Line or text-based image processing tools

• US 8,306,336 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jiang, Xiaoyun, Chiu, Chinchuan Andrew, Quan, Shuxue
• Primary Examiner(s): Liew, Alex
• Application Number:
  US11/436,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,365 Days
• Field of Search: 382/130, 382/177
• US Class Current: 382/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10008 from scanner, fax or copier
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30176 Document
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure, apparatus are provided, including an image processor, a unique image processing mechanism, and a unique image processing activation mechanism. The image processor includes the unique image processing mechanism, which processes a certain type of image. The unique image processing activation mechanism causes the unique image processing mechanism to process a given image.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a digital camera for obtaining a first image comprising a background portion and a foreground portion, wherein the foreground portion comprises written content; and

a document processor including a background subtraction mechanism, the background subtraction mechanism including a subsample mechanism, a filter mechanism, and a supersample mechanism to subsample, filter, and subsequently supersample the first image to obtain a background image, the background image having the same resolution as the first image, the background subtraction mechanism further including a difference calculator to form an image with pixel values based on respective differences between pixel values in the foreground image and corresponding pixel values in the background image,

wherein the document processor is configured to remove the background portion from the first image to form a foreground image of the written content, and to enhance the foreground image to obtain an enhanced content image, and to overlay the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises an embedded device, wherein the embedded device comprises the document processor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an activation mechanism to cause the document processor to process the first image.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mobile communications device, including a mobile phone.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises one of a document facsimile reading apparatus, a photocopy machine, a business card reader, a bar code scanner, and a document scanner.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image is a document.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image is a black and white document including lines and text.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image is an image of a business card.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image is an image of at least one of a blackboard and a whiteboard.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first image is an image of a blackboard.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first image is an image of a whiteboard.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a mobile phone.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the digital camera includes camera elements including an image sensor and lens assembly.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a picture display to display the first image.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a mobile communications processor.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the mobile communications processor includes a processor for a mobile phone.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the mobile communications processor includes a mechanism to receive and send the first image to or from a separate remote device via a wireless connection.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document processor includes a separate unique image processor, separate from the document processor.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document processor includes a contrast increasing mechanism.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document processor includes a gamma changing mechanism.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document processor includes a local gain adjustment mechanism.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the background separator includes one or a combination of a median filter, a smoothing filter, and a morphological operator.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image comprises subtracting the enhanced content image from a white image.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image comprises subtracting a black image from the enhanced content image.

23. An integrated circuit comprising:

an image processor including a document processor to process a first image from a digital camera comprising a background portion and a foreground portion, wherein the foreground portion comprises written content, wherein the document processor includes a background subtraction mechanism, the background subtraction mechanism including a subsample mechanism, a filter mechanism, and a supersample mechanism to subsample, filter, and subsequently supersample the first image to obtain a background image, the background image having the same resolution as the first image,

the background subtraction mechanism further including a difference calculator to form an image with pixel values based on respective differences between pixel values in the foreground image and corresponding pixel values in the background image,

wherein the document processor is configured to remove the background portion from the first image to form a foreground image of the written content, and to enhance the foreground image to obtain an enhanced content image, and to overlay the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image.

24. A method in an embedded device comprising:

obtaining a first image comprising a background portion and a foreground portion using a digital camera of the embedded device, wherein the foreground portion comprises written content;

removing the background portion from the first image to form a foreground image of the written content;

processing the foreground image to obtain an enhanced content image, wherein the processing includes

performing a background subtraction, the background subtraction including subsampling, filtering, and subsequently supersampling the first image to obtain a background image, the background image having the same resolution as the first image,

the background subtraction further including calculating a difference to form an image with pixel values based on respective differences between pixel values in a foreground image and corresponding pixel values in the background image; and

overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image comprises subtracting the enhanced content image from a white image.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image comprises subtracting a black image from the enhanced content image.

25. A non-transitory machine-readable media storing machine-readable-instructions, the machine-readable-instructions being interoperable with a machine to cause:

obtaining a first image comprising a background portion and a foreground portion using a digital camera, wherein the foreground portion comprises written content;

removing the background portion from the first image to form a foreground image of the written content by subsampling, filtering, and subsequently supersampling the first image to obtain a background image having the same resolution as the first image and performing a background subtraction, the background subtraction including calculating a difference to form an image with pixel values based on respective differences between pixel values in a foreground image and corresponding pixel values in the background image;

processing the foreground image to obtain an enhanced content image; and

overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining a first image comprising a background portion and a foreground portion, wherein the foreground portion comprises written content;

means for processing the first image to form a foreground image of the written content, including means for performing background subtraction processing, the means for performing background subtraction processing including means for separating out a background image from the first image and means for calculating a difference image, wherein the means for separating includes a subsample mechanism, a filter mechanism, and a supersample mechanism to subsample, filter, and subsequently supersample the first image to obtain a background image, the background image having the same resolution as the first image;

means to enhance the foreground image to obtain an enhanced content image; and

means for overlaying the enhanced content image on a white image or a black image.