Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 10,121,086 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kaoru, Tonouchi, Yojiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haghani, Shadan E
• Application Number:
  US15/060,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20170017856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/287 of Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/413 Classification of content, e.g. text, photographs or tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a hardware processor and a controller. The hardware processor detects a first region in an image that includes a character and detects a second region in the image that includes a text-line including at least a particular number of first regions. The controller causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when a variation of a camera is less than or equal to a threshold. The controller changes a setting of the hardware processor associated with the detection of at least one of the first and second region and causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the second region is not detected.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image processor that acquires an image;

a hardware processor that;

detects a first region in the image that includes a character and that detects a second region in the image that includes a text-line comprising at least a particular number of first regions, the second region detected based at least in part on the detection of the first region; and

detects a variation in position and attitude of a camera at a time when the image is shot; and

a controller that causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the variation is less than or equal to a threshold,

wherein the controller changes a setting of the hardware processor associated with the detection of at least one of the first region and the second region and causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the second region is not detected by the hardware processor,

wherein the hardware processor analyzes the image to determine a setting to detect at least one of the first region and the second region in the image,

wherein the controller causes the hardware processor to determine the setting before execution of the detection of the second region in the image and configures the setting as an initial setting when the variation is less than or equal to the threshold,

wherein the controller instructs the camera which sequentially obtains images to reduce intervals between obtaining the images when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity, and

wherein the controller;

sets a first dictionary as a character detection dictionary used by the hardware processor to detect the first region in the image when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a substantially stationary state; and

sets a second dictionary that is different from the first dictionary as the character detection dictionary when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user interface that displays a particular icon on a touchscreen display and changes the threshold when a particular touch operation is performed on the touchscreen display, the particular icon visually illustrating the variation while comparing the threshold, the particular icon comprising a first object indicative of the variation and a second object indicative of the threshold, the particular touch operation being a touch operation to move the second object.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hardware processor analyzes the image to determine whether the imaging module is in focus at the time when the image is shot,

wherein the controller causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the determination module determines that the camera is in focus at the time when the image is shot.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor acquires information that enables a determination as to whether the camera is in focus at the time when the image is shot,

wherein the controller causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when it is determined based on the information that the camera is in focus at the time when the image is shot.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image processor that acquires an image;

a hardware processor that;

detects a first region in the image that includes a character and that detects a second region in the image that includes a text-line comprising at least a particular number of first regions, the second region detected based at least in part on the detection of the first region; and

detects a variation in position and attitude of a camera at a time when the image is shot; and

a controller that causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the variation is less than or equal to a threshold,

wherein the controller changes a setting of the hardware processor associated with the detection of at least one of the first region and the second region and causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the second region is not detected by the hardware processor,

wherein the hardware processor analyzes the image to determine a setting to detect at least one of the first region and the second region in the image,

wherein the controller causes the hardware processor to determine the setting before execution of the detection of the second region in the image and configures the setting as an initial setting when the variation is less than or equal to the threshold, and

wherein the controller;

sets a first dictionary as a character detection dictionary used by the hardware processor to detect the first region in the image when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a substantially stationary state; and

sets a second dictionary different from the first dictionary as the character detection dictionary when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region, when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a user interface that displays a particular icon on a touchscreen display and changes the threshold when a particular touch operation is performed on the touchscreen display, the particular icon visually illustrating the variation while comparing the threshold, the particular icon comprising a first object indicative of the variation and a second object indicative of the threshold, the particular touch operation being a touch operation to move the second object.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller instructs the camera which sequentially obtains images to reduce intervals between obtaining images when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

13. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image processor that acquires an image;

a hardware processor that;

detects a first region in the image that includes a character and that detects a second region in the image that includes a text-line comprising at least a particular number of first regions, the second region detected based at least in part on the detection of the first region; and

detects a variation in position and attitude of a camera at a time when the image is shot; and

a controller that causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the variation is less than or equal to a threshold,

wherein the controller changes a setting of the hardware processor associated with the detection of at least one of the first region and the second region and causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the second region is not detected by the hardware processor,

wherein the controller instructs the camera which sequentially obtains images to reduce intervals between obtaining images when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity, and

wherein the controller;

sets a first dictionary as a character detection dictionary used by the hardware processor to detect the first region in the image when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a substantially stationary state; and

sets a second dictionary that is different from the first dictionary as the character detection dictionary when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the hardware processor analyzes the image to determine a setting to detect at least one of the first region and the second region in the image,

wherein the controller causes the hardware processor to determine the setting before execution of the detection of the second region in the image and configures the setting as an initial setting when the variation is less than or equal to the threshold.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

16. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image processor that acquires an image;

a hardware processor that;

detects a first region in the image that includes a character and that detects a second region in the image that includes a text-line comprising at least a particular number of first regions, the second region detected based at least in part on the detection of the first region; and

detects a variation in position and attitude of a camera at a time when the image is shot; and

a controller that causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the variation is less than or equal to a threshold,

wherein the controller changes a setting of the hardware processor associated with the detection of at least one of the first region and the second region and causes the hardware processor to detect the second region in the image when the second region is not detected by the hardware processor, and

wherein the controller;

sets a first dictionary as a character detection dictionary used by the hardware processor to detect the first region in the image when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a substantially stationary state; and

sets a second dictionary different from the first dictionary as the character detection dictionary when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller instructs the camera which sequentially obtains images to reduce intervals between obtaining the images when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the image processor corrects blurring in the image,

wherein the controller causes the image processor to correct blurring in the image or in a partial image corresponding to the first region or the second region when it is determined based on the variation that the camera is in the moving state of the substantially constant velocity.

19. An information processing method comprising:

acquiring an image;

detecting a variation in position and attitude of an imaging module at a time when the image is shot;

detecting a first region in the image that includes a character and detecting a second region in the image that includes a text-line comprising at least a particular number of first regions, the second region detected based at least in part on the detection of the first region when the variation is less than or equal to a threshold; and

changing a setting associated with detection of at least one of the first region and the second region and executing detection of the second region in the image when the second region is not detected,

analyzing the image to determine a setting associated with detection of at least one of the first region and the second region before execution of the detection of the second region in the image and configuring the setting as an initial setting when the variation is less than or equal to the threshold,

instructing the imaging module which sequentially obtains images to reduce intervals between obtaining the images when it is determined based on the variation that the imaging module is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity,

setting a first dictionary as a character detection dictionary used to detect the first region in the image when it is determined based on the variation that the imaging module is in a substantially stationary state; and

setting a second dictionary that is different from the first dictionary as the character detection dictionary when it is determined based on the variation that the imaging module is in a moving state of a substantially constant velocity.