Patent ID: 6674905
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
An image extracting method comprising the steps of:setting a core by designating at least one of a predetermined point, line segment and area in an image; calculating an evaluation function including a texture characteristic amount in a local area, the local area including at least one standard point corresponding to the core; and determining a borderline of a predetermined area in the image by renewing a shape of the core based on a value of the evaluation function, wherein said step of calculating an evaluation function comprises determining an attention point using a predetermined method; determining a first distance between the attention point and the at least one standard point in a characteristic space based on a color component characteristic amount; determining a second distance between the attention point and the at least one standard point in a characteristic space based on a texture characteristic amount; and weighting and adding the first distance and the second distance, wherein weighting factors are determined based on a dispersion value concerning a shading value in a neighborhood of the at least one standard point, and wherein said step of determining a borderline comprises obtaining a similarity between a neighborhood area of the at least one standard point and a neighborhood area of the attention point, based on a function value obtained by calculating the evaluation function; renewing the shape of the core by combining (i) the attention point or a neighborhood area of the attention point and (ii) a predetermined extraction area that includes the at least one standard point, when the similarity is larger than a predetermined threshold value; and renewing the shape of the core by removing the attention point and the neighborhood area from the extraction area when the similarity is equal to or less than the threshold value and the attention point is included in the extraction area.