Patent ID: 9483715
Filing Date: 2016-11-01
CPC Classification: G06K,G06T

Claim Text:
1. A classifying device for classifying each pixel forming image data into one of N labels, where N>2, which are ordered from 0 to N−1, the classifying device comprising: a processor configured to assign each pixel with one of the N labels (i) by using a graph that includes k layers, where k=N−1, which are set between a vertex s and a vertex t and each of which layers is a boundary between the labels, vertices w wherein the processor is configured to execute the following instructions, which comprise: setting, for each i-th layer i that is the boundary between a label i−1 and a label i of the N labels, a binary graph including edges each connecting two of the vertices w setting an energy for each edge of the binary graph for each layer depending on which of the virtual label 0 and the virtual label 1 each vertex belongs to; assigning one of the virtual label 0 and the virtual label 1 to each vertex w determining which of the N labels the pixel at each location v belongs to depending on which of the virtual label 0 and the virtual label 1 is assigned to each vertex w wherein the binary graph includes an edge that connects two vertices w wherein the processor determines, for each vertex w wherein the processor sets a fourth- or higher order energy, which is determined depending on whether or not all of arbitrary four or more vertices on the same layer belong to the virtual label 0 or the virtual label 1, for each of edges that connect the four vertices w