Image analysis – Image segmentation – Distinguishing text from other regions
Reexamination Certificate
1997-01-22
2001-03-13
Mehta, Bhavesh (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Image segmentation
Distinguishing text from other regions
C382S175000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201894
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, which extract ruled lines included in an original image having a predetermined format or a region surrounded by the ruled lines.
Also, the present invention relates to a character recognition apparatus and method, which recognize characters present in a region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image having a predetermined format, and an image recognition apparatus and method, which recognize the format of an input original image.
In a conventional image processing apparatus which extracts a region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image, as the method of extracting the region, the original image is divided in units of regions surrounded by ruled lines. The coordinate positions of the regions surrounded by the ruled lines obtained by the region division processing are acquired, and the regions surrounded by the ruled lines are extracted based on the acquired coordinate positions.
When a region surrounded by ruled lines in an original image is to be extracted, each region surrounded by ruled lines is extracted using image data obtained by reading the original image by, e.g., a scanner.
When characters present in a region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image as an object to be processed of the image processing apparatus are to be recognized, only characters present in regions of an original image having a specific format with a predetermined layout of regions can only be recognized.
However, since the conventional image processing apparatus extracts regions surrounded by ruled lines included in image data of an original image on the basis of the coordinate positions, if the original image is read at an offset position, the coordinate position of each region to be extracted surrounded by the ruled lines also offsets, and a desired region cannot be accurately extracted.
In order to extract a desired region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image, a method of extracting all the regions surrounded by the ruled lines included in the original image and extracting the desired region after regions other than the desired region are deleted is available. Alternatively, a method of extracting a desired region surrounded by ruled lines by designating the desired region to be distinguished from other regions surrounded by ruled lines before reading an original image is also available. However, either method requires a user to perform cumbersome manual operations to extract the region, thus lowering the extraction processing efficiency.
Even when a desired region surrounded by ruled lines can be extracted by region division processing, the presence/absence of region division processing errors must be visually checked by the operator.
Also, even when a desired region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image is to be extracted as one of items constituting the original image, if region division processing errors have occurred, a wrong item may be extracted.
When characters present in a region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image are to be recognized, such recognition method cannot be applied to original images having a plurality of different formats, resulting in poor compatibility.
For this reason, in order to recognize characters present in regions included in original images having a plurality of different formats in place of a specific format, image recognition that can recognize the format of an original image is also required.
In order to read characters included in a region surrounded by ruled lines included in an original image having a specific format using, e.g., a scanner, the reading position must be accurately determined, resulting in cumbersome operations in character recognition processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems and has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus and method, which can easily check the presence/absence of processing errors of region division processing, and can easily correct the processing errors if they are found.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus and method, which can improve the operation efficiency in the region division processing.
In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image processing apparatus for extracting regions in units of attributes included in an original image having a predetermined format, comprises:
storage means for storing format information associated with the predetermined format;
division means for dividing the original image having the predetermined format into a plurality of regions; and
discrimination means for checking a division result of the division means on the basis of the format information.
In order to achieve the other object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, an image processing apparatus for extracting regions in units of attributes included in an original image having a predetermined format, comprises:
storage means for storing format information associated with each of original images having a plurality of different predetermined formats;
division means for dividing the original image having the predetermined format into a plurality of regions;
identification means for identifying a type of original image having the predetermined format on the basis of features of the regions divided by the division means; and
discrimination means for checking a division result of the division means on the basis of the format information of an original image having the predetermined format corresponding to the type identified by the identification means.
The apparatus preferably further comprises correction means for, when a discrimination result of the discrimination means indicates that the division result of the division means includes an error, correcting the error of the division result. When the apparatus comprises the correction means, the division result errors can be corrected.
The apparatus preferably further comprises display means for displaying a discrimination result of the division result of the division means by the discrimination means. When the apparatus comprises the display means, the user can be informed whether or not the division results include errors.
The apparatus preferably further comprises information means for, when a discrimination result of the discrimination means indicates that the division result of the division means includes an error, giving message information indicating the error. When the apparatus comprises the information means, the user can be informed that the division results include errors.
Each of the regions is preferably a rectangular region surrounded by ruled lines.
The apparatus preferably further comprises display means for, when a discrimination result of the discrimination means indicates that the division result of the division means includes an error, displaying the region which may have caused the error of the division result to be distinguished from the regions free from the error of the division result. When the region which may have caused the division result errors is displayed to be distinguished from those free from any errors, the user can easily recognize such region.
In order to achieve the above object, an image processing method according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
More specifically, an image processing method for extracting regions in units of attributes included in an original image having a predetermined format, comprises:
the storage step of storing format information associated with the predetermined format in a storage medium;
the division step of dividing the original image having the predetermined format into a plurality of regions; and
the discrimination step of checking a division result in the
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Mehta Bhavesh
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