Method and apparatus for classifying and identifying images

A method of building a class model comprising:

• (a) first selecting a plurality of different low-frequency subsampled images, each of the low-frequency subsampled images belonging to a predetermined class of images;
• (b) after the selecting step, partitioning each of the plurality of low-frequency subsampled images into a plurality of image regions;
• (c) for each of the plurality of images, performing:
• (1) selecting an image region from the plurality of image regions;
• (2) computing a plurality of relative relationships between at least one property of the selected image region and a like property of selected ones of other image regions in the image;
• (3) selecting a next image region;
• and
• (4) repeating steps (2) and (3) for each of the plurality of image regions in the image;
• and
• (5) identifying relative relationships of region properties in each of the image regions which are consistent between each of the plurality of images;
• and
• (d) for each of the relative relationships, storing a value representative of the relative relationship in a storage device.

An image processing system comprising:

• means for providing a low-frequency subsampled image from an original image;
• a region partitioner means for dividing the low-frequency subsampled image into a plurality of image regions, each of the plurality of image regions having a plurality of properties;
• and
• a relationship processor for identifying a relative relationship between a first property in a first one of the plurality of image regions and a second one of the plurality of image regions.

A method of building a class model comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting a plurality of different low resolution images, each of the images belonging to a predetermined class of images;
• (b) partitioning each of the plurality of images into a plurality of image regions;
• (c) for each of the plurality of images, performing the steps of:
• (1) selecting an image region from the plurality of image regions;
• (2) computing a plurality of relative relationships between at least one property of the selected image region and a like property of selected ones of other image regions in the image;
• (3) selecting a next image region;
• and
• (4) repeating steps (2) and (3) for each of the plurality of image regions in the image;
• and
• (5) identifying relative relationships of region properties in each of the image regions which are consistent between each of the plurality of images;
• and
• (d) for each of the relative relationships, storing a value representative of the relative relationship in a storage device;
• (e) expressing predetermined ones of the relative relationships of each image region as an equivalence class wherein each relative relationship may be expressed as a corresponding one of a plurality of equivalence classes;
• and
• (f) associating each of the relative relationships from a first image region with a second different image region, wherein the second different image region has at least one boundary point which contacts the boundary point of the first image region.

A method of generating a class model comprising the steps of:

• providing a reference image;
• first eliminating high frequency image components from the reference image to produce a low frequency image;
• after the eliminating step, subsampling the low frequency image to provide a low resolution image;
• after subsampling, selecting from the low resolution image a first low resolution image region from a plurality of low resolution image regions in the low resolution image, the first low resolution image region comprising an array of pixels and having a plurality of image properties;
• identifying a first relative relationship between an image property of the first one of the plurality of low resolution image regions and a like property of a second one of the plurality of low resolution image regions;
• and
• storing, in a storage device, a value representative of the relative relationship between the image property of the first and second low resolution image regions.