Image retrieval using flexible image subblocks

In this research, we propose a flexible subblock image retrieval algorithm which is robust to object translation, lighting change, object appearance or disappearance in an image which is divided into 9 non-overlapping subblocks. Furthermore, using Ohta-color moments and biorthogonal wavelet frames from each subblock, we can reduce the dimension of color space and improve the performance. Also, as the two features are applied to the multi-step k-nearest neighbor algorithm, this system clearly outperforms the global color histogram, RGB moments, and HSI moments using the same method. In addition, we provide another retrieval environment for the user which is a relative block location search as well as an absolute block location search. In the case of the block location search, the user selects a block the user wants to search.