TERMINAL DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, OBJECT IDENTIFYING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND OBJECT IDENTIFYING SYSTEM

• US 20120242842A1
• Filed: 03/19/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: YOSHIGAHARA, Takayuki, FUKUCHI, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2115 by evaluating different subsets according to an optimisation criterion, e.g. class separability, forward selection or backward elimination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/40 Extraction of image or video features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

A device, apparatus, and method provide logic for processing information. In one implementation, a device may include an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image, and a transmission unit configured to transmit information associated with the image to an information processing apparatus, such as a server. The server may be associated with a first feature quantity dictionary. The device also may include a receiving unit configured to receive a second feature quantity dictionary from the server in response to the transmission. The second feature quantity dictionary may include less information than the first feature quantity dictionary, and the server may generate the second feature quantity dictionary based on the image information and the first feature quantity dictionary. The device may include an identification unit configured to identify an object within the image using the second feature quantity dictionary.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a first image;

a transmission unit configured to transmit first information associated with the first image to a server, the server being associated with a first feature quantity dictionary;

a receiving unit configured to receive a second feature quantity dictionary from the server in response to the transmission, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

an identification unit configured to identify an object within the first image using the second feature quantity dictionary.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the information of the second feature quantity dictionary comprises feature quantities of a plurality of objects.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the objects of the second feature quantity dictionary comprise at least one of (i) an object predicted to fall within the first image or (ii) an object predicted to fall within one or more second images acquired by the image acquisition unit subsequent to the first image.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the identification unit is further configured to:

extract at least one feature quantity from the first image; and

determine whether the extracted feature quantity corresponds to at least one of the feature quantities of the second feature quantity dictionary; and

identify the object within the first image, based on at least the determination.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the identification unit is further configured to:

obtain, based on the second feature quantity dictionary information, an object identifier associated with the corresponding feature quantity; and

identify the object within the first image, based on the obtained object identifier.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of a portion of the first image or a feature quantity associated with the portion of the first image.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit, to the server, second information associated with the first image, the second information comprising at least one geographic position associated with the first image.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

acquiring a first image;

transmitting information associated with the first image to a server, the server being associated with a first feature quantity dictionary;

receiving a second feature quantity dictionary from the server in response to the transmission, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

identifying, using a processor, an object within the first image using the second feature quantity dictionary.

9. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, comprising:

acquiring a first image;

transmitting information associated with the first image to a server, the server being associated with a first feature quantity dictionary;

receiving a second feature quantity dictionary from the server in response to the transmission, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

identifying, using a processor, an object within the first image using the second feature quantity dictionary.

10. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive first information associated with a first image;

an identification unit configured to identify an object within the first image using a first feature quantity dictionary, the first feature quantity dictionary comprising feature quantities of a plurality of objects;

a generation unit configured to obtain a second feature quantity dictionary in response to the identification, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the second feature quantity dictionary to a terminal device.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first information comprises at least one of a portion of the first image or a feature quantity associated with the portion of the first image.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second feature quantity dictionary comprises information associated with the identified object and a feature quantity of the identified object.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the feature quantity of the identified object in the second feature quantity dictionary is calculated according to a second algorithm, the second algorithm being different from a first algorithm for calculating a feature quantity of the first feature quantity dictionary.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the second feature quantity dictionary further comprises information associated with an additional object and a feature quantity corresponding to the additional object; and

the additional object comprises at least one of (i) an object predicted to fall within the first image or (ii) an object predicted to fall within one or more second images acquired subsequent to the first image.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the generation unit is further configured to:

obtain information ranking the objects of the first feature quantity dictionary, based on the first information; and

determine, based on the obtained information, that the ranking of the additional object in the first feature quantity dictionary exceeds a threshold value; and

retrieve, from the first feature quantity dictionary, at least the additional object information, based on the determination.

16. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the generation unit is further configured to:

obtain information indicating a relationship between the additional object and the identified object;

determining whether the first feature quantity dictionary includes the information associated with the additional object; and

retrieve, from the first feature quantity dictionary, at least the additional object information, when the first feature quantity dictionary includes the additional object information.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to:

receive the information associated with the additional object and the feature quantity corresponding to the additional object, when the first feature quantity dictionary fails to include the additional object information.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive second information associated with the first image; and

the second information comprises at least one of (i) a geographic position of the terminal device or (ii) a geographic position of an object disposed within the first image.

19. The information processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the generation unit is further configured to:

obtain a geographic position of the identified object;

determine, based on the second information, that the additional object falls within a threshold distance of the identified object; and

obtain the information associated with the additional object and the feature quantity corresponding to the additional object, based on the determination.

20. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving first information associated with a first image;

identifying an object within the first image using a first feature quantity dictionary, the first feature quantity dictionary comprising feature quantities of a plurality of objects;

obtaining, using a processor, a second feature quantity dictionary in response to the identification, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

transmitting the second feature quantity dictionary to a terminal device.

21. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, comprising:

receiving first information associated with a first image;

identifying an object within the first image using a first feature quantity dictionary, the first feature quantity dictionary comprising feature quantities of a plurality of objects;

obtaining a second feature quantity dictionary in response to the identification, the second feature quantity dictionary comprising less information than the first feature quantity dictionary; and

transmitting the second feature quantity dictionary to a terminal device.