Image processing system and imaging object used for same

• US 8,654,218 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: King JIM Company Limited
• Original Assignee: King JIM Company Limited
• Inventors: Hine, Yoichi, Endo, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): CUTLER, ALBERT H
• Application Number:
  US13/857,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An imaging technology having high reproducibility of a document and making image correction possible, without being influenced by a way of placing the document or a position of a camera, and irrespective of paper color and despite of damage of a corner portion. By printing positioning symbols on document paper in advance when the document is photographed by a digital camera or a portable phone with a camera, such as a smart phone, and by processing the image based on these positioning symbols, image processing having high reproducibility of the document and making image correction (keystone correction) possible can be implemented irrespective of paper color and despite damage to a corner portion.

Claims

1. An imaging object used for an image processing system which includes:

an imaging unit which images a sheet of memo paper having positioning symbols and serving as the imaging object;

an image acquisition unit which detects the positioning symbols from original image data imaged by the imaging unit, recognizes a predetermined area calculated based on the positioning symbols as a first range, extracts only image data existing in the first range to acquire this image data as extracted image data, and corrects the extracted image data based on the distance between the positioning symbols; and

an image data storage unit which stores the extracted image data acquired by the image acquisition unit, detects a predetermined area based on the relative positional relationship between the positioning symbols, recognizes this range as a second range, and stores, as information related to image data read from the first range, predetermined information contained in an image handwritten in the second range, the imaging object comprising;

a rectangular paper main portion; and

the positioning symbols which are disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of the paper main portion, and are created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, wherein

each of the positioning symbols has an emerging portion having a color value that is different from a ground color of the paper main portion and a non-emerging portion having the ground color of the paper main portion, the emerging portion includes a frame-shaped emerging portion having two straight line portions respectively parallel with two sides extending from a corner of the paper main portion and a corner portion where edges of the two straight line portions contact each other, and the non-emerging portion of the positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the second range is located such that at least a portion of the second range is in contact with an outer perimeter of a virtual rectangle having opposing corners formed by one positioning symbol and an other positioning symbol disposed on the paper main portion, and has line segments disposed thereon to form a plurality of squares.

2. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the second range allows for entry of characters and graphics as the predetermined information.

3. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the positioning symbols are disposed such that the distance between the positioning symbols matches with a reference distance between the positioning symbols which is stored in the image acquisition unit in advance, and

the first range is delimited by the positioning symbols.

4. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the line segments are printed in a lighter color than that of the emerging portion.

5. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the line segments constitute an entry guide of seven segments.

6. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the paper main portion is subjected to printing processing so that, when the imaging object is electronically copied, a prohibition symbol emerges at a predetermined location having a shape different from those of the positioning symbols and preventing, when the prohibition symbol is detected, execution of processing of image data existing in the first range.

7. The imaging object according to claim 1, wherein

the non-emerging portion includes a background portion and a latent image portion having different patterns which are not visualized by the imaging unit, but visibly emerge by electronic copying, and emergence of the background portion and the latent portion prevents recognition of the positioning symbols.

8. The imaging object according to claim 1, comprising, in a predetermined location excluding an area where the positioning symbols are formed, a prohibition symbol having a background portion and a latent image portion having different patterns which are not visualized by the imaging unit, but visibly emerge by electronic copying, and preventing, when the prohibition symbol is detected, execution of processing of image data existing in the first range.

9. An imaging object used for an image processing method which includes:

imaging a sheet of memo paper having positioning symbols and serving as the imaging object;

detecting the positioning symbols from imaged original image data;

recognizing a predetermined area calculated based on the detected positioning symbols as a first range;

extracting only image data existing in the first range to acquire this image data as extracted image data;

correcting the extracted image data based on a distance between the positioning symbols;

storing the extracted image data;

detecting a predetermined area based on the relative positional relationship between the positioning symbols;

recognizing this area as a second range; and

storing, as information related to image data read from the first range, predetermined information contained in an image handwritten in the second range, the imaging object comprising;

a rectangular paper main portion; and

the positioning symbols which are disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of the paper main portion, and are created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, wherein

each of the positioning symbols has an emerging portion having a color value that is different from a ground color of the paper main portion and a non-emerging portion having the ground color of the paper main portion, the emerging portion includes a frame-shaped emerging portion having two straight line portions respectively parallel with two sides extending from a corner of the paper main portion and a corner portion where edges of the two straight line portions contact each other, and the non-emerging portion of the positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the second range is located such that at least a portion of the second range is in contact with an outer perimeter of a virtual rectangle having opposing corners formed by one positioning symbol and another positioning symbol disposed on the paper main portion, and has line segments disposed thereon to form a plurality of squares.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image processing program executable by an image processing system which is configured of:

an imaging unit which images a sheet of memo paper having positioning symbols and serving as an imaging object;

an image acquisition unit which detects the positioning symbols from original image data imaged by the imaging unit, recognizes a predetermined area calculated based on the positioning symbols as a first range, extracts only image data existing in the first range to acquire this image data as extracted image data, and corrects the extracted image data based on the distance between the positioning symbols; and

an image data storage unit which stores the extracted image data acquired by the image acquisition unit, wherein

the positioning symbols are disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of a rectangular paper main portion and created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, each of the positioning symbols has an emerging portion having a color value that is different from a ground color of the paper main portion and a non-emerging portion having the ground color of the paper main portion, the emerging portion includes a frame-shaped emerging portion having two straight line portions respectively parallel with two sides extending from a corner of the paper main portion and a corner portion where edges of the two straight line portions contact each other, and the non-emerging portion of the positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the imaging object further includes a second range which is located such that at least a portion of the second range is in contact with an outer perimeter of a virtual rectangle having opposing corners formed by one positioning symbol and an other positioning symbol disposed on the paper main portion, and which has line segments disposed thereon to form a plurality of squares, and

the image processing program causes a CPU to execute the steps of;

detecting the positioning symbols from original image data of the imaging object imaged by the imaging unit and including the positioning symbols disposed in at least the two predetermined locations;

recognizing a predetermined area calculated based on the detected positioning symbols as a first range;

extracting only image data existing in the first range and acquiring this image data as extracted image data;

storing the extracted image data in the image data storage unit; and

detecting a predetermined area based on the relative positional relationship between the positioning symbols, recognizing this area as a second range, and storing, as information related to image data read from the first range, predetermined information contained in an image handwritten in the second range.

11. An image processing method executable by an image processing system which is configured of:

an imaging unit which images a sheet of memo paper having positioning symbols and serving as an imaging object;

an image acquisition unit which detects the positioning symbols from original image data imaged by the imaging unit, recognizes a predetermined area calculated based on the positioning symbols as a first range, extracts only image data existing in the first range to acquire this image data as extracted image data, and corrects the extracted image data based on the distance between the positioning symbols; and

an image data storage unit which stores the extracted image data acquired by the image acquisition unit, wherein

the positioning symbols are disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of a rectangular paper main portion and created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, each of the positioning symbols has an emerging portion having a color value that is different from a ground color of the paper main portion and a non-emerging portion having the ground color of the paper main portion, the emerging portion includes a frame-shaped emerging portion having two straight line portions respectively parallel with two sides extending from a corner of the paper main portion and a corner portion where edges of the two straight line portions contact each other, and the non-emerging portion of the positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the imaging object further includes a second range which is located such that at least a portion of the second range is in contact with an outer perimeter of a virtual rectangle having opposing corners formed by one positioning symbol and an other positioning symbol disposed on the paper main portion, and which has line segments disposed thereon to form a plurality of squares, and

the image processing method comprises the steps executed by a CPU of;

detecting the positioning symbols from original image data of the imaging object imaged by the imaging unit and including the positioning symbols disposed in at least the two predetermined locations;

recognizing a predetermined area calculated based on the detected positioning symbols as a first range;

extracting only image data existing in the first range and acquiring this image data as extracted image data;

storing the extracted image data in the image data storage unit; and

detecting a predetermined area based on the relative positional relationship between the positioning symbols, recognizing this area as a second range, and storing, as information related to image data read from the first range, predetermined information contained in an image handwritten in the second range.