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US 6,188,786 B1Granted
Image processing apparatus that determines an area in an image based on color information
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMasashi Ueda, Ryohei Komiya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image processing apparatus including a color-information obtaining device which obtains color information relating to a color of a target-area picture-element group consisting of a plurality of picture elements belonging to a target area as one of a plurality of areas present in an object image, a characteristic-information obtaining device which obtains characteristic information which relates to a characteristic of the object image and which is different from the color information, and a target-area determining device for determining the target area in the object image based on the color information and the characteristic information.
Claims11
An image processing apparatus comprising:
- a color information obtaining device which obtains color information relating to a color of a target area pixel group consisting of a plurality of pixels belonging to a target area as one of a plurality of areas present in an object image,
- said color information obtaining device comprising a target area pixel designator which is operable by an operator for designating at least one primary target area pixel belonging to the target area,
- the color information relating to a color of each of the at least one primary target area pixel designated by the target area pixel designator and a plurality of secondary target area pixels automatically determined based on the primary target area pixel, the primary and secondary target area pixels providing, as the target area pixel group, a designated target area pixel group;
- a characteristic information obtaining device which obtains characteristic information which relates to a characteristic of the object image and which is different from the color information,
- the characteristic information obtaining device comprising an input device which is operable by the operator for inputting input information, and characteristic-information obtaining means for obtaining the characteristic information based on the input information,
- the input device comprising the target area pixel designator, and a non-target area pixel designator which is operable by the operator for designating at least one primary non-target area pixel belonging to a non-target area of the object image as a different one of the areas from the target area,
- the characteristic information comprising color information relating to a color of each of the at least one primary non-target area pixel designated by the non-target area pixel designator and a plurality of secondary non-target area pixels automatically determined based on the at least one primary non-target area pixel, the primary and secondary non-target area pixels providing a designated non-target area pixel group, the characteristic information further comprising first position information relating to a position of the designated target area pixel group in the object image, and second position information relating to a position of the designated non-target area pixel group in the object image;
- and
- target area determining means for determining the target area in the object image by determining a value of a function K that has independent variables including a color space distance between each of a plurality of pixels belonging to the object image and the target area pixel group, a color space distance between said each pixel and the non-target area pixel group, a spatial distance between said each pixel and the target area pixel group, and a spatial distance between said each pixel and the non-target area pixel group and comparing said value of the function K to a threshold for the function K for determining which of said plurality of pixels of the object image belong to the target area and which of said plurality of pixels of the object image belong to the non-target area.
6 more elements
A recording medium in which an image-processing control program is recorded which is readable by a computer and usable to control the computer to process image data, the program comprising the steps of:
- obtaining color information relating to a color of a target area pixel group consisting of a plurality of pixels belonging to a target area as one of a plurality of areas present in an object image, by operating a target area pixel designator for designating at least one primary target area pixel belonging to the target area, the color information relating to a color of each of the at least one primary target area pixel designated by the target area pixel designator and a plurality of secondary target area pixels automatically determined based on the primary target area pixel, the primary and secondary target area pixels providing, as the target area pixel group, a designated target area pixel group,
- obtaining characteristic information which relates to a characteristic of the object image and which is different from the color information, by upon operation of an input device for inputting input information, and obtaining the characteristic information based on the input information, wherein the step of operating the input device comprises operating the target area pixel designator, and operating a non-target area pixel designator for designating at least one primary non-target area pixel belonging to a non-target area of the object image as a different one of the areas from the target area, the characteristic information comprising color information relating to a color of each of the at least one primary non-target area pixel designated by the non-target area pixel designator and a plurality of secondary non-target area pixels automatically determined based on the primary non-target area pixel, the primary and secondary non-target area pixels providing a designated non-target area pixel group, the characteristic information further comprising first position information relating to a position of the designated target area pixel group in the object image, and second position information relating to a position of the designated non-target area pixel group in the object image, and
- determining the target area in the object image by determining a value of a function K that has independent variables including a color space distance between each of a plurality of pixels belonging to the object image and the target area pixel group, a color space distance between said each pixel and the non-target area pixel group, a spatial distance between said each pixel and the target area pixel group, and a spatial distance between said each pixel and the non-target area pixel group and comparing said value of the function K to a threshold for the function K for determining which of said plurality of pixels of the object image belong to the target area and which of said plurality of pixels of the object image belong to the non-target area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.