A Region-Based Fuzzy Feature Matching Approach to
Content-Based Image Retrieval

Yixin Chen and James Z. Wang
The Pennsylvania State University

Abstract:

This paper proposes a fuzzy logic approach, UFM (unified feature matching), for region-based image retrieval. In our retrieval system, an image is represented by a set of segmented regions each of which is characterized by a fuzzy feature (fuzzy set) reflecting color, texture, and shape properties. As a result, an image is associated with a family of fuzzy features corresponding to regions. Fuzzy features naturally characterize the gradual transition between regions (blurry boundaries) within an image, and incorporate the segmentation-related uncertainties into the retrieval algorithm. The resemblance of two images is then defined as the overall similarity between two families of fuzzy features, and quantified by a similarity measure, UFM measure, which integrates properties of all the regions in the images. Compared with similarity measures based on individual regions and on all regions with crisp-valued feature representations, the UFM measure greatly reduces the influence of inaccurate segmentation, and provides a very intuitive quantification. The UFM has been implemented as a part of our experimental SIMPLIcity image retrieval system. The performance of the system is illustrated using examples from an image database of about 60,000 general-purpose images.


Full Paper

(IEEE page proof, PDF, 1.9MB)

(PDF, 0.5MB)

On-line Demo


Citation: Yixin Chen and James Z. Wang, ``A Region-Based Fuzzy Feature Matching Approach to Content-Based Image Retrieval,'' IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 24, no. 9, pp. 1252-1267, 2002.

© 2002 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.

Last Modified: March 10 2002
© 2002, Yixin Chen and James Z. Wang