US 7,151,860 B1Granted

Document image correcting device and a correcting method

AssigneeFujitsu Limited

InventorsKenichiro Sakai, Tsugio Noda

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Abstract

A line orientation determining unit determining whether the line orientation of an input document image is either vertical or horizontal, a character image extracting unit extracting a character image from the input document image, a character orientation detecting unit detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting the extracted character image to be properly orientated, in correspondence with the result of the determination made by the line orientation determining unit, and a document image correcting unit correcting the input document image to be properly orientated based on the result of the detection made by the character orientation detecting unit are comprised. With these units, a scanned image is automatically corrected to be a properly orientated image, even if a document such as an English document image the text of which is horizontally written in normal cases is scanned in any of upward, downward, right, and left directions, is scanned, for example, with the use of a hand-held scanner.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A document image correcting device correcting an input document image to be a properly orientated image, comprising:

a line orientation determining unit determining whether a line orientation of an input document image is either vertical or horizontal;
a character image extracting unit extracting a character image from the input document image;
a character recognizing unit performing recognizing on the extracted character image;
a character orientation detecting unit detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting the character image extracted by said character image extracting unit to be properly orientated, in correspondence with a result of a determination made by said line orientation determining unit;
and
a document image correcting unit correcting the input document image to be a properly orientated document image based on a result of detection made by said character orientation detecting unit;
wherein
said character orientation detecting unit detects as a properly orientated character image an image having a highest degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing unit among the images to which said image converting unit converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
if there is only one image having a predetermined or higher degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing unit among the images to which said image converting unit converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, said character orientation detecting unit detects the only one image as a properly orientated image, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
and
said character orientation detecting unit detecting unit detects as a properly orientated image an image that has a highest degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing unit, and a character code which correspond to the image and is not predetermined, among the images to which said image converting unit converts the extracted image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping.

8 more elements

A document image correcting device correcting an input document image to be a properly orientated image, comprising:

a line orientation determining unit determining whether a line orientation of an input document image is either vertical or horizontal;
a line image extracting unit extracting a whole or a part of a line from the input document image as a line image;
a character image recognizing unit performing recognizing on an extracted character image;
a character orientation detecting unit detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting a character image within the line image extracted by said line image extracting unit, in correspondence with a result of a determination made by said line orientation determining unit;
and
a document image correcting unit correcting the input document image to be a properly orientated image based on a result of detection made by said character orientation detecting unit;
wherein
said character orientation detecting unit detects an image type as a properly oriented image if the image type has a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character image recognizing unit for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting unit convert the character image within the line image with different conversion methods, and if a preset number or more of predetermined character codes are not included among character codes corresponding to the character image within the line image, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
said character orientation detecting unit detects as a properly orientated character image an image type having a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing unit for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting unit converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotation angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
and
said character orientation detecting unit detects only one image type as a properly orientated image if there is the only one image type having a predetermined or higher mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing unit for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting unit converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping.

8 more elements

A document image correcting method correcting an input document image to be a properly orientated image, comprising:

determining whether a line orientation of the input document image is either vertical or horizontal;
detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting a character image extracted from the input document image to be properly orientated, in correspondence with a result of a determination;
and
correcting the input document image to be a properly orientated document image based on a result of detection;
wherein
detecting an image type as a properly orientated image if the image type has a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition for the character image within the line image among types which are converted using the character image within the line image with different conversion methods, and if a preset number or more of predetermined character codes are not includes among character codes corresponding to the character image within the line image, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
detecting as a properly orientated character image an image type having a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed for the character image within the line image among image types which are converted using the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
and
detecting only one image type as a properly orientated image if there is the only one image type having a predetermined or higher mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed for the character image within the line image among image types which are converted using the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping.

6 more elements

A computer-readable storage medium for use in a document image correcting device correcting an input document image to be a properly orientated image, on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to perform a process, said process comprising:

determining whether a line orientation of the input document image is either vertical or horizontal;
detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting a character image extracted from the input document image to be properly orientated, in correspondence with a result of a determination;
and
correcting the input document image to be a properly orientated document image based on a result of detection;
wherein
detecting an image type as a properly orientated image if the image type has a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition for the character image within the line image among types which are converted using the character image within the line image with different conversion methods, and if a preset number or more of predetermined character codes are not includes among character codes corresponding to the character image within the line image, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
detecting as a properly orientated character image an image type having a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed for the character image within the line image among image types which are converted using the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
and
detecting only one image type as a properly orientated image if there is the only one image type having a predetermined or higher mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed for the character image within the line image among image types which are converted using the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping.

6 more elements

A document image correcting device correcting an input document image to be a properly orientated image, comprising:

line orientation determining means for determining whether a line orientation of an input document image is either vertical or horizontal;
character image extracting means for extracting a character image from the input document image;
a character image recognizing means for performing recognizing on the extracted character image;
character orientation detecting means for detecting whether or not to require a rotation, a rotational angle if the rotation is required, and mirror image flipping, which are intended for correcting the character image extracted by said character image extracting means to be properly orientated, in correspondence with a result of a determination made by said line orientation determining means;
and
document image correcting means for correcting the input document image to be a properly orientated document image based on a result of detection made by said character orientation detecting means;
wherein
said character orientation detecting means detects an image type as a properly oriented image if the image type has a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character image recognizing means for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting means convert the character image within the line image with different conversion methods, and if a preset number or more of predetermined character codes are not included among character codes corresponding to the character image within the line image, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
said character orientation detecting means detects as a properly orientated character image an image type having a highest mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing means for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting means converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotation angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping;
and
said character orientation detecting means detects only one image type as a properly orientated image if there is the only one image type having a predetermined or higher mean degree of likelihood of the recognition performed by said character recognizing means for the character image within the line image among image types to which said image converting unit converts the extracted character image with different conversion methods, and detects whether or not to require the rotation, the rotational angle from the properly orientated image to the input document image if the rotation is required, and the mirror image flipping.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/612,288Filed 7 Jul 2000
Priority: JP 11-21605030 Jul 1999
Granted: 19 Dec 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B65H 29/52
Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles: stationary guides or smoothers
B42C 1/12
Collating or gathering sheets combined with processes for permanently attaching together sheets or signatures or for interposing inserts: machines…
G06V 30/1463
Aligning or centring of the image pick-up or image-field: orientation detection or correction, e.g. rotation of multiples of 90 degrees
B65H 2301/163
Of discharge in bins, stacking, collating or gathering: bound or non bound, e.g. stapled or non stapled stacking mode