System and method for performing region-based image retrieval using color-based segmentation
US6577759B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 17, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 10, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 17, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/10016
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
There is disclosed an image retrieval system for analyzing an image in a first color model format and detecting and retrieving from the image a selected image portion. The image retrieval system comprises an image processor for converting pixels in the image from the first color model format to a (Yr&thgr;) color model format, where Y is an intensity component indicating a total amount of light, r is a saturation component indicating an amount of white light mixed with a color of each pixel, and &thgr; is a hue component indicating the color of each pixel. The image processor groups spatially adjacent pixels into image regions according to hue components of the adjacent pixels and performs a merging process wherein a first image region and an adjacent second image region are merged into a composite region if a hue difference between the first and second image regions is less than a predetermined hue difference threshold. The process is repeated to continually merge regions of similar hue until no further merges can be performed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.