Image processing system and image processing method

• US 20050105148A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Misawa, Reiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/537
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00795 Reading arrangements details of scanning heads H04N1/024; scanning arrangements therefor H04N1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

This invention provides an image processing system and image processing method, which can acquire a document such as a paper document or the like as data of a format that allows easy re-use and re-edit processes. Image information is acquired by scanning a document, and its features are recognized. The image information is converted into character codes, vector data, or a predetermined image format in accordance with the recognized features. In this case, parameters used upon recognizing the features of the image information are variably set, and the operations of the character process, vectorization, and image conversion are controlled in accordance with the set parameters.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

scanning unit, adapted to acquire image information by scanning a document;

recognition unit, adapted recognize features of the image information acquired by said scanning unit;

character processing unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into character codes in accordance with the feature recognized by said recognition unit;

vectorization unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into vector data in accordance with the feature recognized by said recognition unit;

image conversion unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into a predetermined image format in accordance with the feature recognized by said recognition unit;

conversion unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit using at least one of said character processing unit, said vectorization unit, and said image conversion unit in accordance with a property of the image information; and

setting unit, adapted to set parameters used by said recognition unit upon recognizing the feature of the image information,

wherein said conversion unit controls operations of said character processing unit, said vectorization unit, and said image conversion unit in accordance with the parameters set by said setting unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising retrieval unit, adapted to retrieve a digital file corresponding to the image information acquired by said scanning unit from digital files held by a server, and

wherein said conversion unit executes conversion based on the image information acquired by said scanning unit when said retrieval unit cannot retrieve any digital file.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said retrieval unit retrieves from the image information a digital file by recognizing information which is appended to the document and indicates a storage location of the digital file corresponding to the document.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein said retrieval unit retrieves a digital file corresponding to the document from digital files held by the server on the basis of information which is embedded in the document and is obtained from the image information.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said vectorization unit comprises:

outline conversion unit, adapted to apply outline conversion to the image information acquired by said scanning unit; and

function approximation unit, adapted to execute straight-line approximation, curved-line approximation, or graphic approximation of the image information on the basis of outline data which are obtained by the outline conversion and are associated with the image information.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said character processing unit comprises:

character recognition unit, adapted to apply a character recognition process to characters in a document; and

font-conversion unit, adapted to substitute the characters by font data on the basis of a character recognition process result of said character recognition unit.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said conversion unit segments the image information into a plurality of objects in accordance with a recognition result of said recognition unit, and independently applies a conversion process to each individual object.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein said conversion unit further comprises format conversion unit, adapted to convert the converted object into a format that can be handled by a predetermined software application.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage unit, adapted to store vector data converted by said conversion unit at a predetermined storage location;

generation unit, adapted to generate information associated with the storage location of the vector data as additional information; and

notifying unit, adapted to notify the additional information.

10. The system according to claim 3, wherein said retrieval unit retrieves the digital file only when the image information of the document acquired by said scanning unit includes predetermined information.

13. The system according to claim 2, further comprising selection unit for select whether or not a digital file retrieval process by said retrieval unit is to be executed irrespective of the presence/absence of a digital file corresponding to the document.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said setting unit comprises:

first setting unit, adapted to set a property of the document to be one of text, photo, line art, and table; and

second setting unit, adapted to set a parameter in one of a character recognition process, font-conversion process, font-designation process, function approximation process, and compression process upon conversion by said conversion unit.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said conversion unit switches contents of a conversion process of the image information on the basis of contents designated by one of said first and second setting unit.

16. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

password request unit, adapted to send an input request of authentication information from a server which holds digital files with access limitations to a user prior to acquiring a digital file from the server;

password checking unit, adapted to check if the input authentication information is correct; and

permission unit, when the correct authentication information is input, adapted to permit access to the digital files in the server and,

wherein the digital file is acquired only if said permission unit permits access to the digital file.

11. An image processing system comprising:

scanning unit, adapted to acquire image information by scanning a document;

character processing unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into character codes;

vectorization unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into vector data;

image conversion unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit into a predetermined image format;

conversion unit, adapted to convert the image information acquired by said scanning unit using at least one of said character processing unit, said vectorization unit, and said image conversion unit; and

setting unit, adapted to set which of said character processing unit, said vectorization unit, and said image conversion unit is to be used by said conversion unit.

12. The system according to claim 11, further comprising retrieval unit, adapted to retrieve a digital file corresponding to the image information acquired by said scanning unit from digital files held by a server, and

wherein said conversion unit executes conversion based on the image information acquired by said scanning unit when a digital file retrieved by said retrieval unit cannot be handled by predetermined document creation software.

17. An image processing method comprising:

a scanning step of acquiring image information by scanning a document;

a recognition step of recognizing features of the image information acquired in the scanning step;

a character processing step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into character codes in accordance with the feature recognized in the recognition step;

a vectorization step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into vector data in accordance with the feature recognized in the recognition step;

an image conversion step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into a predetermined image format in accordance with the feature recognized in the recognition step;

a conversion step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step using at least one of the character processing step, the vectorization step, and the image conversion step in accordance with a property of the image information; and

a setting step of variably setting parameters used in the recognition step upon recognizing the feature of the image information, and

wherein the conversion step includes a step of controlling operations of the character processing step, the vectorization step, and the image conversion step in accordance with the parameters set in the setting step.

19. A program for making a computer execute an image processing method of claim 17.

18. An image processing method comprising:

a scanning step of acquiring image information by scanning a document;

a character processing step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into character codes;

a vectorization step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into vector data;

an image conversion step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step into a predetermined image format;

a conversion step of converting the image information acquired in the scanning step using at least one of the character processing step, the vectorization step, and the image conversion step; and

a setting step of setting which of the character processing step, the vectorization step, and the image conversion step is to be used in the conversion step.

20. A program for making a computer execute an image processing method of claim 18.