Colour document layout analysis with multi-level decomposition

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of classifying segmented contents of a scanned image of a document. The method comprise partitioning the scanned image into color segmented tiles at pixel level. The method then generates superpositioned segmented contents, each segmented content representing related color segments in at least one color segmented tile. Statistics are then calculated for each segmented content using pixel level statistics from each of the tile color segments included in segmented content, and then determines a classification for each segmented content based on the calculated statistics. The segmented content may be macroregions. The macroregions may form part of a multi-layered document representation of the document. Each of a plurality of tiles of predetermined size of the image are converted into a representation having a plurality of layers, the representation corresponding to at least one said tiles comprising multiple colored layers, each tile comprising a superposition of the corresponding colored layers. For each of the colored layers, merging is performed with adjacent ones of the tiles, thereby generating a multi-layered document representation.