Method for inserting and detecting electronic watermark data into a digital image and a device for the same

• US 6,259,801 B1
• Filed: 01/21/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Personal Computers, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Wakasu, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/234,764
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/232, 382/248, 382/250, 382/276
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection

Abstract

An image is divided into blocks, and different electronic watermark data are embedded into every block using a DCT transformer (103), electronic watermark data inserter (104), and IDCT transformer (107). At that time, reference is made to an electronic watermark data insertion position table (105) and electronic watermark data table (106) which specify that which electronic watermark data is to be inserted into which block of the image.

Claims

1. An electronic watermark data insertion device into a digital image, comprising:

an orthogonal transformer which outputs position information of an image block of j×

k pixels which is taken out from an image and subjected to an orthogonal transformation and data after the orthogonal transformation;

an electronic watermark data insertion position table which records into what position of block in the image each of n kinds of electronic watermark data is to be inserted;

an electronic watermark data table which stores the n kinds of the electronic watermark data; and

an electronic watermark data inserter which takes out an electronic watermark data number from an applicable position of said electronic watermark data insertion position table on the basis of the position information which is outputted by said orthogonal transformer and the electronic watermark data coincident with the taken out electronic watermark data number from said electronic watermark data table to insert the electronic watermark data into data after the orthogonal transformation.

2. The insertion device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device further comprises:

an inverse orthogonal transformer performing an inverse orthogonal transformation to the image block into which the electronic watermark data has been inserted.

3. An electronic watermark data detection device into a digital image, comprising:

an orthogonal transformer which takes out an image block of a size of j×

k (j and k are natural numbers) from a digital image to perform an orthogonal transformation and outputs position information of the image block taken out and data after the orthogonal transformation;

an electronic watermark data extraction position table which stores that from what position of image block in the image each of image data including n kinds of electronic watermark data is taken out;

an extraction data table which stores n kinds of extraction data for a screen;

an electronic watermark data table which stores the n kinds of the electronic watermark data;

an electronic watermark data extractor which takes out an electronic watermark number from said electronic watermark data extraction position table on the basis of the position information which is outputted by said orthogonal transformer, extracts frequency data including electronic watermark data from the frequency data of the block which is outputted by said orthogonal transformer, and stores data into the predetermined position in said extraction data table coincident with the electronic watermark data number taken out; and

an electronic watermark data detector which takes out the m-th data (m=1, 2, . . . , n) from said electronic watermark data table and said extraction data table and calculates statistical resemblance for the data taken out and electronic watermark data.

4. A method for inserting electronic watermark data into a digital image, comprising the steps of:

preparing previously an electronic watermark data insertion position table which records that into what position of block of a size of j×

k pixels (j and k are natural numbers) in an image each of n kinds of electronic watermark data is inserted and an electronic watermark data table which stores n kinds of electronic watermark data;

taking out an image block from a digital image to perform an orthogonal transformation and acquiring position information of the image block taken out and data after the orthogonal transformation; and

taking out an electronic watermark data number from the applicable position of said electronic watermark data insertion position table on the basis of said position information, taking out the electronic watermark data coincident with the electronic watermark data number taken out from said electronic watermark data table, and inserting the electronic watermark data into the data after orthogonal transformation.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said method further comprises the step of:

performing an inverse orthogonal transformation to the block into which the electronic watermark data is inserted.

6. A method for detecting electronic watermark data into a digital image, comprising the steps of:

preparing previously an electronic watermark data extraction position table which records that from what position of block of a size of j×

k pixels (j and k are natural numbers) in an image each of image data including n kinds of electronic watermark data is extracted and an electronic watermark data table which stores n kinds of electronic watermark data;

taking out a block from a digital image to perform an orthogonal transformation and acquiring position information of the image block taken out and the data after the DCT transformation;

taking out an electronic watermark data number from said electronic watermark data extraction position table on the basis of said position information, extracting frequency data including the electronic watermark data from frequency data of the block which is output by said DCT transformer, and storing the data into a predetermined position of an extraction data table coincident with the electronic watermark data number taken out;

taking out the m-th data (m=1, 2, . . . , n) from said electronic watermark data table and said extraction data table and calculating statistical resemblance for the extracted data and electronic watermark data; and

estimating whether this statistical resemblance is large or not for every said n electronic watermark data.