Patent US6591010B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6591010B1
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System and method for image detection and qualification
Assignee: Google LLC
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Filing: 1999-07-29
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Granted: 2003-07-08
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Expires: 2019-07-29
Abstract
Abstract A method and a system employing the method is disclosed for detecting and qualifying a portion of a digital image stored in a computer-readable memory with respect to a reference digital image. The method and system accesses video memory of a video controller device, retrieves a portion of the rasterized image, and compares the portion of the image on a pixel-by-pixel basis for approximate match to the reference image. Because graphics accelerators in video controller devices render inexact graphic images which are nonetheless visually acceptable, the method and system further employs a step of comparison for a match on a pixel region basis. A method of comparison wherein the reference pixel and the pixel or pixels under analysis is disclosed which plots the pixels in three-dimensional space defined by the color palette variables, allowing a pixel to "match" the reference pixel if it's position within the three-dimensional color space is within a certain radius of the reference pixel's position.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert Michael Russin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:12
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00002; H04N1/00005; G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; H04N1/00026; H04N1/00037
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A method in a computer system for detecting a match between a two digital multiple-pixel image data sets in computer-readable media, each pixel having a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set, comprising the steps of: comparing pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixel pairs between the multiple-pixel image data sets for which the row and column values of the corresponding pixels are equal value; incrementing an direct pixel match count for every corresponding pixel pair which have pixel luminance data sets within acceptable variation from each other; comparing a plurality pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixels in a surrounding area around each corresponding pixel pair for which no direct pixel match was found and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each area in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the digital image data sets match if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
167 words
A method in a computer system for detecting a match between a two digital multiple-pixel image data sets in computer-readable media, each pixel having a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set, comprising the steps of: comparing pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixel pairs between the multiple-pixel image data sets for which the row and column values of the corresponding pixels are equal value; incrementing an direct pixel match count for every corresponding pixel pair which have pixel luminance data sets within acceptable variation from each other; comparing a plurality pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixels in a surrounding area around each corresponding pixel pair for which no direct pixel match was found and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each area in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the digital image data sets match if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
192 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said color luminance data sets of said image data sets further comprise for each pixel a value for red luminance, a value for blue luminance, and a value for green luminance, and wherein said acceptable variation from a reference pixel determination comprises the steps: determining a red luminance difference value by subtracting the red luminance value of an image pixel from the red luminance value of the corresponding image pixel; determining a green luminance difference value by subtracting the green luminance value of an image pixel from the green luminance value of the corresponding image pixel; determining a blue luminance difference value by subtracting the blue luminance value of an image pixel from the blue luminance value of the corresponding image pixel; summing the squares of the red luminance difference value, the green luminance difference value and the blue luminance difference value; determining the square root of the sum of the squares of the difference values; and determining that luminance data sets falls within an acceptable variation to each other if said square root value is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum variation value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of retrieving at least one of the digital image data sets from a video memory of a computer display video adapter card.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
193 words
A computer-readable medium containing instructions for detecting correct display of a digital image on a portion of a video display, by: retrieving from a first computer-readable media a portion of a first digital image to be analyzed, said portion of a digital image comprising a data set for multiple image pixels, each image pixel being represented by a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set; retrieving from a second computer-readable media a second digital image to be used as a reference image, said second digital image comprising a data set for multiple image pixels, each image pixel being represented by a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set; comparing a plurality of pixels in a surrounding area around each pixel of the reference image for which no match was found, and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each region in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the portion of the first digital image matches said reference image if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
193 words
A computer-readable medium containing instructions for detecting correct display of a digital image on a portion of a video display, by: retrieving from a first computer-readable media a portion of a first digital image to be analyzed, said portion of a digital image comprising a data set for multiple image pixels, each image pixel being represented by a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set; retrieving from a second computer-readable media a second digital image to be used as a reference image, said second digital image comprising a data set for multiple image pixels, each image pixel being represented by a row position value, a column position value, and a color luminance data set; comparing a plurality of pixels in a surrounding area around each pixel of the reference image for which no match was found, and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each region in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the portion of the first digital image matches said reference image if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
192 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said luminance data sets further comprise a value for red luminance, a value for blue luminance, and a value for green luminance, and wherein said acceptable variation from a reference pixel determination comprises the steps: determining a red luminance difference value by subtracting the red luminance value of the reference image pixel from the red luminance value of the first image pixel, determining a green luminance difference value by subtracting the green luminance value of the reference image pixel from the green luminance value of the first image pixel, determining a blue luminance difference value by subtracting the blue luminance value of the reference image pixel from the blue luminance value of the first image pixel, summing the squares of the red luminance difference value, the green luminance difference value and the blue luminance difference value; determining the square root of the sum of the squares of the difference values; and determining that a first image pixel luminance data set falls within an acceptable variation from a reference image pixel data set if said square root is less than or equal to a predetermined value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 4 wherein said first computer-readable media is video memory of a computer display video adapter card.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
214 words
An apparatus for testing a video display adapter that controls a video display, the apparatus comprising: a reference image command means for causing the video display adapter to generate a facsimile of a reference image on a video display; and an image comparison means for comparing the reference image with the contents of a video memory employed by the video display adapter, said image comparison means having a output for indicating the results of the comparison as a match or a mismatch, and being configured to perform the steps of: comparing pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixel pairs between multiple-pixel image data sets for which the row and column values of the corresponding pixels are equal value; incrementing a direct pixel match count for every corresponding pixel pair which have pixel luminance data sets within acceptable variation from each other; comparing a plurality pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixels in a surrounding area around each corresponding pixel pair for which no direct pixel match was found and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each area in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the digital image data sets match if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
214 words
An apparatus for testing a video display adapter that controls a video display, the apparatus comprising: a reference image command means for causing the video display adapter to generate a facsimile of a reference image on a video display; and an image comparison means for comparing the reference image with the contents of a video memory employed by the video display adapter, said image comparison means having a output for indicating the results of the comparison as a match or a mismatch, and being configured to perform the steps of: comparing pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixel pairs between multiple-pixel image data sets for which the row and column values of the corresponding pixels are equal value; incrementing a direct pixel match count for every corresponding pixel pair which have pixel luminance data sets within acceptable variation from each other; comparing a plurality pixel luminance data sets for corresponding pixels in a surrounding area around each corresponding pixel pair for which no direct pixel match was found and incrementing a pseudo-match counter for each area in which a minimum number of corresponding pixel matches are found; and determining that the digital image data sets match if said image match count combined with said pseudo-match count is equal to or exceeds a minimum value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said reference image is a vector graphics generation command.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said reference image is a bitmap image display command.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said video memory contents comprise a data set for a plurality of pixels to be displayed on the video display.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said video memory contents further comprise color luminance data sets for each of the plurality of pixels.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said image comparison means further comprises a comparison means for each pixel of said reference image to each pixel of said video memory contents.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said image comparison means further comprises a means for determining a deviation of the color luminance data set for each pixel of said video memory contents from the color luminance data set for each pixel of said reference image using a square-root of the sum of the squares of the differences rule.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
84 words
The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said image comparison means further comprises a means for determining for a plurality of pixels of said video memory contents a deviation of the color luminance data set from the color luminance data set for each pixel of said reference image using a square-root of the sum of the squares of the differences rule, said plurality of pixels of the video memory contents representing a contiguous regional portion of said video memory contents surrounding a given pixel location.
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