Digital camera and document processing system using the digital camera

• US 20010046036A1
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hideo Honma
• Original Assignee: Hideo Honma
• Inventors: Honma, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 6,812,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/166 Normalisation of pattern dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/18076 by analysing connectivity, e.g. edge linking, connected component analysis or slices

Abstract

A digital camera capable of performing accurate document reading, and a document processing system utilizing the digital camera. In the document processing system, a document is divided into blocks and each block is sensed by a CCD 103; perspective correction is performed on the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by divisionally sensing the document; and OCR process is performed on the corrected image data to convert the corrected image data to text data. The converted text data, corresponding to the image data of each of the plurality of images, is combined into one text data, and the combined text data is outputted for printing.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

image sensing means for sensing an object; and

converting means for performing an OCR process on image data, obtained by sensing the object by said image sensing means, to convert the image data to text data.

2. The digital camera according to

claim 1

, wherein the object includes a document printed on a print medium.

3. The digital camera according to

claim 1

, wherein said image sensing means includes a CCD.

4. The digital camera according to

claim 1

, further comprising output means for outputting the text data to an external device.

5. A digital camera comprising:

image sensing means for sensing an object; and

correction means for performing correction on image data, obtained by sensing the object by said image sensing means.

6. The digital camera according to

claim 5

, wherein said correction means comprises:

display means for displaying an image based on the image data, for performing the correction; and

instruction means for instructing the correction.

7. The digital camera according to

claim 5

, wherein the correction performed by said correction means is perspective correction.

8. The digital camera according to

claim 5

, wherein the object includes a document printed on a print medium.

9. The digital camera according to

claim 5

, wherein said image sensing means includes a CCD.

10. The digital camera according to

claim 5

, further comprising output means for outputting the image data to an external device.

11. A digital camera comprising:

image sensing means for sensing an object; and

switching means for switching between a first mode and a second mode, the first mode obtaining image data, obtained by said image sensing means, as binary monochrome data, while the second mode obtaining the image data as multi-valued color data.

12. The digital camera according to

claim 11

, wherein the object includes a document printed on a print medium.

13. The digital camera according to

claim 11

, wherein said image sensing means includes a CCD.

14. The digital camera according to

claim 11

, further comprising output means for outputting the image data to an external device.

15. The digital camera according to

claim 11

, further comprising correction means for performing correction on the image data, obtained by sensing the object by said image sensing means.

16. The digital camera according to

claim 15

, wherein the correction performed by said correction means is perspective correction.

17. The digital camera according to

claim 15

, further comprising converting means for performing OCR process on the image data, corrected by said correction means, to convert the image data to text data.

18. A digital camera comprising:

image sensing means for sensing an object;

correction means for performing correction on image data corresponding to each of a plurality of images obtained by dividing the object into a plurality of blocks and sensing each of the blocks by using said image sensing means;

converting means for performing OCR process on the corrected image data to convert the corrected image data to text data; and

combining means for combining the text data converted by said converting means, which corresponds to the image data of each of the plurality of images, into one text data.

19. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, wherein the object includes a document printed on a print medium.

20. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, wherein said image sensing means includes a CCD.

21. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, further comprising:

first instructing means for instructing to change an image-sensing mode in accordance with a type of the object;

second instructing means for instructing said image sensing means to select a division pattern from a plurality of predetermined division patterns; and

third instructing means for outputting a correction instruction to said correction means.

22. The digital camera according to

claim 21

, wherein the image-sensing mode includes:

a first mode for sensing the object as a binary monochrome image; and

a second mode for sensing the object as a multi-valued color image.

23. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, further comprising interface means for outputting the text data, combined by said combining means, to an external device.

24. The digital camera according to

claim 23

, further comprising display means for displaying an image sensed by said image sensing means.

25. The digital camera according to

claim 24

, wherein in accordance with the instruction outputted by said third instructing means, said correction means corrects a distortion of the sensed image in a man-machine interactive manner with respect to the horizontal and vertical directions, and clockwise direction and counter-clockwise direction with the origin at the center of the displayed image, while referring to the image displayed by said display means.

26. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, wherein said combining means comprises:

detecting means for detecting a portion adjacent to each other or overlapped with each other in the plurality of images, based on the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by said converting means; and

connecting means for connecting text data corresponding to the image data of each of the plurality of images, based on a detection result of said detecting means.

27. The digital camera according to

claim 18

, further comprising:

first storage means for storing the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by said image sensing means; and

second storage means for storing the text data converted by said converting means and the text data combined by said combining means.

28. The digital camera according to

claim 27

, further comprising:

compression means for compressing the image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by said image sensing means prior to storing the image data in said first storage means; and

decompression means for reading the image data, compressed by said compression means and stored in said first storage means, and decompressing the image data.

29. A document processing system using the digital camera according to any one of

claims 18

to

28

, comprising:

receiving means for receiving text data combined by said combining means; and

output means for outputting text data for printing based on the text data received by said receiving means.

30. The document processing system according to

claim 29

, wherein said output means is a printer.

31. A document processing system comprising:

input means for inputting a plurality of images;

character recognition means for performing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted by said input means;

combining means for combining text data, obtained by performing character recognition process on each of the plurality of images by said character recognition means, to form a document; and

output means for outputting the document obtained by said combining means.

32. The document processing system according to

claim 31

, wherein said input means includes a digital camera having a CCD, the digital camera comprising assisting means for assisting to divide an image, drawn on a page of print medium, into a plurality of blocks and input a plurality of images in a block unit.

33. The document processing system according to

claim 32

, wherein said input means includes correction means for correcting a distortion of each of the inputted images.

34. The document processing system according to

claim 31

, wherein said combining means comprises:

detecting means for detecting a portion which is adjacent to each other or overlapped with each other in the plurality of images, based on image data of each of the plurality of images obtained by said character recognition means; and

connecting means for connecting text data corresponding to the image data of each of the plurality of images, based on a detection result of said detecting means.

35. The document processing system according to

claim 31

, wherein said output means is a printer.

36. A computer-readable storage medium storing program codes for executing image processing, comprising:

program codes for executing an inputting process on a plurality of images;

program codes for executing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted in the inputting step;

program codes for executing a process of combining text data, obtained by performing the character recognition process on each of the plurality of images, to form a document; and

program codes for executing a process of outputting the document obtained by combining the text data.

37. A program-code output apparatus for outputting a series of program codes through a communication line, the series of program codes comprising:

program codes for executing an inputting process on a plurality of images;

program codes for executing a character recognition process on each of the plurality of images inputted in the inputting step;

program codes for executing a process of combining text data, obtained by performing the character recognition process on each of the plurality of images, to form a document; and

program codes for executing a process of outputting the document obtained by combining the text data.