Apparatus and method for retrieving image information in computer

• US 6,345,275 B2
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hee-Jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US09/107,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20010056419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/102, 707/104, 707/201, 707/205, 707/2-6, 382/168-181, 382/190-191
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

An apparatus and method for retrieving image information in a computer. A controller receives a schematic image inputted by a user and normalizes the input image to an image of a constant size. A feature vector of each sub block of the normalized image is extracted, and the extracted feature vector is quantized to one of representative values of a determined number within feature vector space. An image profile indicating the frequency of occurrence of the feature vector of the input image is generated with respect to a quantizing level. A profile of the input image is compared with a profile of each image in an image data base part. An image corresponding to a profile whose similarity is within a reference value is displayed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for retrieving image information in a computer, comprising:

an image input unit for receiving an image input by a user;

an image size normalizer for normalizing the image to a constant size normalized imgae;

a feature vector extractor for extracting a feature vector of each sub block of the normalized image;

a vector quantizer for quantizing the feature vector to one of a fixed number of quantized levels;

a profile generator for generating an image profile indicating the frequency of occurrence of each quantizing level within the feature vector;

an image data base unit for storing various image information;

an image data base index unit for storing profiles of images stored in the image data base unit;

a similarity comparator for comparing the image profile received from said profile generator with said profiles of images stored in the image data base index unit; and

a controller for reading from the image data base unit an image corresponding to a selected one of said profiles of images whose similarity is within a reference value from said image profile and displaying the image corresponding to the selected one of said profiles of images through an image display unit.

2. A method for retrieving image information in a computer, comprising:

receiving an image input by a user;

normalizing the input image to an image of a constant size;

extracting a feature vector of each sub block of the normalized image;

quantizing the extracted feature vector to one of a fixed number of quantizing levels;

generating an image profile indicating the frequency of occurrence of each quantizing level within the feature vector;

comparing the image profile with each one of profiles of images stored in an image data base unit; and

reading from said image data base unit an image corresponding to a selected one of said profiles of images whose similarity is within a reference value from said image profile and displaying the image corresponding to the selected one of said profiles of images through an image display unit.