System and method for bounding and classifying regions within a graphical image

• US 20040017941A1
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simske, Steven J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/180
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10008 from scanner, fax or copier
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20064 Wavelet transform [DWT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30176 Document
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/413 Classification of content, e.g. text, photographs or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone

Abstract

A region bounding and classifying system utilizes memory and logic. The memory stores a set of image data that defines a graphical image. The logic is configured to identify a plurality of regions of different data types within the image and to bound each of the plurality of identified regions via a bounding region. The logic is configured to perform a prioritization of the data types included in the bounding region according to a predefined hierarchy of the data types. The logic is further configured to classify the bounding region based on the prioritization performed by the logic.

Claims

1. A region bounding and classifying system, comprising:

memory for storing a set of image data that defines a graphical image; and

logic configured to identify a plurality of regions of different data types within the image and to bound each of the plurality of identified regions via a bounding region, the logic further configured to assign one of the data types to the bounding region based on a predefined hierarchy of the data types.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to determine a value indicative of a significance of the one data type to the bounding region and to assign the one data type to the bounding region based on the value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to associate each of the data types with a priority value, the priority value based on a rank of the associated data type within the hierarchy and based on an extent that the bounding region comprises the associated data type, and wherein the logic is further configured to perform a comparison between priority values associated with the data types and to assign the one data type to the bounding region based on the comparison.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to sum priority values associated with the data types based on the hierarchy, each of the summed priority values associated with a data type having a lower priority, as indicated by the hierarchy, than the one data type, and wherein the logic, in performing the comparison, is configured to compare the summed priority values to a priority value associated with the one data type.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to automatically expand the bounding region until each identified region encompassed by the bounding region wholly fits within the bounding region.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the bounding region forms a bounding box.

7. A region bounding and classifying system, comprising:

memory for storing a set of image data that defines a graphical image; and

logic configured to identify a plurality of regions of different data types within the image and to bound each of the plurality of identified regions via a bounding region, the logic configured to perform a prioritization of the data types included in the bounding region according to a predefined hierarchy of the data types, the logic further configured to classify the bounding region based on the prioritization performed by the logic.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to disqualify one of the data types from the prioritization performed by the bounding region based on a measured significance of the one data type to the bounding region.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic, in performing the prioritization, is configured to associate each of the data types with a priority value, the priority value based on the rank of the associated data type within the hierarchy and based on a measured significance of the associated data type to the bounding region, and wherein the logic is further configured to perform a comparison between priority values associated with the data types and to assign the one data type to the bounding region based on the comparison.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to automatically expand the bounding region until each of the plurality of regions wholly fits within the bounding region.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the bounding region forms a bounding box.

12. A region bounding and classification method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of regions of different data types within a graphical image defined by a set of image data;

bounding each of the plurality of identified regions via a bounding region;

identifying which data types are included in the bounding region;

selecting one of the identified data types based on a predefined hierarchy of the data types; and

assigning the one data type to the bounding region based on the selecting.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a value indicative of a significance of the one data type to the bounding region, wherein the selecting is based on the value.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a significance of each of the identified data types to the bounding region;

associating each of the identified data types with a priority value, wherein the priority value is based on a rank of the associated data type within the hierarchy and is based on the determining; and

comparing priority values associated with the identified data types,

wherein the selecting is based on the comparing.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising summing priority values associated with the identified data types, wherein each of the summed priority values is associated with one of the data types having a lower priority, as indicated by the hierarchy, than the selected data type, and wherein the comparing performs a comparison of a sum of the summed priority values to a priority value of the selected data type.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically expanding the bounding region until the bounding region encompasses each of the identified regions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bounding region forms a bounding box.

18. A region bounding and classifying method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of regions of different data types within a graphical image defined by a set of image data;

bounding each of the plurality of identified regions via a bounding region;

performing a prioritization of the identified data types according to a predefined hierarchy of the data types; and

classifying the bounding region based on the prioritization.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a significance of each of the data types to the bounding region; and

disqualifying one of the data types from the prioritization based on the determining.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

associating each of the identified data types with a priority value based on a rank of the associated data type within the hierarchy and based on a significance of the associated data type to the bounding region; and

comparing priority values associated with the identified data types via the associating,

wherein the classifying is based on the comparing.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising automatically expanding the bounding region until none of the identified regions intersect with a perimeter of the bounding region.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the bounding region forms a bounding box.