Sketch-based image matching using angular partitioning

This paper presents a novel method for image similarity measure, where a hand-drawn rough black and white sketch is compared with an existing data base of full color images (art works and photographs). The proposed system creates ambient intelligence in terms of the evaluation of nonprecise, easy to input sketched information. The system can then provide the user with options of either retrieving similar images in the database or ranking the quality of the sketch against a given standard, i.e., the original image model. Alternatively, the inherent pattern-matching capability of the system can be utilized to allow detection of distortion in any given real time-image sequences in vision-driven ambient intelligence applications. The proposed method can cope with images containing several complex objects in an inhomogeneous background. Two abstract images are obtained using strong edges of the model image and the morphologically thinned outline of the sketched image. The angular-spatial distribution of pixels in the abstract images is then employed to extract new compact and effective features using the Fourier transform. The extracted features are rotation and scale invariant and robust against translation. Experimental results from seven different approaches confirm the efficacy of the proposed method in both the retrieval performance and the time required for feature extraction and search.