# US 10,375,261 B2 · Image scanning apparatus

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- Number: US 10,375,261 B2
- Document ID: US10375261B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/823,087
- Filed: 2017-11-27
- Published: 2018-06-07
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-02
- Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Applicants: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Inventors: Toshiaki Mutsuo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375261B2

## CPC

- H04N 1/00742: {Detection methods}
- H04N 1/04: Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence)
- H04N 2201/0081: Image reader (H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

In an input image generated as a binary image from a scanned document image, a projection image generating unit (a) tries at each primary-scanning-directional target pixel position to detect a secondary-scanning-directional run along a secondary scanning direction, projects the detected secondary-scanning-directional run at the primary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generates a one-dimensional primary-scanning-directional-projection image, and (b) tries at each secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position to detect a primary-scanning-directional run along the primary scanning direction, projects the detected primary-scanning-directional run at the secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generates a one-dimensional secondary-scanning-directional-projection image. A blank sheet determining unit determines that the document is a blank document at least on the basis of the number of runs in the primary-scanning-directional-projection image and the number of runs in the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image scanning apparatus, comprising:
a processor; the processor capable of running software units;
an image scanning unit configured to optically scan a document image of a document;
a preprocessing unit, running on the processor, configured to generate an input image as a binary image from the document image;
a projection image generating unit, running on the processor, configured to (a) try at each primary-scanning-directional target pixel position in the input image to detect a secondary-scanning-directional run that includes a predetermined number of continuous pixels or more along a secondary scanning direction, project the detected secondary-scanning-directional run at the primary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generate a one-dimensional primary-scanning-directional-projection image, and (b) try at each secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position in the input image to detect a primary-scanning-directional run that includes a predetermined number of continuous pixels or more along the primary scanning direction, project the detected primary-scanning-directional run at the secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generate a one-dimensional secondary-scanning-directional-projection image;
a blank sheet determining unit, running on the processor, configured to determine that the document is a blank document at least on the basis of the number of runs in the primary-scanning-directional-projection image and the number of runs in the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image; wherein the blank sheet determining unit (a) determines that document is a blank document that includes a horizontal ruled line if the primary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include a predetermined number of runs nor more but the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image includes the predetermined number of runs or more, and (b) determines that document is a blank document that includes a vertical ruled line if the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include the predetermined number of runs nor more but the primary-scanning-directional-projection image includes the predetermined number of runs or more; and
the predetermined number is equal to or larger than 1, and specified on the basis of setting data.

### Claim 2

An image scanning apparatus, comprising:
a processor; the processor capable of running software units;
an image scanning unit configured to optically scan a document image of a document;
a preprocessing unit, running on the processor, configured to generate an input image as a binary image from the document image;
a projection image generating unit, running on the processor, configured to (a) try at each primary-scanning-directional target pixel position in the input image to detect a secondary-scanning-directional run that includes a predetermined number of continuous pixels or more along a secondary scanning direction, project the detected secondary-scanning-directional run at the primary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generate a one-dimensional primary-scanning-directional-projection image, and (b) try at each secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position in the input image to detect a primary-scanning-directional run that includes a predetermined number of continuous pixels or more along the primary scanning direction, project the detected primary-scanning-directional run at the secondary-scanning-directional target pixel position and thereby generate a one-dimensional secondary-scanning-directional-projection image;
a blank sheet determining unit, running on the processor, configured to determine that the document is a blank document at least on the basis of the number of runs in the primary-scanning-directional-projection image and the number of runs in the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image; wherein the blank sheet determining unit (a) determines that document is a blank document that includes a horizontal ruled line if the primary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include a run having a predetermined length nor longer but the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image includes a run having the predetermined length or longer, and (b) determines that document is a blank document that includes a vertical ruled line if the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include a run having the predetermined length nor longer but the primary-scanning-directional-projection image includes a run having the predetermined length or longer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image scanning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined length is set as a smallest value of a character size in the document.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The image scanning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the blank sheet determining unit (a) determines that document is a blank document that includes a horizontal ruled line if the primary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include a predetermined number of runs nor more having a predetermined length nor longer but the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image includes the predetermined number of runs or more having the predetermined length or longer, and (b) determines that document is a blank document that includes a vertical ruled line if the secondary-scanning-directional-projection image does not include the predetermined number of runs nor more having the predetermined length nor longer but the primary-scanning-directional-projection image includes the predetermined number of runs or more having the predetermined length or longer; and
the predetermined number is equal to or larger than 1, and specified on the basis of setting data.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The image scanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of pixels is set as an uppermost value of a thickness of a ruled line in the document.