Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yukari Toda

Kazuhiro Saito

Osamu Yamada

Susumu Sugiura

Yoshikazu Yokomizo

Yasuo Fukuda

Yoshinobu Mita

Makoto Takaoka

Shigetada Kobayashi

Masanari Toda

Junichi Shishizuka

Mitsumasa Sugiyama

Tsutomu Negishi

Yasuhiko Hashimoto

Masahiro Funada

Shokyo Koh

Toshiaki Yagasaki

Akinobu Nishikata

Keizo Isemura

Nobuaki Miyahara

Nobuo Sekiguchi

Tomotoshi Kanatsu

Hirohiko Tashiro

Tokuharu Kaneko

Tetsuomi Tanaka

Masanobu Inui

Rieko Akiba

Shigeo Fukuoka

In an image processing apparatus, a histogram calculation unit calculates a histogram that is consonant with an input image, a binary threshold value calculation unit calculates a binary threshold value, based on the histogram, with which a predetermined area in the input image is blurred, and a binarizing unit binarizes the input image using the binary threshold value. In addition, a calculation unit calculates the color of the predetermined area of the input image based on the results obtained by the binarizing unit.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program and storage medium therefor

An image processing method and apparatus which efficiently detect an image input direction, from an image with much differential information to an image with little differential information. The direction of an image including a character area, inputted into a computer, is detected. First, a binary image of the input image is generated, and a tile image is generated by adding a predetermined value to respective tiles, each tile corresponding to a predetermined size area in the binary image. Next, an area of the binary image, corresponding to an area within a circumscribed rectangle surrounding connected pixels having the same value in the tile image, is extracted as a character area. Then, the direction of characters included in the character area is recognized and thereby the direction of the input image is detected.

Image processing method and apparatus

In an image processing apparatus, color image data is binarized, and a symbol area in the color image data is detected. There are obtained, from N colors that form a symbol in the symbol area, M colors that are equal to or smaller than N in number. A symbol cutting process is performed on the symbol area, and one of the M colors is allocated for each symbol cut unit that is obtained by the symbol cutting.

Processing for accurate reproduction of symbols and other high-frequency areas in a color image

This invention has as its object to provide an image processing apparatus and method which can efficiently compress an image while maintaining high image quality, and a storage medium for implementing the method. To accomplish this, an apparatus has a text area detector () for extracting a text area from multi-valued image data, and generating text area coordinate data () as position data of the text area, a binarization unit () for generating binary image data () by binarizing multi-valued image data of the text area, a color computation unit () for generating text color data () by computing a representative color of the text area, a text paint unit () for generating non-text multi-valued image data A by converting multi-valued image data of the text area using multi-valued image data of an area other than text, a reduction unit () for generating reduced non-text multi-valued image data by lowering the resolution of the non-text multi-valued image data, a JPEG compression unit () for compressing the non-text multi-valued image data by JPEG, and an MMR compression unit for compressing the binary image data of the text area by MMR.

Image processing apparatus and method

In image processing for accurate reproduction of the color of a high-frequency area, a histogram is calculated that is consonant with an input image, and, based on the histogram, there is calculated a binary threshold value with which a predetermined area in the input image is blurred. The input image is binarized using the binary threshold value, and the color of the predetermined area of the input image is calculated based on the results obtained in the binarization.

There is disclosed a control apparatus for a scanner/printer including a unit for generating print data described in a page description language, a unit for generating a command regarding a scanner for scanning an original image, and a unit for producing the print data and the command regarding the scanner to a common device through a network.

Control apparatus for a scanner/printer

An image forming apparatus for inputting an original image and forming an image on a recording medium, includes an image direction detection unit for detecting the image direction of an original image, and a control unit for controlling image forming device to perform predetermined image forming processing in accordance with the detection result of the image direction detection unit. The image direction detection unit outputs a degree of determination as the detection result of the image direction, and a level for determining whether or not the predetermined image processing is done is set for the degree of determination.

Image forming method and apparatus

An input/output apparatus is connected to a plurality of host computers via a network and executes both a scanning function and a printing function. The apparatus includes a portion that generates image data from data input from a first one of the host computers and prints the generated image data by executing the printing function, and further includes an output device that scans image data by executing the scanning function and outputs the scanned image data to a second one of the host computers in response to a request command. As a result, the input/output apparatus may operate in coordination with a plurality of personal computers by using the network to transfer image data therebetween.

Input/output apparatus connected to a plurality of host computers via a network

An image processing apparatus includes a first determination unit for determining the direction of an input image, a second determination unit for determining if the input image is a portrait type or landscape type, and an image rotation unit for rotating the input image in correspondence with the determination results of the first and second determination units. The image rotation unit rotates one of portrait type and landscape type images to adjust the direction of the image in a predetermined direction, and rotates the other one of portrait type and landscape type images to adjust the direction of the image in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

Image processing apparatus for executing image processing in correspondence with portrait and landscape types

A system enables the reading characteristic of an image reader in a network to be recognized by a host computer. The SP server device transfers the reading characteristics of a plurality of scanner printers to a designated client host computer and through a network.

Server device and image processing device

An edge detection circuit receives multi-valued image data, extracts a portion that satisfies a predetermined condition from the input line, and stores its coordinate data in an edge coordinate memory. A coupling processing circuit generates a rectangular region by coupling the extracted portions, which are separated by only a predetermined distance or less from those stored in the edge coordinate memory, and stores it in a region information memory. The coupling processing circuit discriminates whether or not the generated rectangular region includes a specific image. A binary memory holds bands including the rectangular region which is discriminated to include the specific image. In this way, a specific image region can be extracted from an image signal at high speed without waiting for completion of storage of the entire image signal in a memory and without storing an unnecessary image region in a memory.

Region extraction method and apparatus

A copier includes a reader for reading a document image, an orientation sensor for sensing orientation of characters in the document image that has entered from the reader, a size sensor for sensing the size of the document image that has entered from the reader, an image processor for zooming the document image at a magnification that conforms to results of sensing performed by the orientation sensor and size sensor, and laying out a plurality of document images as a single image, and a printer for printing the images laid out by the image processor.

Image processing apparatus for laying out plurality of images in

In order to realize a neural network for image processing by an inexpensive hardware arrangement, a neural network arranged in an image processing apparatus is constituted by an input layer having neurons for receiving information from picture elements in a 7.times.7 area including an interesting picture element in an image, an intermediate layer having one neuron connected to all the 49 neurons in the input layer and five groups of nine neurons, the nine neurons in each group being connected to nine neurons in the input layer, which receive information from picture elements in at least one of five 3.times.3 areas (1a to 1e), and an output layer having one neuron, which is connected to all the neurons in the intermediate layer and outputs information corresponding to the interesting picture element.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yukari Toda