Apparatus, method, and system of image processing, and recording medium storing image processing control program

• US 8,605,174 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Namie, Kenji, Shida, Haruo, Asai, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/443,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 348/207.1, 34821199-2113, 348/211.14, 348/222.1, 348/241, 348373-376, 382254-275, 396419-428
• US Class Current: 348/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00814 according to a detected condition or state of the reading apparatus, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0436 Scanning a picture-bearing surface lying face up on a support H04N2201/0434 takes precedence; using cylindrical picture bearing surfaces H04N1/06; with manual scanning H04N1/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a camera, a support body, and an arm section including an arm that is rotatably attached to the support body and to a camera housing incorporating therein the camera. The image processing apparatus calculates a height of the camera measured from a set surface, using dimensional information of the image processing apparatus and inclination information indicating an inclination of the camera and an inclination of the arm. The image processing apparatus specifies a type of an object subjected for capturing by the camera using at least the height of the camera, and applies image processing specific to the specified type of the object to a captured image captured by the camera.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a camera to capture an image of an object;

a support body to set the image processing apparatus on a set surface;

an arm section including an arm, the arm having one end rotatably attached to a top surface of the support body and the other end rotatably attached to a camera housing incorporating therein the camera;

a first sensor provided in the camera housing and configured to detect an inclination of the camera to output camera inclination information indicating the inclination of the camera;

a second sensor provided in the arm section and configured to detect an inclination of the arm to output arm inclination information indicating the inclination of the arm; and

a processor to;

calculate a height of the camera indicating a distance between a center of the camera and the set surface, using dimensional information of the image processing apparatus, the camera inclination information, and the arm inclination information;

specify a type of the object subjected for capturing by the camera using the height of the camera, the camera inclination information, and the arm inclination information; and

apply image processing specific to the specified type of the object performed captured image captured by the camera to generate processed image data.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing performed applied by the processor includes image processing that corrects perspective distortion of the captured image with a correction parameter, the correction parameter being changed based on the specified type of the object.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

extract a quadrilateral from an imaging area of the camera; and

determine the correction parameter for correcting perspective distortion so as to cause the extracted quadrilateral to be a rectangular shape.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate an imaging area of the camera using at least the height of the camera and information indicating an angle of view of the camera; and

determine the correction parameter for correcting perspective distortion so as to cause the calculated imaging area to be a rectangular shape.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the image processing performed applied by the processor further includes image processing that corrects lens distortion of the captured image with a correction parameter, the correction parameter being changed based on the specified type of the object.

6. The image processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the image processing preformed applied by the processor further includes image processing that corrects color tone of the captured image with a predetermined correction parameter, the correction parameter being changed based on the specified type of the object.

7. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a light to irradiate light toward the object subjected for capturing, wherein the processor causes the light to turn on or off according to the specified type of the object.

8. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface to transmit the processed image data to an outside apparatus through a network.

9. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an output interface to transmit the processed image data to a projector to cause the projector to display an image based on the processed image data.

10. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

when the processor determines that the height of the camera is substantially equal to a height of the camera that is obtained when the camera housing and the arm section are both in stand-up positions, the processor specifies that the object subjected for capturing is a human or a scenery, and

when the processor determines that the height of the camera is not substantially equal to the height of the camera that is obtained when the camera housing and the arm section are both in the stand-up positions, the processor specifies that the object subjected for capturing is a presentation material or an image of a presentation material.

11. An image processing method, performed by a processor that applies image processing to a captured image captured by an image capturing device, wherein the image capturing device includes:

a camera to capture an image of an object;

a support body to set the image capturing device on a set surface;

an arm section including an arm, the arm having one end rotatably attached to a top surface of the support body and the other end rotatably attached to a housing incorporating therein the camera; and

means for detecting an inclination of the camera and an inclination of the arm to output inclination information, the method comprising;

receiving the inclination information indicating the inclination of the camera and the inclination of the arm;

calculating a height of the camera indicating a distance between a center of the camera and the set surface, using dimensional information of the image capturing device and the inclination information;

specifying a type of the object subjected for capturing by the camera using the height of the camera and the inclination information; and

applying image processing specific to the specified type of the object to a captured image captured by the camera to generate processed image data.

12. The image processing method of claim 11, wherein the applying image processing includes:

applying image processing that corrects perspective distortion of the captured image with a correction parameter, the correction parameter being changed based on the specified type of the object.

13. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

extracting a quadrilateral from an imaging area of the camera; and

determining the correction parameter for correcting perspective distortion so as to cause the extracted quadrilateral to be a rectangular shape.

14. The image processing method of claim 12, further comprising:

calculating an imaging area of the camera using at least the height of the camera and information indicating an angle of view of the camera; and

determining the correction parameter for correcting perspective distortion so as to cause the calculated imaging area to be a rectangular shape.

15. The image processing method of claim 12, wherein the applying image processing further includes:

applying image processing that corrects lens distortion of the captured image with a correction parameter, the correction parameter being changed based on the specified type of the object.

16. A non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor that applies image processing to a captured image captured by an image capturing device, cause the processor to perform an image processing method, wherein the image capturing device includes:

a camera to capture an image of an object;

a support body to set the image capturing device on a set surface;

an arm section including an arm, the arm having one end rotatably attached to a top surface of the support body and the other end rotatably attached to a camera housing incorporating therein the camera; and

means for detecting an inclination of the camera and an inclination of the arm to output inclination information, the method comprising;

receiving the inclination information indicating the inclination of the camera and the inclination of the arm;

calculating a height of the camera indicating a distance between a center of the camera and the set surface, using dimensional information of the image capturing device and the inclination information;

specifying a type of the object subjected for capturing by the camera using the height of the camera and the inclination information; and

applying image processing specific to the specified type of the object to a captured image captured by the camera to generate processed image data.