Boundary detection method between areas having different features in image data

A boundary detection method for detecting a boundary between areas having different pixel arrangements among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising:

• extracting image frequency information for each unit area of the image data;
• determining representative feature information according to the extracted image frequency information;
• obtaining a difference in the representative feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area;
• and
• determining as the boundary the unit area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.

A boundary detection method for detecting a boundary between areas having different pixel arrangements among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising:

• extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types for each first unit area of the image data;
• defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information;
• provisionally determining as the boundary a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information of an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• extracting second image frequency information for each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area;
• and
• determining as the boundary a second unit area whose value based on the variance from the second image frequency information of the adjacent second unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary second unit area.

A boundary detection method for detecting, in input image data of an original whose front image is input with a background board as its background, a boundary between the background board and the original for the input image data of an image of a part of the background board and an edge of the original input in a same color;

• comprising:
• performing a Fourier-transform on each first unit area of the input image data;
• extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform processing;
• defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information for each of the first unit area;
• provisionally determining as the boundary a corresponding area on an approximate line obtained by performing line approximation on a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information about an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• performing a Fourier-transform on each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area;
• extracting second image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform;
• defining as representative feature information a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted second image frequency information for each second unit area;
• performing a Wavelet transform on the representative feature information;
• performing line approximation on a second unit area whose value for each second unit area obtained by the Wavelet transform is at or higher than a predetermined level;
• and
• determining a position on the approximate line obtained by the line approximation as the boundary.

A computer-readable handy storage medium storing a program used to direct a computer to perform a process of detecting a boundary between areas having different features among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising the functions of:

• extracting feature information depending on all pixels in a unit area for each unit area of the image data;
• obtaining a difference in the feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area;
• and
• determining as the boundary the unit area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.

A computer-readable handy storage medium storing a program used to direct a computer to perform a process of detecting a boundary between areas having different pixel arrangements among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising the functions of:

• extracting image frequency information for each unit area of the image data;
• determining representative feature information according to the extracted image frequency information;
• obtaining a difference in the representative feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area;
• and
• determining as the boundary the unit area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.

A computer-readable handy storage medium storing a program used to direct a computer to perform a process of detecting a boundary between areas having different pixel arrangements among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising the functions of:

• extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types for each first unit area of the image data;
• defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information;
• provisionally determining as the boundary a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information of an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• extracting second image frequency information for each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area;
• and
• determining as the boundary a second unit area whose value based on the variance from the second image frequency information of the adjacent second unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary second unit area.

A computer-readable handy storage medium storing a program used to direct a computer to perform a process of detecting, in input image data of an original whose front image is input with a background board as its background, a boundary between the background board and the original for the input image data of an image of a part of the background board and an edge of the original input in the same color;

• comprising the functions of:
• performing a Fourier-transform on each first unit area of the input image data;
• extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform processing;
• defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information for each of the first unit areas;
• provisionally determining as the boundary a corresponding area on an approximate line obtained by performing line approximation on a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information about an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• performing a Fourier-transform on each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area;
• extracting second image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform;
• defining as representative feature information a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted second image frequency information for each second unit area;
• performing a Wavelet transform on the representative feature information;
• performing line approximation on a second unit area whose value for each second unit area obtained by the Wavelet transform is at or higher than a predetermined level;
• and
• determining a position on the approximate line obtained by the line approximation as the boundary.

An image processing device for detecting a boundary between areas having different pixel arrangements among arbitrary adjacent areas in image data, comprising:

• a feature emphasis unit extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types for each first unit area of the image data;
• a boundary provisional determination unit defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information, and provisionally determining as the boundary a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information of an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• and
• a boundary determination unit extracting second image frequency information for each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area, and determining as the boundary a second unit area whose value based on the variance from the second image frequency information of the adjacent second unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary second unit area.

An image processing device for detecting, in input image data of an original whose front image is input with a background board as its background, a boundary between the background board and the original for the input image data of an image of a part of the background board and an edge of the original input in a same color;

• comprising:
• a feature emphasis unit performing a Fourier-transform on each first unit area of the input image data, and extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform processing;
• a boundary provisional determination unit defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information for each of the first unit area, and provisionally determining as the boundary a corresponding area on an approximate line obtained by performing line approximation on a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information about an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• and
• a boundary determination unit performing a Fourier-transform on each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area, extracting second image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform, defining as representative feature information a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted second image frequency information for each second unit area, performing a Wavelet transform on the representative feature information, performing line approximation on a second unit area whose value for each second unit area obtained by the Wavelet transform is at or higher than a predetermined level, and determining a position on the approximate line obtained by the line approximation as the boundary.

A copying machine which provides a background board on a back of an original, reads image information about the original, and outputs a copy of the original with a size of the original designated based on detection of a boundary between the background board and the original, comprising:

• a printing area exclusion unit excluding a printing area of image information;
• a feature emphasis unit extracting feature information depending on all image information in a unit area for each unit area of the image information;
• and
• a boundary determination unit obtaining a difference in the feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area, and determining as the boundary the unit area other than the printing area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.

A copying machine which provides a background board on a back of an original, reads image information about the original, and outputs a copy of the original with a size of the original designated based on detection of a boundary between the background board and the original, comprising:

• a printing area exclusion unit excluding a printing area of image information;
• a feature emphasis unit extracting image frequency information for each unit area of the image information;
• and
• a boundary determination unit determining representative feature information according to the extracted image frequency information, obtaining a difference in the representative feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area, and determining as the boundary the unit area other than the printing area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.

A copying machine which provides a background board on a back of an original, reads image information about the original, and outputs a copy of the original with a size of the original designated based on detection of a boundary between the background board and the original, comprising:

• a printing area exclusion unit excluding a printing area of image information;
• a feature emphasis unit extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types for each first unit area of the image information;
• a boundary provisional determination unit defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information, and provisionally determining as the boundary a first unit area whose variance from the representative feature information of an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• and
• a boundary determination unit extracting second image frequency information for each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area, and determining as the boundary a second unit area whose value based on the variance from the second image frequency information of the adjacent second unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary second unit area.

A copying machine which provides a background board on a back of an original, reads image information about the original, and outputs a copy of the original with a size of the original designated based on detection of a boundary between the background board and the original, comprising:

• a printing area exclusion unit excluding a printing area of image information;
• a feature emphasis unit performing a Fourier-transform on each first unit area of the input image information, and extracting first image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform processing;
• a boundary provisional determination unit defining a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted first image frequency information as representative feature information for each of the first unit areas, and provisionally determining as the boundary a corresponding area on an approximate line obtained by performing line approximation on a first unit area other than the printing area whose variance from the representative feature information about an adjacent first unit area is at or higher than a predetermined level in an arbitrary first unit area;
• and
• a boundary determination unit performing a Fourier-transform on each second unit area smaller than the first unit area in the first unit area provisionally determined as the boundary and a vicinal area of the first unit area, extracting second image frequency information of predetermined types obtained by the Fourier-transform, defining as representative feature information a value obtained by adding a predetermined weight to each type of the extracted second image frequency information for each second unit area, performing a Wavelet transform on the representative feature information, performing line approximation on a second unit area whose value for each second unit area obtained by the Wavelet transform is at or higher than a predetermined level, and determining a position on the approximate line obtained by the line approximation as the boundary.

A copying machine which provides a background board on a back of an original, reads image information about the original, and outputs a copy of the original with a size of the original designated based on detection of a boundary between the background board and the original, comprising:

• printing area exclusion means for excluding a printing area of image information;
• feature emphasis means for extracting feature information depending on all image information in a unit area for each unit area of the image information;
• and
• boundary determination means for obtaining a difference in the feature information between adjacent unit areas for an arbitrary unit area, and determining as the boundary the unit area other than the printing area whose difference is at or higher than a predetermined level.