Patent ID: 8077982

Claim:
An image match-point detection apparatus comprising: a pattern detection part configured to express a pattern image of each of pixel blocks comprising a plurality of pixels in each of a plurality of bitmap images, by a pattern number of a numerical value expressing a characteristic of each pixel block, the pattern number comprising the number of bits equal to or smaller than the number of original pixel bits equal to the total number of bits of all pixels in each pixel block, and to detect, for each pixel block, pattern information comprising a pair of the pattern number of each pixel block and a pattern position expressing a position of each pixel block; a pattern storage part configured to classify the pattern information contained in each of the bitmap images by the pattern number and to store the pattern number, the number of times of appearance of an identical pattern number, and information on the pattern position corresponding to each pattern number; a characteristic-point extraction part configured, for each of the bitmap images, to extract the pattern information that the number of times of appearance of the pattern number is only once, as characteristic-point pattern information, by using information stored in the pattern storage part; and a match-point detection part configured to determine whether the pattern numbers of the pattern information extracted as the characteristic-point pattern information for the bitmap images are identical to one another and to detect a plurality of the pattern information comprising the identical pattern number, as match-point information.