Patent Document ID: 20100299355
Application ID: 12778953
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. An image search apparatus that searches an image similar to an inputted query image from registered images, the image search apparatus comprising: an extraction unit configured to acquire a pair of feature points corresponding to each other based on a feature amount of feature points in the query image and to extract a symmetric partial image based on the acquired pair of feature points; a decision unit configured to decide two partial areas, which are obtained by dividing the partial image at a symmetry axis of the partial image, as a first area and a second area based on the tendency of image features in the partial image; a setting unit configured to extract, based on the feature amount, at least two sets of corresponding pairs of feature points from the feature points in partial areas decided as the first area of the query image and a registered comparison destination image and to set a coordinate transformation coefficient for transforming the feature points of one of the two images so that the coordinates of the extracted pairs of feature points match; and a comparison unit configured to extract pairs of feature points corresponding to each other from the feature points in the two images based on the feature amount to determine the similarity between the two images, to transform coordinates of the feature points extracted from the one of the images by a coordinate transformation process using the coordinate transformation coefficient, and to compare the coordinates of the feature points after the transformation with coordinates of the feature points in the other image of the two images.