Recording medium recording character area extraction program, information processing apparatus and character area extraction method

An information processing apparatus comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and configured to preform operations of:
• changing a relationship in relative sizes between an image and a scanning window that scans the image;
• scanning the scanning window based on a changed relationship;
• specifying a scanning position at which an edge density of an image area included in the scanning window is equal to or larger than a threshold value;
• extracting one or more areas indicated by the scanning window at the specified scanning position as one or more character area candidates;
• determining, when overlapped character area candidates included in the one or more character area candidates overlap with each other, a maximum character area candidate having a maximum edge density among the overlapped character area candidates;
• and
• extracting the image area included in the maximum character area candidate as a character area.

A character area extraction method comprising:

• changing, by a computer, a relationship in relative sizes between an image and a scanning window that scans the image;
• scanning the scanning window based on a changed relationship;
• specifying a scanning position at which an edge density of an image area included in the scanning window is equal to or larger than a threshold value;
• extracting one or more areas indicated by the scanning window at the specified scanning position as one or more character area candidates;
• determining, when overlapped character area candidates included in the one or more character area candidates overlap with each other, a maximum character area candidate having a maximum edge density among the overlapped character area candidates;
• and
• extracting the image area included in the maximum character area candidate as a character area.