Document image scanning apparatus and method thereof

• US 6,697,536 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIRE, GREGORY M
• Application Number:
  US09/549,467
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 382/163, 382/275, 382/164-165, 382/170-171, 382/190, 382/199, 382/203, 382/219, 358/1.6, 358/463-464, 358/448, 358/461-462, 358/515
• US Class Current: 382/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

A document image scanning apparatus which can obtain a document image at the right timing by separating a hand image from the document image, even when a hand does not take off a document. The document image scanning apparatus consists of an image inputting apparatus and a document image scanning section. The document image scanning section consists of an image memorizing section, a movement detecting section, an image being still detecting section detecting that an inputted image became still, a hand region detecting section that detects the hand region, a hand region removing section that removes the hand region detected at the hand region detecting section, a hand movement feature extracting section that extracts features of hand movements, a document movement feature extracting section that extracts features of document movements, a turning pages or moving documents judging section that judges whether the movement is turning pages or moving documents by the features extracted at the hand movement feature extracting section and the document movement feature extracting section, a document region judging section that judges the document region based on the turning pages or moving documents movement, and a document image forming section that obtains a document image by cutting out the document image displayed when the inputted image being still is detected.

Claims

1. A document image scanning apparatus, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

a still image detecting means for detecting that said inputted image is still based at least in part on a calculation of a difference in values of first adjacent pixels in a first inputted image and a calculation of a difference in values of second adjacent pixels in a second inputted image;

a hand region detecting means for detecting a hand region;

a hand region removing means for removing said hand region;

a hand movement feature extracting means for extracting features of hand movements;

a turning pages or moving documents judging means for judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said hand movement feature extracting means;

a document region judging means for judging a document region by said movement of turning pages or moving documents; and

a document forming means for obtaining said document image when said still image detecting means detects a still image.

2. A document image scanning apparatus, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

still image detecting means for detecting that said inputted image is still based at least in part on a calculation of a difference in values of first adjacent pixels in a first inputted image and a calculation of a difference in values of second adjacent pixels in a second inputted image;

a hand region detecting means for detecting a hand region;

a hand region removing means for removing said hand region; and

a document forming means for obtaining said document image when said still image detecting means detects a still image.

3. A document image scanning apparatus, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

still image detecting means for detecting that said inputted image is still;

a hand region detecting means for detecting a hand region;

a hand region removing means for removing said hand region;

a hand movement feature extracting means for extracting features of hand movements;

a document movement feature extracting means for extracting features of document movements;

a turning pages or moving documents judging means for judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said hand movement feature extracting means and said document movement feature extracting means;

a document region judging means for judging a document region by said movement of turning pages or moving documents; and

a document forming means for obtaining said document image when said still image detecting means detects a still image.

4. A document image scanning apparatus, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

a hand region detecting means for detecting a hand region;

a hand region removing means for removing said hand region;

a hand movement feature extracting means for extracting features of hand movements;

a document movement feature extracting means for extracting features of document movements;

a turning pages or moving documents judging means for judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said hand movement feature extracting means and said document movement feature extracting means;

a document region judging means for judging a document region by said movement of turning pages or moving documents; and

a document forming means for obtaining said document image by cutting out from a displayed image.

5. A document image scanning method, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising the steps of:

detecting that said inputted image is still based at least in part on a calculation of a difference in values of first adjacent pixels in a first inputted image and a calculation of a difference in values of second adjacent pixels in a second inputted image;

detecting a hand region;

removing said hand region;

extracting features of hand movements;

judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said step of extracting hand movement features;

judging a document region by said step of judging whether said movement is turning pages or moving documents; and

forming a document image when a still image is detected.

6. A document image scanning method, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising the steps of:

detecting that said inputted image is still based at least in part on a calculation of a difference in values of first adjacent pixels in a first inputted image and a calculation of a difference in values of second adjacent pixels in a second inputted image;

detecting a hand region;

removing said hand region; and

forming a document image when a still image is detected.

7. A document image scanning method, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising the steps of:

detecting that said inputted image is still;

detecting a hand region;

removing said hand region;

extracting features of hand movements;

extracting features of document movements;

judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said steps of extracting hand movement features and extracting document movement features;

judging a document region by said step of judging whether said movement is turning pages or moving documents; and

forming a document image when a still image is detected.

8. A document image scanning method, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

detecting a hand region;

removing said hand region;

extracting features of hand movements;

extracting features of document movements;

judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said steps of extracting hand movement features and extracting document movement features;

judging a document region by said step of judging whether said movement is turning pages or moving documents; and

forming a document image by cutting out from a displayed image.

9. A document image scanning apparatus, in which images are inputted by using a non-contact type image inputting apparatus and document images are obtained from said inputted images, comprising:

a still image detecting section for detecting that said inputted image is still based at least in part on a calculation of a difference in values of first adjacent pixels in a first inputted image and a calculation of a difference in values of second adjacent pixels in a second inputted image;

a hand region detecting section for detecting a hand region;

a hand region removing section for removing said hand region;

a hand movement feature extracting section for extracting features of hand movements;

a turning pages or moving documents judging section for judging whether a movement is turning pages or moving documents from said features extracted at said hand movement feature extracting section;

a document region judging section for judging a document region by said movement of turning pages or moving documents; and

a document forming section for obtaining said document image when said still image detecting section detects a still image.