Image Matching Apparatus and Image Matching Method

• US 20130187953A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Matsumura, Takeshi, Hjelm, Johan, Murakami, Shingo, Oda, Toshikane, Yasukawa, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 9,098,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An image matching apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a storage unit, an obtaining unit, a specification unit, and an image matching unit. The storage unit is configured to store image data of one or more devices that are connected to a local network. The obtaining unit is configured to obtain image data of device image obtained by capturing a device. The specification unit is configured to specify one or more local networks to be used for image matching. The image matching unit is configured to perform image matching of the obtained image data against the stored image data of one or more devices that are connected to the specified local network.

Claims

1. An image matching apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store image data of one or more devices that are connected to the storage unit through a plurality of local networks;

an obtaining unit configured to obtain image data of a device image obtained by a capturing device;

a specification unit configured to specify one or more of the local networks to be used for image matching; and

an image matching unit configured to perform image matching of the obtained image data against the stored image data of one or more devices that are connected to the specified one or more of the local networks.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising another unit configured to obtain data relating to the capturing device by use of a result of the image matching.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the data relating to the capturing device includes at least one of context information relating to the capturing device, software for controlling the capturing device, and an advertisement associated with the capturing device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image matching unit is further configured to reduce the number of the image data to be used for the image matching or change the order of image data to be used for the image matching, based on a condition determined when the device image is obtained by the capturing device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising another unit configured to store the obtained image data in the storage unit as the image data of the capturing device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the apparatus is a server that provides an image matching service to a mobile terminal, and

the obtaining unit is configured to obtain the image data by receiving an image data from the mobile terminal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the obtaining unit is further configured to receive the device image of the captured device from the mobile terminal, and the apparatus further comprising;

a unit configured to generate an Augmented Reality image by overlaying the data relating to the capturing device to the received device image, and

a unit configured to send the generated Augmented Reality image to the mobile terminal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a database configured to store image data per device models, wherein the image matching unit is further configured to perform image matching of the obtained image data against the image data stored in the database in response to no image data being determined to match at the image matching against the image data stored in the storage unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a unit configured to provide a gateway of the specified local network or a mobile terminal with software which enables the gateway or the mobile terminal to discover the captured device when no image data is matched at the image matching against the image data stored in the storage unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the apparatus is a mobile terminal, and

the obtaining unit is further configured to obtain the device image of the captured device, and the apparatus further comprising;

a unit configured to generate an Augmented Reality image by overlaying the data relating to the capturing device to the obtained device image, and

a display unit configured to display the generated Augmented Reality image.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an image forming unit configured to capture the device image.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a unit configured to request a server that provides an image matching service to perform image matching of the obtained image data in response to no image data being determined to match at the image matching against the image data stored in the storage unit.

13. An image matching method by use of a storage unit that stores image data of one or more devices that are connected to the storage unit through a plurality of local networks, the method comprising:

obtaining image data of a device image obtained by a capturing device;

specifying one or more of the local networks to be used for image matching and

performing image matching of the obtained image data against the stored image data of one or more devices that are connected to the specified one or more of the local networks.