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Coppin et al.
(54)
Jul. 3, 2014
Publication Classi?cation
PROCESSING
(51)
Int. Cl.
G06F 1 7/30
(2006.01)
(52) U.S.Cl.
CPC .............................. .. G06F17/30262 (2013.01)
USPC
(57)
........................................................ ..
382/305
ABSTRACT
(22) Filed:
(63)
(30)
described.
Jul. 3, 2014
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[0001]
No. 13/801,027 ?led Mar. 13, 2013; which itself claims pri
ority to British Patent Application No. GB 12196507 ?led
Nov. 1 , 201 2. The entirety of the aforementioned references is
image matching.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
each image, the texture has a large scale relative to the image
image comprising:
[0013]
[0015]
[0004]
Statistical Models
[0006]
Geometrical Methods
[0007]
old value; and combining said ?rst values and said second
[0010]
the image.
[0022] Said ?rst value may be black or one and said second
value may be white or zero. The use of black and white results
[0011]
cally work well with images that contain just a single texture
and where the texture is ?ne-grained. This is useful, for
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pixels.
aspects.
[0031] According to another aspect of the invention, there
is provided a method of searching for an image comprising:
[0032] receiving a query image;
corresponding signature;
[0035]
ranks.
[0039]
prising:
generated using the method described above;
[0040] receiving an input image to be input into said data
base;
[0028]
and/or shape.
[0029]
said sub-image.
[0048]
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a luminance level;
[0052] determine a luminance value for each said sub-im
age, wherein said luminance value is derived from said lumi
grained texture;
2a;
prising:
[0056]
[0057]
[0058]
[0059]
corresponding signature;
[0062] compare said signature for said query image with
said signature for said retrieved image to generate a similarity
value for said retrieved image;
[0063] repeat said retrieving and comparing steps to gener
ate similarity values for multiple retrieved images; and
[0076]
[0077]
[0079]
present invention;
[0089]
images.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
tively extracted from the image. The ?rst step (S100) is that
the image is received.
[0091] At step S102, the image is converted to grey-scale
(as color is not relevant). This is an optional step. Various
techniques for the conversion may be used. One method is to
simply convert each RGB color pixel to its luminance value
sub-image;
[0072]
are rescaled to the same ?xed size. It also removes some of the
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[0100]
values. The vector has the same number of values as there are
pixels are set to black (S210), and all others are set to white
the top-left to the top-right with each step. Following this, the
window would move down by one pixel and would start again
zontal stripe.
[0104] 0 is the most dominant pattern. This is mostly
because of the background being white, which counts as
000000000. This is not necessarily a problem but the method
can be improved by applying automatic segmentation to sepa
rate the main image from the background and then the method
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[01 06]
[0108] 11:21
[0109]
equivalents.
[0115]
next step S302 is to get the histogram for the received image.
If the query image has been processed using the method
described above, the histogram or the corresponding pattern
known manner, e.g. over the Internet 102, to a server 104 for
the query.
[0117] The next step S304 is to retrieve a histogram or
above. The image database 106 may store the image associ
ated with these signatures. When a user is selecting an image
for searching, an image(s) from the image database may be
presented to a user on the user interface of the input device
bors to the query image, which in this case will be the images
with the most similar patterns to those contained in the query
detail below.
image.
[0114]
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that color and shape have not played a part; the matching has
been done solely on the patterns found in the query image.
[0121] The query image in FIG. 7b is almost entirely made
up of diagonal stripes. The ?rst two results identi?ed by the
S504).
[0132]
up automatically.
[0125]
the library.
[0134] vi. Determine either the dominant color of the image
or of the elements of the pattern (step S510)
[0135] vii. Look up the textual description of the color. E. g.,
Green and Combine the color description and the pattern
description to create an overall description. E.g., Green
included at step S404 and if so repeats the ?rst two steps until
[0129]
[0139]
comprising:
receiving an image;
overlaying a window at multiple locations on said image to
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comprises:
determining an average luminance for each of said plural
ity ofpixels;
determining Whether said average luminance is greater
than a threshold value;
responding signature;
comparing said signature for said query image With said
signature for said retrieved image to generate a similar
prising:
de?ning a plurality of sub-sections Within said database
With each sub-section having a corresponding signature
Which is generated by
receiving an image representative of said sub-section;
overlaying a Window at multiple locations on each said
slot.
sub-image.
13. The non-transitory computer readable medium accord
tions;
ranking said similarity values; and
allocating said input image to said sub-section having the
highest rank