Image retrieval by syntactic characterization of appearance
First Claim
1. A method of image retrieval comprising:
- applying a database multiscale image processing procedure to each of a plurality of database images producing a plurality of database multiscale vectors, wherein each multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the images;
indexing the database vectors to produce a database vector index;
applying a query multiscale image processing procedure to a query image to produce a plurality of query multiscale vectors, wherein each query multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the query image; and
matching the plurality of query vectors with the plurality of indexed database vectors to identify a database image which is similar to the query image;
wherein each of the database multiscale vectors and the query multiscale vectors includes a plurality of single scale vectors associated with a corresponding plurality of database spatial scales.
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Abstract
An image retrieval method which includes producing multiscale vectors associated with points in a set of database images, indexing the database vectors to produce a database vector index, producing query multiscale vectors associated with points in a query image, and matching the query vectors with the indexed database vectors to identify a database image which is similar to the query image. Each of the database multiscale vectors and the query multiscale vectors includes multiple single scale vectors associated with corresponding spatial scales. The method can include applying a single scale image processing procedure at each of the spatial scales to produce single scale vectors and combining single scale vectors each associate with a given point in an image to form a multiscale vector associated with that point. The single scale image processing procedure can include evaluating multiple smoothed spatial derivatives of image intensity at a point in an image and transforming the spatial derivatives to produce a single scale vector which is insensitive to rotation of the image about the point.
90 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of image retrieval comprising:
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applying a database multiscale image processing procedure to each of a plurality of database images producing a plurality of database multiscale vectors, wherein each multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the images; indexing the database vectors to produce a database vector index; applying a query multiscale image processing procedure to a query image to produce a plurality of query multiscale vectors, wherein each query multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the query image; and matching the plurality of query vectors with the plurality of indexed database vectors to identify a database image which is similar to the query image; wherein each of the database multiscale vectors and the query multiscale vectors includes a plurality of single scale vectors associated with a corresponding plurality of database spatial scales. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium for causing a computer to perform the functions of:
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applying a database multiscale image processing procedure to each of a plurality of database images producing a plurality of database multiscale vectors, wherein each multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the images; indexing the database vectors to produce a database vector index; applying a query multiscale image processing procedure to a query image to produce a plurality of query multiscale vectors, wherein each query multiscale vector characterizes a region about a different one of a corresponding plurality of points in the query image; and matching the plurality of query vectors with the plurality of indexed database vectors to identify a database image which is similar to the query image; wherein each of the database multiscale vectors and the query multiscale vectors includes a plurality of single scale vectors associated with a corresponding plurality of database spatial scales. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An image retrieval system for comparing a query image to a plurality of database images comprising:
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a database image processor; a plurality of database multiscale vectors produced by applying each of the plurality of database images as input to the database image processor; a database vector index for accessing the database vectors; a query image processor; a plurality of query multiscale vectors produced by applying the query image as input the query image processor; and means for matching the plurality of query vectors with the indexed database vectors to identify a database image which is similar to the query image; wherein each of the database multiscale vectors and the query multiscale vectors includes a plurality of single scale vectors associated with a corresponding plurality of database spatial scales. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification