Image-to-Text Encoding for Low-Resource Caption Generation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image captioning technologies require significant memory and calculation resources and are limited to specific domains, making it difficult to generate natural language descriptions for images without labels.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that utilize a processor to generate encoding information for images, extract text information based on the degree of association with encoding information, and combine image and text to create synthetic data, reducing the need for labeled data and training time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional OCR and image captioning technologies are used, then text extraction and image description capabilities are provided, but significant memory and calculation resources are required and training time is excessive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetext extraction capabilityVSAvoidmemory and calculation resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image processing task into distinct modules: a codebook generation module that creates encoding information from images, and a text extraction module that translates this encoding into text descriptions. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently, reducing overall computational resource requirements while maintaining effective text extraction capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-generating encoding information for images using a codebook before actual text extraction is needed. This pre-processing step transforms images into a compressed representation format that can be quickly translated into text, significantly reducing the computational resources required during the main text extraction operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If traditional image captioning models are trained, then natural language description generation is achieved, but training is possible for limited domains only and requires huge amounts of memory

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedomain coverageVSAvoidtraining data requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal codebook that can encode images from multiple domains simultaneously. The codebook generates encoding information that can be translated into text descriptions for various types of images (natural scenes, objects, scenes with text, etc.), making the system adaptable to different domains without requiring separate training for each domain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a codebook that copies and compresses the essential features of images into a standardized representation format. This copied encoding information can then be translated into text descriptions, allowing the system to handle diverse image types without needing to retrain for each specific domain, thereby expanding adaptability without proportionally increasing training data requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If existing image processing technologies are applied, then object recognition is achieved, but the ability to describe the image itself rather than just detectable objects is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveobject detection accuracyVSAvoidimage description capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges object detection capabilities with overall image description capabilities into a unified system. The codebook captures both the individual objects present in an image and the overall image characteristics, allowing the text extraction module to generate descriptions that include both detected objects and general image information, thereby enhancing ease of operation for comprehensive image understanding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12614401B2Apparatus and method for generating text from image and method of training model for generating text from image
Publication Date: 2026.04.28 ELECTRONICS & TELECOMM RES INST
  • US12614401B2 patent drawing
  • US12614401B2 patent drawing
  • US12614401B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An apparatus for generating text from an image may comprise: a memory configured to store at least one instruction; and a processor configured to execute the at least one instruction, wherein the processor is further configured to generate encoding information for an image based on the image and extract text information related to content of the image based on a degree of association with the encoding information.