IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100165421A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/203 Simultaneous scanning of two or more separate pictures , e.g. two sides of the same sheet refeeding a sheet for double-sided scanning H04N1/00572
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2038 lying in the same plane

Abstract

An image processing apparatus obtains an image of an original area on the basis of a platen image obtained by reading an entire surface of a platen including an original placed on the platen. The image processing apparatus extracts a plurality of image areas included in the platen image, and determines whether each of the extracted image areas has a specific characteristic. The image processing apparatus judges that a rectangular area including all of the plurality of image areas is an original image in a case where at least one of the plurality of image areas has the specific characteristic, and judges that each of the plurality of image areas is an original image in a case where none of the plurality of image areas has the specific characteristic.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that outputs an original image of an original on the basis of a platen image obtained by reading a platen on which the original is placed, the image processing apparatus comprising:

an image extracting unit configured to extract a plurality of image areas included in the platen image;

a determining unit configured to determine whether each of the plurality of image areas that are extracted has a characteristic indicating that the image area is constituted by characters;

a judging unit configured to judge that the original is formed of one original and that a rectangular area including the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where at least one of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic, and judge that the original is formed of a plurality of originals and that each of the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where none of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic; and

an output unit configured to output the original image.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit performs the determination by using a characteristic of an edge portion of each side of each of the plurality of image areas.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining unit calculates correlation values of a distribution of histograms indicating edge strengths of sides facing each other of each of the plurality of image areas, and determines that the image area has the characteristic indicating that the image area is constituted by characters in a case where an average of the correlation values is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determining unit varies the threshold in accordance with a size of each of the plurality of image areas.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determining unit varies the threshold in accordance with a ratio between a width and a height of each of the plurality of image areas.

6. An image processing method for outputting an original image of an original on the basis of a platen image obtained by reading a platen on which the original is placed, the image processing method comprising:

an image extracting step of extracting a plurality of image areas included in the platen image;

a determining step of determining whether each of the plurality of image areas that are extracted has a characteristic indicating that the image area is constituted by characters;

a judging step of judging that the original is formed of one original and that a rectangular area including the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where at least one of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic, and judging that the original is formed of a plurality of originals and that each of the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where none of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic; and

an output step of outputting the original image.

7. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes an image processing apparatus to output an original image of an original on the basis of a platen image obtained by reading a platen on which the original is placed, the program causing the image processing apparatus to execute:

an image extracting step of extracting a plurality of image areas included in the platen image;

a determining step of determining whether each of the plurality of image areas that are extracted has a characteristic indicating that the image area is constituted by characters;

a judging step of judging that the original is formed of one original and that a rectangular area including the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where at least one of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic, and judging that the original is formed of a plurality of originals and that each of the plurality of image areas is the original image in a case where none of the plurality of image areas has the characteristic; and

an output step of outputting the original image.