Image processing system and imaging object used for same

• US 8,767,099 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• 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:
  US13/857,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 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. A computer-readable memory unit storing an image processing program comprising steps executable by an image processing system which, using an imaging unit, images an imaging object having positioning symbols disposed in at least two predetermined locations and created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, processes original image data of the imaged imaging object by a CPU, and registers the processed data in an image data storage unit, wherein

the positioning symbols are formed in at least two kinds of shapes and disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of a paper main portion and are 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 of a first positioning symbol 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 first positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the emerging portion of a second positioning symbol at least includes an 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 a rectangular emerging portion which is located inside the emerging portion having the straight line portions and the corner portion, and the non-emerging portion of the second positioning symbol is an area between the emerging portion having the straight line portions and the corner portion and the rectangular emerging portion, and

the image processing program causes the 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; and

storing the extracted image data in the image data storage unit.

2. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

in the step of detecting the positioning symbols, a plurality of the positioning symbols formed in at least two kinds of shapes are detected from the original image data, and

the image processing program further causes the CPU to execute the step of:

reading a reference position of each positioning symbol which is stored in advance such that the reference position matches with a positional relationship between the plurality of positioning symbols for recognition of the direction of the first range of the imaging object and recognizing the direction of the first range based on the reference position.

3. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing program further causes the CPU to execute the step of:

recognizing a second range which is different from the first range, collating an image drawn in the second range with information for collation stored in advance in the image data storage unit, and when recognizing the image as being the information for collation, storing the image as information related to the image data read from the first range.

4. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

in the step of detecting the positioning symbols, a plurality of positioning symbols are detected from the original image data, and

the image processing program further causes the CPU to execute the step of:

reading a reference distance between the positioning symbols which is stored in advance, collating whether the distance between the plurality of positioning symbols matches with the reference distance, and correcting the imaged image such that the distance between the plurality of positioning symbols matches with the reference distance if the collated result is a mismatch.

5. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

in the step of detecting the positioning symbols, four positioning symbols are detected from the original image data, and

in the step of acquiring, only image data existing in the first range is extracted and acquired as the extracted image data constituted by a rectangle having vertexes in respective areas near the four positioning symbols.

6. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 5, wherein

in the step of detecting the positioning symbols, a further positioning symbol in addition to the four positioning symbols is detected from the original image data, and

in the step of acquiring, only image data existing in the first range is extracted and acquired as the extracted image data constituted by the rectangle having vertexes in respective areas near the four positioning symbols, and the further positioning symbol serves as an orientation symbol for defining an imaging direction of the imaging object.

7. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing program causes the CPU to automatically acquire the extracted image data when the positioning symbols are detected in a plurality of locations from an imaged image of the imaging object.

8. The computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the image processing program further causes the CPU to execute the step of:

storing the extracted image data in a server.

9. A mobile terminal which is installed with the computer-readable memory unit storing the image processing program according to claim 1 and serves as the image processing system.

10. An image processing method executable by an image processing system which, using an imaging unit, images an imaging object having positioning symbols disposed in at least two predetermined locations and created as symbol codes constituted by multi-valued graphics, processes original image data of the imaged imaging object by a CPU, and registers the processed data in an image data storage unit, wherein

the positioning symbols are formed in at least two kinds of shapes and disposed in at least two locations out of areas near four corners of a paper main portion and are 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 of a first positioning symbol 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 first positioning symbol is an area having the ground color which is surrounded by the frame-shaped emerging portion, and

the emerging portion of a second positioning symbol at least includes an 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 a rectangular emerging portion which is located inside the emerging portion having the straight line portions and the corner portion, and the non-emerging portion of the second positioning symbol is an area between the emerging portion having the straight line portions and the corner portion and the rectangular emerging portion, and

the image processing method comprises the steps executed by the 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; and

storing the extracted image data in the image data storage unit.