Fuzzy inference method and machine, and an image production method and system

An image production method comprising the steps of:

• detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of said descriptive region;
• selecting one from a plurality of previously defined layout patterns based on said determined image characteristic value, the layout pattern including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, a size of an illustration, a position of the illustration and a position of the manuscript descriptive region;
• and
• producing an image by laying out respective images of the illustration and said manuscript descriptive region according to the decided layout pattern.

An image production system comprising:

• descriptive region detecting means for detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• image characteristic value calculating means for calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of the descriptive region detected by said descriptive region detecting means;
• layout pattern storage means for storing a layout pattern including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, a size of an illustration, a position of the illustration, and a position of the manuscript descriptive region;
• layout pattern selecting means for selecting a layout pattern based on the image characteristic value determined by said image characteristic value calculating means;
• illustration storage means for storing the illustrations;
• and
• superimposing means for combining the illustration stored in said illustration storage means with the image of said descriptive region according to the layout pattern selected by said layout pattern selecting means.

An image production method comprising the steps of:

• detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of said descriptive region image;
• selecting, based on said determined image characteristic value, one from a plurality of previously defined schematic layout patterns including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, an approximate position of an illustration and an approximate position of the descriptive region image;
• schematically laying at positions said image of the manuscript descriptive region and said illustration according to the decided schematic layout pattern;
• and
• making fine adjustment of the positions of the illustration and the manuscript descriptive region image based on said image characteristic value and then producing an image.

An image production system comprising:

• descriptive region detecting means for detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• image characteristic value calculating means for calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of the descriptive region image detected by said descriptive region detecting means;
• schematic layout pattern storage means for storing a schematic layout pattern including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, an approximate position of an illustration and an approximate position of the manuscript descriptive region image;
• schematic layout pattern selecting means for selecting a schematic layout pattern based on the image characteristic value determined by said image characteristic value calculating means;
• layout fine adjustment means for deciding a precise layout positions in the schematic layout pattern based on the image characteristic value determined by said image characteristic value calculating means, the schematic layout pattern selected by said schematic layout pattern selecting means;
• illustration storage means for storing the illustrations;
• and
• superimposing means for combining the illustration stored in said illustration storage means with said image of the descriptive region according to the layout decided by said layout fine adjustment means.

An image production method comprising the steps of:

• detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of said descriptive region image;
• selecting, based on said determined image characteristic value, one from a plurality of previously defined schematic layout patterns including at least one of information items about an approximate position of an illustration and an approximate position of the manuscript descriptive region image;
• selecting, based on said image characteristic value, one from a plurality of previously defined segmental layout patterns to be laid in an area of illustration superimposed on the decided schematic layout pattern, the segmental layout pattern including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, a size of an illustration and a position of the illustration;
• and
• laying out the illustration and the image of the descriptive region according to the decided schematic layout pattern and segmental layout pattern for combining the illustration with the image of the manuscript descriptive region.

An image production system comprising:

• descriptive region detecting means for detecting, based on manuscript data, only an image of a descriptive region exclusive of a background portion of a manuscript;
• image characteristic value calculating means for calculating at least one of image characteristic values of a horizontal length, a vertical length, a mean pixel luminance, a color tone, a luminance distribution and a luminance centroid of the descriptive region image detected by said descriptive region detecting means;
• schematic layout pattern storage means for storing a schematic layout pattern including at least one of information items about an approximate position of an illustration and an approximate position of the manuscript descriptive region image;
• schematic layout pattern selecting means for selecting said schematic layout pattern based on the image characteristic value determined by said image characteristic value calculating means;
• segmental layout pattern storage means for storing a segmental layout pattern including at least one of information items about a number of illustrations, a size of an illustration and a position of the illustration;
• segmental layout pattern selecting means for selecting said segmental layout pattern based on the image characteristic value determined by said image characteristic value calculating means;
• illustration storage means for storing the illustrations;
• and
• superimposing means for combining the illustration stored in said illustration storage means with said image of the descriptive region according to the layout selected by said segmental layout pattern selecting means.

A method of producing an output image according to a layout pattern, the output image including a descriptive portion of an input image and at least one illustration, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving the input image;
• (b) detecting the descriptive portion of the input image;
• (c) calculating an image characteristic value of the descriptive portion of the input image;
• (d) selecting the layout pattern from a plurality of layout patterns based on the image characteristic value;
• (e) selecting said at least one illustration from a plurality of illustrations;
• and
• (f) producing the output image by combining the descriptive portion of the image with said at least one illustration according to the layout pattern.