Patent Document ID: 7545973
Application ID: 10520661
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An image matching system for retrieving a reference image similar to an input image, the image matching system comprising: means for making a first match between the input image and a plurality of representative three-dimensional object models; means for making a second match between the reference image and the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models; means for retrieving the reference image similar to the input image based on the first match and the second match; image input means for inputting the input image; a representative three-dimensional object model storage section for storing the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models; first image generation means for generating at least one comparison image close in input condition to the input image for each representative three-dimensional object model among the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models based on the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models stored in the representative three-dimensional object model storage section; first image matching means for calculating similarities between the input image and the at lease one comparison image of the each representative three-dimensional object model generated by the first image generation means, and selecting the least one comparison image of a representative three-dimensional object model among the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models which has a greatest similarity with the input image based on the similarities calculated by the first image matching means; a reference image storage section for storing reference images of objects; a reference image matching result storage section for storing similarities between the reference images stored in the reference image storage section and the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models stored in the representative three-dimensional object model storage section; result matching means for extracting reference images to the input image based on the similarities between the input image and the at lease one comparison image of the each representative three-dimensional object model calculated by the first image matching means and the similarities between the reference images and the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models stored in the reference image matching result storage section three-dimensional object model registration means for registering the plurality of the representative three-dimensional object models in the representative three-dimensional object model storage section; reference image registration means for registering the reference images in the reference image storage section; and reference image matching result update means for calculating a similarity using the second image matching means, when a new representative-dimensional object model is registered in the representative three-dimensional object model storage section by the three-dimensional object model registration means, or when a new reference image is registered in the reference image storage section by the reference image registration means, and adding the calculated similarity to the similarities stored in the reference image matching result storage section.