Image processing apparatus, image processing method, computer-readable medium and computer data signal

• US 8,155,945 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Konno, Yuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X.
• Application Number:
  US12/388,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 10, 704/257, 704/277, 704251-255, 704/270, 382/289, 382/305
• US Class Current: 704/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an image receiving unit, a writing detection unit, a writing deletion unit, a character recognition unit, a character string generation unit, a translation unit and a translation image generation unit. The image receiving unit receives an image including a writing. The writing detection unit detects a position of the writing. The writing deletion unit deletes the writing from the received image based on the position of the writing. The character recognition unit recognizes characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted. The character string generation unit generates a character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into the recognition result based on the position of the writing. The translation unit translates the character string. The translation image generation unit generates, based on the translation result, an image of the translation result including an image corresponding to the writing.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image receiving unit that receives an image including a writing;

a writing detection unit that detects a position of the writing in the image received by the image receiving unit;

a writing deletion unit that deletes the writing from the received image based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a character recognition unit that recognizes characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted by the writing deletion unit;

a translation target character string generation unit that generates a translation-target character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into a result of the recognition by the character recognition unit based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a translation unit that translates the translation-target character string generated by the translation target character string generation unit;

a translation image generation unit that generates, based on a result of the translation by the translation unit, an image of the result of the translation that includes an image corresponding to the writing;

a positional relation detection unit that detects a positional relation between the writing detected by the writing detection unit and an image component other than the writing; and

a concatenation relation detection unit that detects a concatenation relation between the writing and the image component based on the positional relation detected by the positional relation detection unit, wherein

the translation target character string generation unit generates the translation-target character string by inserting the code representative of the writing into the result of the recognition by the character recognition unit based on the concatenation relation detected by the concatenation relation detection unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the translation unit translates the translation-target character string while treating the code representative of the writing as a noun.

3. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image receiving unit that receives an image including a writing;

a writing detection unit that detects a position of the writing in the image received by the image receiving unit;

a writing deletion unit that deletes the writing from the received image based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a character recognition unit that recognizes characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted by the writing deletion unit;

a translation target character string generation unit that generates a translation-target character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into a result of the recognition by the character recognition unit based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a translation unit that translates the translation-target character string generated by the translation target character string generation unit;

a translation image generation unit that generates, based on a result of the translation by the translation unit, an image of the result of the translation that includes an image corresponding to the writing; and

a translation conversion unit that converts a portion, corresponding to the code representative of the writing, of the result of the translation into a code for generating the image corresponding to the writing, wherein

the translation image generation unit generates the image of the result of the translation based on the code from generating the image corresponding to the writing.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image receiving unit that receives an image including a writing;

a writing detection unit that detects a position of the writing in the image received by the image receiving unit;

a writing deletion unit that deletes the writing from the received image based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a character recognition unit that recognizes characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted by the writing deletion unit;

a translation target character string generation unit that generates a translation-target character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into a result of the recognition by the character recognition unit based on the position of the writing detected by the writing detection unit;

a translation unit that translates the translation-target character string generated by the translation target character string generation unit; and

a translation image generation unit that generates, based on a result of the translation by the translation unit, an image of the result of the translation that includes an image corresponding to the writing, wherein

the writing is an image hiding a character in the image,

the writing detection unit further detects a length of the writing, and

the translation image generation unit generates a hiding image as the image corresponding to the writing, according to the length of the writing detected by the writing detection unit.

5. An image processing method comprising:

receiving an image including a writing;

detecting a position of the writing in the received image;

deleting the writing from the received image based on the detected position of the writing;

recognizing characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted;

generating, using a processor, a translation-target character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into a result of the recognition based on the detected position of the writing;

translating the generated translation-target character string;

generating, based on a result of the translation, an image of the result of the translation that includes an image corresponding to the writing,

detecting a positional relation between the detected writing and an image component other than the writing; and

detecting a concatenation relation between the writing and the image component based on the detected positional relation, wherein

the generating the translation target character string comprises generating the translation-target character string by inserting the code representative of the writing into the result of the recognition based on the detected concatenation relation.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute image processing, the image processing comprising:

receiving an image including a writing;

detecting a position of the writing in the received image;

deleting the writing from the received image based on the detected position of the writing;

recognizing characters in the image from which the writing has been deleted;

generating a translation-target character string by inserting a code representative of the writing into a result of the recognition based on the detected position of the writing;

translating the generated translation-target character string;

generating, based on a result of the translation, an image of the result of the translation that includes an image corresponding to the writing;

detecting a positional relation between the detected writing and an image component other than the writing; and

detecting a concatenation relation between the writing and the image component based on the detected positional relation, wherein

the generating the translation target character string comprises generating the translation-target character string by inserting the code representative of the writing into the result of the recognition based on the detected concatenation relation.