Object-based image search system and search method thereof

An object-based image search system comprising:

• an object image management module (301) for registering and storing an object image including one or more objects, extracting image information from the registered object image, and storing the image information together with the object image;
• a second class information management module (302) for creating or classifying the image information of the object image extracted through the object image management module (301) as one or more classes according to similarity;
• a second registered-image management module 303 for storing and managing various kinds of registered images or videos, which will be a search target;
• a second registered-image information extraction module (304) for extracting feature points or visual attributes of the feature points from the registered images or videos as image information;
• a registered-image classification module (310) for comparing the image information extracted through the second registered-image information extraction module (304) with image information of the classes and storing information on classes having identical or similar image information together with the registered images or videos;
• a second search contents information extraction module (311) for extracting information for searching from an image, a video, a voice or a text received through a user terminal;
• a second registered-image search module (316) for searching for identically or similarly matched classes by comparing search contents information extracted through the second search contents information extraction module 311 with image information of the classes and searching for registered images or registered videos including all or some of the searched classes;
• and
• a second search result display module (319) for providing the user terminal with information on the classes or the registered images searched by the second registered-image search module (316) as a search result, wherein
• the second search contents information extraction module (311) includes one or more of
• a second search image processing unit (312) for extracting image information included in a search image received from a user;
• a second search video processing unit (313) for analyzing a search video, partitioning sections of the video as scenes before and after a point where a visual element is converted, selecting one or more frames representing each scene as representative frames, and extracting image information from the selected representative frames;
• a second search voice processing unit (314) for analyzing a voice provided by the user terminal and converting the voice into text;
• and
• a second search text processing unit (315) for analyzing a search text provided by the user terminal or the text converted by the second search voice processing unit (314).

An object-based image search method comprising the steps of:

• extracting feature points of a registered image, which will be a search target, or visual attributes of the feature points as image information, through a first registered-image information extraction module (203);
• creating or classifying the extracted image information as one or more classes by clustering the image information according to identity or similarity of the image information, by a class creation module (209);
• receiving information on the created classes and storing the information as class information, through a first class information management module (210);
• if any one of search contents selected from an image, a search video, a voice and a text desired to be searched for is provided by a user terminal, extracting image information of the provided search contents, by a first search contents information extraction module (211);
• searching for identical or similar classes by comparing the image information extracted from the search contents with image information of the classes and searching for registered images or registered videos including all or some of the searched classes, by a first registered-image search module (216);
• creating information on the searched classes or registered images as a list and providing the user terminal with the list as a search result, through a first search result display module (219);
• and
• if the search contents are a voice, converting the provided voice into text, wherein
• classes having an identically or similarly matched text are searched for by comparing the text converted from the voice or a search text directly provided by the user terminal as text with text of the class information.

An object-based image search method comprising the steps of:

• registering and storing an image including one or more of a variety of objects through an object image management module (301), extracting image information of the registered object image, and creating or classifying the image information as one or more classes by clustering the image information according to identity or similarity of the image information;
• receiving and storing the created classes and information on the classes as class information, through a second class information management module (302);
• if an image or a video, which will be a search target, is received, extracting image information from a registered image or a registered video, through a second registered-image information extraction module (304);
• confirming identically or similarly matched classes by comparing the extracted image information of the registered image or video with image information in the classes, and storing information on the matched classes together in the registered image, through a second registered-image management module (303);
• if any one of search contents selected from an image, a search video, a voice and a text desired to be searched for is provided by a user terminal, extracting image information of the provided search contents, by a second search contents information extraction module (311);
• searching for matched identical or similar classes by comparing the image information extracted from the search contents with image information of the classes and searching for registered images or registered videos including all or some of the searched classes, by a second registered-image search module (316);
• creating information on the searched classes or registered images as a list and providing the user terminal with the list as a search result, through a second search result display module (319);
• and
• if the search contents are a voice, converting the provided voice into text, wherein
• classes having an identically or similarly matched text are searched for by comparing the text converted from the voice or a search text directly provided by the user terminal as text with text of the class information.