Method, apparatus, computer program, computer system, and computer-readable storage medium for representing and searching for an object in an image

• US 7,542,626 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Bober, Miroslaw Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mariam; Daniel G
• Application Number:
  US11/929,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20080050048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/181, 382/199, 382/201, 382/203, 382/209, 382/218, 382/305, 382/276, 358/403, 707 1- 10
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/46 Descriptors for shape, contour or point-related descriptors, e.g. scale invariant feature transform [SIFT] or bags of words [BoW]; Salient regional features colour feature extraction G06V10/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/752 Contour matching

Abstract

A method of representing an object appearing in a still or video image, by processing signals corresponding to the image, comprises deriving a plurality of numerical values associated with features appearing on the outline of an object starting from an arbitrary point on the outline and applying a predetermined ordering to said values to arrive at a representative of the outline.

Claims

1. A method for representing an object appearing in an image using at least one processor to process signals corresponding to the image, the method comprising:

identifying at least one object outline;

deriving, using a predetermined algorithm and said at least one processor, a plurality of numerical values representing features appearing on the at least one object outline;

transforming at least some of said numerical values by subtracting one of said numerical values from a plurality of said numerical values; and

forming a descriptor from said transformed numerical values.

2. A method of searching for an object in an image or sequence of images by processing signals corresponding to images, the method comprising

inputting a query in the form of a two-dimensional outline;

deriving a descriptor of said outline using a method as claimed in claim 1,

obtaining a obtaining a descriptor of objects in stored images derived using a method as claimed in claim 1 and comparing said query descriptor with each descriptor for a stored object; and

selecting and displaying at least one result corresponding to an image containing an object for which the comparison indicates a degree of similarity between the query and said object.

3. An apparatus comprising:

an image database storing an image or sequence of images; and

a processor configured to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable process steps for implementing a method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.

5. A computer system comprising:

an image database storing an image or sequence of images; and

a control unit programmed to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2.