Integrating visual search with visual memory in a knowledge directed image interpretation system

We describe an improved implementation of ANON, a schema-driven image analysis system capable of producing high level interpretations of greyscale images of mechanical engineering drawings. The system has been extended to incorporate a drawing memory into which completed schema instances are placed and which may be accessed as an integral part of ANON's knowledge directed visual search. This memory provides a basis for the integration into a coherent whole of the piecewise interpretations previously supplied by the system. It leads to a richer description of drawing content, improves efficiency and allows ANON to deal with partially complete interpretations. The new system's structure and operation are discussed and examples shown of it's interpretation of real mechanical drawings.