IMAGE SEARCHING SYSTEM AND IMAGE SEARCHING METHOD

• US 20100250588A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: KITA, Kazunori
• Application Number:
  US12/748,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250588A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship

Abstract

In an image searching system, a camera 100 stores plural pieces of image data including an object image, each data associated with a shooting orientation and feature information, and has a controller 42 for selecting specific image data from the plural pieces of image data and searching for similar image data based on the feature information associated with the selected data, and a communication unit 36 for sending a search engine server 300 the shooting orientation and feature information of one of the selected image data and similar image data. The search engine server 300 reconstructs a three-dimensional shape of the object image included in the image data based on the feature information and shooting orientation sent from the communication unit, and searches for through information disclosing networks based on the reconstructed shape, obtaining image data including the object image having a shooting orientation different from the sent shooting orientation.

Claims

1. An image searching system comprising:

a communication apparatus; and

a searching apparatus provided outside the communication apparatus, wherein

the communication apparatus comprises;

storing unit configured to store plural pieces of image data, the image data each including an object image and being associated with a shooting orientation and feature information;

selecting/detecting unit configured to select specific image data from the plural pieces of image data stored in the storing unit;

first searching unit configured to search for image data similar to the image data selected by the selecting/detecting unit, based on the feature information associated with the selected image data;

first sending unit configured to send the searching apparatus the shooting orientation and the feature information of at least one of the image data selected by the selecting/detecting unit and the similar image data located by the first searching unit; and

the searching apparatus comprises;

receiving unit configured to receive the shooting orientation and the feature information sent from the first sending unit of the communication apparatus;

reconstructing unit configured to reconstruct a three-dimensional shape of the object image included in the image data, based on the shooting orientation and the feature information received by the receiving unit;

second searching unit configured to search through an information disclosing network based on the three-dimensional shape of the object image reconstructed by the reconstructing unit to obtain image data of an image including the object image having a shooting orientation different from the shooting orientation received by the receiving unit; and

second sending unit configured to send the communication apparatus the image data obtained by the second searching unit.

2. The image searching system according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus further comprises:

image pick-up unit configured to shoot an object to obtain image data;

orientation detecting unit configured to detect a shooting orientation when the image pick-up unit shoots the object;

feature information obtaining unit configured to obtain feature information relating to the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit; and

storage controlling unit configured to associate the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit with the shooting orientation detected by the orientation detecting unit and the feature information obtained by the feature information obtaining unit, and storing the image data associated with the shooting orientation and the feature information in the storing unit.

3. The image searching system according to claim 1, wherein the selecting/detecting unit detects that image data has been selected, which includes at least two digital photographs that are shot at positions and/or times falling within a predetermined range.

4. The image searching system according to claim 1, wherein the second searching unit narrows down image data to be searched for as the number of the specific image data selected by the selecting/detecting unit increases.

5. An image searching method comprising:

a detecting step of detecting specific image data from a memory, which stores plural pieces of image data, the image data each including an object image and being associated with a shooting orientation and feature information;

a first searching step of searching for image data similar to the detected image data, based on the feature information associated with the detected image data;

a reconstructing step of reconstructing a three-dimensional shape of the object image included in the image data, based on the shooting orientation and the feature information of at least one of the image data detected at the detecting step and the similar image data located at the first searching step; and

a second searching step of searching through an information disclosing network based on the reconstructed three-dimensional shape of the object image to obtain image data of an image including the object image having a shooting orientation different from the shooting orientation stored in the memory; and

an obtaining step of obtaining image data of the object image as the searching result at the second searching step.