Image sorting apparatus

• US 8,478,053 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Ishiga, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): AHMED, SAMIR ANWAR
• Application Number:
  US12/834,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 382/224, 382/305
• US Class Current: 382/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/42 Global feature extraction by analysis of the whole pattern, e.g. using frequency domain transformations or autocorrelation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/50 by performing operations within image blocks; by using histograms, e.g. histogram of oriented gradients [HoG]; by summing image-intensity values; Projection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/758 Involving statistics of pixels or of feature values, e.g. histogram matching

Abstract

An image sorting apparatus provided with an image inputting unit that inputs an image; a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image; a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients, an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation.

Claims

1. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses base functions that are orthogonal to each other due to different weights between a center portion and two end portions of the distribution area spreading in a positive region.

8. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the image is a color image, the apparatus expresses the image by three color plane images of a hue plane, value plane, and chroma plane and performs the above processing for each of the three color plane images so as to sort the color image into images of at least two categories.

9. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sorting unit sorts the image into at least two categories of adjectives.

2. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses base functions capable of shape description with a density attaching importance to shapes of a rising portion and a falling portion located at the two ends of the distribution function more than the shape of the center portion.

3. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses Chebyshev polynomials as the base functions.

4. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

an edge image preparing unit that prepares an edge image concerning edge components of the image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the edge image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses base functions that are orthogonal to each other due to different weights between near zero and outside of the distribution area spreading in positive and negative regions.

15. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

when the image is a color image, the apparatus expresses the image by three color plane images of a hue plane, value plane, and chroma plane and performs the above processing for each of the three color plane images so as to sort the color image into images of at least two categories.

16. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the sorting unit sorts the image into at least two categories of adjectives.

5. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

an edge image preparing unit that prepares an edge image concerning edge components of the image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the edge image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses base functions capable of shape description with a density attaching importance to the shape of lower slope portions located at the outside of the distribution function more than the shape near the origin.

6. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

an edge image preparing unit that prepares an edge image concerning edge components of the image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the edge image;

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the describing unit uses spherical Bessel functions as the base functions.

7. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

an edge image preparing unit that prepares an edge image concerning edge components of the image;

a distribution function preparing unit that are prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the edge image.

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other due to different weights in a distribution area and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the expansion coefficients, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

the edge image preparing unit filters the image to successively produce high frequency subband images comprised of a plurality of resolutions, successively combines the high frequency subband images from the lowest resolution to produce a single combined high frequency band image, and defines the single combined high frequency band image as the edge image.

10. An image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image,

a describing unit that performs series expansion on the distribution function by using base functions comprised of an even function group and an odd function group that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

a physical quantity calculating unit that gives even quantum numbers and odd quantum numbers to function groups belonging to subgroups having same properties concerning even functions and odd functions among the base function groups and calculating a physical quantity of the sum of products of the expansion coefficients and the quantum numbers given to each for all expansion coefficients;

an evaluating unit that evaluates features of the shape of the distribution function based on the physical quantity, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

when the image inputting unit inputs an image of one color plane,

the describing unit uses Chebyshev polynomials as the base functions, and

the physical quantity calculating unit calculates the physical quantity by giving a quantun number 0 to all even function groups and giving a quantum number 1 to all odd function groups.

11. An. image sorting apparatus comprising:

an image inputting unit that inputs an image;

a distribution function preparing unit that prepares a distribution function of pixel values of the image,

a describing unit that performs series. expansion an the distribution function by using base functions comprised of an even function group and an odd function group that form a complete set and are orthogonal to each other and describing the distribution function by expansion coefficients,

a physical quantity calculating unit that gives even quantum numbers and odd quantum numbers to function groups belonging to subgroups having same properties concerning even functions and odd functions among the base function groups and calculating a physical quantity of the sum of products of the expansion coefficients and the quantum numbers given to each for all expansion coefficients;

an evaluating unit that evaluates feature of the shape of the distribution function based on the physical quantity, and

a sorting unit that sorts the image to images of at least two categories based on results of the evaluation, wherein

when the image inputting unit inputs an edge image concerning an edge component of one color plane,

the describing unit uses, as the base functions, spherical Bessel functions comprised of at least an order 0 even function group and an order 1 odd function group, and

the physical quantity calculating unit calculates the physical quantity by giving quantum numbers equal to the orders of the spherical Bessel functions to the subgroups.

12. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

when the describing unit describes the distribution function by using order 2 or higher spherical Bessel functions,

the physical quantity calculating unit calculates the physical quantity and further obtains a sum of products in a case when inverting the odd number order expansion coefficients to negative signs so as to calculate another physical quantity.

13. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the edge image is a single combined high frequency band image obtained by filtering the image to successively produce high frequency subband images comprised of a plurality of resolutions and successively combining the high frequency subband images from the one with the lowest resolution.

14. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the inputting unit inputs edge images of planes of hue, value, and chroma.

17. The image sorting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the inputting unit inputs edge images of planes of hue, value, and chroma.