Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Atsuhisa Morimoto

Masakazu Ohira

Yohsuke Konishi

Hitoshi Hirohata

Akihito Yoshida

Shiro Narikawa

Teruhiko Matsuoka

Daisaku Imaizumi

An image determining apparatus of the present invention includes an image type determining section () which determines whether an image is a scanned image or a captured image; and a compact PDF file generation determining section () which (a) extracts (i) a feature regarding a resolution from the scanned image or (ii) a feature regarding a blur from the captured image and (b) determines, on the basis of the extracted feature, whether or not the image is suitable for the conversion.

Image determining apparatus, image processing system, and recording medium

Disclosed is an image processing apparatus which (i) determines whether or not characters to be subjected to a character recognition process in image data have a size larger than a predetermined size, (ii) in a case where the characters is determined as larger than the predetermined size, reduces at least a region including the characters so that the size of the characters fits within the predetermined size, and (iii) performs a character recognition process of the characters with use of the reduced image data.

Image processing apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image processing method

An object area containing a text or a graphic is extracted from a document image containing the text or the graphic. Then, on the basis of the extracted object area and stored size information, a cropping area is determined that surrounds the object area with given margins. Further, setting of margins is received. Then, on the basis of the object area and the received setting of the margins, the cropping area is determined. Then, the cropping area determined on the basis of the object area and the size information or alternatively the cropping area determined on the basis of the object area and the setting of the margins is cropped from the document image.

Image processing apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium

An image processing apparatus is connected to an image reading apparatus which reads a read area set on a scanner platen in accordance with a size of a document placed on the scanner platen so as to create image data in which an image of the document is shown. The image processing apparatus includes a document detection section and an instruction section. The document detection section creates, based on the image data supplied from the image reading apparatus, document area information indicative of an area where the document is placed on the scanner platen. In a case where the area indicated by the document area information is not completely encompassed by the read area, the instruction section sets a reread area which completely encompasses the area indicated by the document area information and causes the image reading apparatus to read the reread area. In a case where a document which is not completely encompassed by the read area is read, a user can carry out a rereading process more easily than a conventional art.

Control apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and recording medium for efficient rereading

An image processing apparatus includes a document correction section and a display control section. The document correction section carries out rotation processing with respect to a document image so that a first reference direction from a reference side of a document to a side facing the reference side coincides with an upper-to-lower direction of the document image which has been subjected to the rotation processing. Further, before the rotation processing is carried out, the display control section causes the display apparatus to display an image in which the document and a mark indicating the reference side of the document to a user are shown in accordance with the document image. This allows a user to easily predict how the document shown in the document image will be oriented after the document image is subjected to the rotation processing, before the user inputs a command to carry out the rotation processing.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

An image processing apparatus includes: a division section for dividing input image data into portions; an orientation determining section for calculating reliabilities of directions of image data of each portion when the directions are regarded as orientations, and setting an orientation with the highest reliability as an orientation of each portion; a display control section for generating display image data including an image of a target portion whose reliability of an orientation is less than a predetermined value and images of designation regions from which a user's input to designate the orientation of the target portion is entered; and a character recognition section for recognizing characters of each portion in such a manner that the orientation is designated from the designation regions or set by the orientation determining section. This allows prompt recognition of characters of a portion whose reliability of orientation is low, in accordance with a right orientation.

Image processing method and apparatus for determining orientations based on reliabilities of a plurality of portions into which image has been divided or for determining orientations of portions of image divided by user's input so as to recognize characters for each divided portion of image, image forming apparatus, and storage medium

The present invention provides an image processing apparatus which processes a scanned image in which a document image is shown, and includes a reliability determining section and a display control section. The reliability determining section determines reliability of coincidences of respective first through fourth directions with a first reference direction, the first through fourth directions being perpendicular to or reverse to each other, the first reference direction being an upward direction of the document image. The display control section creates markers indicating the respective first through fourth directions, and causes a display device to display a preview image in which the markers and the scanned image overlap each other. Further, the display control section causes the markers to be displayed in respective different ways by changing respective densities in accordance with the reliability.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image reading apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium

An image processing apparatus includes: a reliability determining section which determines, with respect to each of the plurality of document images, reliability of coincidences of respective predetermined directions with a first reference direction, the first reference direction being a predetermined direction which points on a basis of an upward direction of or a downward direction of the information image; and a display control section (i) which divides the plurality of document images into groups so that document images, having a same direction whose reliability value is the highest, belong to a same group, and (ii) which causes a display device to display preview images for the respective groups, each of the preview images indicating at least one document image in each of the groups. In a case where one group contains a plurality of document images, a preview image containing the plurality of document images is displayed.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium

An image processing apparatus includes a document correction section and a display control section. The document correction section carries out rotation processing with respect to a document image so that a first reference direction from a reference side of a document to a side facing the reference side coincides with as an upper-to-lower direction of the document image which has been subjected to the rotation processing. Further, before the rotation processing is carried out, the display control section causes the display apparatus to display a display image in which the document and a mark indicating the reference side of the document to a user are shown in accordance with the document image. This allows a user to easily predict how the document shown in the document image will be oriented after the document image is subjected to the rotation processing, before the user inputs a command to carry out the rotation processing.

An image processing system according to the present invention includes: a management server in which related information set with respect to reference image data is stored; a similarity determination process section for determining whether or not there is a similarity between input image data and the reference image data; a related information obtaining process section for obtaining related information from a related information storage section if the similarity determination process section determines that there is a similarity between the input image data and the reference image data; and a control section for adding the related information obtained to the input image data. With the arrangement, it becomes possible for the image processing system to add appropriate related information to inputted image data, so as to realize an accurate search for the image data on the basis of the related information.

Image processing method, image processing apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing system, and storage medium

In an image processing apparatus for determining whether input image data is identical with image data of a reference image or not and performing a process according to the result of the determination, input image data whose similarity to a reference image is not less than a predetermined first threshold value or encoded image data obtained by encoding the input image data is stored in an access limitation storage section to which only a specific user is accessible. This allows an administrator to easily check whether the result of the determination is appropriate or not, without requiring a larger and more complex structure.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing system, and image processing method

Pixels of a binary image obtained by binarizing an image are scanned in a predetermined direction, labels are assigned to the pixels according to binarization information about the respective pixels, information about the assigned labels is stored sequentially for each of a plurality of lines along the predetermined direction, information about coordinate values in the binary image of pixels assigned the same label is stored, a determination is made as to whether or not, in a current line among the plurality of lines, there is a pixel assigned the same label as a label assigned to a pixel contained in a line which was scanned immediately before the current line, when a determination is made that there is no pixel assigned the same label, a feature point in a connected component formed by connecting together pixels specified by the coordinate values is calculated based on the stored information about the coordinate values, a feature vector representing a feature of the image is calculated based on the calculated feature point, and a similarity to reference image is determined based on the calculated feature vector.

Image processing apparatus, and method for performing document matching using extracted feature points of connected image components

An image processing apparatus includes: a data obtaining section for obtaining input image data; a memory in which reference image data or features of a reference image is stored; and a similarity determination process section for performing a determination process in which it is determined whether the input image data is image data corresponding to the reference image or not. The similarity determination process section changes the determination process in accordance with related information of the input image data. Consequently, it is possible to realize an image processing apparatus capable of determining a similarity between input image data and a reference image and restricting a process on the input image data in accordance with the result of the determination.

A plurality of infrared-light-emitting areas are displayed in a display screen of a liquid crystal display apparatus in a method that allows each of the infrared-light-emitting areas to be distinguished. Then, an image in a direction of a pointed position is captured by an operating device. Based on a result of distinguishing each of the infrared-light-emitting areas and a position of each of the infrared-light-emitting areas, a pointed position on the display screen is calculated. This makes it possible to properly detect the pointed position on the display screen pointed by the operating device, regardless of (i) a distance between the operating device and the display apparatus and (ii) a rotation angle of the operating device around an axis in an image capture direction of the operating device.

Display system and method for detecting pointed position

Based on an area detection signal, a layer separation section outputs a text component of a document, to a feature point calculating section, and generates four layers from a pictorial component of the document to output the generated layers to the feature point calculating section. The feature point calculating section sums feature points extracted for each component. A features calculating section calculates a hash value based on the feature points. A vote processing section searches a hash table based on the hash value, and votes for a reference image associated with the hash value. Based on the voting result, a similarity determination processing section determines whether the document image is similar to any reference image, and then outputs the determination result. Thus, even if the document contains a photograph, accurate matching can be performed.

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Osaka, Japan

Atsuhisa Morimoto