Segmenting a composite image via minimum areas
AssigneeOce-Technologies B.V.
InventorJohannes W.M. Jacobs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and device are provided for segmenting an image of pixels into a number of fields. First the method finds field separators using the background of the image, in particular white areas between, for instance, text fields. The segmenting includes constructing: a tessellation grid of lines and nodes formed by extending the field separators along at least one separation direction (in practice, horizontal and vertical) to an outer border of the image, and a set of basic rectangles enclosed by the lines of the tesselation grid of field separators and extended field separators. Finally the fields are constructed by consolidating basic rectangles that are adjacent without being separated by a field separator.
Claims19
A method of segmenting a composite image of pixels into a number of fields corresponding to layout elements of the image, the pixels having a value representing an intensity and/or color of a picture element, the method comprising:
- finding field separators corresponding to areas of adjacent pixels of the image, having a predefined property indicative of a background of the image;
- extending the field separators along at least one separation direction to an outer border of the image;
- constructing a tesselation grid of lines corresponding to the extended field separators;
- constructing a set of basic rectangles, a basic rectangle being an area enclosed by lines of the tesselation grid;
- and
- constructing the fields by connecting basic rectangles that are adjacent and not separated by a field separator.
A computer program product embodied on at least one computer-readable medium, for segmenting a composite image of pixels into a number of fields corresponding to layout elements of the image, the pixels having a value representing an intensity and/or color of a picture element, the computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions for:
- finding field separators corresponding to areas of adjacent pixels of the image, having a predefined property indicative of a background of the image;
- extending the field separators along at least one separation direction to an outer border of the image;
- constructing a tesselation grid of lines corresponding to the extended field separators;
- constructing a set of basic rectangles, a basic rectangle being an area enclosed by lines of the tesselation grid;
- and
- constructing the fields by connecting basic rectangles that are adjacent and not separated by a field separator.
A device for segmenting a composite image of pixels into a number of fields corresponding to layout elements of the image, the pixels having a value representing the intensity and/or color of a picture element, the device comprising:
- an input unit for inputting an image;
- and
- a processing unit for finding field separators corresponding to areas of adjacent pixels having a predefined property indicative of a background of the image,
- wherein the processing unit extends the field separators along at least one separation direction to an outer border of the image,
- constructs a tesselation grid of lines corresponding to the extended field separators,
- constructs a set of basic rectangles, a basic rectangle being an area enclosed by lines of the tesselation grid, and
- constructs the fields by connecting basic rectangles that are adjacent and not separated by a field separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.