Image analysis – Image transformation or preprocessing – Image storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-30
2004-05-04
Mariam, Daniel (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Image transformation or preprocessing
Image storage or retrieval
C382S209000, C382S187000, C382S218000, C358S403000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06731826
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image search apparatus and method for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, and a computer readable memory.
Various image search apparatuses for searching databases which store a large number of image data for desired image data have been proposed. The search methods used in these image search apparatuses are roughly classified into two methods:
a method of storing non-image information such as keywords, photographing dates, and the like in association with image data, and conducting a search based on such information; and
a method of conducting a search on the basis of the image feature amounts (luminance/color difference information, image frequency, histogram, and the like) of image data itself.
In the latter method, a method of submitting certain image data, and searching image data using the image feature amounts of that image data as query keys is called similar image search. This method can effectively provide a search interface which is friendly to a user who has no special knowledge about image processing.
However, when the user has no image data that serve as keys, e.g., when a search is made on the basis of user's memory or an image idea designed by the user himself or herself, a user interface of the type using similar image search is very difficult to use. Or in some cases such interface cannot be used at all.
Alternatively, the user must acquire image data which serve as keys by some method. For example, the user must retrieve image data which can serve as keys by a search using keywords, and must then conduct a similar image search using the retrieved image data as keys, resulting in troublesome operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the conventional problems, and has as its object to provide an image search apparatus and method which can efficiently make an image search by quickly reflecting user's will, and a computer readable memory.
In order to achieve the above object, an image search apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image search apparatus for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
storage means for storing the plurality of image data in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
input means for inputting an image using an input window;
image feature amount computing means for computing an image feature amount of the image input by the input means; and
image similarity computing means for computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed by the image feature amount computing means, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage means.
In order to achieve the above object, an image search method according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image search method for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
the storage step of storing the plurality of image data in a storage medium in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
the image feature amount computing step of computing an image feature amount of an image input on an input window; and
the image similarity computing step of computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed in the image feature amount computing step, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage medium in the storage step.
In order to achieve the above object, a computer readable memory according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, a computer readable memory that stores a program code of an image search for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
a program code of the storage step of storing the plurality of image data in a storage medium in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
a program code of the image feature amount computing step of computing an image feature amount of an image input on an input window; and
a program code of the image similarity computing step of computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed in the image feature amount computing step, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage medium in the storage step.
In order to achieve the above object, an image search apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image search apparatus for, searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
storage means for storing the plurality of image data in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
input means for inputting an image using an input window;
image feature amount computing means for computing an image feature amount of the image input by the input means;
image similarity computing means for computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed by the image feature amount computing means, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage means;
image display means for displaying a list of image data as search results on the basis of the image similarity computed by the image similarity computing means; and
display control means for controlling to display the input window and a display window displayed by the image display means on a single screen of a display unit.
In order to achieve the above object, an image search method according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image search method for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
the storage step of storing the plurality of image data in a storage medium in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
the image feature amount computing step of computing an image feature amount of image input on an input window;
the image similarity computing step of computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed in the image feature amount computing step, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage medium;
the image display step of displaying a list of image data as search results on the basis of the image similarity computed in the image similarity computing step; and
the display control step of controlling to display the input window and a display window displayed in the image display step on a single screen of a display unit.
In order to achieve the above object, a computer readable memory according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, a computer readable memory that stores a program code of an image search for searching an image database that stores a plurality of image data for desired image data, comprises:
a program code of the storage step of storing the plurality of image data in a storage medium in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data;
a program code of the image feature amount computing step of computing an image feature amount of image input on an input window;
a program code of the image similarity computing step of computing image similarity on the basis of the image feature amount computed in the image feature amount computing step, and the image feature amounts of the image data stored in the storage medium;
a program code of the image display step of displaying a list of image data as search results on the basis of the image similarity computed in the image similarity computing step; and
a program code of the display control step of controlling to display the input window and a display window displayed in the image display step on a single screen of a display unit.
In order to achieve the above object, an image search apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arr
Enokida Miyuki
Kusama Kiyoshi
Matsumoto Kentaro
Yamamoto Kunihiro
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Mariam Daniel
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