Image capturing device

• US 6,807,294 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Yoshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/855,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20020003896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 382/112, 382/135, 382/137, 382/181, 396/14, 396/297, 355/18, 355/26, 355/401
• US Class Current: 382/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00795 Reading arrangements details of scanning heads H04N1/024; scanning arrangements therefor H04N1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00822 Selecting or setting a particular reading mode, e.g. from amongst a plurality of modes, simplex or duplex, or high or low resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00843 based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote pattern authentication and markers therefor, forgery detection G06V20/95; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40; testing paper currency or similar valuable papers for genuineness G07D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00877 Recording information, e.g. details of the job
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00925 Inhibiting an operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras

Abstract

In a digital still camera, it is determined whether a current photographing is performed in a document copy mode provided for precisely photographing a document or bar code, and if not, another determination is made as to whether the current photographing is performed under a particular image capturing condition including a resolution and a photographing distance. Further, if a determination that a paper money or security is photographed is affirmative, a predetermined image is overwritten on an image obtained by the photographing.

Claims

1. An image capturing device comprising:

an image capturing portion which photographs an optical image and converts the optical image into image information;

a determination portion for deciding whether or not an image represented by image information obtained by photographing by the image capturing portion includes a predetermined pattern;

a processing portion for performing a predetermined process in a case where a determination that the image includes the predetermined pattern is made by the determination portion; and

a prohibiting portion which prohibits the determination by the determination portion in any case other than a case where photographing of an optical image is performed in at least one of a particular photographing mode and a particular image capturing condition suitable for photographing a subject corresponding to the predetermined pattern.

2. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination portion performs a determination as to whether or not an image represented by image information obtained by photographing includes a predetermined pattern, by carrying out a pattern matching of image information representing the predetermined pattern and image information obtained by photographing and which was input from the image capturing portion.

3. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination portion performs a determination as to whether or not an image represented by image information obtained by a photographing includes a predetermined pattern, by comparing an amount of an image characteristic calculated by performing a predetermined calculation on image information obtained by the photographing and which was input from the image capturing portion, with an amount of an image characteristic obtained by performing a predetermined calculation on image information representing the predetermined pattern.

4. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern is a pattern corresponding to one of a paper money and a security, and the processing portion performs, as the predetermined process, a process for preventing use of image information obtained by photographing.

5. An image capturing device according to claim 4, wherein the processing portion performs, as the process for preventing use of the image information, a deletion of the image information.

6. An image capturing device according to claim 4, wherein the processing portion performs, as the process for preventing use of the image information, a processing of the image information.

7. An image capturing device according to claim 1, further comprising a memory portion.

8. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern is a pattern which corresponds to a bar code, and the processing portion performs, as the predetermined process, recognition of information represented by the bar code and storing of the information represented by the bar code in the memory.

9. An image capturing device according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting portion for selecting whether or not to perform a determination on a pattern corresponding to a bar code as the predetermined pattern, wherein the prohibiting portion unconditionally prohibits a determination by the determination portion as to whether or not an image represented by the image information includes a pattern corresponding to the bar code in a case where the selecting portion has selected that the determination on a pattern corresponding to the bar code is not to be performed.

10. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein the particular image capturing conditions include a condition that photographing of optical images at a smaller distance than a predetermined value is carried out by dividing the optical image into a greater number of pixels than predetermined.

11. An image capturing device according to claim 10, wherein the particular image capturing conditions further include a condition that a strobo does not flash in a case where a pattern corresponding to one of a paper money and a security is used as the predetermined pattern.

12. An image capturing device according to claim 10, wherein the particular image capturing conditions further includes a condition that a strobo flashes in a case where a pattern corresponding to a bar code is used as the predetermined pattern.

13. An image capturing device according to claim 1, wherein, when photographing an optical image including a sheet material, the particular photographing mode is a document copy mode for performing a process for obtaining image information accurately representing visible information recorded on the sheet material.

14. An image capturing device according to claim 13, wherein the process in the document copy mode is a photographing mode for performing a hand shake correction process for image information obtained by photographing.

15. An image capturing device according to claim 13, wherein the process in the document copy mode is a photographing mode for performing a warp correction process for image information obtained by photographing.

16. An image capturing device according to claim 13, wherein the process in the document copy mode is a photographing mode for performing a process for selecting an image capturing frame when photographing for image information obtained by photographing is carried out.

17. An image capturing device according to claim 13, wherein the process in the document copy mode is a photographing mode for performing a process for cutting out a region corresponding to a main subject which is photographed using image information obtained by a photographing.