3D OBJECT DESCRIPTORS

• US 20100223299A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research and Industry-University Cooperation Foundation
• Inventors: Yun, Il Dong
• Granted Patent: US 8,229,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects

Abstract

Techniques for matching a 3D object are provided. In some embodiments, a 3D object retrieval apparatus includes an input unit configured to receive as input at least one sample view of a 3D query object to be inputted, and an object descriptor determining unit configured to generate at least one object representative image of the 3D query object from the at least one sample view and to determine a query object descriptor of the 3D query object from the at least one object representative image.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an input unit configured to receive as input at least one sample view of a 3D query object to be inputted; and

an object descriptor determining unit configured to generate at least one object representative image of the 3D query object from the at least one sample view and to determine a query object descriptor of the 3D query object from the at least one object representative image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a database that stores candidate object descriptors of 3D candidate objects and an object matching unit configured to compare the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with the candidate object descriptors of the 3D candidate objects to select at least one of the 3D candidate objects matched with the 3D query object as a matched object.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object descriptor determining unit is further configured to apply a clustering algorithm to the at least one sample view of the 3D query object to generate the at least one object representative image of the 3D query object.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the clustering algorithm includes an affinity propagation algorithm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object descriptor determining unit is further configured to determine an image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image of the 3D query object and to determine the query object descriptor of the 3D query object based on the image descriptor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the object descriptor determining unit is further configured to concatenate the image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image of the 3D query object so as to determine the query object descriptor of the 3D query object.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an object classifying unit configured to classify the candidate object descriptors of the 3D candidate objects into at least one class.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the database further stores object representative images of the 3D candidate objects, and the apparatus further including a class descriptor determining unit configured to generate at least one class representative image from the object representative images of the 3D candidate objects having candidate object descriptors classified into the at least one class to determine a class descriptor of the at least one class representative image of the at least one class.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the object matching unit is further configured to compare the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with the class descriptors of the classes to find a matched class thereby.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the object matching unit is further configured to compare the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with candidate object descriptors of the one or more 3D candidate objects belonging to the matched class to find a matched object.

11. A method performed under the control of an object retrieval apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving at least one sample view of a 3D query object;

generating at least one object representative image of the 3D query object based on the at least one sample view of the 3D query object;

determining an image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image; and

determining a query object descriptor of the 3D query object from the respective image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

comparing the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with candidate object descriptors of 3D candidate objects to find a matched object thereby; and

retrieving at least one object representative image of the matched object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the comparing includes:

measuring distance between the query object descriptor of the 3D query object and each of the candidate object descriptors of the 3D candidate objects.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the comparing further includes:

finding as the matched object, one of the 3D candidate objects having the candidate object descriptor with the shortest distance from the query object descriptor of the 3D query object.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the comparing further includes comparing the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with at least one class descriptor respectively identifying classes, each of the classes being associated with at least one candidate object descriptor of the 3D candidate objects, to find a matched class thereby.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the comparing further includes:

comparing the query object descriptor of the 3D query object with the at least one candidate object descriptor associated with the matched class to find a matched object thereby.

17. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a processor to:

retrieve candidate object descriptors of at least one 3D candidate object, each of the candidate object descriptors being associated with at least one object representative image;

compare the candidate object descriptors to obtain similarities therebetween; and

classify the candidate object descriptors into at least one class based on the similarities.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising content that causes a processor to:

determine a class descriptor for each of the at least one class, the determining including applying a mathematical algorithm to object representative images associated with the candidate object descriptors classified into the respective class to thereby generate at least one class representative image.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the mathematical algorithm includes an affinity propagation algorithm.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the determining further includes determining an image descriptor for each of the at least one class representative image.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the determining further includes determining a class descriptor for the respective class from the image descriptor.

22. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving at least one sample view of a 3D query object;

generating at least one object representative image of the 3D query object based on the at least one sample view of the 3D query object;

determining an image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image; and

determining a query object descriptor of the 3D query object from the image descriptors.

23. A method performed under the control of an object retrieval apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving at least one sample view of a 3D query object through the use of an input unit; and

providing an object descriptor determining unit to perform the operations of;

generating at least one object representative image of the 3D query object based on the at least one sample view of the 3D query object,

determining an image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image, and

determining a query object descriptor of the 3D query object from the respective image descriptor for each of the at least one object representative image.