Method and apparatus for recognizing boundary line in an image information

• US 20080199082A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiroshi, Takebe, Hiroaki, Fujimoto, Katsuhito, Nakajima, Kenji, Minagawa, Akihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/199
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables

Abstract

According to an aspect of an embodiment, a method of detecting boundary line information contained in image information comprising a plurality of pixels in either one of first and second states, comprising: detecting a first group of pixels in the first state disposed continuously in said image information to determine first line information and detecting a second group of pixels in the first state disposed adjacently with each other and surrounded by pixels in the second state to determine edge information based on the contour of the second group of pixels; and determining the boundary line information on the basis of the information of the relation of relative position of the line information and the edge information and the size of the first and second group of pixels.

Claims

1. A method of detecting boundary line information contained in image information comprising a plurality of pixels in either one of first and second states, comprising:

detecting a first group of pixels in the first state disposed continuously in said image information to determine first line information and detecting a second group of pixels in the first state disposed adjacently with each other and surrounded by pixels in the second state to determine edge information based on the contour of the second group of pixels; and

determining the boundary line information on the basis of the information of the relation of relative position of the line information and the edge information and the size of the first and second group of pixels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line where the first line information indicates a line having a length greater than a predetermined value and being sandwiched by a pair of edges indicated by the edge information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary line information is determined to indicate a valid

boundary line where the edge information indicates an edge having a length greater than a predetermined value and being disposed adjacent to the second group of pixels which has a width greater than a predetermined value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line where the edge information indicates an edge having a length greater than a predetermined value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line when a distance between two boundary line information is less than predetermined distance and a difference of angle between two boundary line information is less than predetermined angle.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, obtaining the boundary line information having a length greater than predetermined length,

setting an area on the basis of pair of said line information being parallel, and

determining said condition information of length on the basis of size of said area for determining whether the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line.

7. An apparatus for detecting boundary line information contained in image information comprising a plurality of pixels in either one of first and second states, comprising:

a processor for executing according to a process comprising;

detecting a first group of pixels in the first state disposed continuously in said image information to determine first line information and detecting a second group of pixels in the first state disposed adjacently with each other and surrounded by pixels in the second state to determine edge information based on the contour of the second group of pixels; and

determining the boundary line information on the basis of the information of the relation of relative position of the line information and the edge information and the size of the first and second group of pixels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line where the first line information indicates a line having a length greater than a predetermined value and being sandwiched by a pair of edges indicated by the edge information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the boundary line information is determined to indicate a valid boundary line where the edge information indicates an edge having a length greater than a predetermined value and being disposed adjacent to the second group of pixels which has a width greater than a predetermined value.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line where the edge information indicates an edge having a length greater than a predetermined value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line when a distance between two boundary line information is less than predetermined distance and a difference of angle between two boundary line information is less than predetermined angle.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said process further comprising.

obtaining the boundary line information having a length greater than predetermined length,

setting an area on the basis of pair of said line information being parallel, and

determining said condition information of length on the basis of size of said area for determining whether the boundary line information is determined to include a valid boundary line.