Image signal characterization

Abstract: A method for describing pattern repetitiveness which may exist within an image, is provided. The method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image comprises: (a) projecting an image on a predetermined axis having a predetermined direction, (b) decomposing the projected image down one level, (c) increasing a threshold value until a pattern quantizing value is retained, and denoising the decomposed data, and (d) describing pattern repetitiveness of the image using the pattern quantizing value of the denoised data and the threshold value used for denoising. Because the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image effectively denoises the original image without damaging the pattern repetitiveness of the original image, and the pattern repetitiveness is described using the denoised data, it is possible to describe more definite pattern repetitiveness.

Description: The present invention relates to a method of characterizing an image signal and an apparatus therefor. To distinguish one image from another image, it is regarded as important to give attention to or perceive a coherent pattern. This is regarded as being very important for purposes such as storing, sorting and retrieval of images for image recognition and image manipulation. Also, this can be a decisive element in obtaining better performance in the field of pattern matching using texture features. Raw pixel values may be projected vertically or horizontally for extracting a peculiar pattern within image data. If a repetitive pattern is included in an image, the pattern is definitely indicated within the projected image. An auto-correlation method may be applied to the resultant projected image and periodic characteristics can be identified or magnified. However, pattern repetitiveness found within the projected image does not have a fine period in general due to a combination of other repetitive patterns and noise. A conventional method for reducing noise using an automated periodic pattern counting mechanism can partially solve the problem. However, if the noise is removed, there is a problem in that the pattern repetitiveness of the image is changed. A method of generating characterizing signal for an image signal, according to the present invention, is characterized by: (a) projecting pixel data of an image signal along a predetermined axis; (b) calculating a pattern quantizing value for the projected pixel data and decomposing the projected image data; (c) repeatedly denoising the decomposed data using a threshold value, calculating a new pattern quantizing value for the denoised data and increasing the denoising threshold value until the quantizing value is not the same for two successive iterations; and (d) generating a pattern repetitiveness characterization signal for said image signal using the penultimate pattern quantizing value and the threshold value, wherein said decomposition is in a wavelet basis and said decomposed data is the averaged sum result of said decomposition. Preferably, step (b) comprises repeatedly decomposing the projected pixel data down one level and calculating a new pattern quantizing value until the new pattern quantizing value differs from the previous pattern quantizing value and the penultimate quantizing value obtained in step (b) is used as an intial quantizing value in step (c), and said decompositions are in a wavelet basis and the averaged swum result of each of said repeated decompositions constitutes the projected pixel data for the next iteration. Preferably, the characterization signal is based on the penultimate quantizing value and the threshold. An image signal characterizing apparatus comprising an image signal input, a characterizing signal output and processing means, is characterized in that the processing means is programmed to perform a method according to the present invention on a signal received at said signal input and output the resultant characterizing signal at said signal output. A method of grouping images having similar texture characteristics within an image database in which a plurality of images are stored, according to the present invention comprises: perfoming a characterizing signal generating method according to the present invention on a plurality of image signals, and grouping the images according to their respective characterization signals. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating the main steps of a first method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the main steps of a second method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image according to the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, first, an image is projected on a predetermined axis having a predetermined direction (step 102). A pattern quantizing value of the projected image is calculated (step 103). It is possible to use a generally known automated scheme such as a counting algorithm or the calculation of the quantizing value by the naked eye, so that a quantizing value determined on the basis of the pattern repetitiveness period is obtained. Hereinafter, the quantizing value is indicated as by P . Now, the projected image is decomposed down one level (step 104). Here, the decomposition can be performed on the basis of a discrete wavelet transform. Because the wavelet transform acts as a step of denoising, a low frequency component is extracted from the projected image by the wavelet transform. For example, if the length of feature vectors A indicating a projection is 2 n , the respective feature vectors can be decomposed into n levels. That is, the feature vectors A can be represented by A = ( a 1 , a 2 , a 3 ,..., a 2 n ) Also, the feature vectors A can be decomposed into an averaged sum A 1 and an averaged difference D 1 . That is, it can be rewritten as A = A 1 + D 1 . Also, when L is the length of a support of wavelet used, and basis vectors V 1 1 within a scaling space are V 1 1 = (0,0,0,...,α 1 ,α 2 ,...,α L ,0,...,0) , and basis vectors W 1 1 within a wavelet space combined with the scaling space are V 1 1 =(0,0,0,...,β 1 ,β 2 ,...,α L ,0,...,0) , the averaged sum A 1 and the averaged difference D 1 can be represented respectively by To keep a certain periodicity, the basis vectors should be wrapped around to the start. That is, the number of zeros to be placed from the left in each of the vectors is determined by a subscript i to be 2i. There exists a relationship between αs and βs which make the use of terms of the averaged sum and the averaged difference on a scaling coefficient and a wavelet coefficient respectively rather appropriate. For example, the relationship is the following: β i = -1 t +1 α L +1- i . Then, using the following formulae, a successive decomposition can be done on the previous averaged sum. Due to the nature of the calculation for decomposing into the averaged sum and the averaged difference, in the averaged sum, almost all essential information for describing original feature vectors would be retained, whereas in the averaged difference, the feature vector portions belonging to highly changeable realms would be retained. In this preferred embodiment, an example in which an image is decomposed down one level to generally denoise will be described. Next, denoising from the result data decomposed using a predetermined threshold value is performed (step 106), and a pattern quantizing value of the denoised data is calculated (step 108). It is determined whether the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the current quantizing value (step 110). The case where the previous quantizing value is identical to the current quantizing value means that pattern regularity has not changed and has been retained even though the data has been denoised using the corresponding threshold value. However, the case where the previous pattern quantizing value is different from the current quantizing value means that pattern regularity changed when the data was denoised using the corresponding threshold value. Therefore, if the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the current pattern quantizing value, the threshold value is increased (step 112) to perform step 106. If the previous pattern quantizing value is not identical to the current pattern quantizing value, the previous pattern quantizing value is determined as a final pattern quantizing value (step 114). Now, the pattern repetitiveness of the image is described on the basis of the pattern quantizing value obtained in step 114 and the threshold value (step 116). The quantizing value and the threshold value are indicated as numbers, and it is possible to describe the pattern repetitiveness of the image expressed using the numbers. Also, according to the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image, the image is effectively denoised, so that the pattern repetitiveness of the image can be effectively described. According to the pattern repetitiveness describing method, information about the pattern repetitiveness of the image is extracted, and denoising is performed with reference to the extracted pattern repetitiveness, so that the original image is effectively denoised without damaging the pattern repetitiveness of the image. Also, more definite pattern repetitiveness is obtained by denoising, and the images having periodic patterns can be classified in detail and stored by indexing using the quantizing value decided on the basis of the pattern repetitiveness of the obtained image. In the above described first preferred embodiment, an example, in which an image is decomposed down one level is described. However, it is possible to decompose an image down a plurality of levels. Referring to Figure 2, first, an image is projected on an axis having a predetermined direction (step 202). A pattern quantizing value of the projected image is calculated (step 204). It is possible to use an automated scheme such as a digitization algorithm or for the calculation of the quantizing value by the naked eye, so that a quantizing value decided on the basis of the repetitiveness period of the pattern is obtained. Hereinafter, the quantizing value is indicated as P . Now, the projected image is decomposed down one level (step 206), and the quantizing value of the decomposed result data is calculated (step 208). Next, it is determined whether the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition (step 210). The case where the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition means that pattern regularity has not changed even though the decomposed image has been denoised. However, the case where the previous pattern quantizing value is not identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition means that pattern regularity has changed due to the denoising of the decomposed image. Therefore, if the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition, step 206 is performed, so that the result data is decomposed down one level, and the pattern quantizing value of the decomposed data is calculated (step 208), to determine whether the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition (step 210). However, if the previous pattern quantizing value is not identical to the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition, a previous level is determined as a final level (step 212). Hereby, the decomposition is performed until the level at which the previous pattern quantizing value and the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition are retained as they are. Now, the data of the level determined in the step 212 is denoised using a predetermined threshold value (step 214). Next, the pattern quantizing value of the denoised data is calculated (step 216), and it is determined whether the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the current pattern quantizing value (step 218). If it is determined that the previous pattern quantizing value is not identical to the current pattern quantizing value, the previous pattern quantizing value is determined to be the final pattern quantizing value (step 222). If it is determined that the previous pattern quantizing value is identical to the current pattern quantizing value, the threshold value is increased (step 220), and steps 214, 216, and 218 are repeatedly performed, so that the image is denoised until the threshold at which the current pattern quantizing value and the previous pattern quantizing value are retained as they are. Now, the pattern repetitiveness of the image will be described on the basis of the level number, pattern quantizing value, and the threshold value (step 224). According to the pattern repetitiveness describing method of the present invention, the information about the pattern repetitiveness within the image is extracted, and the denoising is performed with reference to the information about the extracted pattern repetitiveness, so that the image is effectively denoised without damaging the pattern repetitiveness within the original image. Also, more definite pattern repetitiveness is obtained by denoising, and the images having the patterns can be classified in detail and stored by indexing using the quantizing value decided on the basis of the pattern repetitiveness of the obtained image. Also, the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image can be applied to image indexing methods, and to grouping of the images having similar texture features within an image database in which a plurality of images are stored. According to the method of grouping images, as described in the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the threshold value is increased until the pattern quantizing value is retained, and the decomposed data is denoised. The pattern repetitiveness vectors including the pattern quantizing value of the denoised data and the threshold value used for denoising are designated as pattern repetitiveness descriptors of the images. It is possible to group images having similar texture characteristics using the pattern repetitiveness descriptor of the image. Also, according to the method of grouping images, as described in the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the decomposition is performed until the level at which the previous pattern quantizing value and the pattern quantizing value after the decomposition are retained as they are, so that the image is denoised, and the level number of the denoised data, the pattern quantizing value, and the threshold value used for denoising are determined as the pattern repetitiveness descriptor of the image. It is possible to group images having similar texture characteristics using the pattern repetitiveness descriptor of the image. According to the methods of grouping images above described, the grouping is performed using the effectively denoised pattern repetitiveness, so that the performance of the grouping can be enhanced. The method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image according to the present invention can be written as a program executed on a personal or server computer. Program codes and code segments forming the program can be easily induced by computer programmers skilled in the art. Also, the program can be stored in computer-readable recording media. The recording media may be magnetic recording media or optical recording media. The program may also be transmitted as an electric or an electromagnetic signal. The pattern repetitiveness describing method extracts information about the pattern repetitiveness of the image, and performs denoising with reference to the information about the extracted pattern repetitiveness to effectively denoise the original image without damaging the pattern repetitiveness of the original image. Also, more definite pattern repetitiveness can be obtained by denoising. Hereby, images having patterns can be classified in detail and stored by indexing using an exact quantizing value decided on the basis of definite pattern repetitiveness when a general known indexing scheme is applied. A machine for characterizing images comprises an input for receiving image signals from a source thereof, a processor for processing received image signals and an output for outputting image characterization signals. The processor is programmed to perform one of the above-described methods on input image signals and output the resultant characterizing signals via the output. The images signals may be produced by a camera.

Claims: A method of generating characterizing signal for an image signal, the method being characterized by :- (a) projecting pixel data of an image signal along a predetermined axis; (b) calculating a pattern quantizing value for the projected pixel data and decomposing the projected image data; (c) repeatedly denoising the decomposed data using a threshold value, calculating a new pattern quantizing value for the denoised data and increasing the denoising threshold value until the quantizing value is not the same for two successive iterations; and (d) generating a pattern repetitiveness characterization signal for said image signal using the penultimate pattern quantizing value and the threshold value, wherein said decomposition is in a wavelet basis and said decomposed data is the averaged sum result of said decomposition. A method according to claim 1, wherein: step (b) comprises repeatedly decomposing the projected pixel data down one level and calculating a new pattern quantizing value until the new pattern quantizing value differs from the previous pattern quantizing value and the penultimate quantizing value obtained in step (b) is used as an initial quantizing value in step (c); and said decompositions are in a wavelet basis and the averaged sum result of each of said repeated decompositions constitutes the projected pixel data for the next iteration. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the characterization signal is based on the penultimate quantizing value and the threshold. An image signal characterizing apparatus comprising an image signal input, a characterizing signal output and processing means, characterized in that the processing means is programmed to perform a method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 on a signal received at said signal input and output the resultant characterizing signal at said signal output. A method of grouping images having similar texture characteristics within an image database in which a plurality of images are stored, the method comprising: performing a method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 on a plurality of image signals, and grouping the images according to their respective characterization signals.

Inventors: CHOI YANG-LIM, SHIN HYUN-DOO, CHOI, YANG-LIM, SHIN, HYUN-DOO, Choi, Yang-lim, 210-1509 Hanshin Apt., Shin, Hyun-doo, 510-1302 Mugigae Maeul Cheongku
Applicants: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G06K9
IPC codes: G06T7, H04N5