Zone segmentation for image display

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for detecting in an image text-like portions and non-text-like portions. The method includes the steps of establishing a set of fuzzy detection rules for distinguishing text-like portions of an image from non-text-like portions of an image, dividing the test image into a plurality of segment, and applying the set of fuzzy detection rules to each segment of the test image to thereby classify each segment as text-like or non-text-like. Preferably, the establishing step includes the sub-steps of identifying a plurality of image features that distinguish different portions of an image, generating a plurality of fuzzy detection rules by applying different combinations of the features to a text-like learning image and to a non-text-like learning image, and minimizing the rules to exclude those rules not supported by a predetermined amount of the learning images, and allocating the non-excluded rules to the set. Optionally, the generating sub-step includes the sub-steps of normalising each image feature to have a value in the range 0 to 1, partitioning each input feature space into a plurality of equally spaced region, assigning each input feature to a label of one of the regions to maximize a membership value of the label in the one region, selecting for each the region the maximized label for each feature to thus form a respective fuzzy rule.