METHOD OF IMAGE FEATURE CODING AND METHOD OF IMAGE SEARCH

• US 20090110296A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James Chow, Kohtaro Asai, Shunichi Sekiguchi, Yoshihisa Yamada
• Original Assignee: James Chow, Kohtaro Asai, Shunichi Sekiguchi, Yoshihisa Yamada
• Inventors: Chow, James, Yamada, Yoshihisa, Asai, Kohtaro, Sekiguchi, Shunichi
• Application Number:
  US11/864,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20090110296A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7837 using objects detected or recognised in the video content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/785 using colour or luminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7854 using shape G06F16/7837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/786 using motion, e.g. object motion or camera motion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/001 Model-based coding, e.g. wire frame
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234345 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 : by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 : Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 : for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 : Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 : for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 : Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/24 : Systems for the transmission of television signals using pulse code modulation H04N21/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A feature coding unit extracts and encodes a feature of a video signal so as to generate a feature stream. A feature identifying unit checks a decoded feature obtained as a result of decoding the feature stream against a search key from a user for a match so that a video content requested by the user is retrieved.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting segments of image areas from a source video;

coding the extracted segments;

generating a feature stream corresponding to the extracted segments;

decoding image features that are encoded in the feature stream; and

searching image frames in the source video based on the decoded image features.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature stream and the source video are related to each other on the basis of a pointer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the segments define an attribute.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the attribute includes a representative color, an on-screen position, a shape, a variation in position, a variation in brightness or color, and/or contrast.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a user retrieves desired content from the source video on the basis of searching the generated feature stream.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the source video is provided in a database or a transferable medium.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the transferable medium includes a video tape.