Image analysis – Pattern recognition – Template matching
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-04
2001-07-03
Chang, Jon (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Pattern recognition
Template matching
C382S289000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256412
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application 8-46093 filed Mar. 4, 1996 and is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/354,878 filed Dec. 14, 1994, now abandoned, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recognition method and apparatus for extracting and recognizing a specific image such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/354,878. This invention is more particularly related to an image recognition method and apparatus which examines a characteristic of an image indicating whether it is difficult to determine whether the image is rotated during a recognition process.
2. Discussion of Background
In recent years there has been a development in the recognition of specific color images using a color image processing apparatus such as a personal computer system with an image scanner. In order to accomplish color image recognition, several techniques which recognize and detect specific images in an object image are provided in a color image processing apparatus. Once the specific image is detected in the object image, the color image processing apparatus generates a recognition result indicating that the object image matches image information in a recognition dictionary for the specific image. Such a color image processing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/354,878.
However, it has been determined through experiments by the present inventors that, if the object image is rotated, there are problems in the recognition process between the object image data and the image information in the recognition dictionary for the specific image. For example, it has been found that in cases where the object images are rotated, consistent recognition results have not been achieved by previous devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a novel and efficient method and apparatus for improving recognition accuracy of a specific image within an object image using characteristics of image rotation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recognition method and apparatus using the characteristics of rotation of the extracted object image in a color image recognition process.
The above and other objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a new and improved image recognition apparatus and method for recognizing a specific image in an object image using input image signals of the object image, the specific image having a possibility of being rotated. The image recognition apparatus includes an image information extraction unit for extracting an object image from the input image signals as a candidate for recognition of the specific image and for extracting feature values from the object image using the input image signals, and a match determining device coupled to the image information extraction unit for recognizing the specific image in the object image by a comparison of the extracted feature values from the object image with reference data for the specific image. The match determining device is controlled using the reference data according to an easy to determine rotation characteristic and difficult to determine rotation characteristic in the reference data for the specific image.
The present invention samples the input image provided by an image input device such as a scanner using red, green and blue image signals. An object image data which is represented by a circumscribing quadrangle and an inscribing quadrangle is extracted from the input image signals. The coordinates of the object image are extracted from the image data and are used to determine the size of the object image to be recognized.
The present invention stores characteristics of rotation of the object image in a recognition dictionary as predetermined reference data. The predetermined reference data includes, for example, a flag which indicates a rotation characteristic of the extracted object image. The flag is used to determine whether the object image has an easy to determine rotation characteristic or a difficult to determine rotation characteristic for facilitating the image recognition process.
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IEEE Transactions On Communications, vol. 36, No. 8, Aug. 1988, Image Coding Using Vector Quantization: A Review, Nasser M. Nasrabadi and Robert A. King, pp. 957-971.
Miyazawa Toshio
Nishimura Mayumi
Tachikawa Michiyoshi
Chang Jon
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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