications already disclosed in JP-A 6104430 and in EP 05241 19

Each of the 90-92 views is memorized and therefore made available in static form to the video from 1 computer for the most disparate surveys, it is possible to view a view for each 3.9 ° - 4 ° of body rotation

The determination of the measurement scale to be used (adjustment) is accomplished through an internal comparison among the images of certain recorded distances and others known a priori (for example, the distance between the two support sticks) This adjustment is performs only in the test phase or in the event of accidental knocks or relative displacements of the rotating camera-platform structure

The conformation reduction software is this module which, from the measurements of the pre-eminent parts of the human body, makes it possible to assign to the anatomy noted a classification according to the anthropometric conformations memoπsees and a size. , the waist measurement, the hip measurement The module allows this assignment to be made in a differentiated manner for the lower part and the upper part of the body, it is therefore possible to have an anatomy to which will be assigned an "anthropometric conformation" and a size to be used for the construction of a jacket and another "anthropometric conformation" / size to be used for the construction of the pants, the results of the method of raising, calculation and comparison with the database of the normotypes will be indicated automatically on the mask of fig 3 When the measurement does not allow you to associate an anthropometric conformation has a size, ^the device signals the missed correspondence It is possible to vary the tolerance used during the search in the tables conformations, through ^the assignment of parameter values as data ^for program entry Said tolerances are related to the idea of good-go ^that you want to assign to the item of clothing that will be projected from the measurements made two fundamental elements characterizing the process and the relative apparatus must be highlighted the bearing system used, which consists in capturing 92 points for each transverse plane of the body, proves to be extremely effective for the reconstruction of the correct shape of the perimeter, either in quantitative terms for the accuracy of the measurement, or in qualitative terms with regard to the curvature and shape of the ellipsoid The accuracy of the m The measurement is of the order of 2-3% and is also affected by the imperceptible but still present movements of the individual during the 360 ° revolution. A very important consequence of this technology is that by raising the point on which to position the transverse plane and the inclination of this plane, it is possible ^to immediately have the measure of any profile whose outline is visible by the camera, in contrast with the luminous panel compared to measurements from developing from only two views of the human body, as in EP 05241 19, the front and the side, the system provides measurements in accordance with the relative volume indeed, starting from only two views the reconstruction of the perimeter of a section is only possible a through approximations or parametric type or by comparison with prememorized anthropomorphic models. which must be recognized as conforming to the model noted and retained, for this reason, comparable It is obvious that one could have the possibility obtain a large number of views as well, as opted, with a fixed camera and the moving subject, as with the fixed subject and the moving camera, or with several cameras for all the views to be digitized

The choice of embodiment of the present invention has been dictated by compromises between the mechanical complexity and the guarantee of the recovery process and of the apparatus which realizes it. Indeed, to keep the subject stationary and to rotate the telecamera would have included that the panel in contrast with its lighting equipment rotates in solidarity with said camera, which, in turn, is connected with cables to the computer said choice does not turn out to be optimal for other reasons than those mentioned of complexity mechanical, among which, for example, because one would obtain a variable image depth during the survey with a consequent imprecision of the contour Either for the purpose of a statistical classification, or for the fundamental purpose, for which the system was invented - project of a piece of clothing able to properly dress the subject it will cover - the possibility of having a comparison and an assignment of the anat omitted with morphological classes of the statistical type is fundamental to obtain concretely usable results. if on the one hand we should expect in the near future a series of commercial offers among the most diverse and technologically interesting in terms of simple measurement raising systems. this does not answer, however, to the possibility of correctly making a piece of clothing unless you do not provide quantitative type information either for the volumes or for the proportions among the parts of such volumes in fact, this is what type of indication which is provided by the statistical classification based on the anthropometric conformations which form the reference database of the process of the invention. It should be emphasized that the present invention also provides a methodological solution in the measurement or the numerical values associated with the volumes at the base of the classification are subject to natural and physiological and geographical variations the invention agrees, also, the updating of the numerical values necessary to bring the anthropometric vanations to the internal model used (base of data) and to provide, therefore, a method and an apparatus for statistical updating by means of a simple introduction of new data into the anthropometric database

Equally fundamental for the purposes of the uniqueness and the conceptual validity of the invention is the unequivocal relation existing between the anthropometric conformations (whatever they are) and the two-dimensional bases which constitute a piece of clothing in which said relation respects the following characteristics a group of measurements of the human body does not provide sufficient information to achieve a correct piece of clothing from the point of view of the well-being of the garment, regardless of the degree of precision of such measurements the breathing, the position assumed , the time of day the model of bra worn under a dress, summer, are elements that change the dimensions of the body (waist, chest) of several cm If we add to this the elasticity of the fabric , we deduce that for the correct construction of a piece of clothing are essential not only the measurements (between wide tolerance limits e) but above all the distribution of such measurements along the volume, that is to say the "shape" to which they give origin. It is therefore necessary, in order to make a garment which dresses properly, to note the distribution of said measurements on long of the body, in order to individualize a shape By using, then, the skills of model making and technologies to build the two-dimensional bases of a piece of clothing for each conformation, one can manage in an automatic way and it is therefore possible to codify with computerized means the variation operations according to the different

Heights

The present invention lends itself to different embodiments which are based on the same course

inventive. so do not consider the description of the preferred embodiment

limiting, variations being possible even while remaining in the domain of specifics

demands

TABLE I (women measures)

TABLE II (men's measurements)

Claims

claims

1 Performs for the ^{identification} and classification of anthropometric \ olumes has use

civil and military based on the taking of contrasting figures of human subjects, said

contrasting silhouettes being developed using automatic calculation algorithms

characterized in that the process comprises in succession a first phase of setting

continuing said contrasted silhouettes of said human suiets, said subjects turning angularly constant speed, to a second phase ^of automatic acquisition of a number

of sampled silhouettes in regular rotation deviations, the number of silhouettes

being sufficient for the precise reconstruction of the shape of the volume of said rotating subject, a

third phase of calculating the perimeters of ellipsoids obtained by the intersection of planes

passing through ^the vertical axis, and different heights of said subject turning in position

very straight, with the v olume of the same su | and rotating. a fourth phase of development

said ellipsoid meters by means of algorithms capable of establishing relationships

numerical between them in order to identify the shape of the volume of said su] and rotating, a

fifth phase of comparing said digital relationships with data

stored in the database containing the digital representation of anthropometric conformations, a sixth phase of automatic assignment of linear measurements, taken from said ellipsoids and representative of the size system of said subject and its automatic classification into classes in accordance with said numerical representation of said anthropometric conformations

2 Method according to claim 1 characterized in that the number of silhouettes sampled automatically with regular deviations of rotation varies from 90 to 92

3 Method according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the rotating subject completed a revolution in a time of the order of 10 seconds

4 Proceeds according to claims I -3 characterized in that the planes which pass through the vertical axis of the subject rotating in a very straight position are normal to said vertical axis

5 Method according to claims 1 -3 characterized in that the planes which pass through the vertical axis of the subject in a straight position are parametrically inclined with respect to said vertical axis

6 An apparatus adapted to perform the method of claim 1 including means (3, 15) for rotating contrasted silhouettes of subjects and means fixed socket (1) ^and development (4. 5) of the images of said silhouettes characterized in that the subject is brought into a very upright position by means for placing (12, 13, 13 ', 14, 14') on a rotating platform (2) actuated by a motor (9) whose steps of rotation are controlled by an encoder (10), said encoder (10) being synchronized with an image acquisition device (5) through a control panel (1 1), said image acquisition device (5) receiving the images of said contrasting silhouettes of the subject rotating by fixed gripping means (1), said rotating platform (2) being subsequently provided with means (15) for raising the reference position of the start of rotation, said means (15) being synchronized with said device for acquiring images (5), said image acquisition device (5) being able to transfer the digital data of said figures taken by said fixed capture means (1) to an elaboration means (4) provided with a display (7 ), said production means which provides for the production of a sampled number of silhouettes which are displayed on said display (7) at regular intervals of rotation of said rotary platform (2), in order to obtain either the linear measurements said silhouettes or the classification of their shape according to the criteria for assigning anthropometric classes, stored numerically in the form of a database in the memory of said computer, said linear measurements and said classification being displayed as an output mask on said display (7)

7 Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that the rotating platform (2) is provided with placement means (13, 13 ') constituted by two sticks integral with the rotating platform (2) which project by diverging at the top, provided with handles (14, 14 ') which are screwed at different heights from said sticks (13, 13') and die-cast shapes (12) to accommodate and indicate the correct position of the subject's feet and said fixed pnse movens ( 1) consist of a fixed telecamera

8 Apparatus according to claims 6-7 characterized in that the means for raising the reference position of start of rotation (15) is constituted by photodetectors

9 Apparatus according to claims 6-8 characterized in that the means (3, 15) for obtaining the contrasting silhouettes of the rotating subjects is constituted by the combination of a Plexiglas panel posteriorly illuminated by 5 neon lamps, each lamp being 35 W power

10 Apparatus according to claims 6-9 characterized in that the means (3,15) for obtaining contrasting silhouettes of the rotating subjects is constituted by a cabin with black anti-reflective walls 1 1 Apparatus according to claims 6-10 characterized in that the processing means (4)

is able to elaborate ellipsoids formed by planes which pass through the vertical axis of the

rotating subject and normal to said vertical axis

12 Apparatus according to claims 6-10 characterized in that the processing moven (4) is capable of developing ellipsoids formed by planes which pass through the vertical axis of the

subject rotating parametrically inclined with respect to said vertical axis

13 Apparatus according to claims 6-12 characterized in that the rotary platform (2) completed a complete revolution in a time of the order of 10 seconds

14 Apparatus according to claims 6-13 characterized in that the processing means (4)

provides for the development of a sample number of 90 to 92 silhouettes. with deviations

regular rotation of said rotary platform (2)

15 Apparatus according to claims 6-14 characterized in that said number of 90 to 92 silhouettes, samples at regular intervals of rotation of said rotary platform (2)

can be viewed later as individual images